99: Killing with a borrowed knife?

He glanced around, seeing Zhou Kang and the others busy like spinning tops, not noticing his arrival.

Lu Ming also didn't disturb them, walking to the counter and taking out Talismans to restock them, categorizing them as he went.

Just then, Zhou Kang, who had just finished serving a customer, noticed Lu Ming behind the counter.

He was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy, and he quickly came over to greet him.

"Shopkeeper, you're finally here!"

"Hmm, let's go inside first."

Lu Ming nodded, pointing to the small room behind the counter.

As the two entered, Zhou Kang quickly and meticulously explained the shop's recent revenue situation.

He then took out a large bag of Spirit Stones and placed them on the table.

"Shopkeeper, this is the total revenue of the shop for half a month, please take a look."

Lu Ming took a quick glance and knew the approximate number.

There were roughly a thousand Spirit Stones inside.

Hmm, not bad.

Lu Ming wasn't overly excited; the Spirit Stones earned by the shop now weren't enough to make him thrilled.

After ransacking the Poisonous Dragon Gang, he was now incredibly wealthy, and with his previous savings, his Spirit Stones were almost breaking ten thousand.

He couldn't spend it all, simply couldn't.

Seeing Shopkeeper Han's unchanging expression in front of so many Spirit Stones, Zhou Kang's admiration grew even stronger.

This was truly someone destined for great things!

Unlike him, the first time he saw so many Spirit Stones, his eyes could barely move away.

Lu Ming didn't know what Zhou Kang was thinking.

He wasn't interested in Spirit Stones now, and he often missed the days when he only had a dozen Spirit Stones on him.

Looking at the Spirit Stones, Lu Ming pondered for a moment.

Then he raised his hand and pushed a small pile towards Zhou Kang.

"You all have worked hard recently, and the end of the month is almost here. This is your rightful share, divide it now!"

Although it was just a small pile, it added up to about two hundred Spirit Stones.

This was the reward Lu Ming had promised beforehand: Xu Li would get 20% of her Talismans' revenue, and Zhou Kang's father and son would get 10% of the total sales.

Even so, it made Zhou Kang grin from ear to ear.

When he was a Spirit Farmer before, it would take him several years to get this kind of income.

Moreover, the growth rate of Spirit Stones was extremely slow, the return cycle was very long, and the risk was also extremely high; if he encountered pests or natural disasters, it would be years of hard work lost.

Now, it was finally a case of suffering coming to an end.

Zhou Kang was grateful to Lu Ming from the bottom of his heart; calling him a benefactor would not be an exaggeration.

He wanted to thank Lu Ming, but Lu Ming interrupted him.

"Who came up with the idea of the sound-recording stone outside the door?"

Lu Ming asked curiously.

"I did it, I thought it would save trouble..."

Zhou Kang scratched his head, a little embarrassed, thinking Shopkeeper Han was displeased.

"Not bad, not bad at all. You need to exercise your subjective initiative. I have high hopes for you!"

He patted Zhou Kang's broad shoulders, praised him, and inwardly gave him a thumbs-up.

"Hehe, it's all because the Shopkeeper taught me well."

Lu Ming noticed that Zhou Kang was becoming more and more polished in his work; he used to be such an honest fellow, but now he even knew how to flatter.

Indeed, the Immortal Realm wasn't just about fighting and killing; it could also refine one's social skills.

He didn't dwell on this issue.

Lu Ming then gave Zhou Kang some more instructions; this time, the quantity of Talismans was quite large, enough for them to sell for a while.

Finally, Lu Ming said, "A young brother will come to the shop to help in a while. He has the same surname as your family, also Zhou. Please take good care of him."

Zhou Kang didn't think much of it and cheerfully agreed.

After Lu Ming left, Zhou Kang found his father and told him about the Shopkeeper paying the Spirit Stones.

Old Zhou was naturally happy, but when he heard that someone else would be coming to the shop, he became a bit silent.

Being old and shrewd, he naturally guessed some things, but he didn't feel there was anything wrong with it.

It was already a great fortune for their family of four to have a shelter in the Immortal City and find work.

Asking for too much was not a good thing.

Looking at his carefree son, who was still immersed in the joy of receiving Spirit Stones, Old Zhou sighed.

"Simple-minded, that's good."

...

...

Outside Ink Talisman Pavilion.

In a tavern, several middle-aged men dressed in luxurious robes sat together.

They were the owners of various shops who had gathered not long ago.

Looking at the Cultivators going in and out of Ink Talisman Pavilion, the expressions on their faces varied.

There was envy, jealousy, and even more, resentment.

"Damn it! Why do they have so many tricks? I've already tried to imitate their discounts, but the response has been mediocre."

"Hmph, I told you that your discounts wouldn't work, but you didn't believe me."

"Stop with the sarcasm. This can't go on. If you ask me, we should find a way to secretly get rid of them, directly solve the root of the problem, and then there will be no problems."

The person who said this was somewhat out of his mind and started to speak carelessly.

"Watch your words! The Law Enforcement Team has been like mad dogs lately, checking everyone they catch. If you want to die, don't drag me into it!"

"Then what do we do? This doesn't work, that doesn't work. If you have a good idea, then say it!"

"Alright, everyone quiet down. Do you want those commoners to laugh at us!"

Seeing that they were about to argue again, the owner of Spirit Talisman Shop spoke up to mediate.

The others, coming back to their senses, then noticed that their loud voices had attracted the attention of nearby Cultivators.

"Old Zhang, you usually have the most ideas. Give us an idea. If it's suitable, we'll all listen to you."

The owner of Green Talisman Abode spoke at the opportune moment.

Everyone's gaze also turned to Shopkeeper Zhang Wenshan, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Seeing this, Zhang Wenshan smiled smugly and slowly said.

"You all, you're all muddle-headed! You know that Ink Talisman Pavilion has broken the rules, so why don't you use this to your advantage?"

"Oh? Brother Zhang, what do you mean?"

Zhang Wenshan stroked the small mustache on his chin and sneered.

"Ink Talisman Pavilion has set a bad precedent, and it affects more than just us. It must have offended many people in secret.

It's just that it hasn't affected them yet, and they're all still observing. We just need to add fuel to the fire."

"You mean?"

"Directly lower prices!"

"Haven't I already lowered prices? You've all seen the effect, this method is not feasible."

Someone retorted, feeling that it was no different from saying nothing.

Zhang Wenshan glanced at that person, annoyed.

"Is that what you call lowering prices? I'm too embarrassed to even say it! First raise the price, then give a 5% discount! The price didn't decrease, but increased. Do you think Loose Cultivators are idiots? They're shrewd!"

"What I mean is, genuinely lower the prices to stabilize our customer base. As long as our prices are low enough, those Cultivators will know how to choose."

"Wouldn't that mean losing a lot of Spirit Stones!"

The owner of Green Talisman Abode was a little reluctant.

"This is only temporary. As soon as we start offering discounts, this trend will quickly spread to all the shops in Immortal City.

And those shops unwilling to offer discounts will certainly be affected by this. They won't resent us; they'll only resent the culprit behind this."

"Killing with a borrowed knife?"

"Oh, don't say it so harshly. We're just victims, very innocent, okay?"