"Ooh, ooh! Do you think they'll have anything delicious for sale here?" Meiqiu began to fantasize from a distance.
Nie Shiyun couldn't help but shatter his dream. "Everyone came to the secret realm to explore, not for a vacation. How many people would actually patronize a spiritual food business?"
The group had initially assumed the so-called trading area would just be a crowd of cultivators milling about, laying out mats on the ground to hawk their wares. To their surprise, someone had discovered the ruins of an old village. Several groups of cultivators had patched it up bit by bit, actually turning a small section into a row of decent-looking shops. At the very least, it allowed cultivators to conduct their business indoors with peace of mind.
The group arrived at the area and disembarked from their flying tools. Although there was no official authority in this secret realm, it seemed a clear set of rules had been established by consensus in this area: no flying tools were allowed within the trading zone, and no violence was permitted. While these unspoken rules carried no real binding force, people had apparently followed them faithfully thus far.
Because the structures were temporary, the buildings were still somewhat crude. However, though the sparrow was small, it possessed all its vital organs; the place was well-equipped. As the group curiously walked down the short street, they found that the cultivators had even organized themselves into zones. There were areas for spiritual herbs, medicinal pills, and talismans. However, these were all personal goods, mostly small-scale and informal, much like a country fair.
Qi Miaohan and the others went to restock some talismans further down the street. Nie Shiyun pulled Zhai Bairong toward the medicinal pill and spiritual herb sections.
Unexpectedly, the demand for basic pills like Spirit Recovery Pills was quite high. Everyone knew the Cold Heaven Secret Realm was freezing, so they had all prepared plenty of Fire-Yang Pills beforehand. However, many hadn't realized how vast the realm was or that spiritual herbs and beasts were so sparsely distributed. Most of their time was spent traveling via flying tools, which meant that Spirit Recovery Pills were the ones that ultimately ran low.
Spirit Recovery Pills were not difficult to concoct; many Rank 3 alchemists could manage them. Some of these alchemists had lower cultivation bases and couldn't gain much from running around the realm. Constantly fearing an ambush, they had simply hunkered down here to run small-time businesses.
"This is a business opportunity," Nie Shiyun whispered into Zhai Bairong's ear.
Zhai Bairong hadn't been thinking along those lines. He replied, "We aren't exactly hurting for such small change."
Nie Shiyun clicked his tongue. Listen to this wealthy man's talk.
In truth, while a dual-root cultivator required more resources, and Nie Shiyun had two bottomless pits—his spatial dimension and Meiqiu—that consumed spiritual energy as if it cost nothing, his savings had long since far exceeded the meager stipend Zhai Bairong received from the Reflection Moon Sect.
Unfortunately, he earned a lot, but he spent it just as fast. Because of this, Nie Shiyun was always looking for ways to rake in a bit more.
The two of them browsed the stalls casually, but nothing caught their eye. Although Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong could likely trade their Ice Lotuses for more suitable cultivation materials or a premium amount of spirit stones, Nie Shiyun knew from the original story that the cave they had visited was the only place in the entire realm where Ice Lotuses could be found. Not wanting Duan Mingyu and the others to find out later that they had been there, Nie Shiyun decided to hold onto them for now.
The two stepped out of a wooden shack and stood by the roadside. Seeing Nie Shiyun lost in thought, Zhai Bairong asked, "Did anything catch your eye just now?"
Nie Shiyun shook his head. "I didn't have high expectations for finding anything good, so this is within expectations."
"True. We prepared sufficiently before coming. The items here are mostly from the younger generation, so it's normal that you wouldn't find them impressive." Zhai Bairong looked up and saw Qi Xuan'er and the others still carefully selecting talismans. "However, Fellow Daoist Qi and her companions seem to have found things they like, so this trip hasn't been a total waste."
Nie Shiyun gave a long, thoughtful "Mhm." From his tone, Zhai Bairong knew he had something to say and turned to look at his profile intently.
"I actually have an idea."
Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Nie Shiyun continued in a lighthearted voice, "Since I can't buy anything good, I might as well sell something."
Zhai Bairong was taken aback. He was about to say that the Ice Lotuses and the high-grade pills he had made weren't suitable for public sale as they would easily arouse suspicion. But within two seconds, he realized what Nie Shiyun meant.
"Are you going back to your old trade?" Zhai Bairong asked tactfully.
Nie Shiyun nodded. "Exactly. I took a look around. Although there are people selling artifacts, everyone is ultimately uneasy in a secret realm, so the things they put up for sale are all third-rate. I don't know what the demand will be like, but I think I can open for business for a few days and see how it goes."
The buildings in the trading area were all dilapidated ruins; there was no need to pay rent. Nie Shiyun figured that finding an empty room and tidying it up wouldn't require any capital.
Zhai Bairong couldn't help but smile. Perhaps he was reminiscing about the days they had spent together in the past.
"But if we do this, we'll have to stay here for a while. If you want to continue exploring outside, you can go with Qi Miaohan and the others. Although I'm not worried about your cultivation, there's safety in numbers," Nie Shiyun said with concern. It wasn't convenient for Zhai Bairong to run the shop with him this time. The other man had disguised his appearance and further suppressed his cultivation, claiming to be a disciple of Yunqing Pavilion. It would be illogical for Nie Shiyun to suddenly produce a steady stream of high-grade pills for sale.
Zhai Bairong shook his head gently. "What are you saying? Naturally, I'm staying with you."
Seeing that Zhai Bairong truly didn't seem interested in the rest of the secret realm, Nie Shiyun stopped trying to persuade him.
Nie Shiyun went to scout the surrounding environment. Once Qi Miaohan and the others finished their shopping, they met up with Zhai Bairong on the street. When they asked and found out that Nie Shiyun intended to set up a stall here, they were beyond shocked.
"I'll be staying as well. So, I suppose this is where we part ways," Zhai Bairong informed them.
Qi Miaohan was surprised for a moment but quickly accepted the news. She actually admired Nie Shiyun's constant drive to make money, and the fact that he was willing to stay in one place—she certainly couldn't handle such a task.
Qi Xuan'er hesitated. She was also a disciple of Yunqing Pavilion; if she stayed, she could probably be of some help. However, her original intention for entering the secret realm was to temper herself. If she stayed in the safe trading area to act as an assistant to her Senior Brother, it wouldn't be any different from before.
Zhai Bairong keenly noticed her expression and advised, "There's no guarantee how much business this trading area will even see. Your Senior Brother can handle it alone. Didn't he run a shop by himself back in the Beast Clan territory?"
"That's true..."
"So, don't worry. Just do what you originally intended to do."
Hearing him say this, Qi Xuan'er nodded and took the initiative to suggest traveling with Qi Miaohan. Du Zhi was quite interested in both exploration and artifact forging, but as soon as he saw Qi Xuan'er was leaving, he naturally wanted to follow her.
Staying too long was a waste of time. After fifteen minutes, Nie Shiyun returned. It was common for cultivators not to see each other for months or even a year. Having decided on their separate plans, the two parties didn't linger over their goodbyes, simply saying they would contact each other if anything came up. If Nie Shiyun decided to leave the trading area, he would notify them; otherwise, they could find him here anytime they returned.
The trading area was, overall, very primitive. Nie Shiyun picked an empty room at random; the roof was even leaking snow. This wasn't as easy as renting a shop outside; he had to personally fetch some timber to repair the building. If he was going to accept commissions for artifact forging, he also needed to partition off a workspace. Although the work would ultimately be completed inside the jade pendant's space, he still had to keep up appearances.
Zhai Bairong naturally lent a hand. Meiqiu was also summoned in his human form. Upon hearing that Nie Shiyun wanted to fix up a house, Meiqiu wailed in misery, crying about how tragic his life was—not only was there no feast to eat, but he also had to act as manual labor. Normally, Nie Shiyun would have turned a deaf ear, but seeing Meiqiu in his human form looking so young and tender, Nie Shiyun couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt, as if he were illegally employing child labor.
"When business picks up, maybe someone will pay with spiritual food," Nie Shiyun "guessed."
"Really?"
"Maybe. Just maybe."
Meiqiu was instantly energized. He shook his head as if he could already see the future of a booming business. Instead of complaining, he dashed ahead of the two, running toward the nearest wooded area.
Zhai Bairong watched Meiqiu's excitement, completely ignoring the fact that Nie Shiyun had only mentioned it as a possibility. He shook his head with a wry smile. In this regard, he didn't know whether to say Meiqiu was naturally a bit... simple, or if he was just too young. It made one worry about him going out on his own in the future.
*Even if no spiritual food comes our way, I'll be free anyway. I'll just make some sugar pills for Meiqiu as a bonus,* Zhai Bairong thought to himself.
While the two men and one bird transformed into temporary construction workers and worked with gusto, the conversation of the recently departed Qi Xuan'er and her group had not yet shifted away from them.
"Senior Bairong is truly delicate in his thoughts and observant of others. It's no wonder he has such a high reputation in his sect," Qi Xuan'er praised in her soft voice. "I used to wonder for a long time what kind of person could catch Senior Brother's eye. Looking at it now, he truly is a fine partner worthy of him. It seems we were worrying too much."
Du Zhi made a "shh" gesture and reminded her in a low voice, "Isn't it Senior Yu?"
Qi Xuan'er was startled and let out an "ah." "Yes. That was a slip of the tongue."
Since he had taken a Disguise Pill, he naturally had to use a fake name. When Zhai Bairong asked for Nie Shiyun's suggestion, Nie Shiyun proposed the surname Yu. It just so happened that there were indeed cultivators with the surname Yu in Yunqing Pavilion. Furthermore, "Cloud" (Yun) paired with "Rain" (Yu), and the word for rain sounded the same as this "Yu" (喻). Although it wasn't a major thing, this little bit of cleverness brought quite a bit of joy to the couple in the heat of their romance.
Du Zhi hadn't been familiar with the names from the start, so he had quickly grown accustomed to calling Zhai Bairong by his pseudonym. It was Qi Xuan'er and Qi Miaohan who were used to the old name. Qi Xuan'er hurriedly looked around, and seeing no one, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She continued, "I really do keep falling into my old habits, subconsciously wanting to stay in a safe circle. It's thanks to him giving me a push."
Qi Miaohan huffed. "While he is a decent person, who's to say he didn't just want Nie Shiyun all to himself? We would have just been in the way if we stayed."
"They have serious business to do. They wouldn't think like that," Qi Xuan'er said, somewhat amused.
Du Zhi nodded from the side. In truth, he didn't quite know what was going on, but he felt he had grasped a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He secretly clenched his fist, telling himself he had to perform well and protect Qi Xuan'er throughout the journey.
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 83 | A Temporary Business | Novela.app | Novela.app
