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When it came to how to run a store, how to promote products, he couldn’t say he had it at his fingertips, he could only say he didn’t understand at all.

Therefore, he actually had no clue how to help He sell things.

As a result, Jiang Cheng’s focus fell on the orders that He hadn’t negotiated successfully.

In theory, doing business with the court meant there was considerable profit to be made, even if it was a small profit margin from bulk sales. It was unlikely, as He said, that the court would press prices below the cost to the merchant.

“He, can you tell me more about the military supply order?” Jiang Cheng asked.

Normally, the business of Tongbao Pavilion definitely wouldn’t be shared with an outsider like Jiang Cheng. There would be some secrets of the Tongtian Sect’s Outer Sect involved in the business.

But the orders from the Weapon Department were negotiated by Bai Xiaohe herself, relying on her father’s connections, and had nothing to do with the Tongtian Sect’s Outer Sect.

The leak would be of the court’s secrets.

As for the court, well, they didn’t really care.

“It’s a batch of ‘Qi Blood Pills’,” said He, her watery eyes looking at Jiang Cheng. “You know what Qi Blood Pills are, right?”

Jiang Cheng nodded, indicating that he knew.

Qi Blood Pills were quite mature first-grade elixirs.

Their main use was to be taken by cultivators undergoing body refinement to recover the qi and blood they had exhausted from overtraining. Some cultivators who were sick and physically weak could also take them as appropriate to boost their vital energy.

In reality, it was an auxiliary pill for cultivation, with a slight healing effect added on.

Because of their high versatility and wide range of users, the production methods for Qi Blood Pills and the associated pill-making industry were very mature.

They belonged to a type of elixir with a relatively transparent price that could hardly be marked up, at most earning a little hard-earned money.

The downside was the low entry threshold, low profit, and high competition.

The upside was the large and stable market demand.

“Because our Huayuan Road Store’s business has always been struggling, I thought, never mind if we don’t make a profit, as long as there’s turnover, at least it would look better on the books. And if we order in large quantities, we could also talk to the Tongtian Sect about getting a better price for the goods. Maybe then there’d be a profit. So, I arranged to meet with someone from the Weapon Department to try and secure an order,” said He.

Jiang Cheng thought that so far, it seemed normal.

“As I was discussing with this person, at first everything went well, but then, when we got to the purchase price… um… I did some calculations, and the price offered by the Weapon Department amounted to just under forty-one Spirit Stones per Qi Blood Pill, only a bit over forty. But the cost price for our store is fifty Spirit Stones! We generally sell them for fifty-five or fifty-six each,” He explained, feeling quite aggrieved.

She clearly had already given up on making a profit, so why couldn’t she secure any orders?

Was it really expected of her to run a business at a loss?

But their Tongbao Pavilion Huayuan Road Store was already on the verge of collapse; they couldn’t afford to lose any more.

Jiang Cheng furrowed his brow and said, “He, do you know how much other stores are selling the Qi Blood Pills for?”

He replied, “I’ve also inquired about that, and throughout Wuyue, shops generally charge around fifty-five low-grade Spirit Stones each. Considering the pill furnace, Pill Masters, Spiritual Materials, and store overheads, unless everyone works for free without making a profit, it’s impossible to get the cost down to thirty or forty low-grade Spirit Stones. But that’s impossible, right! How could everyone possibly work for nothing?”

Jiang Cheng, rubbing his chin, pondered, “That person might be using an unattainable price to tactfully decline your offer.”

Bai Xiaohe, biting her lip, said with uncertainty, “But even if he doesn’t choose us, he still needs to find a supplier. The Liang Kingdom’s military definitely needs Qi Blood Pills; it’s impossible for the Weapon Department not to buy them. The question is, how can others make the price so low and still earn money? I can’t figure it out. Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless…” Bai Xiaohe said in a low voice, “they are passing off inferior products as superior ones.”

“Passing off inferior products as superior ones?” Jiang Cheng’s expression suddenly turned serious.

Bai Xiaohe nodded and said, “Yeah. They could be using low-quality medicinal materials to make low-grade pills and mixing them in with the good ones to sell. Some substandard pills that are supposed to be thrown away basically cost nothing. As long as you mix one good pill with one bad pill, you could reduce the price of two pills to about half!”

Bai Xiaohe continued to speculate, “If that’s the case, then based on the Weapon Department’s purchase price, pill sellers could not only make money but also earn a lot. The profit might even be greater than selling high-quality pills! Because the cost has been halved!”

He’s speculation made Jiang Cheng frown deeply.

He had always been strict with himself but lenient towards others.

Without evidence, Jiang Cheng would never suspect someone on his own accord.

Even if He’s speculation was logically consistent, he still did not wish to categorize others as bad people subconsciously.

Man, at birth, is fundamentally good.

Jiang Cheng firmly believed in truth, goodness, and beauty.

“He, do you have any evidence?”

“No, it’s just a guess,” He said softly.

Apart from passing off inferior products as superior ones, He couldn’t think of any other reason that could lower the prices.

Moreover, she was born into the family of the Minister of the Army; even as a less regarded illegitimate daughter, she overheard more rumors and secrets in the mansion than the average person.

There were indeed many problems with the court. It was not unlikely, but entirely possible, for unscrupulous merchants to exploit loopholes in military supplies!

“Since there’s no evidence, let’s not speculate about others with malice. Perhaps the shops that previously supplied Qi Blood Pills to the Weapon Department had some special, cost-saving technology,” Jiang Cheng shared his guess.

“But,” He said, feeling quite troubled, “if Tongtian Sect can’t lower the prices, it’s unlikely that other shops have better technology than Tongtian Sect, right?”

Jiang Cheng shook his head, “Although Tongtian Sect’s technology is strong, it’s not perfect. For example, like the common illnesses of the great sects—their internal strife, bloated organizations, low efficiency in handling matters, and so on. Therefore, if a small shop possesses a unique technique, it’s entirely possible to have a competitive advantage over the Immortal Sects in a single product.”

Upon hearing this, He felt even more hopeless.

Their shop was already doing poorly, and now they were also at a disadvantage in terms of costs. It looked like they were headed for bankruptcy.

Actually, being the shop manager didn’t matter much to He.

What she really wanted was to find a stable job near her home so she could take care of her mother while also seeing Jiang Cheng often. As long as she could achieve these two things, she would be satisfied.

But if the Huayuan Road Store closed down because of her, she didn’t know where the Outer Sect would transfer her to work.

They had agreed to come to the Capital together while they were still in Wuyue.

Jiang Cheng would attend college, and she would continue to work in the Outer Sect.

But now she was about to break her word…

Wuu wuu wuu, she didn’t want to leave.

“He, don’t worry. Is there still a chance for us with the Qi Blood Pills?”

“A chance? What chance?”

“I mean, if we could also bring down the price of elixirs to below forty Spirit Stones through technological innovation, do we still stand a chance of getting the Weapon Department’s order?”

“Of course, there’s a chance! But, Jiang Cheng, I remember you don’t know how to make pills,” He looked at Jiang Cheng with a puzzled expression.

She knew Jiang Cheng was great at creating talismans, but right now, the problem they were facing was with elixirs!

No matter how good Jiang Cheng’s talismans were, they couldn’t possibly solve the problem with the pills, could they?

No…

If it was Jiang Cheng, with his talents…

Perhaps everything was possible!

Jiang Cheng smiled. He had faced difficulties before but never said he couldn’t do it before even trying.

“I indeed don’t know how to make pills, but I can learn. He, don’t worry too much. I’ll think of a solution for the Qi Blood Pills when I get back. Wait for my good news.”