Chapter 434: Chapter 434: Tit-for-Tat
Ye Xuan was stunned upon hearing the news.
This was completely unexpected. The Qin family had actually opened a shop across from his Profound Pill Pavilion, was also opening today, and had invited many influential groups.
No matter how you looked at it, this was a move to crush his Profound Pill Pavilion.
"How did the Qin family suddenly get their hands on those two shops?"
This was what puzzled Ye Xuan. Shops in the market square were extremely valuable. Normally, it was rare enough for even one to become available. For the Qin family to have found two shops directly opposite them without anyone knowing was just too much.
"Young Master Ye, I’ve made some inquiries. One of the two shops across the street belongs to the Wang family, who are subordinates of the Qin family. It originally dealt in various materials. The other belongs to the Tianya Commerce Association. Both shops operated normally during the day, but there was often some noise coming from them after they closed at night. We didn’t pay it any mind before, but thinking back now, they probably started laying their plans as early as half a month ago."
Ye Xuan pursed his lips, speechless.
The old sayings were right: birds of a feather flock together.
He had just secretly finalized a partnership with the Divine Walk Commerce Association, and now the Qin family and the Tianya Commerce Association, a match made in filth, had also secretly started working together.
"The Qin family is clearly trying to embarrass us now. Should we change the opening date for our Profound Pill Pavilion?"
The Qin family Pharmacy would definitely make some big moves on its opening day. With the Qin family’s connections and status, it was sure to be incredibly popular. If the Profound Pill Pavilion opened as planned, they would definitely become a laughingstock.
To be honest, even after being coached by Ye Xuan for so long, Luo Min, the Patriarch of his family, still couldn’t find the resolve to be tough.
The title of "aristocratic family" was enough to leave any other clan breathless.
After all, there were no less than a hundred clans, large and small, in the entire Imperial Capital, but there were only ever four aristocratic families.
If both opened on the same day, there was no doubt that the vast majority of people would flock to the Qin family’s Pharmacy. The Profound Pill Pavilion would be deserted, and the Luo family would lose a great deal of face.
It would also be a huge blow to the Profound Pill Pavilion’s entry into the Pill market.
Ye Xuan immediately gave a cold smile. "Change the date? Why should we change the date? Since the Qin family is courting death, we might as well give them a helping hand."
Ye Xuan was supremely confident in his Pills. He had originally planned to slowly chip away at the Qin family’s market share, but now that they’d pulled a stunt like this, it was as if they thought they weren’t dying fast enough.
’This is good, too. The Qin family’s opening might just end up being free advertising for my Profound Pill Pavilion.’
Ye Xuan smiled coldly to himself.
After a quick tidy-up, Ye Xuan led the Luo family members toward the market square.
Even before they reached the market square, they could feel the extraordinary buzz in the air.
A large number of Martial Artists were walking the streets of the market, all looking excited and talking amongst themselves.
"Have you heard? The Qin family’s pharmacy on East Street is opening today! I heard they’re having a grand opening sale, with huge discounts."
"The Qin family? Which Qin family are you talking about?"
"You idiot! Here in the Imperial Capital, besides the Qin family of the four great aristocratic families, who else would dare call themselves the Qin family?"
"Doesn’t the Qin family have a pavilion on the central street of the market? Why would they open a pharmacy way out on East Street, in such a remote spot?"
"Heh heh, you’re out of the loop. The Qin family is doing this just to spite the Luo family. I heard the Luo family’s pharmacy is also opening today. I was originally planning to check it out, but now, who would still go to the Luo family’s place?"
"Yeah, the Qin family is one of the four great Alchemy Dao giants in our empire. Their Pills have always been bestsellers. With this grand opening sale today, I have to stock up."
"Stock up? You got the money for that?"
"That’s where you’re wrong! I got word last night and went to the pawnshop in the middle of the night to hock all my useless treasures, all just to buy Pills today. This is a grand opening sale! Besides, I heard that at the auction yesterday, the Luo family really pissed off the Qin family. To get revenge, the Qin family will definitely offer rock-bottom prices. If I don’t go on a crazy shopping spree today, when will I ever get the chance?"
"Damn, you’re too damn crafty. No way, I’ve got to go pawn some treasures too."
Along the way, many people were discussing the opening of the Qin family Pharmacy. The Luo family’s pharmacy opening was only mentioned as a backdrop to the Qin family’s, and many newcomers didn’t even know that a Luo family pharmacy was opening today at all.
In terms of reputation, the Luo family and the Qin family were simply not in the same league.
Hearing this, Luo Min clenched his fists, furious but helpless.
In every respect, the gap between the Luo family and the Qin family was just too vast.
Before long, the group finally arrived in front of their shop on East Street.
Holy cow. The entire East Street was packed so tightly you couldn’t even get a drop of water through. It was a sea of bobbing heads, all swarming toward the Qin family’s shop.
Luo Min’s face was frozen in a daze. Since when were there so many people in the East Street market?
The East Street market was a relatively remote part of the Imperial Capital’s market district, and foot traffic wasn’t usually high. But today, the crowd was absolutely bursting at the seams.
"Heh heh, it’s rare to make a trip to the Imperial Capital for the auction. I didn’t manage to get anything good there, but who would’ve thought the aristocratic Qin family would be opening a new pharmacy? What a coincidence! This time, I have to buy some of the Qin family’s Pills to take back with me. Then this trip to the Imperial Capital won’t have been for nothing."
One Martial Artist after another squeezed toward the front. Without a doubt, the vast majority of these people were members of the empire’s various families and other Martial Artists who had attended yesterday’s auction and hadn’t left yet.
It was a rare trip to the Imperial Capital for them, so of course they wanted to do some major shopping. After hearing that the Qin family was opening a new pharmacy, they all came flocking.
Ye Xuan and his group didn’t join the commotion, heading straight for their own Profound Pill Pavilion.
But just as they reached the entrance to their shop, they heard the sound of a heated argument.
They saw several Luo family elders, who had come ahead to make arrangements, arguing with some Qin family members, their faces red and necks bulging with anger.
"What’s going on?" Luo Min stepped forward and asked in a cold voice.
The elders immediately looked as if they had found their backbone and all started shouting at once. "Patriarch, the Qin family is going too far! They’ve set up their canopies all the way on our side and are blocking our entryway! We tried to reason with them, but they just started cursing at us. They’re being complete tyrants!"
The elders’ faces were filled with indignation and resentment.
The Luo family’s shop and the Qin family’s shop were on opposite sides of the street, facing each other directly.
Originally, the market street was quite wide; four or five carriages could pass through side-by-side without any issue.
But because the Qin family was opening today, they had built a huge platform on the opposite side of the street, cordoned off a VIP area, and set out many chairs. They ran out of space for many things and put them on this side of the street, occupying the space in front of the Profound Pill Pavilion.
It wasn’t just the Qin family’s canopies; even some of their floral baskets had been placed on this side, piled right at the Luo family’s main entrance.
On these floral baskets were messages like, "From the So-and-so family, congratulations to the Qin family’s Pill Pavilion on its grand opening. May your business be prosperous and your wealth roll in."
Combined with the fact that the Profound Pill Pavilion was also opening today and had hung many lanterns on its storefront, at a glance, anyone who didn’t know better would think the Qin family’s shop encompassed both sides of the street and mistake the Profound Pill Pavilion for part of the Qin family’s business.
"Well, well, if it isn’t Patriarch Luo Min of the Luo family! Have you come to watch our Qin family’s shop opening?"
A Qin family external affairs elder, the one who had been cursing earlier, saw Luo Min and immediately shouted with glee. His voice was so loud that it instantly drew everyone’s attention.
In the Qin family’s VIP area, some of the families who had received invitations had already arrived early. Hearing the Qin elder’s shout, they all turned their heads, their lips curved in amused, expectant smiles.
As families that were always in the Imperial Capital, they were naturally aware of the grudge between the Qin and Luo families and knew the real reason for the Qin family’s new shop.
’The shops haven’t even opened yet, and the two families are already about to go at it?’
The Qin family’s external affairs elder was heard saying loudly, "Ah, Patriarch Luo, today is the opening day of our Qin family Medicine Pavilion. As hosts, we really should invite you in for a glass of wine. But what a pity, the guests invited to our Qin family’s VIP area are all prominent figures in the Imperial Capital. As for someone of your status... AHEM... I’m terribly sorry."
"But no matter. If Patriarch Luo is here today to purchase our Qin family’s Pills, you can go line up in the waiting area. Rest assured, although the Luo family is just a small, unknown clan, our Qin family treats everyone equally. We guarantee that your Luo family will be able to purchase the Pills you desire."
That Qin family external affairs elder was as eloquent as a raging river, speaking endlessly, painting Luo Min as a guest who had come begging for a glass of wine. This caused the guests in the VIP area to smile, unable to suppress their laughter.
Luo Min’s expression darkened. How could he not know that this Qin family elder was saying all this deliberately just to humiliate him?
"Elder Qin Xuan, my apologies, but I have no interest in drinking your Qin family’s wine, nor do I care who you invite as guests. However, the south side of the street is the territory of our Profound Pill Pavilion. I must ask Elder Qin Xuan to please take your Qin family’s things back to your side and not interfere with the opening of our Profound Pill Pavilion."
Luo Min’s words were neither servile nor overbearing, and he spoke loudly enough for all the Martial Artists present to know that the Profound Pill Pavilion on the south side of the street was also opening today, and that this Profound Pill Pavilion had absolutely nothing to do with the Qin family.
"Oh my, Patriarch Luo, your family is also opening a shop today?" Elder Qin Xuan feigned surprise. "Wait, that’s not right. Now I remember, wasn’t your Luo family driven out by the aristocratic Murong family a while back? You lost your backer. I thought your Luo family was going to withdraw from the Imperial Capital. How is it that you’re now secretly opening a pharmacy?"
"Oh, and I forgot to tell you, your Luo family’s former masters, the Murong family, are also in our VIP section today. If you want to pay respects to your masters, I can open a path for you."
Qin Xuan’s words were dripping with sarcasm; not a single one was pleasant to hear.
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