Chapter 100: Business Proposal
Chu Qiguang began flipping through the Sumeru King Scripture from the back. Aside from the diagrams in the front half of the book, the back half was filled with hand seals and instructions to refine a type of pill called the Fire Pill.
Just like with the diagrams, Chu Qiguang immediately understood what type of medicinal ingredients and methods were required to refine the Fire Pills, as well as how he had to breathe and what hand seals he had to make during the process. It was as if this information were being transmitted directly into his mind.
It seemed that he could read this part of the scripture freely without suffering any adverse physical effects.
According to Qiao Zhi, the Sumeru Strength Scripture, one of the four prized arts of the Demon Vanquishing Department, came from the Sumeru King Scripture. However, the Demon Vanquishing Department was missing the part with the hand seals and the Fire Pill refinement method. Fire Pills were able to drastically enhance a cultivator's heat tolerance, while the hand seals could help one strengthen their mental fortitude. Hence, none of the cultivators in the Demon Vanquishing Department were able to cultivate this orthodox art to its completion.
Chu Qiguang wrote down the required medicinal ingredients and the refinement method for Fire Pills, then lifted up a loose brick under his bed before stuffing the Sumeru King Scripture into the hollow space to hide it.
Aside from the Sumeru King Scripture, the makeshift hidden compartment also contained the five Qi Enhancement Pills and the batch of Lion Tiger Transformation Ointment he had seized from Ding Daoxiao.
The medicinal ingredients required to refine Fire Pills weren't too expensive, costing around five qian of silver a batch. Chu Qiguang visited a pharmacy and bought enough ingredients for a hundred batches in one go. This was nothing compared to the ten thousand taels of silver Wu Wei had given him.
The pharmacy didn't have such a large quantity of those specific ingredients in stock, so they wrote Chu Qiguang a receipt and told him to return in a few days to collect his purchase.
After that, Chu Qiguang paid a visit to the Daoist temple. He still had to buy more medicine in order to keep up his rate of cultivation progression.
After entering the backyard of the Daoist temple, he greeted Daoist Master Law Origin warmly before handing him five taels of silver.
Daoist Master Law Origin had also made a small fortune after receiving his share of the Ding Clan's assets, but he was still very pleased to receive the five taels of silver from Chu Qiguang. In his eyes, the offering served as a token of Chu Qiguang's respect to him, as well as his devotion to the Profound Origin Dao Lord, so it held far more significance than the face value of five taels of silver.
"Are you here to see the abbot?" Daoist Master Law Origin asked.
"I am," Chu Qiguang confirmed. "I ordered some pills from the abbot last time."
The two of them chatted briefly, before Chu Qiguang excused himself and went to see Abbot Chen Zhu.
"He really has risen quickly," Daoist Master Law Origin mused as he watched Chu Qiguang leave. "Back when I first met him, even a head constable at the county office could screw him over. Even though he's already gained direct access to the abbot, he's still offering me these little monetary gifts."
"He's just lucky," a young Daoist attendant scoffed. "He helped the Wu Clan in their time of need, and now, Secretary Wu has become the grand secretary, so all of a sudden, he's become a big shot too."
"If that's what you think, then you're severely underestimating him," Daoist Master Law Origin disagreed. "Chu Qiguang is the type of person who makes sure that everyone around him is well looked after and benefits from his success. That's the key to his success."
***
After exchanging some pleasantries, Abbot Chen Zhu invited Chu Qiguang to take a seat, then eagerly asked, "Can you give me more details about the atonement slip that you mentioned last time?"
"Here's the problem," Chu Qiguang began. "The common folk only have so much money, so there's a limit to how much value can be squeezed out of them. If they're exploited too much, they'll become poor and desperate, which'll make them more likely to turn to cults."
Chen Zhu nodded with a slightly embarrassed expression. The Daoist priests under him were constantly exploiting the people, and that did indeed create many opportunities for cultists.
"Hence, the atonement slips are really only meant for the upper class of the county," Chu Qiguang continued. "All of those people have done shady things that weigh on their conscience. The idea is to have them buy these slips to atone for their sins, and after a year, they'll be able to exchange the slips for more money than they originally paid."
"That sounds a little like how banks work," Chen Zhu mused with a thoughtful expression. "However, the difference is that banks charge a safekeeping fee to those who deposit silver with them, while we're doing the opposite and paying out money as interest."
"The more money we have, the larger our investments will be, and the more profits we'll make," Chu Qiguang said. "The interest we'll have to pay will be completely insignificant compared to the profits that we'll make from our investments, and it'll serve as an incentive for people to buy our atonement slips, thereby giving us even more money to invest with."
"What can we invest in? Do we buy land?" Chen Zhu asked.
"Good question!" Chu Qiguang replied with a smile. "Right now, trade relations are about to be established with the northern fiends. The climate in the north is harsh and unforgiving, and the fiends are in desperate need of textiles. Jiangnian produces high-quality textiles, but they have to be transported all the way from the south, so by the time they reach the northern border, the transportation alone will have driven up the price significantly.
"It's too cold in the north to raise silkworms, so we won't be able to produce any silk. However, our Spirit Province has the advantage of being right on the northern border. If we can produce cotton fabric locally in Azure Sun County, it'll be far cheaper for us to transport our textiles to the northwestern grasslands. We won't be able to compete with Jiangnan in quality, but we can completely outcompete them in price."
Chu Qiguang put on a guilty expression and sighed, "But if we do this, we'll have to do business with the northern fiends. Whenever I think of this, I can't help but feel as if I'm betraying the teachings of the Profound Origin Dao Lord."
Chu Qiguang was naturally only putting on an act to test Chen Zhu's reaction, and the latter immediately reassured in a righteous manner, "Once a truce and trade relations are established, the people of the north will no longer have to live in constant fear of the northern fiends. This is something that benefits both the people and the empire.
"I would like nothing more than to venture north and slay those accursed fiends, but I can't allow my own selfish desires to harm the interests of the people. The Profound Origin Dao Lord is a wise deity who is flexible in his teachings. Right now, we are taking money from the fiends so we can have the resources to destroy them in the future. The Profound Origin Dao Lord will surely understand our intentions, so there's no need to feel guilty."
"You're right, Abbot Chen Zhu!" Chu Qiguang exclaimed, feigning enlightenment. "I am but a short-sighted fool compared to you! Come to think of it, the Ding Clan has always produced textiles in the past, and there are also many female workers in our Azure Sun County who produce their own textiles at home. All we need to do is take over the Ding Clan's former textile production facilities, then invest money to hire people and expand production.
"Once trade relations are established, the price of cotton fabric will surely skyrocket! We can use the profits from selling cotton fabric to pay interest to our investors, then release new atonement slips to raise even more money. It'll become a positive, self-reinforcing cycle that will make us more and more money over time. Right now, all the prominent clans in Azure Sun County have spare money on their hands from splitting the Ding Clan's assets, so we'll have plenty of willing investors."
Chen Zhu had heard plenty of stories about demons and fiends, but the plan that was currently being presented to him by Chu Qiguang was more riveting than any of them.
The more he heard, the more excited he became, and he eagerly asked, "How do we begin?"
"For starters, I'll approach the Wu Clan, and together, we'll take over the Ding Clan's cotton fields and textile shops," Chu Qiguang replied. "With the Wu Clan overseeing the operation, we won't get screwed over by excessive taxation. Also, I want to find a few skilled workers and conduct some research into looms."
"That's not a problem at all!" Chen Zhu said. "I'll have someone carry out your requests right away. In the meantime, make sure you stay careful."
Chen Zhu then revealed to Chu Qiguang that he had already begun to make a name for himself in the capital. He also told Chu Qiguang that many people were now paying attention to him, and not all of them were fond of him, so he had to remain on guard.
