A Sect from a Spirit Vein-Chapter 38 - 37: Marketplace Investigation

Though this young man addressed him as Immortal Master, he wasn’t a mortal. He seemed to be thirteen or fourteen years old. Lu Qian could detect a slight flow of spiritual power from him, which felt even weaker than Baitao’s, suggesting that he had only recently joined the path.

He asked with great interest, "Fellow Daoist, what guidance do you seek?"

The young man’s expression darkened, "I wouldn’t dare claim that title. I’ve only learned some basic energy-introducing methods and don’t dare to call myself a cultivator."

Saying this, he put a smile back on his face, "Immortal Master, my name is Lin Le, you can call me Xiaolin. I’ve grown up here in the Plum Blossom Marketplace and am extremely familiar with it. Would you like to hire me as a guide? I can introduce you thoroughly to the five districts, eleven markets, four gates, and one tower here; there’s nothing in this town that I don’t know. It only costs five spirit stones a day and you don’t have to worry about my meals either, how does that sound?"

His speech flowed smoothly, showing great skill. Having finished, he clasped his hands together, looking at Lu Qian with anticipation.

Oh, so a guide in the cultivation realm?

Lu Qian noticed his clothes were washed white and worn out, his figure thin, like a child from a poor family. His pair of black eyes constantly monitored the expression of Lu Qian and his companions, his formal smile hiding tension.

It was the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather was cooling down, yet seeing beads of sweat on his forehead suggested he’d been standing in the sun for a long time.

This was a very industrious and smart child.

Lu Qian’s heart was moved; he happened to have some thoughts and planned to investigate the Plum Blossom Marketplace.

"Alright, then I will rely on you." Lu Qian took out five spirit stones and handed them over, "Let’s start from the street we’re standing on. First, take us to the largest inn here."

Lin Le accepted the spirit stones, joyfully. Carefully keeping them, he led a few people forward, beginning to make introductions: "We’re presently in the area that serves as the entrance and exit of Plum Blossom Marketplace, known as the First District. The shops here mainly deal with various raw materials for alchemy, talisman making, and artifact refining..."

Master Xuan Ji whispered to Taotao, "Lu the Kid is being benevolent again. We’re not staying in this marketplace for long, as we’re heading to Ningzhou in five days. Who cares about what’s happening in this marketplace..."

Jiang Qingfeng, however, seemed pensive. She knew her junior brother never did anything without reason; understanding the place must have his motives.

Under Lin Le’s introduction, the full view of Plum Blossom Marketplace unfolded before them.

Plum Blossom Marketplace consists of five districts, eleven markets, four gates, and one tower.

The five petal areas are from the First to Fifth District, with main functions being raw materials, elixirs, talismans, artifact refining, and comprehensive services. Interspersed among them are a variety of inns, restaurants, merchant guilds, pawnshops, and exchanges. Besides these are large areas of residences for several tens of thousands of mortals.

Within the five major districts, there are also eleven markets, each with its own focus.

As for the four gates, they refer to the four large, even colossal sects that control the marketplace. They have established their sect stations here, but it’s almost impossible for ordinary cultivators to get inside.

Lastly, the tower refers to the Spirit-Gathering Tower in the Central Square. This tower is built over the spirit vein and acts as the core of the marketplace, with a total of twenty-five levels.

Arrays are set up within the tower, condensing the spiritual qi from the spirit vein without any leakage. Some rooms within the tower are long-term rentals for cultivators who need space to practice, though the cost is extremely high.

As they strolled and chatted, even Master Xuan Ji realized Lu Qian had another plan.

Aside from slightly inquiring about the terrain, he also asked about where these shops sourced their materials, how they sold them, the frequency of inventory replenishment, and the shop rent.

These questions made Lin Le’s eyes widen, unable to articulate any answers. Lu Qian remained unruffled, continuing to visit numerous shops with the group, talking to shopkeepers to gather information.

This naturally slowed their pace, and by the time they exited the First District and arrived at the largest inn, Xianhe Tower, it was already past noon, and everyone felt a bit fatigued.

Lu Qian booked three upper rooms and then went to a lively restaurant next door for a meal and some rest.

Lin Le smiled sheepishly, "To all Immortal Masters, please take your time enjoying your meal. I will be waiting at the door."

Lu Qian shook his head, "Come join us. I’m not a stingy person, and there’s more work for you this afternoon."

The aroma of the food fiercely stimulated Lin Le’s taste buds, causing him to feel the hard, dry bread in his pocket, leaving him speechless.

Next, as Lu Qian secured a private room, several mortal waiters greeted them with excessive courtesy.

Jade Spirit Chicken, Eight Treasure Duck, Purple-Bearded Carp, Flower Fragrance Pork... Lu Qian ordered a large amount of food without hesitation, causing Lin Le to stare in disbelief and even Jiang Qingfeng to find it a bit extravagant.

Only Lu Qian knew he had selected dishes from high, medium, and low tiers.

Even though he ordered a lot, Lu Qian hardly ate any, merely sampling the flavors and beginning to observe the surroundings.

The store’s interior design, the mortal waiters hustling about, and the various seated cultivators were his main focus.

Simultaneously, he noticed that Lin Le maintained composure despite facing a table full of delicious food, primarily consuming only the few dishes in front of him. His gaze involuntarily fell on the dominating figure of Baitao, fervently revealing profound envy.

The dinner cost a total of fifty spirit stones, stunning Lin Le. His guiding job seldom opened several times a month, and fifty spirit stones equaled two to three months of his income.

Yet Lu Qian inwardly sighed.

The reason for investigating the Plum Blossom Marketplace was to prepare for future sect business endeavors. He needed to see if the business models from his memory suited this world.

Currently, it seemed he could exclude the dining service industry from his business plan.

The dishes tasted excellent, made with meticulously selected ingredients without fault. The service staff were exceptionally well-trained. When facing cultivators, those mortal waiters bent their backs until they touched the ground, and even in the open hall, each table was attended by a waiter ready to serve. The interior decor was fresh and elegant, with a strong sense of ambiance and comfort.

Yet despite such high-end dining and service, a meal only cost fifty spirit stones, and the daily turnover could not be high.

This was because only Qi Cultivation Stage Practitioners needed one meal each day, with higher cultivators abstaining entirely. Most Qi Cultivators spent frugally, and few would lavish dozens of spirit stones on a single meal.

Lu Qian had just observed that he was one of the more generous patrons in the restaurant, most table’s meals amounted to only ten to twenty spirit stones.

Calculating this against the turnover rate he observed, how much was the daily revenue of this restaurant? And what about the profit margin?

This was in a large marketplace, in one of its best restaurants. What about those in small and medium-sized marketplaces with less traffic; what profit could they afford?

The entire paying market was simply too small. Presumably, dining establishments over these two thousand years continued to undergo intense competition, lowering prices, enhancing quality, and offering better additional services.

In that case, what’s the point of entering the industry now?

Modern service practices, could they compare to the servile obedience of mortals to cultivators here? Pre-prepared meals, central kitchens, supply chain for ingredients... Lu Qian dismissed these modern logistics and information-based concepts just as he thought of them.

Dining was untenable, and he could only consider other solutions.

Thus he said to Lin Le, "Xiaolin, let’s continue exploring this afternoon."