After leaving Myriad Blossom Pavilion, Xu Luoshui let out a breath of relief.
The pavilion master had been trying hard to persuade her to join, even saying that a mere Golden Core was nothing. As long as she was willing, they could convince Ancestor Haoyu to give up his claim.
Only after a long explanation, with the pavilion master still sighing in regret, did Xu Luoshui manage to walk away safely.
She was honestly afraid this demonic sect might actually keep her there by force. If that had happened, everything she had planned would've gone down the drain.
And who knew when she'd be able to earn spirit stones again?
If she couldn't advance, then she'd be completely useless.
Now wasn't the right time to join any major power.
On the way back, she greeted some of her fellow sect disciples and happened to run into Cheng Qian, who was casually wandering around.
The two of them stepped into a small tavern by the street.
They ordered a few dishes and chatted for a while.
Then they said goodbye with a hint of reluctance. To anyone paying attention, it looked like a touching farewell between a close brother and sister.
Cheng Qian kept walking around afterward, especially lingering near the bookstores.
He had ignored this before, or perhaps his attention had always been limited to the Tianyan Domain and the neighboring regions.
He had never really thought about how vast this world was.
Now, he needed to buy some miscellaneous records and travel notes to get a better understanding.
During their meal just now, Xu Luoshui had handed him a storage bag. Inside were some of the items she'd exchanged from Myriad Blossom Pavilion and the profits from her recent direct selling.
Originally, she hadn't planned to give it to him this early since he still lacked the ability to protect himself.
But nearly being detained made her feel a real sense of urgency. If something happens to her, all those spirit stones would end up in someone else's hands.
So that moment of her talking to him earlier wasn't just for show. From now on, she would make sure to send part of her earnings to him ahead of time.
Now that his fallback was ready, she figured she'd need to prepare a few more. Just to play it safe.
You only get one life. Can't put all your eggs in one basket.
******
Xu Luoshui soon returned to her own cave residence.
The opportunity she had been waiting for had finally arrived.
With Myriad Blossom Pavilion making such a large purchase, there was no need to invent some elaborate excuse or stage an accidental fire in the warehouse.
It was time to expand perfume production. And raise prices.
After thinking everything through and refining her plan, she ran it through her head one more time and then got ready to act.
She called for Yu Dazhi.
"Senior Sister, we're going to make a fortune this time."
"Even though you've seen more of the world than I have, when it comes to making spirit stones, your eye for profit can't compare to mine."
Yu Dazhi nodded. That was true. As someone from a family of spiritual rice farmers, she had a sharp sense for profit that he really couldn't match.
"Now, you need to tell the family's perfume workshop to ramp up production. We need to earn as much as we can before they leave."
"I've already passed down the orders."
"Also, start cutting back the amount we sell at the market and slowly raise the price."
"Senior Sister, shouldn't we take this chance to sell more by using Myriad Blossom Pavilion's name?"
"That's how we make real money. Let word spread about our deal with them, then limit daily sales and cut shipments by 80 percent."
"But the pavilion didn't say they would keep buying, did they?"
"I've already made the deal. For the next month, they'll be buying our perfume at 120 spirit stones per bottle."
"That's amazing! Maybe this time we can save up enough to buy the main material for the Gold Formation Pill."
Xu Luoshui gave him a glance. So narrow-minded. That extra 40 spirit stones was something she had covered them herself to make up the difference for Myriad Blossom Pavilion. In reality, they were still buying it at 80 per bottle.
"We're also raising the price of the perfume in our store."
"How much are we raising it?"
"Before they leave, raise it to 160 spirit stones."
"Ah? Will anyone still buy at that price?"
"You don't need to worry about that. I'll have people coordinate. For now, just focus on managing the perfume workshop. I'll do my best to negotiate a long-term partnership. When the time comes..."
"Don't worry, Senior Sister. I've got everything under control."
Being able to form a connection with Myriad Blossom Pavilion was something he had never even dared to dream of before.
"Also, the two of us can buy the perfume from the workshop at the standard price, then sell it to Myriad Blossom Pavilion ourselves."
Yu Dazhi froze.
"This way, I can earn a little more, and you'll have some spirit stones in hand too. As for the family, they're not really losing out, are they?"
A conflicted look crossed his face. Though he was recognized as the future head of the Yu family, he still wasn't officially in charge. His monthly spirit stone allowance was limited.
Truthfully, he didn't have nearly the financial freedom Xu Luoshui did.
Now, what she proposed was incredibly tempting. And it was true—the family wouldn't actually lose anything.
After all, the perfume would be sold anyway. And with higher output, the profits might even surpass what they used to make.
And what he earned was from the deal he negotiated.
As for Xu Luoshui, well, she was always like that. Wanting to earn more was perfectly normal.
In the end, he decided to go along with her, both of them skimming a little from the top. The Yu family wouldn't notice, and everyone would be happy.
Once Yu Dazhi had made all the necessary arrangements, Xu Luoshui wasted no time and went straight to Liu Xingzhi.
"Senior Brother, there's a special situation I need to talk to you about."
"Please, go ahead, Junior Sister Luoshui."
"There may be a temporary halt in our perfume supply."
"What? We're stopping? That can't happen. A lot of people are counting on it."
"It's not that we're stopping, just hear me out. We've reached a deal with Myriad Blossom Pavilion to supply them with perfume. But right now, we don't have enough stock."
"Phew, you scared me. That's understandable. Sounds like you're about to make another big profit."
"And of course, I wouldn't forget you while I'm raking in spirit stones."
Liu Xingzhi's channel had provided Xu Luoshui with a significant amount of spirit stones. They supported her cultivation and covered the clothing shop's expenses.
And more importantly, this was where she got most of the funds she sent to her main body.
As for the spirit stones from the Yu family, she never touched them. Everything stayed on the books.
That was tied to her later plans. Leaving them untouched gave the Yu family some peace of mind.
"You can buy back Lingyun Immortal Fragrance. I'll sell it to you at 90 spirit stones per bottle for now. This price might go up later."
Liu Xingzhi, who had been developing a knack for business recently, lit up at that.
Xu Luoshui was clearly trying to create a shortage of these perfumes to sell them to Myriad Blossom Pavilion.
Which meant he could profit too—buy them from others at 60 or 70 spirit stones and sell them at a markup.
People would definitely go for that.
"Alright, I'll start buying back immediately."
"Also, remember this: set your purchase price based on how much we're selling."
"Got it. The fewer bottles they have, the higher my price. Closer to 90 spirit stones."
"Exactly. Senior Brother, if this goes well, it could push your Foundation Establishment path even further."
"You can count on me. I'll handle this personally."
"One more thing. Once the buyback price reaches 90, find a way to hint to them that they can purchase the Yu family's perfumes directly from the marketplace. We'll still buy them at the high price. Then come find me, and I'll adjust the price again as needed."
Only with high demand could they spike the price quickly. And it had to look like the buyers were causing the shortage.
The invisible hand of the market was about to start working its magic.
As for the spirit stones she used to 'subsidize' Myriad Blossom Pavilion, it wouldn't cost much. She knew the workshop's monthly output, and she could control the supply of flower-based essential oils too.
She'd probably only need to spend a few tens of thousands of spirit stones.
But once the price of this perfume shot up, lowering it again wouldn't be so easy.