Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Dongfu County bordered the eastern sea. A hundred li south of the county seat lay a newly opened market, officially named the Dongfu District.

It was originally a simple boat relay, serving as a hub for goods moving between land and sea.

At the strong urging of Grand Elder Lu Yuanxiu, the regional administration decided to establish a market here.

Redirecting a Spirit Vein, laying down Arrays, constructing buildings, and assembling staff... After three years of preparation, the market was now beginning to take shape.

Upon entering the market, one was greeted by wide, flat streets paved with Cyan Glaze Stone. Shops lined both sides, their shelves filled with a dazzling array of cultivation goods.

It was clear the regional administration had invested heavily in this place, modeling all its facilities and amenities on the Shangyuan Immortal Market.

Since it had only recently opened, not many cultivators had come to shop. Some storefronts were utterly deserted.

"We’ve seen all five shops. Have you two decided which one you’ll choose?"

The steward stopped and turned to Zhao Lin and Gu Dezhao.

Zhao Lin and his party had arrived in the Dongfu District and gone straight to the administrative office to explain their purpose to the cultivator in charge of the market.

The head cultivator was quite welcoming. He told Zhao Lin that five shops were still available and dispatched a Steward Liu to show them the properties.

Steward Liu had led them on a tour, and they had now seen all five locations.

The shops varied in location, size, and layout, with monthly rents ranging from one to three thousand Spirit Stones.

"Are these the only five? I saw quite a few other empty shops."

Zhao Lin had noticed many vacant storefronts as they walked, which prompted his question.

"They’re already leased, just not open for business yet. Within a month, all the shops will be up and running."

Steward Liu explained with a smile.

"Please give us a moment, Steward."

Zhao Lin excused himself and pulled Gu Dezhao aside. "Elder Gu," he whispered, "which shop do you think is best?"

Gu Dezhao mused, "I’ve singled out two shops. One is on the northwest end, on Ding’an Street. Its size and layout are impeccable, but its location is poor."

"The other is on Zhonglin Street. It’s in a prime location with heavy foot traffic, but the storefront is too small. We have a lot of merchandise, and I’m afraid it would be too cramped to display everything properly."

"The other three are either too expensive or have poor layouts, so they’re not worth considering."

Zhao Lin thought back and agreed with the assessment, but he also found it hard to make a quick decision. He walked back to Steward Liu and said, "Choosing a shop is a serious matter. Please, Steward, feel free to return to the administrative office. Allow us some time to discuss it."

Steward Liu smiled. "Of course. Just come find me when you’ve made a decision." With that, he turned and left.

"Let’s go take another look at those two shops."

In his past life, Zhao Lin had heard a famous saying about choosing a commercial property: the three most important factors are location, location, and location.

But a saying was just a saying; one still had to adapt to the specific circumstances.

The group first returned to the shop on Zhonglin Street. The foot traffic was bustling, and the view was filled with shop signs. It was clearly livelier than other areas.

Zhonglin Street wasn’t far from the market’s main gate. Cultivators entering the district could reach it after just a short walk.

"The location really is perfect, but the shop is just too small."

Gu Dezhao’s face was a mask of conflict. "If only it were a third larger. I’d even be willing to pay more rent."

Zhao Lin felt the same way. ’When you open a shop, you want to be able to scale up. If business takes off, this place won’t be able to handle even a small increase in customers.’

A place like this was better suited for a shop selling a single type of product.

A short while later, the group arrived at the shop on Ding’an Street.

This shop was more than twice the size of the one on Zhonglin Street. It was spacious and grand, with a sensible layout. Its only drawback was the lack of cultivators anywhere on the street.

"Sigh. If only we could move this shop to Zhonglin Street," Gu An lamented.

"Heh, if it were moved over there, it wouldn’t have this price tag!" Tang Zhengquan teased.

"Elder Gu, what are your thoughts?"

Zhao Lin looked to Gu Dezhao.

"Both shops cost fifteen hundred Spirit Stones a month. Each has its own merits and drawbacks, so I’m also finding it hard to choose. In the end, Shopkeeper Zhao should be the one to decide."

Gu Dezhao was old and shrewd; he would never get entangled in such a decision. If the business performed poorly later on, and Zhao Lin tried to shift the blame to him, he would be hard-pressed to defend himself.

Zhao Lin naturally understood his reasoning and didn’t press the issue. His brow furrowed as his gaze swept back and forth along the street.

After a moment, he made his decision. "This is the one!"

The others were surprised he had made a decision so quickly. Gu Dezhao, taken aback, asked, "Shopkeeper Zhao, what was your reason for choosing this one?"

Instead of answering, Zhao Lin posed a question of his own. "Tell me, what are the most essential items for a traveling cultivator?"

"Spirit Rice, medicinal pills, and talismans, of course," Gu An answered quickly.

"And artifacts, and armor," Tang Zhengquan added.

Zhao Lin nodded and pointed to the right of the shop. "You see that? The famous West Talisman Hall."

Then he pointed to the left. "This shop isn’t open yet, but its sign is already up. Linglong Pavilion!"

Gu Dezhao said, "West Talisman Hall and Linglong Pavilion are both time-honored names. Many cultivators looking for talismans and artifacts will only go to those two shops. They can afford to ignore their location, as plenty of customers will seek them out by name alone. We, on the other hand, cannot."

Zhao Lin smiled faintly. "That’s true. But look, those two shops are on our left and right, with our shop right in the middle. With them here, do we really need to worry about a lack of customers?"

The others were confused and all looked toward Gu Dezhao.

Gu Dezhao frowned in thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh. "Brilliant! So you’re borrowing their momentum!"

"Any cultivator who comes to this street is almost certain to visit those two shops. That means they have to pass right by our storefront, which is as good as them drawing in foot traffic for us."

Once he explained it, the others understood as well. A wave of realization passed over them, and the way they looked at Zhao Lin changed completely.