Chapter 441 - 401: Dongfu District, Golden Core Hall
A thought occurred to Gu An. "Those two shops—one sells magical artifacts, the other sells talismans. Won’t they affect our business?"
Gu Dezhao smiled. "There will certainly be some impact, but not much. The merchandise in those two shops is high-quality, but the prices are also steep—beyond the means of the average cultivator."
"When they can’t find what they want there, it’s the perfect opportunity for them to come to our shop. Won’t we be able to sell more that way?"
Just as they were speaking, they suddenly saw a steward leading several other cultivators into the shop.
Gu An’s expression changed. "They must be here to pick out a shop too."
Zhao Lin noticed as well and said, "There’s no time to lose. Let’s go to the administration office right now."
The group hurried away, making their way to the administration office on the side of the market district.
When Steward Liu saw Zhao Lin and his group, he asked with a smile, "Have you all made your choice?"
"That’s right. The shop on Ding’an Street."
"Alright!"
Steward Liu deftly took out a Star Origin Brush, contract paper, a seal, and other items.
Gu Dezhao was an old hand at this, and in just fifteen minutes, all the formalities were complete.
"Everything is in order. Please take these, Shopkeeper Zhao."
Steward Liu handed the deed and the jade tokens for entering and exiting the market district to Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin put the deed away, feeling a sense of finality. But when he thought about the rent—fifteen hundred Spirit Stones—he realized that he was fifty Spirit Stones in debt the moment he opened his eyes each day. The pressure instantly mounted.
Fifty Spirit Stones might not sound like much, but they would have to sell at least one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones’ worth of merchandise just to make that amount in profit.
And that was just to break even on rent. The shop had to support five cultivators, and Zhao Lin’s goal wasn’t merely survival. He aimed to contribute a significant amount in taxes.
’If he was going to do this, he had to make it a success.’
Just as Zhao Lin and his group walked out of the administration office, they saw three cultivators walking towards them.
The lead cultivator had a mole on his left cheek. Before he even entered the door, he shouted, "We’ll take the shop on Ding’an Street!"
Hearing this, Zhao Lin and the others immediately turned back.
"You’re too late. It’s already been rented out," Steward Liu replied calmly.
"What? It was empty this morning! We just took a quick look around, and now it’s gone?" the mole-faced cultivator said, disappointed.
Zhao Lin immediately made a hand signal. Gu Dezhao and the others understood and hurried away without looking back.
Once they were out of the market district, Gu An laughed. "I was thinking the rent was pretty steep and wasn’t sure if we’d made the right choice. But now that I know someone else was after it, I feel like we got a great deal."
At his words, they all burst out laughing.
With the shop rented, they could move in that very day.
Everyone worked together to unload the goods from the Spiritual Vessel, move them into the shop, and after a simple tidying up, they were settled in before dark.
The shop was divided into front, middle, and back sections. The front hall was for displaying merchandise and had a counter for transactions. The middle hall was for receiving guests and displaying valuable items. The back hall served as the storeroom and resting area.
Behind it all was a courtyard for cultivation practice and relaxation.
That evening, the group sat in the rear courtyard, drinking tea and chatting.
"Shopkeeper Zhao, what do you think we should name our shop?"
Gu Dezhao, who loved drinking tea, had brewed a pot of Spirit Tea and was sharing it with everyone.
Zhao Lin had been considering it too. ’A shop’s name is extremely important. It has to be both elegant and catchy, something that leaves an impression.’
After a moment’s thought, he said, "Let’s pool our ideas. Everyone come up with a suggestion."
The group exchanged glances, then lowered their heads in thought.
It was Gu Dezhao who spoke first. "We sell a bit of everything, so a name is hard to pick. How about Baishun Hall?"
He wasn’t satisfied with his own suggestion and shook his head. "Too common!"
"Ten Thousand Treasures Tower?"
"Han Chi Residence?"
Gu An and Zhuang Heng each suggested a name.
Zhao Lin didn’t speak, just glanced at Tang Zhengquan.
Tang Zhengquan chuckled. "I’m a complete amateur at this, Shopkeeper Zhao. Don’t put me on the spot."
Li Sancai also shook his head. "Senior Brother Zhao, I’m not very learned, so I’ll stay out of it."
Zhao Lin stroked his chin and murmured, "We don’t specialize in one type of product, so it’s hard to come up with a distinctive name. It would be better to pick a striking name, one that people will remember the moment they hear it."
"Let’s call it Golden Core Hall!"
"Huh...?"
Everyone froze. ’This young shopkeeper of ours is certainly audacious,’ they thought.
"That’s a great name! It’s certainly striking!" Tang Zhengquan was the first to agree.
"Isn’t that a bit too brazen?" Gu An asked, sucking air through his teeth.
Zhao Lin smiled. "A little brazen is good. As long as it makes them remember us, it’s a win."
Gu Dezhao pondered for a long time, unsure if the name was good or not. He asked, "If people ask why it’s called Golden Core Hall, how do we explain it?"
Zhao Lin laughed. "We don’t need to explain. The mystery will make people talk about it even more."
With that, he set his teacup down on the table. "It’s settled."
...
「Early one morning」
The crisp crackle of firecrackers erupted from Ding’an Street in the northwest corner of the market district.
Any cultivator with a little experience knew what that sound meant: a new shop was opening for business.
Typically, newly opened shops held sales to draw in customers.
Thus, hoping for a bargain or simply wanting to see the spectacle, many cultivators flocked in the direction of the firecrackers.
Liu Chaoyuan, the shopkeeper of Linglong Pavilion, was directing his assistants to hang banners and streamers. Hearing the firecrackers, he asked in surprise, "What shop is that? Opening on the same day as us?"
"I think it’s the one next door," an assistant replied.
"Go take a look."
"Yes, sir."
The assistant acknowledged the order and trotted off, returning a moment later. "Shopkeeper, it’s our neighbor to the left that just opened."
Liu Chaoyuan said "Oh," and asked casually, "What’s it called?"
The assistant replied, "Golden Core Hall."
"Huh? What did you say it was called?" Liu Chaoyuan asked again, thinking he had misheard.
The assistant said, "Golden Core Hall. As in, the Golden Core of a Golden Core Cultivator."
Hearing this, Liu Chaoyuan sucked in a sharp breath. "Who is the shopkeeper of this store? To dare to use such a name... could they be a Golden Core Cultivator?"
Outside the Golden Core Hall, a crowd of cultivators had gathered, pointing and commenting on the shop’s sign.
"Heh, Golden Core Hall... What nerve!"
"Seriously audacious. They might as well have called it Divinity Transformation Hall."
"What do they sell?"
"Isn’t it written on the sign? ’For Sale: Cultivation Supplies. Everything you need for your path to the Golden Core.’"
The words on the sign had been Zhao Lin’s idea. This world had no laws against false advertising, so no one would care about a bit of exaggeration. Besides, every cultivator dreamed of reaching the Golden Core realm.
Gu Dezhao stood at the shop’s entrance, a broad smile on his face as he cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd.
"Welcome, Fellow Daoists, to our grand opening! To celebrate, all merchandise will be sold at a ten percent discount for the next three days! Don’t miss this opportunity!"
Upon hearing this, someone immediately started walking into the shop, asking loudly, "So what kind of treasures do you have here?"
Gu Dezhao deliberately raised his voice. "Our Golden Core Hall’s goods are sourced from Han Chi County! Our most famous products include Spirit Tea, Hidden Sword Cold Fish, and silk cultivation robes! We also have a complete stock of pills, magical artifacts, and talismans."
"And of course, our shop also purchases all kinds of cultivation items at a fair price. We will never deliberately lowball our customers."
There were very few dedicated pawn shops in the Cultivation Realm. If a cultivator obtained a cultivation item they couldn’t use, they would most often choose to sell it at a shop.
Tang Zhengquan, Gu An, Zhuang Heng, and Li Sancai stood in the front hall, welcoming customers who entered the shop and patiently answering any questions they had.
Zhao Lin had deliberately dressed in the attire of an ordinary cultivator and stood beside Gu Dezhao, observing how he received customers and handled various inquiries.
Liu Chaoyuan watched from the side for a while. When Gu Dezhao had a free moment, he stepped forward and asked, "Are you the shopkeeper here?"
Gu Dezhao could tell from the man’s attire that he was a fellow merchant. He smiled and said, "I am the Second Shopkeeper. Our Chief Shopkeeper is right here." With that, he stepped aside.
Zhao Lin politely cupped his hands. "And how should I address you, Fellow Daoist?"
"I am the shopkeeper of the Linglong Pavilion next door."
Liu Chaoyuan sized up Zhao Lin. When he saw that Zhao Lin was just a young cultivator at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, he became instantly dismissive. "And here I thought this shop was presided over by a Golden Core Cultivator. It seems the name is more impressive than the reality."
Zhao Lin didn’t get angry. He just pointed at the sign out front and chuckled. "The sign says ’your path to the Golden Core,’ not that we have a Golden Core Cultivator in the shop. Besides, it’s just a name. If it can attract customers, it’s done its job."
For a moment, Liu Chaoyuan was at a loss for a comeback. Remembering his own shop was about to open, he just snapped, "I don’t have time to argue with you," and hurried away.