Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 598: Chapter 311: Procurement Liaison

「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」

The ever-cautious Zhao Yonglong arrived stealthily at the Cheng Mansion in the middle of the night.

Cheng Zongyang, who was in the middle of his Cultivation, keenly sensed a stir outside the Array. Among the noises, Zhao Yonglong’s voice was clearly discernible. Only he could have detected such a faint disturbance.

"Why have you come so late?" Cheng Zongyang asked, perplexed as he took in Zhao Yonglong’s nervous and cautious demeanor.

"Let’s talk inside." Zhao Yonglong shot a quick glance toward the alley entrance, then hurried inside. Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang immediately closed the door and activated the Protective Array and Sound Insulation Array.

"Sir." At that moment, Ma Yue, Li Cungang, and the others were also awakened by the commotion and came out of their respective rooms.

"It’s nothing. Li Yihuo, you come here," Cheng Zongyang called out to Li Yihuo, who was upstairs.

"Yes, Sir!" Li Yihuo quickly responded, threw on some clothes, and rushed downstairs.

In the study, Li Yihuo brewed a cup of Spirit Tea for both Cheng Zongyang and Zhao Yonglong. "What’s wrong?" Cheng Zongyang asked. Zhao Yonglong paid Li Yihuo no mind, instead taking out a Storage Pouch and placing it on the table. He spoke slowly:

"I sold four Foundation Establishment Pills in three districts—West City, North City, and the East District—and got 230,000 Spirit Stones in return. However, I was tailed afterward. I suspect it was someone sent by a Cultivation Immortality Influence from the East District. Fellow Daoist Cheng, I can’t stay here any longer. Sooner or later, that family’s influence will find me. This Storage Pouch contains twenty-five thousand Spirit Stones. You can count them."

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang didn’t rush to check the Spirit Stones. Instead, he pressed, "Where do you plan to go?"

Zhao Yonglong replied, "I’m afraid I can’t stay here any longer. That family’s influence will ferret me out sooner or later. I want to go to Li City to try my luck and see if I can explore the Profound Origin Secret Realm. With the Spirit Stones I got from the pills and the last Foundation Establishment Pill I have, I might still have a chance to break through to Foundation Establishment in this lifetime."

Cheng Zongyang felt a sense of helplessness. He had originally planned to have Li Yihuo get in touch with Zhao Yonglong to handle their future cooperation. ’To think something like this would happen.’

But on second thought, this situation was to be expected. After all, he and Zhao Yonglong had been selling extremely precious Foundation Establishment Pills, not some common Elixirs. It was only normal that they would be targeted.

One could only say that wealth was a powerful motivator. For Cheng Zongyang himself, the profit margin on Foundation Establishment Pills was huge, far more cost-effective than exchanging Points for Spirit Stones. For Zhao Yonglong, the pills were also a hot commodity with a high profit margin. Therefore, being targeted was a result they had anticipated.

"Since that’s the case, I won’t try to keep you. Take care on your journey. If you fail to break through in the future, I still have more Foundation Establishment Pills here," Cheng Zongyang said with a smile.

"Alright. Thank you, Fellow Daoist Cheng! I am eternally grateful!" Zhao Yonglong said sincerely, cupping his fists in thanks.

After Zhao Yonglong left, Cheng Zongyang sighed faintly.

"Sir, was that the partner you mentioned before?" Li Yihuo, who had been silent all this time, finally asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Cheng Zongyang reached for the Storage Pouch on the table and nodded slightly. "It seems we’ll have to find someone else for you to coordinate with. Have you made any discoveries during this time?"

As he spoke, a look of expectation appeared in his eyes. He hoped Li Yihuo had some valuable information for him.

Hearing this, Li Yihuo’s eyes flashed with excitement. "Sir, after observing for this period, I’ve discovered that Zi’an County is full of business opportunities. Transporting goods from here to the other side will surely bring in handsome profits.

Furthermore, the Martial Arts Realm has things that the Cultivation Immortality Realm lacks, the most valuable of which would be certain metal ores. I’ve learned that common metal goods in the Cultivation Immortality Realm are quite expensive. After asking around, I found out it’s because the production of common metal ores like iron and copper is low..."

Li Yihuo began to describe the products he had learned about that could be used for trade.

He started with the metal ores he just mentioned. He then explained that the Cultivation Immortality Realm, for example, has a high output of gold and silver. However, because gold and silver are soft and cannot be combined with other minerals to create hard objects, they aren’t widely used. This made them a prime target for procurement.

As Li Yihuo spoke of these things, his heart was filled with visions of the future, as if he could already see waves of wealth rolling in.

’Trading low-value metal ores for gold and silver, Spirit Stones, and Spirit Crystals—that’s where the biggest profit margin is!’

Cheng Zongyang smiled and asked, "I’m naturally aware of the business opportunities here. Have you checked out the Cyan Dragon Commerce Association? What did you think of it?"

His tone was calm, but his eyes revealed his interest in the Cyan Dragon Commerce Association. ’As for the matter of gold and silver, I already knew about that. In this world, gold and silver have some uses, but not many. They aren’t currency, so almost nobody needs them.’

’This just proves what I said before: gold and silver are merely representatives of currency, given value only by demand. If there’s no demand, or if something replaces them, they become worthless.’

’If I were to procure them in large quantities, it would probably attract unwanted attention, which is why I haven’t bothered with it before. The Commerce Association doesn’t deal in gold and silver products either.’

Li Yihuo thought for a moment, then asked, "Sir, are you thinking of switching our target for coordination to the Cyan Dragon Commerce Association?"

He felt a little apprehensive, unsure if his guess was correct.

Cheng Zongyang replied noncommittally, "Do you think it’s feasible?"

His eyes were profound, making it impossible to fathom his true thoughts.