Supreme Emperor of Mist

"What's with the hype these days?" the elders fighting in a battle of chess peeked at the juniors below their secluded hill asked.

"No idea. Some mortal's entertainment, perhaps? Old six, don't tell me you're trying to cheat while making me turn my attention somewhere?" his opponent replied while placing a chess piece on the table.

"Old eight, you're too much. How can you say I'm cheating?" the one called as old six played with the eyebrow replied.

"Leng Ching, what's wrong with your juniors down there?" the eighth elder asked. But his question receives no answer in return.

**Pew!**

"Aw! - Oh - Yeouch!" a chess piece went in between the shrubs next to wake the person called Leng Ching up. Soon, Leng Ching made his appearance before the two elders, looking half asleep.

"Go down there and check what is the commotion is all about." the eighth elder ordered.

"Why me? - Let's not bother... - Nothing important, I think?" in a flash, Leng Ching gave three replies to his master before he managed to react to the first one.

"You imbecile brat!" the eighth elder raised his hand, but Leng Ching is already gone when the elder turned around.

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"Junior brother, what are you guys arguing about?" somebody peeked in between the queuing disciples and asked a question.

"The three treasures from Fu-Rong Town, of course! Did you just come back from a sect mission? It's too late for you to get on the hype train now as they're all out of stock!!!"

"Senior brother Leng!" the junior disciple almost peed in his pants the moment he found out that the one he's replying to is Leng Ching. Although Leng Ching seems easygoing, lazy, and carefree, his achievement in cultivation wasn't as simple as his personality.

Leng Ching was already a Late-Stage Flesh Refining Cultivator when he joined the Cloud Plucking Sect at sixteen. He's turning nineteen this year, with the cultivation strength of seventh-level Bone Restructuring Layer.

He was also known as Eldest Senior, Senior brother Leng, and Senior "one question, three don't know," amongst the disciples.

(Yi-Wen, San-Bu-Zhi = is a slang used to describe a person that would reply three times whenever asked)

"Three treasures of Fu-Rong Town? What's that?" Leng Ching asked.

"Here! Here... Senior brother Leng." the disciple shows a box made from exquisite material to Leng Ching. Once opened, It was a box with three columns, wrapped in soft leather and fur from the Red Marten Demon Beast.

On top of each column is a piece of paper with some content written on it. In total, there were three pieces of neatly folded paper, which beautifully presenting the so-called three treasures of Fu-Rong Town.

"Beautiful. How beautiful. Marvelously beautiful." Leng Ching praised the merchandise thrice as that was how he usually talks. Placing a bottle of medicinal pills into the disciple's hand, he left without speaking further.

"Senior brother, this..." the disciple stuttered.

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"Young patriarch!" the committee members from Fu-Rong Town politely greets Qin Lan as he invited them into the manor as their honored guest. Food and drinks were present during their conversation, which started to become a custom for them.

Up to a month ago, food and wine were rarely served on the table during a serious discussion. But with the establishment of the Qin Family's Winery, everything changed.

Qin Lan brought out a recipe and altered a few essential ingredients based on their availability to come up with a wine that's now widely known across this Yunshan Province.

To commemorate its return, Qin Lan decided to name this wine "Spiritual Gathering Dew."

Made with twenty different ingredients from fruits to herbs and spices, a hint of Changshen Dew and Kuangshan Medicinal Base Mixture is also added into the making to produce this wine.

The final result was a wine that increases the absorption and conversion rate of Spiritual Energy for an hour. Furthermore, the wine came with a fruity aftertaste, making it gentle but addictive to the palette for both young and old customers.

Each bottle of Spiritual Gathering Dew is pre-bottled before they're left to mature for seven days. As there was not much of a process to be involved during its creation, Qin Lan managed to produce close to ten thousand bottles during that one month to come up with what he has now.

Every bottle of Spiritual Gathering Dew is sold for the price of ten silver coins, and only a hundred bottles of them were sold daily.

"Young patriarch, please allow me to thank you on behalf of the people of Fu-Rong Town." the members of the Fu-Rong Town committee cupped their hands as they bowed to Qin Lan to show their gratitude.

In this one month, their business figure tripled.

Raw, unprocessed material that's hardly available now widely available in the market. Under Qin Lan's advice and Qin Tian's endorsement, the committee board also opened themselves to more suggestions, such as a direct supplying business.

By controlling the flow of goods from ruining the market price, the committee board established a collection center that will purchase all kinds of local goods before selling them to the public.

"Everyone, please sit." Qin Lan invited them to be seated as they continued the discussion. Right now, Qin Lan is like a mentor to the committee board members as they patiently listen to his extraordinary ideas.

After sending the guest off, Qin Lan prepared to return to his courtyard.

"Young master." Lu Qing Yun called Qin Lan the moment he walked past the square where his three aides parked their carriages.

"How's Su-Hang Town?" Qin Lan asked.

"It went on pretty well. We've managed to procure most of the materials we urgently needed to prepare an additional batch of Spiritual Gathering Dew." Lu Yi came close to Qin Lan's side, looking much more mature than before.

"Zunjie should be on his way over soon with Lady Hu." Lu Yi added.

"Did the material to refine the Spiritual Attraction Incense is here?" Qin Lan chuckled. The scene of what happened a month ago is still vividly hovering in his mind.

"Grandnephew Qin Lan, to use your grandfather's name to call both of us here, you better have a good reason to persuade both of us. Let's get straight to the point. What do the Qin Family want?" the two patriarchs sat comfortably on their chairs as they waited for Qin Lan's reply.

"I would like to propose a new four-way alliance between the families and Fu-Rong Town committee board. Since Jiaos is unwilling to attend the meeting today, I've invited another guest to attend on his behalf." Qin Lan made his way to the door and invited the town mayor into the hall.

The five people inside this room sat together for a six-hours long discussion.

"Patriarchs and Town Mayor, what was shown here is by right something the Qins can monopolize without trouble. But honestly, I've decided not to do that." Qin Lan placed a box in front of everyone and allowed them to inspect its content.

It was a box decorated with soft, fluffy fur and leather from Red Marten Demon Beast. On the first column is a bottle of Wound Mending Pill. The second column is where a bottle of Spirit Gathering Dew sat peacefully. While on the third column is a container with three sticks of Spiritual Concentration Incense.

"The paper on top describes the medicinal effect of each item. I've decided to call it the three treasures of Fu-Rong Town." Qin Lan patiently waits for the patriarchs and mayor to finish digesting the content written on the paper.

With their level of cultivation, it is easy for them to discern how the validity of Qin Lan's claim on the three products.

"Grandnephew... Answer my question honestly. Why would you share this?" Hu Yong asked. With these three items, monopolizing what the town could offer is easier said than done.

"Because profiting alone less than doing it together." Qin Lan answered.

"Of course, the right of manufacturing the Wound Mending Pill and Spirit Gathering Dew would remain under the control of the Qin Family. What I need is the expertise from Chu Family in Escort and Transportation and your fame amongst the farmers and miners around our Fu-Rong Town." Qin Lan started with the Chu Family first.

"As for the Hu Family, I hope that you're interested in my proposal on preparing the Spiritual Concentrating Incense. As long the Chus is willing to lend us a hand, obtaining the raw material to create them won't be too difficult." Qin Lan continued.

"As for the Town Mayor, I hope that the committee board is willing to accept my suggestion with an attractive business proposal. This overall project will generate a considerable tax collection, which can be used in return to develop our Fu-Rong Town." Qin Lan smiled because he knows his proposal had gotten their attention.

The elders looked at one another for a while before they nodded at Qin Lan.

"Interesting. Let's continue." and from here, the plan devised by Qin Lan started to bear flowers that soon to ripen into fruits of labor.

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"Husband, you've must be tired from working from day till night. Let me give you a massage while you're studying." Hu Jia came to Qin Lan's side and started to gently massage his shoulder.

Like an understanding wife, she patiently serves Qin Lan until the last scroll on the table is finished.

"My wife, would you like me to walk you around the courtyard?" Qin Lan proposed with a smile on his face.

"I would like to," Hu Jia smiled in reply. To her, there was nothing more satisfying than Qin Lan making up a time to walk with her.