Dao Companions Help Me Live Forever

Chapter 288 Cooperation (6.4k, additional updates, seeking monthly votes!)

Giant airships, hundreds of zhang long and tens of meters high, broke through the clouds with a loud roar and slowly descended above the Danfa Gate.

On the side of the airship was written "Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce" and "Weilong Fleet" in eight large characters. The lookout tower also had a flag with black background and gold letters representing the Chamber of Commerce.

With this flag, the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce could travel unimpeded in ninety-eight percent of the places, and no foolish Rogue Cultivator would dare to rob them.

The leading airship.

Qi Shaowei stood on the deck, standing against the wind, one hand on his back and the other patting the red lacquered railing. He was full of spirit.

Since the Spirit Rice Pill was introduced, the branch of the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce in the Mingyue Heavenly City quickly discovered the business opportunities and asked the Danfa Gate to reverse-engineer the pill formula and produce a large number of imitations.

Although the imitated Spirit Rice Pill was not as effective as the original, the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce still made a lot of money from it.

And due to the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce's well-established sales and transportation networks throughout the Xuan Yang Realm, it was extremely suitable for this low-profit, high-volume commodity.

In just over five years since the Spirit Rice Pill was introduced, the sales network had expanded beyond the Mingyue Heavenly City and Donghua Heavenly City, reaching the entire Xuan Yang Realm.

However, the sales in the Mingyue Heavenly City were the worst because there were genuine Spirit Rice Pills available and the influence of the Great Unity Society was not much different from that of the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce.

But in other places, the influence of the Great Unity Society was minimal, and it was completely the territory of the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce.

Every year, the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce earned billions of spirit stones in profits.

The person in charge of the sales plan for the Spirit Rice Pill, who was responsible for submitting it to the headquarters, was even promoted directly and guaranteed a chance to form a Nascent Soul, which could be passed on to future generations.

Now, the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce has established four central sales centers for the Spirit Rice Pill in the entire Xuan Yang Realm, and Qi Shaowei is in charge of the western central center.

However, due to his young age and insufficient qualifications, the western central center was allocated to the Mingyue Heavenly City, Donghua Heavenly City, and Chongming Heavenly City.

It seemed that the advantage of occupying three out of eight heavenly cities was significant.

However, the Mingyue Heavenly City had the smallest area, only three thousand square miles, and with the presence of the Great Unity Society, the sales of the Spirit Rice Pill were almost nonexistent.

Although the Donghua Heavenly City had a vast area of ten thousand square miles, the population was sparse, and the commercial environment was quite difficult. The sales cost of the Spirit Rice Pill was increased by at least fifty percent compared to the Mingyue Heavenly City.

Chongming Heavenly City was originally the most outstanding among the three.

But due to the heavy casualties suffered by the Chongming True Monarch in the previous beast tide and the battle against the Monster Emperor, the beast tide continued to cause chaos, resulting in a significant decrease in the population.

In addition, without the suppression of the Chongming True Monarch, Rogue Cultivators ran rampant, causing extreme chaos.

Even the caravans of the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce could not guarantee their safety one hundred percent.

Once a caravan was robbed, the loss could easily reach millions of spirit stones.

Therefore, the commercial environment in the entire Chongming Heavenly City was extremely poor.

In order to ensure the safety of the caravans, it was necessary to hire more high-level cultivators as escorts, which significantly increased the cost.

But Qi Shaowei was not discouraged. On the contrary, he was full of confidence in the future.

The business environment was too favorable, and even if he achieved something, it would not be convincing. People would question and say that even a dog on a leash could achieve victory lying down.

But if he could achieve outstanding performance in the worst environment.

Then in the future, he would take over the branch headquarters, and even be recommended to enter the legendary true headquarters of the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce, and no one would have anything to say.

The most important thing is that he is only in his fifties this year and has already reached the level of a Gold Core Perfected Being, with enough time for further growth.

But this doesn't mean he can relax; on the contrary, he personally takes charge of every transaction at the Alchemy Gate.

The Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce has many excellent alchemists under its name, including Rank Four alchemists, but low-level alchemists are in short supply, to the point of being scarce.

This is because the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce has always focused on selling high-level cultivation resources, complementing the local forces.

This time, they targeted the business of Spirit Rice pills because they were in high demand.

Therefore, the many alchemists at the Alchemy Gate are very important to the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce, or rather, to the western sales hub. They can be considered one of the core elements.

Even though the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce is secretly building its own team of low-level alchemists, at this stage, they cannot give up their cooperation with the Alchemy Gate.

"If I could get the original recipe for Spirit Rice pills, that would be great. With just this achievement, I could rank first among the many managers."

A thought flashed through Qi Shaowei's mind.

"I wonder how advanced President Bai's alchemy skills are. No matter how we reverse-engineer the alchemy techniques used in our association, we can only imitate ninety-nine percent of the medicinal effects, and the cost even increases. It's not as cost-effective as the Alchemy Gate's imitation version."

"Last time, we secretly sent people to the Great Unity Association and captured a few alchemists. The recipes we extracted from them turned out to be similar to our imitation version."

It is said that the final technique of receiving the pills can only be performed by the alchemists sent by the association. This is the secret of turning decay into a miracle.

Unfortunately, these alchemists are all powerful, so if we want to capture them without causing a commotion, we can only ask for the help of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

But once the original pills are released, it will truly break the relationship with the Great Unity Association.

That True Monarch in September is the true backer of the Great Unity Association, and she is supported by the Profound Yang Sect. I can't afford to provoke her."

Qi Shaowei was lost in his thoughts when suddenly the ship shook, and a transparent barrier appeared in the air, blocking the fleet.

"Sir Manager, it seems that something has happened at the Alchemy Gate. Otherwise, they wouldn't stop our fleet for no reason."

A burly man flew over from behind the ship. He was also a Gold Core cultivator and in charge of the fleet.

"You go down and ask."

Qi Shaowei panicked in his heart, but he maintained a calm demeanor on his face.

The importance of the Alchemy Gate to him was self-evident.

If the Alchemy Gate made a mistake, not to mention anything else, the thirty million stones of Spirit Rice they had just acquired, as well as millions of kilograms of low-level spiritual herbs, would rot in the warehouse.

Thirty jin of Low Grade Spirit Rice for one spiritual stone, one hundred jin for one stone. These thirty million stones of Spirit Rice amounted to one billion spiritual stones.

The millions of kilograms of low-level spiritual herbs were only worth a few million spiritual stones, which was actually a small amount.

"Yes."

The burly man was about to move when a red-faced alchemist, surrounded by alchemical flames, approached in mid-air and faced Qi Shaowei across the railing.

"May I ask if you are the person in charge of the fleet?"

"Yes, I am Qi Shaowei, the person in charge of this Weilong fleet."

Qi Shaowei nodded with dignity.

The red-faced alchemist bowed respectfully and said, "The sect leader asked me to apologize to you. The cooperation between Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce and Danfa Sect cannot continue."

"Here is the compensation for our breach of contract. Please count it," the red-faced alchemist handed over a storage bag containing five million spirit stones.

"Is this the intention of True Monarch Huo Dan?" Qi Shaowei clenched his fist behind his back and had no intention of accepting the storage bag.

He dared to bring so many spirit stones, which meant that the contract had already been signed. However, in order to show sincerity in the cooperation, the penalty for breach of contract was not high, only five million spirit stones.

After all, the cooperation with Danfa Sect was a win-win situation. Danfa Sect had alchemy orders, and they had products to sell. Everyone made money.

The contract was just a formality, and Qi Shaowei also didn't believe that True Monarch Huo Dan would dare to offend Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce.

The channels of Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce were there. If True Monarch Huo Dan wanted to refine pills, he would have to seek some high-level materials from the chamber.

Offending the chamber would only make it more difficult for him to refine pills.

A win-win situation turned into a lose-lose situation, and everyone knew how to choose.

However, the red-faced alchemist was very frank, "Of course, if it weren't for the sect leader's orders, how could I make decisions on my own?"

"I want to see True Monarch Huo Dan!" Qi Shaowei's anger surged, but he still suppressed it and said, "I won't leave until I see True Monarch Huo Dan!"

The red-faced alchemist said, "Our sect leader has already closed himself in seclusion before you arrived. I don't know when he will come out."

"Then let someone who can make decisions come and see me!"

Qi Shaowei's eyes were bloodshot, and he became excited.

He couldn't imagine the situation of one billion spirit stones' worth of spirit rice rotting in the warehouse.

It should be noted that one billion spirit stones' worth of spirit rice represented more than just one billion. There were also the manpower and resources purchased from various immortal cultivation families, as well as the transportation costs, which added up to millions or even tens of millions of spirit stones.

If he could refine all of this spirit rice into spirit rice pills and bring them back, then everything would be fine. He would definitely make a profit and earn a lot.

But if he brought back all this spirit rice, not to mention the already lost costs, even if he sold it until he died, he might not be able to sell it all.

This was not some rare high-grade or supreme-grade spirit rice, just the most ordinary low-grade spirit rice.

Even an ordinary county could rely on spiritual veins to develop hundreds of thousands or even millions of acres of spirit fields, which were things that could grow continuously on the land and had no special competitiveness.

Moreover, the branches of Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce did not sell low-grade spirit rice. They couldn't afford to lose face.

The other three sales centers were thriving, earning billions of spirit stones for the chamber every year, but he would let more than one billion spirit stones rot in the warehouse.

His whole life is ruined!

He's only in his fifties, his life hasn't even begun, how can it end like this?

Qi Shaowei's anger surged from his heart, with an impulse to destroy everything.

The red-faced alchemist shook his head helplessly and said, "Fellow Daoist, please don't be too agitated.

Allow me to introduce myself, I am Song Ling, a Rank Three alchemist and the deputy sect master of the Pill Method Sect. I am currently responsible for overseeing all matters of the Pill Method Sect."

The railing under Qi Shaowei's palm already had a deep palm print.

But he, coming from a prestigious merchant family, didn't act impulsively. Instead, he took a deep breath and asked coldly,

"Since you have the authority, do you know the consequences of offending our Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce?"

He almost couldn't resist having the Nascent Soul True Monarch in the fleet take action and kill this person who didn't abide by the contract.

However, the red alchemist had a dull expression.

"Oh? Are the consequences severe? But haven't we already compensated? Does Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce still need to send the Nascent Soul True Monarch to punish us?"

Qi Shaowei was stunned and almost couldn't hold back his tears.

Yes, they violated the contract and compensated with spirit stones. What else could he do?

Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce has had a good reputation for so many years. They wouldn't retaliate just because of one breach of contract and ruin their own reputation.

On the contrary, the chamber of commerce values contracts the most. As long as they follow the contract, even if they suffer losses, they won't say anything.

At most, they would silently support retaliation in private, but if something happened, they would immediately distance themselves.

And the Pill Method Sect is not a weakling that can be easily manipulated. The Fire Pill True Monarch is a cultivator in the mid-stage of Nascent Soul, with combat power approaching that of a Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator.

Unless he invites his own ancestor, there's no way to seek revenge.

But he's just a junior of the family, who has just taken on a heavy responsibility. As a result, the chamber of commerce suffered heavy losses. Why should his ancestor risk his life for a junior like him?

As for Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce cutting off their supply of alchemy materials, they can simply stop alchemy or purchase materials from someone else.

In the end, it's just a bit troublesome.

The chamber of commerce values harmony, they can't just stop doing business with everyone.

Most importantly, no matter how the chamber of commerce retaliates afterwards, his life is already ruined.

Qi Shaowei blinked hard, holding back his tears, and forced a smile.

"Master Song, since the Fire Pill True Monarch is in seclusion and now you are in charge of the Pill Method Sect, can you continue our cooperation?"

He pushed back the storage bag that Song Ling handed to him.

"As long as we can negotiate, this is yours."

However, Song Ling is not really dull. If he dares to accept today, he will dare to accidentally fall into the alchemy furnace as firewood tomorrow.

He shook his head and pushed the storage bag back, with a sincere expression,

"Please don't say more, this is the sect master's decision, and I dare not change it."

Qi Shaowei still did not accept it.

"Since Song Dan Shi said so, then I won't insist anymore. I just want to ask Song Dan Shi a question using this storage bag."

Song Ling hesitated for a moment and took back the storage bag.

"I will definitely tell you everything."

Qi Shaowei forced a smile, "I want to know where I offended Fire Dan True Monarch, causing him to give up cooperation with our business association?"

Song Ling's lips moved, and his voice lowered.

"To be honest, our sect leader is indeed in seclusion, but before going into seclusion, he reached a cooperation agreement with a force called Da Tong Hui. In the future, our Dan Fa Sect will only refine pills for Da Tong Hui. If you want us to continue refining Spirit Rice pills for you, you can only seek Da Tong Hui's approval."

"Alright, that's all I can say. Thank you for your gift."

Song Ling arched his hand and flew into the Dan Fa Sect.

Qi Shaowei bowed his head and looked at the swirling smoke and mist of the Dan Fa Sect, as well as the red-glowing volcano in the middle.

He couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

"What a great Da Tong Hui. Silent for many years, I thought you had already given up. I didn't expect you to stab me in the back at the most critical moment. It's all my fault for being too eager for success. This time, I brought it upon myself by being ambushed by them."

The big man beside him said, "Manager, we haven't lost yet. As long as we can convince Fire Dan True Monarch, we still have hope of turning the tables."

Their fleet can be said to be Qi Shaowei's direct line. If Qi Shaowei falls, they can only be sent to remote corners in the future.

Qi Shaowei took a deep breath and nodded.

"That's right, no matter what, we have to get through this disaster first before we can talk about anything else."

He took another deep look at the Dan Fa Sect below, his eyes flickering, not knowing what he was thinking.

...

"Tsk tsk, how miserable."

Yu Xian withdrew his gaze from the massive fleet and smiled.

"Looking at the scale of their fleet and the amount of Spirit Rice they brought this time, if they just go back like this, the person in charge of this matter will probably be dismissed. Now they are in a dilemma, it seems that they will have to come to Brother Cui soon."

"But I also admire this person in charge. He's so miserable but hasn't gone crazy. I thought I could eat this batch of Spirit Rice for free."

Fire Dan True Monarch's original name was Cui You, but as time passed and loved ones passed away, everyone only knew him by the name Fire Dan True Monarch.

This is also the reason why most high-level cultivators prefer to use titles to address themselves, as few people know their real names.

Hearing this, Fire Dan True Monarch's heart trembled, and he became even more wary of this Big Love True Monarch who had arrived at the Dan Fa Sect only a few days ago.

Indeed, there is no good person to provoke among those who can cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage.

Bullshit, Big Love!

If there is truly great love in one's heart, they wouldn't sneakily come and stab others in the back, let alone have plans to swallow an entire fleet.

Violating a contract and paying compensation is one thing, but causing someone to be completely defeated at their own doorstep is another.

By then, he would truly be bound to the pirate ship, and it would be difficult for him to jump ship.

Fortunately, that Qi Perfected Being, although young, did not act impulsively, which led to an irreparable situation.

But he still had to rely on others for help, so he smiled and said,

"Brother Bai has come up with a flawless plan. This time, Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce has accumulated a large amount of Spirit Rice and cannot return. We can only compromise with Brother Bai to minimize our losses.

I congratulate Brother Bai on making a big profit this time."

Yu Xian shook his head and said, "A few tens of millions is nothing to me. It doesn't even catch my eye."

Moreover, his main intention was to cooperate with Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce and use their commercial path to accomplish his tasks. If he offended them this time, it would be difficult to handle things in the future.

The most important thing was that he had to give everyone a reasonable and justifiable reason.

Only then could his Great Love Law Domain be exerted silently.

Otherwise, if someone who had previously hated him suddenly became intimate with him, even a fool would know that something was wrong.

...

It was night.

Qi Shaowei was anxiously waiting in the attic on the ship.

The news of Danfamen's breach of contract had spread throughout the entire fleet, and now the cultivators in the fleet were discussing it, losing confidence in him.

The Nascent Soul True Monarch who was guarding the fleet for this transportation mission avoided him, as if he had already determined that he was about to lose power and didn't want to have any relationship with him.

If he couldn't come up with effective measures soon, he might become isolated.

After all, he was a newly appointed manager and didn't have much prestige.

During the day, he had sent several trusted subordinates to make contact, and he was not unprepared. He had already left some hidden cards in Danfamen.

But the situation changed too quickly, and the positions of the hidden cards were not high enough, so he was caught off guard.

Suddenly, a piece of jade pendant on his chest became scorching hot. He remained calm and slowly stood up, about to retreat into the formation hub in his room.

As long as he could delay for a moment, the Nascent Soul True Monarch in the fleet would be able to react.

"Manager Qi, if I were you, I wouldn't move recklessly."

A faint voice came.

Qi Shaowei smiled bitterly and said, "Who are you from the Great Unity Society? How can you enter my room without triggering the formation?"

"You'll know when you turn around."

The voice came.

Qi Shaowei turned around and saw an "ordinary" young cultivator sitting in his previous position.

He had seen the appearance of this person countless times before, but now, seeing him suddenly, he didn't feel much surprise.

"To be able to have True Monarch personally visit, it is also my honor."

As Qi Shaowei's voice fell, he felt a powerful pressure descending.

I'm doomed!

He showed a horrified expression on his face and closed his eyes, waiting for death.

But he didn't know how long had passed.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw that the True Monarch of Great Love in front of him was still the True Monarch of Great Love, without any movement.

However, for some reason, he no longer felt any resentment, but instead felt a sense of admiration for the True Monarch of Great Love.

"To be able to have True Monarch personally scheme against a small Gold Core cultivator like me, it is also my honor."

Qi Shaowei forced himself to calm down.

Yu Xian smiled slightly, "Actually, I have always appreciated young people. This time, you were able to remain calm in the face of danger and quickly come up with countermeasures, even if they were not effective. It made me think that you are a qualified collaborator."

Qi Shaowei spent the whole day today doubting himself, and now he suddenly received praise from his opponent, a True Monarch whose strength and status far surpassed his own.

A surge of willingness to die for a confidant suddenly rose within him.

"So True Monarch actually thinks of me this way?"

Yu Xian smiled, "I have no reason to deceive you."

Qi Shaowei completely relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Just now, True Monarch mentioned that he wants me to be a collaborator. What does that mean?"

Yu Xian said, "This time, I made a move one step ahead, but it doesn't mean that I want to exterminate you. On the contrary, we can be not just opponents, but also collaborators.

Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce has the original formula for Spirit Rice Pill, which is far superior in effect to your imitation version.

If you cooperate with me, using my pills and your channels, we can sell the original Spirit Rice Pills from Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce.

Do you think it will be better than what you have now?"

Qi Shaowei's heart suddenly stirred.

He had long coveted the original Spirit Rice Pill and knew how big the difference in effect would be in the face of a large quantity.

If the two of them worked together, Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce would not earn any less, and if there was a chance, they could sell the original Spirit Rice Pills to the other three sales centers.

Then he would be the top performer!

Most importantly, he wanted to collaborate with the man in front of him.

Even though they had only met for the first time, he felt as if he had met a kindred spirit he had long yearned for.

Clearly, the man had crushed him, but he didn't mock or belittle him, nor did he use his cultivation level to show superiority. Instead, he treated him as a respectable opponent.

He liked this kind of respect.

As someone eager to prove himself, this was what he had always longed for.

"Alright!"

Qi Shaowei nodded, "But the division of profits cannot be too small, otherwise I won't be able to explain it to the Chamber of Commerce."

For the Chamber of Commerce, performance was the most important thing, regardless of how you sold it.

And he had sufficient reason to say that his cooperation was for the sake of obtaining the pill formula.

In the case where profits were not affected, there was a chance to obtain the original formula and ultimately gain all the profits. No one would mind.

"No problem."

Yu Xian smiled and reached out his hand.

"Congratulations, you have made the right choice and gained a friend. It's better to have one more friend than one more enemy."

His foundation was still in Mingyue City. As for other territories, he wanted to sell them but lacked the ability to do so. It was better to give them to Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce.

In this way, it was equivalent to using the pill formula to gain a share in Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce without any changes.

He looked at Qi Shaowei with satisfaction.

Young people are so easily fooled.

If a Nascent Soul True Monarch came, his Great Love Domain might not be so effective, and he might have to fight a battle.

Qi Shaowei trembled slightly and reached out his hand, tightly gripping Yu Xian's hand.

"I won't let you down."

A tingling sensation spread from his tailbone, making him feel completely relaxed and comfortable.

Even the Nascent Soul True Monarch who presided over the fleet had never treated him as an equal, but rather as someone to be ignored when he was in power.

But now, the esteemed True Monarch of Great Love truly regarded him as a collaborator.

He looked deeply at Yu Xian, as if wanting to engrave his appearance in his mind.

...

The next day.

The pill formation array of the Danfa Gate was fully activated, and the Chamber of Commerce fleet smoothly entered and unloaded the accumulated Spirit Rice herbs.

In a short time, these materials would become Spirit Rice Pills, turning into sparkling spirit stones.

The cultivators of the fleet were all amazed at Qi Shaowei's ability to turn the situation around overnight, and even the Nascent Soul True Monarch in charge hurriedly came out to meet him.

Only Qi Shaowei knew who he truly thanked.

"True Monarch of Great Love, worthy of the name."

He felt three points more favorably towards the mysterious Great Love Society.

(End of this chapter)