"What is it, Master Gu?" Shen Qiu asked immediately, "As long as it is within my ability, I will try my best to complete it."
Shen Qiu grew up in a wealthy family with a delicate status. He had to deal with people of different statuses since he was a child. Over time, he accumulated a lot of experience and developed his own theory on interpersonal communication.
According to his understanding, the master-slave relationship is very similar to the relationship between lovers to some extent. It also has stages such as "first acquaintance period", "passionate love period", "suspicious period" and "plain period".
He and Gu Xu were in the "first acquaintance period" at the moment - there was a sense of freshness, curiosity, and expectations about each other, but they had not yet figured out each other's details.
In this process, the host will use a series of small things to examine the guest's ability; the guest will also evaluate the host's potential, character, etc. in the details of daily interactions, thereby judging whether this person is worth following. .
Shen Qiu secretly thought to himself: When I first came to this mansion, Mr. Gu showed me so many self-created or improved talisman and seal formations, obviously trying to establish his authority in front of me; and now he has proposed another one to me. He asked me to help him solve the problem, obviously he wanted to take this opportunity to test my ability... Don't look at my young age, I am really skilled at these tricks!
Thinking of this, the way Shen Qiu looked at Gu Xu became different from before.
Of course, Gu Xu didn't actually think so complicatedly.
He painted a group of servants on the screen wall just because he liked to be tidy, but he was used to being thrifty and didn't want to spend money to hire people; he set up a lot of defensive formations because he was used to being cautious and just in case; he asked Shen Qiu's request for help was more because he was worried about the source of future elixirs.
"I have an elixir workshop," Gu Xu said. "It is located in the suburbs of Qingzhou Prefecture. It has been prosperous and profitable in the past few years, but this year due to the presence of the 'Nine Infant Snake Demon' and Kong Xuan The chaos caused by the scattered people caused many monks to move away from Qingzhou Mansion. Its business has become increasingly bleak, and it is difficult to buy the materials needed to refine elixirs..."
Gu Xu described in detail the current situation of the elixir workshop that Shi Xiaohan gave him, and finally added: "In terms of the art of talisman and seal script, I may be barely considered an expert; but in terms of doing business and making money, I am a complete expert. A layman. Therefore, I would like to ask Brother Shen for advice on how to deal with such a situation."
Gu Xu spoke in a sincere and humble manner, without any pretensions to being the master of the show.
When he heard Gu Xu talk about "I have an elixir workshop", Shen Qiu was a little surprised at first. After all, according to the information he had learned before, Gu Xu was born in a poor family and had to rely on all his cultivation resources to do ghost killing tasks. In exchange - how could a person like him have an elixir workshop? Is it possible that his previous hardships and simplicity were all just an act, and that he was actually a kid from a wealthy family who was hiding his secrets?
However, from Gu Xu's description later, Shen Qiu discovered that the elixir workshop he owned was actually the property of Shi Lei, a Qianhu in Laizhou Prefecture.
"If I remember correctly, Mr. Gu and Qianhu's daughter at that time seemed to have worked in the same yamen," Shen Qiu guessed silently in his heart, "When Qingzhou Prefecture suffered a disaster, both of them seemed to have been at the scene. ...The relationship between them must be very good.
"Perhaps they have already entered the stage of discussing marriage, and that elixir workshop is Miss Shi's dowry."
Thinking of this, Shen Qiu couldn't help but reveal a self-deprecating smile on his face.
Like Gu Xu, who is born with a good temperament that pleases girls, I am afraid that even if he is idle all day long and does not do his job, he can still live a happy life.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Qiu replied: "Master Gu, have you ever considered moving this elixir workshop to Luojing City? Or establishing a new branch in Luojing City? Luojing City never lacks supplies. , and there is never a shortage of customers, especially with the 'Luoshui Conference' coming soon, your workshop must be even more crowded."
Gu Xu frowned slightly: "Moving to Luo Jing City... Actually, I have thought of a similar idea before, but will the cost be too high?"
With Gu Xu's temperament, buying a house in Luojing City would make him feel sorry for his own money. If he were asked to build a new workshop in Luojing City, his whole heart would probably bleed.
Hearing Gu Xu's words, Shen Qiu couldn't help but complain in his heart: Mr. Gu, Mr. Gu, this girl has such a good relationship with you that she is willing to give you a workshop, but you are still worried about money?
Of course, Shen Qiu would not dare to say this.
So he responded: "Master Gu came to the capital for the first time, so he may not know much about the situation here. If you want to open a shop here to sell elixirs, you don't necessarily need to have them in stock, but you can sell some elixirs in advance. The coupon' will be delivered after the elixir is refined.
"In addition, you can also borrow money from wealthy merchants and several major chambers of commerce in Luojing City to raise funds, and then repay it after your workshop becomes profitable.
"Lord Gu, as a current Viscount, a sixth-grade official, and a talented monk favored by the Chief of Staff, I believe there will be many people willing to lend you money."
I didn’t expect that in the Daqi Dynasty, there would be such a thing as futures?
Gu Xu was a little surprised by this.
"Brother Shen, can you tell me in detail about the 'Elixir Coupon' thing?"
"Elixir certificates appeared more than ten years ago and were first pioneered by our Jinling Shen family," Shen Qiu explained. "At that time, the output of elixirs in the family industry was small, but there were many customers. Together with the Exorcism Department, Imperial Guards, Organizations such as Longmen Academy and Penglai Island have placed large orders with the Shen family's elixir workshop.
"In order to cope with this shortage of supply, Jinling Shen will issue some 'dan coupons' with private seals after collecting the deposit, promising to deliver the goods on a certain day in a few months."
Gu Xu was silent for a moment, then looked at Shen Qiu and said, "In this case, will someone buy a lot of 'Elixir Coupons' in advance and store them at home, and then wait until the 'Luoshui Conference' or the 'Long Night', when the price of elixirs will increase significantly?" When the price rises, will you sell the 'dan coupons' at a high price?"
"Of course, after all, everyone is profit-seeking."
"Will there be some impatient people who will speculate on future changes in elixir prices, make bets, and use these elixir coupons to conduct speculative transactions in advance?"
Shen Qiu looked at Gu Xu seriously and replied: "Yes, Master Gu. In fact, when I was in Aurous Hill a few months ago, I made a small profit through this method."
At this time, he already felt that what Gu Xu said, "I am a layman who does business and makes money," was basically a lie - in fact, he was very smart in this regard, and he actually knew so many tricks!
"I won't believe a word of any self-effacing words Mr. Gu says from now on!" Shen Qiu thought to himself.
"But to be honest, if you really want to make money, Mr. Gu, you don't need to use this complicated and risky method at all," Shen Qiu continued to say, "Now in the market of Luojing City, your handwriting The painted talisman seals have been fetched very high prices - many of your admirers would love to get one and keep it in their homes.
"In my opinion, you only need to take a few and sell them, and you can almost become rich overnight. Of course, the quantity does not need to be too many, after all, things are more expensive.
"If you find it troublesome, you can leave it to me."
"..."
In the next period of time, Gu Xu and Shen Qiu briefly discussed their future plans for producing pills and making money.
From Shen Qiu's words, Gu Xu felt that the other party did have some real abilities in this area and was not bragging. In the past few years, the Shen family's industry in Jinling was booming, and this short young man was indeed a major contributor to it.
And Shen Qiu also discovered that Gu Xu was different from what he had imagined before - he did not just practice cultivation, but had a very broad knowledge and a deep understanding of many things other than cultivation.
Even if it is a new concept that he has never heard of before, as long as Shen Qiu explains it a few words, Gu Xu can instantly understand it and even draw inferences.
This made Shen Qiu couldn't help but feel that maybe in a few years, Gu Xu would surpass himself in the field he was good at.
"A genius like Mr. Gu simply doesn't give anyone a way to survive," Shen Qiu sighed silently, "If you stay in front of him for a long time, no matter who you are, you will be hit and lose your confidence."
In the end, the two reached an agreement and decided to establish a new elixir workshop in Luojing City in the name of Gu Xu. Shen Qiu would be solely responsible for the specific matters, including raising funds, recruiting personnel, purchasing materials, etc. As a reward, Shen Qiu will receive a portion of the elixir workshop's profits every year.
At the same time, the two also made a guarantee not to break their promises or infringe on each other's interests in the names of "Tai Shang Haotian" and "Emperor Zi Wei".
After signing their names and reciting the prayer, a faint halo appeared on both of them, announcing that the commitment was effective, and it gradually dissipated after a while.
Then, with another thought, Gu Xu took out several fifth-generation "ghost-killing talismans" from "Xianyunju" and handed them to Shen Qiu's hand.
"This is the 'Tai Shang Arctic Demon Suppressing and Ghost Killing Talisman' I drew," he said with a smile. "If Brother Shen feels that the money is still not enough, just sell them!"
When he heard the words "Ghost Killing Talisman", Shen Qiu actually felt a little disappointed, because he wanted to take this opportunity to see if Gu Xu had come up with something similar to "Bagua Logic Circuit Diagram" and "Fire Character" recently. Whimsical creativity.
Unexpectedly, it was just the simplest and most basic "ghost-killing talisman".
However, when Shen Qiu saw clearly the pattern of the talisman in his hand, he couldn't help but froze on the spot for a few seconds. He felt that it was completely different from the "ghost-killing talisman" in his mind.
"Is this... is this really a 'ghost-killing talisman'?"
"Master Gu, are you kidding me?"
…………
The first day of February in the twenty-fourth year of Tianxing.
It is suitable to study, worship, consecrate, and travel.
It is forbidden to bury, open a market, plant, or raise livestock.
Time flew by quickly, and in a blink of an eye, it was time for Shi Xiaohan to go to Longmen Academy for further study.
The first night, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
On the one hand, she felt very excited when she thought that she would be able to stay in Luojing City legitimately, taste the sumptuous food in the academy canteen, and make some new friends at the same time.
On the other hand, thinking that she had to memorize books and write articles made her feel irritable.
"Gu Xu must have been making things up at the barbecue restaurant that night, just to scare me," she said to herself silently, "Humph, he is a big bad guy, you can't believe his words."
While she was thinking about it, she kicked the quilt away hard and twisted around on the bed like a caterpillar.
When it was dawn, she jumped up from the bed, then quickly washed and dressed.
The clothes she wore today were the gray and white uniforms of Longmen Academy, and the size was naturally the smallest. But even so, the hem of her robe still dragged on the ground, covering her feet.
In her thick black hair, there was no shiny gold hairpin as usual, but a simple wooden hairpin instead.
After dressing up, she didn't rush out. Instead, she spread her hands and stood on tiptoes in front of the bronze mirror.
Then, she picked up a book from the table next to her, held it in her arms, looked at herself in the mirror, and raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing an implicit smile.
Perhaps it was because she didn't show her little fangs as carelessly as usual, so she seemed a bit bookish and ladylike at this time.
"That guy Gu Xu will definitely feel very fresh when he sees the way I am dressed today!" She thought to herself with anticipation.
In her mind, she couldn't help but start to imagine how Gu Xu would praise herself later.
But the next second, she suddenly remembered that Gu Xu had moved to the newly bought house and no longer lived with her in the exorcism department headquarters. I'm afraid she wouldn't have a chance to see her in this new outfit today.
Then the smile on her face disappeared without a trace in an instant.
The rouge box in her hand was halfway opened when she closed it with a "snap".
Then she carried the "Kunwu Knife" on her back and walked out of the house without a face, preparing to go to the Yamen public kitchen for a big meal.
…………
at the same time.
After Gu Xu finished his all-night practice, he did not immediately go to prepare breakfast. Instead, he took out the "Divine Token", recited a specific formula, and entered the "Realm of Taoism" that was opened every half month.
In the recent period, he has practiced the second form of the "Seven Burning Heaven Forms" and also mastered many permutations and combinations of the "Star Formation". However, he has not had the chance to fight recently, which has prevented him from testing this. How powerful are the two spells?
After finally waiting until today, the "Realm of Discussing the Tao" was opened, and a monk in the same realm served as a "guinea pig" for him. Of course, he had to seize this opportunity.
Soon, the arena floating in the endless darkness appeared in front of him.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Thanks to Shanyoumuximuyouzhiha for the 500 reward!
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