40: selling wine in cooperation

Lin Yan then eagerly took out that Storage Pouch.

Perhaps because Senior Sister Ye had used it, the Storage Pouch still carried a faint, fresh fragrance.

Azure spiritual power surged from his palm, enveloping the Storage Pouch.

Soon, the spiritual power refinement was complete.

With a thought, Lin Yan could perceive the space inside the Storage Pouch.

It was roughly two cubic meters in size.

Not large, but completely sufficient.

He placed his hundred refined azure steel sword and over a hundred Spirit Stones into the Storage Pouch—these were his valuable assets.

He also added some essentials like Spirit Rice for home and travel.

A sense of security filled him.

"Now this is more like a proper Cultivator," Lin Yan was quite satisfied.

Going out always laden with bundles didn't seem fitting at all.

...

With the sun high in the sky, the market in Spirit Herb Hall's canyon gradually grew lively.

Lin Yan and Xu Shuangyuan drove a cart laden with spirit wine, slowly making their way along the stone-paved road.

Selling the spirit wine was primarily Xu Shuangyuan's task, but Lin Yan would help when he had time.

His spirit wine stall was set up not far from the market entrance, near the Spirit Rice shop inside the market.

The owner of this Spirit Rice shop was an Outer Sect Disciple named Lu Jingran.

The first time Lin Yan came to sell Spirit Rice, he sold it to the shop run by Lu Jingran.

His previous dealings with this Lu Jingran had been pleasant, so the second batch of Spirit Rice he recently harvested was also sold to him.

Back and forth, the two became acquainted.

"Junior Brother Lin, here to sell wine again today?" Lu Jingran waved from a distance, a warm smile on his face.

Lin Yan nodded with a smile, "Yes, Senior Brother Lu. I've brewed some new wine these past days, testing to see how it's received."

Lu Jingran had been in Spirit Herb Hall for some years, so Lin Yan addressed him as Senior Brother Lu.

Lu Jingran leaned in, lowering his voice, "Junior Brother Lin, I was just thinking of discussing something with you."

"Oh?" Lin Yan raised an eyebrow, halting the cart.

Lu Jingran glanced left and right, ensuring no one was paying them attention, then whispered:

"Your spirit wine sells quite well in the Sect's market, but after all, the Sect's Disciples are limited..."

"To be honest, this spirit wine is also highly popular in the markets outside the Sect!"

Lin Yan was slightly taken aback, then understood, "You mean... the Independent Cultivator Market?"

"Exactly!" Lu Jingran's eyes lit up, "Junior Brother, you've long resided within the Mountain Gate, so you probably aren't too clear about the situation outside."

"Although most Loose Cultivators are strapped for cash, their demand for spirit wine is not small!"

"Especially low-grade spirit wine; it can relieve fatigue and also aid in Cultivation. I have some connections in the Independent Cultivator Market and can procure long-term supplies, but the prerequisite is that you can ensure stable delivery."

Lin Yan pondered for a moment.

His spirit wine also sold decently in this market, but the profits weren't substantial—only a few dozen Spirit Stones per month.

There were simply too few Cultivators in this market.

If he could tap into the Loose Cultivator market, it was indeed very tempting.

"Senior Brother Lu, you mean... a partnership?" Lin Yan asked in a low voice.

Lu Jingran nodded, "Yes! You handle the brewing, delivering the spirit wine to the market regularly, and I handle the sales. We split the profits fifty-fifty. How about it?"

Lin Yan thought it over.

A fifty-fifty split seemed fair on the surface, but transportation and risks were primarily his burden.

With his spirit plant System, he could steadily improve his cultivation without leaving the Sect.

Although he didn't know how far the spirit plant System could help him, he was certain the lower limit wouldn't be low.

Raising his cultivation to its limit before venturing outside the Sect was the correct approach.

However, the profits from the Loose Cultivator market were indeed tempting.

"Does Junior Brother have some concerns?" Lu Jingran noticed Lin Yan's hesitation.

"Senior Brother also knows, I keep to myself..."

Hearing this, Lu Jingran waved his hand, "Ah, so Junior Brother is worried about safety."

He continued, waving his hand, "Junior Brother may not know, but this Independent Cultivator Market is not far outside Sword Pavilion's mountain, and many inside are actually our Sword Pavilion members."

"The Loose Cultivators in that market are also here to make a living off Sword Pavilion, specializing in business with our Sect."

"Besides, being so close to Sword Pavilion, what Loose Cultivator would dare cause trouble?"

"So that's how it is." Lin Yan also felt he was being overly cautious.

But on second thought, being cautious wasn't wrong, "However, I'm not too fond of dealing with people outside the Sect..."

"What's so difficult about that?" Lu Jingran was also taken aback by Lin Yan's caution.

He'd never seen such a death-averse Cultivator before.

"How about this: from now on, Junior Brother only needs to transport the spirit wine to my shop here, and you don't have to worry about anything else!" Lu Jingran declared with a sweeping gesture:

"You won't have to trouble yourself setting up a stall here daily either. I'll take care of all the spirit wine sales, and you won't miss a single bit of profit!"

Hearing this, Lin Yan was completely reassured.

"Senior Brother Lu, I have no issues on my end, but I need you to guarantee stable sales channels. I don't want to brew wine that ends up unsold."

Lu Jingran thumped his chest in assurance, "Rest assured! My Family specializes in all kinds of spirit foods and wines; we even have a shop in that Independent Cultivator Market."

"You don't know, but Materials from our Sword Pavilion are very popular outside; there's no worry about sales!"

"Especially spirit wine of your quality that's moderately priced. As long as you can guarantee supply, I promise to sell at least eighty jars a month, possibly even a hundred."

After multiple brewing sessions, Lin Yan's skill had improved considerably, and the spirit wine he produced reached an average standard.

But this 'average' standard was within Sword Pavilion.

Placed outside, it was anything but average.

Take the brewing ingredients, for instance. Sword Pavilion's Spiritual Vein had abundant Spiritual Qi, and the Spirit Rice absorbed it freely during growth.

The resulting Spirit Rice was naturally of excellent quality.

The Spirit Rice grown by Loose Cultivator Families outside didn't have such favorable growing conditions, so its quality naturally couldn't compare to that within Sword Pavilion.

"I didn't realize Senior Brother Lu was from a Cultivator Family. My apologies for the disrespect," Lin Yan said with a smile, cupping his hands.

"Junior Brother, don't make fun of me. My father is just a Loose Cultivator; hardly worthy of being called a Family," Lu Jingran said self-deprecatingly.

Lin Yan did a quick calculation. Eighty jars of spirit wine, minus material costs, yielded considerable profit.

In the future, monthly earnings from spirit wine could likely reach a hundred Spirit Stones.

"Alright, I agree," Lin Yan extended his hand, "However, we should sign a contract to avoid disputes later."

Lu Jingran laughed heartily, "Junior Brother Lin is indeed straightforward! I already have the contract prepared."

He took out two sheets of contract paper glowing with spiritual light from his sleeve.

The two drafted the terms, confirmed everything was correct, and sealed it with a drop of blood.

Two copies, one for each.

"Done!" Lu Jingran said excitedly, "Starting today, Junior Brother will deliver spirit wine every half month."

Lin Yan nodded, "Alright, I'll adjust production as soon as possible. There will be plenty of spirit wine."

Lu Jingran patted his shoulder, smiling, "Junior Brother Lin, if this spirit wine business is managed well, you won't have to worry about Spirit Stones, not just for the Qi Refining stage, but even for Foundation Establishment in the future!"

Lin Yan smiled faintly, "I'll take your auspicious words, Senior Brother Lu."

With the deal settled, Lin Yan directly handed over the spirit wine from the cart to Lu Jingran.

He wouldn't need to set up a stall anymore; just deliver spirit wine every half month.

Little Fatty was ecstatic.