175: Chapter 175 Grandmaster's Banquet

For a long time, the ranch has not been the Pei Clan's main business.

Even after consolidating the three ranches, the profitability brought by the ranch remains one of the most inconspicuous among the various industries.

Xiyuan Ranch has been under development for over a year now. It has only generated less than fifty thousand taels of profit for the Pei Clan.

Unlike other industries, after consolidating the ranches, the revenue will not skyrocket in the short term, but rather requires a certain cycle.

Not to mention, the Pei Clan has also invested a significant amount of silver to develop Xiyuan Ranch.

The initial investment was a large sum. However, Pei Qingyun did not expect to recoup the costs so quickly.

But this is also one of the reasons why the ranch's profitability is insufficient.

Unlike high-profit industries, the profits of a ranch are basically transparent.

But even so, the total annual profit of the three ranches managed separately would not be limited to this.

Therefore, market saturation does not exist.

Not to mention that after resource consolidation, it is imperative to expand the scale, capture the market, and enhance the ranch's profitability.

Given the market scale of Wuyang County, even if the scale of Xiyuan Ranch were doubled, it could be completely absorbed.

Besides that, the population and the number of Martial Artists in Wuyang have increased significantly.

As of now, the population in Wuyang has grown by more than twenty percent.

And this trend continues to expand as time passes.

A safe environment is more conducive to population growth.

Pei Qingyun understands this well; a Great Family needs a large number of ordinary people to support it.

Population growth means the market is expanding.

In the future, as the Pei Clan continues to grow stronger, Wuyang might very well become the center of Jinhuai Prefecture.

No matter how one looks at it, this decision cannot be wrong.

But Pei Yongxiang's next sentence brought him straight back to square one.

Pei Yongxiang paused, then cautiously said, "Old Ancestor, I am afraid I cannot do that."

Pei Qingyun asked in confusion, "Why?"

He had spoken so clearly, yet Pei Yongxiang had given this answer.

Seeing that the Old Ancestor was not angry, Pei Yongxiang let out a sigh of relief and slowly explained, "Old Ancestor, there is something you do not know. The exotic beasts raised on the ranch require at least eight months before they can be slaughtered. For example, a First-Rank Spirit Horn Sheep has a cultivation cycle of eight months. A Second-Rank Spirit Horn Sheep has a cultivation cycle of up to a year and a half. The cycle for a First-Rank Short-Tail Cow is longer, requiring one year, while a Second-Rank Short-Tail Cow requires two years of cultivation time. This is currently the optimal cultivation cycle. In reality, it will only be longer than this. If the exotic beasts are slaughtered prematurely, it will not only seriously affect the meat quality and weight but may also cause losses for the ranch."

"In addition, the number of Short-Tail Cows and Spirit Horn Sheep in the ranch is far from enough. Looking at the current numbers of Short-Tail Cows and Spirit Horn Sheep, if we want to expand the scale of the ranch according to the Old Ancestor's requirements, the number of breeding Short-Tail Cows and Spirit Horn Sheep needs to be increased by at least double. At the same time, the ranch also needs to purchase a batch of calves and lambs. As for increasing the number of pastures to ten thousand mu, it is actually much simpler; we only need to add one hundred more herder households, and this problem will naturally be solved."

Pei Qingyun suddenly realized that he had forgotten the most important point: the cultivation cycle.

This place is different from his previous life.

In some farms, in order to slaughter early, they add prohibited substances to force-ripen poultry, thereby reaching a state that cannot be achieved in a normal timeframe.

In this world, if you feed exotic beasts spirit items, you can achieve the same effect.

But the cost of spirit items is too high, and no faction would do such a thing.

Unless one has lost their mind...

As for what Pei Yongxiang said later, it was undoubtedly telling him about the difficulties encountered in expanding the scale.

Pei Qingyun was not too worried about recruiting manpower or purchasing a batch of exotic beasts.

With the current reputation of the Pei Clan, there are simply too many people in Wuyang County willing to work for the Pei Clan.

Purchasing exotic beasts is even simpler; it is nothing more than spending money.

Even if they are not available in Wuyang County, he can go to other counties to purchase them.

With the remaining funds in the Pei Clan treasury, it is still doable.

Furthermore, the Pei Clan's various industries are still generating a steady stream of profit.

Pei Qingyun said, "I see. I was too rash. Yongxiang, if I can do all of these things, how long will it take you to meet the requirements?"

Pei Yongxiang thought for a moment before saying solemnly, "If the Old Ancestor can solve the problems of manpower and purchasing within two months, I am confident that I can double the scale of the ranch by the end of next year at the latest."

Pei Qingyun frowned and said indifferently, "A year and a half is not too long. Since you are confident you can do it, I will handle the other matters."

It was also at this time that Pei Qingyun remembered the purpose of his visit.

"By the way, I heard that some Dragon Scale Horses have been successfully bred. Take me to see them," Pei Qingyun said.

"Yes, several baby Dragon Scale Horses were born last night. Old Ancestor, please follow me."

With Pei Yongxiang leading the way, Pei Qingyun and his group arrived at the area where the Dragon Scale Horses were kept.

Looking up, several newborn Dragon Scale Horses were shakily suckling on their mother's milk.

The arrival of the two did not attract the attention of the baby Dragon Scale Horses or the mares.

Pei Yongxiang pointed to the baby Dragon Scale Horses in front and said, "Old Ancestor, look. These are the baby Dragon Scale Horses born yesterday. According to my observations, there are still over twenty mares that are currently pregnant; the specific delivery time should be around the middle of next month."

Pei Qingyun exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens, these two Dragon Scale Beasts truly live up to being breeding beasts. To get dozens of mares pregnant at the same time. No wonder Yongsheng was so adamant back then that the breeding would definitely be successful."

"Since they are breeding beasts, we must make full use of them. Yongxiang, whenever you have time, bring more mares over and let them get pregnant as much as possible. The Yuanhang Trade Caravan is expanding, and there is a huge demand for Dragon Scale Horses. I hope you can Cultivate a batch of Dragon Scale Horses as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Pei Yongxiang couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart. Even if these Dragon Scale Beasts have strong reproductive capabilities, they cannot withstand such abuse.

Breeding twenty mares a month is already the limit.

He vaguely remembered how excited the Dragon Scale Beasts were initially, and how miserable they were later.

Whenever the breeding day arrived, the weak and helpless appearance of those two Dragon Scale Beasts.

He was really afraid that one day, these two Dragon Scale Beasts would just quit.

Thinking of this, Pei Yongxiang gave a proper reminder, "Old Ancestor, do you think we should bring over a few more Dragon Scale breeding beasts? This way, the breeding efficiency and quality can also be improved. Otherwise, with only these two Dragon Scale Beasts, I am worried it will affect the production of Dragon Scale Horses."

Pei Qingyun was stunned for a moment, then became thoughtful.

When he looked at the two Dragon Scale Beasts, he immediately understood, "Then I will think of a way."

The Dragon Scale Beasts were a gift from Family Head Pei Yongsheng.

This type of exotic beast is a product of the Longxi region. In the Jinhuai Prefecture region, there are no Dragon Scale Beasts at all.

If he wants Dragon Scale Beasts, he can only go to Longxi himself.

However, he definitely cannot get them for free this time.

Pei Yongxiang said, "Old Ancestor, would you like to go see the Short-Tail Cows and Spirit Horn Sheep?"

"Then let's take a walk while we're at it." Pei Qingyun did not decline.

The next time he comes to the ranch might be next year.

Since he is here, he might as well walk through everything.

Subsequently, Pei Qingyun followed Pei Yongxiang and walked around the ranch.

During this time, Pei Qingyun kept asking questions, and Pei Yongxiang acted as the one answering them.

Just like that, the two walked and chatted.

During the conversation, Pei Qingyun gained a certain understanding of the ranch.

This also benefited him greatly.

However, this also reflected a problem at the same time.

When it comes to the ranch, he is indeed a layman. Most of his knowledge was judged based on common sense.

Obviously, this kind of common-sense judgment is not universal across worlds.

From now on, Pei Qingyun decided not to interfere with the specific details.

Professional work should be left to professional people; he only needs to formulate strategies.

The specific implementation still needs professionals to do it.

Just like that, Pei Qingyun stayed from the daytime until dusk.

Taking advantage of the fact that it was not completely dark yet, Pei Qingyun hurriedly left Xiyuan Ranch and headed east to return to the Pei Clan Estate.

However, not long after he entered the ancestral house, a knock on the door sounded.

"Come in!"

The butler walked towards him in a hurry, holding an invitation card.

"Old Ancestor, your invitation."

Taking the invitation, Pei Qingyun slowly opened it, his eyes noticing the signature at the very bottom: it was indeed Chen Yuanba.

"Grandmaster Banquet," Pei Qingyun sighed, "I didn't expect that after more than half a year, Brother Chen has also advanced to Grandmaster. It's much faster than I imagined. It seems I underestimated the foundation of a second-rate Family."

"But this is perfect. Originally, I was thinking about when to go to the prefecture city, and I can just take this opportunity." Closing the invitation, Pei Qingyun sat down silently.

According to the time indicated on the invitation, the Grandmaster Banquet hosted by Chen Yuanba is in five days.

It takes at least one day to travel from Wuyang to Jinhuai Prefecture City, which means he only has four days.

In the next few days, Pei Qingyun stayed within the clan grounds. However, he was not idle; he spent his time cultivating his Cultivation Technique and practicing Alchemy, living a very fulfilling life.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Pei Qingyun got up early that day, and after eating his medicinal meal, he hurriedly set off on the road to Jinhuai Prefecture City. But even so, by the time he reached Jinling County, the sky had already dimmed.

For ordinary Martial Artists, the night is not suitable for traveling.

It's not that there are bandits at night.

In fact, the night is definitely the time of day when bandits are least likely to appear.

Like Wuyang County, Jinling County also has Demons. The origin of Demons encompasses the entire Great Jing Dynasty.

Although Demons do not fear sunlight, the characteristics of Demons make them prefer to appear at night.

Facing creatures like Demons, ordinary Martial Artists mostly feel fear.

This is also the reason why ordinary Martial Artists do not choose to travel at night.

But that is only for Martial Artists below the Divine Strength Realm. For a Six Viscera Grandmaster like Pei Qingyun, ordinary Demons pose no threat at all.

However, Pei Qingyun still chose to stay overnight in Jinling County.

The next day, the sky was slightly bright.

Pei Qingyun set off in a carriage.

An hour later, the carriage arrived at Jinhuai Prefecture City.

After entering the city, Pei Qingyun went straight ahead.

Not long after, Pei Qingyun noticed a restaurant standing in a conspicuous place in the bustling market; looking from afar, it was magnificent.

And this restaurant was the location of the Grandmaster Banquet, Tianxiang Restaurant.

Tianxiang Restaurant has three floors, with flying eaves and upturned corners, like a bird spreading its wings, possessing a very agile posture. On the roof ridge, exquisite animal-shaped carvings are lifelike, as if guarding this world. The building is made of thick blue bricks, paired with vermilion beams and columns, with distinct colors and a sense of depth.

Pei Qingyun is no stranger to Tianxiang Restaurant. Tianxiang Restaurant is known as the number one restaurant in Jinhuai Prefecture and is also under the Chen Family's industries.

Just this one Tianxiang Restaurant can bring the Chen Family nearly one million taels of revenue every year. As long as one enters this Tianxiang Restaurant, the average consumption per person will not be less than fifty taels.

Don't think fifty taels is very little; that is only for a Grandmaster like Pei Qingyun. Even if he ate three meals a day, he could afford it. Over a year, it would only be a little over one hundred thousand taels.

But if you convert it to a Five-Viscera Martial Artist, they cannot afford such consumption.

If you convert it to the living standard of an ordinary Family of four in the prefecture city, then the Family's annual income is not enough to eat a single meal.

At the main entrance of Tianxiang Restaurant, the direct line of Chen Yuanba had already arranged personnel to receive outside guests.

Unlike the Grandmaster Banquet held by the Wuyang Pei Clan, where all major in-law families came.

As the Old Ancestor of the Pei Clan, Pei Qingyun naturally wanted the biggest spectacle possible. Moreover, the birth of a Six Viscera Grandmaster is definitely a leap in growth for a third-rate family.

But for a second-rate Family, although a Six Viscera Grandmaster is also a pillar of the clan, the importance is obviously lowered by more than one grade.

Unless someone in the second-rate Family has broken through to the Meridian Opening stage.

Moreover, Chen Yuanba is only a direct line of the Chen Family, and there is still a certain gap with the main branch.

Therefore, this Grandmaster Banquet was not held on a large scale. Only a few in-law families related to Chen Yuanba's line and friends with good personal relationships with Chen Yuanba were invited.

Besides that, there were only the Chen Family's own clan members.

After getting off the carriage, Pei Qingyun handed the invitation to the receptionist at the door.

The receptionist opened the invitation and took a look.

It's not that anyone would dare to come for a free meal; the arrangements for different personnel would naturally be different.

Even among in-law families, there are differences in status.

Moreover, the Grandmaster Banquet had not officially started yet. In the situation where Chen Yuanba was not present, if they didn't look at the invitation, how would the reception staff identify the identity?

After entering Tianxiang Restaurant, what came into view was a spacious hall, with dozens of spirit wood round tables neatly arranged. The surrounding decorations exuded a primitive and heavy atmosphere, revealing a sense of historical weight.

It is said that Tianxiang Restaurant is already a century-old shop.

The first-floor hall is also the banquet hall for this time.

But because the banquet will only officially start tomorrow, the setup has not been completely finished.

Outside guests like Pei Qingyun were arranged to stay overnight in the Heaven-rank guest rooms on the third floor of Tianxiang Restaurant.

Under the guidance of the reception staff, Pei Qingyun arrived at his assigned Heaven-rank guest room.

As the number one restaurant in Jinhuai Prefecture, the interior decoration of the Heaven-rank guest rooms is impeccable, and it is no different from his previous life.

It's just that the amenities are not as smart as in modern society.

However, overall, Pei Qingyun was still satisfied.

Besides that, all other services are available. It's just that the price is a tiny bit more expensive, but for guests who can stay in the Heaven-rank guest rooms, these are not issues.