102: Business Empires: A Silent War

The grand opening of the Qinglan Talisman Hall headquarters was like a storm; its subsequent impact continued to ferment over the next week, profoundly altering the commercial landscape of the entire East District Market.

The day after the opening, Lin Feng personally brought the new shop's deed documents and the first installment of the "public funds" calculated according to the agreed-upon proportion, and paid a visit to the Law Enforcement Hall.

Zhao Baichuan showed great appreciation for Lin Feng's "knowing the rules" and "being sensible" behavior.

In front of Lin Feng, he personally entered the name "Qinglan Talisman Hall" into a special register representing "key support and protection."

This visit was undoubtedly a successful political show.

It sent a crystal-clear signal to the outside world, especially to those forces that were still watching—the Lin Family not only had strength but also "official backing," and were "their own people" personally acknowledged by Commander Zhao.

With this protective Talisman, Lin Feng's subsequent commercial layout was able to unfold swiftly and without hindrance.

He quickly finalized all the details of his cooperation with the Ten Thousand Scrolls Tower and the Magical Artifact Pavilion.

He did not choose to cast a wide net, but instead selected only these two shops with the best reputation and strongest strength as the only two "authorized dealers" for "qinglan golden dew" in the East District Market.

When the first batch of "qinglan golden dew," ten bottles for each shop, was placed on the most prestigious shelves of these two shops, it immediately caused a huge sensation among the high-end Cultivator circles in the market.

Those Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators and small Family Clan Chiefs who considered themselves of high status and disdained to scramble for goods with Loose Cultivators all came upon hearing the news.

Stable channels, reliable reputation, and the miraculous word-of-mouth of the golden dew itself kept its price firmly at the sky-high price of forty Low-Grade Spirit Stones per bottle, and it was still in short supply!

Large sums of Spirit Stones no longer needed Lin Feng to personally hawk them in the market, but instead flowed continuously into the accounts of the Qinglan Talisman Hall through these two stable B2B channels.

At this point, the Lin Family's business model had finally completed its magnificent upgrade from "retail vendor" to "brand supplier."

After accumulating sufficient capital, Lin Feng's core goal for this trip—purchasing "flowing light glazed crystal"—was also officially put on the agenda.

Such rare strategic-grade Materials were hard to come by in the market.

Lin Feng went directly to the Pavilion Master of the Magical Artifact Pavilion. This newly minted commercial ally showed great enthusiasm after learning of Lin Feng's needs.

He utilized the network of connections he had cultivated for many years, and in just three days, he found a piece of "flowing light glazed crystal" of superior quality, as large as an adult's fist, for Lin Feng.

The transaction took place in a secret room.

When Lin Feng personally handed over three hundred and fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones—a huge sum sufficient to buy half a street—to the Pavilion Master of the Magical Artifact Pavilion, and received in exchange that crystal which flowed with seven-colored brilliance under the candlelight and was breathtakingly beautiful, he knew that the final and most expensive threshold leading to the "panshi town filth lamp" had finally been leveled!

However, just as the Lin Family Talisman Hall's business was in its prime and everything was developing in the best direction, an unexpected crisis quietly emerged at their most inconspicuous Foundation.

"Hall Master," that day, Zhou Tong walked into the backyard with a solemn expression, "something has happened."

At that time, Lin Feng was carefully studying the internal structure of the "flowing light glazed crystal" and looked up upon hearing this: "What is it?"

"Our... our low-end products, sales have run into trouble." Zhou Tong handed over an account book, "Just in these three days, the sales of the 'hemostatic ointment' and 'bedrock nourishing talisman,' which originally had huge sales, have suddenly plummeted by nearly ninety percent! Many old customers are no longer coming to us to buy them."

"Oh?" Lin Feng's brows furrowed slightly.

"I sent people to inquire." Zhou Tong's voice lowered even further, "In several remote corners of the market, a group of mysterious vendors suddenly appeared. They are also selling hemostatic ointment and a type of Talisman that can improve soil. Their effects are almost identical to our products! But their price... is a full half lower than ours! They are almost selling at a loss!"

Lin Feng's eyes instantly turned cold.

He immediately realized that this was not normal commercial competition.

There are no merchants in the world who do business at a loss.

This behavior of disregarding costs and precisely striking his low-end product line was not aimed at making money at all, but at "strangulation"!

The opponent was using the most insidious and vicious method to try to sever the "capillaries" of his cash flow, destroying the mass base and reputation he had built up with such difficulty among the lower-level Cultivators!

Who is it?

Rejuvenation Hall? Impossible. That old fox, Old Master Sun, had just signed a treaty under the city walls; he would never use such inferior means at this time to give others a handle against him.

In Lin Feng's mind, that young, cold, yet slightly appreciative face instantly emerged.

——Zhao Baichuan!

Except for him, there was no second person in the entire East District Market who had this motive, this strength, and this level of cunning to set up such a "silent" trap!

In an instant, Lin Feng saw through Zhao Baichuan's true scheme hidden beneath the "support" and "cooperation"!

What a move to draw the firewood from under the cauldron!

Zhao Baichuan did not want to put him to death; that did not align with Zhao Baichuan's interests.

His true purpose was "control"!

He supports you, lets you become a star enterprise, lets you confront the Rejuvenation Hall, and lets you stir up the market.

But at the same time, he uses this method of "dumping" in places you cannot see to precisely strike your core industries.

This would make the Qinglan Talisman Hall gradually turn from an enterprise with diversified products and healthy cash flow into a "deformed child" that could only survive by relying on a single hit product like "qinglan golden dew."

And the sales channels for "qinglan golden dew" were firmly held in his hands!

In this way, the Lin Family would be like an eagle with its wings clipped by him; having the power to tear through the sky, but never being able to fly out of the sky he had delineated.

He, Lin Feng, would completely become the most useful and obedient "tool man" for Zhao Baichuan to amass wealth and stabilize the market!

This was the real, bloodless conspiracy!

Lin Feng slowly stood up and walked to the window.

In one hand, he held the priceless "flowing light glazed crystal"; this was his hope for the "aspiration to save the mountain."

And in the other hand, he clutched Zhou Tong's account book detailing the plummeting sales; this was the coldest shackle from reality.

He knew that he could not confront Zhao Baichuan face-to-face.

He had no evidence, and that would only end the "honeymoon period" between the two sides prematurely, exposing himself to the view of all his enemies again.

He also could not fight a price war.

The opponent disregarded costs; if he followed suit, he would only waste the precious funds he had accumulated with such difficulty, which were intended for the research and development of the "filth lamp."

"You want to use commercial means to lock my hands and feet?" Lin Feng looked at the bustling market outside the window, but the corners of his mouth slowly curled into a grim, cold smile.

In his past life, he was an existence standing at the pinnacle of a commercial Empire.

Playing this kind of capital game with him—this Commander Zhao had likely chosen the wrong opponent.

"Since you want to fight, then let's fight."

"I will let you witness what is called... brand barriers and technological monopoly."

In Lin Feng's eyes, a flame more intense than when he obtained the "flowing light glazed crystal," filled with the desire for creation and destruction, reignited.

A plan for "product upgrading" and "brand counterattack" against this silent war, directed by him personally, had already taken shape in his heart.