649: Chapter 649 Complementarity

"Good!"

Liu Xuan waved his hand grandly and agreed immediately. "I won't take advantage of you. My Liu Clan Merchant Alliance will acquire all resources from the Yao Race of the Southern Frontier at market price."

"However, business is about paying on delivery. I, Liu Xuan, do not accept credit in my business!"

Demon Saint Xuanyu was slightly stunned. He had expected Liu Xuan to agree, but he hadn't expected him to agree so quickly.

"Great Sage Taisui is behind this cooperation; he is not someone who would default on a debt." Demon Saint Xuanyu pointed to the gray-brown box on the table in front of Liu Xuan. "This single piece of Taisui Essence alone is equivalent in market value to a fourth-grade peak-quality Spirit Medicine. We can handle however many Medicinal Pills you refine."

"This thing is that valuable?!"

Liu Xuan re-examined the moldy 'cured meat' with an evil aura in front of him, his attitude toward it improving slightly.

It made sense. No matter how ugly it looked or whether it had an evil aura, the mere fact that it could extend Lifespan meant it would be sought after by countless people.

'Although it likely has side effects or hidden tricks left by Great Sage Taisui, I can sell it to others, so it's not a loss for me!'

After pondering for a moment, Liu Xuan looked at Xuanyu and said, "Is Great Sage Taisui only interested in my Family's Medicinal Pills?"

"Actually, my Family's biggest industry is Artifact Refining. I can customize Magical Artifacts and Magic Treasures suitable for the Yao Race. Do you want those?"

"There are also Formation Plates, Formation Flags, Talismans, Spirit Medicines... As long as the price is right, I have everything here."

Demon Saint Xuanyu was dumbfounded, and it took him a long while to ask, "Is Fellow Daoist Liu serious?"

"Of course I am serious, more real than pure gold. Why wouldn't I do business?" Liu Xuan countered.

"Fine! I will report this to Great Sage Taisui when I return and give you an answer as soon as possible."

With the mission exceeding expectations, Demon Saint Xuanyu took another look at Liu Xuan before hurriedly taking his leave.

After Demon Saint Xuanyu left, Bai Jie leaned into Liu Xuan's arms and said worriedly, "Husband, why did you agree to cooperate with them? Now that the Dao Court and the Southern Frontier's Yao Race are in a standoff, this action of ours counts as aiding the enemy. If the Dao Court blames us..."

"Sigh!" Liu Xuan sighed. "I had no choice!"

"What Great Sage Taisui is interested in is not just a few Medicinal Pills; what he is truly worried about is the Teleportation Array!"

"Once a Teleportation Array like the one at the Star Academy is relocated to the heart of the Central Plains, it will have a massive impact on the war situation in the future."

"If we don't cooperate with him to dispel some of his concerns, we will be the first to suffer once the war begins!"

Bai Jie nodded slightly, then looked at Liu Xuan, still looking somewhat worried. "Then, what about the Dao Court..."

"Lady Yaoguang will handle the Dao Court. At worst, I'll just give her a few shares of the profits!"

Liu Xuan was not very worried about the Dao Court's opinion. The high-ranking members of the Dao Court were extremely arrogant and wouldn't bother with such trifles; at most, some people beneath them might covet the benefits.

Furthermore, large Sects like the Beast Taming Sect and the Joyous Union Sect, while nominally under the Dao Court, were not subordinates that could be ordered around at will.

As long as the high-ranking members of the Dao Court did not have a unified opinion, Lady Yaoguang could completely hold them off.

The Dao Court was more powerful, but they were far away in the Central Plains. Unless the Spiritual Qi anomalies reached a certain level, they would not easily take action.

The Yao Race of the Southern Frontier was different. Although their overall strength was weaker, they were closer to Liu Xuan. If Great Sage Taisui went mad, Liu Xuan would have to run for his life right now.

Therefore, the top priority was to stabilize Great Sage Taisui; the Dao Court could be set aside for the time being.

...

Afterward, Liu Xuan immediately went to the East Sea to find True Monarch Gao Qian, then contacted Lady Yaoguang through her and explained the whole matter to her in detail.

Liu Xuan had acted without authorization. He had intended to explain his difficulties to Lady Yaoguang and then negotiate the profit distribution properly.

To his surprise, Lady Yaoguang agreed immediately after listening. Other than taking thirty percent of the profits, she didn't say a single word of nonsense.

In the Qiankun Hall.

Liu Xuan looked at the gray light disappearing from Gao Qian's chest. "Xiao Qian, has something happened to our Revered Master recently? Why does she seem so busy?"

"I'm not sure!" Gao Qian shook her head, looking confused.

"Revered Master only notifies me when she has something, so I have no way of knowing what her situation is."

Liu Xuan didn't dwell on Lady Yaoguang's affairs anymore. He reached out and pulled Gao Qian into his arms, gently stroking her smooth arms. "Are you getting used to living in the East Sea, Xiao Qian?"

"I... I am!" Gao Qian's body stiffened slightly, and the scent on Liu Xuan made her heartbeat quicken uncontrollably.

Liu Xuan was very satisfied with her current appearance, so he lowered his head and leaned close to her ear, whispering, "Then have you forgotten the important business? To what extent have you learned the Yin-Yang Joyous Union Secret Technique?"

When Gao Qian first ran to the East Sea, her ostensible mission was to learn the Yin-Yang Joyous Union Secret Technique from Yin Lizhi and Liu Xiaowan.

"This..."

Gao Qian stammered and couldn't speak. She had rushed to the East Sea partly to investigate the situation of the East Sea Joyous Union Sect for her Revered Master, and partly because she didn't know how to get along with Liu Xuan; she hadn't had time to learn any secret arts.

"You haven't been slacking off, have you?" Liu Xuan teased.

"Nonsense!" Gao Qian retorted loudly, though her eyes kept darting away. "I... I just don't have much talent in this area."

"Is that so?" Liu Xuan picked her up by the waist. "Then, as your husband, I will help you check for gaps and make up for them first, and then I will teach you properly!"

...

As the East Sea market gradually opened up, the Liu Clan Alchemy Tower and the Liu Family Artifact Refining Workshop continued to expand, and their scale had now reached a terrifying level.

The assembly line operations in the Artifact Refining Workshop were becoming more and more perfect; not only was production constantly increasing, but costs were also kept extremely low.

The Pill Refining Tower was not as compatible with industrialized assembly lines, but by continuously absorbing a large number of Alchemists, its scale and revenue were also growing steadily.

However, a large portion of the profits was used for industrial expansion, and another portion was used to train the Liu Family Army and guards who had cultivated True Qi, so there were not many Spirit Stones actually saved.

Currently, the most profitable assets for the Liu Family were still the three Teleportation Arrays, which required no cost input, and apart from a little maintenance expense, everything else was pure profit.

"Now that the Southern Frontier Yao Race market is open, the Liu Family Artifact Refining Workshop and Pill Refining Tower can go further. Making money is secondary; the point is the many Cultivators who rely on my Liu Clan for survival!"

Spirit Stones were dead objects; there was no point in hoarding too many. Liu Xuan needed to convert them into strength or Family foundation.

In addition to the consumption of Family descendants and industrial expansion, the bulk of Spirit Stone consumption lay in the Liu Family Army and guards who cultivated True Qi.

Once True Qi was formed, it would not disappear, but would slowly flow into the Grotto-Heaven Small World, so he didn't feel the pinch no matter how many Spirit Stones were spent.

"Taisui Essence can extend Lifespan, but the drawback is the unknown side effects and the possibility of hidden means left by Great Sage Taisui. Can it be given to subordinates who Cultivate True Qi to consume?"

True Qi accelerated cultivation, but the drawback was that the consumption of Lifespan was doubled. Feeding them Taisui Essence seemed to be just the right complement...