Chapter 221: Offering Advice to Jiao Xiuyuan

"How many?" Li Fan's avatar's eyes gleamed.

"Haha, don't tell me you've completely cleared out the entire ruins of the Medicine King Sect, fellow Daoist?"

Jiao Xiuyuan chuckled and said, "Not exactly. I was just lucky enough to unearth the ruins of a workshop. Although most of them were discarded, unusable defective items, I still managed to collect twenty-eight perfectly intact small cauldrons."

"Twenty-eight?" Li Fan was slightly startled, surprised that there were so many of these small Medicine King Cauldrons. This number was far beyond his expectations.

Recalling the scene from his twelfth life where he was hunted because of the two small Medicine King Cauldrons in his storage ring, Li Fan fell into contemplation. That Nascent Soul cultivator had directly pinpointed his location. It was clear that he could sense the presence of the small Medicine King Cauldrons through some method. It might have been a secret technique, or perhaps because he himself possessed a small Medicine King Cauldron. The reason for the struggle over the small Medicine King Cauldrons was clearly the return of the true Medicine King Cauldron.

"The opportunities within the Medicine King Cauldron must be inextricably linked to these smaller cauldrons, which also belonged to the Medicine King Sect. My being hunted down back then was likely just one scene in a larger, fierce struggle. However, in this life, the more of these small Medicine King Cauldrons there are, the better for me!"

His thoughts raced, and Li Fan quickly settled on a plan. Then, picking up on Jiao Xiuyuan's words, he replied, "Haha, your luck is indeed quite good, Fellow Daoist Jiao. But I don't need so many small cauldrons. Two are enough for regular cultivation. Buying two more as spares would be more than sufficient!"

Jiao Xiuyuan quickly interjected, "You are mistaken, Fellow Daoist. I've appraised these small Medicine King Cauldrons. They are truly worthy of being ancient sect artifacts, incredibly effective. Their ability to cultivate spiritual plants far surpasses the crude artifacts of today. Not to mention their long history, and they possess..."

Li Fan smiled, interrupting Jiao Xiuyuan. "Haha, you and I have been through difficulties together, Fellow Daoist. Let's speak plainly. You're worried that current herb prices are too low and these small Medicine King Cauldrons will be hard to sell, which is why you're pushing me to buy more, isn't it?"

Jiao Xiuyuan hadn't expected Li Fan to be so direct. He gave an awkward laugh to mask his embarrassment. Just as he was about to explain, Li Fan spoke again: "Don't worry, Fellow Daoist. Since I asked you to find these small Medicine King Cauldrons, I naturally won't let you lose money. In my opinion, selling these small cauldrons for a hundred or even a thousand times their current price won't be difficult!"

His tone was arrogant, yet utterly confident.

Jiao Xiuyuan, hearing this, couldn't help but be curious. "I'd be glad to hear your insights, Fellow Daoist."

Li Fan smiled faintly. "You should know, Fellow Daoist, that the price of a commodity actually has little to do with its inherent value. How much an item ultimately sells for depends solely on how much the buyer is willing to pay. Take these small Medicine King Cauldrons, for example. If they are merely artifacts used to cultivate spiritual plants, then no matter how much you boast and exaggerate their benefits, a price of over a thousand contribution points is already the limit. Don't you agree, Fellow Daoist?"

Jiao Xiuyuan slowly nodded. "Indeed. A thousand-plus contribution points is even an overestimate on your part. With the herb market in a collective collapse, selling one for five or six hundred contribution points would be considered good luck."

"Therefore, if you want to sell the small Medicine King Cauldrons for a high price, you must uncover their other values..." Li Fan said slowly, his voice profound.

"Other values?" Jiao Xiuyuan was taken aback. "These small cauldrons don't have any other uses, do they?"

"Haha, if there's no value, then create it for them," Li Fan stated emphatically. "Fellow Daoist, are you aware of the past event where Liu Ruchen of the Medicine King Sect used a cauldron as a vessel to lead all Medicine King Sect members away through the void?" Li Fan asked.

Jiao Xiuyuan nodded. "Of course I know about that..." Then he realized, his tone filled with surprise. "Are you implying..."

Li Fan chuckled. "What if the true Medicine King Cauldron has been wandering outside for thousands of years and is about to return to the Xuanhuang Realm? And only those who possess a small Medicine King Cauldron can enter it... What do you think the price of these small Medicine King Cauldrons would be then, Fellow Daoist?"

Jiao Xiuyuan thought for a moment, his voice suddenly becoming agitated. "If that were truly the case, it would involve the secrets of ancient sects before the great calamity descends. The price of the small Medicine King Cauldrons would truly be immeasurable. Setting a price of one hundred thousand contribution points per cauldron, I'm sure many cultivators would be willing to buy them."

Li Fan immediately said, "Exactly!"

Jiao Xiuyuan pondered, then felt something was off. "Isn't this deception? This goes against my principles of business! Moreover, these cultivators are incredibly shrewd. It's impossible for them to believe whatever I say, is it?"

Li Fan chuckled softly and slowly said, "That depends on how you operate, Fellow Daoist. As the saying goes, 'three men make a tiger.' If a lie is repeated thousands of times, some people will believe it to be the truth. Then, you can use generous sums to bribe a few powerful diviners to release the information. People won't be able to help but believe it. As for deception, haha..." Li Fan suddenly sneered. "So-called business is just you buying and me selling, with both parties willing, isn't it? Besides, the return of the true Medicine King Cauldron isn't necessarily false news! The true Medicine King Cauldron that flew away in the past indeed has a slim chance of returning to the Xuanhuang Realm. Even if that probability is infinitely close to zero, as long as it's not zero, then over an infinite timescale, this event is bound to happen. As for whether that's an event for countless eons later, or if the Xuanhuang Realm will even still exist then... that's another matter entirely."

Li Fan's words sent a shockwave through Jiao Xiuyuan's mind. The ideas and values expressed in those words were vastly different from the principles of business he had always adhered to. By the Heavens, though Jiao Xiuyuan might occasionally take small advantages in business, he had never openly and grandiosely engaged in false advertising like this. Thousand Mile Hall had always been founded on integrity.

Yet, deep down, Jiao Xiuyuan vaguely felt that Li Fan's words made a great deal of sense. Over the years, Thousand Mile Hall's business scale had long been limited, reaching a bottleneck. His own myriad puppet Dao had also been unable to break through as a result.

"Applying this principle, such a method isn't just applicable to the small Medicine King Cauldrons. It can be used for any commodity under heaven. By then..." Jiao Xiuyuan imagined it briefly, and he became so excited his soul seemed to tremble.

He then heard Li Fan continue his eloquent discourse: "To maintain the popularity of the small Medicine King Cauldrons, you could also hold auctions periodically. Sell a few of these small cauldrons through auction. This would not only maximize profits but also promote Thousand Mile Hall's business, killing many birds with one stone."