The Response

Xu Xian turned to instruct Yao Xiaoxiao, speaking in a gentle tone. "Xiaoxiao, you're still in charge of registering the orders. Just like before, customers must provide existing ferocious beast corpses to make a reservation. Tell them that for every order placed, they’ll receive one third-rank Soul-Nurturing Pill and three Foundation Establishment Pills for free. If they don't receive their goods within a month, they get a full refund and can keep the pills. Also, promise them that the price will never drop."

He paused for a moment before pointedly adding, "Oh, right. Set up a sign showing the total number of remaining orders available for the day..."

After listening, Yao Xiaoxiao's large eyes blinked repeatedly as if she were calculating a massive debt.

Xu Xian narrowed his eyes. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes."

"Speak."

Yao Xiaoxiao said, "Little Grand-Uncle, a third-rank Soul-Nurturing Pill and three Foundation Establishment Pills are very expensive. Together, they're worth almost three hundred spirit stones. It's fine to lower our prices and offer promotional perks, but giving things away like this while offering full refunds... what if someone intentionally tries to fleece us? Won't we take a massive loss?"

Xu Xian chuckled. "So what if we take a loss? It's not like those pills you refined were selling anyway. Keeping them won't make them multiply."

Yao Xiaoxiao was displeased. "What do you mean they weren't selling? It's just that I didn't want to sell them, okay? I was saving them up on purpose."

"Saving them for what?"

Yao Xiaoxiao replied earnestly, "To keep as my dowry."

Xu Xian rolled his eyes and teased, "You're so small, what's the rush?"

"Where am I small? I'm almost twenty-five! In the mortal world, kids my age would already be old enough to run errands."

Xu Xian’s gaze drifted downward, unintentionally glancing at a place he shouldn't. He clicked his tongue, his expression becoming quite meaningful.

"What are you looking at?"

Xu Xian joked, "I'm looking at the grassland."

Yao Xiaoxiao was completely bewildered. "Huh??"

Xu Xian turned to leave, raising his voice slightly. "Flat as a plain!"

Yao Xiaoxiao was stunned at first, then lowered her gaze to her embroidered shoes on the snow, which were slightly dirty.

It took a good while before she finally realized what he meant.

Her face flushed crimson. She clenched her fists and stomped her foot. "Aaaah! Little Grand-Uncle, you're absolutely horrible!"

Liu Qinghui acted swiftly. After leaving, he immediately gathered the Merchant Hall disciples to spread the news as quickly as possible.

"Did you hear? Wendao Sect’s Little Grand-Uncle is back, and he’s slashed prices! It’s even cheaper than the Seven Great Forging Workshops!"

"You've all heard, right? Demon-Slaying City's Number One Forging Workshop has reopened. You can trade just three fifth-grade ferocious beast corpses for an earth weapon..."

"Incredible! Demon-Slaying City's Number One Forging Workshop has lowered its prices! And if you order now, they’re giving away third-rank Soul-Nurturing Pills and Foundation Establishment Pills!"

"For real?"

"Come on, let’s go check out the commotion..."

Before nightfall that day, the news had spread throughout the city.

Demon-Slaying City wasn't that large, and many people came after hearing the rumors.

Yao Xiaoxiao shouted at the top of her lungs, throwing out all the benefits at once.

With that posture, whether they made money or not didn't matter; she just wanted to have her say. She was determined to vent all the frustration she had bottled up over the past few days.

"Little girl, if we place an order, will you really give us the pills?"

Yao Xiaoxiao said decisively, "Of course! I refined them myself. Place an order, and they’re yours."

"And if we cancel the order later, do we have to return the gifts?"

"Of course not!" Yao Xiaoxiao confirmed firmly.

Someone stepped forward to question her. "What if you refuse to give us a refund when the time comes?"

This time, before Yao Xiaoxiao could make a promise, someone in the crowd spoke up.

"Fellow cultivator, your worry is unnecessary. The reputation of the Wendao Sect is beyond reproach."

"Exactly. A few days ago, when everyone went to Master Xu to cancel their orders, he gave them back without a second thought."

"That's right, I can testify to that."

Thanks to Xu Xian's generous refunds previously and the sterling reputation of the Wendao Sect, the crowd's doubts vanished. Many people began to consider the offer.

After all, this level of discount was truly unbeatable. Not only was it cheaper than the Seven Great Forging Workshops by one fifth-grade ferocious beast, but they also got free pills. Furthermore, they could get an unconditional refund after a month.

A deal this good was impossible to find anywhere else.

Of course, while some were tempted, others hesitated. Various voices argued back and forth, each person having their own reasoning.

"Just do it! Why hesitate? The sooner you order, the sooner you get the goods."

"Maybe we should wait a bit longer."

"Wait for what? By then, the opportunity will be long gone."

"What do you know? Let me ask you, who opened those Seven Great Forging Workshops?"

"That's a stupid question. Everyone knows they were opened by the Three Sects, three schools, and one merchant."

"Then let me ask you this: why did they come here to open workshops? Was it really just to make money?"

"Oh... I see. You mean the price might drop even further?"

"Exactly."

"Three fifth-grade ferocious beasts... at current prices, that's not even 5,000 spirit stones. I think it’s hit rock bottom. If it drops any further, won't they be losing money?"

"Since when does a price war not involve losing money? Besides, look at the stance of those Seven Great Forging Workshops. Do you think they'll just take this lying down?"

"That makes sense. It seems we shouldn't rush; we need to wait and see."

"I say we do this: let's wait until Master Xu's orders exceed three hundred, then we'll jump in. At Master Xu's speed, he can only make eight or nine items a day at most. Once it hits three hundred, we just charge in blindly. If the other side drops their prices a month later, we can just cancel the order. We'd still walk away with four free pills. It's a win-win."

"Genius! It had to be you..."

Just as Yao Xiaoxiao had expected, many people intended to fleece the workshop and chose to wait. This kind of petty cleverness wasn't limited to just one person.

By the end of the day, many people had come to watch and many had asked questions, but very few had actually placed an order.

Xu Xian was fine with it, but Yao Xiaoxiao was quite depressed. She complained about why they were still hesitating when it was already so cheap.

Xu Xian said nothing. Everything was within his expectations. When prices in a market drop continuously, people tend to wait and see; this phenomenon was quite common. People were prone to buying when prices rose and avoiding when they fell—a common ailment of the market. The current situation was no exception.

According to the news Liu Qinghui brought back, business at the other workshops had also plummeted. In fact, from the moment the news spread, they hadn't received a single new order.

For the time being, the opposition hadn't made a move.

After all, the price Xu Xian had offered was essentially the floor. Even if they lowered their prices, they would likely only match his, perhaps offering a few more gifts at most.

"Tomorrow, write 'one hundred' for the number of remaining orders on the sign."

"Huh?" Yao Xiaoxiao yelped, then she realized and grinned. "That’s good! Why not just write three hundred?"

"Let's take it slow. If we make it too obvious, people won't believe it."

"Got it."

At almost the same time, the managers of the Seven Great Forging Workshops met in an undisclosed location to hold a meeting. They were discussing Xu Xian's sudden price drop to find a counter-strategy.

The group sat around bright lamps, drinking wine and tea, chatting and laughing.

Even though they were discussing how to handle an enemy, there was no sign of panic or wariness. Instead, they engaged in idle chatter and constant flattery, as if it were a normal winter gathering of old friends.

"Master Han, is your granddaughter engaged yet?"

"What, brother, are you giving up forging to become a matchmaker?"

"Master Zhang's meaning is that he wants to become in-laws with you."

"I wouldn't object to that marriage, haha!"

"Beat it! What does this have to do with you..."