Seeing Wang Changsheng's reaction, Wang Shutao's eyes flashed with surprise. He smiled and said, "Exactly. She was just transferred to Canglan City to manage a magical artifact shop. You can discuss the cooperation with her; she has full authority to make decisions."
Wang Changsheng's face lit up with joy. He said, "Excellent. I'll go visit Fairy Wang then. Could you please lead the way, Fellow Daoist Wang?"
"No problem, Fellow Daoist Wang. Please follow me."
Half an hour later, Wang Changsheng and Wang Shutao appeared at the entrance of a three-story azure pavilion. On an azure plaque, three large golden characters, "Spirit Armament Pavilion," were carved.
On the third floor, Wang Ruyan was speaking with a refined scholar dressed in white.
Upon seeing Wang Changsheng and Wang Shutao, both immediately ceased their conversation.
"Fairy Wang, business has arrived, so I won't disturb you further. I'll see you at Hundred Fragrance Pavilion tonight at You Shi."
The white-robed scholar rose to take his leave.
"I'll definitely be there on time, Fellow Daoist Song. Take care on your way."
After the white-robed scholar departed, Wang Changsheng stepped forward, offering Wang Ruyan a slight smile. "Fairy Wang, long time no see. I didn't expect to meet you in Canglan City."
"Ruyan, Fellow Daoist Wang also plans to open an artifact refining shop, but he can't find a small storefront to rent. He wants to cooperate with you; you can decide how to proceed. I have other matters to attend to, so you two can talk."
"Wait, Fellow Daoist Wang. From now on, you won't need to go to Green Lotus Mountain to receive the second-order puppet beasts. How about I deliver the refined second-order puppets directly to Fairy Wang?"
The Wang family (Wang Ruyan's family) provided the materials, and Wang Changsheng's clan refined second-order puppet beasts, supplying four to five of them annually. Previously, Wang Shutao would personally collect them from Green Lotus Mountain. Wang Changsheng intended to save labor by delivering them directly to Wang Ruyan, thus fostering more frequent contact with her.
"That works too. Ruyan, you can chat with Fellow Daoist Wang at your leisure. I'll be leaving now."
"Eighth Uncle, take care."
After seeing Wang Shutao off, Wang Ruyan brewed a pot of spirit tea for Wang Changsheng and brought out two plates of green pastries.
She picked up the teapot, poured a cup for Wang Changsheng, and smiled, saying, "Fellow Daoist Wang, this is Blue Moon Maojian, a special spirit tea from our Wang family. It not only refreshes the mind but regular consumption also provides certain benefits for cultivation. And these are green plum cakes I made myself."
Wang Changsheng thanked her, took a sip, and found the taste sweet. A cool sensation immediately spread through his body, invigorating his internal organs.
He picked up a green plum cake and put it in his mouth.
The green plum cake was tart. With a bite of the cake and a sip of tea, sweet and sour flavors alternated.
"Excellent. Fairy Wang is truly skilled. This is the first time I've tasted such delicious pastries."
Hearing Wang Changsheng's praise, Wang Ruyan smiled faintly and said, "Since Fellow Daoist Wang enjoys them, please have a few more."
Wang Changsheng didn't stand on ceremony, quickly finishing all the green plum cakes, displaying an expression of great fondness.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, Eighth Uncle just mentioned you wish to cooperate with me. What kind of cooperation do you have in mind?"
"I just observed that your shop doesn't have many magical artifacts. How about this, Fairy Wang: you provide the materials and artifact refining blueprints, and I'll help you refine artifacts. Currently, I can refine low to mid-grade magical artifacts. What do you think?"
Wang Changsheng intended to leverage the strength of the Wang family (Wang Ruyan's family), having them provide materials while he refined artifacts. This would allow him to gain more refining experience and improve his skill. With his current refining proficiency, applying for a second-order artifact refiner position at other shops would be no problem at all.
"Refining magical artifacts? Fellow Daoist Wang, how long would it take you to refine a low-grade magical artifact?"
Wang Ruyan was somewhat tempted. The Wang family was the foremost cultivation family in the Great Song cultivation world and had sensed a hint of impending war. They had begun making preparations, and Wang Ruyan had been sent by Wang Huashan to open a shop in Canglan City. The purpose was twofold: first, to avoid the turmoil and preserve a fresh generation for the family, and second, to hone Wang Ruyan's skills.
The journey from Blue Moon Lake in Song State to Canglan City in Chu State was long. The Wang family's business spanned multiple countries, and long-distance transportation of magical artifacts to Canglan City was highly inconvenient. For this very reason, the Wang family had rented this storefront for over half a year, only just opening for business now.
Wang Ruyan had originally intended to hire a second-order artifact refiner with a high salary, but unexpectedly, Wang Changsheng approached her, wishing to cooperate, which perfectly suited her plans.
With Wang Changsheng's assistance, the Wang family could save on labor costs, and Wang Ruyan could establish a firm foothold in Canglan City.
"At the quickest, four months. If it's slower, it could take five months."
Wang Changsheng didn't make overly confident claims, deliberately exaggerating the refining time.
Wang Ruyan's delicate brows furrowed slightly. After a moment's consideration, she nodded and said, "Alright. After deducting the cost of refining materials, we'll split the profits 80-20; I get 80%, you get 20%. We're providing the materials, refining blueprints, labor, and shop rent. 20% is already quite generous."
"That's too little. A 50-50 split would be more appropriate."
Wang Changsheng haggled. He intended to pursue Wang Ruyan, but when it came to his own interests, he wouldn't easily concede.
After some negotiation, they finally agreed on a 60-40 profit split: Wang Ruyan would receive 60%, and Wang Changsheng 40%. In addition to the magical artifacts, Wang Changsheng would also provide two extra low-grade second-order puppet beasts annually.
"Fairy Wang, meeting is fate. I'd like to host a casual meal for just the two of us. What do you think?" Wang Changsheng invited Wang Ruyan to dinner, striking while the iron was hot.
Wang Ruyan considered it for a moment, then replied, "How about tomorrow evening? I'll be free then."
"Then it's settled. Tomorrow evening at You Shi, I will respectfully await Fairy Wang's presence at Hundred Fragrance Pavilion. I'll head to the backyard first to familiarize myself with the situation."
The artifact refining room was in the backyard of the Spirit Armament Pavilion, where two high-grade first-order artifact refiners were present.
Wang Ruyan led Wang Changsheng to the backyard.
Several young, strong men were hammering away near a furnace, the incessant clanging of metal echoing through the air.
An elderly man in a red Daoist robe, with a ruddy complexion, appeared disheveled. He had a long beard and some peanut shells scattered on his clothes, looking rather untidy.
He had one foot propped on a long wooden bench, holding a red gourd in one hand and taking sips from it occasionally. Two small dishes of appetizers were on the table.
Wang Ruyan frowned and said, "Eighteenth Uncle! Why are you drinking again in broad daylight instead of working?"
The red-robed elder took a sip of wine, let out a burp, and explained, "Ruyan, this isn't my fault. I asked them to forge a piece of thousand-refined steel, but their carelessness caused my artifact refining to fail. I had to supervise them personally. And this senior is...?"
"This is Fellow Daoist Wang Changsheng. Fellow Daoist Wang is the second-order artifact refiner I've hired. From now on, you will follow his instructions. Fellow Daoist Wang, this is my Eighteenth Uncle, Wang Shuchong."
Wang Shuchong wiped his mouth with his sleeve and smiled, saying, "So it's Senior Wang. If Senior Wang doesn't mind, please sit down and have a few drinks with this old man."
Wang Changsheng smiled faintly and politely declined, "No, perhaps next time. I'm just here to look around today. There will be plenty of opportunities."
Led by Wang Ruyan, Wang Changsheng entered the artifact refining room.
There were two artifact refining rooms, roughly the same size. Each room was equipped with a first-order soundproofing array to prevent disturbances during artifact refining.
After observing the layout of the refining rooms, Wang Changsheng chatted briefly with Wang Ruyan before bidding farewell and departing.
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