While the outside world was in an uproar, with countless people fighting tooth and nail over a single Monster Core Armament, Zhou Changqing's days remained peaceful.
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed.
On this day, Zhou Changqing's small courtyard received a rare guest.
"Uncle Xiao? What brings you here? Please, come in and have a seat."
Opening the gate, Zhou Changqing was quite surprised, but he warmly invited Xiao Zhan inside.
Xiao Zhan smiled and followed Zhou Changqing into the courtyard. "Changqing, I hope I'm not disturbing you," he said as they walked.
"Of course not."
The two sat down at the stone table, and Zhou Changqing poured a cup of tea for Xiao Zhan. "I'm happy you could come, Uncle Xiao."
"Heh, as long as I'm not intruding. I apologize for arriving so unannounced. This is just a small token from me."
"You're too kind, Uncle Xiao."
"It's nothing."
After a few moments of pleasantries, Xiao Zhan's expression turned serious as he got to the point. "Changqing, I've come today to ask for your help with a certain matter."
"Oh? What is it, Uncle Xiao? Please, speak freely. If it's within my power, I will not refuse."
Seeing his shift in tone, Zhou Changqing also grew serious. For the clan leader of the Xiao Clan to use the word "ask" was a clear sign of the matter's gravity.
"Sigh... It has to do with the Jia Lie Clan. As you know, Changqing, my Xiao Clan has never been on good terms with them."
Xiao Zhan took a sip of tea and sighed before continuing. "Originally, our two clans were evenly matched in strength, with neither able to gain an advantage over the other, so we've coexisted peacefully for many years."
"But recently, the Jia Lie Clan somehow managed to recruit a first-tier alchemist who created a healing medicine called Rejuvenation Powder. This medicine is not only cheap and easy to produce in large quantities, but its effects are also far superior to ordinary healing salves."
"As soon as the Rejuvenation Powder hit the market, it became incredibly popular with the mercenaries in Wu Tan City and the surrounding areas. This has led to a mass exodus of customers to the Jia Lie Clan's marketplaces. The foot traffic in the Xiao Clan's markets has already fallen by more than half, dealing a significant blow to our clan."
"I'm at my wit's end trying to solve this. If this continues, I'm afraid it won't be long before all the Xiao Clan's marketplaces are forced to close, and our clan will fall into a decline from which it may never recover."
Listening to Xiao Zhan's account, Zhou Changqing began to think. He seemed to recall something like this happening. What was that first-tier alchemist's name again? Liu Xi, he thought.
This incident had indeed caused considerable trouble for the Xiao Clan. However, in the original timeline, Xiao Yan learned alchemy, posed as a master alchemist to cooperate with his own clan, and supplied them with a large amount of healing medicine. He then dealt with Liu Xi, resolving the crisis completely.
But right now, Xiao Yan had yet to break through to the Dou Zhe realm and hadn't even started learning alchemy. He probably didn't even know about this situation.
"So, Uncle Xiao, the reason you've come to me is...?" Zhou Changqing had a good idea of Xiao Zhan's purpose but wanted to confirm it.
Xiao Zhan was a sharp man and could tell that Zhou Changqing had already guessed his intentions. He didn't bother being coy. "I won't hide it from you, Changqing. While the Xiao Clan's situation isn't yet critical, it's only a matter of time if things continue like this."
"Therefore, I'd like to ask you, Changqing, to provide the Xiao Clan with a batch of your treasured blades. It doesn't need to be many—ten would be enough. With the popularity of these weapons, we could temporarily maintain the flow of people to our marketplaces and buy the Xiao Clan some time to come up with a countermeasure."
"And rest assured, Changqing, the Xiao Clan will not let you suffer a loss. We are willing to purchase them from you at a price twenty percent higher than the highest bid they've fetched at auction."
Just as he thought.
Zhou Changqing didn't refuse. He nodded with a smile. "You're too kind, Uncle Xiao. Xiao Yan has helped me a great deal in the past. I'll agree to this."
"However, we can't do it according to your plan..."
Hearing Zhou Changqing agree, Xiao Zhan's face lit up with joy, but his smile froze when he heard the second part of the sentence. Did he think the Xiao Clan's offer wasn't sincere enough? Did he want to raise the price even higher?
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Zhan was about to increase his offer, but the next words he heard were a pleasant surprise.
"Ten treasured blades are hardly enough. Besides, their price is too high for most mercenaries to afford. While they might attract a crowd to the Xiao Clan's marketplaces for a short time, the effect would only last a few days. It's not a long-term solution."
"So, I have a different proposal, Uncle Xiao. You might want to consider it."
"Let's not bother with just ten. I can provide the Xiao Clan with a large quantity of slightly inferior, secondary-grade blades. The price would be around a few thousand gold coins, no more than five thousand."
"Although these secondary blades will be a bit less sharp, their price is well within the range most mercenaries can afford."
"This way, the Xiao Clan's marketplaces are certain to regain their lost customers. It will greatly mitigate the impact of the Rejuvenation Powder, and you might even see your business thrive more than ever before."
"In addition, I can provide you with two Monster Core Armaments to use as a major draw. With these, the Xiao Clan's marketplaces will have nothing to worry about."
"What do you think of this plan, Uncle Xiao?"
By the time Zhou Changqing finished explaining his idea, Xiao Zhan was staring at him with a stunned expression.
A moment later, he came to his senses, his face beaming with delight. He looked at Zhou Changqing with an expression of profound gratitude.
"Worthy Nephew, this... How can I accept? Wouldn't this be too much trouble for you?"
"Don't worry about it, Uncle Xiao. It's not like I'm helping for free. I still stand to make a profit," Zhou Changqing said with a faint smile.
"Rest assured, Worthy Nephew! The Xiao Clan will absolutely not let you take a loss!"
"In that case, please come back in three days, Uncle Xiao. I should have ten of the secondary blades forged by then. After that, I will provide the Xiao Clan with ten more every three days. As for the Monster Core Armaments, I have some in stock. You can take them with you now."
"Thank you, Worthy Nephew. Words cannot express my gratitude. In the future, if you ever face any difficulties or need anything, you can come directly to the Xiao Clan. We will not hesitate to help."
"You're too kind, Uncle Xiao."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Xiao Zhan left the courtyard, his face glowing with satisfaction.
Zhou Changqing had his own reasons for this decision. Leaving aside his relationship with Xiao Yan and the help he'd received, the arrangement was a win-win for him. There was simply no reason to refuse.
Besides, this partnership wouldn't last for too long. Once Xiao Yan broke through to the Dou Zhe realm and learned alchemy, the matter with Liu Xi would be completely resolved. He might as well make some extra money in the meantime.
Three days later.
News spread through the Xiao Clan's marketplaces that they were selling treasured blades.
The moment the announcement was made, it instantly attracted the attention of countless mercenaries. And when the price was revealed, they went into a frenzy.
A treasured blade that would normally cost over ten thousand gold coins was now being sold for less than half that price!
Even if the quality of these blades was a notch below those from the Miteer Auction House, they could still slice through the Dou Qi armor of a five-star Dou Shi or below.
With a deal like this, who would hesitate? It was time to charge!
Even the mercenaries who were currently shopping in the Jia Lie Clan's marketplaces left without a second thought upon hearing the news.
These were treasured blades they were talking about!
Rejuvenation Powder? What was that piece of junk compared to a treasured blade?
The Jia Lie Clan's marketplace? Never heard of it. Truly, never heard of it.
And that wasn't even mentioning that the Xiao Clan's marketplace had also announced the sale of Monster Core Armaments.
Right now, Monster Core Armaments were incredibly hard to come by. Countless people were eagerly waiting for the Miteer Auction House to hold another auction. This kind of equipment was valuable even to major powers like the three great clans.
Even if the clan elders didn't need them, what about the younger generation? Every family had juniors, and obtaining one of these armaments would be a massive boost to their safety.
As a result, almost every power in Wu Tan City, aside from the other two great clans and a few top-tier factions, sent people rushing to the Xiao Clan's marketplace to snatch up a Monster Core Armament.