Dao of Money

The week flew by in a flurry of scents, simmering broths, physical training and evening reading. His attention was required for one thing after another, or sometimes, two or more things at the same time.

Chen Ren had hoped that this cultivation world might have had its own sense of time—perhaps longer hours or slower days— but it turned out that even here, a day only granted twenty-four hours.

With his noodle stall running each morning, perfume shop drawing an endless stream of eager customers, training with Yalan and late nights spent poring over dusty scrolls in the teahouse, he barely had a moment to breathe, let alone some alone time.

Even the thought itself made him sigh out loud.

Were it not for Tang Xiulan, who was handling the busy hours at the stall and the children continuing the marketing process as they had been told, or Tang Yuqiu and her staff managing the perfume shop’s customers’ demands, he would have been stretched to his breaking point.

If anything, it had been humbling to know that even with his cultivation, he still had his limits. He realised that true power wasn’t in individual strength, but having people to rely on.

Even if he couldn’t trust everyone with his secrets, there were enough people that he could delegate tasks that he didn’t want to do himself.

His thoughts frequently drifted to forming his own sect, to have a force of loyal individuals to carry out his will, protect his interests and push his vision forward. But the price tag for even beginning to establish a sect was steep.

The going rate was ten low grade spirit stones, a fortune he hadn’t yet amassed. One low-grade spirit stone alone was worth about one hundred silver wen— an amount that might sustain a family of four for a few months. And with two businesses that he had just started and the debt to Feng Ming that he hadn’t cleared, he had no extra wen lying around to invest in a sect. Not until he started to get the profit from his perfume business.

For now, that dream would have to remain on hold.He would look for ways to get into an unofficial sect status for the time being. Yet with all the busy days and never-ending customers, there was one other change that hadn’t been expected— a noticeable shift in his own cultivation.

At first, it was a subtle pulse, a faint ripple of qi awakening within him whenever his perfume shop made a sale.

He could barely feel its power, but weirdly enough, he somehow knew that it had always been there. It felt somewhat like an organ— like a part of him.

But with each passing day, every time he witnessed how more customers filled in with an eagerness that quite matched his enthusiasm about his businesses, the pulse strengthened like it absorbed something from the growing popularity around him.

Unsurprisingly, Yalan had also taken notice.

One afternoon, Chen Ren stood behind the counter of his perfume shop, a quiet satisfaction settling over him as he watched the bustling scene before him. His gaze swept across the crowd, each person moving with purpose through the newly displayed batches of perfumes. At least twenty women of all ages browsed the shelves, their eyes lighting up as they took in the liquids that glistened like jewels in the soft afternoon light.

He couldn’t help but notice how some of them hesitated near the more exclusive perfume bottles— the ones that sat on polished wooden stands, slightly elevated above the rest.

Those were priced higher, their labels embossed with noticeable silver lettering, each scent more luxurious than the last. Fingers hovered, eyes lingered, and Chen Ren could see the spark of temptation flickering within them.

The white-furred cat sat primly on the countertop beside him, her amber eyes blinking slowly as she followed his eyes. But it seemed that the bustling customers weren’t her concern.

“You’re very close to a breakthrough,” Yalan noted, her tail swishing elegantly. “Very… Very close.”

Chen Ren’s attention was immediately withdrawn from the customers.

“At this rate, you might even jump two stars in the body forging realm if this flow of qi continues.”

Chen Ren’s mouth tilted into a smirk, his eyes once again going back to the patrons that milled around, sniffing perfumes and discussing their favourite scent among the ones that were there. Tang Yuqiu and her staff moved briskly, trying to keep up with the influx of customers.

The middle-class ladies had arrived just as he’d planned, dressed in their simpler clothing but with eyes just as eager as the more affluent young misses. He saw a trio among the crowd even trying to push other women away to get to try out one of the scents. He could only hope that there would be no bloodshed. But anyway, the word of mouth had done its work, bringing them to his door without so much as a single gold coin spent on advertisements.

Chen Ren glanced at Yalan, his thoughts stirring as he observed the faint glow of the qi entering his body. “I didn’t see such a rapid boost with the noodle stall, when I was doing my best to keep it afloat,” he spoke internally, watching the cat as she stretched lazily atop the counter. “Could it be the big amounts of profit this shop is making?”

Yalan tilted her head and gave him a wry look. “Perhaps,” she purred, and answered him through his mind. “Though there are always other factors. Each path in the dao has countless layers. But if more profits with every new business are going to spur your progress, then I’d say you should be launching a new venture every month.”

Chen Ren let out a soft, wry chuckle. If someone looked at him, it would appear as if he was laughing alone and would term him as crazy. Thankfully, everyone was busy doing their own stuff, some more serious than the others. He quickly composed himself and looked at Yalan. “That’s moving a bit fast. It takes time to manage things, you know. It’s not as easy as you say.”

Yalan’s eyes gleamed, and her whiskers twitched with amusement. “Not like you’re targeting cultivators here. Mortals are easier— less likely to send you flying if they’re unhappy with your products.

He shook his head. He could think of a lot of scenarios where the will of mortals could overpower cultivators. Even if this world didn’t have anything such as firearms, bombs and nukes, there were a lot of influential mortals too.

“Some mortals have a certain power. Of course not in qi or cultivation techniques, but when it comes to wealth and reputation? They can be just as dangerous. Moreover, there are always weapons that would be able to kill cultivators in one go.”

Yalan gave him an odd look. “What type of weapons would those be? I have never heard of something like that.”

Before Chen Ren could respond and go over the history of his own world where guns had changed the whole warring scene, a middle aged woman in modest but neatly kept robes approached the counter, holding a perfume bottle with an air of curiosity. Her height was what he noticed at first.

She was extremely tall, taller than Chen Ren, but he could tell that she was a mortal. And not a wealthy one.

Her eyes lingered on him for a few seconds. He cleared his throat, and she immediately broke her trance and nodded to the bottle in her hands.

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“Hello,” she said, her voice laced with hesitance. “Could you tell me the price of this? And… perhaps a bit about its qualities?”

Chen Ren’s eyes brightened with a salesman’s zeal, and he leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice just enough to capture the woman’s attention. “This fragrance is designed to leave a subtle, lingering impression on others. Some even say it has a faint charm for drawing admiration from the opposite gender. Let’s say it makes you smell.. Mysterious. People will take a second look at you… And the best part? It is only eight wen!”

The woman’s cheeks tinged with a rosy blush, and she chuckled, slightly embarrassed. “Oh, that’s… charming, but I’m hardly in my youth anymore for such tricks.”

Chen Ren frowned at that. “Youth? What does that entail to you because you look great… and madam, if I were seeking someone, I’d be honoured to ask for your hand.” He delivered it smoothly, a practised compliment with just enough sincerity to make her laugh, a delighted twinkle in her eye.

“Oh, you are a charmer!” she said, the blush deepening as she fished out her silver and placed it on the counter. She glanced down at Yalan, her hand extending to pet the cat.

Yalan’s tail flicked in warning, and with an indignant hiss, she ducked just out of reach. The woman quickly withdrew her hand, casting Chen Ren an apologetic look as she bustled out of the shop. It happened too quickly as the woman practically fled from the shop.

Once she was gone, Chen Ren raised an eyebrow at Yalan. “A little more courtesy with the customers wouldn’t hurt, you know.”

Yalan sniffed, grooming her fur with a practised swipe of her tongue. “My fur requires… maintenance. Not just anyone can touch it.” She held her head high. “It takes time to set it.”

“Set in? How do you even set in your… fur?”

“Glorious spit, how else? It’s a task for higher beings alone.”

Chen Ren chuckled, shaking his head with amusement. But the moment didn’t last; his laughter faded as he caught sight of Tang Yuqiu weaving her way purposefully through the shop, slipping between customers with her usual grace and stopping in front of a worker.

They talked for a brief moment and her expression shifted. Almost as on cue, she looked directly at Chen Ren and started marching towards him.

There was an urgency in her stride, a subtle tension in the set of her shoulders. When their eyes met again, her gaze locked onto his. Chen Ren felt a ripple of curiosity stir within him. Whatever the worker had told her there, wasn’t a small matter.

He straightened, his casual stance shifting as he prepared himself for the news she clearly carried.

“What’s going on?” he asked, attempting to keep his voice steady from sounding too curious.

Tang Yuqiu stepped closer and said with a low voice. “I just received a report. The Bai Hu Trade Association’s head isn’t pleased. It seems they’ve noticed our little shop’s success.”

Chen Ren’s expression darkened slightly. “And the Cang Clan? They’re bound to have caught wind by now too.”

“They are watching us quietly, but I don’t think they will do anything. Their perfume business is just one of their many holdings, and they’re not eager to lose any relationship with the Tang Clan. But Bai Hu… he doesn’t care. Their entire brand revolves around perfumes, so he can’t afford to just sit back while we grow. It’s only a matter of time before they make a move.”

Chen Ren nodded. “So it begins. One week of peace and prosperity was more than I expected.”

Tang Yuqiu looked at him expectantly. “So… what do you plan to do?”

“For now? Nothing,” Chen Ren said with a casual shrug, though a glint of calculation sparked in his eyes. “We’ve prepared for most things they might attempt, but their opening move will reveal the rest of their strategy. They can’t come at us legally, so they’re left with a handful of unsavoury options: try to sabotage our supply chain, poach our staff to sniff out our methods, tarnish our reputation with slander, or… resort to a full-blown assault.” He paused, his gaze sharpening as his thoughts spun. “Or maybe they’ll try all of them at once. If they’re rattled enough, they’ll throw everything they’ve got our way.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “But no matter what angle they take, it’s going to be interesting to watch them squirm.”

His fingers tapped on the countertop in a rhythmic beat, as if already counting down the inevitable.

***

The tension in the Bai Hu Trade Association’s headquarters was thick enough to cut with a knife. President Bai Hu slammed his fist down on the polished mahogany table, causing a stack of reports to scatter, their pages fluttering in the sudden silence. His face was red with fury, and his sharp gaze swept over the assembled staff, each word he spoke laced with rage.

“How could this happen?” he barked, his voice echoing inside his office. “Over a hundred customers in just a week buying from them!” he snarled, his voice thick with disbelief and simmering anger. “Even high society is abuzz with talk of these so-called ‘new perfumes.’ Most of them wouldn’t touch the stuff themselves, of course— they consider the low price beneath them! But then tell me, how in the heavens are they managing to sell so much? Are the middle class just buying anything now?”

He threw a scornful look at the perfume samples scattered on the table, eyes narrowing as if each bottle mocked him with its success. “Have they found some secret formula to draw in customers by the droves? Can anyone explain this absurdity to me?”

A junior associate tentatively raised his hand, clearing his throat before he spoke. He visibly shrank back to his seat when Bai Hu’s eyes fell on him.

“Speak!”

“Sir, like you said, it’s mostly due to their appeal among middle-class women. The prices make it affordable, and their numbers are high. Even if they’ve barely grazed our upper-tier clientele, they’re pulling in a whole new market segment.”

“Market segment,” Bai Hu snarled, his fists clenching. “I fucking couldn’t care less about segments. The longer they’re out there selling, the closer they get to producing something aimed at our premium brands, and when they do… they’ll eat into our market share. That rogue cultivator is making a fool of us!”

He seized a bottle his staff had managed to acquire from Heavenly Fragrances, holding it up with a look of utter disdain. Turning it over in his hand, he scrutinised the plain wooden casing and the design of the golden coin with the dragon around it, his lips curling in disgust. “Look at this!” he sneered, voice dripping with contempt. “Not a single trace of qi, not a whisper of spiritual energy— nothing! And yet it’s selling like wildfire! How are they pulling this off with something so… ordinary?”

He huffed, setting the bottle down with an angry clink as he continued, “It’s absurd! Those middle-class women have no discernment at all—they don’t care about spiritual refinement, only that they smell better than a street rat!” The thought gnawed at him, his fingers tapping furiously on the table as he spat, “They might as well be selling coloured water in a glass jar, and those fools would still line up to buy it!”

President Bai Hu’s staff exchanged glances, their tension palpable as they hesitated before one brave soul stepped forward, voice wary but steady. “So… what should we do, sir?”

Bai Hu’s eyes narrowed, and he took a deep breath, the frustration in his expression slowly giving way to something more calculating. He clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling the anger running through every cell of his body. But he must control his feelings—he needed to be logical. “I’m thinking,” he replied.

At that moment, the door opened with a quiet click, and a tall, striking young man strode in.

His features were a reflection of Bai Hu’s own, only younger, sharper, and cut with an elegance that drew a second look. Dark eyes glittered beneath perfectly arched brows, and a confident smirk played across his lips as he bowed in respect. ”Father, allow me to take care of this matter.”

Bai Hu’s eyebrows shot up, his gaze hardening. “And what exactly are you saying, Bai Shen? You do realise this isn’t some trivial issue. It’s a business threat— one I can’t afford to let slide.”

Bai Shen met his father’s intense gaze with an unflinching calm. “I’m aware, Father. That’s precisely why I want to handle it. All I’ve been doing is just overseeing some of our shops. It’s time I learn to face real competition. If I am to take over the Bai Hu Trade Association someday, I need this experience. Please, let me handle this.”

A flicker of thought passed through Bai Hu’s eyes as he weighed his son’s words. He was right, he needed this experience and if Bai Hu knew anything, it was that they both were cut from the same cloth. Like him, his son wouldn’t hold back at any kinds of threat. After a long moment, he nodded, his voice slow and firm.

“Very well, then. You’re free to proceed as you see fit. But be clear-minded and deliberate. I want Heavenly Fragrances out of business as soon as possible. Understood?”

Bai Shen’s smirk widened as he gave a slight bow. “I understand perfectly, Father. I’ll make sure they’re wiped off the map.” He straightened, his voice carrying a quiet conviction, and without further words, he turned and left the office.

The rest of the staff looked at his fleeting back, taking a sigh of relief, thinking they had escaped their boss’ screaming.

***

Outside, Bai Shen stopped on the stone steps, his gaze lifting to the skies. The clouds were thick, covering the sun as it struggled to pierce through. He smirked, his eyes dark with a simmering ambition.

“Tang Yuqiu,” he muttered under his breath, voice laced with venom, “you dared to turn down my proposal, only to seek solace with some rogue cultivator. You think you can rise without me? Foolish. I’ll see to it that you fall— and fall hard.” His fingers clenched, his voice dropping to a whisper. “When that day comes, the only hand you’ll reach for will be mine. And when I have you, the Tang Clan will fall to me as well.”

With a final smirk, Bai Shen turned on his heel, his stride confident, already savouring the power he envisioned within his grasp.