Youth must be seized early; one cannot remain forever young. Chapter 117: Renovating the Tailor Shop

After purchasing the velvet fabric, the two walked toward the market shops, chatting casually along the way.

"So the reason you came into such wealth, Senior Brother, is because that person from the Iron Bone Sect lost five hundred spirit stones to you?!" Meng Li asked in surprise.

"Exactly!" Bai Qingzhou nodded triumphantly and smiled. "He made a wager with me, thinking that being at the eighth level of Qi Refining made his victory certain, but he never expected to be defeated by me."

"Senior Brother is truly amazing!" Meng Li’s eyes crinkled at the corners, brimming with laughter.

"That’s why I can easily afford the materials you need now, and besides..." Bai Qingzhou paused.

"Besides what?"

"Heh," Bai Qingzhou turned his head and smiled. "Besides, I am now in charge of managing the shop, so purchasing materials for you is only right."

"Ah?" Meng Li looked surprised and quickly asked, "Isn’t Deacon Chen the one in charge of the shop? Why has it been changed to you, Senior Brother?"

"Deacon Chen has reached the ninth level of Qi Refining and wants to go into seclusion to attempt the Foundation Establishment stage, so the Sect Leader asked me to take over his work. I should have come to find you sooner, but I was delayed by a few matters, which is why it took so long."

Meng Li blinked her large eyes and looked up expectantly. "Does that mean Senior Brother Bai will be living in Huoying Market from now on?"

"Definitely. I'll likely be staying for quite a while," Bai Qingzhou nodded earnestly.

"That's wonderful!" Meng Li cheered, raising her arms in excitement.

Bai Qingzhou stole a glance at her. Seeing her beaming face, he quickly straightened his head, gave a light cough, and said, "What’s so wonderful about that? Me being here might just end up being a bother to you."

"How could that be?" Meng Li muttered softly. "I couldn't be happier..."

Bai Qingzhou coughed again, feigning ignorance, and walked slowly forward.

Before long, they arrived at the storefront. The shop was located on the left side of the street, flanked by other businesses. The street was bustling with people; clearly, when the Wuji Alliance allocated the shops, they had taken the contributions of the Xuanyang Sect into account, granting them a location with excellent visibility.

Meng Li stepped forward to unlock the tightly closed door. Bai Qingzhou stood behind her, looking up. The plaque above the entrance had been taken down, leaving the bare facade looking quite out of place compared to its neighbors. As his gaze drifted downward, he saw that a wooden partition had been placed in the middle of the shop, dividing it into two separate units: the left for selling herbs and the right for selling artifacts.

On the walls and wooden racks of the right side, several garments were hanging. They emanated a faint glow, clearly indicating they were magic robes.

"Er..." Bai Qingzhou was taken aback. "How did it end up like this?"

Blushing, Meng Li replied, "I already told you, Senior Brother, I turned half the shop into a garment store... You aren't going to blame me, are you?"

Bai Qingzhou shook his head helplessly. He hadn't expected Meng Li to be so decisive. Back when he wanted to open a beast-meat shop, he had specifically returned to the sect to seek permission from the elders before daring to proceed. Meng Li, however, had acted first and reported later, modifying the shop's layout on her own.

"Sigh... it's fine," Bai Qingzhou sighed softly. "Let's go inside first."

They stepped in and found chairs at the counter. Bai Qingzhou scanned the surroundings before saying, "Junior Sister Meng, tell me, how many spirit stones can your magic robes sell for?"

"Well..." Meng Li lowered her head, looking very obedient and honest. "One robe can sell for about ten low-grade spirit stones, and some of the better quality ones can fetch twelve."

Bai Qingzhou nodded to himself. That was the standard price for low-grade Yellow-tier robes. With Meng Li’s current middle-stage Qi Refining cultivation, she could certainly only refine low-grade Yellow-tier items; only those at the late stage of Qi Refining could attempt to craft mid-grade Yellow-tier artifacts.

"And what is the cost?" Bai Qingzhou asked.

Meng Li thought for a moment and said slowly, "I refine them according to the descriptions in the books. The cost varies for each, but on average, it's about four spirit stones."

A cost of four spirit stones and a sale price of ten meant a profit of six spirit stones per robe! Bai Qingzhou’s eyes lit up. He then asked cautiously, "And what is your success rate?"

Whether it was artifact crafting or alchemy, the success rate was paramount. If the rate were too low, wasting numerous materials, even a successful craft would result in a loss. For example, if one prepared three sets of materials costing twelve spirit stones in total, but only successfully crafted one robe, it would be a losing venture. Generally, only a high success rate could guarantee that an artifact shop remained profitable.

"Success rate?" Meng Li tilted her head, her eyes clear. "Is there a success rate for crafting? I haven't failed yet..."

"Ah!" Bai Qingzhou’s hand trembled. He looked at her in disbelief and pressed, "You haven't failed? Not even once?"

"That's right! Except for the very first one, which looked a bit like a defective product, I've been quite satisfied with all the others. The crafting was successful." Meng Li stated candidly.

Hearing this, Bai Qingzhou was shocked. He stood up immediately and walked toward the robes hanging on the wall to examine them closely.

Most of the robes in the shop used light-colored fabric. Upon touching them, he found the material to be soft and delicate. The overall appearance was elegant and classy, simple yet possessing a touch of brilliance. The garments also exuded a faint spiritual aura, suggesting that magic arrays had been inscribed upon them.

"This..." Bai Qingzhou’s expression showed his astonishment. He muttered to himself, "This material is of high quality even among low-grade Yellow-tier items..."

Bai Qingzhou was stunned. If this was the case, Meng Li was definitely a genius at artifact crafting! Heart racing, he turned to face her. "How many robes can you make in a day?"

Meng Li looked up, thought about it, and replied firmly, "Three is no problem!"

Bai Qingzhou nodded heavily, his mind racing. As long as the materials were gathered, Meng Li could craft three robes a day. If they sold just one a day, it would equal two days' turnover of the beast-meat shop! A net profit of six spirit stones!

The more he thought about it, the more energized he became. After a while, he said seriously to Meng Li, "Junior Sister Meng, we won't run the herb shop anymore. From now on, this will be a garment shop!"

Seeing that Bai Qingzhou supported her idea, Meng Li was overjoyed. "Senior Brother is willing to change the shop?"

"Definitely! Since you have such talent, it must not be wasted. Besides, selling magic robes earns more spirit stones than the herb shop—there is no reason not to change!"

Meng Li’s eyes sparkled, and she nodded confidently. "With your word, Senior Brother, I can rest easy!"

"Right, let's discuss the details of the shop's transition!" Bai Qingzhou sat back down, full of excitement.

"Okay!" Meng Li replied enthusiastically.