Sales Is All About the Push and Pull
Sales was all about the push and pull. The young cultivators couldn't tear their eyes away from the Danmun Chwiryungdan resting in her palm. It was only natural—they were finally seeing with their own eyes the spiritual medicine that had only ever been the stuff of rumors.
Baek Cheong made a show of returning the pill to the jade bottle, deliberately drawing out the moment. The more valuable the item, the more you have to make them burn with desire. No merchant anywhere handed over expensive goods right away. As her hand slowed while withdrawing the bottle, the crowd began to stir, just as expected.
"W-wait a moment!" The one who raised her voice in urgency was none other than Seo Jua. It seemed her mind was completely occupied with the pill, revenge be damned. After blurting it out, she must have felt embarrassed, because she cleared her throat a couple of times.
"Ahem. This lady will examine the pill with pill veins for you. With the discerning eye of the Hosan Seo Family, determining its authenticity should be simple enough."
Though her words were grand, she still couldn't take her eyes off the pill. Baek Cheong hid a satisfied smile inside. Easy. So easy. As expected, with a chest that big, she fell for it without much resistance.
Baek Cheong took out one Danmun Chwiryungdan from the jade bottle and gently offered it to Seo Jua.
"Then please examine it yourself. A pill with pill veins isn't something you see every day."
Seo Jua accepted the pill as if she couldn't help it. She brought it to her nose to smell its fragrance, circulated her spiritual energy to probe its properties, and put on quite a convincing act of appraising it. However, she couldn't hide how her cheeks had flushed bright red.
A first-rank low-grade pill with pill veins? And it doesn't even have any pill toxicity...?
Seo Jua had been born and raised in the prestigious Hosan Seo Family. While she had consumed her fair share of valuable spiritual medicines, she had only heard about pills with pill veins through rumors. She knew full well that simply carrying one around would elevate one's status.
"Th-this should be... acceptable." Seo Jua tried to maintain her pride, but her voice trembled slightly.
"If it pleases you, how many would you like? Grandfather Yakseon personally refined them, so there aren't many left. But for Lady Seo Jua, I'll make a special exception and share some."
Baek Cheong could see right through her but pretended not to notice. She provoked her with feigned goodwill that poked at her pride. Sure enough, Seo Jua's eyes narrowed. The word special scratched at her, and her pride reared its head. Hesitating now would only tarnish the name of the Hosan Seo Family.
"Hmph. It's not as if this lady can't afford it. Name your price."
Seo Jua lifted her chin defiantly. As if waiting for this exact moment, Baek Cheong smoothly stated the price.
"Ten mid-grade spirit stones per pill."
The crowd stirred. It was an outrageous price for a first-rank low-grade pill. Among the cultivators who had been whispering that it was too expensive, one who seemed knowledgeable suddenly interjected.
"Hold on. As far as I know, the Danmun Chwiryungdan that appeared at the Baek Sang Pavilion auction before came three pills to a jade bottle for twenty mid-grade spirit stones. Yet you're asking ten per pill? Isn't that pricing it a bit too aggressively?"
Since there were three pills per bottle, Baek Cheong's price was actually higher than the old auction rate. Every eye in the crowd turned to her at once.
Baek Cheong didn't bat an eye and responded slyly.
"Your calculation is accurate. However, that was quite some time ago. Grandfather Yakseon no longer releases Danmun Chwiryungdan to the market. There's no chance of it appearing at auction again, so using the old price as reference would be rather disappointing."
At the reminder that these would be difficult to obtain again, the young masters unconsciously swallowed. Baek Cheong didn't miss the opening to drive the point home.
"For something of this quality, ten mid-grade spirit stones per pill is actually giving it away cheap."
As expected, Seo Jua flared up and shouted.
"Only one pill? Are you looking down on this lady? This lady will buy an entire bottle!"
Seo Jua signaled her maid with a glance. The maid respectfully presented a pouch of spirit stones. Seo Jua counted out the mid-grade stones and paid the full price without haggling or showing the slightest reluctance.
"For an item of this caliber, this much is only proper."
Her attitude was completely different from the cultivator who had questioned the price earlier. Baek Cheong handed over one jade bottle and received the stones.
"As expected, your eye for quality is exceptional."
With that small compliment, Seo Jua's shoulders squared with pride. She carefully tucked the jade bottle into her embrace as if it were a precious treasure. She looked utterly satisfied, like she had obtained some rare artifact. At the same time, she glanced at Baek Cheong with renewed confidence.
Not even close. Baek Cheong noticed the growth monster's gaze and sneered inwardly. Even if Seo Jua obtained the Danmun Chwiryungdan, there was no way she could beat her. That comment about it being hard to win had just been a sales pitch.
"M-me too! One bottle over here!"
"This one will buy two bottles!"
"Here are the spirit stones! Give them to me first...!"
After witnessing someone buy an entire bottle, the young cultivators couldn't stay still. The young masters from noble families forgot all about their dignity as they pulled out their spirit stones and reached out eagerly. The more prestigious the family, the more they understood the true value of a pill with pill veins. Especially the Danmun Chwiryungdan, a heavenly pill that rarely appeared on the market.
The spirit stones are pouring in. Watching the wealthy customers flock to her, Baek Cheong felt like humming a tune. However, she had no intention of selling at bargain prices.
"Everyone, please wait a moment. As you can see, there isn't much left."
When she pulled the jade bottles back into her arms, the young cultivators' expressions turned desperate.
"Grandfather Yakseon refined these with great difficulty, so I can't just sell them to anyone."
She trailed off with a troubled look. At the mention of limited quantity, the young masters' eyes burned even hotter. The more precious something was, the more difficult it was to obtain, the more one desired it.
"I'll pay whatever the price! Twenty mid-grade spirit stones per pill! No, thirty!"
"This one offers forty!"
The earlier murmurs about the price being ridiculous had completely vanished. The young masters began competing, raising their bids against each other.
Baek Cheong pretended to be reluctant as she sold the jade bottles one by one. So this is why people get addicted to business.
Mid-grade spirit stones piled up in stacks, with quite a few high-grade ones mixed in as well. While sweeping the spirit stones into her pocket, she recalled her original purpose.
This should be enough justification. With this, even if she splurged spirit stones at the auction, her uncle wouldn't suspect anything. The preparations to sweep up every opportunity were now complete.
The Danmun Chwiryungdan she had just released numbered around ten bottles. Because she had acted like she was reluctant due to the limited quantity, she didn't bring out any more. Even with just that amount, she had earned the equivalent of five high-grade spirit stones. Adding in what she had already gathered on the Mumeongbang forum and the smaller amounts she had received brought the total to fifteen high-grade spirit stones. Using about half of them wouldn't raise any eyebrows.
How much is all this worth? It was a sum that an average Foundation Establishment cultivator would only accumulate after neglecting training for an entire lifetime. Yet she had earned it in the blink of an eye with just a few bottles of pills. A smile naturally spread across her lips.
The Danmun Chwiryungdan really is a dutiful son.
The commotion caused by the Danmun Chwiryungdan gradually died down. The young cultivators who had been frenziedly throwing spirit stones only moments ago began to regain their senses one by one. It was amusing how they cleared their throats and tried to act dignified, as if none of it had happened.
Everyone wants to save face, I see.
As the atmosphere calmed, one of the young cultivators changed the subject.
"By the way, has everyone prepared for the Cloud Sea Secret Realm?"
At the mention of the Cloud Sea Secret Realm, the pavilion stirred once again. Among the young cultivators gathered, quite a few had qualified for the main event. It meant there were that many who had earned the right to enter the Cloud Sea Secret Realm.
The place became noisy as everyone chimed in about their preparations and companions. Baek Cheong also subtly perked up her ears. Just then, someone answered the question she was curious about.
"The Cloud Sea Secret Realm is literally a sea made of clouds, from what I hear."
"You have to push through the clouds themselves to obtain rare treasures and spiritual medicines."
"A sea of clouds? Do we have to swim?"
"Not exactly. Unlike a real sea, you can move your body freely inside and won't have trouble breathing, apparently."
However, there was one troublesome aspect. Inside the clouds, you couldn't trust your eyes, ears, or any of the five senses.
"The clouds obscure the five senses, so the only thing you can rely on is your divine sense."
It meant using divine sense to search for treasures and detect danger. The situation was completely different from the outside, where your senses worked normally.
There were also eerie stories circulating.
"Though no one has actually seen them, they say there are demonic beasts wandering within the Cloud Sea."
"The deeper you go, the higher the rank of the creatures lurking there, I hear."
The deeper the area, the more precious the treasures sleeping there, but the greater the risk of encountering fierce demonic beasts.
One of the young cultivators who had been listening gave a meaningful look to the person beside him. Soon the two agreed to enter the Cloud Sea Secret Realm together. It was wiser to find a reliable partner than to wander alone and risk running into a demonic beast.
As the others watched pairs forming, their gazes subtly gathered on Baek Cheong. They were all curious who the top ranker—who had swept the entire acting troupe without even drawing her sword—would pair up with. Seo Jua was glancing over as well, and some seemed anxious to ask to accompany her.
This secret realm is practically made for me, isn't it?
Yet Baek Cheong herself paid no attention to the pouring gazes. She was too busy cheering inwardly at the part about how divine sense was crucial because the five senses couldn't be trusted.