Yunzhong City,West City
Lin Jiang saw many familiar taoist friends at the inn. Most of them lived in the middle section of the Yun State mountain range. It's natural to chat a few words when meeting acquaintances.
Through chatting, Lin Jiang discovered that the conditions in Anhua City were very attractive to many independent cultivators. The main reason was that the cost of living in Yunzhong City was too high, especially the rent. It could easily cost thousands of spirit stones per year. Over time, it would become a significant expense.
While chatting, Lin Die's voice saying "Sixth Brother" reached Lin Jiang's ears, making him feel startled.
Could it be? He had been practicing the Disguise Skill for decades and could be considered highly skilled. Could she still recognize him?
Lin Jiang calmly turned around and locked eyes with Lin Die. Seeing the young man in front of her, Lin Die shook her head inwardly. This wasn't her younger brother. Her younger brother, even if he had broken through to the Building Foundation stage, should be over 170 years old by now. Even if he had taken longevity treasures and Appearance Fixing Pills, there should still be signs of aging on his body.
"I'm sorry, taoist friend. I mistook you for someone else. Your figure greatly resembles that of my younger brother."
"It's alright, senior. My surname is also Lin. Perhaps our families have a blood relationship."
"Is that so, taoist friend? What is your name?"
"I am Lin Wu."
"Oh, it's the same name and surname as the Thirty-second Uncle!"
Lin Changrong exclaimed beside, and Lin Die glared at him, causing Lin Changrong to quickly close his mouth.
"Senior Lin, let me introduce you. This is my best friend Lin Wu. He's a skilled Talisman Maker of the Second Order. He can draw sixteen types of low-grade spiritual talismans."
"Oh, there are eighteen types. Thank you."
Lin Jiang added on the side, saying that in all these years of building foundations, he didn't slack off. Drawing talismans was his livelihood, so he had to put in effort to learn.
"Taoist friend, you're talented. How about coming over and having a chat?"
Lin Die nodded. Being able to draw eighteen spiritual talismans was considered high level among Second Order Talisman Makers, and they needed talented people like that.
Lin Jiang followed Lin Die into a room, and the two sat facing each other. Lin Die said, "Taoist friend, are you aware of the rules for recruiting talents in our Anhua City this time?"
"I've heard about it. Providing houses, tax exemptions, and reductions, right?"
"No, my Taoist friend is a master at creating formations. It's the most difficult and rarest skill among the Four Arts of Cultivating Immortals. That's why we can offer a house as a gift. For Talisman Makers, there are more people, so we can't give houses, but we can waive the rent. If my Taoist friend passes our assessment, we can exempt them from paying rent for twenty years in a three-story house. It's the same as tax-free or reduced taxes."
Lin Die said. Not just anyone can receive a house as a gift. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough houses in Anhua City to give out. Being a Formation Master is the most difficult profession among the Four Arts of Cultivating Immortals and has the fewest practitioners. So the requirements have been lowered. If it's a Talisman Maker, they have to be at least a second-tier premium Talisman Maker.
"Actually, whether you give it or not, I'm not interested in Anhua City."
"Is that so?"
"Senior, don't you believe it?"
"I don't believe it. You saw outside yourself. There are many people who want to go to Anhua City."
"So, senior, do you believe that within a year, even if everyone from outside goes there, more than half will disappear?"
"That's exaggerating."
Lin Die's face turned cold. She didn't like the person in front of her. She thought they were just a arrogant person trying to attract her attention with their wild words.
"Then let me ask you a question. If you can give me an answer, I will work for you for ten years without pay. How about that?"
"Go ahead and ask."
"Sir, do you believe that a chicken lays eggs, or that eggs give birth to chickens?"
"Of course, a chicken lays eggs."
"Is that so? Then please tell me, how did the first chicken come into existence?"
(Translated by Gravity Tales 😔)
"Um..."
Lin Die suddenly became speechless and didn't know how to answer. Yes, eggs are laid by chickens, but chickens also hatch from eggs. So how did the first chicken come into existence?
"If I were to say that it's the eggs that give birth to chickens, you would surely ask how the first egg came into existence, right?"
"Exactly! This question has no definitive answer, but it's quite intriguing. It can be applied to the current situation in Anhua City as well."
"You tell me carefully."
Lin Die immediately became interested, sitting up straight and waiting for Lin Jiang's wise words seriously.
"Anhua City is struggling with people's livelihood, there are few cultivators, the Lin family hopes to strengthen Anhua City, so they are recruiting talents, and the Lin family requires those who have talent to go to Anhua City. So, we can metaphorically compare these people to mother hens that lay eggs, right?"
"Exactly, the Four Arts of Cultivating Immortals are almost necessary for cultivators. With many talents joining Anhua City, it will naturally attract many independent cultivators and small clans to come and trade, strengthening Anhua City."
"Have you ever considered that the pills, spiritual talismans, formations, and weapons we refine need people to buy them? Can you guarantee that everything we make can be sold, or is it that your Lin family can buy them all?"
"No."
Lin Die immediately said that the Lin family has less than a thousand people, plus vassal forces, only a few thousand people in total, so they dare not overstretch. Upon arriving here, she realized that Anhua City's policy does indeed have some issues.
"It seems that the taoist friend is indeed a talented person, not just in drawing talismans, but also in knowledge. Please enlighten me, taoist friend."
Lin Die immediately changed her tone and humbly sought advice. With a population of one million in Yunzhong City, there are indeed many talents. As a mere independent cultivator, she is impressed by the insights here.
"Talking too much, you should also feel the decline of Anhua City now. Many nearby cultivators come to Anhua City but find nothing to buy, so they came up with this method, right?"
"Yes, the current number of shops in Anhua City is less than one-tenth of before."
Lin Die admitted why this is so. Because they killed the previous owner of Anhua City, who had been running Anhua City for nearly a thousand years. Most of the shops in Anhua City were closely related to them. The Lin family fought a bloody battle to seize the city, naturally they wanted to eliminate any threats and caused Anhua City to become extremely exhausted.
"So is this similar to the chicken and egg relationship?"
"Indeed, it is. How can we solve it? Please enlighten us, taoist friend."
"To solve this problem, we should first understand what the needs of your so-called talented individuals and ordinary cultivators are. For me and these people, the most important thing when going to Anhua City is to reduce our living costs, but the premise is that our income remains the same, in order to gain more benefits, right?"
"Yes."
"And for the nearby cultivators of Anhua City, they hope that Anhua City has enough resources so they don't need to go to farther places or take more risks, right?"
"That's right."
"So, how can we ensure our benefits? I think Anhua City doesn't need so many Alchemists and Talisman Makers. If we give them enough benefits, naturally, some people will go. And not just a few, you can reduce the number of people but increase the benefits. Cultivators can take any risk for resources, even if it means going to the Wilderness and taking resources from under the mouths of monsters. So why not Anhua City? Once this group of people makes money, you just need to promote it, and everyone will think of Anhua City as a place where they can make easy money. There will be an abundance of spirit stones everywhere, so why worry about not having anyone come?"
"Um..."
Lin Die felt like this was a deception.
Lin Jiang smiled faintly, it's just a deception, just like Blue Star. They say there are opportunities everywhere in the big cities. How many people go there every year? Once people arrive, everything becomes easier. No matter which world it is, there are always more fools. Even if some people wake up and escape from the big cities or Anhua City, there will be a continuous stream of fools rushing in.
For ordinary cultivators, it's even simpler. Anhua City just needs to propose a strategy, like offering free membership fee, not for too long, just a year. Nearby cultivators will see it as a cheap opportunity, and they will flock to it, won't they?
Once people come, there's nothing to be afraid of. Everyone needs to eat and find accommodation. When they see pills, formations, spiritual talismans, and magical instruments, won't they buy a few for themselves?
Over time, when nearby cultivators around Anhua City get used to buying all their essential resources from Anhua City, then Anhua City will succeed. At that time, the wealth will naturally come pouring in."
Lin Die's eyes immediately brightened, as if it made so much sense. Anhua City was worried about how to grow, but it seemed like it could be achieved so easily?
"Taoist Friend, please accept Lin Die's respect."
"Please don't be like this, senior. What I said was just my own opinion, an arrogant one. To run a city well, it takes a lot of effort, like creating strict rules, ensuring the safety of cultivators in the city, treating businesses and ordinary cultivators fairly, and so on. As a large cultivation city that has lasted for thousands of years, Yunzhong City is actually very mature in this aspect. Seniors who have come to Yunzhong City from far away should not only see the surface, there are still many things to learn."
Lin Jiang said. When it comes to Lin Die and the Lin family, he is completely devoted. He thinks from the Lin family's perspective, otherwise he could easily harm the Lin family from a different angle.
Running a city well is indeed not a simple matter. Yunzhong City has rich experience in this aspect. The Lin family can learn from it.
Especially when Yunzhong City encounters many problems, such as conflicts between businesses and customers, or conflicts between cultivators. How does Yunzhong City handle these situations? These are experiences that can help avoid many detours.
"Listening to your words is better than thinking for half a year. Taoist Friend Lin, would you be willing to come to my Lin family? My Lin family is willing to generously hire you as an advisor."
"I am used to being free and unconstrained. Let's forget about it."
"The Lin family will not force you, Taoist Friend, but the door of the Lin family will always be open to you. If one day you want to find a new place to live, consider my Lin family. The land of my Lin family extends for thousands of miles, with mountains, rivers, and lakes. You can freely choose a place to live."
Lin Die said to Lin Jiang that she thinks the Lin family now needs someone like him who can offer guidance and advice.
"Has the Lin family become so powerful?"
When Lin Jiang heard that the Lin family's territory covered thousands of miles, he was shocked. It had only been a few decades since they last met, and Lin Batian had become so powerful?
"Around Anhua City, within thousands of miles, there are seventy-two sects and five hundred seventy families, all of whom look up to our Lin family."
Lin Die proudly stated that this vast territory was conquered by the Lin family over the past few decades, and she was Lin Batian' right-hand woman, the strongest among the second generation of the Lin family.
"I see."
Lin Jiang nodded, realizing why Lin Die and Lin Ying were able to cultivate successfully. It seemed that the Lin family had been plundering resources relentlessly for these years, dedicating all their efforts to them, making it impossible for them not to advance.
However, Lin Jiang also knew that the foundation of the Lin family was not actually strong. It was mainly because the Lin family's own resources were not sufficient. With just over eight hundred cultivators, it was inadequate to manage such a vast territory. If he stayed, he would probably have to contribute to the growth of the Lin family.
"Therefore, taoist friend should consider our Lin family. We treat our disciples equally. Many disciples of our Lin family have dedicated years of their lives and received generous rewards, including cultivation techniques, secret manuals, pills, and weapons. After contributing to the family's expansion, we will also grant a spiritual mountain for them to thrive."
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm not currently considering it. It's getting late, and I have some matters to attend to. I will take my leave."
"Then, we won't keep taoist friend. Please go ahead."
"One more suggestion, treat those people outside well, provide good food and drinks for them. Even if it doesn't meet the Lin family's standards, invite them for a meal and drinks. It won't cost much, and it will make them think that the Lin family is generous."
Before leaving, Lin Jiang couldn't help but add. Cheating Xie Youjia and others a little bit more and creating an image of a wealthy but gullible person is totally worth it. They will earn back their investment and more.
"Third Ancestor, didn't you keep him here? I heard that his skills in drawing symbols are very advanced."
"He doesn't want to stay. If he did, I would offer him benefits equivalent to the golden core."
Lin Die shook her head. She was now very curious about this person. Normally, independent cultivators in Yunzhong City have a difficult life. Those who can reach the Building Foundation Period are considered talented individuals. Why would he commit the taboo of revealing secrets as if he was part of the Lin family?

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