Han Zisha is more skilled at pillow talk and intimate exchanges. This time, she couldnât use her ultimate skill in negotiation, truly losing the rhythm. She angrily sat back down, thinking, "If you didnât have Chief Shi as your backing, I wouldnât have spared you." Seduction and bribery were useless, leaving her completely passive.
She picked up a teacup, took a small sip, crossed her legs, her graceful movements creating a fragrant breeze that faintly lingered at Li Xianâs nose. She casually said, "Go ahead and speak."
Li Xian chuckled, "Elder Han, you came here offering yourself, proposing marriageâall for the sake of profits." Han Zisha said nothing, put down the teacup, and rolled her eyes.
Li Xian continued, "Iâm quite new here, my foundation is still shallow. Normally, Iâd not dare to take such a windfall, but Chief Shi has high expectations, so I have no choice but to accept it, to not disappoint him. A few days ago, I did some field investigations, and the honey harvest was quite abundant. Elder Han, you came to me in the middle of the night; I canât let you run a futile trip. If Elder Han is willing, we can cooperate sincerely and pursue mutual profits."
Since inspecting the bee farm, he considered how to make money. The biggest problem was the lack of âship transport.â The Water Altar was difficult to access, and Li Xian didnât have a flower boat. The accumulated honey couldnât be transported and sold. He truly needed to cooperate with the elder to sell the honey through her flower boat.
Han Zisha instantly understood, her eyes turning, brows arched, looking at him with great interest. After a while, she laughed, "Oh my, oh my... Youâre lacking a flower boat. Since you ask for help, naturally Iâll agree, but you must know that water transport is very troublesome, involving considerable human and material resources. Itâs quite tiring to make a trip."
"As an elder, itâs not reasonable to work for a disciple."
Li Xian replied, "Naturally, regarding the profits, weâll split it seventy-thirty. Iâll take seven, you take three." Han Zisha smiled lightly, "Brother Hua, you havenât figured out the situation. You donât have a flower boat; the bee farm and orchard are like chicken ribs. If I donât help you with the transport, you wonât get a penny. No matter how much honey and fruits you produce, theyâll rot in the field. Considering the situation, I think it should be an eighty-twenty splitâIâll take eight, you take two."
Previously, she only considered using seduction and bribery, never thinking about Li Xianâs dilemma. But upon re-negotiating now, she discovered Li Xianâs fatal weakness, regaining her confidence. With no need for seduction or bribery, she had easily won.
She thought to herself, "Cunning young man, without even a flower boat, you dare negotiate with me? Just wait and see how Iâll take every last bit from you."
Li Xian calmly laughed, "In that case, Elder Han, you may leave." Han Zisha was taken aback, "What do you mean?"
Li Xian said, "Naturally, weâve failed to reach an agreement." He continued sipping his tea, remaining indifferent. Han Zisha coldly laughed, "Brother Hua, youâre too young, you havenât understood the situation. If you canât negotiate with me, itâll be even harder with other elders. Indeed, the bee farm and orchard are yours, but the Water Altar is isolated from the world. To be blunt, for this cooperation, itâs actually you who should be pleading with me."
Li Xian laughed, "Elder Han, since things have come to this point, Iâll be candid with you. For others, what you say might hold true. But unfortunately, Iâm Flower No Fault, so naturally there are exceptions."
Han Zisha furrowed her brows, pondering, "This young man is so calm. Could he have something up his sleeve? He claims to have exceptions, could his background be extraordinary? Ah... He has a close relationship with Chief Shi, perhaps..." She was filled with surprise and doubt.
Li Xian continued, "I originally wished to peacefully earn profits with Elder Han, pursuing mutual benefits, establishing connections. Since Elder Han sees it as me pleading with you, then you may leave."
Han Zisha furrowed her brows tightly, unsure whether Li Xian was deceiving her or if he was truly confident. She considered, "No matter the circumstances, this is a profitable venture, just a matter of earning more or less. Iâll feign agreement for now, then slowly observe him. If heâs deliberately deceiving me, Iâll raise the price later to recover everything with interest." She chuckled softly, "Brother Hua, I was joking earlier; letâs make it seventy-thirty."
Li Xian smiled, "Good." Han Zisha got up to leave, raising her eyebrows and smiling, "Besides, if you want to find me, feel free to do so. Anyway, this elder is always free and quite lonely. Unless... you want to come with me now?"
She was bewitchingly alluring.
Li Xian smiled and declined, escorting Han Zisha out of his residence. After todayâs negotiation, the accumulated honey was now ready for sale. In the following days, Li Xian and Han Zisha visited Bee Island several times for inspections. The honey had been stockpiled for âtwo or threeâ months, amounting to over four thousand pounds, able to generate nearly three thousand taels of silver.
Li Xian yielded thirty percent, keeping more than two thousand taels, and after paying workers and miscellaneous expenses, he had about sixteen hundred taels left. Han Zisha also had a bee farm and flower garden. Every time she took the flower boat out, she would sell âHeart Balm,â âBrewed Flower Dried,â âFlower Oil,â and other items. Helping Li Xian sell honey was almost effortless, practically free silver.
Despite Martial Artistsâ extravagant spending on residences, cooking Essence Food, and lavish living standards, theyâre actually quite frugal. Unexpectedly gaining a thousand taels was indeed a joyful event. The mountain village near Black River Village, relying on plundering peopleâs wealth, only accumulated a few dozen taels monthly.
Saving for a year was hardly enough to buy âSmokeless Charcoal,â to set up a poor-grade cauldron for cooking poor Essence Food, leaving cultivation stagnant for ages. Wen Caishangâs affluent manor was truly rare. Five hundred coins could exchange for a life, the weight of over a thousand taels is imaginable.
Han Zisha was in charge of water transport, taking ten days round trip, feeling joyful when earning but troubled when paying, delaying several times. But fearing Li Xianâs lawsuit, she still split the profits as agreed, giving him the money. Thus, Li Xian transitioned from poverty to wealth, his first action being to arrange his residence.