Chapter 93 - 90: Finalizing the Material Supply Route

He arrived quickly, seemingly well-prepared, walking in with a large bag in less than an hour.

With Zong En and the others at the gate, Zhang Deming didn’t even need to go out to greet him; someone just let him in.

Zhang Deming had just stepped into the courtyard when Qin Shizhong entered as well.

After they sat down, Qin Shizhong moved to take out the materials, but Zhang Deming raised a hand to stop him.

Qin Shizhong looked at Zhang Deming, confused, waiting for him to explain.

"Junior Brother Qin, this is our third time doing business, isn’t it?" Zhang Deming began.

Qin Shizhong nodded. "I still remember the first time. I thought you were in the same line of work as me, Senior Brother!"

"Now it seems you’re more of a producer, Senior Brother, not just a reseller."

Zhang Deming nodded and, without further pleasantries, got straight to the point.

"I’ve made a rough estimate. I’ll need about fifty to a hundred Spirit Stones’ worth of materials each month."

"The exact amount isn’t fixed; it will fluctuate depending on my schedule."

Qin Shizhong’s pupils contracted instantly. He drew in a sharp, silent breath.

’With such a large demand, even if I sell in bulk, I can make a profit of at least five or six Spirit Stones.’

’And it would be a steady income, all while I continue to run my stall on the side.’

’For a merchant, that direct profit is secondary.’

’What’s truly important is the network and the supply channels that this massive demand would create. That’s worth far more than just the Spirit Stones themselves.’

’For someone like Qin Shizhong, who’s struggling at the bottom rungs of the sect and hoping for that elusive chance to advance to the Tai Chi realm, this is a golden opportunity.’

Zhang Deming glanced at Qin Shizhong, who was clearly doing his best to suppress his excitement, and said nonchalantly,

"I’m sure you understand what this entails and the kind of profits involved. You’re no newcomer, Junior Brother Qin."

Qin Shizhong took a deep breath to calm himself. "Senior Brother Zhang," he said, "whatever your conditions are, please feel free to state them."

"If it’s within my power, I’ll do my utmost to meet them."

"As for the price, given the immense volume you’re talking about, we can certainly negotiate the details."

Zhang Deming smiled. "Those are minor details. There’s no hurry."

Qin Shizhong asked, puzzled, "Then, Senior Brother Zhang, do you have some other concerns? Or a special requirement?"

Zhang Deming nodded. "As expected of a veteran merchant, Junior Brother Qin. You read me well."

Qin Shizhong smiled. "You flatter me, Senior Brother Zhang. If you have a special requirement, please, just say it. This isn’t our first time working together. We can talk it over."

Zhang Deming looked at Qin Shizhong and said, "If you want to be my long-term supplier, Junior Brother Qin, I do have one condition."

"It’s about the payment terms. For a one-off or occasional purchase, it wouldn’t matter."

"But for a stable, long-term supply arrangement, I need you to understand, Junior Brother Qin, that I can’t pay for everything upfront."

Zhang Deming paused after saying this, watching Qin Shizhong’s reaction.

’After all, this was a traditional society. Things like installment plans or the sell-first-pay-later model of supermarkets weren’t mainstream business practices in the Hongmeng Realm.’

Qin Shizhong asked hesitantly, "Senior Brother Zhang, what do you mean by that?"

Seeing that he didn’t immediately refuse, Zhang Deming felt he had a chance and continued, "For a long-term supply arrangement, I won’t be settling the full amount for the goods all at once."

"Each time I receive a delivery, I’ll only pay ten to twenty percent of the total cost. I will then settle the remaining balance from the previous delivery when I receive the next one."

Hearing this, Qin Shizhong said hesitantly, "Senior Brother, are you proposing we use the same supply model as the major Business Alliances?"

Zhang Deming was taken aback for a moment. ’Looks like there are plenty of smart people in this world,’ he thought.

Zhang Deming nodded. "Exactly. This way, it fully ensures the materials you provide don’t have quality issues, and it avoids problems like difficult returns."

"If there are any quality problems, it makes it easy to process a return before the next payment is due."

"Of course, we’ve only worked together a handful of times. We don’t know each other well, and there isn’t enough trust built up yet."

"So, to start, I can place smaller orders more frequently."

"That way, we both have peace of mind, and it won’t put too much pressure on your capital, Junior Brother Qin."

"And I’m not going to skip town over a few measly Spirit Stones, am I?"

Qin Shizhong gave a slight smile. "Senior Brother Zhang, you’re joking."

With that said, he fell into deep thought.

Qin Shizhong was a decisive man. After only a moment of contemplation, he asked, "In that case, Senior Brother Zhang, how large of an order are you planning to place for the first delivery?"

’Success!’

Hearing this, a smile spread across Zhang Deming’s face. "For the first delivery, I can pay a twenty percent deposit. Just for the first time, of course. After that, it will be ten percent."

"As for the size of the order, that depends on how much of a capital strain you can handle, Junior Brother Qin."

Hearing this, Qin Shizhong thought for a moment before asking, "Then, Senior Brother, how often will you need a delivery?"

Zhang Deming said, "That’s not set in stone. It depends on the quantity of materials in each order. Roughly speaking, I consume about two to four Spirit Stones’ worth of materials on average each day."

"So, once I run out of materials, I’ll need more. In other words, the payment cycle will depend on the size of each delivery."

"But it can’t be too frequent. That would be too much of a hassle, otherwise I wouldn’t have sought you out to discuss this in the first place, Junior Brother Qin."

After hearing this, Qin Shizhong mulled it over for a long while before gritting his teeth and saying, "I’ve brought twenty Spirit Stones’ worth of goods with me this time."

Zhang Deming shot him a surprised look. ’This guy’s got some real nerve,’ he thought.

’Twenty Spirit Stones is no small sum for an Outer Disciple.’

’For a disciple with a good income, that’s several months to half a year of savings. For one with a poor income, it could even be several years’ worth.’

’Twenty Spirit Stones means I’ll need to pay a four-Spirit-Stone deposit.’

’Luckily, I have exactly four left on me. Just enough to cover it.’

’The whole reason he’d structured the deal this way was because he was short on funds again after giving ten Spirit Stones to Qu Qizhong.’

’It was just like starting a business in his past life; capital was always the biggest hurdle at the beginning.’

’Of course, it wasn’t just about the money. For a long-term partnership, this kind of staggered payment plan was an absolute must for Zhang Deming.’

’It was the only way to protect his own interests and ensure the quality of the materials.’

Zhang Deming smiled. "In that case, let’s have a look at the materials."

Now that he had made his decision, Qin Shizhong’s nervous and excited heart surprisingly calmed down.

He took out the materials and began, "Since you were quite satisfied with the speed- and defense-type materials last time, Senior Brother Zhang, and didn’t express any dissatisfaction..."

"...I didn’t change those. As for the binding-type material, you contacted me via your Identity Card to say you weren’t fully satisfied, so this time I brought a different one..."

They talked for a long while longer, hashing out various details like using item codes on the materials to make returns easier. At last, they formally finalized the supply agreement.

"To a successful partnership, then!" After a long negotiation, Zhang Deming said with a smile.