Xu Feiniang was certainly no drunken taoist; she was originally the beloved concubine of the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor in the Wutai Sect and was later taken as a disciple by his successor, making her a junior sister. Both her innate talent and her subsequent hard work propelled her strength enormously, making her the third most formidable individual after the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor and the Mahayana Venerable Sikong Zhan. Over the years, she traveled far and wide, both domestically and abroad, and the things she had seen and experienced far surpassed those of the drunken taoist.

She was indeed very curious, how so many fine things had ended up in the hands of ordinary people.

When she arrived at Tianjin, she quietly inquired about the Mingyu Immortal Market and the deeds of Yuan Yang State Preceptor, to her surprise. Then, witnessing the hundred-zhang-long ships in the port herself, she was even more astounded.

As for Shi Feiyang, she had long heard of him but never expected him to become the State Preceptor of the Great Ming Dynasty, bringing so many treasures from the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain to sell in Central Earth.

She had heard of but never visited the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain. It was blocked by the Aurora Fire, and there was only one day each year when it was accessible.

It was said that many ancient Great Demons resided there, as well as an extremely dangerous Myriad Cold Centipede. Those who had been there were all cursed with a poison, emerging with their bodies turned into a pool of pus and blood.

She hadn't thought about going there in the past, but when she wanted to go to Refine the Hundred Spirits Immortal-Slaying Sword, Shi Feiyang, the Dragon Emperor, had already unified the place. It was said that this Dragon Emperor had slain the Myriad Cold Centipede, pacified the City That Never Sleeps, and set up many defenses both inside and out. Even Ye Bin and the Emei Sect had suffered great losses there, so she abandoned the idea.

Shi Feiyang was currently tallying accounts in the bank, having just produced banknotes with a total face value of one hundred thousand Dragon Coins, both Jade Coins and treasure notes, packed into two boxes to be sent to the Emperor in the capital.

He continuously drew out gold, silver, and copper coins from within the Great Ming, releasing Dragon Coins in their stead. He aimed to swap gold and silver for Dragon Coins, eventually making Ming Country switch entirely to the currency he had minted.

The process of release was about making others willing to use them, by backing them with food to gain the acceptance of the common people at the bottom, by supporting the middle and upper classes with luxury goods for the endorsement of officials and wealthy merchants. Even the highest echelons had to be convinced to use them; every month, he sent Emperor Taichang one hundred thousand Dragon Coins for him to spend freely.

In the furnaces of Outer Heaven Divine Mountain, he could refine billions of Dragon Coins in a single batch. These coins were worthless to him; their true value lied in being used by others. As long as people used them, in some sense, they were under his control. If he wished to profit, it would be easy for him to sweep up all the wealth accumulated by the people of Great Ming since its foundation under Emperor Hongwu.

Of course, he didn't care for such so-called wealth; he sought the power to macro-manage, extracting the wealth from officials and rich merchants, and redistributing it again to the lower classes of the Great Ming Dynasty.

The way of Heaven takes from the surplus to supplement the insufficient; the way of humanity takes from the insufficient to benefit the surplus.

When a society develops over time, wealth will automatically concentrate in the hands of a few. The more wealth they hold, the greater their capacity for gain and the faster they accumulate, reaching a point where social collapse triggers the dynastic cycle.

Everyone tries to seize benefits for themselves from their positions, which is the human way.

Shi Feiyang sought to enact the way of Heaven at a higher level, to perform wealth transference.

If he succeeded, countless lives would be saved unknowingly, sparing thousands from the fate of starving, succumbing to illness or freezing to death, or being slain by the sword.

The Emei Sect accumulated Outer Skills, often boasting of three thousand or even a hundred thousand good deeds. The good deeds Shi Feiyang aimed to achieve were countless!

The so-called luxury items he had brought to Central Earth were considered extravagant here, but they were all "renewable resources."

A millennium-old Clam Clan could grow two to three meters in length, doted on and nourished by its people, and while cultivating, it would produce pearls. In just over a decade, when the clamshell was opened, a basket could be filled with various pearls, with each pigeon egg-sized pearl taking just a decade to cultivate in the tens of thousands. They had no real value.

The Treasure Beads offered as tribute to Shi Feiyang by the Clam Clan were Five-Colored Ruyi Beads over five thousand years old, the size of a teacup's mouth, glowing faintly in the dark, capable of housing a Second Primordial Spirit. There were only a few such pearls in the entire Clam Clan, and these were truly precious.

Although the cultivation of pearls consumed some Essence Blood Power, the supply of daily Spiritual Energy within the clan was far more abundant. Though it was called "cultivation," these were merely by-products of their Inner Core cultivation, and it did not burden them. Instead, their progress was faster than those who cultivated earnestly without support.

The same went for the coral trees. The Merfolk cast spells to nurture large numbers of coral insects to "plant" the coral trees, and in just a few years, they could grow to be meters tall.

As for various Divine Woods, with the thick daily essence and superior soil on Outer Heaven Divine Mountain, all plants grew wildly. Even the Crystal Jade Divine Wood could reach a height of one meter in a year!

Shi Feiyang, using these "luxury items" to extract gold and silver and to issue Dragon Coins, had the rich merchants gleefully bringing them home for their collections. In a few years, these would continually devalue and their wealth would progressively shrink.

Of course, Shi Feiyang would come up with new schemes after several years...

Shi Feiyang was informed by his subordinates: "A taoist nun has entered the East Market, she doesn't seem to be an ordinary person."

He had anticipated that Cultivators would come. He instructed the bank clerks to continue the accounts as he went out to the East Market, quickly spotting Xu Feiniang.

Xu Feiniang saw him as well.

The two had actually met in the past, even clashed briefly, when Shi Feiyang was in Qinling acquiring the Three Yangs One Qi Sword and the Azure Clam Bottle, but the occasion was hasty and they did not recognize each other.

Now that they met again, Xu Feiniang still carried the same grace, and Shi Feiyang remained unchanged.

Guests deserve a welcome. Shi Feiyang approached and spoke to Xu Feiniang, "Could you be Daoist Xu from the Wutai Sect?"

Regarding Shi Feiyang, the Wutai Sect was divided into two camps: one, including the Mahayana Venerable Sikong Zhan and Datura Monk, believed that because Shi Feiyang had killed Wutai Sect Disciples, he was an enemy of the Wutai Sect and must be avenged at all costs.

Xu Feiniang, however, strongly disagreed with the others and wanted to persuade him to join her in opposing the Emei Sect. The Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor was too flexible, constantly wavering in the middle.

"So is the Dragon Emperor from Outer Heaven Divine Mountain present in person? I've long admired your renowned reputation, and meeting you today is truly a fortune of many lifetimes."

Xu Feiniang was very polite and enthusiastic. She smiled before speaking to anyone who was not from the Emei Sect, and her sincerity seemed so authentic that unless one could master divination to foretell her true motives and plans in advance, one would inevitably be moved by her charm.

Shi Feiyang invited Xu Feiniang to the guest hall for tea. They made small talk, testing each other, but not delving deep.

Xu Feiniang brought up the topic of Shi Feiyang helping her to kill Zhu Hong and even taking down Sun Fu and Hu Shi: "Afterward, my senior brother and I used Innate Divine Skill to reanalyze and found that Zhu Hong's rebellious Gua Xiang was unusual. After extensive investigation, we realized that Zhu Hong had long harbored treacherous intentions and even planned to steal treasures and betray his master. Had he succeeded, our Sect Leader brother's life would have been in jeopardy, and the Wutai Sect would have been utterly defeated! As for Sun Fu and Hu Shi, those two scoundrels! Even if you had not acted, we ourselves would have eventually had to clean house!"

Killing these three people became a thorn between Shi Feiyang and the Wutai Sect.

In reality, although the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor had set teachings to restrain his disciples and those rules had the appearance of a prestigious sect, the enforcement was far from strict. Turning a blind eye to the descendants' misconduct became commonplace over time, and the teachings were no longer taken seriously. Cases like Yue Qinyin, Sun Fu, and Hu Shi using children's Life Souls for Sword Refining would have been stopped by the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor if he had seen it, but others did not see anything wrong with it, and cleaning house was easier said than done.

However, Xu Feiniang raised this issue with her status, clearly showing her stance; she sought to eliminate the distance with Shi Feiyang for better cooperation in the future.

Their basis for cooperation was not like-mindedness, but rather a common enemy in the Emei Sect.

Today, Xu Feiniang's words effectively turned that page.

Then, Xu Feiniang proposed selling goods in the Immortal Market: "I see that the shops there all have a set of courtyards. Could you arrange a courtyard for our Wutai Sect as well so that we can trade here more conveniently?"

Shi Feiyang had considered that Sword Immortals would come here to trade and had reserved a place in advance. However, he never expected the first application for residency would be from the Wutai Sect.

He asked Xu Feiniang, "What does my Dao friend wish to sell?"

Xu Feiniang took out five Immortal Swords, her fingers lightly trembling, and the five swords vibrated and wailed simultaneously, emitting a cold, bluish-green glow: "These five Immortal Swords have been nurtured and refined by me for several hundred years. Now that the Hundred Spirits Immortal-Slaying Sword is ready for use, I'll bring them out for sale in your Immortal Market."

Shi Feiyang was surprised to see that she wanted to sell swords, but the gesture was significant indeed.

The swordsmanship of the Wutai Sect was famous throughout the world, and Xu Feiniang was a grandmaster-level figure. Her Immortal Swords, nurtured for hundreds of years, though azure in color, were no less powerful than the white or golden light of other sects, and being a set of five, there were few in the world that could match them.

"Just one of these is too few to sell, so I'll sell this too."

Xu Feiniang then took out a Jade Box, opened it, and the white ointment inside immediately filled the entire hall with fragrance.

She had acquired from Xiankong Ancestor a box of Spiritual Jade Paste capable of knitting flesh and mending bones, a product of ten-thousand years. As a profound master of medicinal properties, she added one hundred and eight types of Immortal Grass Spiritual Medicine and performed Sacrificial Refinement with civil and military talismans in a Pill Furnace for thirteen years, turning one box into three and significantly enhancing the effectiveness. It was capable of regenerating bones and bringing the dead to life.

Shi Feiyang held Yin Yang Creation Glue, which was only slightly superior in effect. To others, this medicine was a life-saving Spiritual Medicine, a priceless treasure, indeed precious since even the Emei Sect did not possess it.

By offering Immortal Swords and Spiritual Medicine for sale, Xu Feiniang was truly showing support.

Shi Feiyang had created the Mingyu Immortal Market and minted Dragon Coins with humans in mind, but also hoping they'd be useful to Sword Immortals of the world. Nonetheless, since Sword Immortals often had their own way of doing things and might not follow his guidelines, how successful it would turn out to be was a matter of man's planning and heaven's decision.

Now, Xu Feiniang representing the Wutai Sect intending to set up a trading courtyard and offering such valuable items as goods was genuinely full of goodwill.

Shi Feiyang immediately took Xu Feiniang to the North City.

The Mingyu Immortal Market had four gates, dividing into four sections: businesses from Outer Heaven Divine Mountain were in West Market; those from the Great Ming Dynasty were in East Market; both catered to luxury goods.

The South Market was more geared towards the common people, selling grains, seafood, cured meats, coal, iron, wood, stone.

The North Market was meant for Sword Immortals, with larger estates, each with front and back yards, and more elegant decor. Each courtyard had at least one landscaped garden.

There was already a business set up here called "Outer Heaven Immortal Medicine," run by Jiang Dachuan, offering various medicines produced on Outer Heaven Divine Mountain, as well as ready-made pills and ointments for curing illnesses and nurturing qi.

Upon seeing the rare Immortal Homeopathic Medicines, Xu Feiniang was tempted to open a branch to sell swords and medicines.

After touring the area with Shi Feiyang, they chose a courtyard next to "Outer Heaven Immortal Medicine," the prime location Jiang Dachuan had selected.

Shi Feiniang asked Xu Feiniang, "You can bring some disciples to manage the business here. The Flying Swords and Spiritual Medicine you wish to sell are extremely rare and limited in quantity. You could set a price and display them for sale, or you could have them auctioned. However, as we don't have many Sword Immortals coming to buy yet, if they fall into the hands of mortals, it would be like casting pearls before swine."

Xu Feiniang understood his meaning, "I will stay here for now and find people to handle it later. As for how to sell, I already have a plan in mind."

Dealing with a clever person was indeed a pleasure. Shi Feiyang, hearing this, smiled and said, "Then I wish my Dao friend prosperous business ahead."

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