Jujutsu: Eight Magical Skills At The Beginning, Admission Is A Special Level

Chapter 15: Making a Profit

The gates of the Wei Mansion were tightly closed, keeping Zhu Kui outside.

Wei Mao declined Zhu Kui's visit, using the excuse that it was already late in the day. The gifts on the carriage didn't even catch a glimpse of Wei Mao's face before being taken back the way they came.

"Big cousin, we're all relatives, why be so cold? Building connections is always beneficial," Lu Bei asked curiously on the path in the backyard.

Wei Mao's expression was cold but his heart was warm. He was not ignorant of proper etiquette. His attitude towards Zhu Kui just now clearly showed that he wanted to keep his distance and send him away.

"He is a distant relative of your senior sister Zhu, not a relative of mine. Similarly, he is not your relative either," Wei Mao emphasized, then continued, "Zhu Kui's business and alchemy prescriptions have a partnership. They provide a large amount of raw materials needed for alchemy. Your senior sister Zhu is in charge of the alchemy accounts and also has a distant relative relationship. It's even more important for her to avoid suspicion."

Moreover, with your senior sister's absent-mindedness, if someone tries to exploit the family relationship, she will most likely fall into a trap.

"In that case, he's quite impressive, doing such a big business," Lu Bei remarked.

"His uncle is the magistrate of Qi County."

"..."

So practical!

Lu Bei rolled his eyes. "Big cousin, judging by Zhu Kui's name, he should have given up his power. How does he still have an official uncle?"

"There are always exceptions."

When mentioning the magistrate Zhu Ting, Wei Mao spoke with a hint of admiration. "It's not related to one's background. Some people, even if they give up their status, can still climb to high positions based on their abilities."

"In that case, big cousin, you shouldn't have turned your cold shoulder to him."

Lu Bei worriedly said, "Maybe he will badmouth you in front of the magistrate and cause trouble for you."

"It doesn't matter. I follow the command of the county officer, and the relationship between the county officer and the magistrate is average."

"..."

So that's why he's avoiding suspicion.

...

On the other side, inside the departing carriage, Zhu Kui's face was gloomy and uncertain.

Wei Mao's not-so-subtle rejection was within his expectations, but Lu Bei's attitude left him puzzled. Lu Bei's smile was insincere, and his gaze seemed to be that of a passerby.

Three months ago, he used his uncle Zhu Ting's connections to push out the original supplier of the Alchemy Room and successfully took over the business.

In just two months, he made a profit through small operations that lowered the quality of the raw materials.

Not much, just making a profit from the price difference.

Those who do business understand that making a profit from the price difference is like losing money to gain fame, equivalent to being busy for nothing.

As for the impact of the decline in raw materials...

Apart from the difficulty in refining high-quality elixirs, there was no other effect.

The elixirs produced by the Great Victory Pass Alchemy Room were not high-level. They mainly consisted of "Qi Accumulation Pills" and "Blood Replenishing Pills." The Extreme Monarch Sect kept some in stock, while the rest were distributed to various places in Eastern Qi County.

Because they were not high-level elixirs, the users were mostly low-ranking soldiers. For these people, as long as the elixirs were not useless, the quality didn't matter.

In Wu Zhou, businesses with the surname Zhu did business this way, and occasionally, other businesses not surnamed Zhu would secretly lower the quality of their raw materials for a couple of months.

It's not that there is no honesty in business, but rather that everyone is driven by self-interest. Businesspeople are all like this.

If they can do it, I can do it too. Zhu Kui earned this money without guilt.

He was not a selfish person. If there's money, everyone can earn it together. The alchemists working at the Alchemy Room all received his benefits. No one gossiped, and no one would be full and bored enough to manage how the Zhu family does business. It was basically stable.

Never did he expect that the matter would still be exposed.

A spy was sent to the Alchemy Room, and for a month, they continuously refined Spirit Opening Pills, with each bottle being a finished product. According to Lin Bohai, every pill was of impeccable quality, as if measured with a ruler.

This is not alchemy at all. Who in their right mind would continuously refine the Spirit Opening Pill for a month!

Clearly, they are conducting experiments and collecting evidence!

At first, Zhu Kui didn't take Lin Bohai's words about the undercover agent seriously. It wasn't until after some investigation and testing that he realized trouble had come knocking on his door.

Firstly, Lu Bei's origins were mysterious. He arrived at Great Victory Pass at night and, within two days, entered the Alchemy Room through Zhu Yan's introduction.

During this time, Zhu Yan even helped him with his household registration, which was suspicious.

Secondly, according to Zhu Kui's informant in the Alchemy Room, Lu Bei rarely left Great Victory Pass in the month he had been there. He had no social interactions, no entertainment, not even a single walk outside. He only went between Wei Mansion and the Alchemy Room.

What's even more terrifying is that the alchemists in the Alchemy Room repeatedly mentioned the Cloud River Tower, and some even extended invitations, but Lu Bei took no action.

There are generally two types of normal men: those who are lecherous and those who are extremely lecherous.

If a man doesn't fulfill either of these criteria, it is enough to say that he is abnormal.

As for Zhu Yan, Zhu Kui had someone inquire about him, but they only said that Lu Bei was a distant relative and refused to say anything more.

This month, Zhu Kui was on edge. Just as his supplies were running out and he was preparing to provide the Alchemy Room with normal ingredients, Lu Bei suddenly left and went to the military camp overnight.

This news was like a bolt from the blue for Zhu Kui, and then...

There was no further news.

After calming down, Zhu Kui understood.

Yes, his surname is Zhu, a Zhu from Wu Zhou. It's not like he's committing treason and losing his head. Even if they caught him, he wouldn't be severely punished. Lu Bei was probably just trying to take advantage by collecting evidence and using intimidation.

Sure enough, after a few days of surveillance outside Wei Mansion, Lu Bei appeared on his own initiative.

What puzzled Zhu Kui was that everyone understood the situation and had met face to face, so why did they refuse his gifts?

Was it not enough?

You didn't even take a look, so why say it's not enough?

Zhu Kui didn't understand. Considering that Wei Mao, who held military power, was present, he thought Wei Mao also wanted a share. He had the coachman turn the carriage around and went to the residence of the Prefect Zhu Ting.

...

The Prefect's residence.

Prefect Zhu Ting was around forty years old, with a scholarly appearance. He had a similar build to Zhu Kui, both being tall and robust.

After listening to the details of the incident, Zhu Ting, who was holding a teacup, remained calm and took a sip of hot tea. He calmly said, "I'll inform Lin Bohai from the Extreme Monarch Sect about this matter. You should recognize your mistake, make up for the deficiency, and then it will be over."

Lin Bohai was in charge of the Extreme Monarch Sect in Great Victory Pass. With his high cultivation level, Zhu Ting had a close relationship with him. The fact that the Extreme Monarch Sect could coexist peacefully with the government in Qi County had a lot to do with their close personal relationship.

"Uncle, what about the spy and Wei Mao? Are we just going to leave them alone?" Zhu Kui cautiously asked.

"Leaving them alone is definitely not an option. Tomorrow morning, go to Wei Mansion and deliver an invitation. Tomorrow night, accompany me to Bright Moon Tower to host General Wei. As for that spy..."

Zhu Ting pondered for a moment. "Give him some benefits so that he doesn't feel like he wasted his efforts. If he is still greedy, tell the Extreme Monarch Sect the truth and cut off the problem at its root."

"What about my business then?"

"Hehe."

Zhu Ting sneered twice and slammed the teacup on the table. "Don't sacrifice long-term benefits for small gains. If your business is gone, you can start again. But if your reputation is ruined, you'll have nothing left. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Uncle." Zhu Kui lowered his head and accepted the reprimand, not daring to retort.

"By the way, any news from your older brother?"

"Not yet."

Zhu Kui shook his head and added, "According to the timing, he should be back in a few days."

"When he returns, have him come see me. I have something for him to handle."

"I understand."

Zhu Kui nodded solemnly, not asking what he needed to handle. He took the invitation letter from Zhu Ting and hurriedly left the Prefect's residence.

(End of this chapter)