Chapter 260 - 258: Pharmacy Site Selection
The Big Pharmacy project was an important extension of the Yang Family’s Spirit Plant business.
The nature of the Spirit Plant Inheritance meant they were better suited for a boutique approach. This, in turn, dictated that they had to focus on traditional medicine.
In terms of production volume, they couldn’t possibly compare to large pharmaceutical companies. Those companies had cultivation bases spanning thousands, even tens of thousands of acres. Lin Yuebai had mentioned long ago that when it came to industrialized supplements, those companies didn’t care about "boutique quality." They just dumped ingredients by the ton into intake funnels to extract the active components. They were on a completely different path.
To leverage the value of their high-quality products, they had to delve into traditional medicine, establish a Big Pharmacy, and, just like the old Jinkang, focus on both service and product.
This would significantly increase their profit margins and added value, while also further concealing the unusually high efficiency of their Spirit Plant Inheritance.
Take the Qi Gathering Vine, for example. The raw, dried material was already quite valuable, priced at around 20,000 per vine. However, one complete Qi Gathering Vine, combined with a few thousand in auxiliary ingredients and production costs, could be used to create thirty portions of supplements. Selling each portion for 3,000 wouldn’t be unreasonable.
Even after factoring in store and labor costs, the profits were in a different league compared to simply supplying raw materials.
Once Yang Shen made his decision, the current Yang Family had plenty of people to get things done.
Yang Shen entrusted Yuan Rui with handling the site selection.
And Yuan Rui, in turn, had more than enough people working under him.
The ascendant Yang’s Disciples immediately began scouting for suitable storefronts near Jiangti. Some students from well-off families even tried to leverage their personal connections.
They called on everyone they knew, from uncles to older-brother figures. At the very least, they spent time staking out locations and counting foot traffic. Yuan Rui even hired professional shop assessors.
In just a few days, they had gathered incredibly detailed feedback.
Yuan Rui took Yang Shen to a street by Jiangti’s back gate. Lin Yuebai came along too; she was even more invested in this than Yang Shen.
"Master, although this is the back gate, it’s right next to Jiangti’s largest dormitory area. The main gate is grander, but it faces a major road with no commercial activity. This street is Jiangti’s main commercial district."
Yang Shen really wasn’t familiar with the area, mainly because he didn’t live on campus or participate in many social activities.
In truth, this back street was indeed the Jiangti students’ "street of joy"—it was where they went for all their food, drinks, and entertainment.
"The best part is, this street doesn’t just serve Jiangti. It’s also a relatively famous commercial street in all of Jianghuai. There are several residential communities nearby, so it’s packed with people even during the winter and summer breaks. It’s the most suitable location."
Yang Shen nodded in satisfaction. The place wasn’t run-down; on the contrary, it was quite fashionable. With the cultural cachet of Jiangti added in, it could even be considered a trendy photo-op spot for social media.
Lin Yuebai’s eyes lit up. This was worlds better than her old sheet-metal shop.
’If I could have a magnificent pharmacy in a place like this, I could die happy...’
Lin Yuebai gently shook Yang Shen’s arm. "Patriarch, this place... let’s choose this place..."
Yuan Rui said, "There’s a huge deficit in supplements for Jiangti students. Even with the school’s Medicine Hall, the demand can’t be fully met. The overflow alone is enough to keep many companies well-fed."
"Patriarch, this place... come on, this place..."
Yuan Rui continued, "At the same time, this location has symbolic value. Many legendary, time-honored traditional medicine brands started their legacies here. Establishing ourselves here would give us a sense of deep heritage and prestige."
"Patriarch, this place... I’m begging you..."
Yang Shen rolled his eyes and pulled his arm out of Lin Yuebai’s grasp.
’Are you a broken record?’
His considerations were more sober. "I assume the rent isn’t cheap, is it?"
Yang Shen had made some inquiries. The rent in a top-tier commercial district like this could be staggering, far beyond what a small-time investor going all-in could afford. For some of the best spots, the monthly rent could be several hundred thousand, a serious premium.
Plenty of popular shops had been driven out of business by the exorbitant rent, but there were always people willing to jump in and gamble.
Besides, a Big Pharmacy would require a lot of space. The Yang Family had money, but they still had to consider the return on their investment.
Otherwise, they’d just be working for the landlord.
Yuan Rui smiled confidently and bowed to Yang Shen. "Rest assured, Master. With the experience from Cangwu Garden, we’ve learned exactly how to bring the price down."
Yang Shen: ...
"We’ve targeted a shop. Right now, we’re ’building a relationship’ with the owner. For instance, we’re investigating any indecent behavior, whether he evaded taxes or pulled strings when he acquired the shop, and which school his kid attends."
"Don’t worry, it’s all out of the disciples’ purest goodwill. It’s no trouble at all."
’Some "building a relationship" that is.’
"Uh... we don’t necessarily have to ruin the guy’s life, do we?"
Yuan Rui said calmly, "We found out that his son has fallen for some punk girl who has him completely wrapped around her finger. He’s stopped practicing his Martial Arts and quit going to school. They’re a well-off family, and yet their only son got a restraining hoop tattooed on his ass and was almost tricked by that girl into getting a vasectomy."
"By the time we’re done, he’ll be thanking us nonstop. We’re just helping him save face."
Yang Shen gave him a thumbs-up. ’Just look at this guy.’
’Truly a top talent cultivated by the Yanhua Martial Arts Education system.’
’Such a way with words!’
The shop Yuan Rui mentioned was about 400 square meters. It came with a "rent the first floor, get the second floor free" deal, for a total of 800 square meters that they could renovate together.
The first floor would be for sales, and the second for consultations and prescriptions. It was a very logical layout.
Renovating a traditional pharmacy was a considerable expense, but contracting it out to a construction team Cao Wei’s family was familiar with would guarantee both quality and quantity. The total construction period would be about two months, with an estimated total investment of around 5 million.
It would probably be incredibly luxurious when finished.
If you’re going the boutique route, you must have class. A lot of class.
As for the current shop owner, Yuan Rui said he was in the car door refurbishment business, but the sign outside advertised medical aesthetics.
’Hmm... that must have been the previous-previous owner. Yuan Rui must have gotten it wrong.’
He took one last look around the empty shop, then said, "Xiaobai will be in charge of the technical side. You, handle the business matters. But don’t let it interfere with your cultivation. On Cyan Blue, Martial Arts reign supreme. Don’t lose sight of what’s most important."
Yuan Rui bowed. "I have more students available to help now, so it won’t take up too much of my time."
"When will you break through to the Innate Realm?"
Yuan Rui smiled, his expression a mix of three parts confidence, three parts nonchalance, and ninety-three parts filial piety—enough to be featured in a textbook titled "How to Be a Good Disciple."
The missing point was so he could continue being filial for a long, long time.
"Master, rest assured, I have never slacked in my cultivation. With the Sun Wheel Body Refining Technique, I am fully confident I can do it by the end of this month."
Yang Shen nodded in satisfaction. That wasn’t too late.
Even at Jiangti, reaching the Innate Realm in the first semester of freshman year would definitely put you in the top 10%. For many of the ’loan Warriors’ who took on debt for their training, this was a threshold they wouldn’t reach until before graduation.
Yuan Rui was currently in the middle of the year’s rankings, but only because the rules limited him to advancing a maximum of 150 spots at a time.
Out in society, the Early Innate Stage was already a realm sufficient to establish oneself, whether for taking the civil service exams, starting a business, or finding a job.
Back then, there was Jin Wu from Jinkang Pharmacy. His father’s generation had sold counterfeit medicine and never recovered after being exposed by Lin Yuebai’s grandfather. The fact that Jin Wu was later able to slowly get back on his feet was largely thanks to his Innate Realm cultivation.
A Martial Certificate is a person’s stepping stone. You can be a weakling, but you can’t be without one.
But as a True Disciple of the Yang Family, and the eldest disciple at that, this was far from enough.
Yang Shen had expectations for Yuan Rui, and they were quite strict.
"During the final exams, the rules for challenging the rankings will be more relaxed. I expect to see you in Class One."
Yuan Rui: "Rest assured, Master. I will do my utmost, all to make it more convenient to serve you at zero distance in the future."
And just like that, the location for the Big Pharmacy was decided.
A brighter future was beckoning to the Yang Family.
A week after Yang Shen returned to Jianghuai, just as he finally finished handling all the family’s development plans...
At the same time, a plane that had crossed the Vast Sea finally landed at the airport in Jianghuai.
It brought back some very impactful news.
————
At the military airport, several pale-faced Jiangti students walked down the ramp.
"To make an Innate Realm Martial Artist like me throw up from turbulence... I have to hand it to this military pilot’s skills."
"Ah! Land! Even the wind on land smells better than the sea breeze!"
These few were among those who had gone to Harmony Island with Yang Shen. They were also Xu Mo’s students.
They had been on the island for a month and a half and had finally managed to get a chance to return.
As for Xu Mo himself, his research on Curse Engravings had already yielded significant results. In theory, it would have been more convenient to bring the samples back to Yanhua, where the equipment was more advanced and comprehensive.
But the appearance of the River of Calamity and Pestilence had piqued his interest, so he made a last-minute decision to stay behind and start a new project on-site.
He had already formed an exploration team with a small group of experts and chased the River of Calamity and Pestilence for several hundred kilometers. So, these students of his were sent to escort the various research results back first.
Curse Engraving data, the ashes of dead creatures, soil and water samples—all sorts of miscellaneous things.
Compared to a specially invited individual like Yang Shen, their procedures were much more complicated. After landing, they had to go through a round of inventory checks, a round of debriefings, and a round of approvals. It took them more than half a day before they finally returned to Jiangti.
A graduate student senior said, "Oh right, didn’t Yang Shen get back a while ago? Should we ask him out for a meal?"
"That’ll be tough. We’re not actually that close. We were all on the island before, but he was stationed at the Noon Realm."
"Isn’t this about latching onto a rising star? We’re witnessing the rise of a genius right before our eyes."
"That’s true. Especially now that the airport is built, all the countries have been conducting intensive personnel rotations. The first batch of people who were stuck there for half a year has scattered. It won’t be long before word of Yang Shen’s achievements gets out."
Incinerating the River of Calamity and Pestilence... killing an Early-stage True Gang expert... and he’s only 18 years old.
In fact, after Yang Shen left...
Among the people from all nations on Harmony Island, including big shots who were stronger and had higher realms than him, Yang Shen had gained a new title—one that was both simple and bombastic.
"Yanhua’s Number One Genius."
This title was rapidly spreading to every corner of the globe along with the large-scale personnel rotations on Harmony Island...
This wasn’t some grassroots rumor passed by word-of-mouth; it was a genuine acknowledgment from the upper echelons of various nations.
The implications of this would soon stir up a storm.
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