Yunyan Pavilion.
Li Mu sat in the guest seat in a private room. The shopkeeper served him tea with a flattering expression and said politely, "Young Master, please have some tea."
Li Mu took a sip of the tea. The aroma of the tea was clear and refreshing, and his mouth was full of sweetness. It was obviously a high-quality tea. Compared to the tea here, the tea that Old Wang treated him to at the yamen was no different from boiled grass.
The middle-aged shopkeeper stood up and bowed to him. "I was blind just now and almost caused a pearl to be covered in dust. I hope Young Master will not blame me."
Yunyan Pavilion was the last bookstore that Li Mu visited. Originally, he had been rejected, but for some reason, just as Li Mu was about to leave, the shopkeeper chased after him. His attitude was completely different from before.
Could it be that he had finally discovered the value of "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" and was ready to discuss a collaboration with him?
The shopkeeper's face was full of smiles as he explained, "I have just read your book. Every word is like a gem, touching and thought-provoking. I wonder if you are interested in working with the House of Yunyan?"
Other than this bookstore, the other bookstores either guided Li Mu on how to write a book or suggested that he directly cut it off. Li Mu had no other choice.
He directly asked the question that concerned him the most. "How is the remuneration calculated?"
The shopkeeper explained, "A volume of ten thousand words costs two to one tael of silver per volume. After printing, after deducting the printing and labor costs, the profits will be split 40-60. Young Master will take 40%. In addition, Young Master can choose to sell it to us directly. The price is ten taels of silver per volume. The risk of printing will be borne by the bookstore, but the profits will go to the bookstore. Of course, Young Master can also sell one volume first and make a decision later. We will provide you with many choices …"
Before submitting the book, Li Mu had studied the market in detail.
The price that the shopkeeper of Yunyan Pavilion gave him was not low. Ten taels of silver per volume could only be obtained by famous authors who had previously written best-selling works. For a newbie like him who had just entered the industry and had no representative works, even if he painstakingly wrote ten thousand words, he would only earn a few taels of silver.
Could it be that this shopkeeper really had a pair of discerning eyes and could tell that "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" would definitely sell well?
Li Mu thought about it and decided to sell a scroll to test the waters.
There was a risk in splitting the profits directly. If the sales were not good after one volume was printed, the bookstore might directly cut the profits. At that time, he would only get two to one tael of silver, which was not even enough to buy the materials for the talisman.
However, if he were to sell them all at the price of ten silver taels per scroll, he would lose a lot of money if the book became popular.
The best way was to sell one volume first, observe the market, and make a follow-up decision after the market test.
After thinking it through, Li Mu looked at the shopkeeper and said, "Then let's sell one scroll first."
The shopkeeper nodded and said, "I will go draw up the contract …"
Selling the first volume of "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" for ten silver taels had already greatly exceeded Li Mu's expectations. The shopkeeper was a person who knew the value of the book. The other bookstores either asked him for the outline of the main plot or directly asked him to cut it …
Li Mu planned to return the ten silver taels to Liu Hanyan first. Even blood brothers settled accounts clearly. The favor could be slowly repaid in the future. It was better to return the money as soon as possible.
After signing the contract, Li Mu took the ten silver taels and planned to go back to cook.
Liu Hanyan had entrusted Wanwan to him. Since he had promised her, he had to keep his word.
After Li Mu left the Yunyan Pavilion, the shopkeeper slowly walked upstairs and knocked on the door. He said, "Miss, everything has been arranged. We gave him the highest price …"
Through the window, a graceful figure could be seen in the room. The woman stood in front of the window and looked down at the figure on the street below. She said, "In the future, if he has any requests, try to satisfy them. As for the manuscript, he can hand it in whenever he wants. Don't rush him."
"I know." The shopkeeper sighed and couldn't help but say, "But this way, we will lose a lot of money …"
The woman said without hesitation, "Just do as I say."
The middle-aged shopkeeper could only agree helplessly.
After all, he was just a worker, and the entire bookstore belonged to her. Not to mention giving the poor scholar preferential treatment, as long as she was willing, she could even give the store to him.
However, what he couldn't understand was that if the young lady had read the scholar's essay, it would have been fine. However, she didn't even read it before asking him to chase him back and give him the best treatment … Could it be that the young lady had taken a liking to that scholar's man?
Thinking about it carefully, it wasn't impossible. After all, although the scholar's essay was ordinary, he was indeed handsome. If the woman liked him …
The shopkeeper secretly told himself that he must be more polite to that person in the future. Otherwise, in the future, if he whispered pillow talk beside the woman, he was afraid that he would have to pack up and go home …
Li Mu's luck was good today. Just the first volume of Strange Stories sold for ten taels of silver. Even if the market's response wasn't good, he could still copy something else.
He first went home, and then went out with Wanwan to buy some vegetables, a fish, and a chicken before returning home.
Liu Hanyan was busy with the store during the day and would only come back in the afternoon. Li Mu made a small fortune and planned to cook a good meal in the evening to thank her for taking care of him these days.
At noon, Li Mu and Wanwan cooked some simple noodles. Li Mu ate a bowl, and Wanwan ate three bowls.
The little maid's appetite was big, but she couldn't be considered slim. Her oval-shaped face was round, and she was just right for being fat. Even so, it was enough to make Liu Hanyan envious.
She had been dieting for a long time to achieve her current figure. Once she ate freely, it would be difficult to maintain her figure.
This was also the reason why she was so obsessed with the Youthful Talisman. When he wrote the talisman for Wanwan yesterday, there were still a lot of materials left. Li Mu returned to his room and flipped open the book with Zhu Sha and Cheng Mo. He found the page of the Youthful Talisman and silently recited the Clear Heart Chant.
Yesterday, when he was writing the talisman, Li Mu found another use of the Clear Heart Chant.
Other than helping him to clear his mind and resist the temptation of illusions, when he recited the Clear Heart Chant, he would be in absolute sage mode. His mind would be incomparably focused, and it would be difficult for him to be distracted by external things.
In this state of extreme concentration, when he memorized words and talismans, he would almost have an eidetic memory.
Li Mu looked at the Youthful Talisman and recorded it stroke by stroke in his mind. After closing his eyes for a long time, he opened them again and quickly wrote on the paper. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, there was a piece of Fu-lu in his hand that contained mana.
Yesterday, he used a whole hour to write the Soul-Locking Talisman and failed countless times. Today, when he was writing the Youthful Talisman, he only failed three times. He mainly saved time on learning and familiarizing himself with the talismans.
In his mind, there were various Taoist mantras and incantations that had endless uses. He still had to slowly explore them in the future.
After dinner, Wanwan took the initiative to clean up the dishes. Li Mu went straight back to the yamen.
In the afternoon, the weather was hot and stuffy, so they usually stayed in the guard room. Li Mu continued to read the introductory cultivation book. Li Qing had a mission and was not in the yamen. Zhang Shan went to Old Wang's guard room to wash away the humiliation. Li Si, whose day and night were reversed, was lying on the table and dozing off as usual.
What was recorded in this book was only some shallow basics of cultivation. The more profound spells and supernatural powers were regarded as secret scriptures by the major sects. It was not easy to come into contact with them.
However, with his current insignificant cultivation, he could only use some shallow spells. The most important thing right now was to condense his soul and save his life.
After leaving the yamen, Li Mu originally wanted to invite Zhang Shan and Li Si to go home for dinner. Li Si refused, saying that he had something to do. Zhang Shan wanted to go home to accompany his wife. Li Mu went home alone.
As he walked, he considered the matter of cultivation.
Now that the first soul had been condensed, he should be able to prepare for the second soul. As for which soul to condense, Li Mu had already decided in his heart.
Su He did not mean it, but Li Mu listened attentively. He did not want to hear the words "calm in the bosom" from anyone in the future.
For a man, being described in such a way was the greatest humiliation.
However, the Sparrow Shade was born from sorrow. It was easy for others to be grateful to him, but how could he make others feel sorrow, grief, mourning, and pity for him?
He could not always pretend to be pitiful in front of Liu Hanyan. In the past, when they were not close, Li Mu could still suck her. Now that they were so close, Li Mu could not do it.
When he was about to reach the door, Li Mu raised his head and saw a familiar figure standing at the door. She looked in the direction of the yamen and raised her head in anticipation.
Seeing Liu Hanyan wave at him from afar, Li Mu's heart actually moved.
If he could have a woman like this waiting for him to come home every day when he went to the yamen, then the hardships and tiredness outside would not be a big deal.
It was a pity that a woman like her, who was worth dozens of taels of silver every minute, was not destined to play the role of a wife.
Li Mu walked to the door. Liu Hanyan saw him coming and smiled. "The food is ready. Come in and eat …"
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