Title: The Truth of the Bazaar and the Shadow of Debt
The soft morning light fell into the old courtyard of the Tian family. Li Tian sat silently, eyes closed, but his mind was running at full speed.
First task—analysis.
It was a habit from his previous life.
He carefully recalled the Tian family's business structure—cloth trading, wooden works, iron tools, and daily food items. Once, all of these had generated profits, but now they were almost entirely loss-making. Low capital, heavy debt, and zero credibility in the market.
"The problem isn't the business… it's the system," Li Tian thought.
To understand the market, he went straight to the bazaar.
---
The bazaar was as noisy as ever—hawkers shouting, people bargaining, guards patrolling back and forth. Li Tian observed every shop carefully, as if he were collecting data.
And then… his eyes locked onto something.
Sugar.
"100 grams—1 silver coin," the shopkeeper said casually.
An alarm rang in Li Tian's mind.
What the hell?
By modern standards, the price was absurdly high. And it wasn't just sugar—salt was selling in almost the same range. These were daily necessities, yet they were being treated like luxury goods.
Li Tian investigated further.
The sugar production process was primitive—raw cane was burned, the juice boiled improperly, then solidified along with impurities. Low yield, high wastage.
Salt was the same story—poor evaporation methods, bad filtration, and massive losses.
"This is a complete supply chain failure," Li Tian calculated internally.
Low efficiency + high labor + low output = high price.
A quiet idea began to take shape in his mind.
Reduce cost.
Improve process.
Capture the market.
But it wasn't time yet.
He returned home, his head filled with plans.
---
The moment he entered the Tian family's main hall, the air turned heavy.
Several people were seated there—black robes, sharp eyes, cold smiles.
Loan sharks.
Their leader was casually drinking tea, as if this were his own house.
"The Tian family's interest is due," he said slowly.
"You were given three days. Today is the last day."
Li Tian's father's uncle stood there with folded hands, his voice trembling.
"Please… give us a little more time…"
The loan shark laughed. "Time? Time is money."
Li Tian silently observed them.
Faces. Body language. Tone.
Violence was not an option—for now, he decided.
Money was the solution.
He stepped forward calmly and said,
"Give us three days. You'll get the money—with interest."
Silence filled the hall.
The loan shark looked at him—a thin nineteen-year-old boy in simple clothes.
"Who are you?"
Li Tian's eyes were calm, but behind them was solid confidence.
"The future of this house."
The loan shark stared at him for a moment, then smiled.
"Three days. If you're even one day late… cloth, wood, iron—everything becomes ours."
As they left, Li Tian took a deep breath.
Three days.
Sugar.
Salt.
Process.
Market.
Li Tian clenched his fist.
"The first battle won't be through cultivation… but through economics."
And in this battle,
he knew how to win.