"Auntie Bai, have you heard?" a woman whispered conspiratorially to her friend as they sorted through vegetables in the market. "Behind the town square, there's a boy… he's selling the most amazing cosmetic items, and they're so much cheaper than the ones at the grand shops!"
Auntie Bai, a portly woman with a skeptical frown, looked up. "Don't be a fool, Meilin. A boy? What would he know? It's probably just colored mud."
"It's not!" a third woman, younger and more excited, chimed in. "I bought some yesterday! He calls one the 'Crimson Kiss Rouge' and the other 'Moonlight Veil Powder.' The quality is wonderful! My husband said I haven't looked so pretty in years!"
Meilin nodded vigorously. "It's true! I was so jealous seeing the Magistrate's daughter with her makeup every day. Now, even we can afford to look beautiful!"
It had been one week since Li Xuan started his business. The rumor mill of Yan Town was now his greatest marketing tool.
At his small spot on a cloth laid over an old crate, Li Xuan was the picture of innocence, surrounded by a crowd of eager women.
"Kid, the price for this… 'lipstick'… is too high," a sharp-faced woman declared, holding one of the small, bamboo-cased rouges. "I'll give you two and a half coppers. Maximum."
Li Xuan looked up, his blurry eyes still giving him the appearance of a lost, harmless child. "Big Sister," he said, his voice soft but clear. "The price is four coppers. This is my special price, just for the exceptionally pretty sisters like you. You could call it a beauty tax." He then smiled, a small, innocent smile. "Of course, if you admit you're not that pretty, I suppose I could give it to you for three coppers."
The woman's jaw dropped. She was caught. To save one copper, she would have to publicly admit she wasn't beautiful. After a moment of sputtering, she scoffed. "You… you smooth-talking little brat! Fine!" She slammed four copper coins onto the cloth. "I'll take it! After all, my heart is as beautiful as my face!"
As she walked away, Li Xuan turned to the next lady in line. "Big Sister, for you, three coppers."
The second lady, having heard the entire exchange, puffed out her chest indignantly. "What do you take me for? Am I less pretty than her?" She slapped five copper coins down. "Here! Take five! One is a tip for your good eye. My heart is obviously far more generous!"
Li Xuan's lips curled into a smile he hid by looking down at his earnings. If anyone could see the true expression on his face, they would think he was a god watching a particularly amusing comedy.
By the end of the day, his small pouch was heavy with coins. In just one week, through sheer cunning, he had earned three silver coins.
'Mortals,' he thought, his internal voice dripping with a cold, analytical amusement. 'They are such beautifully simple creatures. Frame any decision around their vanity, and they will fight each other to give you their money.'
The 'Wood Life Sutra' took care of his hunger, drawing energy directly from the air. Now, with real money, he could finally start living.
His success had not gone unnoticed. The other merchants in the market, who had initially ignored the beggar boy, now watched him with a mixture of awe and fear. These same women, who now happily threw their money at Li Xuan, would haggle with them until they cried tears of blood over a single copper.
As Li Xuan packed up his cloth, the fruit seller from the next stall over, a kind old man named Wei, shuffled over. "Boy, you really have a talent," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You made Madam Feng cough up five copper coins. She argued with me for an hour to save half a copper on an apple." He handed Li Xuan a large, red apple. "Here. My treat. You've earned it."
Li Xuan accepted the apple with a slight nod, a flicker of a smile on his face. "Thank you, Old Man Wei. As for talent… it's simple. If you can understand what your customer truly desires, not just what they need, you will be a successful businessman."
Old Man Wei blinked, stunned by the profound, sage-like advice coming from a seven-year-old. He just nodded slowly and walked back to his stall.
Li Xuan took a bite of the apple. The sweet, crisp taste was a welcome change. His business acumen wasn't a talent. It was experience. In his time as a god, he'd isekai'd countless souls. He had watched with detached curiosity as some of them became business tycoons, building inter-dimensional corporations from nothing. He had learned a great deal by watching their shows.
Now, with three silver coins clutched in his hand, it was time for the next phase. It was time to fix the broken tools he'd been given.
He walked away from the market, his destination clear. He was heading towards the grandest apothecary in Yan Town. The one place with the high-grade herbs he needed.
It was time to see if a beggar's fortune was enough to buy back his sight.