Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The Ye Family’s Counterattack
The banquet continued late into the night before the guests finally began to depart one by one.
Lin Xiong, Hua Luoxuan, and the others naturally stayed until the very end, leaving with the members of the Ye family.
As for the Wang and Zhou families, they had lost so much face they couldn’t bear to stay and had left halfway through the banquet.
On the way, Ye Zhanxiong and the others were in complete awe of Ye Xuan. "Xuan’Er," he exclaimed, "it’s true that one must look at a man with new eyes after just a few days apart. It’s hard to believe you even healed Commander Hei Zhuo’s injuries so easily. How did you know there was a problem with the Wang family’s Nourishing Vein Pill?"
"That’s right, Young Master Xuan. To be honest, even I couldn’t see anything wrong with that Nourishing Vein Pill," Hua Luoxuan added with a wry smile.
Ye Xuan snorted softly. "It was a real Nourishing Vein Pill, and it wasn’t poisoned."
"What?" The expressions of the others changed drastically, looking utterly bewildered.
Ye Xuan chuckled slyly. "Since I was the one who could cure Hei Zhuo’s condition, why should I let the Wang family get the credit? Isn’t it much better to get a few market stalls for free? Besides, now the Wang and Zhou families’ reputation in Leng Tian’s eyes has hit rock bottom."
Hua Luoxuan gave another wry smile. "Young Master Xuan, you’re the first person I’ve seen who dares to pull tricks in front of City Lord Leng Tian. The reason he could become the City Lord of Blue Moon City is because he has significant connections in the Royal City."
"Xuan’Er, City Lord Leng Tian won’t see through it, will he?" Ye Zhanyun asked, his brow furrowed.
"Father, do you think City Lord Leng Tian doesn’t know anything?" Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "From the moment I healed Commander Hei Zhuo, whether the Nourishing Vein Pill was poisoned or not became irrelevant. If it was poisoned, then it was poisoned. If it wasn’t, it had to become poisoned. Otherwise, why do you think Leng Tian smashed the Pill? What’s more, the Wang family daring to use the Heart Nourishing Jade to frame Miss Leng Yingying was already an unforgivable crime."
"By tomorrow, I’m sure news of what happened at the banquet will have spread throughout all of Blue Moon City. The Wang and Zhou families are at their weakest right now. What our Ye family needs to do is seize this opportunity to crush them completely."
"Chairman Hua, you’re ready, aren’t you?" A sharp glint flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes.
Hua Luoxuan gave a cunning smile. "Young Master Xuan, don’t you worry. Starting tomorrow, the Pills our two families developed will be fully stocked and sold. As for the Wang family, they can wait to go begging."
The next morning, the sky was high and clear, and the sun shone brightly.
The gentle sunlight softly blanketed Blue Moon City, bringing a touch of warmth to the entire city.
The common people were already beginning their day.
In Blue Moon City’s trading market, groups of adventurers were up early, buying necessities before heading out to Black Wind Ridge for their expeditions.
And the place with the largest crowd was, naturally, the Wang family Pharmacy.
A huge number of adventurers were packed together, surrounding the front of the Wang family Pharmacy so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass. Tempers flared between some of them from the jostling, and it even looked like a brawl might break out.
If fighting wasn’t forbidden in the trading market, a full-blown melee wouldn’t have been an exaggeration.
After a long wait, the Wang family’s Pill stall finally opened for business.
"Alright, alright! Anyone who wants to buy Pills, get in line! One at a time! If anyone dares to push, get the hell out!" Wang Jun of the Wang family looked down on the crowd of adventurers with an arrogant expression, a trace of disdain in his eyes.
The Wang family guards maintaining order were even more arrogant, shoving the many adventurers around. In order to buy the Pills, the adventurers naturally swallowed their anger and dared not speak out.
The first adventurer stepped up to the counter. "I want three low-grade Blood Restoration Pills and one mid-grade Blood Restoration Pill."
"Low-grade Blood Restoration Pills are one hundred Profound Coins each. Mid-grade are two hundred Profound Coins each. That’s a total of five hundred Profound Coins." The Wang family clerk had a haughty attitude, casually bagging the Pills. His tone and demeanor were full of contempt.
An adventurer in the back overheard and couldn’t help but ask in confusion, "Weren’t low-grade Blood Restoration Pills eighty Profound Coins each? And mid-grade ones should be one hundred and fifty. Why did they suddenly jump to two hundred?"
"Heh, you probably haven’t bought Pills at the trading market for a while, have you? The Wang family’s Pills already went up in price a month ago," an adventurer to the side sneered.
"That’s right. They claim it’s because the Ye family of Cyan Mountain Town monopolized their medicinal herb business, so they had to raise the Pill prices to break even."
"No way. I heard the Wang family has its own herb plantation for producing medicinal ingredients, don’t they?"
"You don’t get it, do you? That’s just an excuse they made up to raise prices. We can’t do anything about whether it’s true or not. The real reason the Wang family raised prices is just to squeeze more money out of us!"
"Isn’t that too much of a rip-off?" the adventurer said with a look of indignation.
"A rip-off? Heh heh, they are ripping you off, but what can you do about it? If you’ve got the guts, go buy somewhere else. The Alchemist Association doesn’t sell these low-end Pills."
"But didn’t I hear that the Wang family offended the City Lord at the banquet yesterday? With their situation so bad now, they still dare to openly raise prices?"
"Haha, bad? So what if they offended the City Lord? As long as the Wang family still has Pills to sell, they’ll never collapse. Kid, you’re still too naive."
Suddenly, a few Wang family guards walked over. "You lot, what are you mumbling about? If you want to buy, then buy. If not, then scram."
The few adventurers who were talking swallowed their anger, not daring to retort, and just lowered their heads.
"Haha, a bunch of poor bastards, spouting nonsense here. Any more crap, and I’ll kill you. All of you, watch yourselves."
The guards let out arrogant laughs, shot the men a cold glare, and swaggered away.
In front of the Wang family Pharmacy, Wang Jun watched all this with a contemptuous smile on his face. ’These poor slobs, no better than ants. This is all they’ll ever amount to in this life.’
Everything that happened at the City Lord’s Mansion yesterday had left him with a lingering sense of panic, but the frenzy of these adventurers today gave him immense confidence.
Even the adventurers knew that as long as the Wang family had Pills to sell, they would never collapse. This showed just what kind of status his Wang family held in the minds of these adventurers.
’Hmph, yesterday the Ye family said they were going to enter the Pill market with the Alchemist Association. The Ye family is really getting ambitious. In the low-end Pill market, my Wang family is the undisputed monopoly. If they really dare to wade into these muddy waters, I’ll make sure they lose everything.’
Wang Jun glanced at the closed market stalls in the very center of the trading market, his face full of confidence. A lecherous smile suddenly spread across his lips. ’Tsk tsk, it’s been a few days since I went to the Spring Wind Tower to see Xiaohong. Xiaohong’s slender waist could drive a man to his death. Looks like I’ll have to go and let off some steam tonight.’
At the thought of Xiaohong in the Spring Wind Tower, a sudden heat rushed through Wang Jun’s lower abdomen. A feverish sensation spread through his body, and a lewd smile unconsciously crept onto his face.
Just then, the closed market stalls in the center of the trading market suddenly flew open with a CLATTER.
DONG!
The resounding sound of a giant gong instantly echoed through every stall in the trading market.
These were the stalls in the very center of the trading market, the best location possible. Everyone looked up and immediately saw many people coming out one after another. They quickly set up a platform in the open area in front of the stalls, creating a simple stage.
The Ye family’s Patriarch, Ye Zhanxiong, was already standing on the stage, smiling. "Everyone, step right up, take a look! It’s a rare occasion to have so many brothers and sisters here today. We’ll take this opportunity to announce that the Ye family Pharmacy, a joint venture between our Ye family and the Alchemist Association, is officially opening for business today!"
"What?" The trading market erupted in an uproar.
Although many had heard rumors that the recently prominent Ye family intended to enter the Pill market, no one expected them to launch so quickly. Everyone was taken by surprise.
Moreover, their pharmacy was opening right near the Wang family Pharmacy. Weren’t they afraid of having no customers?
Or was it that the Pills launched by the Ye family Pharmacy were a completely different type from the Wang family’s, so they didn’t have to worry about competition?
In an instant, all the Martial Artists in the entire trading market, no matter what they had been planning to buy, gathered around, their faces filled with excitement and curiosity.
No matter what, having another Pill shop in Blue Moon City was definitely beneficial for them as Martial Artists. At the very least, they would have a lot more options.
"Is the Ye family trying to challenge our Wang family in public?" Over at the Wang family Pharmacy, Wang Jun looked over, a contemptuous smile on his lips. "In Blue Moon City, no one has ever dared to compete with my Wang family in Pills."
Although he thought this, Wang Jun still immediately ordered his subordinates to send this news back to the family.
Ye Zhanxiong, of course, paid no mind to what the Wang family was thinking. He smiled at the ever-growing crowd of Martial Artists and said, "My Ye family comes from humble origins, so we naturally understand the hardships of life for a Martial Artist. Therefore, although our Ye family previously dealt in medicinal herbs, we have always been dedicated to the research and development of Pills to benefit the Martial Artists of Blue Moon City. In recent years, our Ye family has collaborated even more closely with the Alchemist Association, hoping to develop the most cost-effective Pills that Martial Artists can trust. And now, we have finally achieved some results."
"Today, the Ye family Pharmacy will be launching its very first Pill. It is a healing Holy Medicine with the power to treat even the most grievous of wounds! Its name... is the ’Super Blood Restoration Pill’!"
Super Blood Restoration Pill!
The moment this name was announced, the entire trading market immediately boiled over with excitement.
The Blood Restoration Pill was the most common type of healing Pill on the market, and it had always been monopolized by the Wang family. Its effectiveness and price were well-known to all.
But now, the first Pill launched by the Ye family was actually called the Super Blood Restoration Pill. Anyone could see that the name of this Ye family Pill was deliberately chosen to challenge the Wang family’s Blood Restoration Pill.
"The Ye family is really courting death." Wang Jun’s face turned ashen. He could see it too—the Ye family wasn’t here to promote some Pill; they were here to challenge the Wang family and steal their market.
