Shameless Immortal: Emperor of Ten Thousand Beauties

Chapter 271: Chapter 271: Are You an Idiot?

Shen Yu’s green eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of genuine surprise rippling through his thoughts.

’Ninety-eight percent purity? Bai Ruolan... you actually managed to push the threshold by another two percent? You really are a frighteningly talented creature.’

To an ordinary cultivator or a low-grade merchant, a mere two percent increase might seem insignificant.

If a pill’s purity was sitting at a mediocre fifty percent and someone raised it to fifty-two, it would barely warrant a second glance.

But in the peak strata of alchemical refinement, the difficulty curve scaled exponentially.

Shen Yu’s own optimized recipes had already pushed the town’s standard to a near-flawless ninety-six percent.

To extract an additional two percent from that absolute ceiling required an almost miraculous comprehension of the ingredients’ spiritual properties, perfect heat control, and an immaculate execution that defied standard textbook logic.

It was a feat reserved for the absolute upper echelon of prodigies. Bai Ruolan had truly proven herself to be a genius alchemist.

Yet, the panicked man sweating bullets before him didn’t comprehend the profound weight of that achievement.

Even if Cao Yan possessed the technical knowledge to understand it, he was far too blinded by sudden greed and the terrifying prospect of losing his newly acquired wealth.

Shen Yu slowly shook his head, letting out a heavy, raspy sigh that carried a wave of visible disdain.

"Are you an absolute idiot, Cao Yan?" Shen Yu barked, his voice dripping with an icy, condescending sharpness.

"A purity of ninety-eight percent is already touching the legendary boundary of a flawless pill. To push past that is close to an absolute impossibility within the confines of this city’s current cauldrons. We cannot do anything to match that specific grade for the time being."

Cao Yan flinched, his face instantly turning a deep, burning shade of crimson at the blunt insult.

A brief, hot flash of anger flickered in his chest at being spoken to like a child, but he ruthlessly suppressed it.

He knew he could not afford to offend the mysterious ancient master who had single-handedly pulled his clan from the jaws of bankruptcy.

"Then... then do we just surrender the market?" Cao Yan asked, his voice shaking.

"Open your eyes and look at the broader board," Shen Yu commanded smoothly, leaning forward.

"If the Alchemist Union has achieved ninety-eight percent purity, their production costs must be astronomical. To maintain their margins, they will be forced to keep their prices significantly higher than ours, targeting only the wealthiest cultivators."

"They want to steal the rich fools from us? Let them. Shift our entire strategy immediately to focus on the low-and-mid-tier markets. Lower our prices slightly to cater to the massive populace of ordinary cultivators. Volume will more than make up for the loss of the elite clientele."

Hearing the flawless, cold logic of the strategy, Cao Yan’s panic began to stabilize.

He realized that while they might lose the very top tier of buyers, they could completely monopolize the foundation of the city’s economy.

"I... I understand, Senior Mo! I will coordinate with the elders and adjust the storefront prices immediately!" Cao Yan bowed frantically, completely eager to salvage his profits, and hurried away out of the pavilion hall, his robes fluttering behind him in his rush.

The moment the heavy outer doors thudded shut, a soft, melodious ripple of giggles echoed from the shadows of the corridor.

The heavy curtains parted, and the mother-daughter duo stepped into the hall.

Their loose silk robes were slightly open, revealing glimpses of the purple marks still fading on their pale skin.

Having crept to the door to eavesdrop, they were now practically shaking with silent amusement.

Without a shred of hesitation, both Shuying and Wanru glided over to the chair.

Shuying boldly slid onto Shen Yu’s left thigh, while her daughter, Wanru, draped herself over his right, their soft, fragrant bodies instantly embedding themselves into his lap.

"Oh, Master, you handled that perfectly," Wanru giggled, her slender fingers tracing the dark fabric of his cloak as she looked up at his disguised face.

"Father truly is an utter idiot. He looks at a goldmine and only cries because he can’t have the diamond on top."

Shuying snuggled closer into his neck, her mature voice dripping with a wanton, purring amusement.

"My husband has always been blinded by immediate profits. He doesn’t possess even a fraction of your vision, Master. Watching him sweat and grovel before you while completely oblivious to what happened on your bed last night... it’s simply delicious."

Shen Yu chuckled as his large hands casually slid down to heavily grip and squeeze their smooth, silk-covered behinds with absolute possessiveness.

"Is that so?" Shen Yu purred, a dark, wicked glint flashing in his golden pupils beneath the hood.

"Tell me, don’t you two feel even a single shred of shame or filial guilt, sitting on my lap and ruthlessly insulting the master of your own house?"

Shuying let out a low, breathless moan at the heavy squeeze of his hand, her eyes locking onto his with absolute, permanently branded devotion.

"Shame? Why should we? Our bodies, our souls, and our loyalty belong entirely to you for eternity, Master. Cao Yan is nothing more than a tool to manage your assets."

Wanru nodded eagerly, pressing her face against his chest.

"Mother is right. We only care about pleasing our Master."

"Good girls," Shen Yu murmured, planting a brief, dominant kiss on each of their flushed lips before fluidly shifting his weight, causing both women to slip off his lap onto the soft cushions of the chair.

"Now, stay here and keep up appearances. I have a brilliant little genius to pay a visit to."

"Yes, Master," they whispered in unison, bowing their heads in complete submission.

Before they could even lift their gazes, a sharp ripple of spiritual energy fluctuated through the air.

Executing the Phantom Step technique, Shen Yu’s figure blurred into a translucent afterimage, completely vanishing from the reception hall without leaving a single trace behind.

An instant later, a dark shadow flickered across the tiled roofs of the eastern district.

Moving like a ghost under the morning sun, Shen Yu sprinted effortlessly across the sweeping rooflines of Crimson Iron City, his eyes locked directly onto the building of the Union in the distance.

It was time to see the Little Alchemist.