Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Your Wife Has Caused Big Trouble_1
Yu Keqing stopped in her tracks and turned back to ask, "Is there anything else?"
"Keep this proposal though it has many issues, however, I can tell that you did try your best. Even if you redo it, the quality will be about the same. Let me handle it!
The production of White Cream will begin immediately on a large scale, and we need a lot of raw materials.
The quality of the herbs from Ren’antang is good, but the price is just too expensive.
Therefore, I’m giving you another task: contact some cheaper herbal material merchants to provide us with herbs.
This task is time-sensitive; I can only give you two days. You must have it done within two days."
Xiao Manlian changed her mind on a whim, deciding not to hassle Yu Keqing with the operational plan anymore, specifically for this reason.
She wanted Yu Keqing to be in charge of procuring raw materials so that she could firmly place the blame on Yu Keqing when the time came.
When Xiao Manlian wanted to purchase raw materials from Ren’antang, Yu Keqing was against it.
The herbs from Ren’antang were indeed of good quality, but not to the extent of being irreplaceable.
However, the prices quoted by Ren’antang were at least one to two times higher than the normal market rates, with some herbs even marked up by more than tenfold.
Although no longer president of Huanmei Group, Yu Keqing’s love for Huanmei Group was sincere, and she cared deeply about the success or failure of White Cream.
Therefore, she had conducted research in the previous period and visited many herbal wholesalers.
Even more, she had also uncovered Ren’antang’s supply channels.
As long as Xiao Manlian gave her the authority to negotiate, she could acquire the raw materials needed for White Cream at a price at least five times lower than the current one.
Fearing that Xiao Manlian might change her mind on a whim, Yu Keqing decided to make her intentions crystal clear.
"I can find the raw materials. The price will definitely be cheaper than the current one, and the quality is guaranteed, identical to the raw materials we are currently using.
But, once I have negotiated a good deal, President Xiao, you cannot go back on your word. Therefore, you need to authorize me to represent Huanmei Group and sign the purchase agreement directly with them!"
If Xiao Manlian didn’t have the intention to set Yu Keqing up, she would never have agreed to such a request.
What qualifies a mere assistant to sign a purchase agreement?
According to the rules of Huanmei Group, for a project as critical to the company’s survival as White Cream, the purchase agreement had to involve personal negotiation by the president and their signature.
Nevertheless, to set Yu Keqing up, Xiao Manlian readily nodded in agreement.
"Fine! I’ll give you a power of attorney, with which you can represent the group in signing the purchase agreement.
But let me make myself clear, the quality of the herbs you procure must meet Ren’antang’s standards.
Also, another point, since it’s an external purchase, the price must be pushed down; it must be at least twice cheaper than Ren’antang’s price."
Xiao Manlian proposed these two conditions after careful consideration.
She knew that Yu Keqing had been visiting raw material suppliers recently, and she was also aware that Ren’antang’s herbal prices were at least two to three times more expensive than the market’s.
Xiao Manlian deliberately set this condition because she knew that Yu Keqing, with some effort, would surely be able to meet it.
As expected, Yu Keqing nodded in agreement.
"Fine!"
...
In the middle of the night, at Rose Manor’s villa number 7.
Xue Xiaochan, who had been tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep, suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her and immediately fell asleep.
She slept soundly, impervious to even thunder.
Princess Huahua settled beside her, and though her beak opened and closed, no sound emerged as she began to chant a spell.
"Bang!"
The small stopper on the Old Lord Gourd hanging around Xue Xiaochan’s neck suddenly popped open.
First, a wisp of white smoke escaped.
Then, a wisp of blue smoke came out.
After that, a wisp of green smoke emerged.
...
When the Old Lord Gourd stopped emitting smoke, and an hour had passed, confirming that the nine demons had all fled, Princess Huahua immediately flapped her wings and flew into Qin Feng’s room next door.
"It’s terrible! It’s terrible! Your wife has caused a huge disaster!"
Qin Feng, who had been sleeping soundly, was woken by the bird’s clamor.
He looked at Princess Huahua with a disgruntled face and asked, "What disaster has she caused now? Isn’t she sleeping in the next room? She didn’t go stealing some man!"
"Worse than stealing a man!"
"What could be worse than stealing a man? What, not only did she steal a man, but now you’re saying I’m about to become a happy father?"
"The nine demons have escaped! All nine demons have broken free and are causing havoc in the Mortal Realm!"
"Nine demons? Are you talking about the nine demons from Nine Demon Island inside the Old Lord Gourd?"
"Yes, them. They’ve all escaped. If you don’t capture them all and lock them back inside the Old Lord Gourd, the suffering they’ll cause to all living beings in the Mortal Realm will be your sin."
"Where am I supposed to capture them?"
"The nine demons were originally demons from the Mortal Realm, captured long ago by the Supreme Elder Lord and locked inside the Old Lord Gourd.
Now that they’ve all escaped, they will naturally return to the places where they used to cultivate.
As for their exact locations, we can only figure that out after they’ve settled somewhere.
But with your current level of skill, even if you knew where the nine demons were, you couldn’t capture them.
To capture the nine demons, you must become the Immortal Doctor as soon as possible!"
Right now, you are just a Physician. If you went looking for the nine demons, let alone the other eight who are stronger, you wouldn’t be able to fight even the Seven-Headed Serpent Demon that you subdued before.
You should know that once the nine demons escape the Old Lord Gourd, their magic powers will no longer be suppressed. Each one’s strength will be many times, even tens of times, stronger than on Nine Demon Island."
Qin Feng regarded Princess Huahua with a suspicious gaze and asked, "Hua, this was all your plan, wasn’t it?"
"What have I planned?"
"You had us take the Old Lord Gourd out of the Taixu Guan, and then you deliberately let the nine demons escape so they’d wreak havoc in the Mortal Realm?"
"Nonsense! I did no such thing! In any case, the nine demons were released by your wife. If you don’t capture them all and put them back into the Old Lord Gourd, the sins they commit will all fall on your wife’s shoulders. If you want to capture the nine demons, you must become the Immortal Doctor as quickly as possible."
"Become the Immortal Doctor as quickly as possible? Are you saying you have a quick way to achieve that?" Qin Feng asked.
"On the road to Cultivation, is there such a thing as a quick way? Aside from hard work, it also depends on certain opportunities and strokes of luck. However, sometimes these opportunities can be created."
"What kind of opportunity are you thinking of creating for me?"
"Creating opportunities requires the right timing. If the time isn’t right, they can’t be created. Don’t worry, Hua wouldn’t harm you. After all, you are my beloved big boy!"
"Stop taking advantage of me, I’m not your beloved big boy."
"Taking advantage of you? You’re the one reaping a huge benefit, okay? For thousands of years, plenty of people have wanted to be Hua’s beloved big boy. It’s only you, kid, that I’ve taken a liking to. That’s why I’ve decided to take you on as my godson."
