Chapter 81: 81. Lin Shuxuan [2]
Zhao Luhao arrived at the reception hall without delaying another moment.
Waiting inside was a lone youth dressed in plain robes. His face was completely concealed beneath a bamboo hat draped with a silk veil, making it impossible to discern even the slightest feature.
Zhao Luhao cupped his fists.
"Greetings. I am Zhao Luhao. May I ask what brings you to the Zhao family?"
Outwardly, his expression remained composed.
Internally, however, his thoughts were anything but calm.
Does the Lin family actually have a hidden Golden Core expert?
What exactly are they plotting? With their current strength, they could have already applied for promotion to the Eighth Rank.
The moment he entered the room, he had instinctively released a thread of spiritual sense to probe the youth.
To his astonishment, it was like probing an endless void, he could perceive nothing.
That left only one explanation in his mind.
He’s far stronger than me.
The youth gave a polite nod.
"My name is Lin Shuxuan. My master is very satisfied with the Zhao family and has sent me here to discuss future cooperation."
"Cooperation?"
Zhao Luhao’s heartbeat quickened.
"Do you perhaps mean... the pills?"
"Exactly."
Lin Shuxuan answered without hesitation.
"My master wishes for the Zhao family to grow alongside the Lin family. Would your Zhao family be willing?"
The words struck Zhao Luhao like a bolt of lightning.
Willing?
Why do you think I stopped the family meeting the instant I heard you had arrived?
Of course I’m willing!
His heart was already shouting in agreement, but the desperation to atleast maintain his image as the patriach won.
He gave a light cough before speaking.
"The Zhao family is naturally interested in cooperating. However, please tell us the terms first. If the conditions are too excessive, I hope your master can understand should we choose to refuse."
Lin Shuxuan nodded approvingly.
"Excellent. My master would have been greatly disappointed had your Zhao family agreed even at the cost of driving your own clan into ruin."
Zhao Luhao blinked.
So... he’s not here to squeeze every possible benefit from us?
The thought filled him with unexpected relief.
The gift he had received earlier was ten Pure Quality Qi Refinement Pills.
It wasn’t Body Tempering Pills, it was Qi Refinement Pills.
The revelation alone had reignited hope in every elder who had long since abandoned the dream of reaching the Golden Core Realm.
Yet that was not what shocked Zhao Luhao the most.
To casually present ten Pure Quality Qi Refinement Pills as nothing more than a gift...
Pure Quality pills were treasures beyond price.
Many cultivators even regarded them as comparable to realm breaking pills, not because they directly increased cultivation, but because they contained almost no impurities, allowing repeated consumption without accumulating pill toxins.
Someone capable of producing such pills was a treasure no clan would ever dare offend.
Because of that, Zhao Luhao had prepared himself to pay an unimaginable price.
If the Zhao family could successfully get their hands on a few pure quality qi refinement pills, at least one of their elder could swiftly advanced to the golden core realm and their clan would advance to an Eighth-Rank Clan.
Once they reached that rank, they would gain authority over lower-ranked clans, collect annual tributes, and recover any losses within only a few years.
Compared to those future benefits, any price today would be worthwhile.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he asked,
"So... what are your master’s conditions?"
Lin Shuxuan raised a finger.
"First, my master requires fifty sets each of Spirit Gathering Grass, Azure Dew Flower, Jade Essence Root, and Purple Mist Fruit to be delivered to the Lin family every week."
Zhao Luhao’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He immediately recognized every one of those ingredients.
They were all herbs used in refining Qi Refinement Pills.
Is his master is currently staying within the Lin family? Everything makes sense now.
His gaze shifted toward the veiled youth once more.
This young man must be a talented disciple. Otherwise, why would such an alchemy master go to such lengths to support the Lin family?
Without hesitation, Zhao Luhao nodded.
"I’ll arrange the deliveries immediately."
Lin Shuxuan smiled beneath the veil.
"Wonderful."
He paused for a brief moment before continuing.
"In return, I’ll— ahem, once my master finishes refining the herbs, the Lin family will provide the Zhao family with ten sets of Qi Refinement Pills every month."
"What?"
Zhao Luhao’s composure finally shattered.
He stared blankly at the youth.
Meanwhile, beneath the veil, Lin Xuan was equally stunned.
Did I ask for too much? Oh! he probably doesn’t know it’s all going to be pure quality pills.
"They will all be Pure Quality pills, so the exchange is well worth it. Trust me." He hurriedly added.
"...All of them... Pure Quality?"
Zhao Luhao felt as though the world had begun spinning.
His breathing became uneven.
Is... isn’t this deal overwhelmingly in our favor?
Why was I so worried that we’d be the ones getting taken advantage of?
Several moments later, Zhao Luhao finally managed to calm himself.
Or rather, he tried to.
The dignified image he had maintained for decades as the Zhao Family Patriarch had long since disappeared, but at this moment, he could not care less.
He had just concluded the most important agreement in the Zhao family’s history.
The success rate of refining a Qi Refinement Pill for a Second-Rank alchemist was only around three to five percent.
Even that was considered worthy of celebration.
With two hundred sets of medicinal herbs, a clan would count itself fortunate to obtain ten sets of Qi Refinement Pills.
Yet the agreement he had just signed required the Zhao family to provide only two hundred sets of herbs each month and in return, they would receive ten sets of Qi Refinement Pills every month.
Not only that, the pills would be pure Quality Qi Refinement Pills, not high, not peak, but pure quality.
Even if the mysterious alchemy master failed during the refinement process, the losses would be entirely borne by the Lin family.
The Zhao family simply had to deliver the herbs and wait for the finished pills.
It was an arrangement so favorable that Zhao Luhao felt as though he were dreaming.
He looked down at the signed agreement in his hands and could not help but laugh.
Had someone else presented these terms, he would have suspected a trap.
But after personally seeing the ten Pure Quality Qi Refinement Pills, every trace of doubt had vanished.
The mysterious master clearly possessed the confidence to make such a promise.
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