Chapter One Hundred: You may have your schemes, but I have my own way around them!

Outside the restaurant, the Pei family’s luxury car had not left; it was still parked nearby.

“Yes, President Feng, rest assured. From now on, my Pei family will follow your lead in everything.”

“I understand that you and the Luo family are at odds, so our target from here on will not be only the An family, but the Luo family as well.”

“I know the rules. If we want your full support, of course we must offer a proper gift. I’ll send it to you as soon as possible.”

“All right then. I’ll let you get back to it. Goodbye.”

After hanging up, the gloom on Pei Huaide’s face vanished in an instant.

Pei Qinghu could not wait a second longer. “Dad, what did the Feng family say?”

“Are they willing to support our Pei family and continue opposing the An family?”

The Feng family was one of the great tycoon families.

In Jinghan City, above the factions and clan families stood eight major tycoon families and twelve great aristocratic houses.

The Luo family ranked sixth, while the Feng family ranked seventh; their positions were close, and both were striving to break into the top five.

So although the struggle appeared to be between major families, in truth it was a contest among the subordinate families beneath them.

After losing the Luo family’s protection, the Pei family had only one way to survive, and even to grow stronger: find a new backer.

And the Feng family was the best choice Pei Huaide could think of.

“Of course.” Facing his son’s question, Pei Huaide nodded with confidence. “The Feng family may rank below the Luo family, but they have immense potential. As long as we win their support, then even with the Luo family backing them, I, the Pei family, will not fear the An family.”

“But you heard it just now. We have to present a gift to show the Feng family our strength.”

“A gift?” Pei Qinghu frowned, worried. “The An family already stands on roughly equal footing with us.”

“Now that they’ve gained a foothold in the food and beverage business, their rise is sure to be meteoric.”

“How are we supposed to offer any gift? We can’t exactly throw the whole family into a fight with them…”

“Haha.” Pei Huaide laughed. “There’s no need for that. Going head-on with the An family now would be unwise.”

“But don’t forget: the one who helped the An family reach this point was that piece of trash.”

“This time, that old bastard Wang Dafa failed to have Lan Ruoxue kidnapped. Force won’t work anymore, so we have to use our heads.”

Pei Qinghu’s eyes lit up. Seeing his father so self-assured, he pressed eagerly, “Come on, Dad, stop keeping me in suspense. What exactly is your plan? Say it already. You’re killing me here.”

“The distribution rights.” Pei Huaide nodded. “Didn’t the Blue family previously secure the An family’s business distribution rights?”

“Next, they’re going to begin deep cooperation. If they want the An family’s performance to double, they’ll have to develop new products.”

“And for that, every stage has to be flawless: materials, personnel, marketing, promotion—nothing can go wrong.”

“Fortunately, I anticipated this. I planted a mole in the Blue family long ago. When the time comes, they’ll work from inside and outside together to sabotage everything.”

“I’m going to make their cooperation fail completely. As long as the Blue family is brought down, the An family will naturally suffer. By then…”

“By then, the Feng family will know what our Pei family is capable of, and they’ll surely throw their full support behind us!” Pei Qinghu finished for him, clenching his fists as he said viciously, “That bastard Ye Wushang not only caused our Pei family to lose the Luo family’s protection…”

“He also stole Huang Pianruo away. I just saw her drive off with that trash, and they’re getting closer and closer.”

“I’m really afraid the two of them will end up together. She’s the woman I had my eye on!”

Pei Huaide patted his shoulder and soothed him, “Don’t worry, son. That trash, and the humiliation he’s brought you, I’ll make him pay back to you a hundredfold, a thousandfold!”

“Revenge may be delayed, but it will come!”

“Come on, let’s go home and prepare to ruin the cooperation between the An and Blue families!”

...

Medicine King Valley was not a valley at all, but a name for a private estate on the outskirts of the city.

Deep in the mountains, the trees here were dense and rooted deep, and wild beasts rarely appeared.

Yet among the woods, a specially laid stone road had been built, wide enough for trucks to come and go freely.

“Hm...”

Seated in the car, Ye Wushang drew in a long breath.

As he felt the rich spiritual energy, his spirit, energy, and vigor all rose noticeably.

All along the road were neat, well-ordered plots of medicinal fields, each one planted with costly and rare herbs.

In the past, Ye Wushang had visited many shops while buying medicinal ingredients, but compared with this place, those stores were nothing worth mentioning.

“There’s so much medicinal stock here in Medicine King Valley. If I could cultivate here using these herbs, my progress would surely be much faster.”

“And Huang Pianruo’s master... he doesn’t seem like an ordinary man. To be able to open up so many medicinal fields in a place like this is truly astonishing.”

Ye Wushang murmured softly to himself.

But Huang Pianruo still noticed and chuckled, “Wushang, my master is very impressive.”

“He was a Taoist priest in his younger years, then later secluded himself here. Since he had nothing else to do, he opened up these herb fields.”

“Some are for his own use, and some are managed by my senior brother. He also established a pharmaceutical company in the secular world, and it’s been developing very smoothly.”

With that, she said with interest, “So, what do you think, Wushang? My master is pretty remarkable, isn’t he?”

“He is remarkable.”

“With a master that impressive, why are you still taking me as your teacher?”

“I feel that compared with your master, I’m nothing at all, so...”

“Not necessarily.” Huang Pianruo shook her head. “My master is good at overseeing the big picture, but when it comes to details, you do better.”

“Whether it’s preparing medicinal materials or cultivation methods, I think you’re stronger. This isn’t betraying my sect; I simply think knowledge is boundless, and I want to learn more from you.”

Ye Wushang fell silent and did not answer.

From the moment he saw the seed of the finest Langya herb, he knew that the other party’s master was no ordinary man.

Now that he had personally come to the other side’s territory, especially after seeing these medicinal fields, he was convinced that the answer he sought might well be found here.

Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a large thatched cottage.

Everything had been built from thatch, forming a naturally enclosed courtyard.

Many servants were sweeping in front of the house, while a young man with a commanding bearing stood there holding a ledger, directing everything with precise arrangements.

“Senior Brother.”

After getting out of the car, Huang Pianruo called out softly and led Ye Wushang forward.

The young man turned around, saw Huang Pianruo, and smiled. “Junior Sister, why have you come?”

“And this one is...”

“His name is Ye Wushang. He’s the one who previously asked Master for the seed of the finest Langya herb.”

Huang Pianruo introduced him warmly. “Wushang, this is my senior brother. He usually manages all the affairs of the valley. His name is Xue Kaichen.”

“Mr. Xue, hello.”

Ye Wushang took the initiative and extended his hand.

But Xue Kaichen only lightly brushed his palm before quickly withdrawing it. With an unfriendly look in his eyes, he said with a curl of his lip, “So it was you who made my master go out in the middle of the night to pick dozens of Langya herbs, only to finally refine them into a single seed and hand it to you?”

“I...”

“Don’t say another word. My master is already old, and this matter with the seed has exhausted him terribly.”

“Junior Sister, don’t you feel sorry for him at all?”

Xue Kaichen was deeply concerned for his master, and he was extremely dissatisfied that Huang Pianruo had brought this man here. Before Huang Pianruo could explain, he said coldly, “Since you already got the seed, Junior Sister, why have you brought him here again?”

“It’s about the seed. He still has some things he doesn’t understand and wants to ask Master about.”

Learning that his master had poured out his heart and soul for this, Huang Pianruo felt ashamed and worried. “Senior Brother, how is Master now?”

“He’s all right. He’s regained his vitality, but he sent word that he won’t see any visitors for the next while.”

“Even if you came, he’d still want you to wait.”

“So you should head back first.”

After saying that, Xue Kaichen turned away to handle other matters.

At the same time, he called over several servants and signaled them to keep an eye on the two of them.

“Senior Brother...”

“Forget it, Pianruo.”

Huang Pianruo still wanted to argue, but Ye Wushang stopped her and shook his head. “It seems I’m not very welcome here.”

“I’m sorry for causing trouble for your master.”

“He was willing to give me the seed without charge, and I’m already very grateful.”

“As for the cultivation of the finest Langya herb, I’ll think it through on my own.”

Ye Wushang had never been one to force others.

In truth, he had only come today to clear up a few doubts.

With his cultivation and attainments, understanding the seed’s cultivation process was only a matter of time.

Since the other side was unwilling, there was no need for him to insist.

With that, he turned and left.

This made Huang Pianruo feel deeply awkward. Just as she stood there at a loss, there came a clatter. One of the servants carrying a winnowing basket, hurrying too much and losing his balance, accidentally dropped it to the ground.

The several herbs inside knocked against one another and unexpectedly sparked a few tiny flames, hissing as white smoke rose from them!

“What’s going on?”

“Have you not eaten?”

“You can’t even hold a basket properly. Are you actually capable of working? If not, get lost right now!”

Xue Kaichen seemed irritable, perhaps because he had been influenced by Ye Wushang’s presence. He glared at the servant and said, “All the herbs inside are highly combustible dried materials. If they collide like that, a fire can break out. Hurry up and bring water to put it out!”

“You can’t use water!”

Before he could finish, Ye Wushang suddenly spoke up. “Using water will only make it worse. You need to use another method...”

“Shut up!”

Xue Kaichen already disliked Ye Wushang, and now this outsider dared to spout nonsense in front of him.

As the chief disciple who had followed his master for more than ten years, he was intimately familiar with the properties of medicinal materials and how to handle them.

Now an outsider dared to show off before him; he immediately roared, “What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and get water!”