239: Utter defeat

"Alright! I won't take up any more of your time. You young couple have finally reunited; I'm sure you have endless things to say to each other!"

"However, our meeting is a secret after all. You should leave as soon as possible!"

Feng Ming nodded, then stood up and led Lu An'an out of the storage ring first.

Watching Feng Ming's departing figure, Hua Dieer asked in confusion.

"Grandmother, this guy always seems so unreliable and flippant. Why do you trust him so much? You even went so far as to give him a storage ring. Couldn't the wealth inside be used to purchase Puppets, Cultivation Techniques, or weapons instead?"

Madam Hua sighed upon hearing this. "You silly child, what would you do with those things? Are you planning to start a rebellion?"

Hua Dieer was a bit indignant. "So what if we rebel? That's the business you worked so hard to build. Why should we just hand it over?"

Madam Hua's expression shifted immediately. "Nonsense! Do you think I'm not angry in my heart?"

"But you must understand who we are facing. That is the master of the Bright Moon Dynasty. Once we become enemies, we are at odds with the entire Dynasty. Even if we have significant wealth, how many experts and Puppets would it take to succeed?"

Hua Dieer was speechless. Indeed, the Bright Moon Dynasty was deeply rooted; overthrowing it would be easier said than done.

Yet she still couldn't quite understand. "Grandmother, if even our Hua Family can't do it, why do you believe Feng Ming can?"

Madam Hua smiled. "Indeed, compared to the Hua Family, Feng Ming has a better chance."

"Dieer, although you've performed well in Qingyang City these past two years, your business talent is still far behind Anan's. As someone who has been through it all and with over a decade of experience, I'm telling you: if you really had to choose someone to invest in, Feng Ming is absolutely the top choice."

Hua Dieer was puzzled. "Why?"

Madam Hua explained, "Actually, after doing business for so long, many problems can be answered through that lens. The changing of dynasties is just like doing business!"

"You can monopolize an industry for a while, but never for a lifetime. As long as there's profit, countless people will rush into it one after another!"

"And often, the collapse of a century-old shop means the birth of many new ones. Dynasties are the same. As Practitioners grow stronger, those brave enough to resist the Bright Moon Dynasty will gradually increase!"

"The Medicinal Pill industry is highly profitable. Although it's controlled by the Bright Moon Dynasty and the imperial forces suppress it vigorously, there are still many people doing Medicinal Pill business in the shadows."

"The ups and downs of the market and the changing of dynasties follow the same principles. In business, you look for opportunities; in a dynastic shift, the important thing is choosing the right side. Ultimately, both test one's eye for judging people."

"The reason I favor Feng Ming is because of those Medicinal Pills you brought back. Not only are they cheap—much lower than the market price—but according to my calculations, Feng Ming shouldn't be making any money at all."

Hua Dieer nodded. "I know that. He said back then that he wasn't making a profit; he mainly wanted to establish a connection with us to pave the way for Lu An'an."

Madam Hua shook her head. "Merchants prioritize profit. The Feng Family does Medicinal Pill business, and if they don't make a single penny from so many pills, how do they pay the Alchemists? Besides, what about the cost of wasted herbs? How does that factor in?"

"In my view, there's only one reason he can give them to you at such a low price: even at that price, he's still making a profit. Although I don't understand how he does it, being able to lower prices and still guarantee a profit when pill prices are transparent—that is true skill."

Madam Hua continued, "The fact that he can provide you with so many Medicinal Pills shows that his team of Alchemists is very powerful. Even if they can't threaten the Bright Moon Dynasty now, it's only a matter of time. Before long, they will cause a sensation in the Bright Moon Dynasty."

"He might not have powerful allies or experts with heaven-defying cultivation! But as long as he has a steady stream of Medicinal Pills, he can recruit powerful helpers and cultivate experts with heaven-defying strength!"

"This is what's terrifying, and it's also the reason why King Haoyue prohibits the sale of Medicinal Pills."

After all that talk, Hua Dieer didn't seem to fully understand.

Madam Hua sighed and didn't continue further.

Instead, she asked, "Is your Charm Body useless against Feng Ming?"

Hua Dieer was taken aback. Though she didn't understand the change in topic, she nodded. "I don't know what's with that guy either. Aside from being a bit dazed when we first met, it hasn't had any effect since. On the contrary, I'm the one who gets toyed with by him every time."

Madam Hua nodded. "Doesn't that just prove his strength? We can't see the bottom of his Medicinal Pill reserves, his cultivation is so powerful, and he has incredible self-control. Even your Innate Charm Body is useless. No one can say how great his future achievements will be."

"Once you've spent more time with him and tried to seduce him more often, you'll realize how terrifying he is."

Hua Dieer's face turned red as she complained coyly, "Grandmother, I'm your own granddaughter! How can you tell me to go and seduce someone?"

Madam Hua smiled faintly. "If it were any other man, I certainly wouldn't want that. But if it's Feng Ming, I actually hope you can hook him!"

"If you really marry Feng Ming, our Hua Family will truly have another way out!"

Hua Dieer looked defiant, pouting as she retorted, "I don't want to. He's a philanderer and overly affectionate. He has Jiang Shuwan and Sister Anan; I don't want a man like that."

Madam Hua laughed. "Men being philanderers is normal, but as you said, he's also affectionate. Since they're all scumbags and playboys anyway, why not pick the best one? Anan is smarter than you, and hasn't she also set her heart on Feng Ming?"

"But..." Hua Dieer felt there was some truth to it, yet she still felt awkward.

Madam Hua couldn't help but expose her. "Silly girl, one's body is very honest. Although you say you don't want him, I know exactly what you two were doing outside just now. Don't end up being completely devoured by him without even having an official status."

Hua Dieer's face flushed crimson as she hurriedly stood up and left the attic.

"Grandmother, you! I'm not talking to you anymore, this is so embarrassing!"

Although Hua Dieer had gone downstairs, Madam Hua's words kept echoing in her mind.

Echoing along with them was Feng Ming's face.

Steady and reliable, or playful and frivolous—each had its own charm.

Thinking of Feng Ming, the clashes that occurred every time they met kept surfacing in her mind.

It was almost always her trying to seduce and provoke him, only for Feng Ming to push his luck, and in the end, she would be utterly defeated.

For a man like him, should she really do as her grandmother said? Seduce him until he's hers?