44: Chapter 44 Sample Delivery and the Li Family's Attack

As the voice fell, the night breeze seemed to pause for a moment.

Qin Ruowei's rapid breathing, caused by excitement, was exceptionally clear in the silent ruins.

Lin Chen's figure merged back into the darkness, leaving only a lingering echo: "Three days later, at the entrance of the West Mountain mine tunnel."

At the hour of Zi, three days later, the moonlight was like frost, scattering over the entrance of the abandoned mine tunnel on the west side of Liuyun Market.

The surroundings were filled with jagged rocks and waist-high weeds; the wind passing through the mine tunnel let out a wailing moan, as if vengeful spirits were sobbing.

Qin Ruowei, dressed in black tight-fitting attire, had long been waiting there.

She stood with her arms crossed, quietly leaning in the shadow of a giant rock, her entire being almost merging with the night.

Her breathing was steady, but those eyes, which remained bright in the darkness, vigilantly scanned every movement in the surroundings.

A very slight sound of rolling gravel came from the depths of the mine tunnel.

Qin Ruowei's tense body relaxed instantly.

She could recognize that this was Lin Chen's footstep—steady and rhythmic, without the slightest hesitation.

Lin Chen walked out of the darkness, holding a palm-sized, warm, and smooth sealed jade box in his hand.

Without a word of nonsense, he handed the jade box over directly.

Qin Ruowei took it; the jade box felt slightly cool to the touch, and a simple Restriction designed to isolate Spiritual Qi fluctuations was carved onto it.

Her slender fingers flicked the edge of the box, and the lid popped open silently.

A restrained and pure medicinal fragrance instantly overflowed, but she quickly wrapped it with Spiritual Qi, preventing even a fraction from dissipating.

Inside the box lay two small white jade porcelain bottles and a stack of neatly arranged pale yellow Talisman paper.

Qin Ruowei first picked up one of the porcelain bottles marked with the character "Gu" and pulled out the stopper.

She did not smell it immediately; instead, she tilted the bottle mouth and poured a Medicinal Pill the size of a dragon's eye into her palm.

The Medicinal Pill was pale cyan, its surface smooth and round, without any Impurities.

A fresh, herbal Spiritual Qi lingered on it, and the scent made one's mind feel clear.

She brought the Medicinal Pill to her nose and sniffed lightly; the medicinal fragrance was not overbearing or ostentatious like ordinary Medicinal Pills, but rather like a trickling stream—deep and persistent, going straight to the lungs.

"The color is uniform, and the medicinal fragrance is restrained... The quality of this guyuan pill far exceeds those so-called 'premium products' on the shelves of Huichun Hall." Qin Ruowei whispered to herself. She then opened another porcelain bottle marked with the character "Hui"; the Huichun Powder inside was as fine as dust, its Spiritual Qi fluctuations stable and calm—it was a Saint Grade item for healing.

Next, she carefully picked up the stack of Talismans.

There were five in total; the Talisman paper was made from high-quality birch pulp, flexible and full of spirituality.

The Talisman script drawn in cinnabar had ancient and fluid lines, completed in one go without any breaks.

She channeled a trace of weak Spiritual Qi into her fingertips, and the core of the Talisman script representing "Fire Flame" immediately pulsed slightly, like a sleeping heart, emitting a pure and stable Spiritual Qi fluctuation.

This was absolutely incomparable to the shoddy goods mass-produced by low-level Qi Refining Talisman masters on the market.

Qin Ruowei's fingers, which had been unconsciously tapping on the jade box, finally stopped.

She closed the jade box and looked up at Lin Chen. Under the dim moonlight, her cold and aloof face revealed, for the first time, an excitement that could not be concealed: "The quality is excellent. The best goods in Li Mao's shop are nothing more than this. Can the supply be stable?"

The fingertips of Lin Chen's right hand, hidden in his sleeve, were subconsciously rubbing the rough stone ring on his thumb.

The cold touch allowed him to maintain absolute calmness throughout.

"It can be," he nodded, "but the production volume is limited. Whether it is Medicinal Pills or Talismans, the refining process is extremely taxing on the mind. In the initial stage, we can only take the route of high-quality, small-quantity, avoiding direct competition with the Li family in terms of volume."

"I understand." Qin Ruowei had long expected this.

Talismans and Medicinal Pills of this quality could not possibly be sold in piles like common goods.

The high-quality route could instead better build reputation and value.

She took out a warm Jade Slip from her bosom and handed it back to Lin Chen: "This is the revised contract, branded with my Divine Soul mark. After you have reviewed it and confirmed there are no errors, please leave your mark as well, and the contract will take effect immediately."

Lin Chen took the Jade Slip, and his Divine Sense sank into it.

The terms had been revised one by one according to what was agreed upon three days ago; they were clear, precise, and without any omissions.

He did not hesitate any longer, split off a wisp of his Divine Sense, and branded his own mark at the end of the Jade Slip.

The Jade Slip trembled slightly, emitted an imperceptible flash of Spiritual Qi, and then returned to silence.

The partnership was thus officially established.

Qin Ruowei's ability to take action far exceeded Lin Chen's expectations.

In just two days, she used the bag of Low-Grade Spirit Stones provided by Lin Chen to lease a small shop with an independent backyard on South Street, a relatively remote and cheap-rent area of Liuyun Market that still had decent foot traffic.

The shop was not big, with a layout of a shop in the front and a courtyard in the back; it had originally been a store selling miscellaneous goods, so it was quite clean.

She personally took down the mottled old signboard and replaced it with a brand-new black-background, gold-lettered plaque—"Lin Family Pill and Talisman Pavilion."

She did not show her face personally, but through Old Xu's connections, she hired an old accountant who had been dismissed from Huichun Hall.

This accountant's surname was Qian; he was a Mortal, nearly sixty years old, and had spent his whole life in the market. He was extremely cautious and prudent, and his mouth was tight.

Having him sit behind the counter to watch the shop could handle daily trivial matters without easily attracting too much attention.

Qin Ruowei herself retreated behind the scenes, coordinating everything in the backyard.

On the eve of the opening, at Qin Ruowei's request, Lin Chen asked Liu Yuan to go there quietly.

This former Foundation Establishment Formation Master, although his cultivation had fallen, still possessed the vision and means.

He did not set up any earth-shattering grand Formation, as that would only attract unnecessary prying eyes.

He only spent a few pieces of inferior mica crystal bought from Old Xu to set up an extremely simple early warning and protective Restriction at the corners and lintels of the shop and backyard.

This Restriction had no fluctuations on ordinary days; only when encountering forced entry or malicious Spiritual Qi probing would it send out a subtle alert and create a faint linkage with the warning Formation of Liuyun Market itself.

This Formation was not for killing enemies, but only for issuing warnings; it could guard against petty thieves without being conspicuous, and the measure was handled just right.

"Lin Family Pill and Talisman Pavilion" opened in such a quiet manner.

There were no firecrackers, no opening promotions; they just quietly opened the door panels, placed two bottles of Medicinal Pills and three Talismans on the empty shelves, and marked them with a price 30% higher than the same goods at Huichun Hall.

For the first two days of opening, the shop was deserted.

Passing Loose Cultivators only glanced inside out of curiosity, saw the ridiculously high prices and the shabby furnishings, and then walked away with a curl of their lips.

It was not until the morning of the third day that Li Mao finally arrived.

He was still wearing a sapphire-blue brocade robe, with that large jade pendant hanging at his waist, followed by two sturdy shop assistants, and strode across the threshold with a swagger.

"Oh, Old Qian, haven't seen you in many days; have you found a new employer again? Congratulations!" As soon as Li Mao entered, he cupped his hands at Old Qian behind the counter with a fake smile.

Old Qian quickly stood up from behind the counter, his face full of humble smiles, bowing repeatedly: "Thanks to your blessing, Steward Li, I'm just trying to make a living, just making a living."

Li Mao's gaze did not linger on Old Qian at all; he walked straight to the shelf, picked up the bottle of "guyuan pill" with the highest price, and pulled out the stopper with an apparently casual movement.

Just by sniffing lightly at the tip of his nose, his playboy expression instantly froze, and his complexion changed imperceptibly.

He quickly put the stopper back on, then picked up a "Basic Fire Flame Talisman," his fingertips slowly sliding over the Talisman script, feeling the Spiritual Qi fluctuation that was far more solid and pure than those drawn by his own Talisman masters.

A trace of gloom gathered rapidly in his eyes, like dark clouds.

With a "clack," he slammed the Medicinal Pill bottle heavily onto the shelf, turned his head to stare at Old Qian, and his tone turned cold: "Your shop's goods look quite unique. I wonder which Pill Master or Talisman Master they came from? And where did this source of goods come from?"

A pressure of the Sixth Level of Qi Refining pressed faintly toward Old Qian.

Old Qian was just a Mortal; hit by this aura, his face immediately turned pale, and his legs felt a bit weak.

But he remembered Qin Ruowei's instructions tightly, forced himself to smile, and said: "Steward... Steward, you are joking. This old man is just watching the shop; how would I dare to ask about the boss's affairs? I only heard the boss mention once that it was goods obtained from an old friend's channel from out of town. As for the specifics... this old man really doesn't know."

"You don't know?" Li Mao snorted coldly, his two eyes, like venomous snakes, scanned the small shop, and finally fell back onto Old Qian's wrinkled face, "What a good 'I don't know'!"

He said no more, flicked his sleeves violently, turned around, and left with his people in a huff.

The next day, the winds in Liuyun Market changed.

Huichun Hall and several other Materials shops firmly controlled by the Li family, almost at the same time, directly increased the selling price of the core auxiliary material "Qingling Grass Core" needed for refining guyuan pill, as well as several other key medicinal Materials, by 50%.

Furthermore, Li Mao sent people to "greet" the herb-gathering teams that had signed contracts with him one by one, strictly forbidding them from privately supplying goods to Qin Ruowei or anyone related to "Lin Family Pill and Talisman Pavilion."

Meanwhile, on the counter of Huichun Hall, the guyuan pill that originally sold for ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones per bottle was directly reduced to nine; the Fire Flame Talisman that originally cost three Spirit Stones was also reduced to two point seven.

The naked suppression of the source of goods and the price war had begun.

Through middlemen like Old Xu who walked in the gray areas, Qin Ruowei tried with all her might to barely obtain a small amount of auxiliary Materials at a price nearly double the usual rate.

The cost increased sharply, the shop's profits were greatly compressed, and it even began to face losses.

That night, Qin Ruowei passed through the abandoned mine tunnel again, met Lin Chen, and laid out the predicament in the market.

In the dim mine tunnel, only a bonfire was burning quietly.

After listening, Lin Chen did not speak for a long time.

He just sat by the fire, his right hand subconsciously rubbing the stone ring, the firelight dancing in his deep pupils, reflecting deep thought.

Qin Ruowei did not urge him either, just waiting quietly.

She knew that this young ally was weighing the entire chessboard at this moment.

After a long while, Lin Chen slowly opened his mouth, his voice appearing exceptionally clear in the empty mine tunnel: "I will not add any more funds for the time being."

Qin Ruowei's heart tightened.

"If the shop is to survive, it cannot just rely on burning money." Lin Chen raised his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, "You go and do two things now."

"First, take out a portion of the remaining Medicinal Pills and Talismans in the shop. In the name of 'thanking new and old customers,' give them for free to those few old Loose Cultivators in the market who are not high in cultivation but are famous for having good connections and liking to talk everywhere. When giving them, don't say anything; let them experience it themselves."

"Second, have Old Qian 'inadvertently' reveal a sentence to all customers who come to inquire about prices: The owner of this shop has some connection with a certain Pill Dao Grandmaster who was once famous in the Central Continent and later retired. Our goods are all flowed out from that exclusive channel; the craftsmanship is unique and incomparable to ordinary goods in the market, but the production is extremely rare, hence the high price. What we are selling is this one-of-a-kind quality."

Qin Ruowei's eyes lit up instantly.

She understood Lin Chen's intention.

This was to completely avoid the low-end price war with the Li family, and instead, by creating mystery and scarcity, elevate the positioning of "Lin Family Pill and Talisman Pavilion" to another level, attracting those specific customers who truly value quality and are not short of money.

The strategy of giving away medicine for free took effect faster than imagined.

Those few old Loose Cultivators who had received the benefits were originally greedy for small advantages; after trying the Medicinal Pills, they found that the effect was surprisingly good, far superior to the Medicinal Pills of Huichun Hall.

They were usually fond of bragging in tea houses and taverns, and now they had excellent talking points, exaggerating and praising the Medicinal Pills of "Lin Family Pill and Talisman Pavilion" to the heavens.

For a time, the news that "the Medicinal Pills at that dark shop on South Street seem to really have something" quietly spread in the Loose Cultivator circles of the market.

Several days later, a Cultivator dressed in black with a cold face walked into "Lin Family Pill and Talisman Pavilion."

The aura on his body was solid and cold, and his cultivation was impressively at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining, only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

"I want all the Huichun Powder and half of the Fire Flame Talismans in your shop." The black-clothed Cultivator's voice was hoarse; he threw a small bag of Spirit Stones onto the counter directly, not caring at all about the high price.

Old Qian was startled, but he still followed Qin Ruowei's instructions, expressing with difficulty that "the supply is tight, and there is a purchase limit per person," and only sold him a limited portion.

The black-clothed Cultivator did not pester him; he collected the Medicinal Pills and Talismans and turned to leave.

When he walked out of the shop door, he happened to lock eyes with a sinister gaze from the second-floor window of the tea house across the street.

Li Mao's hand holding the teacup stopped in mid-air.

He recognized that man in black.

This person seemed to be a peripheral member of the notorious assassin organization "Blood Crow Tower" nearby, and rarely appeared in public in the market on ordinary days.

Someone from Blood Crow Tower would actually come to buy Medicinal Pills and Talismans from this new shop?

Li Mao's suspicions deepened.

What kind of background does this suddenly emerged "Lin Family" really have?

Could it be that they also have ties with Blood Crow Tower?

He put down the teacup, and his eyes became increasingly sinister.

It seems that simple commercial suppression is no longer enough.

He decided to use more direct and vicious means; he must completely wipe this strange shop from Liuyun Market as soon as possible.