Free Web NovelChapter 386: Chapter 386: The Despicable Qin Family
Ye Xuan just smiled but didn’t explain.
He had discerned all of this just from the two Pills in his hand.
Any Pill that fell into his hands would reveal the Alchemist’s skill, the probability of success, and the rate of material loss. With this information, analyzing the profit margin was hardly a difficult task.
"However, that profit margin is what the Luo family used to make. I’m afraid it will be difficult to earn that much in the future," Ye Xuan suddenly said.
Luo Min’s brow furrowed. "Young Master Ye, what do you mean by that?"
"Shopkeeper, give me a bottle of Blood Coagulation Pills."
Just then, a Martial Artist entered the shop, interrupting their conversation.
The man carried a battle-blade on his back and radiated a powerful aura; he was clearly a Tier Five Martial Sect practitioner.
Luo Xin immediately took out a bottle of Blood Coagulation Pills and handed it to the man. After inspecting them, the customer took out a stack of Profound Tickets and was about to leave when Ye Xuan stopped him.
"What do you want?" the Martial Artist asked, looking at Ye Xuan with a wary expression.
"From the looks of it, you must be preparing to go on an adventure, aren’t you?" Ye Xuan said with a faint smile.
"Whether I’m going on an adventure or not is none of your business. Surely you don’t intend to meddle in that as well?"
the Martial Sect practitioner said coldly.
"Young Master Ye, what are you doing...?"
Luo Min also hurried forward and asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"So Patriarch Luo Min is here as well." The Martial Sect practitioner glanced at Luo Min, visibly relieved. He clasped his hands and said, "Patriarch Luo Min, I don’t know who this person is, but I, Liu, was just buying a few Pills. It’s not like I didn’t pay. You’re not going to stop me from leaving, are you? This isn’t the first time I’ve bought Pills here."
"You’ve misunderstood," Ye Xuan couldn’t help but laugh. "I stopped you merely to recommend two other Pills from our Luo family’s shop: the Tengguang Pill and the Obstacle Clearing Pill. The Tengguang Pill can rapidly restore a Martial Artist’s Profound Power, while the Obstacle Clearing Pill can block most toxins. If you’re preparing to go out and train, these two Pills will offer you significant protection."
"Oh, so that’s what this is about." The Martial Sect practitioner sighed in relief and gave Ye Xuan and Luo Min a wry smile. "It’s not that I don’t want to buy your Pills. It’s just that yesterday, the Qin family’s medicine shop released two new Pills with effects very similar to your Luo family’s Tengguang Pill and Obstacle Clearing Pill. And they’re cheaper. As you know, Martial Artists require a vast amount of resources for cultivation. We save wherever we can."
"What? The Qin family released two Pills with the same effects as ours?" Luo Min’s brows knitted together as he spoke in astonishment.
"That’s right. One is called the Return Light Pill, and it costs six hundred thousand Profound Coins. The other is the Obstacle Removal Pill, for five hundred thousand Profound Coins. Both are one hundred thousand Profound Coins cheaper than the Luo family’s Pills. I was planning on checking them out later."
After speaking, the Martial Sect practitioner clasped his hands in a brief salute and left.
’How is this possible? Since when could the Qin family develop these two Pills?’
Even after the Martial Sect practitioner had gone, Luo Min still wore a look of disbelief.
"It seems things are just as I thought," Ye Xuan said nonchalantly.
A flash of realization struck Luo Min. "Young Master Ye, are you saying..."
Ye Xuan nodded. "If I’m not mistaken, the Qin family’s Return Light Pill and Obstacle Removal Pill are plagiarized versions of your Luo family’s Tengguang Pill and Obstacle Clearing Pill."
"But how could our Luo family’s secret Pill formulas have been leaked to the Qin family?"
"You’ll have to ask the Murong family."
"Young Master Ye, are you saying the Murong family gave our family’s formulas to the Qin family?" Luo Min looked shocked. "That’s impossible! Although the Luo family was previously subordinate to the Murong family, the Alchemy and sales of these two Pills were always handled by us directly. There’s no way the Murong family could have copied them."
Luo Min still found it hard to believe.
Ye Xuan shook his head. "It’s quite simple. While the Luo family handled the Alchemy, the Murong family must have been involved in supplying the ingredients. They would only need to record the quantities of the ingredients supplied to easily figure out what goes into both Pills."
"And that’s the more troublesome method. Your Luo family was attached to the Murong family for so many years. Given the Murong family’s methods, it would be a true failure on their part if they hadn’t managed to obtain the refining methods for both Pills."
Considering both the timing of the Qin family’s Pill launch and the Pills’ effects, it was easy for Ye Xuan to guess that their two new Pills were, in fact, the Luo family’s Tengguang Pill and Obstacle Clearing Pill.
Moreover, it was highly likely they had obtained them from the Murong family.
"Damn it."
The thought that the Murong family had not only driven his family out but also stolen their exclusive Pill formulas sent a surge of uncontrollable fury through Luo Min.
’I just don’t know if the Qin family’s Pills are truly my family’s Pills. If they are, then I...’
Flames of rage erupted in Luo Min’s eyes, but at the same time, a sense of panic began to set in.
If they lost their monopoly on these two Pills, the blow to the Luo family would be no different from having their market stall destroyed.
Ye Xuan’s eyes were as calm as still water. He said lightly, "If you want to know whether the Qin family’s Pills are the same as your family’s, all you have to do is go and take a look."
"But that’s the Qin family’s territory!"
Luo Min was taken aback.
They had just clashed with the Qin family yesterday. If their identities were discovered, would the Qin family’s people let them go?
"So what if it’s the Qin family’s territory? Are they not open for business? In broad daylight, with so many people around, are you afraid they’ll actually attack you?" Ye Xuan sneered.
Ye Xuan was, in fact, quite interested in the scale of the Qin family’s shop.
You could gauge a family’s foundation from the state of their shops.
After some hesitation, Luo Min finally nodded.
Soon, Ye Xuan, Luo Min, and Luo Cheng made their way toward the Qin family’s shop.
As a prominent family in the Imperial Capital, the Qin family’s shop was located in the central area of the marketplace.
The entire street was bustling with crowds and heavy traffic.
Every shop in this central area was astronomically expensive. The only people who could own a shop here were either powerful imperial figures or nobles from great families.
"Young Master Ye, that’s the Qin family’s shop up ahead."
Luo Min said, pointing to a rather luxurious-looking establishment.
It was a three-story pavilion. The entire shop looked grand and magnificent. On the lintel above the entrance hung a plaque inscribed with the four large, gilded words: Qin Family Medicine Pavilion.
"Hm?"
Just then, Ye Xuan’s brow furrowed, and he glanced back over his shoulder.
"Young Master Ye, what is it?" Luo Min asked, confused.
"It’s nothing. Let’s go in," Ye Xuan said, shaking his head. No one noticed the faint, detached smile that suddenly touched the corner of his lips.
As the three of them stepped inside, a cacophony of voices immediately filled their ears.
"Did you hear? This Qin Family Medicine Pavilion just launched two new types of Pills yesterday."
"Yeah, one’s called the Return Light Pill, and the other is the Obstacle Removal Pill. Their effects are really similar to the Luo family’s old Tengguang Pill and Obstacle Clearing Pill, but they’re one hundred thousand Profound Coins cheaper per Pill. It’s a great deal."
"That good?"
"Of course. I’m not sure about the quality myself, but a few friends who bought them said they’re not just as good as the Luo family’s old Tengguang and Obstacle Clearing Pills—they’re even better."
"HISS... If that’s the case, then I really have to buy a couple to take back with me."
Walking through the Medicine Pavilion, Ye Xuan was immediately met with the buzz of people discussing the Return Light Pill and the Obstacle Removal Pill.
"Welcome to our Qin Family Medicine Pavilion. Are you here to purchase Pills or Spirit Medicine ingredients?"
A gentle voice sounded beside them. Turning, they saw a young woman in an attendant’s uniform, smiling as she asked the question.
Luo Min said in a low voice, "We heard your Qin Family Medicine Pavilion just released two new Pills. We’d like to see them."
"You must mean the Return Light Pill and the Obstacle Removal Pill," the young woman said with a small smile. "Those are the two new Pills our Qin Family Medicine Pavilion just launched. They’re our best-sellers right now. If you buy in bulk, you can even get a discount. Please, follow me, all three of you."
The young woman led the three of them to a counter inside the Medicine Pavilion. A long line of Martial Artists was queued up in front of it, all waiting to buy the Return Light Pill and Obstacle Removal Pill.
Soon, the two types of Pills were presented before the three of them.
Luo Min’s gaze instantly turned sharp as a blade. A flicker of rage ignited within him, threatening to erupt like a volcano.
Ye Xuan also looked down.
The two Pills, in both color and form, were identical to the Tengguang Pill and the Obstacle Clearing Pill he had seen from Luo Min earlier. Other than the different names, they were clearly the exact same type of Pill.
But Ye Xuan saw more.
The Qin family’s Pills were noticeably rounder and more uniform than the Luo family’s, and the medicinal properties were better integrated. Clearly, the Qin family’s Alchemists were more than a single cut above the Luo family’s. This would immediately allow them to save a great deal on the cost of the Pills.
They could sell it for less than half the price, let alone a hundred thousand less, and the Qin family would still make a profit.
"Sirs, what do you think? Because these two Pills were launched just a few days ago, our Qin Family Medicine Pavilion is having a special promotion. If you purchase ten or more of either Pill at once, you get a 5% discount. For fifty or more, it’s a 10% discount, and for one hundred or more, you get a 15% discount."
the young woman explained gracefully.
"Does anyone really buy that many at once?" Luo Min asked, puzzled. ’In our Luo family’s shop, selling ten Pills a day is considered a lot. Who would buy more than a hundred at a time?’
"But of course. The demand for these two Pills in the market far outstrips the supply. Not just here in the Imperial Capital, but in other cities of the empire as well. Take the Obstacle Removal Pill, for example. It can clear away most toxins. The Cloud Mist Mountain Range near the empire’s Wuxin City is shrouded in a faint, toxic mist all year round. If you gentlemen were to buy some Obstacle Removal Pills and take them to Wuxin City, they would be in extremely high demand. You could even make a huge profit from it."
The young woman was clearly an excellent saleswoman, pitching her products with great effort.
"Well, well, isn’t this the Patriarch of the Luo family? What wind blew you here?" frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Just then, a mocking voice suddenly carried down from the floor above.
