Outside a private chamber within the Zhu Trading Company headquarters.
A figure hurried over, stopping respectfully before the door to announce:
“Zhu Yishan requests an audience with the Ancestor!”
As soon as the words faded, the chamber door rumbled open, and an aged voice drifted out from within:
“Come in.”
Inside the chamber, two figures sat opposite one another, playing a game of chess.
One of them was Zhu Fatian, the sole Divinity Transformation Realm Ancestor of the current Zhu Trading Company.
Zhu Fatian watched as Zhu Yishan, the current helmsman of the Zhu Trading Company, walked in briskly. He spoke calmly:
“How are things progressing?”
Hearing his ancestor’s question, a look of delight spread across Zhu Yishan’s face.
“The other party is open to selling the formula for the Nuclear Explosion Pill. They said if we want to buy it, we should contact the Tianfu Shop directly.”
After saying this, Zhu Yishan’s expression shifted to one of hesitation as he continued:
“However, the people at Tianfu Shop mentioned that the Nuclear Explosion Pill is supposedly quite difficult to refine. They advised us not to buy it, stating that they would take no responsibility for any issues after the sale.”
This transaction was fully managed by the second branch of the Zhu family, to which Zhu Yishan himself belonged. He was more than happy to cut Zhu Chuixiang out of the deal entirely, ensuring the main family branch had no chance to interfere.
But if they bought the Nuclear Explosion Pill formula and truly couldn’t produce the pills, or if the yield was far too low, then the second branch would suffer a massive loss.
Although the Zhu Trading Company belonged to the Zhu family as a whole, the various businesses and ventures under its umbrella were divided among the different family branches to manage.
Upon hearing Zhu Yishan’s concerns, the Zhu family Ancestor, Zhu Fatian, did not answer directly. Instead, he turned to the man sitting across from him and asked:
“Brother Zhao, what is your take on this?”
The person sitting opposite the Zhu family Ancestor was none other than Zhao Yuanji, who had traveled here from the Mysterious Heaven Sect.
The plan to acquire the formula for the Nuclear Explosion Pill was driven forward by Zhao Yuanji himself. He intended to partner with the Zhu Trading Company to seize control of the market for the pill outside the boundaries of the Mysterious Heaven Sect.
Thanks to the rumors spreading from the extraterritorial battlefields, the popularity of the Nuclear Explosion Pill beyond the sect walls now rivaled its fame within.
The Zhu Trading Company headquarters was located in Star Province, the closest province to the Mysterious Heaven Sect. They were naturally well aware of the pill’s explosive demand and had long harbored a desire to obtain its formula.
When Zhao Yuanji approached them, both parties immediately saw eye to eye, setting the subsequent events into motion.
Feeling Zhu Fatian’s gaze upon him, Zhao Yuanji raised his head and scoffed dismissively:
“This Tianfu Shop is merely trying to intimidate us, hoping we’ll back down in the face of difficulty. If refining the Nuclear Explosion Pill were truly so challenging, how could Tianfu Shop possibly mass-produce them?”
Zhao Yuanji didn’t believe a single word of Tianfu Shop’s nonsense. Did they take him for a fool? He had already investigated the pill’s approximate sales figures; otherwise, he wouldn’t be going to such lengths.
Zhu Fatian nodded in agreement with Zhao Yuanji’s assessment, a glimmer of shrewdness appearing in his eyes. He chuckled and said:
“Since Tianfu Shop has shown a willingness to talk, we should seize the momentum and strike while the iron is hot. We must not give them a chance to change their minds. We’ll cut through the red tape and secure that formula immediately.”
He then turned his gaze to Zhu Yishan and instructed:
“Yishan, we are buying the formula. As for the price…”
Zhu Fatian paused for a moment to think before continuing:
“Open the bidding at ten million high-grade spirit stones. If the other party is not satisfied, do not let the final price exceed thirty million high-grade spirit stones. You have discretion over the rest.”
The Zhu Trading Company needed liquidity to operate smoothly. While they could afford to pay more than thirty million high-grade spirit stones, doing so would disrupt the overall flow of the business.
Although he coveted the formula, Zhu Fatian was unwilling to risk the stability of the entire trading company for a venture with unknown potential.
Hearing his ancestor’s command, Zhu Yishan bowed respectfully.
“Yes, Ancestor!”
Three days later, after a round of back-and-forth haggling, the price for the Nuclear Explosion Pill formula was settled at sixteen million high-grade spirit stones.
Ye Qingxuan handled the negotiations personally this time, using Zhu Dafu merely as an intermediary messenger.
Zhu Yishan, as the helmsman of a major trading company, proved to be exceptionally shrewd.
Even in his eagerness to acquire the formula, he remained composed and dignified during negotiations with Tianfu Shop. He refused to let the unseen Ye Qingxuan lead him around by the nose.
Early on:
Under Ye Qingxuan’s direction, Tianfu Shop outright rejected the Zhu Trading Company’s opening bid of ten million high-grade spirit stones and countered with a demand of twenty-six million.
The reason the price ultimately dropped to sixteen million high-grade spirit stones was entirely due to Zhu Yishan’s cunning.
When Tianfu Shop later introduced additional restrictive conditions, Zhu Yishan seized upon them as leverage to systematically lower the price.
In fact, he nearly backed out of the deal entirely at the last moment, sensing that something was amiss.
During the negotiation process:
Acting on Ye Qingxuan’s behind-the-scenes instructions, Tianfu Shop laid down the following conditions:
The Zhu Trading Company could not resell the formula, nor could they process or manufacture Nuclear Explosion Pills on behalf of other factions. Furthermore, they were forbidden from selling the finished pills at a price lower than that of Tianfu Shop.
Ye Qingxuan had specifically crafted these three stipulations to prevent the Zhu Trading Company from collaborating with other forces.
After all, if he was going to set a trap, he intended to catch more than just one fish. Once the secret of the Nuclear Explosion Pill inevitably leaked out, opportunities like this would vanish.
To the Zhu Trading Company, these three conditions were trivial. They had no intention of sharing the pie with outsiders in the first place.
However, that old fox Zhu Yishan, when presented with these terms, acted as though he were suffering a great injustice.
During this phase, he managed to haggle the price down to eighteen million high-grade spirit stones.
And Ye Qingxuan, lurking behind the scenes of Tianfu Shop, was a novice when it came to swindling people. Feeling a slight pang of guilt over his lack of experience in such matters, he quietly acquiesced.
Seeing how smoothly things were proceeding, Zhu Yishan felt a mix of suspicion and delight.
Yet, he also put forward a condition of his own: Tianfu Shop could not sell the Nuclear Explosion Pill formula to any other powers within Star Province.
If Tianfu Shop sold the formula to other local forces, the Zhu Trading Company would lose its monopoly over the Star Province market, causing the pill’s price to plummet.
But Ye Qingxuan, still hidden behind Tianfu Shop, did not agree to this. He only promised that if the formula were to be sold again, the price and conditions for future buyers would not be more favorable than those offered in this current deal.
Hearing this promise, Zhu Yishan actually began to hesitate.
His hesitation wasn’t born from a fear of competition. With the Zhu Trading Company’s extensive network, even selling exclusively within their established territory would guarantee a profit.
The real source of his unease was that everything had gone too smoothly.
Furthermore, the final promise from Tianfu Shop clearly indicated an intention to sell the formula multiple times over. This directly contradicted the speculations made by his Ancestor and Zhao Yuanji.
Recalling the initial warning from Tianfu Shop about the difficulty of refining the pill, Zhu Yishan grew increasingly wary.
If this deal turned out to be a loss, the majority of the financial burden would fall squarely on the second branch’s shoulders.
Sensing something was off, Zhu Yishan decided to test the waters.
Seizing upon Tianfu Shop’s refusal of his exclusivity request, he drastically slashed his offer to six million high-grade spirit stones, wanting to gauge their reaction.
