Chapter 26: Clash of Interests, The Number of Spiritual Herbs Stored by the Medicine family

“Brother Yao, do you think that if I don’t recommend others to join Kunlun, Mr. Ye won’t invite anyone else after reopening Kunlun?” Zhao Qingzhi said with a smile, looking at Yao Lai. “Instead of letting Mr. Ye invite others, I’d rather take the initiative to recommend people. On one hand, it shows Mr. Ye my dedication to Kunlun. On the other, I can use secrets known only to Kunlun members to gain substantial benefits in advance.

“To join Kunlun, the primary requirement is possessing a Wisdom Root. Those with Wisdom Roots, unless they’re obscured by worldly dust like I once was, are all extraordinary. I invited you here, Brother Yao, because I know your capabilities and suspected you might have a Wisdom Root, qualifying you for recommendation to join Kunlun.

“My earlier observation from the next room was to confirm whether you have a Wisdom Root. Clearly, you do, though it’s only a low-level one. Combined with your status and the worldly influence you wield, you’re qualified to join Kunlun.”

“Brother Zhao, what do I need to do for you to recommend me to join Kunlun? What do you want?” Yao Lai asked solemnly, looking at Zhao Qingzhi. “As long as you name it, if my Medicine family has it, I can give it to you.”

Yao Lai wasn’t afraid of Zhao Qingzhi demanding benefits. If Kunlun and Mr. Ye were real, what was the harm in paying a price? He also wasn’t worried about Zhao Qingzhi deceiving him. If he was being tricked, it would mean Mr. Ye and Kunlun were fake.

In that case, the Medicine family’s power, built over five thousand years, would make the Zhao family regret their actions. Whatever benefits Zhao Qingzhi took, Yao Lai would ensure he paid them back.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if Kunlun and Mr. Ye were real but Zhao Qingzhi took the benefits and didn’t follow through, Yao Lai wasn’t concerned.

By making a fuss, he could escalate the matter. If it drew the attention of Mr. Ye, a figure akin to an immortal or god, that would be even better.

If Mr. Ye learned that Zhao Qingzhi broke his promise, Zhao Qingzhi would be the first to suffer. With Yao Lai’s worldly influence and cunning, which were no less than Zhao Qingzhi’s, he was confident he could catch Mr. Ye’s attention and join Kunlun.

…

“I want one hundred stalks of the divine medicine your Medicine family sold to me,” Zhao Qingzhi said slowly after a moment of silence, looking at Yao Lai.

“One hundred stalks of divine medicine?” Yao Lai’s eyes narrowed. “Brother Zhao, do you think divine medicines are as common as cabbages? One hundred stalks? You know that for other clans, having a few stalks in their collection is already the limit. My Medicine family, despite our longer heritage, only has a little over ten stalks. One hundred? We simply can’t produce that many.

“And why do you need divine medicines, Brother Zhao? The spiritual pills you exchanged from Kunlun, which transformed you, far surpass divine medicines. You shouldn’t need them anymore, right?” Yao Lai asked, his voice heavy.

“Fine, I won’t hide it from you, Brother Yao,” Zhao Qingzhi said. “Due to Kunlun’s long closure, the items it once accumulated have been depleted. Mr. Ye needs to replenish them. Spiritual pills like the Rejuvenation Pill require spiritual herbs to refine. With Mr. Ye’s status, he naturally wouldn’t personally collect these herbs, so he issued a task: for every spiritual herb submitted by a Kunlun member, they can earn varying amounts of points. I’m asking for your Medicine family’s divine medicines to exchange for points.

“Since your divine medicines can extend the life of someone on the brink of death and haven’t been refined by Mr. Ye, they are undoubtedly spiritual herbs,” Zhao Qingzhi said calmly.

He wasn’t afraid of revealing the secret that spiritual herbs could be exchanged for Kunlun points, thinking Yao Lai might withhold the herbs to secure his recommendation.

Currently, Kunlun had only two members: Zhao Qingzhi and his granddaughter. Without their recommendation, Yao Lai would need an uncertain amount of time to catch Mr. Ye’s attention and be invited to join Kunlun.

By then, Kunlun might have many members, and Yao Lai’s low-level Wisdom Root might no longer stand out, potentially disqualifying him. Even if he still qualified, time is everything. The earlier one joins Kunlun, the greater the benefits. Yao Lai, as the head of the Medicine family, couldn’t fail to understand this.

“Spiritual herbs can be exchanged for Kunlun points?” Yao Lai’s eyes flickered upon hearing this secret.

“Brother Zhao, one hundred stalks of divine medicine is truly beyond my Medicine family’s means. At most, we can give you all the divine medicines we have, including the one that extended your life—a total of thirteen stalks,” Yao Lai said solemnly, taking a deep breath.

“You’re an old fox, Brother Yao. There’s no need to be so secretive,” Zhao Qingzhi said with a light smile. “I don’t believe that with your Medicine family’s thousands of years of heritage, you only have thirteen stalks of divine medicine. You must know that currently, I’m the only one who can recommend you to join Kunlun. Without my recommendation, who knows how long it would take for Mr. Ye to notice you and invite you to join? Time is everything—the earlier you join Kunlun, the greater the benefits. You can’t possibly not understand this. Name a realistic number.

“Twenty stalks. That’s truly all my Medicine family has in stock,” Yao Lai said seriously after a long silence, hearing Zhao Qingzhi’s words.

“Double that, and I’ll give your Medicine family an additional opportunity,” Zhao Qingzhi said. “Your granddaughter also has a Wisdom Root, and her level is higher than yours. I can recommend both you and your granddaughter, Yao Zi’er, to join Kunlun.

“By the way, in the past, because Mr. Ye is male, all of Kunlun’s items were suited for male Wisdom Root holders, so no women with Wisdom Roots joined Kunlun. But now, with Kunlun’s reopening, Mr. Ye needs many women with Wisdom Roots to strengthen Kunlun, so women can now join.

“Moreover, since no women previously joined Kunlun, Mr. Ye needs to study items suitable for female Wisdom Root holders. This requires women with Wisdom Roots to stay by his side constantly. If I recommend your granddaughter to join Kunlun, she’ll have the chance to stay by Mr. Ye’s side, spending day and night with him. You should understand what a tremendous opportunity that is.”

Zhao Qingzhi looked at Yao Lai and said calmly.