Chapter 55: He Gu's Pressure

As Liang Rui's voice faded, his face full of confidence, he failed to notice the fierce gleam that flashed in the eyes of his younger brother, Liang Heng, standing right beside him!

...

The second day after returning from the Artifact Refining Pavilion, Yun Yi did not continue his seclusion and cultivation within the Flaming Yellow Jade. Instead, he made his way briskly toward the Exchange Hall early in the morning.

There was no help for it; Yun Yi knew it was somewhat unrealistic to break through to the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage before the academy grand tournament, as the sheer amount of resources required for such a breakthrough was astronomical.

He could no longer afford it.

Therefore, he now prepared to enhance himself in other aspects, such as martial techniques and physical tempering!

And his current trip to the Exchange Hall was precisely to exchange for some spiritual herbs related to body refining!

Walking all the way in leisure and reaching the entrance of the Exchange Hall smoothly, Yun Yi actually felt a tinge of nostalgia when he found no one blocking his path.

The mere thought of Wei Xing brought a smile to the corners of Yun Yi's lips—that was the guy who had been beaten by him countless times yet remained incorrigible.

"Senior Brother Yun, you're here!"

The moment Yun Yi stepped into the Exchange Hall, before he could even utter a word, a disciple in the main hall lit up and waved enthusiastically toward him.

"I've come to take a look at some herbs!"

Yun Yi responded with a smile, then, remembering that Elder He should be back by now, he asked, "Is Elder He back?"

"He's back! He's back!"

"Senior Brother, please follow me!"

With those words, the disciple led Yun Yi toward the back until they reached a private room.

"Senior Brother, Elder He is already inside!"

After informing Yun Yi, the disciple turned around and left.

Yun Yi watched the departing disciple, shook his head with a smile, and pushed the door open.

"How has Young Friend Yun been doing lately?"

Before Yun Yi even stepped across the threshold, Elder He was already standing near the door, waiting to greet him and asking with a smile.

"Haha! Elder He, please take a seat!"

Yun Yi chuckled, instantly brushing away the trace of gloom from his heart, and gestured as he sat down opposite the elder.

"Elder He, how are the pill sales going?"

Yun Yi took a sip of tea and asked He Gu in an indifferent tone.

"Young Friend!"

Upon hearing this topic, He Gu clearly became exceptionally excited. He leaned forward, released his spiritual energy to scan the surroundings and ensure no one was eavesdropping, before speaking in a hurried voice.

"The sales for this batch of medicinal pills have simply exploded! Demand completely exceeds supply!"

At the mere recollection of that scene, He Gu's mouth went dry. He hastily took a sip of tea and continued, "Young Friend, you have no idea! The moment this batch of pills hit the market, it utterly crushed all our commercial competitors. Before our pills could even be sold in separate batches, they were already bought up at exorbitant prices!"

"Oh. That's good then."

Outwardly, Yun Yi maintained a calm and composed expression, but inwardly he was greatly astonished. He had never imagined that the medicinal pills he refined would become such a massive hit.

"Ah, right! This is the share you rightfully deserve!"

He Gu said, handing a purple card to Yun Yi, and then produced another card as he added, "And this one contains an extra token of appreciation from our Guild Master. Please accept it, Young Friend!"

Looking at the two cards before him, Yun Yi reached out and drew the purple card toward himself. Lowering his gaze to take a sip of tea, he said indifferently, "It surely isn't just a simple token of appreciation, is it?"

Having come from a commercial background himself, Yun Yi naturally understood the hidden tricks of the trade; some money was not so easily accepted.

"Ugh!"

He Gu clearly had not anticipated that Yun Yi would be this astute. With a somewhat embarrassed expression, he stammered, "Our Guild Master would like Young Friend to refine a few more batches of pills..."

"However! Our Guild Master will also provide Young Friend with extra compensation!"

Terrified that Yun Yi might refuse, He Gu hurriedly blurted out the second half of his sentence.

"Your Guild Master... wants me to refine how many more?"

Yun Yi twirled the teacup in his hand and asked with a smile.

Hearing this, He Gu scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Double... the amount from last time!"

At these words, Yun Yi suddenly halted the movement of the teacup and gazed at He Gu with a solemn expression.

Feeling the skeptical look in Yun Yi's eyes, even He Gu, who had spent many years mingling in the commercial world, felt immense pressure. Taking a deep breath, He Gu spoke again with extreme caution, "Our Guild Master also said that, to express gratitude to Young Friend, we will provide two and a half times the amount of spiritual herbs this time, and all the remaining refined pills will belong entirely to Young Friend!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Yi's expression softened.

"Two and a half times the spiritual herbs will be enough for me to use for a while."

Pondering inwardly while maintaining an impassive exterior, Yun Yi said, "Then I suppose I will reluctantly accept. Let this be a one-time occurrence; if it happens again, the partnership is terminated!"

"I imagine there are plenty of people who would love to cooperate with me!"

Yun Yi smiled as he looked at He Gu, though his expression carried a chilling undertone.

Seeing Yun Yi's expression, He Gu felt a jolt in his heart. Instantly sensing Yun Yi's anger, he hurriedly stood up, bowed deeply with cupped hands, and said, "Only this once! On behalf of the Guild Master, I offer my sincere apologies to Young Friend!"

Yun Yi glanced at He Gu, then his ominous expression vanished, replaced by a smile as he said, "Hahaha, Elder He, I was just joking! Just joking!"

With that, Yun Yi reached out to help He Gu up, laughing heartily.

He Gu straightened his back, wearing a bitter smile as he looked at Yun Yi. His back was already drenched in sweat, because he had no way of telling which of Yun Yi's words were real and which were false.

As expected, he truly is a genius of the commercial world!

He Gu suddenly recalled a question he had once asked the Guild Master: "Guild Master, why don't we just fleece Yun Yi for all he's worth?"

Qian Keke had worn a profound expression, falling into deep thought before replying: "This person is a commercial genius and must not be underestimated."

Thinking back on Qian Keke's words now, He Gu was completely won over.

Even though he far surpassed Yun Yi in terms of cultivation realm, when it came to business, he was not even half a match for Yun Yi! In fact, the pressure Yun Yi exerted on him was even greater than facing someone of his own realm!

"Elder He, I have one more matter today!"

After accepting the storage ring of spiritual herbs and the card given by him, Yun Yi continued speaking.

"Young Friend, please go ahead. Let me hear it."

He Gu instantly recovered his previous demeanor and looked at Yun Yi with a smile, though his smile remained somewhat constrained.

"I'd like to purchase some medicinal herbs required for body tempering!"

Yun Yi responded with a smile, reached out to produce a blank sheet of paper, and with a wave of his hand, inscribed a full page of spiritual herb names in the air before handing the paper to He Gu.

"Just these!"

Yun Yi looked at He Gu with a smile, knowing full well that the elder would not refuse him.

"I will have someone deliver these spiritual herbs to Young Friend by noon!"

Seeing that the list consisted entirely of body-tempering ingredients, He Gu felt a momentary shock inwardly before responding aloud with a polite smile.

"Hahaha!"

"Thank you, Elder He!"

Yun Yi laughed heartily and stood up.

"Elder He, there's no need to see me out!"

Seeing He Gu preparing to rise, Yun Yi waved his hand and walked toward the door.

Just as he reached the threshold, Yun Yi suddenly paused his steps, turned his back to He Gu, and said, "Elder He, the tea is quite good."

With those words, Yun Yi stepped outside and left.

"The tea is quite good?"

He Gu watched Yun Yi's retreating figure, his heart churning with turbulent waves.

Taking a deep breath, he shouted, "Someone come! Gather these spiritual herbs and deliver them directly into Yun Yi's hands!"