Misty Rain of the Old Times

“Sir, this isn’t quite right. I see that your deal with Xiao Le is over, so it should be my turn,” Wu Jinxun stepped forward and smiled. He spoke calmly, but his eyes showed displeasure. Anyone with eyes could see that his attitude was quite assertive; he wasn’t negotiating, but stating a fact.

As the eldest son of the prestigious Wu family, he is always fawned over wherever he goes. The fact that he waited for them to complete their transaction first was already enough to humble himself. Yet this drug dealer who appeared out of nowhere repeatedly refused to give him face. Did he really think he had no temper?
Do you really think you're something special just because you can concoct the Carefree Pill? To put it nicely, the Carefree Pill is priceless and coveted by countless men, but to put it bluntly, it's nothing more than an aphrodisiac, not a necessity. You think you can rely on it to get everyone to beg you? Who do you think you are!
They'll treat you with respect, calling you "sir" and doing business with you amicably. But if they don't, a single word can leave you utterly ruined, and you won't even have time to regret it.

Chen Xuan was well aware of Wu Jinxun's emotional changes and secretly scoffed, "She's already angry? Looks like she's not very tolerant."

Speaking of which, the fact that the Wu family could send out assassins to deal with Xiao Gao, even without evidence, is truly disgraceful and a disgrace to the name of a prestigious family.

I guess the entire Wu family is the same kind of person. No wonder Wang Le and he don't get along. Birds of a feather flock together, and those who don't fit in will be ostracized.

With a smile, Chen Xuan said, "Was I not clear enough? The deal with Young Master Wang isn't over yet; we can't just stop halfway through, can we? So please understand, Young Master Wu."

"It was my presumption, please," Wu Jinxun nodded and smiled, feeling very displeased but unable to refute. Although he had never truly taken Chen Xuan seriously, he couldn't show his displeasure in front of everyone. On the surface, he still had to maintain the demeanor of a noble family. As long as he kept things clean, who would know what he did behind the scenes?

'You think everyone will be polite and ask for your help just because you have the Xiaoyao Pill? It's all just a facade. Perhaps you haven't realized that once you reappear and it's confirmed that the Xiaoyao Pill came from you, you're destined to never leave the capital. Who wouldn't want to have you under their control? So why can't it be our Wu family?' On the surface, Wu Jinxun was calm, but his mind was already racing with thoughts.

No matter how much countless men dream of the Free and Easy Pill, it is ultimately not something that can be presented in a formal way. Otherwise, it wouldn't be these juniors who would be stepping forward now. But even if it is not something that can be presented in a formal way, its value and the benefits of handling it well are immeasurable. Besides, is this person only capable of refining the Free and Easy Pill?

Wu Jinxun felt a surge of excitement; if he could gain control of this person, the benefits would be immeasurable.

But he's not stupid; if he can figure out how to control this source, why wouldn't others have the same idea? Whether or not they can control it depends on the methods of the individual or the various factions, and to what extent they're willing to go to control it...

After so many years, Chen Xuan was sure that the re-emergence of the "Free and Easy Pill" would attract attention. He understood this, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get the materials he needed. It was hard to say whether he would use this alias again in the future. If someone was asking for trouble, he wouldn't mind helping them out.

Chen Xuan considered himself to be principled, but principles can often be adjusted flexibly.

"The box...is there something wrong with the box?" Wang Le asked hesitantly, instinctively protecting the Xiaoyao Pill in his arms as if afraid it would be snatched back. He didn't know the value of the box and didn't realize Chen Xuan's true meaning.

Turning back to Chen Xuan, he said, "Third Young Master, don't misunderstand, there's nothing wrong with the box itself."

"What does sir mean?" Wang Le asked, speechless.

After organizing his thoughts, Chen Xuan said directly, "To make sure you understand, Third Young Master, the box containing the Fire Copper is made of a rather special material. To put it simply, its own value is even higher than Fire Copper to me. I'm not going to take advantage of you, so I plan to exchange this box for additional Carefree Pills. What do you think, Third Young Master?"

Chen Xuan spoke frankly, saying that he had thought it through carefully. Now that the Cold Stone was right in front of him, there was no reason for him to let it go. There was no need to cheat or deceive him without any grudge. Even if the other party understood the value of the Cold Stone and refused to exchange it, he could always think of other ways.

Being frank is one thing, but that doesn't stop him from being cunning. He only speaks what is valuable to him, and he still has to be careful about how he speaks.

Upon hearing this, Wang Le was stunned. Not only him, but many people around him were also surprised. How could such a thing exist?

The box containing the fire copper was just an extra, but Chen Xuan said it was even more valuable to him than the fire copper, and he planned to exchange it for additional Xiaoyao Pills. This was clearly an unexpected bonus.

But he wasn't stupid. He wasn't blinded by his surprise. He cupped his hands in a smile and humbly asked, "Sir, you are very open-minded. I admire your honesty. Please forgive my poor eyesight, but what is so special about this box?"

"It can completely block the astonishing heat of fire copper. Isn't that special enough?" Chen Xuan said with a smile, his expression obvious.

Wang Le understood this, of course, and changed his questioning approach, asking, "So, what does the gentleman intend to do with it?"

As soon as he said that, Wang Le regretted it. It was such a thoughtless thing to say. He was genuinely curious and asked the question without thinking. Now that the words were out, it was too late to take them back.

As expected, Chen Xuan said, half-laughing and half-crying, "What I use it for is my private matter, and it has nothing to do with what we're discussing, right? So what does Third Young Master think? Shall we exchange it?"

He figured out the specific value of the box's material, and then decided whether to replace it and how much to replace it. Chen Xuan understood this, so even if he had a conscience, he wouldn't be foolish enough to hand over the initiative to the other party.

It seems this box, which was previously taken for granted, needs to be taken seriously. After hesitating for a moment, Wang Le asked, "Sir, how do you plan to exchange it?" Chen Xuan sighed inwardly, thinking to himself that these cunning and scheming people were indeed difficult to deal with; they wouldn't act until they saw a clear benefit.

However, he wouldn't follow the other party's lead and said to himself, "Third Young Master, you should say whether you want to switch or not first. Otherwise, there's no point in saying more, since there are still people waiting. Let's not waste everyone's time."

This guy isn't easy to fool either. Wang Le sighed helplessly, thought for a moment, and nodded, saying, "Since you're so open-minded, this box was originally a bonus, just like how the Xiaoyao Pill needs to be packed in something... Well, anyway, it's an unexpected surprise, so why should I act like a villain? Let's exchange it then. Now, could you tell me how we can exchange it?"

"Third Young Master is so generous," Chen Xuan clapped his hands in delight, then pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, I haven't heard of anyone trading this on the market yet, so it's hard to give a specific value. But I do need it, so let's give a price based on my needs. Here's the deal: a fixed price. I'll personally exchange it for ten times the value of fire copper at a ratio of ten pieces per tael. What do you think, Third Young Master?"

For Chen Xuan, the Xiaoyao Pill was practically free. Using it to exchange for Youhan Stone was practically robbery. He wouldn't hesitate to increase the price tenfold. Even if he didn't have that much stock right now, the export price of ten times the original price was already impressive enough.

"How much?" Wang Le was really stunned. He roughly understood that this thing was worth a lot to 'Chen Xuan', but he didn't expect it to be this outrageous. He was a little shocked.

At this moment, a collective gasp of cold air could be heard from all around. How many Xiaoyao pills must be in such a huge box?
Wu Jinxun, who had been able to remain calm, was starting to get anxious. If the transaction was completed, would he still get a share? But at this point, he couldn't interrupt. Then he thought that whether or not he exchanged the fire copper he brought was no longer important. What mattered was that this person was there. As long as he was there, he could have as many Xiaoyao Pills as he wanted in the future!

At the same time, he was thinking that he should take stock of the things in his house afterward. After hundreds of years of accumulation, there were probably countless things in the warehouse covered in dust, and there might be some undiscovered treasures among them.

With a smile, Chen Xuan said, "This is already the highest price I've offered."

After quickly calming down, Wang Le hesitated for a moment but did not haggle. He smiled and said, "As I said before, this was an unexpected surprise. A gentleman's word is his bond. Since you are so generous, let's do as you say."

"Haha, deal!" Chen Xuan immediately agreed.

The transaction proceeded smoothly. The Youhan Stone Box, after removing the fire copper inside, weighed seventeen catties and fifteen taels. Chen Xuan directly calculated it to be eighteen catties. Since the other party was so generous, they simply split the cost equally and paid three thousand Xiaoyao Pills. For this, Wang Le's people made a special trip to bring several large jade bottles to hold the pills.

In this way, most of the Xiaoyao Pills in Chen Xuan's box were gone.

After the transaction was completed, both parties felt they had made a profit, a huge profit at that. This item would be of great use to Chen Xuan in the future. Exchanging so much for the almost zero-cost Xiaoyao Pill was enough to make them laugh in their dreams.

As for Wang Le, his family could produce this Cold Stone Box, and naturally they had many more. His family had always used this thing to store Fire Copper, turning something that was originally dispensable into the very useful Xiaoyao Pill. Wouldn't that be incredibly profitable?

Once both parties had gotten what they wanted, Wang Le asked curiously, "Sir, after you offered ten items for one or two boxes, aren't you afraid I might change my mind?"

"It doesn't matter. It's worth the price to me. Even if Third Young Master goes back on his word, I won't lose anything. After all, it's not unique. It's just a bit troublesome to find it. In that case, Third Young Master would seem to be untrustworthy and would suffer a greater loss," Chen Xuan said nonchalantly. Then he asked, "Since Third Young Master knows it's useful to me, why did you exchange it so readily?"

"That's because I still have some at home. Please wait a moment, sir, I'll have someone fetch them right away," he answered Chen Xuan's question with his actions, intending to take all of Chen Xuan's current Xiaoyao Pills back with him.

This is quite a character. Chen Xuan quickly waved his hand and said, "Third Young Master, please wait. Although this item is useful to me, this is more than enough. I don't need any more."

"Oh, I should have brought a big box to carry the fire copper," Wang Le said regretfully, knowing that Chen Xuan was serious, so he had no choice but to give up.

At this point, he asked again out of curiosity, "Now, sir, could you please satisfy my curiosity? What is the significance of the material of this box, and what is its purpose? Could you please tell me?"

The item had been received, and the process had been smooth for both parties. Chen Xuan didn't mind satisfying his curiosity, saying, "This kind of stone is called Youhan Stone. It has excellent heat insulation and blocking properties. We can use it as one of the materials to build a pill furnace for fun sometime."

"I see," Wang Le said, suddenly realizing. Although Chen Xuan's answer was simple, he didn't press for details, as that was outside his area of ​​expertise.

After they finished, Wu Jinxun spoke again, "Sir, isn't it my turn now?"

...(End of chapter)