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Chapter 50: Chapter 49: Isn’t This Also a Kind of Minotaur?

Zhao Ci sat up and looked at Zhao Huan, his eyes filled with nervousness and excitement.

Soon,

Zhao Huan sent another transmission: ”Don’t get excited. Don’t look at me.”

”Right!”

Zhao Ci blurted out, then quickly clamped his mouth shut, an expression of being overwhelmed by the attention on his face.

Zhao Huan: ”...”

He saw Gu Xiangzhu glance toward Zhao Ci, who gave an awkward smile and looked away.

Zhao Ci, for his part, looked restless and fidgety.

’This insolent boy!’

’Why can’t he keep his composure?’

Zhao Huan’s head throbbed. Fortunately, Gu Xiangzhu made no further move, so he continued his transmission. ”Ci, this Wine Refining Technique is good, but it has some serious flaws—flaws you can’t possibly realize yet. Have you told anyone else about this process? If you have, move your index finger. If not, move your middle finger.”

Zhao Ci: ’Tsk, tsk!’

’This Old Deng really can’t sit still anymore.’

’When I went to the Imperial Study a few days ago, he was still playing coy, acting the part of the benevolent father and never once mentioning the Alchemy of Wine.’

’But he kept dropping hints, telling me to guard my secrets closely when starting my own venture.’

’The wishes popping up over his head kept changing, but they all boiled down to the same things: first, he wanted to master it himself, and second, it couldn’t fall into Gu Xiangzhu’s hands.’

’Looks like he had a little hope before, but this has completely exceeded his expectations. Now he’s getting anxious.’

Zhao Ci thought for a moment, then slightly raised the middle finger of his right hand.

Zhao Huan continued his transmission: ”Good! After the Gongdan Conference, I will explain the pros and cons to you. Until then, you are not to tell anyone, not even your mother! Move your index finger if you understand!”

At these words, a conflicted look appeared on Zhao Ci’s face.

He seemed to struggle with the decision for a long moment before finally lifting his index finger.

Zhao Huan smiled faintly and relaxed. ’This child has always been obedient. He always keeps his promises.’

Zhao Ci grinned, propped his chin on his hand, and continued to feign sleep. But as soon as he closed his eyes, another transmission slipped into his ear.

This time, it was from Gu Xiangzhu. ”Ci, after the Gongdan Conference, you will accompany me to absorb the other two Pill Workshops. Once that’s done, return with me to Wangshu Palace. It’s time for your first Body Refining, and I will stand guard for you. If you heard me, yawn.”

Zhao Ci: ”Yawn...”

’Tsk, tsk, tsk!’

’So my strange behavior didn’t escape Gu Xiangzhu’s notice after all.’

’This is fun!’

But amidst the amusement, a sense of tension crept over him.

He knew full well that the Alchemy of Wine was his greatest bargaining chip for now. That’s why, when he designed the blueprints for the Condenser, he’d included a hidden compartment for explosives. If anyone tried to open it without using the specific method, the internal glass structure would be blown to bits, leaving nothing but an iron shell. No one would ever figure out its secrets.

He had to keep a firm grip on something like this, but trying to hold on too tightly would inevitably arouse suspicion.

With Zhao Huan, he could still use Gu Xiangzhu’s own selfish motives as an excuse.

But when dealing with Gu Xiangzhu, his story would eventually show some cracks. After all, she had been involved in the Pill Workshop’s business from the very beginning.

If she was wary enough, she would sooner or later discover his true intentions. He had to be ready for a fight at any moment.

He had a nagging feeling that the time for that confrontation was not far off.

However...

’That woman is truly ruthless!’

Zhao Ci glanced to the side. The Chief Stewards of the other two Pill Workshops were completely pale, their gazes vacant as they stared at the Alchemy Platform.

The two Pill Workshops were actually quite large. They just hadn’t planned on competing with the Feng, Zhu, and Yang clans, so their center of operations wasn’t in Lingge. Each was considerably stronger than the former Li’s Pill Workshop had been on its own.

But since they weren’t Merit Clans, they lacked a stable foundation like a Vassal Territory and were heavily reliant on the Court’s sales channels.

This time... faced with the Xingyu Pill Association’s six-fold production capacity, they were about to be crushed.

’This was indeed a perfect opportunity for Gu Xiangzhu to absorb them. But to make a move now seemed a bit too ambitious. At least, Zhao Ci didn’t think his ’dear’ old father, the Emperor, would just sit back and watch.’

’Another great war was brewing.’

’But that was a matter for later.’

’For now, it was time to watch the battle at hand.’

Zhao Ci smiled and scanned the Alchemy Platform again. The Xingyu Pill Workshop’s second batch was almost ready, while the other workshops had only just finished the quenching stage.

He let out a soft sigh. ”Alas! I guess we’re limited to six times the efficiency. A little disappointing!”

Zhao Yong: ”???”

The Chief Stewards of the other Pill Workshops: ”???”

They were completely dumbfounded.

He wasn’t satisfied with six times the efficiency?

They had all done the math in their heads. In terms of Qi Cultivation Pills alone, the Xingyu Pill Workshop would account for at least a third of the total output.

Combined with their low prices, the Imperial Clan Court’s procurement order would undoubtedly be heavily skewed in their favor.

If this went unchecked, Zhao Ci would secure at least half of the three-million-tael order for Qi Cultivation Pills. Moreover, the overall quality of his pills was not far behind that of the three great alchemy clans.

And that was just the military supply contract. The corresponding sales channels through the Court would also bring him immense wealth.

With such massive volume, even if the workshop only ever produced Qi Cultivation Pills from now on, it would still become a behemoth in the industry.

Even if its high-end elixirs couldn’t compete with those of the Feng, Zhu, and Yang clans,

it could still squeeze the three clans’ market share on the strength of its Qi Cultivation Pills alone.

If nothing else!

With that price, as long as a single Qi Cultivation Pill from the Xingyu Pill Association was available on the market, it would absolutely be the first choice for any commoner.

Feng, Zhu, and Yang? They’d all have to take a backseat!

If this didn’t qualify as a behemoth, then what did?

It felt like a dream.

It was as if they had woken up to find the entire landscape of the Alchemy Realm transformed.

But the landscape had changed.

’What are we supposed to do?’

The Feng, Zhu, and Yang clans were in a better position. With their Vassal Territories as a stable foundation, they could afford to pull back for a year and come up with a counter-strategy.

But the Yonghe Pill Workshop and the other two couldn’t possibly withstand this.

Sweat poured down Zhao Yong’s face like rain, but he managed to keep his composure. He took a deep breath and said, ”Gentlemen! Zhao Ci is acting recklessly. He’s trying to ruin the entire Alchemy Realm! We must unite and work together.”

Zhu He asked, ”And how do you propose we do that?”

Zhao Yong gritted his teeth. ”Our top alchemists are all focused on crafting High-Level Elixirs, but we’re just wearing each other down, fighting over the same limited orders. Once this first batch is complete, the trend will be obvious.

At that point, we’ll have ninety percent of them pull out and switch entirely to producing Qi Cultivation Pills. We can still claw back a portion of that order. That way, our quotas for High-Level Elixirs won’t be affected, and we won’t let Zhao Ci snatch away too much of the business.”

The others exchanged glances, agreeing it was a sound plan. They immediately summoned their attendants to relay the new orders.

After a final discussion, they also agreed to lower the price of their Qi Cultivation Pills to varying degrees.

”Tsk, tsk, tsk!”

Zhao Ci couldn’t help but marvel. ’To be fair, I actually kind of admire Zhao Yong. His character is questionable, but when it comes to getting things done, the man is no fool.’

’First, he respectfully recruited talent and managed to snatch Zhuge Xiao from under someone’s nose.’

’Then, he stayed calm in a crisis and united the various Pill Workshops.’

’Really, not bad at all.’

’If their interests didn’t clash so severely, I really wouldn’t want to be fighting him.’

’But it didn’t matter to me. I never expected my opponents to be complete pushovers who would just lie down and take it. This was all within my calculations.’

’In fact, he was rather enjoying this feeling of being the great villain, with the entire world as his enemy.’

「The time that followed.」

...was a boring, repetitive cycle of alchemy.

Zhao Ci yawned as he watched, but the other Pill Workshop Chief Stewards looked as if they were facing a formidable foe. The audience, meanwhile, had long since grown numb to the spectacle.

Finally.

The agonizing four hours passed.

Piles of pill-filled gourds were stacked beside each alchemist—a spectacular sight. But it paled in comparison to the haul from the Xingyu Pill Association.

Immediately after, officials from the Imperial Clan Court ascended each Alchemy Platform to inspect and tally the quantity and quality of the pills.

The results were staggering.

The seven Pill Workshops had hundreds of alchemists in total. The Xingyu Pill Association employed only ten percent of them, yet had contributed thirty-seven percent of the total Qi Cultivation Pill output.

Factoring in their price advantage, the Imperial Clan Court directly awarded the Xingyu Pill Association one million four hundred thousand taels of the three-million-tael order.

The entire venue erupted in an uproar.

Based on the order volume alone, the Xingyu Pill Association had instantly become the fourth great pill behemoth, ranked just below the Feng, Zhu, and Yang clans.

This Pill Association had only emerged a few months ago, yet it already possessed such unstoppable momentum.

What kind of monster was this?

Zhao Yong was completely stunned.

’One million four hundred thousand taels. If Zhao Ci’s profit margins were normal, it would only take him a year to earn back all the merit he’d lost covering his initial costs, and he’d even turn a profit. And that was just the military contract; he could earn even more through the Court’s channels.’

This meant the Tenth Prince’s Mansion was now the wealthiest in this year’s competition among the seven princes.

The next two years would be pure profit. As long as he maintained this performance, the merit he’d gain from the Ministry of Revenue alone would be enough to make the other princes’ mansions burn with envy.

’As for me...’

’My order this year is only three hundred thousand taels, and that’s only because the Feng and Zhu clans went easy on me. If things are still like this for the next two years, this whole venture...’

Zhao Ci said consolingly, ”Brother Huang, don’t be so anxious. True, at this rate, you’ll probably lose a fair bit of merit on this Pill Workshop venture over the next three years. But the Feng and Zhu clans have plenty of skilled alchemists. I’m sure they can help you come up with a solution. Who knows, maybe after three years, you’ll even be able to pay back your debts with the Pill Workshop!”

Zhao Yong: ”...”

He wanted to make a sharp retort.

But with an order not even a fraction of his opponent’s, what confidence did he have to run his mouth?

So he just snorted coldly and turned his head away.

But unexpectedly, Zhao Ci stood up, leaned against the wooden railing of their viewing box, and called out.

”Young Master Xiao!”

”Huh?”

Zhuge Xiao heard someone call his name. He turned his wheelchair around and asked quizzically, ”Tenth Prince, how may I be of service?”

Zhao Ci’s voice boomed, ”You’ve seen the state of the Ninth Prince’s Mansion. You’re burdened with debt now. It’s a waste of your talents to serve as a Mansion Official there.

So how about this: come to my Tenth Prince’s Mansion. I’ll cover any breach-of-contract fees and the merit you owe. I guarantee that within a year, you’ll be able to enter the War God Tower!

It’s a good deal for you, for me, and for my Ninth Imperial Brother.

As his younger brother, I just want to help my Brother Huang relieve some of his pressure!

What do you say?

Give me a shot?”

Zhuge Xiao: ”...”

Zhao Yong: ”???”

His eyes went bloodshot.

’That rotten Zhao Ci.’

’How is this any different from stealing my wife right in front of my face?’

’Wait, why am I making that kind of comparison?’

Zhao Yong suddenly remembered: the woman he admired had, in fact, been betrothed to Zhao Ci by the Emperor.

His eyes grew even more bloodshot.

The emotions he had suppressed for the past four hours finally erupted.

”Zhao Ci, I’ll kill you!”