Hearing that statement from Xiao Yan, both Mandala and Qing Tan were momentarily stunned. They exchanged a look, then said with some skepticism, "We've been keeping a close eye on the medicine storage these past few days. The stock in the warehouse really is about to run out..."
"You're not wrong. The Endless Fire Domain's warehouse is indeed nearly empty. But I never said the herbs in my possession were also gone," Xiao Yan replied with a faint smile. With a flick of his finger on the ring, countless medicinal herbs abruptly appeared in the room, instantly filling the entire space to the brim.
"So many?" Mandala and Qing Tan couldn't help but show joy on their faces as they gazed at the mountain of herbs. These would be enough for the alchemists of the Endless Fire Domain to continue refining for quite some time. And with that window, they could search for new sources of medicinal supplies, resolving their greatest crisis.
"You had this many herbs and didn't bring them out earlier? You made us worry for nothing!" Qing Tan exclaimed, a little resentful despite her excitement.
"I don't recall ever saying we were short on herbs. I kept telling you not to worry, didn't I? You two were the ones panicking," Xiao Yan shrugged innocently.
For most alchemists, herbs were a lifeline. But Xiao Yan never had that concern, because he possessed the Life Spirit Flame. This flame could rapidly accelerate herb growth. As long as he had seeds or roots, he could produce herbs in endless quantities.
While the flame's effect was limited in the Great Thousand World, Xiao Yan had the Life and Death Ancestral Symbol, whose life energy could enhance the flame's effect. Combined with the Heavenly Tomb and Time Ancestral Symbol, even planting herbs on the spot would suffice. So from the start, he had never been worried about a herb shortage.
"Then why did you tell me to go purchase herbs earlier, even saying we should buy them at ten times the price?" Qing Tan asked, recalling his original plan.
"That was bait, obviously. If we did nothing, how would they ever take the bait? If we didn't pretend to be desperate to buy herbs at high prices, how could we lure them into spending their spiritual liquid on herbs they couldn't even use?" Xiao Yan smirked. "That's what we call 'luring the enemy into the jar.'"
"I guess your trip to the auction house had ulterior motives too?" Mandala asked. Given how meticulous Xiao Yan's planning had been, she suspected there was more behind that move as well.
"Exactly. I went to show them that I was at the end of my rope. But I also made a deal with them. I sold them that information so they could profit handsomely, in exchange for a few rare pill formulas, formation blueprints, and Divine Abilities," Xiao Yan continued calmly.
"You weren't afraid they'd leak the truth?"
"Of course not. Like I said, merchants are driven by profit. While they didn't cooperate with Ziyin Sect and the others in targeting us, they did hoard herbs hoping to fleece us. When I told them I wasn't actually out of herbs, and someone else was about to take over their stockpile, guess what they did?"
"They couldn't wait to dump it!" Qing Tan answered without hesitation.
"Exactly. That's why they'd never tell the other factions the truth. Otherwise, they'd have to swallow all the losses themselves. And even if word did get out, it wouldn't matter. By that time, those factions would've already invested too much. It's just a question of whether they lose a lot or lose a bit," Xiao Yan said as he started storing the herbs back into his storage ring.
What he didn't tell them was that the auction houses were originally supported in secret by the Sacred Demon Palace. When the palace changed hands, their leaders had already reached out to pledge allegiance to him. They'd collected a large stockpile of herbs specifically to support the Endless Fire Domain. That was why he had gone there—to have them sell their herbs to Ziyin Sect and the others.
"Those guys must be fuming now," Qing Tan couldn't help but laugh. The pills Xiao Yan sold were all his own improved formulas. Only he and a handful of trusted pill masters knew the recipes. To mislead others, he had also added many visually similar but fundamentally flawed herbs during the procurement process. This ensured that no one else could replicate his pills.
In other words, unless those herbs were sold off, they were completely useless to the other factions. And even knowing the list of ingredients wouldn't help, because pill refinement required precise amounts, control of flame, and timing.
After deciding to cut off Xiao Yan's supply chain, those factions had tasked their alchemists with reverse-engineering his pills. But even after so long, they had gotten nowhere. Even without the misleading herbs, recreating a formula improved by a Grandmaster-level alchemist would require someone of the same grade.
But Grandmaster-level pill refiners were exceedingly rare on the Tianluo Continent—especially in the Southern Region. And even if there were such a person, hiring one would cost a fortune. Spending that much just to crack a few Sovereign-grade pill formulas wasn't worth it.
"If they're already furious over this, then I think I can probably drive them to the point of spitting blood," Xiao Yan grinned at Qing Tan's words.
"You've still got another move up your sleeve?" Mandala asked. She was already stunned by the complexity of his schemes, yet he made it sound like he had more in store.
"Not exactly a hidden move. I just plan to tell them something," Xiao Yan chuckled, then glanced at the two women, whose faces were filled with curiosity. "Haven't you ever wondered how so many herb-selling shops suddenly popped up in the Southern Region? There are no large herb fields here. So where did all their herbs come from?"
(End of Chapter)
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