It wasn't that Lin Yang was neglecting his proper duties; he simply needed to recover his capital.
Developing medicines was an extremely resource-intensive process. The gold soul coins he had previously obtained from Dai Ziming had already been spent down to the last bit.
Although the core medicinal herbs came from Dugu Bo's medicinal garden, many other materials still had to be purchased from elsewhere. Moreover, even though Dugu Bo didn't mind, Lin Yang couldn't keep freeloading forever.
Fortunately, the Soul Recovery Potion and Soul Ignition Potion didn't have much effect on him personally. Releasing them to the public wouldn't overly provoke certain sensitive nerves. They were perfect for harvesting wealth.
"Lin Yang." Ye Lingling stared at him steadily. "I wish to represent the Ye Clan and cooperate with you."
The Ye Clan? Cooperate?
A strange glint flashed in Lin Yang's eyes. He casually sat down on a stone chair and raised his hand. "Let's sit and talk. Before we discuss cooperation, I want to ask one thing first… Can you truly represent the Ye Clan?"
The Ye Clan was no ordinary small family. Although they usually kept a low profile, no one could deny the depth of their foundation.
Faced with Lin Yang's question, Ye Lingling's expression remained unchanged. Her voice stayed cold and detached, without a trace of worldly smoke. "Every generation of the Ye Clan's patriarch must possess the Nine-Hearted Begonia martial soul.
"Although I have not yet assumed the position of patriarch, the current acting patriarch is my grandfather. Therefore, I believe I am qualified to represent the Ye Clan."
Lin Yang nodded. "Of course. Then, how do you wish to cooperate?"
"I also have a question for you."
Lin Yang: "Go ahead."
"Can you mass-produce the Soul Recovery Potion and Soul Ignition Potion? What is the production capacity?"
"Those are two questions."
Lin Yang smiled as he looked at Ye Lingling, not minding the distinction. "Since I intend to promote them, the potions can naturally be mass-produced. As for production capacity—"
He paused, then stated a number: "Three thousand portions."
"Per month?"
Disappointment was evident in Ye Lingling's voice.
The corner of Lin Yang's lips curled up. "Per day. For each type."
"How is that possible?"
Ye Lingling's expression changed drastically as she subconsciously cried out in surprise.
Lin Yang smiled. If it relied solely on manual compounding, such output would indeed be impossible. But he had been influenced by modern knowledge.
Did she understand industrialization? Had she heard of assembly lines?
He only needed to control the most critical "original liquid" portion. The simpler steps such as extraction and distillation could be handed over to others or tools. There was no need for him to exhaust himself.
"This is only the initial stage. Once everything gets on track, the output will increase further."
"I believe you can achieve it."
Ye Lingling was also straightforward. Although she didn't know where his confidence came from, after spending this time together, she trusted Lin Yang.
"Then we should talk about the cooperation now."
Lin Yang said, "I'm all ears!"
Ye Lingling thought for a moment before speaking. "Lin Yang, since your potions are meant to be promoted among civilian soul masters and hunting squads, distribution channels will be of utmost importance. Besides that, the supply of medicinal ingredients is also key."
At this point, a trace of pride appeared on Ye Lingling's face. "And both of these points, our Ye Clan can handle.
"Our Ye Clan has our own medicinal gardens and herb-gathering teams. We can supply ordinary medicinal herbs. Within the two great empires of Heaven Dou and Star Luo, every major city has our Ye Clan's shops. As long as production can keep up, within one month, I can make your potions spread across the entire continent."
As a carefully nurtured successor of the Ye Clan, how could Ye Lingling fail to see the true value of these two potions?
Take the Soul Recovery Potion alone: it restored 10% to 20% of soul power for soul masters below the third ring. This ratio might not seem impressive, but it depended on who it was compared to.
The top-tier auxiliary martial soul, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, could only restore 30% soul power with a single skill at the second ring. Ordinary auxiliary soul masters reaching 10% was already considered exceptional.
Moreover, even for a Soul Elder, the Soul Recovery Potion could restore 5%. One tube of potion could rival an auxiliary soul master's soul skill.
As for the Soul Ignition Potion, although it came with a significant cost, it could save lives in critical moments. Its market would not be small either.
One could imagine that once these two potions appeared, they would directly explode the entire bottom-tier soul master market. No soul master would reject such potions—not even auxiliary soul masters. Using soul skills also consumed soul power, and if used properly, these potions would actually extend their endurance. Only a fool would refuse.
As long as no similar potions appeared, this was practically printing money.
Furthermore, one should never underestimate the wealth of soul masters. Even a one-ring soul master's monthly soul master subsidy was equivalent to the combined wealth of more than ten ordinary civilians.
That was why Ye Lingling had taken the initiative to approach Lin Yang—she wanted a share of this massive cake.
Lin Yang nodded slightly. "What you said makes a lot of sense. However—whether it's channels or medicinal herbs, your Ye Clan is not the only option."
"Indeed," Ye Lingling nodded. "But the Ye Clan rose through medicinal herbs and medical halls. I don't think any other force can match our stability in this regard."
"That is a valid reason."
Lin Yang nodded slightly, then thought for a moment and changed the subject. "I can cooperate with the Ye Clan, but as for the specific terms, I hope the real decision-maker will come to discuss them. After all… the Dugu Clan also holds a certain share."
Ye Lingling's expression changed slightly.
When it involved a Title Douluo, even she, as the "quasi" Ye Clan successor, was not qualified enough.
After a moment of silence, she gently nodded.
"I understand. I will have Grandfather come to Heaven Dou City."
She then added, "However, can you give me some samples first? I need enough persuasive power."
"Of course."
Lin Yang was not stingy. He gave Ye Lingling five tubes each of the Soul Recovery Potion and the Soul Ignition Potion.
He had no worry that the Ye Clan could reverse-engineer the formulas. Did she really think all his long-term investment had been in vain?
After Ye Lingling left, Lin Yang finally revealed a faint smile: Everything was going according to plan.
The Butterfly House was ultimately too small. If he relied only on word-of-mouth among soul masters to open the market, who knew how long it would take? That did not match his expectation of quickly recovering funds.
The Dugu Clan had money, but letting the old poisoner fight or use poison was fine—doing business with him would be like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken.
Therefore, Lin Yang had long been planning to find another partner. Although it would inevitably mean sharing some profits, it would also share the risks. Moreover, only by first making the cake bigger could one earn more.
The first person he thought of was Ye Lingling and the Ye Clan behind her.
Just as Ye Lingling had said, the Ye Clan was simply too suitable. They had medicinal gardens and herb-gathering teams to supply basic materials, as well as medicine halls spread across the continent. Medicinal herbs, channels, and sales networks were all ready-made.
This was practically a partner sent by heaven.
That was why he had chosen the "right" moment to take out that tube of Soul Recovery Potion. When fishing, how could one not cast bait?
And Ye Lingling had indeed taken the bait—more eagerly than he had imagined.
As for why he didn't approach first? Joke. Taking the initiative to knock on someone's door would only lower his own value.