Chapter 3130 — The Business Talk

"Wei Zhao, tell me... if we put the product on the market now, will it draw covetous eyes?" Though Liu Jinghan was full of confidence in the product, she feared that experts from the hidden circles or the ancient strata might grow restless in their seclusion and come to seize it by force.

"I thought of that earlier. So if we want to sell, we can partner with the Cultivator's Guild—the ordinary version and the five-in-one enhanced version will be sold by our company, while the limited-edition ten-in-one first-grade automatic medicinal cauldron will be auctioned by the Cultivator's Guild!" Wei Zhao said. "Outwardly, it will be presented as a joint venture between you and the Cultivator's Guild, and that alone should serve as a deterrent!"

"All right. But I don't know anyone at the Cultivator's Guild, so I'll need your help making the connection. And this way we won't even need to advertise—the Cultivator's Guild will spread the word, which saves me part of the promotion budget," Liu Jinghan said.

"Fine, I'll contact the Cultivator's Guild right away," Wei Zhao nodded.

After hanging up on Liu Jinghan, Wei Zhao dialed Vice President Ouyang directly.

"Mr. Ling, all's well with you, I hope? The Eastern family hasn't given you any trouble?" Vice President Ouyang had not been in touch with Wei Zhao since their last parting, and he had been somewhat worried. "I haven't dared call you on my own initiative all this time. Hearing your voice now, I can finally breathe easy."

Wei Zhao was deeply moved by the genuine concern in Ouyang's voice. "Vice President Ouyang, I'm fine. That Eastern Ying—I've already cut him down. The Eastern family hasn't come after me so far."

"That's good..." Vice President Ouyang said. "By the way, lately both the ancient Eastern family and the ancient Feng family have been sending people to the Cultivator's Guild to fish around for news about you. How did you manage to offend the ancient Feng family too?"

"It's nothing. We had a grudge long ago—it's fine," Wei Zhao said indifferently. "Vice President Ouyang, the reason I'm calling you this time is actually to discuss a business matter with you!"

"Oh? Business?" Vice President Ouyang was briefly taken aback, then smiled bitterly. "Mr. Lin, you know as well as I do that the pill business really can't be done anymore. The Mystic Pill Sect recently delivered a huge batch of first-grade and second-grade pills—first-grade pills especially; our stock could last until this time next year without a problem. And the Mystic Pill Sect doesn't require cash settlement from us; they just consign the goods, and we settle whenever they sell. With such favorable terms, I really can't change anything. After all, this is a money-making proposition for the Cultivator's Guild, and I can't forcibly block it just because of our relationship! Besides, I truly can't change anything."

"Heh heh, Vice President Ouyang, the business I want to discuss with you this time isn't pills—it's medicinal cauldrons!" Wei Zhao said.

"Medicinal cauldrons?" Vice President Ouyang was somewhat startled. "You mean, Mr. Ling, that you have medicinal cauldrons to sell? That's no problem at all, only cauldrons aren't exactly hot sellers—very few people buy them. After all, they're not consumables; unless someone's a complete novice, hardly anyone blows up their furnace..."

"Heh heh, this cauldron of mine is different from ordinary ones. It's hard to explain in a few words. How about this—I'll come see you now and explain it in person," Wei Zhao said.

"In that case, let's pick a place and I'll come out to meet you. Right now there are some trusted men from headquarters planted at the Cultivator's Guild. If you come here at this hour, I'm afraid it could work against you," Vice President Ouyang said after a moment's thought.

"All right, then let's meet at that teahouse at the foot of the mountain," Wei Zhao said. At the foot of the mountain below the Cultivator's Guild market district there was a small village, and in it a rather large teahouse that put on storytelling and comic dialogues all day long. Wei Zhao proposed meeting there.

"Fine, I'll head over now," Vice President Ouyang said. "I know the teahouse owner. I'll go ahead and reserve a private room!"

"Good, see you shortly!" Wei Zhao hung up and, carrying the mass-production sample of the first-grade automatic medicinal cauldron that Liu Jinghan had sent over, headed for the teahouse near the Cultivator's Guild market district.

He had barely arrived at the teahouse and parked the car when a young man dressed in the garb of a Cultivator's Guild disciple walked up to Wei Zhao's car. "Mr. Ling?"

"That's me." Wei Zhao had seen this disciple beside Vice President Ouyang before—he must be one of Ouyang's trusted men—so he nodded. "Vice President Ouyang sent you?"

"Yes, the Vice President is already waiting in the private room. This way, please, Mr. Ling!" the disciple said, gesturing for him to follow.

Following the disciple all the way to a private room on the second floor of the teahouse, the young man knocked on the door, then opened it and let Wei Zhao in before withdrawing—clearly he would not be privy to the conversation between Wei Zhao and Vice President Ouyang.

"Mr. Ling, you've come." Vice President Ouyang rose to his feet, beaming, and greeted Wei Zhao.

"Vice President Ouyang, thank you for doing me the honor of coming." Though Wei Zhao was confident that once he produced the first-grade automatic medicinal cauldron, Ouyang would be more than happy to work with him, the man had shown such an attitude before the item was even out, and Wei Zhao was deeply touched.

"When business comes knocking, of course I should take the initiative. And given where our relationship stands now, there's no need for such formalities. Mr. Ling, this medicinal cauldron you mentioned—what exactly is it?" Vice President Ouyang waved a hand and said carelessly.

"This is the thing." As he spoke, Wei Zhao took the first-grade automatic medicinal cauldron out of his backpack. This was a ten-in-one limited auction edition. Wei Zhao had no intention of taking it back today; he meant to leave it with Vice President Ouyang as a promotional sample.

After all, no matter how wondrous the advertising made it sound, without a physical object, those from the ancient sects and hidden families might dismiss it as empty boasting. The scientific method of pill refinement was, after all, simply too incredible—if the thing did not truly exist, probably not a single pill refiner would believe any of it.

"This is... this cauldron is very strange. Why is there a display screen on it?" Vice President Ouyang was stunned the moment he saw the cauldron in Wei Zhao's hands, and asked.

"This cauldron is called the first-grade automatic medicinal cauldron. Its purpose, as the name suggests, is that it can automatically refine first-grade pills..." With that, Wei Zhao explained in detail to Vice President Ouyang the functions and operating method of the first-grade automatic medicinal cauldron. (To be continued.