When Su Min emerged from the secret passage, she found herself standing in a grand and imposing courtyard.
"This must be Prince Yong's Residence," she muttered, narrowing her eyes to take in her surroundings.
She wasn't opposed to coming here — after all, she needed to refine Foundation Establishment Pills. However, the pill was considered mid-level among third-grade pills, requiring her to advance to a third-rank alchemist first. That would demand an enormous amount of medicinal ingredients for practice.
If she had to search for them herself, who knew how many years it would take? Having the backing of a large organization was undoubtedly better than relying on her own efforts. Given that, she couldn't avoid involving Prince Yong's forces. Otherwise, the only other option would have been the imperial court — and she had no desire to deal with them. The thought alone was disgusting.
"His Highness Prince Yong is waiting inside."
"Lead the way."
Su Min raised her chin slightly, signaling for the man to guide her while she discreetly observed the prince's estate. Though it appeared luxurious, countless hidden sentries lurked in the shadows, along with heavy crossbows positioned strategically. These weapons could suppress even Body Refining experts, but to Su Min? They were toys.
It was just like the monster she encountered in the desert — even when the King of Wu'er had sent a large army to hunt it down, the result had been disastrous: three assaults, three retreats, and complete exhaustion. Ordinary weapons were no match for someone at the Qi Refining stage. A Qi Refining cultivator simply could not be countered with ordinary weapons.
That said, if this place had arrays or traps, Su Min would've turned tail immediately. Under the guide's lead, she soon arrived at a spacious chamber, where she finally laid eyes on her target—the true master of this sprawling estate.
Prince Yong
The man appeared to be in his fifties, with a Body Refining master standing behind him. The servant who brought Su Min over respectfully moved behind the prince as well.
Su Min sneered inwardly. "Is this supposed to intimidate me, Your Highness? Just the two of them? Hardly enough."
Unbothered, she gracefully took her seat at the spot prepared for her.
"Miss Su, it's our first meeting," Prince Yong said, smiling politely. "I heard you ventured deep into the desert. How did you end up here in Yongzhou?"
Su Min lounged casually, showing no signs of nervousness."Got blown over here by the sand," she said indifferently.
"…Pardon?"
Clearly, her answer stunned him.
"On my way back, I ran into a sandstorm. Couldn't tell east from west, stumbled around blindly, and when I finally escaped, I found myself here in Yongzhou. So, I thought, why not drop by for a visit?"
Prince Yong nodded thoughtfully.
As the ruler stationed near the desert's edge, he knew well the terror of sandstorms — a force capable of swallowing entire armies whole. Blinding and overwhelming, it was easy to imagine a person getting lost in such chaos. Although he had long heard tales of Su Min's fearsome abilities, seeing her delicate appearance now made it hard to reconcile with the image of someone who could survive such deadly storms.
Yet, reality left no room for doubt.
Since things had come to this, there was no point beating around the bush.
"I wonder, Miss Su, how many Qi Induction Pills you have left. I am willing to offer a price that will surely satisfy you."
Su Min smirked inwardly. So that's what he's after. She glanced meaningfully at the two men behind Prince Yong. Hearing the words "Qi Induction Pill," their expressions flickered with barely concealed desire.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
Both were at the peak of the Body Refining realm, just one step away from Qi Refining. But that step? Far from easy. Only a rare few could cross it instantly. Most needed years, decades, or even a lifetime of tempering their spiritual energy. They knew the value of such a pill. And so did Su Min.
"Well then."
She retrieved a small pill bottle and placed it on the table. With a teasing gesture, she uncorked it — and immediately, the room filled with a rich, intoxicating medicinal fragrance.
Gulp.
The sound of two men swallowing hard echoed behind Prince Yong.
"My, my~ Seems I'm quite the enchanting little demoness," Su Min said with a coquettish smile — though her demeanor was anything but shy. She wasn't good at pretending to be demure anyway.
"…"
Prince Yong glanced at his two subordinates, then at the lonely pill now sitting on the table. He understood exactly how tempting this was for them.
"I recall you mentioned before," Su Min said, smiling sweetly, "two pieces of information in exchange for this pill. If you deliver them, it's yours."
"Do you have more?" Eyeing the single pill, Prince Yong sighed inwardly. Otherwise, how could he split it? He couldn't very well chop it into pieces and divide the fragments; it would ruin the pill's efficacy.
"No. But," Su Min said leisurely, "I can refine more — provided you meet my conditions. I'll need large quantities of third-grade medicinal ingredients. Some specific ones are non-negotiable."
Prince Yong's mouth twitched. The price was steep. Third-grade ingredients were rare, and he knew all too well how terrifying Su Min's alchemy appetite was.
"You make it sound like I'm the one losing out in this deal," Su Min said, chuckling. "Think back — have you ever suffered a loss trading with me?"
Indeed, Prince Yong had no words to refute her. A single Qi Induction Pill could reverse life and death, and through their previous transactions, he had already recruited many powerful cultivators.And there were even rarer pills Su Min could produce — ones that could shatter bottlenecks.
He had never once lost out. Thus, the cooperation between them could continue — no matter how much he inwardly winced at the price. A pill that could reverse life and death was priceless. Thanks to her, he'd recruited numerous experts, and she even had breakthrough pills that were even more valuable.
Every transaction with her had been profitable. So his hesitation wasn't about loss—just the sheer cost.