When Su Min emerged from the dimly lit secret passage, she found herself standing in a grand and meticulously maintained courtyard, a world away from the merchant guild's utilitarian aesthetic.
"This must be the famous Prince Yong's Residence," she muttered to herself, narrowing her eyes as she surveyed her opulent surroundings. The architecture was elegant yet imposing, a clear statement of power.
She was not inherently opposed to being here. Her current objective was clear, she needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill. However, the pill was considered a mid level challenge among third grade pills, which meant she first had to advance her own skills to become a true third rank alchemist. That milestone required an enormous, almost staggering amount of high grade medicinal ingredients for practice and experimentation.
If she had to gather all those rare herbs and materials on her own, who knew how many years it would take, wandering the world? Having the backing of a powerful, resource rich organization was undoubtedly faster and more efficient than working alone. Given that practical reality, she could not avoid getting involved with Prince Yong's forces forever. The only other option with comparable resources would have been the imperial court itself, and she had less than zero intention of dealing with them. The very thought of collaborating with the emperor who had destroyed her clan was revolting.
"His Highness Prince Yong is waiting for you inside the main hall."
"Lead the way."
Su Min lifted her chin slightly, a gesture of cool assent, signaling for the young man to guide her while she quietly continued observing the prince's estate. Though the place appeared tranquil and luxurious on the surface, her sharp senses detected countless hidden sentries lurking in the shadows of corridors and behind garden rockeries. She also spotted the heavy, mounted crossbows positioned strategically on rooftops. These weapons were powerful enough to suppress even peak Body Refining experts, but to her, a genuine Qi Refining cultivator, they were nothing more than slightly dangerous toys.
It reminded her of the bone horror she had encountered in the desert. Even when the King of U'er had sent a massive, desperate army to hunt it down before her arrival, the outcome had been consistently disastrous. Three major assaults, three bloody retreats, and the soldiers left utterly exhausted and demoralized. It proved a simple truth, ordinary weapons simply could not reliably harm a being that had stepped into the Qi Refining stage. A true Qi Refining cultivator could not be countered by purely mundane means.
That said, if the estate had been laced with powerful spiritual arrays or deadly traps, Su Min would have turned back immediately. She saw none, only mortal precautions.
Under the guide's lead, she soon arrived at a spacious, warmly lit reception chamber, where she finally laid eyes on her target, the true master of this sprawling power base.
Prince Yong.
The man appeared to be in his fifties, with an air of weary authority. A single, silent Body Refining master stood guard behind his chair like a statue. The young servant who had escorted Su Min respectfully stepped aside to stand behind the prince as well, completing the tableau.
Su Min sneered inwardly. "Is this little display supposed to intimidate me, Your Highness? Just the two of them? Hardly enough to give me pause."
Unbothered, she gracefully took her seat at the spot that had been prepared for her opposite the prince, her posture relaxed.
"Lady Su, this is our first meeting," Prince Yong began, offering a polite, measured smile. "My sources informed me you ventured deep into the western desert on a personal quest. How did you end up arriving here in Yongzhou?"
Su Min lounged casually in her chair, showing no signs of deference or nervousness. "Got blown over here by the sand," she replied indifferently, as if stating the most obvious fact in the world.
"…Pardon?"
Her utterly straightforward and bizarre answer clearly startled him, wiping the practiced smile from his face.
"On my way back from the desert, I ran into a particularly nasty sandstorm," she elaborated with a slight shrug. "I couldn't tell east from west, stumbled around blindly for a while, and when I finally escaped the dunes, I found myself right at your city gates. So I thought, since I am here, why not drop by for a visit?"
Prince Yong nodded slowly, a look of understanding dawning on his face.
As the ruler stationed near the desert's edge, he knew all too well the sheer, disorienting terror of major sandstorms. They were natural forces powerful enough to swallow entire caravans and armies whole, leaving no trace. It was easy to imagine how even someone with her capabilities could get lost in such chaos. Although he had long heard tales of Su Min's fearsome abilities from his agents' reports, seeing her delicate, almost fragile appearance now made it momentarily hard to connect that image with someone who had survived such a deadly ordeal and slain legendary monsters.
Yet, the reality of her presence, and the confirmed results of her actions, left no room for doubt.
Since things had come to this, and she was sitting in his hall, there was no reason to keep beating around the bush with pleasantries.
"I wonder, Lady Su," Prince Yong said, getting straight to the point that interested him most, "how many Qi Induction Pills you might have left in your possession. I am willing to offer a price that will surely satisfy you for any you are willing to part with."
Su Min smirked inwardly. So that is what he is after. She glanced meaningfully at the two men standing rigidly behind Prince Yong. The moment they heard the words "Qi Induction Pill," their eyes flickered with a barely concealed, raw desire.
Both were at the very peak of the Body Refining realm, just one elusive step away from the coveted Qi Refining stage. But that final step was a chasm that was never easy to cross. Only a rare few prodigies could cross it instantly. Most needed years, decades, or even an entire lifetime of accumulation to slowly temper their spiritual energy and make the leap. They knew exactly how precious and transformative such a pill was. And so did Su Min.
"Well then."
She made a show of retrieving a small, unadorned porcelain pill bottle from her sleeve and placed it on the low table between them with a soft click. With a deliberately slow, teasing motion, she uncorked it, and a rich, spiritually intoxicating medicinal fragrance immediately bloomed forth, filling the entire room with its potent aroma.
Gulp.
The sound of two men swallowing hard echoed distinctly in the quiet chamber from behind Prince Yong.
"My, my~" Su Min said with a coquettish smile, though her sharp eyes held no shyness. Pretending to be a demure maiden had never been her strength, and she did not bother trying. "Seems I am quite the enchanting little demoness after all, to have such an effect."
"…"
Prince Yong glanced briefly at his two trusted subordinates, their yearning palpable, then back at the lone, glowing pill now resting on the table. He understood exactly how powerful a temptation it was for them, a siren's call to the power they desperately sought.
"I recall you mentioned the terms before," Su Min said, her voice sweet but her words all business. "Two specific pieces of information regarding the remaining elemental treasures, in exchange for this single pill. If you deliver them, it is yours."
"Do you have more than one?" Prince Yong asked, eyeing the solitary pill and sighing inwardly. Otherwise, how could he possibly divide it between two loyal followers? He could not very well chop it in half, as that would ruin its spiritual integrity and efficacy.
"No. This is the last one I carry with me," Su Min said, leaning back leisurely. "But," she added, drawing out the word, "I can refine more. If you can meet my conditions. I will need large quantities of third grade medicinal ingredients for practice, and the specific herbs for the Qi Induction Pill itself are not negotiable."
Prince Yong's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. The price was astronomically high. Third grade ingredients were exceedingly rare and costly, and from the guild's reports, he knew all too well how terrifying Su Min's alchemical appetite could be, consuming piles of materials for a single batch of pills.
"You make it sound like I am the one losing out in this deal," Su Min said with a soft, knowing laugh. "Think about it carefully. In all our previous dealings, through the merchant guild, have you ever truly suffered a loss trading with me?"
Indeed, Prince Yong found he had no words to refute her. The results spoke for themselves. A single Qi Induction Pill could create a powerful expert, tipping the scales of local power. Through their previous indirect dealings, he had already recruited several powerful cultivators thanks to her pills. The intelligence she provided was also invaluable. She had even hinted at the ability to craft even rarer pills capable of shattering specific cultivation bottlenecks.
He had never once lost out on their transactions. Thus, their cooperation would inevitably continue, no matter how much the upfront cost made his treasurer's soul wince. A pill that could reverse a cultivation crisis or create a new expert was practically priceless. Thanks to her, he had recruited numerous experts who would otherwise be unreachable, and she even possessed the formula for breakthrough pills that were worth far more than mere gold or silver. Every transaction with her, no matter the initial cost, had ultimately been profitable. His hesitation was not about losing, only about mustering the staggering resources she demanded.