"Auntie Ye, actually, you don't need to worry."
"Whale resin may be rare, but the soul master world doesn't yet understand its true value. Most see it as some obscene indulgence and let it fall into the hands of decadent nobles—completely wasted."
"We can take advantage of that ignorance, stockpile a large supply. Whether we use it ourselves or hold it for trade, it's a deal with incredible returns."
The moment Lin Xiao said this, Ye Qingxian lowered her eyes thoughtfully. Soon, she responded:
"I'll claim I need it as a medicinal primer and start buying it up in bulk. But most of the high-quality whale resin is already in the hands of nobles—how are we going to get them to hand it over?"
Just thinking about it made Ye Qingxian's heart ache.
Such a divine treasure, being used by those lecherous fools purely for carnal pleasure? What a waste!
But those nobles adored whale resin. Getting it out of their hands would be next to impossible.
Dugu Bo scowled.
"Those parasites who only know how to indulge and toy with women don't deserve to use such a rare treasure!"
"I'll knock on every door myself. Let's see who dares not sell it to me!"
Ye Qingxian stifled a laugh.
"Senior Poison Douluo, those nobles may be cowardly, but they're also cunning. Even if you show up in person, they'll just say they don't have any—or give you low-grade junk to pass off as the real thing."
Dugu Bo fell silent.
Even a Titled Douluo like him couldn't do much here. What was he supposed to do—slaughter entire households if they refused? That'd only make him a criminal across the continent, with nowhere to go.
Lin Xiao fell into deep thought.
After a while, he spoke:
"I may have an idea."
Both Dugu Bo and Ye Qingxian turned toward him, their gazes quietly expectant.
It was almost laughable—one was a Titled Douluo, the other the head of a powerful clan, yet they now looked to a child for solutions. If anyone else saw this, they'd be shocked.
Lin Xiao didn't keep them guessing.
"It's simple: if you want to control the market, you must understand demand. Why do the nobles treasure whale resin so much?"
"Because of its aphrodisiac and virility-boosting effects. If we can offer something better—far better—they won't care about whale resin anymore."
"And then…"
He didn't even need to finish.
Ye Qingxian's eyes lit up.
"I see where you're going with this! I'll create new aphrodisiac and virility-boosting formulas—ones far superior to whale resin. Once the results speak for themselves, those greedy nobles will come begging."
"Then I'll publicly announce a list of ingredients I urgently need—whale resin among them, along with a few genuinely rare herbs. That way, the nobles will bring both their resin and their stock to me for trade."
"Brilliant, Lin Xiao! Truly brilliant!"
Lin Xiao gave her a thumbs-up.
"You're amazing, Auntie Ye. One hint and you already got it all."
Dugu Bo: "…"
He glanced at them suspiciously.
What's with these two? They seem… unusually in sync. Is there some secret connection I don't know about? A lost nephew, maybe?
He barely said anything, and she figured out the rest. That's not normal!
Then Lin Xiao asked more cautiously,
"But Auntie Ye, can you actually make a formula with better aphrodisiac effects than whale resin?"
Ye Qingxian scoffed.
"That kind of thing? Child's play."
"Besides, with the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well's abundant herb variety, I could concoct something ten times more potent than whale resin without breaking a sweat."
Lin Xiao felt reassured.
Ye Qingxian was no ordinary woman.
She was like a falcon: sharp, composed, and utterly dependable.
If she said it would work, then she was probably understating it.
Lin Xiao had the sudden sense that true whale resin freedom was now within reach.
Seeing that things were on track, Dugu Bo left Lin Xiao at the Ye residence and hurried off to Sunset Forest to experiment with the Emerald Jade Scorpion and work on his poison explosion technique.
Meanwhile, Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan were still practicing their martial routines with bitter faces.
Ye Qingxian called Lin Xiao aside.
"How's your evil fire lately?"
"Same as always—growing slowly. Or maybe my meridians have developed too much resistance. It feels like the evil fire is building up for something."
Ye Qingxian nodded.
"Don't underestimate it just because you've tempered your body twice already. The evil fire evolves along with you. Compared to before, it's much stronger now."
Lin Xiao nodded.
But then he saw Ye Qingxian hesitate.
"Auntie Ye? Just say what's on your mind."
"Do you want your evil fire to grow faster, or slower?"
"Faster, of course."
Though the process was painful, the tempering brought progress. Lin Xiao had long since grown used to the suffering.
Ye Qingxian nodded again.
"I might have a way to speed it up."
"At first, I thought about giving you a medicinal meal to stimulate desire. Controlled doses can trigger rapid evil fire growth."
"But such meals strain the body. They work, but the long-term cost is high. Fortunately, we now have a better option: easy to digest, harmless, and with effects that can be sustained long-term without excess stimulation."
Lin Xiao: "…"
Yeah, no need for her to keep going. He already knew what she meant.
Whale resin.
Just a short while ago, he'd looked down on the nobles who used it to arouse desire… and now he was going to do the exact same thing?
He felt deeply awkward.
Especially discussing this with Ye Qingxian—a woman older than him, and someone he respected deeply.
Embarrassed, he nodded quietly.
What he didn't know was that Ye Qingxian herself wasn't much calmer.
She'd always been a reserved woman. Talking about this so openly, even she had to force herself through it.
But her tone stayed serious:
"Whale resin and evil fire are a perfect match."
"But you must never vent the fire once it surges. Especially not with a woman. I've seen hints of what your fire really is."
"If you give in even once… it will be incredibly hard to resist again."
It's easy to go from frugal to extravagant—impossible to go back.
As the saying goes: "There's no such thing as once or twice—only zero times or a thousand."
Lin Xiao nodded silently, understanding the gravity of her words.
With her warnings finished, Ye Qingxian changed the topic.
"Oh, and once you start studying at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, you should visit their library often. It's backed by the royal family's archives—full of knowledge. You're a curious one; I bet you'll find something useful."
Lin Xiao sighed inwardly.
Even after reincarnating… I still can't escape going to school, huh?