When Lin Qinghen slowly spat out these words, the Alchemist Association was still holding onto a sliver of hope.

“So, is the formula for cultivating Ruo Rong Grass and that special soil method something the Young Master plans to share with us?”

Lin Qinghen sneered, “Are you joking?”

The Alchemist Association members’ expressions immediately darkened, and they shot to their feet.

“You’re playing us?”

Lin Qinghen found their tone quite unsatisfactory.

Right now, the Alchemist Association of Lei City lacked any leverage to confront him. Considering the internal conflicts among Lei City’s factions and the association’s usefulness, Lin Qinghen had opted against forcibly taking things by power and instead offered a fair trade. After all, they weren’t nobodies.

“Think for yourselves,” Lin Qinghen shot back. “If I wanted to sell the formula, do you think your two Gathering Origin Spirit Stones are worth it? Sit down and listen to me!”

The Alchemist Association members were left stewing but glanced at Yin Hengxie and Yu Yinyin, reluctantly following Lin Qinghen’s instructions and sat back down.

After all, Lin Qinghen had stirred the entire Yin family—and even Lei City—with just one Red Round Wheat. Given the current stakes, there was no way Lin Qinghen would make a losing deal. Trading the formula for two mere spirit stones? Only a fool would do that.

Gathering Origin Spirit Stones weren’t especially rare; it was just that the Yin family happened to be strapped for cash and couldn’t afford them. Plus, they were consumables, while the formula, once acquired, would bring in an endless flow of wealth. Lin Qinghen wasn’t an idiot—clearly, the value between the two was worlds apart.

“Today, my original intention was to discuss a supply arrangement with the association,” Lin Qinghen continued lazily, “for an exclusive supply of Ruo Rong Grass to the Alchemist Association of Lei City for a period of time. The material price can be negotiated. But rest assured, Die Meng is a legitimate business. We won’t jack up the price arbitrarily—you should be satisfied.”

This wasn’t quite what the Alchemist Association had expected. They clearly weren’t pleased and were about to speak when Lin Qinghen interrupted.

“I’ve already been quite generous,” Lin Qinghen said. “You wanting this thing was never with pure intentions in the first place.”

“Our intentions aren’t pure?” The Alchemist Association’s attendant, visibly annoyed, couldn’t hold back any longer and retorted, “The Young Master using us and tossing us aside, going back on his word—that’s the real impure intention here.”

Lin Qinghen didn’t get angry. Leaning forward slightly, he raised an eyebrow and replied, “Going back on my word? Yesterday, we swore an alliance for a day. I’ve given you what I owed. What does the Alchemist Association think I still owe you? I gave you the Ruo Rong Grass and made it clear it was a partnership. You assumed I’d hand over the formula, and now you’re blaming me?”

As if that wasn’t enough, he paused, narrowed his eyes, and added sharply, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. You’re trying to use this stuff to curry favor with the Lang Clan, right? But do you even have what it takes?”

He held the evidence against them right in his hands.

The Alchemist Association members froze, their bravado faltering. “Lang Clan? What are you talking about…?”

“No need to pretend,” Lin Qinghen said. “Need me to show you the proof? When was your last contact? Three days ago, right? They’ve already been pressing you, haven’t they?”

His timing was spot-on, silencing them instantly. The room fell silent.

Hearing Lin Qinghen mention “Lang Clan” made Yin Hengxie’s expression change, and he sprang up, glaring at them. “You’ve been in contact with the Lang Clan? Traitors! Mu Jiu, it’s one thing to stir up trouble in Lei City, but bringing in outsiders? Are you trying to destroy the place?”

The Lang Clan—more accurately, a mercenary group—was a force outside Lei City, eyeing it for quite some time.

Ever since the Four-Star Homeostasis Powder went on sale, Lin Qinghen had paid little attention to the business itself, focusing instead on monitoring the shifting powers both inside and outside the city. He specifically asked Yu Yinyin to keep an eye on the Alchemist Association.

The Bee Crystal Butterfly, a top-tier spirit for summoners, could be used for a variety of things despite its minor drawbacks in combat, including gathering information.

With Yu Yinyin’s spirit power, no one could detect a Bee Crystal Butterfly once it was released.

Since Lin Qinghen’s arrival in Lei City, every move he made had been calculated.

Although Bei Zhou had a barrier from the outside world, inter-city communication within Bei Zhou was relatively smooth. The Alchemist Association initially didn’t know the origins of Red Round Wheat and thought it common outside Bei Zhou. When they checked outside sources, they discovered it was unique to the Spirit World.

Their greed grew from there.

News of the unique Homeostasis Powder and Red Round Wheat had spread quickly. Many forces were now interested in it.

Despite Lei City’s decline, its strategic location remained defensible, and the Yin family still held a certain intimidation factor. The chaotic forces outside didn’t dare come in, and those with enough power wouldn’t stir up trouble just for a single Red Round Wheat.

The Lang Clan Mercenary Group was among those who wanted the wheat but didn’t dare enter.

The mercenary groups of Bei Zhou were fragmented, with the Lang Clan stationed close to Lei City. Over the years, they had clashed with the Yin family multiple times. Though they couldn’t overpower the Yin family, the Yin family couldn’t entirely wipe them out, leaving the two sides in a deadlock.

Honestly, a single Homeostasis Powder wasn’t enough to throw the Alchemist Association into disarray. Initially, they had dealt with Die Meng with an air of superiority.

After all, aside from the Homeostasis Powder, Die Meng hadn’t introduced any other significant elixirs, and the elixir market was vast. Die Meng alone couldn’t shake the Alchemist Association.

However, their collaborator, Xu Yaoyang, was unreliable, and his plans were genuinely disrupted by Die Meng, placing the association in a difficult position.

The association wasn’t afraid of retaliation since alchemists were always in demand. However, with Xu Yaoyang out of the picture and Yin Hengxie clearly offended, they now needed to find new allies.

As they continued seeking information, they learned that Lei City’s Red Round Wheat was unique in the Spirit World. The Lang Clan Mercenary Group soon caught wind and sent messages.

With Die Meng’s limited supply focused within the city, the Lang Clan couldn’t force their way in and resorted to covert measures.

Recently, the Alchemist Association had simply gone with the flow and made contact with the group.

After failing repeatedly to acquire the formula from Die Meng, Yu Yinyin passed all these updates to Lin Qinghen, who merely listened and initially held back.

The Alchemist Association’s collaboration with the Lang Clan centered on the Red Round Wheat, so as long as they didn’t obtain it, they were at a standstill.

Therefore, when Lin Qinghen initially partnered with the Alchemist Association, he hadn’t revealed everything. Now, he brought it up explicitly for the Yin family’s ears.

In his view, the game he’d set up was never aimed at Yin Rongyu and the other juniors—they didn’t count for much.

Lin Qinghen’s real focus was on Lei City’s power shifts and the undercurrents running through it all, finding his position amid these currents.

Yin Hengxie’s rage was even greater than when Xu Yaoyang provoked him. He knew that if forces within and outside the city joined, even Lei City’s defensive advantage couldn’t keep the Yin family safe.

With Xu Yaoyang gone, more predators would come sniffing around. The Yin family could never stay uninvolved—they’d always been caught in the whirlpool.

So when Yin Hengxie, as the patriarch, heard these words, chills ran down his spine.

All this had happened without his knowledge, and it was Lin Qinghen who revealed it. Rage and fear surged in him, and as he reached for his sword, Lin Qinghen stopped him.

If yesterday’s confrontation had pushed Yin Hengxie to act, today felt like a wake-up call. It was as if a bucket of cold water was dumped over him, jolting him into awareness of their peril.

The whole Yin family would have been lost in turmoil without Lin Qinghen’s involvement.

However, Yin Hengxie quickly realized that Lin Qinghen had already handed the Red Round Wheat seeds to the association. If the Alchemist Association recklessly gave them to the Lang Clan…

Yin Hengxie’s gaze turned fierce.

Waiting for them to ally with outsiders would be foolish—it was better to snuff out this spark now.

He’d killed Xu Yaoyang; he wouldn’t mind a few more.

The Alchemist Association members were getting nervous; the hall was full of Yin family members, now clearly restless after hearing about a possible alliance with the Lang Clan. If things turned violent, the Alchemist Association wouldn’t stand a chance.

They’d seen Lin Qinghen’s ruthless side before, so they knew he would absolutely do it. In the midst of this, the usually silent Mu Jiu finally spoke up.

“I only chose the Lang Clan because I was forced by the Yin family,” he said. “Patriarch Yin, don’t bind me to Lei City. I’ve done right by this place. I have a clear conscience.”

“As for Young Master Lin,” he slowly turned to face Lin Qinghen, his voice low and steady, “we’re here for negotiations. If things fall apart, we don’t need the Ruo Rong Grass. But if something happens to us, I swear to destroy the Gathering Origin Spirit Stones before I die, leaving Yin family with nothing—and you, Young Master Lin, with nothing as well.”

“I know. So no need to rush; calm down,” Lin Qinghen tapped the table, unbothered, and chuckled. “What’s the worry? If I’d wanted to snatch things, I would’ve done it yesterday, taking everything at once instead of waiting till now.”

There was little reassurance in his tone—if anything, it was more of a veiled threat.

But truthfully, Lin Qinghen had no immediate plans to deal with them.

From what he’d gathered, the Alchemist Association wasn’t stupid. Their agreement with the Lang Clan was only verbal, and even after reaching an initial deal with Lin Qinghen, they hadn’t immediately passed the word on.

They’d only just seen the Ruo Rong Grass yesterday, so their thoughts had grown restless. Nothing irreversible had happened yet.

And upon meeting Mu Jiu today, it was clear he was no ordinary person.

The association’s push and pull with Xu Yaoyang and the Lang Clan revealed a deep level of calculation. Each step forward or backward kept options open; this President Mu had sharp wits and wasn’t an easy enemy.

Lin Qinghen appreciated cooperating with those who knew how to adapt.

“Bringing this up isn’t to incite conflict. If I’d asked the Alchemist Association to sever ties with the Lang Clan and align with the Yin family without holding past matters against you, you wouldn’t have listened. But now…”

Lin Qinghen paused here, shifting his tone to something more serious. “President Mu, would you care to join me for a little trip?”

“Where to?”

“The Medicine Garden of Die Meng. Just the two of us.”