Lin Qinghen tried to struggle a bit, “What I have here is a good product, better than what’s on the market. Really, just take a look and you’ll know…”

The shop assistant looked at him with a cold expression that seemed to say, “Everyone says that.” No matter what he said, the set price would definitely not change. She wouldn’t even bother to take a glance at it. Ever since Lin Qinghen mentioned he wasn’t an alchemist, the assistant couldn’t be bothered to pay him any more attention, naturally not wanting to waste any extra time.

If it had been high-level elixirs, she might have put in some effort, but for the Homeostasis Powder, there was no need.

Even though selling at 250 would still give Lin Qinghen a profit, the margin was very small. He could cut costs by skipping the ripening agents, but regardless, the profit was still far lower than he had anticipated, and it would significantly extend the time he needed to complete the task.

Moreover, Lin Qinghen thought about it and simply couldn’t accept that price. Although the elixirs were produced by the system, they also represented his hard work. That top-quality Round Wheat was something he had painstakingly cultivated himself.

The great working class wouldn’t be oppressed by capitalists!

Besides, this city wasn’t just home to this one pharmacy!

With his medicinal aura, he strode out aggressively.

Then he realized that the other pharmacies were even worse than the Bai Lu Pharmacy. The prices offered by the larger stores were about the same, and compared to them, Bai Lu was slightly higher. The smaller shops simply didn’t accept outside goods, and as for the auction house, they definitely wouldn’t want the Homeostasis Powder.

In the end, Lin Qinghen spent nearly a whole day running around, hitting a wall. In the last two hours, he simply laid down a cloth at a street corner, deciding to sell it himself.

Though his start was unfortunate, this situation taught Lin Qinghen, who lived deep within the Lin family, a lesson. He realized that to make money, he couldn’t just focus on research; he also needed to connect with reality.

Since his medicine wasn’t selling, he wasn’t the only one feeling frustrated. Now sitting on the ground, he seriously thought it over.

When he ran to the first pharmacy, he wondered why the price of elixirs was so low. Although alchemists could save on testing fees and handling charges because of their identity, their profit margins were also very thin, possibly even negative.

Alchemists were famously of high status, so how could such a situation exist? Was this reasonable?

After visiting a few more shops and inquiring, he quickly understood that it was indeed reasonable. Alchemists were scarce in talent and lacked combat power, and they needed financial support during their cultivation progress. To protect themselves, this group either chose to band together or sought protection from powerful forces, or they were born into such powers. Lone alchemists were extremely rare.

The tightly-knit alchemist groups or alchemist families were originally one of the partners of the pharmacies. Stronger partners worked with larger pharmacies, while weaker ones partnered with smaller pharmacies, and some were even the owners of the pharmacies, belonging to the capitalist class.

The medicines produced by alchemists who chose to join these forces wouldn’t flow into the market; they were directly used by their own people.

If an alchemist truly didn’t want to join a power that restricted them, relatively independent alchemists wouldn’t sell their medicines directly either. Instead, they would choose to be logistics personnel for private adventuring teams, using the elixirs they crafted as supplies for the team members while enjoying a share of the rewards from the adventures, not relying on the profits from selling medicines, which still had substantial earnings.

The paths available for alchemists were actually limited to these few.

The source of elixirs was solely through alchemists, and under such circumstances, those pharmacies that held control over this large group of alchemists had already formed a monopoly.

Moreover, he could also see that judging by the change in the assistant’s attitude when he was being served, pharmacies were opening purchasing windows not primarily for the medicines but mainly to attract lone alchemists.

To the shop assistant, a newcomer like Lin Qinghen was just a low-level second-rate dealer with no voice in the matter, surely just a 250.

Thus, all the conventional ways for alchemists to make money were unsuitable for his special situation. Lin Qinghen, eager to complete his system task, needed to find a new approach.

Sure enough, system tasks were never easy.

Setting up a stall to sell his goods was also not going smoothly. Elixirs were not the same as ordinary products; they were life-saving medicines used in critical situations, and ordinary Spirit Masters would naturally trust pharmacies with quality guarantees more.

Lin Qinghen had already lowered his price from 600 Spirit Coins to 500, then to 400, yet no one showed any interest.

Not to mention buying, even people who were curious enough to come take a look at the elixirs were absent.

Mainly, his products were too simple, just a few bottles of the most common Yellow-Level Three Star Homeostasis Powder. It wasn’t some precious item, making him the most pitiful vendor among the many stalls. He even covered his face, looking particularly like a little fraud.

In these times, it wasn’t unheard of to sell fake elixirs for money.

Moreover, the good spots on the street had all been taken. As a newcomer, Lin Qinghen had chosen the most remote location. Even if he yelled, no one could see him.

Even so, Lin Qinghen didn’t pack up and leave. The garbage truck crew would be busy outside all day, and he calculated the time; there was still a possibility.

In the end, he simply wiped the prices off his sign and wrote “Free Trial” instead.

The eyes of the people are sharp. Even though pharmacies held a monopoly, in any world, good quality and low price would always be welcomed.

Lin Qinghen firmly believed that the quality and effectiveness of his elixirs were far superior to those on the market. The raw materials were cultivated by him, and he knew this clearly.

As long as he sold one bottle, he would have repeat customers, and that would be a good start. Today wouldn’t be a wasted trip for him.

However, medicines weren’t like food; casual taste tests were common, but there were far fewer people willing to casually try a medicine.

As evening fell, Lin Qinghen’s little spot was completely shaded by the tall walls beside him, losing all light. Not to mention what he had written on his sign; Lin Qinghen’s entire stall was hidden in the shadows and invisible.

He wanted to shout a few times about free trials, but the street was noisy, and Lin Qinghen wasn’t exactly loud. His voice couldn’t reach far.

Thinking about changing locations was even more of a fantasy. The streets where one could set up stalls in the city center were divided, with only a few designated areas. With so many vendors eager to make money, just finding a corner to set up was considered good luck. There was no way there would be a good spot left for him.

Surely, someone would notice me, right?

Lin Qinghen thought.

What he didn’t expect was that someone had indeed noticed him.

But not on the street, rather above his head.

Lin Qinghen had set up his stall at the foot of a wall belonging to a small inn. This inn, located in a bustling stall district, usually had average business due to the surrounding noise, but recently, it was full of guests due to the influx of people into Dongtian Mansion.

Right above Lin Qinghen was a room in the inn, where there happened to be a small window.

Inside the room, there was a simple tea table by the window. In such an environment, it was impossible to sit quietly and enjoy a cup of tea, but the person sitting by that table had been there for quite some time, as if meditating like an old monk.

This quiet youth seemed to be about the same age as Lin Qinghen, dressed in a moon-white robe with long hair simply tied back.

He had a very good-looking face, with features that were flawless. Between his brows, there was an unforgettable youthful spirit, yet also a transparent and calm demeanor akin to jade. But this handsome face had one difficult-to-ignore flaw—his eyes seemed to be sightless.

His irises were an unhealthy gray; even when open, they appeared veiled, as if shrouded in an impenetrable fog, rendering his eyes hollow and devoid of life, and the whole person seemed somewhat wooden.

This blind youth didn’t come alone. Not far from the tea table, two guards stood by the curtain. These two guards were not simple characters; upon closer inspection, they were actually two Earth-Level Spirit Masters, at least five stars or above.

The higher the level of Spirit Masters, the harder it was to cultivate. The strength of Earth-Level Five Star Spirit Masters was already enough to make them guests of various small to medium powers.

Logically, someone with such guards would be either rich or noble, probably a precious young master from a prominent family. But for some reason, the two guards, while outwardly respectful, didn’t seem to show much reverence towards this “young master.” Occasionally, whispers could be heard between them.

“He’s been sitting there for quite a while. What’s he doing?”

“Shh, keep your voice down; he can hear you.”

“So what if he hears? I gave him a bit of face back at the Yin family, calling him Young Master. But this is outside. Besides, he’s long become a useless waste. If it weren’t for the potential benefits from the marriage with the Lin family, why should we bother bringing him along? Who knew that when we arrived at Dongtian Mansion yesterday, that Lin family looked down on us so much that we didn’t even get inside the door! We have to stay in this small inn! What a disgrace!”

“Hey, just say a little less,” one guard advised. “Lin Zhongtian and Lin Qingshuang will be back in a couple of days. At that time, all the major powers will gather. The family head, Lin Zhongtian, is reasonable and values face. This marriage contract is set in stone; everyone knows that he wouldn’t dare to go back on his word. Our young master may have lost his talent, but his marriage to Lin Qingshuang still holds some value. Just wait and see.”

The two guards were chatting there, while the youth sitting there, Yin Jiuxiao, could hear everything clearly but remained perfectly still.

Although he didn’t have any fluctuations of spiritual energy around him, and the guards outside deemed him to be “useless waste,” Yin Jiuxiao was not dazing off for these few hours. He was cultivating.

During cultivation, he couldn’t be disturbed by any external factors, let alone a few words. So, whether it was the guards’ nonsense or the chaos outside, these things were neither important nor meaningful.

However, something unexpected happened that afternoon.

Amidst the countless meaningless noises, Yin Jiuxiao heard a voice from outside the window.

He rarely divided his attention during cultivation; perhaps today he was a bit restless, not as focused as usual. He didn’t know why he was drawn to that voice.

It should be a small vendor selling elixirs, not very clever, for some reason choosing a corner that happened to be right under his window. No wonder he couldn’t sell anything.

Yin Jiuxiao listened to him mumbling below, sounding like a thoroughly unlucky little fool.

“Will anyone buy it for 600 Spirit Coins?”

“Seems a bit expensive,” accompanied by the sound of wiping, “Let’s change it to 500.”

“Is 400 not okay?”

“That’s already quite cheap.”

“200! Discount price! Friends, there won’t be another chance after this!”

“Can I make it free then?”

“Oh dear, do I still have use for the Wealth Cat and Guan Yu?”

“… Why is there still no one?”

“Hey? Can anyone take a look at me?”

“Do I have to give money back?”

“That’s not impossible.”

“But I have no money to give back, wah! I haven’t sold a single bottle!”

“If no one tries the medicine, should I just go demonstrate it myself?”

“With my weak self, I feel like a single strike might finish me.”

Compared to other vendors, this little fool who couldn’t sell anything wasn’t particularly noisy.

He shouldn’t be very old, unable to squeeze past the more experienced vendors. His shouting couldn’t reach far, and realizing this, he quickly gave up calling out. After all, it wouldn’t reach anyone; he just occasionally muttered to himself.

“I just need one customer.”

Yin Jiuxiao heard his hopeful tone again.

“As long as someone tries it, they will know that mine is the best elixir.”

What he was selling was just the most common Yellow-Level Three Star Homeostasis Powder; he didn’t know where this foolish confidence came from.

But it had to be admitted that among the many noisy voices by the street, his clear yet soft youthful voice was indeed a refreshing stream, sounding very pleasant and not annoying at all.

The content of his occasional mutterings revealed the true feelings of someone doing business for the first time. Despite consistently reducing the price, he still hadn’t sold a single bottle. Not even a customer showed interest, yet he remained lively, making light of his misery.

It was as if… he was a chirping little crow, oblivious to the heights of the world.

Yin Jiuxiao coldly defined him.

Even though he called him a little crow, he hadn’t been annoyed enough to change his position. He was still sitting by the window, listening.

The main reason was that this little crow didn’t complain about the heavens or the earth. He hadn’t even diminished his initial confidence, still repeating, “This is the best Homeostasis Powder in the entire Spirit World.” After listening for a while, it seemed like even Yin Jiuxiao might start believing it.

So he gradually began to care, wanting to know when this little crow beneath the window would sell a bottle.

Before long, he heard the person amusing himself, humming an off-tune, unfamiliar little song. He didn’t know if he was trying to boost his own morale.

“Good luck comes to me, good luck comes to me, good luck brings joy and love, good luck for us, may good luck prosper! Four! Seas! Hey!”

At that moment, the two guards standing by the curtain heard the sound.

They turned their heads to look, and it seemed that the previously wooden Yin Jiuxiao suddenly let out a low laugh.

What is this waste laughing about?