Ten Thousand Medicine Valley, Medicine Field Mountain.
Ning Zhuo walked shoulder to shoulder with Lin Shanshan on the mountain's waist.
Gazing into the distance, the afternoon sun was warm and gentle, bathing the mountains in golden light. The landscape of Medicine Field Mountain unfolded like a painting. Terraced fields cascaded down, full of green vibrance.
Amid the fields, various medicinal herbs thrived with exuberant life forces.
There were Green Spirit Grasses, emerald as jade, with fine long leaves swaying lightly in the breeze, their luster brimming.
Clusters of Purple Mist Flowers bloomed, the petals cloud-like and giving off a faint, enchanting scent, attracting bees to dance around them.
Snow Lotus Seeds were pure white like jade, sprinkled throughout the green fields, like scattered stars with a gentle glow.
Then there were Chilong Fruits, bright red as fire, with plump fruits hanging from branches, resembling small lanterns and adding vibrant colors.
Golden Wire Vines twisted and wound around, their vines like golden threads, sparkling under the sunlight with overflowing vitality.
Between the fields, neat paths lay straight, well-planned and paved with bluestone.
Many streams were intentionally arranged, drawn from the Spiritual Spring and channeled to each of the varying-sized medicinal fields.
A gentle breeze stirred, mixing various herbal fragrances together that were refreshing to the soul.
Lin Shanshan led the way at the front, while the Sect Elders responsible for explaining to Ning Zhuo were beside him.
The Sect Elders were currently introducing the arrays of Medicine Field Mountain.
"The main one is the Eight Trigrams Array, used for protection against external foes and also to eliminate pests," one Elder explained.
"There's also the Green Mountain Firming Array, used for maintaining the fertility of the land, ensuring it remains constant."
"There is also the Spirit Spring Gathering Essence Array, which extracts the essence from the spiritual springs to irrigate the medicinal fields, assisting each herb to absorb and grow to their fullest extent."
As the group walked, they noticed a commotion from afar in one of the pavilions, with a crowd gathering around it.
"Let's see what's happening," the Sect Elder frowned and immediately instructed an attendant by his side.
The attendant left swiftly and returned just as quickly, "It's someone causing trouble."
"That merchant named Li Jingqing, he has no money, yet he wants to buy on credit. This is against our policy, so he was refused by the disciples in charge."
"Who would have known that Li Jingqing would resort to crying, making a scene, and threatening to commit suicide, claiming all his money was stolen and it's the Sect's fault for not overseeing things properly."
"He carried the payment with him, a significant sum, not solely owned by him. If he can't bring back the medicinal herbs this time, he can't explain himself and his fate will be worse than death!"
"He's making a racket, expecting to meet a tragic end, and insisting that getting credit is his only way out. If the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect won't allow it, he says he'll just crash his head into the wall and die!"
The Sect Elder's face darkened, he snorted coldly, "A mere merchant, putting pressure on my Ten Thousand Medicine Sect."
Lin Shanshan turned to Ning Zhuo, "What goes around comes around. I never imagined Li Jingqing, who plotted against you before, would get his retribution so soon."
Ning Zhuo shook his head slightly, "Those who follow the path of injustice will ultimately bring about their downfall!"
"Besides, since he has already apologized to me, my grievances with him were settled long ago."
"Should we just let him continue to make a scene?"
"Right now is a critical time for your esteemed Sect to distribute medicinal goods to various dealers. Li Jingqing's outburst is harmful to your reputation."
Having said that, Ning Zhuo smiled slightly, "Miss Lin and the Sect Elders, constrained by your status, cannot act."
"Perhaps it's better if I handle it."
Saying so, he took out a bag of spirit stones and handed it to the attendant, "Go, tell them Ning Zhuo is lending Li Jingqing five thousand low-grade spirit stones. Ask him to stop making a fuss and use these five thousand low-grade spirit stones to purchase some medicinal herbs, just enough to fulfill his obligations."
Upon hearing this, the Sect Elder immediately voiced his admiration, "Young Master is truly noble!"
Lin Shanshan smiled, "Thank you. Later on, we will return threefold the amount of spirit stones."
Ning Zhuo also said with a smile, "It's a trivial matter, done without trouble. There's no need for the spirit stones; five thousand, although low-grade, is a small sum. Let us discuss the cooperation between our parties instead, as that is of greater importance."
Shanshan smiled without replying.
The Sect Elder then spoke up, "Young Master Ning Zhuo, please review the specific price list."
With that, he handed Ning Zhuo a jade slip.
Ning Zhuo received it, holding it in his hand and permeating it with his divine sense, quickly browsing through it.
He frowned slightly, "The prices on this list are only slightly lower than what the other merchants pay to purchase their goods."
"My family and your Sect are looking to cooperate long term, and the scale of our purchases will be significant every year. Should there not be some preferential treatment?"
Lin Shanshan kept silent.
The Sect Elder shook his head, pointing towards the pavilion that had been disrupted, "Young Master Ning Zhuo, as you saw with your own eyes, our Ten Thousand Medicine Valley's medicinal herbs are never short of buyers. We always have a bustling trade. It's difficult for our Sect to lower the prices without a good reason to tell the public."
Ning Zhuo smiled faintly, knowing that this mountain inspection was meant to demonstrate the Sect's strength.
He had anticipated this and remained composed, "Your Sect's management thrives, indeed enviable."
"But my family's situation is different from these merchants."
"Not to mention our Nascent Soul combat power, we come from North Wind Country and highly value the character of the Northern Land."
"If an alliance is formed, we have never been known to break it."
"In the Cultivation World, strength speaks. If any discord arises in the future, can these merchants be counted on as a strong support for your Sect?"
For a moment, Lin Shanshan gave a side glance, and the Sect Elder raised an eyebrow.
Neither of them spoke.
Ning Zhuo smiled and walked ahead, giving the two time to react.
Lin Shanshan and the Sect Elder exchanged a glance, both feeling that Ning Zhuo's negotiation was like his casting of spells—once launched, it surged forward with compelling force, stirring the soul.
The Sect Elder remained silent, merely giving Lin Shanshan a look.
Lin Shanshan quickly caught up to walk shoulder to shoulder with Ning Zhuo, overlooking the beautiful landscape of Medicine Field Mountain together.
She said, "Young Master Ning Zhuo's words just now have truly resonated with us. But the alliance between our two families is a matter of great importance. Please don't think me rude; I just wish to ask if you have the authority to decide on this matter?"
Ning Zhuo, still smiling and taking in the view of the fields, replied, "Even if I say I have the authority, Miss Lin, even if you believe me, your father will not."
"Just wait a few days. After your Sect sends people to Fire Persimmon Mountain to collect intelligence and return, all will come to light."
"Before then, I simply want to push the matter forward more quickly."
"Our clan and your Sect may be quite far apart, but we complement each other well. Your Sect needs our martial strength, and since our clan moved from the Northern Land to Southern Bean Country just over a decade ago, we also need strong support externally to stabilize our situation."
"If we can form an alliance in the future, both our families being highly complementary would lead to mutual benefits."
"Miss Lin, frankly, I feel there is no need for haggling face to face; doing so cheapens our personal relationship. So, I'll just tell it like it is."
"The prices on that list are more than my clan can afford."
"Our clan has moved from the Northern Land, and in these years, we have been recuperating and have only just started to regain some Vital Energy."
"Not long ago, the emergence of the Lava Fairy Palace on Fire Persimmon Mountain caused much upheaval in Fire Persimmon Immortal City. There was a time when a wave of Demon Beasts almost capsized the entire city."
"We can't take out so many Spirit Stones every year to purchase medicinal materials. I thought perhaps we could barter instead."
"Take a look at this; this is Fire Persimmon Mountain's specialty—the Persimmon Fire, which has a wide range of uses, for medicine, Artifact Refining, and even as fuel or explosive material."
Lin Shanshan took the Persimmon Fire but did not examine it; instead, she held it in her hand.
With her eyes intently on Ning Zhuo, she spoke earnestly, "I am well aware of this product, the Persimmon Fire. Our Ten Thousand Medicine Sect had already known about it when Fire Persimmon Immortal City was first established. The previous generation of Elders led a team to investigate it."
"To be honest, we regarded the Persimmon Fire as a competitor, worried that it would impact the medicinal herb market in the Southern Bean Kingdom."
"However, after the investigation, the Elders put most of their concerns to rest."
"And after so many years, the facts have proven that the Elders' initial judgment was not wrong. The Persimmon Fire has not been able to impact our medicinal herb business."
"Indeed, the Persimmon Fire has a wide variety of uses, but the various medicinal herbs in my Medicine Fields specialize in one area and have always been well-received by the public, making them the superior option."
"If Young Master Ning Zhuo doesn't believe me, you can gather information and verify the market share of Persimmon Fire yourself to see that I'm not speaking falsely."
Ning Zhuo smiled, "I naturally believe Miss Lin's words."
"But bartering is not limited to just Persimmon Fire."
"It doesn't matter if your Sect is not interested in this special product. Fire Persimmon Mountain is teeming with Flame Demon Beasts, constantly producing materials. Surely, your Sect always needs such materials?"
Lin Shanshan nodded, "That is indeed the case."
"Our Sect excels in cultivation, Alchemy, and Healing."
"In our Alchemy materials, beast materials are continually being purchased in large batches from outside."
"If your clan can offer a price lower than the market rate, then there is a very high probability of us successfully collaborating."
With a hearty laugh, Ning Zhuo replied, "Since your Sect requests that my clan offer a price below market rate, then how could your Sect not lower the price of medicinal herbs as well?"
Lin Shanshan said, "Of course we can lower it."
"But it would depend on the volume of the trade. If the scale is small, I'm afraid it will be difficult to lower it to your satisfaction."
"After all, the sale of medicinal herbs involves the interests of many factions within our Sect. Even though our Sect Leader's faction has the power to make decisions unilaterally, it would be detrimental to our Sect's atmosphere to use that power for such trivial matters."
"Young Master Ning Zhuo, would you like to hear my suggestion?"
Ning Zhuo replied, "I know, Miss Lin, you want me to follow in Li Jingqing's footsteps?"
Lin Shanshan said, "You're as wise as you are able. You grasp things immediately."
"As long as you can obtain one of the top Cave Mansions, according to our Sect's rules, you will receive a substantial discount on medicinal herbs."
"By adhering to existing rules, you won't infringe on anyone else's interests, and it would be the most accepted solution."
"Others may not be able to do it, but given your abilities, securing a spot in the top ten is highly probable."
Ning Zhuo nodded, "I came to your Sect to seek guidance and wanted to use Little Struggle Peak to improve my combat power."
"Now that there's also a discount on medicinal herbs involved, I'll have to strive even harder."
"Miss Lin, please continue to advise me in the future. Especially on Martial Arts..."
Lin Shanshan nodded and winked at Ning Zhuo, "Aren't we friends? Since I've already accepted your flower, I won't stand by idly as your friend."
This young Miss of Ten Thousand Medicine Sect was indeed well-cultivated.
Towards the end of the negotiation, the conversation smoothly transitioned from Sect and family cooperation to personal rapport, bringing warmth to the conversation and greatly diffusing the previously tense and uncompromising atmosphere of the negotiation.
The Sect Elder beside them, however, pricked up his ears, catching on to something "important": "A flower? What flower? Ning Zhuo sent Shanshan a flower? And Shanshan accepted it?!"
For a moment, a shade of worry flashed across the eyes of the Sect Elder.
He took another look at Ning Zhuo.
Seeing the youth in white with a tall stature, a handsome face, a sincere expression, and a carefree demeanor, he silently gave a nod of approval.
After a moment more of thought, the Elder's concern grew as he turned to watch Lin Shanshan talking and laughing with Ning Zhuo, her smile blooming like a flower. He decided then and there that he would report this matter to the Sect Leader.