Chapter 1180 — I'll Have a Talk with Him

"Is that so? Then congratulations." What line of work was Qiu Lingshan in? One listen was enough for her to know that Xie Yufeng was lying. So the fellow talked nothing but empty bluster; before this he likely hadn't had mid-stage Profound Rank strength at all — he had merely been on the verge of breaking through, and had bragged to Grandfather that he was mid-stage Profound Rank. Only now had he actually broken through, which was why he had nearly given himself away.

"Haha, when it comes to upgrading, I have plenty of experience. Lingshan, I hear you're a rare talent yourself — a notch below me, perhaps, but already quite formidable!" Xie Yufeng said proudly. "Still, if you want to learn the secret of upgrading, I can help. With my guidance, I'm sure you'll break through in no time!"

"Oh..." Qiu Lingshan answered faintly. Break through? If she wanted to break through, she would hardly go to him. What kind of shabby breakthrough method was that — getting beaten up before you could advance? Qiu Lingshan wanted no part of it. How easy it was to let Wei Zhao help her break through, without the slightest pressure, without a shred of pain.

"What is it? Lingshan, you're not interested in upgrading?" Xie Yufeng was startled. He had assumed that once he said these things, Qiu Lingshan would be thrilled. But her manner was flat, as though she had not heard him at all.

That couldn't be right, surely? Xie Yufeng thought. Anyone who heard of a secret for upgrading would surely be eager to learn it — for a martial artist, this was a matter of great importance. The path of cultivation was bitter toil; every step was swimming against the current, and every breakthrough demanded a considerable price. No one gained anything without effort.

So for a martial artist, upgrading was an enormous temptation. And yet why did Qiu Lingshan not care? Xie Yufeng could not work it out. How could he know that Qiu Lingshan could gain everything without the least effort — that she could simply let Wei Zhao level her up with ease?

With a leveling tool as good as Wei Zhao, what did she need Xie Yufeng's secret for?

"I have to work overtime tomorrow, so I'm afraid I can't go. You had better go by yourself." Qiu Lingshan said coolly. "A case just came in. I have to stay."

"Ah! But..." Hearing this, Xie Yufeng was suddenly at a loss. With a single sentence Qiu Lingshan had blocked every argument he had. Whatever else Xie Yufeng said would be useless — she had her work, after all. Surely she could not abandon her job?

"Is there anything else?" Qiu Lingshan asked.

"N-no... nothing..." Xie Yufeng said helplessly.

"Then I'm hanging up." With that, Qiu Lingshan hung up and set the phone down on the table, letting out a long breath. She did not know why, but the moment she heard Yufeng's voice, a loathing rose up from the bottom of her heart.

"Who was that on the phone? You don't look too happy, Lingshan." Chen Yutian glanced at her and asked, a little puzzled.

"Xie Yufeng, of the Xie family. For some reason, my grandfather has taken it into his head to form a marriage alliance with the Xies — he wants me to marry their Xie Yufeng!" Qiu Lingshan made no secret of it, pouring her troubles out to Chen Yutian.

"What? Xie Yufeng?" Chen Yutian was startled, and looked at Qiu Lingshan in disbelief. "You mean your grandfather, Old Master Song, wants an alliance with the Xie family? What is going on?"

"How would I know?" Qiu Lingshan rolled her eyes and said helplessly. "Didn't I always say that my future man would have to be stronger than me? Grandfather remembered that, and somehow or other he got in touch with the Xie family. They said Yufeng was stronger than me, and he quietly reached an understanding with them — but then, to my surprise, Yufeng came knocking at my door!"

"But don't you like Wei Zhao? You and Yufeng...?" Chen Yutian asked, suddenly agitated.

"I don't like Yufeng at all!" Qiu Lingshan shook her head. "But when I told Grandfather, he wouldn't listen. All I can do is put him off for a while and hope this Yufeng will back down when he sees the difficulties ahead!"

"I see. In that case, if I meet Yufeng, I'll have a talk with him and make everything clear, and hope he gives up on his own!" Chen Yutian knew well enough about marriages between the great families; but if both parties objected, dissolving an engagement was not impossible.

So Chen Yutian thought: Xie Yufeng and Qiu Lingshan had barely even had any contact. If he went to talk with him, he ought to be able to let go. Besides, they were both men — some things were easier said man to man. He himself could let go, so why not Yufeng?

"Brother Yutian, it's better if you don't go about this. I don't have a good impression of this Yufeng, and I don't think he's an easy man to deal with, so just leave him be. After he runs into a few walls, he'll probably give up on his own." Qiu Lingshan knew Chen Yutian's temper, and feared that if he truly got into it with Yufeng, he would be no match for him.

"Don't worry, I know my limits!" Chen Yutian said.

"Then how about this — if after some time he still won't give up, you go to him?" Qiu Lingshan had no choice but to stall.

"That works too! If after a while he still won't give up, I'll go have a talk with him!" Chen Yutian nodded and said.

................

Doctor Guan's Trauma Medicine — with the eager expectation of the masses behind it, and with the trading companies of the Liu family and Fatty Lai as its backing, it began large-scale distribution in the market without any pressure, its sales climbing steadily. Especially after its efficacy was confirmed by the consumers, sales doubled again!

Yet with a supply load like that, Fatty Lai was delighted and at the same time forced to take out loans to rush investment into new production lines. At this rate, the stockpile he had built up earlier would be exhausted before long — and once that happened, the market would see shortages.

Though this would create a situation of demand outstripping supply, it would also breed some resentment among consumers toward Doctor Guan's Trauma Medicine; shortages always leave people unhappy. So to prevent that, Fatty Lai gathered his people and began working overtime without pause to expand capacity.

At this rate, the new product had not even gone into production and already had to make way for the current trauma medicine. Even after capacity was expanded, there would probably be no spare production lines to make the new medicine, the analgesic. To satisfy the nation's demand for the trauma medicine alone would already be quite an achievement.

This too was beyond Fatty Lai's expectations. He had not imagined that the trauma medicine would be an instant hit, making its mark across the entire country. He had meant only to push it into the market within the province and the neighboring ones, but he had underestimated the power of today's internet. As things stood, Doctor Guan's Trauma Medicine was known to every household.

And all Fatty Lai could do was expand, and expand again, endlessly expanding production lines to meet the market's demand.

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