"Hmm, let's go up and talk."

Chen Fei nodded slightly and followed Ning Shucheng to the offices of Qianhong Pharmaceuticals' senior executives.

After arriving at a tastefully decorated private office, Ning Shucheng moved with practiced ease to a bookshelf. It held many different kinds of tea leaves and a built-in refrigerator stocked with a variety of alcoholic beverages and fruit juices. "What would you like to drink?"

"Brother Ning, you certainly know how to enjoy life. I'll get it myself," Chen Fei said with a smile. He was clearly not fond of tea, as he walked straight to the fridge and grabbed a cold drink.

"We'll serve ourselves too..."

Seeing this, Dong Jianhui and Quan Bowei also helped themselves, one brewing a cup of tea and the other grabbing a cold beverage.

"Brother Ning, here's the deal," Chen Fei began, deciding not to beat around the bush. He took a refreshing sip of his cold drink and continued, "We came today to discuss the supply channels for the Herbal Cuisine Workshop's medicinal herbs."

"Is that all?"

After listening, Ning Shucheng, the young master of the Ning Family, just shook his head and chuckled. "Such a trivial matter didn't require you two to come in person," he said teasingly. "A simple phone call would have been enough for us to arrange it."

"I don't want any of those inferior imitation goods from your cultivation bases. It would be best to have wild, all-natural herbs. The medicinal cuisine made from them will be much more effective," Chen Fei replied with a shake of his head and a smile.

"You want them all to be wild and natural?"

Ning Shucheng was finally a bit taken aback. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother Chen, I'm afraid I can't fulfill that request. Forget supplying six Herbal Cuisine Workshop branches; even if we cut that number in half, the amount of raw materials needed over the years would be staggering. Medicinal herbs aren't like other things. Their growth cycles are too long, and there simply aren't that many wild, all-natural ones available for sale."

"Uh... is that so?"

Chen Fei's face flushed with embarrassment as he realized he had been taking things for granted. Indeed, medicinal herbs were not like other crops. Their growth cycles were often measured in years, meaning there was no large supply of wild, natural herbs on the market.

"That's right," Ning Shucheng confirmed, then continued, "Actually, our Ning Family has dabbled a bit in herbal cuisine. Our experience tells us that there's really no need to be so fixated on so-called 'wild' or 'natural' ingredients. First, the supply is limited. Second, the herbs grown in cultivation bases aren't as bad as you might think, Brother Chen."

He added, "Furthermore, all medicinal herbs from Qianhong Pharmaceuticals' cultivation bases are clearly graded based on their medicinal properties. If you want to guarantee the quality of your herbal cuisine, Brother Chen, just stick to Grade B herbs or higher. I assure you, they'll be more than sufficient."

It was obvious that Ning Shucheng was an expert in this field, a true professional who knew far more than a "novice" like Chen Fei, who had stumbled into the business.

Chen Fei nodded immediately. "In that case, Brother Ning, could you figure out a plan for me? You're far more reliable in this area than I am." As he said this, he couldn't help but laugh in embarrassment. Indeed, casual dabblers like him really do cause big problems.

"That's simple. First, tell me your ideas and the details, and I'll work something out. Afterward, you can just send someone to sign the contract. As for the price, don't worry. I guarantee it will be the lowest in the entire country for this industry," Ning Shucheng readily agreed.

It wasn't just that Chen Fei was an Ancient Martial Artist like those of his Ning Family of Ning'an Prefecture, making them comrades on the same path. Dong Jianhui, the son of Dong Wencheng, the municipal party secretary of Tongzhou City—the capital of Jiangnan Province—was also sitting right next to him. Given such connections and the face involved, Ning Shucheng wouldn't dream of taking advantage of them or trying to make a profit.

After all, for semi-reclusive Ancient Martial Artist families like theirs, money was truly no longer important. Making more friends and expanding their network of connections was worth more than anything else.

And so, it was Chen Fei's turn to speak.

He recounted all the ideas, details, development plans, and various concepts they had discussed on Northern Mountain, laying them all out for Ning Shucheng. The first person to be completely floored by Chen Fei's words was his old classmate, Quan Bowei.

"Good heavens, two hundred million to open a chain of herbal cuisine workshops?" While he might not have caught all the finer details of Chen Fei's speech, the two-hundred-million-yuan investment figure came through loud and clear, leaving him utterly stunned. It was then that he finally began to realize something. Perhaps when Chen Fei had spoken to him earlier, it wasn't just big talk. He genuinely seemed to think that one or ten million wasn't a large sum of money... But when did this kid get so amazing? Wasn't he just an ordinary guy back in high school?

"Alright, I have a general understanding of the situation now," Ning Shucheng said decisively after listening to Chen Fei's recap. "I'll have my people draw up a proposal. In a few days, you can send someone over to sign the contract."

"Thank you very much, Brother Ning."

Chen Fei nodded and then suddenly changed the subject. "However, I have a small personal matter I'd like to ask for your help with."

"A personal matter?" Ning Shucheng was slightly surprised and subconsciously glanced at Dong Jianhui and Quan Bowei.

"Brother Quan, shall we step out for a smoke?" Dong Jianhui immediately stood up, catching the hint and shooting a meaningful look at Quan Bowei. He wasn't stupid; he knew that what Brother Fei was about to say was likely not for their ears.

"Perfect, I was just craving one myself. You two talk, Brother Dong and I will go out for a cigarette," Quan Bowei promptly added, getting to his feet.

Once the two had closed the door behind them, leaving the office, a smile touched Ning Shucheng's lips. "Brother Chen, what matter required them to step away? Is it some kind of secret?"

"It's not really a secret, it's just... well, it's nothing much. Brother Ning, take a look at this first," Chen Fei said, suddenly pulling a piece of paper from his coat.

"This is..."

Ning Shucheng took the paper and, after just a brief glance at the words written on it, looked somewhat baffled.

"The medicinal herbs on this list... any idea how many of them your Ning Family can find?" Chen Fei asked slowly, pointing at the lines of text on the paper. This was clearly the true purpose of his visit.

"You mean these herbs?" Ning Shucheng frowned and read through every item on the paper again. After a moment's hesitation, he said slowly, "Brother Chen, you want to collect these herbs?"

"Yes. I was wondering if your Ning Family could find them," Chen Fei confirmed with a nod.

But Ning Shucheng's reply was unexpected. "...We should be able to find them. However, our Ning Family does not sell precious herbs of this caliber."

"Not for sale? Why?" Now it was Chen Fei's turn to be stunned.

He had been overjoyed when he heard the first half of the sentence, as these were the exact ingredients needed for the medicinal formula that could accelerate the formation of his Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire. But now, Ning Shucheng was saying they could be found but weren't for sale... This was even more infuriating than being told they couldn't be found at all.

"These herbs are either life-saving treasures or hundred-year-old rarities that one might only encounter once in several decades. Our Ning Family of Ning'an Prefecture is a long-standing family of traditional medicine, and we don't lack for money. Naturally, we wouldn't sell such Treasure Medicine without a very good reason..."

Pausing here, Ning Shucheng glanced at the frustrated and visibly displeased Chen Fei before adding tactfully, "And it's not just our Ning Family. I believe the other Sects and Noble Families are likely the same."

Hearing this, Chen Fei understood the situation perfectly. It turned out that the major Ancient Martial Artist Sects and Noble Families on Earth were stockpiling these high-grade Treasure Medicines as strategic resources, placing a de facto embargo on them. His plan to simply buy them with money had been nothing but a fantasy.

The thought gave him a headache. "Then is there any feasible way for me to purchase these herbs?" While every problem had a solution, he couldn't just barge in and rob them, could he? To be honest, that was something he just couldn't bring himself to do.

"There is!"

But in the next moment, Ning Shucheng's tone became certain. "Brother Chen, you must know about the Lingnan Mountain Martial Arts Conference in half a month, right?"

"Of course. Is there an opportunity there?" Chen Fei naturally nodded.

"The Lingnan Mountain Martial Arts Conference is a grand event for the entire Southern Martial World. As is tradition, various auctions and trade fairs, both large and small, are held just before the conference officially begins. Although the herbs you need are rare, it shouldn't be too difficult to collect them there..."

Hearing this, however, Chen Fei paused, looking surprised. "But I remember that only powers or individuals with the strength of an Innate Level Ancient Martial Artist are qualified to receive an invitation to the Lingnan Mountain Martial Arts Conference, right?"

"What you're referring to is the tournament on Tian Kui Peak. The auctions and trade fairs I'm talking about are different. They're events spontaneously organized by people in our circle and are held outside Tian Kui Peak."

Apparently, the official Lingnan Mountain Martial Arts Conference was specifically the arena competition held on Lingnan Mountain's Tian Kui Peak. During the event, the entire peak would be sealed off, with entry restricted to only those individuals or representatives of powers who had received an invitation.

However, even though Tian Kui Peak was inaccessible to most, it was human nature to be drawn to a crowd. Thus, the powers and individuals not qualified to enter the competition on Tian Kui Peak would spontaneously organize their own gatherings for all walks of life at a location nearby. That was where the auctions and trade fairs Ning Shucheng mentioned were held.

"So when do these auctions and trade fairs start?" Chen Fei asked finally.

"I believe they start ten to fifteen days before the main conference. If you're interested, Brother Chen, you could actually head over there now."

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