"What?! Lord Yun Tian, y-you mean it? You're really saying it'll be sold without quantity limits?"
Le Zheng'en's breathing quickened as he urgently sought confirmation.
"It's true—but there's a prerequisite," Di Tian said.
Le Zheng'en was still excited and immediately asked, "What prerequisite?"
Di Tian didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "General Le has probably heard about the toxic pill incident that's been causing such a huge stir lately, right?"
"I wonder what General Le thinks about this matter. Do you also believe there's a problem with the pills from the Dragon Phoenix Hall?"
As for the toxic pill incident… Le Zheng'en was able to become a three-star general of the Federation, so his strategic acumen was naturally not lacking. How could he fail to understand why Yun Tian asked such a question?
In fact, from that single question, he had already guessed the prerequisite Yun Tian was referring to.
After thinking for a moment, he chuckled and said, "Naturally, I trust the strength of Dragon Phoenix Hall. There's no way you would produce harmful pills."
"In my view, the toxic pill incident must have been deliberately orchestrated by someone with ulterior motives to smear Dragon Phoenix Hall."
The "someone with ulterior motives" he referred to was clearly Shrek, though he didn't say it outright—and it wouldn't have been appropriate to do so anyway.
"Heh, General Le truly lives up to being a three-star general of the Federation, not easily fooled by the schemes of such despicable people," Di Tian said with a light laugh.
"Since General Le understands that Dragon Phoenix Hall is being maliciously smeared, I wonder if General Le would be willing to step forward and speak up in support of Dragon Phoenix Hall?" Di Tian continued.
"So that's how it is," Le Zheng'en thought to himself. After pondering for a moment, he spoke aloud, "I can speak up for Dragon Phoenix Hall."
"However, I'm wondering whether Lord Yun Tian could lower the price of this pill a bit more. After all, one hundred and fifty billion isn't a small sum."
"Hehe, General Le really knows how to joke," Di Tian replied. "If we were to auction the Hundred-Year Life-Extending Pill, it would sell for at least two hundred and twenty billion at a sky-high price."
"Selling it to General Le now at a low price of one hundred and fifty billion means we're earning seventy billion less."
"This is already the biggest discount we can bear. You should know that the cost of producing a single Hundred-Year Life-Extending Pill is over one hundred and thirty billion."
"If we lowered the price any further for you, wouldn't that mean we'd have nothing left to earn?"
"General Le's Le family is also a business family. You should know what merchants care about most," Di Tian said, his expression turning somewhat cold.
Trying to push for another price cut at this point—what a pipe dream. One hundred and fifty billion was already a bargain for him.
The so-called cost of over one hundred and thirty billion was, of course, something he had completely fabricated. If he didn't inflate it, how else could he shut this man up?
"One hundred and thirty billion in costs? Isn't that a bit exaggerated?" Le Zheng'en was startled by the figure.
"A single Hundred-Year Life-Extending Pill contains hundreds of spiritual materials, most of which are ten-thousand-year grade," Di Tian continued his smooth fabrication.
"Even the cheapest ten-thousand-year spiritual materials are worth over ten million Federation credits. With two or three hundred of them added together, could the total value be less than a hundred billion?"
"I know General Le might doubt whether so many spiritual materials are really necessary."
"But all I can say is this: if enough spiritual materials weren't used, how could it possibly have the miraculous effect of extending even an Extreme Douluo's lifespan by a hundred years?"
In his own heart, he answered himself: It works.
Those words left Le Zheng'en unable to respond. Thinking about it that way, it did make sense.
He really had been bluffed by Di Tian and felt that such a miraculous pill naturally required that many rare treasures to refine.
"If General Le insists on asking for a price reduction, then I can only say sorry—it was a mistake for me to make this call."
"There are plenty of people who want the Hundred-Year Life-Extending Pill. Since General Le doesn't want it, we'll just sell it to someone else," Di Tian said, with obvious displeasure in his tone.
"No, no, Lord Yun Tian, please don't be angry. I was being a bit greedy—clearly already getting a huge bargain, yet still not satisfied," Le Zheng'en said urgently.
He was genuinely afraid that Yun Tian might get angry and refuse to sell them the Hundred-Year Life-Extending Pill.
"One hundred and fifty billion it is. One hundred and fifty billion. And regarding Dragon Phoenix Hall, I'll stand up and support you."
The corners of Di Tian's mouth lifted as he asked, "In that case, our cooperation can continue."
"But I hope General Le won't bring up the issue of lowering the price again. We're already barely making any money. If we had to sell at a loss, then…"
"Of course not. Lord Yun Tian, rest assured—I won't make things difficult for you," Le Zheng'en said with a smile.
Yet in his heart, he muttered, Barely making money? With costs of over one hundred and thirty billion, you're still earning twenty billion.
Such enormous profits even made him feel envious. The Le family's business spanned the southern regions, and they only managed a monthly profit of a little over twenty billion.
Meanwhile, Dragon Phoenix Hall could earn twenty billion just by selling a single pill. If they didn't lower the price, the profit could even reach over ninety billion.
Adding in the profits from Dragon Phoenix Hall's other pills, the total figure was downright terrifying. Who wouldn't be tempted by that?
No wonder Shrek has their eyes on the pill formulas, Le Zheng'en thought. He hadn't paid much attention before, but now he truly realized how important those formulas were.
"Then it's settled. In four days, we plan to expose Shrek's slander against us. At that time, General Le, remember to stand up and support us," Di Tian said.
"No problem. I'll definitely speak up in your support then," Le Zheng'en replied readily.
"However, Lord Yun Tian, when will this Hundred-Year Life-Extending Pill be available for sale to me?"
"Once this matter passes, the family head will begin refining it. At most, it'll take less than half a month to obtain the finished pill."
"How many pills does General Le plan to purchase this time? That way, we can make preparations," Di Tian asked.
"Hmm…" Le Zheng'en pondered for a moment before saying, "Two pills."
"Alright. When the pills are ready, I'll personally come to trade with you," Di Tian said.
"The Southern Army Group will welcome your arrival at any time," Le Zheng'en replied enthusiastically.
After ending the call, he immediately dialed his father and explained the situation.
"Zheng'en, you handled this very well. For the sake of the Hundred-Year Life-Extending Pill, even offending Shrek Academy is no big deal," Le Zhengtian praised.
"I think so too. Only by cooperating with Dragon Phoenix Hall can our family truly benefit."
"Moreover, I plan to look for opportunities in the future to deepen our cooperation—ideally securing their agency rights."
"Things like pill formulas are impossible for them to divulge, so there's no need for us to covet them."
"All we need is to become their agents. They provide the pills, we handle the sales, and we take a share of the profits."
"Dragon Phoenix Hall's earning power is simply terrifying. Even taking just one percent would be enough to push our Le family's business to another level," Le Zheng'en said.
Le Zhengtian thought for a moment, then gave an affirmative reply: "Your idea is very good. Go ahead boldly—your father supports you."
"Oh, right. Remember to notify the family's younger generation who are studying at Shrek Academy and tell them to withdraw immediately and return to the family."
"Since we've chosen to cooperate with Dragon Phoenix Hall, we should sever all ties with Shrek Academy."
"Alright. I'll have Zhengming notify those children immediately," Le Zheng'en nodded in agreement.