Chapter 101: Then, will you give me a kiss?

“These are on the house.”

“Consider it a small favor from me to you. I hope you’ll accept it,” Xie Huaiyan said with a gentle smile.

“No need,” Ye Fei replied, grinning as he picked up the medicine and scanned it to pay. “I’m not one to owe people favors.”

“This…” Xie Huaiyan hesitated for a moment.

“Oh, and by the way, Master Xie, this is just the first batch of herbs for refining the medicine,” Ye Fei said, as if suddenly remembering something. He shook the bag of herbs in his hand. “With this, I can make maybe five or six pills at most, just for trial. If the results are promising after they hit the market…”

“Then perhaps you could become a supplier for Spring and Autumn Pharmaceuticals.”

A strange glint flickered in Xie Huaiyan’s eyes. He squinted and smiled. “You’re trying to draw me in, aren’t you? Get me to stand against Chongming Hall with you?”

“Favors, favors—it’s just how they’re made,” Ye Fei chuckled. “And don’t forget, Master, I just saved your life. If you refuse this, I could always tell people you taught me how to make these pills.”

“Farewell!”

With that, Ye Fei left with a bright smile, leading Chen Yu away.

“Hey!” the girl blurted out, wide-eyed. “How can he be so ungrateful…”

But Ye Fei was already gone.

Watching their retreating figures, Xie Huaiyan stood there in thought for a few seconds, then shook his head and sat back down, muttering to himself, “Fate is truly a wondrous thing. The day you gave me that letter, you said this day would come, and to think, you were right.”

“Yet your disciple’s temperament is far less agreeable than yours ever was…”

Beside him, the girl listened in confusion to her grandfather’s ramblings. “Grandpa, that guy was so rude! Why didn’t you tell him who you are? If he’d known your name, he’d never dare speak to you like that!”

“Enough. Don’t make trouble,” Xie Huaiyan replied, shaking his head. “And don’t let your father interfere, either. I opened this pharmacy just to await this very day. If you offend him, it’ll be hard on me.”

“Seriously?” the girl muttered through gritted teeth, recalling Ye Fei’s demeanor. “But he’s really asking for it. Back in the day, if someone like that acted up in front of you and Father found out, he’d be on his knees apologizing by tomorrow!”

Xie Huaiyan chuckled and messed her hair. “Xiuxiu, what if I told you that even your father would have to show respect if he knew where this young man comes from?”

“What?!”

The girl’s eyes widened in disbelief.

…

After leaving the pharmacy, Ye Fei climbed into Chen Yu’s car. “Alright, this is far enough. Bring the cauldron, then drop me at my senior sister’s company. It will take two or three days to finish this batch of pills.”

Chen Yu nodded, glancing at him with curiosity. “Ye, weren’t you afraid you’d offend that old man, talking to him like that? He seems pretty well connected.”

“That’s where you’re mistaken.” Ye Fei grinned. “Have you thought about how long it’ll take to recapture market share for Spring and Autumn Pharmaceuticals with my vein-cleansing pills? Soon after they launch, demand will outpace supply.”

“And with Chongming Hall in the picture too.”

“So, we need someone powerful behind us.”

“Flying the tiger’s banner, are we?” Chen Yu arched an eyebrow, seeing through his plan. She couldn’t help but be impressed. “I underestimated you. Only you could turn picking up some medicine into such a strategic move.”

“Will you reward me with a kiss?” Ye Fei teased.

She shot him a glare and started the engine.

…

After work, Ye Fei had no other plans. He brought the herbs he’d bought back to the villa.

Zhou Danzhuang and Lin Qiqing were both out, which suited him perfectly. He immediately took out the bronze cauldron he’d acquired from the Xing family and began refining pills.

For Ye Fei, pill-making was simple, and the pills he was about to make were among the easiest his master had ever taught him.

The Cleansing Vein Pill was a versatile remedy: whether for illness, injury, or general weakness, it could be taken by anyone. For those without cultivation, it even prolonged life and purified the body of impurities.

Back when Ye Fei was a child, his master made him take these pills daily to cleanse his body.

He hadn’t been sick since.

True, he could make more miraculous pills—like those that could restore flesh and bone—but he had no intention of doing so. Those were far more troublesome to prepare, and gathering the right herbs could take weeks, if not months.

Even using substitutes, he’d need things like century-old ginseng.

Acquiring those would cost tens of thousands at the very least, if they could be found at all.

Besides, these pills were meant for Chen Yu to seize the market. What mattered was quantity, not rarity.

“The Cleansing Vein Pill should be enough to solve her problem,” Ye Fei mused. “If not, I’ll try something else.”

The following days passed quietly.

He didn’t even have time to visit his senior sister’s company, shutting himself away in the villa to make pills for Chen Yu, while also taking the opportunity to further refine his own Nine Dragons Divine Art.

During this time, Chen Yu called several times to invite him for dinner, but he always found excuses to refuse.

He knew exactly what that wicked woman was up to.

Four words filled his mind:

Keep oneself pure.

Not until the third afternoon did he finish refining the pills. The spiritual energy he’d borrowed from his senior sister was now fully under his control. He informed Chen Yu that they could meet the next day. Just then, Li Yueyao called, saying she had something to discuss.

Ye Fei couldn’t decline.

After showering, he hailed a taxi and headed for Li Yueyao’s school.

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

In her office, Lin Qiqing was reviewing the company’s contract files when the phone rang unexpectedly. She hesitated, then answered. After listening to a few words, her face turned ashen. “What did you just say?!”

An hour later, every department of the Eternal Group was thrown into turmoil as an unprecedented emergency meeting was called.