"Ah?" Li Sushang's little face instantly turned gloomy.
Originally, she had planned to sneak out today, buy it somewhere else behind Bailu's back.
She didn't expect her plan to fall apart before it even began.
But fine, even if not today… if the price keeps rising in the future, then the profits from her large-scale performances might not even cover the medical fees anymore. Wouldn't that mean losing money just for the noise?
"Why is it like this? Isn't Xianzhou's medical export policy always super strict? Why are they suddenly exporting in bulk?"
Although Li Sushang's level of scholarship was just enough to fill a basket with letters the size of fists, her common sense was sufficient. This matter came far too suddenly. There hadn't been the slightest rumor before this.
Guinaifen agreed, saying, "Yeah! Miss Lingsha, what's the reason behind this?"
She had firsthand experience with Xianzhou's strict regulation. She ran all over the place just to secure the license for her livestreams.
And medicine related to front-line combat… no matter how she thought about it, it shouldn't be exported in large quantities.
"No helping it. Recently…"
For the past few days, Lingsha had been troubled by the results of the Six Charioteers meeting. Agitated, she nearly blurted out the truth.
The collaboration with the Black Tower was a massive expenditure. Any one of those projects alone was enough to make the whole universe green with envy. And once they achieved a breakthrough… the profit would far exceed what these few pills could ever bring in.
But precisely because of the gravity of the matter, strict confidentiality was mandatory.
Lingsha was no careless fool; once she realized she nearly committed a mistake, she smoothly changed her words without any visible reaction. "The Martial Exhibition Ceremony is approaching, and not long ago the Ambrosial Arbor incident caused huge losses. Luofu's finances have shrunk quite a bit. When poor, one seeks change. And after this change, we realized our horizons had been far too small. Such good medicine, reserved only for Xianzhou? Wouldn't that make us look stingy?"
With a bright smile, Lingsha continued, "Therefore, the Six Charioteers unanimously decided to promote this pill—as well as some weapons from the Artisanship Commission—as flagship products across the entire universe. After one month of sales lets other factions get a taste of the sweetness, we'll add just a tiny bit of export tax. Not much, just… about three hundred percent."
At this point, she leaned closer mysteriously. "This is confidential. You mustn't let it spread, okay?"
"So that's how it is!"
Li Sushang suddenly understood, her whole face saying "I have comprehended everything."
Guinaifen, after hearing this, felt immensely flattered.
My goodness… is top-tier confidential information tied to Luofu's decision-making something someone like me is allowed to know? A-am I really that important now?
She rubbed the back of her head shyly, feeling quite pleased.
Bailu simply nodded innocently, not thinking too deeply. She truly had no interest in such things.
Only Dan Heng frowned slightly, silently watching Lingsha without speaking.
It was obvious she was lying. But why? Wouldn't rumors like this hurt the sales of the new medicine?
This was too…
No.
Dan Heng suddenly realized something.
The effect of the pill had been witnessed just now—such a miraculous medicine could sell even at a sky-high price in the millions.
And releasing news about potential taxation before the new product even launched could only mean one thing:
Xianzhou had immense confidence in this product!
This impression alone would quickly attract the attention of countless factions throughout the universe. It was a deliberate marketing tactic using negative news! And her confidence came from the absolutely uncompromised strength of the pill itself.
Based on this logic, Lingsha wouldn't want to block the leak—she'd hope it spreads!
Impressive.
He nodded subtly, raising his evaluation of Lingsha.
As expected of the newly appointed Cauldron Master—not only a skilled physician with miraculous hands, but a strategist with equally sharp finesse.
Dan Heng felt he had reached the second layer, seeing through the entire plan.
But Lingsha was actually one layer above that.
The tax increase was real, but the purpose behind releasing this news was simply a smokescreen—a misleading cover-up for Luofu's unclear financial expenditures.
By spreading this "secret" herself, she made the world believe Luofu urgently needed funds for other reasons.
If such a rumor came from some nameless nobody, no one would care. But once it was retold with, "Hey, this is what my friend in the Alchemy Commission heard directly from Lingsha herself. She repeatedly said it must remain secret, and leaking it would result in immediate execution," well… no one would dare doubt it.
"What a shame…"
Li Sushang let out a long sigh. Her salary-doubling plan—poof—gone!
"Still thinking about that?" Bailu glanced at her irritably. But she couldn't say more; she was just a doctor. If a patient ignored medical advice, she couldn't exactly tie them to the bed and force them not to self-destruct.
"Forget it." Bailu sighed and took out a medical notebook and pen, scribbling a prescription before handing it to Guinaifen.
"This is a dietary formula called the Nine-Square Grid. It's perfect for patients with dual deficiencies of qi and blood, and it tastes good, too. I've been eating— ahem—testing it myself these past few days. The pill is effective, but just to be safe, it's still best to nourish the body properly."
Guinaifen happily accepted the prescription. "Oh! Thank you, Lord Bailu!"
"Nine-Square Grid?" Hearing something familiar, Li Sushang stretched her neck curiously. "Is this Uncle Jiao's recipe? He came to Luofu too?"
"That's right." Lingsha smiled. "Not just the Nine-Square Grid—even the pill from earlier was delivered by that physician."
"Ah, Miss Lingsha, I'm an old acquaintance of Uncle Jiao! My mom is even better friends with him." Hearing Lingsha's words, Li Sushang rekindled a spark of hope.
She sat up with a flattering grin. "Eheheh… Miss Lingsha. For Uncle Jiao's sake, could you please, please sell me a copy of the pill recipe?"
"No~pe!" Lingsha refused immediately, even blocking her escape route. "Not only can't I give it to you, even your Uncle Jiao can't. This medicine has already been placed under strict restrictions by Luofu's authorities. If it leaked, our taxes— cough— we wouldn't be able to benefit the entire universe with it, now would we?"
"Ugh… whyyy…" Li Sushang collapsed back onto the bed, her body thumping loudly, her lips pouting sky high.
Just as she was about to give up, Dan Heng suddenly said, "Miss Lingsha, was this pill developed independently by that physician from Xianzhou Yaoqing? Or was it obtained from a Curio Trash Can?"
"Hm?" The sudden question startled Lingsha. She stayed silent for a long moment, but in the end, she didn't lie.
Because lying would be pointless—the [Memeory Bubble of the Spirit Butterfly Alchemist] that Jiaoqiu obtained was opened in front of a crowd. It couldn't be hidden anyway.
She nodded. "Indeed, it was obtained from a Curio Trash Can."
As expected! Dan Heng's mind stirred.
He had found it strange—a pill this potent, yet with such low cost? Luofu's medical progress wasn't just fast… it was like jumping aboard the Astral Express and warping straight along the silver tracks.
The only explanation was acquiring a special Curio.
But that just resolved his doubts. He had no further intention to meddle.
However—while he spoke unintentionally, Li Sushang, with her back turned toward the group, was already scheming. And after learning her lesson, she kept her thoughts inside.
Heh heh… Curio Trash Can, huh? I've heard Little Gui mention that place ages ago. Haven't had time to go. Perfect—I'll take sick leave tomorrow and crack that formula open myself.
Haha! When that happens, if I want to smash stones on my chest, I'll smash stones on my chest. If I want to roll on nail boards, I'll roll on nail boards.
Financial freedom… a beautiful life is right ahead!