The Price of Negotiation
Scene 1 —Negotiations in the Private Chamber
The Thousand Veil Chamber's private negotiation room was worlds apart from the bustling hall outside.
Soft lanterns cast warm halos against the silk-draped walls, and subtle sandalwood incense lingered in the air—neither too strong nor too faint, deliberately calibrated to ease one's nerves… or lower one's guard.
Yue Lan sat gracefully behind a low jade table, the very picture of poise.
Her sleeves flowed like ripples of azure water, and a faint jade hairpin glimmered in her ink-black hair.
Despite her elegance, her presence felt sharp—like a blade wrapped in velvet.
Lin Xian and Bai Yu Sheng took their seats opposite her.
Xiao Jin hopped onto Lin Xian's lap, blinking as if bored by human politics.
Yue Lan uncorked the jade bottle once more.
A delicate shimmer rose into the air, carrying a fragrance so pure it momentarily silenced the room.
"The current Qi Restoring Pills in the market," Yue Lan began, her tone smooth and authoritative, "restore at best thirty percent of a cultivator's qi. Most require favorable luck. And they leave behind residual impurities—small, but cumulative." Her eyes lifted to Lin Xian. "Over years, those impurities cripple meridians."
She gently set the pill onto a jade dish.
"This pill… your pill… is nothing like them."
Her words were soft, but her voice carried weight.
"Fifty percent guaranteed recovery. Zero impurities. High purity. Low-cost formulation. If this enters public trade…"
Her smile sharpened.
"It will overturn the entire alchemy market from Azurecloud to the next three cities."
Lin Xian's lips curved faintly. "I made a simple pill. Nothing more."
"A simple pill," Yue Lan echoed, eyes gleaming, "that can spark a trade war."
Bai Yu Sheng nodded vigorously.
"Exactly! The academy's mid-grade pills can't even compare to this. This thing will make clans kneel for supply contracts. Even rogue cultivators will fight over the crumbs."
Yue Lan placed her fingers together.
"If we are to distribute this, we must discuss profit."
Her tone shifted—no longer admiring, now purely business.
"The Thousand Veil Chamber handles logistics, distribution, branding, transport, and market management. Our standard offer for an inventor is twenty percent of net profit."
Lin Xian chuckled lightly. "Twenty percent?"
Yue Lan's brows rose. "That is the highest cut offered to independent alchemist."
"That may be true," Lin Xian replied calmly, "for those who come begging to sell through your Chamber."
His gaze was steady, unhurried.
"But I'm not one of them."
Silence fell.
Yue Lan leaned back, amused. "Then what do you propose, Young Master Lin?"
"Sixty percent," Lin Xian replied without hesitation.
"You get distribution rights. I handle production and formula secrecy."
Bai Yu Sheng choked.
"Sixty!? Even emperors don't negotiate like this!"
Yue Lan's smile didn't falter—if anything, it deepened slightly.
"That is a rather bold demand," she said softly, "for a man using my Chamber to enter the market."
Lin Xian smirked.
"Boldness is only arrogance when one cannot back it up."
He tapped the table lightly.
"But my pill has already proven its worth."
The air grew tense—almost electrifying.
Negotiations were no longer words; they were blows exchanged without fists.
Yue Lan's eyes narrowed, calculating.
Finally, she said, "Fifty-fifty."
Lin Xian picked up his teacup, swirling the liquid without drinking.
Then he set it down with a soft click.
"Fifty-five."
Yue Lan blinked—not offended, but deeply amused.
"You truly don't know fear, do you?"
"Fear doesn't make good business." Lin Xian's voice was even. "And I've survived worse negotiators—ones who didn't serve tea but poison instead."
For a moment, the room froze.
Then Yue Lan suddenly laughed—a soft, melodic sound that made the attendants tense even more.
Her laughter felt dangerous, like a warning wrapped in silk.
"Very well," she said finally.
"Fifty-five. You have your deal."
Her gaze softened—not submissive, but acknowledging.
"You are either brilliant… or terrifying. Perhaps both."
Lin Xian rose slightly from his seat.
"Then let's keep this partnership discreet. I won't attach this to the Lin Clan. I'll open a front—hidden, untraceable."
Yue Lan's fingers paused midair.
"A phantom merchant?"
"Exactly."
Her lips curved.
"Smart. Those who want your pill won't know where to look."
Lin Xian finished his tea with a small, quiet motion.
"Just handle the noise. I'll handle the alchemy."
Yue Lan gave him a slow, assessing look.
"You are unlike any alchemist I've met."
"Flattery is free," Lin Xian replied.
"But next time, I'll charge for it."
Her laughter trailed behind him as he stood—gentle yet ringing with unspoken danger.
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Scene 2 — The Real Request
Once the contracts were signed and sealed with spiritual marks, Yue Lan dismissed the attendants.
Only three people—and one fluffy spirit beast—remained.
The atmosphere shifted.
Gone was the graceful businesswoman façade.
News of profits and markets vanished behind her eyes, replaced by a quiet tension that did not belong to the merchant world.
"Lin Xian," Yue Lan said softly, "there is… one more matter."
Bai Yu Sheng sighed.
"I knew it. You never let things end cleanly."
Lin Xian's expression didn't change.
"The real reason behind your warm welcome, then?"
Yue Lan chuckled—softly, bitterly.
"You're sharp. I suppose it would be pointless to pretend otherwise."
She reached into her sleeve and withdrew a thin jade slip.
The air around her shifted—the faintest tremor or vulnerability leaking through her composure.
"There is someone close to me," she said quietly, "an elder of the Thousand Veil Chamber. During an expedition, he was struck by a rare venom. Our alchemists and healers could not identify it. His meridians have been decaying day by day."
Her voice lowered.
"He may not survive a month."
Lin Xian's eyes darkened slightly, his fingertips tapping the table with slow precision.
"And you want me to replicate the Thousand Venom Purge Pill."
Yue Lan nodded once.
"Your duel with Xu Tian… your pill saved a life with a toxin even the academy refuses to treat. Rumor says you crafted it by re-writing three ancient formulas."
Bai Yu Sheng whispered, "He did. And he nearly—"
Lin Xian flicked her a warning look.
She shut her mouth instantly.
Yue Lan slid the jade slip toward him.
"All his diagnostic details—pulse patterns, meridian condition, and poison characteristics."
Lin Xian said nothing for a moment.
Then he stood and walked toward the window, hands folded behind his back.
Sunlight caught the edges of his hair, making them gleam like white frost.
"I'll look," he said finally.
"But I won't commit."
Yue Lan blinked. "You won't… even consider?" There was a rare tremble in her tone.
"I don't take requests based on pity," Lin Xian said softly.
"My yes or no depends on whether I can succeed—and what the results will cost."
Yue Lan inhaled slowly, regaining her composure.
"You truly are impossible to negotiate with."
"Pretending to be agreeable is for those who lack confidence." Lin Xian's lips curved faintly.
"And I can deliver."
Bai Yu Sheng sighed.
"Why do you always sound like you're two seconds away from starting another war?"
Lin Xian shrugged lightly.
"Old Habit."he smiled
Yue Lan allowed herself a gentle smile—strangely warm,but resigned.
"Very well. I'll arrange for you to see him tomorrow morning."
Her gaze met his—calm, unwavering, full of trust she rarely placed in anyone.
"If you can save him," she said quietly, "the Thousand Veil Chamber will owe you a personal favor."
Lin Xian paused at the door.
"A favor from you," he said with a slow smile, "might be worth more than gold."
He stepped out into the corridor.
Behind him, Yue Lan whispered—not to him, but into the quiet air:
"Alchemist Lin… one day, someone will realize how dangerous you truly are."
Lin Xian's voice drifted faintly back:
"Then it's time the world learned to adapt."