Cha Ming stopped as well, then nodded. “I’ll talk to her. I can’t say I like blood arts, but I’ll keep an open mind.”
“That’s all we ask,” Zi Long said.
“Brother Cha Ming,” a voice called out. Elder Gan walked out from a building behind them and caught up. “Do you have a moment?”
“I’ll excuse myself, Master,” Zi Long said, bowing and retreating.
Cha Ming nodded and followed the elder down the familiar road to the Alabaster Group headquarters. Compared to last time, it was much quieter.
“As you can tell, we’ve taken quite a thrashing,” Elder Gan said wryly.
“Zhou Li is a difficult opponent,” Cha Ming said. “Unless you have a genius on par with the Wang family’s Wang Jun, you need to play hardball with him. Force things in a way he can’t easily manipulate.”
“So we’ve learned,” Elder Gan said, leading him inside a room, where a half dozen men and women had hastily been gathered. No, it was five now. They’d apparently lost a member. “We’ve been considering your proposal, and after our latest council meeting, we’ve decided to take you up on it. If you’re still willing.”
“I’m always willing,” Cha Ming said. “Same Alabaster Group rules as before, and my offer for knowledge still stands. I’m also willing to take on some disciples.” He saw them visibly relax that he hadn’t added any conditions. “In fact, since it seems Zhou Li is hellbent on ruining us here, I’ll add to my initial offer. I’m willing to dispense alchemical knowledge as well.”
Elder Gan frowned. “I don’t mean to look down on you, but what level alchemist are you?”
“Early Grandmaster,” Cha Ming said.
“Impressive, given the short time, but it will be difficult to compete with that,” Elder Gan said, shaking his head. “In fact, it would only highlight our disparity.”
“And what if I added this?” Cha Ming asked, placing a vial on the table.
A hand motioned at it and whisked the jade vial over. The vial opened, and a pill floated out.
Elder Cang Fuxi, the one who’d summoned it, looked at Cha Ming with curious eyes. “Is this even a pill?” he asked, rolling the colored item in his hand. Unlike most pills, it didn’t have a bronze, silver, or gold seal. Instead, the seal was gray. It also didn’t leak any medicinal scent like pills did.
“Put that down this instant, you foolish man,” Elder Xia hissed. She grasped the pill with her soul force and forced it back into the bottle. She then looked at Cha Ming gravely. “Where did you get this?” she asked.
“I made it,” Cha Ming said, smiling.
“Prove it,” she said.
Cha Ming, still smiling, swept out his hand. The table was instantly covered with hundreds of vials, each one containing a different pill.
“Are those what I think they are?” Elder Gan asked, rubbing his eyes.
“Undoubtedly,” Elder Xia said, looking over another pill. “Grandmist seals. The little-known perfect grade that’s seemingly only achievable in transcendent realms or higher. How did you do it?”
“It’s not exactly something anyone else can replicate,” Cha Ming said, summoning a gray flame. “But you and I both know how valuable the mediating properties of pill seals are. Studying them and how they bring the ingredients together would greatly improve an alchemist’s abilities. And with so many pills available…”
Elder Xia nodded. “Then your offer of knowledge, combined with these pills, is more than adequate to start poaching. What’s your price? And terms?”
Cha Ming picked up a jade vial. “Gold-seal pills sell for fifty percent higher than list price, yes?” he asked. “Then we’ll sell them for three times the list price.”
“Cheap,” Elder Xia said.
“Too cheap,” Elder Gan agreed.
“Let me finish,” Cha Ming continued. “Three times list price for members who join our group and forsake the others. They must swear stringent oaths, and the pills are only for their consumption or study as enforced by contract. The usual Zhou Li clauses apply.
“In addition, our clients who meet Alabaster Group requirements can request to purchase pills for personal consumption at five times list price. Since I’m always very busy and will disappear for months at a time, the Alabaster Group can be my middleman. You can take orders and payments for the next time I come to stock up on medicinal ingredients. For now, I can craft up to early-core-grade pills, and I will inform you when my level rises.”
“A very ruthless move,” Elder Gan said. “If the only place where members can study the Grandmist pills is with us, people will come flocking over. Furthermore, selling to good-aligned nobles will strengthen our faction and deter bad behavior. In fact, they may stop dealing with the Obsidian Syndicate for fear that we might not deal with them at all. Young man, you never cease to amaze me.”
“Then that concludes that part of our business,” Cha Ming said. “Now I need you to do something for me. I need you to approach Yue Bing and give her the respect she deserves.”
“But she’s a blood artist!” Elder Cang exclaimed. He cleared his throat and apologized. “It just doesn’t sit well with me.”
Cha Ming stared him down and looked each of the five elders in the eyes. “I will speak with her with an open mind and determine the nature of her abilities,” he said. “If I find her arts are appropriate, wholesome, and aligned with the forces of good, I expect you to respect my decision. Do I make myself clear?”
Elder Cang nodded slowly. “If you feel so strongly about it, since you’re contributing so much, we won’t alienate her,” he said. “But you’re the one with the stringent standards. I expect you to vouch for her and her actions. If you approve of what she does, I’ll give it my blessing.”
“Fair enough,” Cha Ming said. “How goes the search for Waters of Life?”
“We’ve found a seller, but there’s nothing they currently want,” Elder Gan said. “The sole supplier of Waters of Life is the Sea God royal family. I doubt even Grandmist pills
