Top Grade Pure Beauty CEO

The Elders were somewhat embarrassed, no matter how you looked at it, they were men, yet they had driven a woman to tears, making her cry like a pear blossom bathed in rain. Even though they had argued stubbornly for what they believed in, making a woman cry was truly a loss of face.

"Mr. Li, this matter…"

"Let's talk about it later." Li Xiaoyao waved his hand and chased after her.

Cheng Yiyi ran all the way to a small lake within Medicine God Valley and sat down, now in early winter, the wind carried a chill, and the leaves by the lake were withered yellow, bearing a touch of winter's desolation.

"Uncle Allen once said something profound to me, at that time I was too young to understand. By the time I understood, he was no longer here." Li Xiaoyao arrived at some point, sitting down as he spoke, gazing at the shimmering lake surface and said softly.

Cheng Yiyi didn't look at him, her gaze did not even flicker.

Li Xiaoyao laughed at himself and continued, "This world belongs to them, to us, and to you. To be born is to suffer, those who do not suffer are the dead, to live is to have hope, with hope, everything is possible."

"Some people aren't afraid of death, but they are afraid of being alone, because of loneliness. Even if you have wealth immense as the seas, and the power to reach the heavens, but no one to share that joy with. That is not a good thing."

Cheng Yiyi turned her head and said, "They're not willing to sell the medicinal herbs."

Li Xiaoyao smiled wryly, "So that's why you're angry?"

"I don't understand." Cheng Yiyi's eyes were filled with confusion, "This is clearly a win-win situation, with money, many things are possible, Medicine God Valley could become more powerful, why won't they agree?"

Li Xiaoyao picked up a stone and casually threw it into the lake. The next moment, the lake surface exploded, and a cluster of fish were blasted onto the shore. Then, a flock of large birds flew over, their talons piercing through fish scales, and snatched them away.

"Do you understand now?"

"What?" Cheng Yiyi was even more puzzled.

"Medicine God Valley is those fish." Li Xiaoyao picked up a stone and said, "You are this stone."

Cheng Yiyi seemed to grasp something, yet seemed even more confused.

"In this world, everything has its own rules to follow. Just like the bureaucratic system of Xuan Country, if you want power, you must start from the ground up. If you're lucky, and have an official for a father, then congratulations, you might ascend the ranks a bit faster. But there are limits, to reach the pinnacle of officialdom, age, experience, achievements, fate, you can't lack any of these."

"But most people don't want to be high-ranking officials, understanding that local autonomy could be more satisfying than being just an official. The benefits sought by a local despot are not necessarily less than those of an official."

"Have you ever considered the reason why Medicine God Valley has stood for hundreds of years without falling?"

"The foundation of Medicine God Valley lies in the alchemists, in the medicinal fields of this mountain."

"Hundreds of years ago, the status of Medicine God Valley in the martial world wasn't any different from what it is now, and hundreds of years later, today, they remain the same."

"Do you think they don't want to become stronger? You are mistaken." Li Xiaoyao shook his head and said, "As long as they are human, they have ambition, they, like everyone else, hope that one day Medicine God Valley can be the best under the heavens. But no generation of Valley Masters is willing to do that, the price of becoming number one might be several generations of fruitless toiling like moths to a flame."

"To risk it all for a slim chance is not worth it."

The more Cheng Yiyi heard, the more confused she became, and said, "But what does this have to do with selling medicinal herbs?"

"You think there's no relation?" Li Xiaoyao shook his head and said, "Their reluctance to sell medicinal herbs mainly has two reasons."

"First." Li Xiaoyao held up one finger and said, "Worldly money is as worthless as scrap paper to them. As inheritors of a lineage of cultivators, they are more accustomed to bartering goods."

"Second, they don't want to incur unnecessary trouble by selling medicinal herbs."

"Trouble? How could there be trouble?" Cheng Yiyi shook her head, "There won't be any trouble, it's just normal business conduct."

Li Xiaoyao looked at her, his smile tinged with some helplessness.

She was indeed an innocent girl yet to be tainted by the harshness of the world.

"Do you think that if a bunch of high-end goods suddenly appears on the market, and they swiftly dominate the market, it won't attract others' covetousness?"

Cheng Yiyi knew nothing about the marketplace and dared not jump to conclusions.

"Since they're unwilling to sell, then why did you ask me to come in the first place? Do you find playing me amusing?"

"I had no intention of playing you," Li Xiaoyao said gently, "I'm the head of Medicine God Valley, and what I promised you can't be changed by anyone."

Li Xiaoyao stood up and said, "Come with me."

Cheng Yiyi hesitated. On one hand, she wanted to expedite the first batch of collaboration. On the other, she was reluctant to rely on Li Xiaoyao.

Seeing her indecisive, Li Xiaoyao reached out and naturally took her tender hand, walking forward, "No worries, I'm here, they won't dare to yell at you."

"Hmm," Cheng Yiyi hummed like a mosquito, surprisingly not pulling her hand back.

The two returned to the council hall, and the elders, seeing their intimate gesture, couldn't help feeling nervous.

This appearance, it seemed they came to hold someone accountable.

"Elders, please take a seat," Li Xiaoyao was very polite, but the more polite he was, the more uneasy they felt.

They all took their seats, with Cheng Yiyi sitting next to Li Xiaoyao.

Li Xiaoyao took a sip of hot tea and began to speak.

"About the cooperation between the Cheng Family and Medicine God Valley…"

An elder interjected, "Mr. Li, you had not mentioned this to us before."

"Yes, that was my mistake." Seeing that Li Xiaoyao did not pursue their oversight, the elders all heaved a sigh of relief.

"I know what worries you — the fear of drawing attention from other forces. But I can tell you now, there's no need to worry," Li Xiaoyao's voice was not loud, but he exuded a reassuring confidence, "With me here, no one dares to target Medicine God Valley."

"The decision for this collaboration has been made after careful consideration," Li Xiaoyao knew that to dispel their worries, he would need to provide some substantive assurances.

"My goal is to make Medicine God Valley one of the top three sects in Xuan Country." His voice, light as it was, brimmed with ambition.

The elders were so astonished they didn't know what to say.

The top three in Xuan Country — did he just say the top three?

"You may not value the mundane world's money, but you cannot deny that if Medicine God Valley wants to grow, money is essential. As for the medicinal materials, you need not worry too much. I have as much as you need. What you need to do is to improve the alchemist's grade as quickly as possible."

"As far as I know, the strongest alchemist in Medicine God Valley is only fourth grade, right?"

Only..." The elders' lips twitched.

A fourth-grade alchemist was respected even among the Eight Great Sects of Xuan Country, but in Li Xiaoyao's words, it became just 'only'.

If they weren't aware of Li Xiaoyao's capabilities, they might indeed think this young man had gone mad.