Chapter 24

But then his tone shifted, his eyes turning appraising. "Still, are those recipes and high-proof liquor of yours really that amazing? If they don't taste good, everything you said before is meaningless."

This was the real trump card.

Uchiha Yan curled his lips into a confident smile. "Don't worry, there won't be any problem. If you don't believe me, just try making them and taste them first."

These were things from the great foodie nation of his previous life. How could they possibly fail? Unless the people in this world had crooked tongues.

Qianyi waved a hand in satisfaction. "Fine! We'll try it first. If the flavor passes, I'll handle the restaurant and brewing business."

He looked at Meixin. "You can discuss the pharmaceutical business with her. If you need anything from me, just say so."

As for that "Fully Automated Talisman Production Line"... he did not take it seriously at all. They could talk once Xuan Zhen had made it.

Meixin nodded, then turned to her son with a serious expression. "How confident are you about the talismans and Medical Talismans? Or have you already solved them? What about the Spatial Sealing Scrolls and the medicine?"

Uchiha Yan answered honestly, "I've already made some progress with the talismans. As for Medical Talismans... my foundation in Sealing Jutsu is still a little too weak."

He rubbed his chin. "I'm planning to ask my teacher for help and see if he can get me some basic Sealing Jutsu texts to study."

The Uchiha Clan was good at combat, but Sealing Jutsu truly was not their strength. Their accumulated knowledge in that area was far too lacking.

"I'll probably need to talk with her more about the later development of Medical Talismans."

"As for the Spatial Sealing Scrolls—the clan's ancient texts have methods for making them, and I've already learned them. It's just that the efficiency is low and the cost is high. Give me a few more months, and I'll optimize them."

In the end, the root problem was still his weak foundation in Sealing Jutsu.

"As for medicine, I'm planning to launch five kinds first."

"The first is an improved Military Ration Pill. Both the taste and effects are twice as good as what's currently on the market."

"The second is a Detoxification Pill I formulated myself. It can neutralize most common poisons."

"The third is Hemostatic Pills. They can be taken internally or applied externally, and their bleeding-stopping effect is excellent."

"The fourth is Golden Wound Medicine. It works especially well for healing wounds."

"The last is the Body-Tempering Pills, divided into youth and adult versions. They're improved from the medicinal bath formula you usually use."

"Dad, from now on, you can just take these Body-Tempering Pills. You won't need to go through the trouble of soaking in medicinal baths anymore."

"Of course, the version sold to outsiders will only be half as effective as the one we use ourselves. What do you think?"

Uchiha Yan felt that this would be the real money-maker for their family in the future.

Especially those Body-Tempering Pills. Who could resist that?

"Hiss—"

Uchiha Senichi could not help sucking in a breath. He stared at his son and clicked his tongue. "You brat, have you secretly come up with this many good things again lately?"

"These medicines are all treasures that ninjas can't do without!"

"Especially those Military Ration Pills—can you really make them taste good?"

Uchiha Yan: "???"

"Uh... Dad, shouldn't your focus be on the Body-Tempering Pills?"

Uchiha Yan looked utterly speechless.

"Hehe—"

Before Qianyi could speak, Meixin covered her mouth and laughed. "Isn't it because everyone has suffered from Military Ration Pills before? Your father used to spend years running long-term missions, so he knows that feeling best."

"Mikoto, you must have eaten plenty of those Military Ration Pills on the market too, right?"

As she spoke, Meixin looked at Mikoto with a smile.

Uchiha Mikoto's expression stiffened, and her brows furrowed slightly. She had clearly recalled some unpleasant memories. She nodded helplessly. "Yes... during emergency missions, they were basically unavoidable. That taste... it truly was unbearable."

They were far too hard to swallow.

At that, she looked at Uchiha Yan expectantly. "Xuan, if you can really make tasty Military Ration Pills, then even if their effects are a little ordinary, they'll definitely sell like crazy and make a fortune."

No one could refuse tasty Military Ration Pills.

"Then just wait to collect the money. The formulas are all here."

Uchiha Yan pulled out a stack of papers from his clothes and handed them to his mother. "The formulas for all five medicines are on these. I'll leave them to you. Oh, right..."

Uchiha Senichi turned to look at his dad, his tone serious. "Dad, remember to speak with the Third Elder and the clan about the Body-Tempering Pills first. From now on, we'll supply them to the clan at cost. We won't make a single cent off our own people."

"That's a good idea."

Uchiha Senichi nodded in agreement. "If we make it clear in advance, no one will gossip when we start selling them later, saying we had good things but didn't think of the clan first."

"We'll do as you say. No one will be able to find fault with it."

He paused, then asked his son, "Which version should we give them? The version for outside sales, or the full-effect version we use ourselves?"

The difference in effectiveness between the two was half.

"The outside-sales version is enough."

Uchiha Yan did not hesitate, his tone decisive. "Enough is enough. Supporting the clan is only right, but we can't rely on our family alone to carry everything. We have to keep some trump cards for ourselves."

Treating the Uchiha Clan as his true family would be foolish.

Their family was not the clan head's family. There was no need to give everything wholeheartedly.

The reason they had handed over the Foundation-Building Medicinal Bath formula before was, first, to accumulate merits in exchange for secret treasures, and second, to help the clan's children build their foundations.

Those were two different matters.

Even the clan head's family had plenty of private assets hidden away.

"Fine! We'll do it that way!"

Uchiha Senichi smiled in satisfaction.

Early the next morning, Uchiha Senichi left home with the youth and adult versions of the Body-Tempering Pills that Xuan had rushed to make overnight tucked away.

He first went to find the Third Elder, handed over the items, and explained the arguments he had prepared long ago.

He also briefly mentioned partnering with the clan to open a shop and sell medicine together.

"Uncle Qiuye, what do you think?"

After saying that, Uchiha Senichi asked with a genial smile.

"Not bad! We should've done this long ago."

Uchiha Akiba poured out several Body-Tempering Pills, brought them to his nose, and sniffed them to identify their medicinal properties. Then he nodded with a smile. "Back then, the Foundation-Building Medicinal Bath formula really shouldn't have been handed over directly. But Xiao Xuan needed the clan's merits and reputation at the time, and he also needed to exchange them for secret treasures, so I didn't stop him."

"You've always been rough around the edges since you were young. I was waiting to see when you'd finally be unable to hold on."

"What, is the family short on money now?"

The Third Elder looked at his nephew with an amused expression, his voice teasing.

As Uchiha Senichi's biological uncle, he naturally hoped his nephew's family would live well.

"Hehe."

Uchiha Senichi scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed laugh. "Nothing can be hidden from you, Uncle Qiuye."

Uchiha Senichi sighed. "Those medicinal baths aren't something ordinary people can afford."

"That kid Xiao Xuan is doing research, and just buying all that equipment and medicinal material costs money like water. No matter how thick our family fortune is, it can't withstand that."

It was simply a bottomless pit.

Fortunately, that bottomless pit could also bring some money back in.

Uchiha Akiba smiled. "You've only benefited from your son's good fortune. Otherwise... hehe."

Come to think of it, Qianyi really did have a tough fate.

The Third Elder shook the medicine bottle in his hand and asked again, "Do these Body-Tempering Pills really work as well as you just said?"

"Of course. Nothing Xiao Xuan makes is bad." Uchiha Senichi patted his chest.

"Fine." The Third Elder nodded. "Leave this matter to me. I'll get someone to test the effects first. The clan meeting happens to be tomorrow, so I'll bring the results and present them then."

"By the way, weren't you going to find the Second Elder too? He should be over at the merchant association right now."

"Alright, then I'll get going. You stay busy!"

With that, Uchiha Senichi turned and headed outside.

The Third Elder watched his retreating figure, then looked down at the porcelain bottle in his hand and could not help shaking his head. "If they hadn't been pushed to the brink, they probably would've kept such good things hidden away."

"Looks like I'll have to visit Xiao Xuan more often in the future. Who knows what other good things he has?"

He also had a son, two grandsons, and a whole group of people under him waiting to benefit.

That very day, the Third Elder called people over to test the medicine.