Pills That Could Not Be Replicated

Setting the price was what Xiao Zhan considered the hardest part.

He had watched with his own eyes as the medicinal ingredients were put in and the finished medicine came out.

The ingredients they used cost even less than those used in their old refining method, but pricing this medicine lower than before would hurt him terribly.

Yet the cost of the raw ingredients was plain to see, and he felt that charging too much would not be quite right either.

So Xiao Zhan wanted to hear their opinions.

The elders hesitated for a moment before one of them spoke.

"I think we can raise the price above what we currently charge. Even twice the price would be worth it."

"Besides, no one else has a formula like ours, so they could never produce an imitation."

"That means we can absolutely corner the market. Even at twice the price, we could still sell plenty."

The other two elders murmured their agreement.

"Exactly. A disciple of mine reported today that Xiao Mo and Xiao Yan went to the Market and gave away an entire portion of their medicine for free."

"The response was excellent. Quite a few people are already asking at our Market when the new Rejuvenation Powder will go on sale."

"Even our old Rejuvenation Powder has attracted attention, and many people have bought some. They believe there must be something different about our refining method."

Xiao Zhan nodded. He, too, thought they should not set the price too low.

He cast an inquiring look at Xiao Mo and Xiao Yan, who sat beside him.

"What about you two? After all, you're the ones doing most of the refining."

Xiao Mo had no interest whatsoever in pricing. He merely nodded at Xiao Zhan.

"You can decide."

After confirming both their opinions, Xiao Zhan settled the matter then and there: the new Rejuvenation Powder would go on sale at twice the price of the original.

Just then, the Second Elder suddenly stood and bowed respectfully to Xiao Zhan.

"Xiao Clan Leader, I believe there is another pressing issue we need to resolve. These two youngsters spend most of their time cultivating."

"They can't possibly stay here refining medicine for the rest of their lives, so I wonder if they could share the formula?"

He immediately added an explanation.

"Of course, I'm not asking for my own sake, but for our entire sect. Think about it: we have a fully equipped refining workshop, along with disciples specifically assigned to refine medicine."

"If they could learn this refining method as well, we wouldn't have to worry about our future development or stability."

How could Xiao Zhan fail to see what this old fox was plotting?

Yet his words made sense. Xiao Mo and Xiao Yan could not limit their accomplishments to refining medicine alone.

They would still need to cultivate in the future, and not merely rise to the rank of Dou Zhe. He hoped that one day, they could become Dou Di.

There was no way he would let the two of them stoop so low as to stay here every day, covered in soot and grime as they refined medicine.

Thus, he also hoped they would share the formula, and even train disciples of their own.

But the formula was precious, after all, and he was unsure whether the two youngsters would agree.

Xiao Zhan raised his head and looked at them affectionately.

"With me here today, no one can force you. If you don't want to share the formula, you can keep it secret."

"Whenever the sect needs medicine, I'll leave the job to you two. We'll just need you to prepare it as quickly as possible."

Xiao Zhan intended to show the two youngsters the utmost respect.

Xiao Yan immediately found himself at a loss. Had the formula been his own, he would have given it to his father without hesitation.

But this formula had come from Yao Lao, and even refining it required him to work together with his senior brother.

He truly could not make the decision himself, so he could only lower his head and nudge Xiao Mo beside him.

"Senior brother, what do you think?"

Xiao Mo waved a hand at Xiao Yan.

"Do you really think this is the only formula Yao Lao has? Even a formula he casually pulls out is a treasure like this."

"We'll be refining higher-grade pills in the future. I certainly don't intend to live off this Rejuvenation Powder forever."

"I'll handle your father here. Go quietly ask Yao Lao whether we can share the formula. If he agrees, just give it to your father."

In truth, after several days of refining, he had also found making Rejuvenation Powder extremely tedious.

He wanted to hand this work off as soon as possible, but he did not know whether anyone else could control the heat as precisely as the two of them.

Xiao Yan had not expected his senior brother to be so generous. He nodded and pretended he needed to relieve himself, when in fact he went to ask Yao Lao whether they could share the formula.

Once he received permission, he quickly returned to the hall and nodded at Xiao Mo.

Having understood Yao Lao's wishes, the two raised their heads in unison.

Xiao Zhan and the three elders all focused their attention on them.

Xiao Mo waved a hand nonchalantly.

"We can give you the formula. We'll write it down in a little while, and you can have some disciples try it."

"If they run into questions during the process and can't refine it, they can come consult us. We'll teach them everything we know."

This was all for the sake of stabilizing the Xiao Clan's Market, so of course he would do his best.

After all, he still had a main quest to complete. Once he fully restored the Xiao Clan to its former glory, he would receive a massive reward.

Seeing their generosity, Xiao Zhan was filled with excitement. At the thought of mass-producing medicine in the future, he felt there was much to look forward to.

But only after they obtained the detailed formula and had the disciples attempt to refine it did Xiao Zhan and the three elders realize that things were not as simple as they had imagined.

The refining process demanded far too precise a control of the heat.

Although the Rejuvenation Powder they produced using the same formula was clearly much more effective than what their original formula yielded, it still fell short.

It was nowhere near as impressive as the medicine the two youngsters had refined.

Its medicinal potency, in particular, was far weaker. Even its taste was exceptionally bitter, nothing like the pleasant flavor of theirs.

In other words, they could only produce an ordinary version. The superior medicine Xiao Yan and Xiao Mo refined was simply beyond their ability to reproduce.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Xiao Zhan examined the Rejuvenation Powder his subordinates had just refined, then compared it with Xiao Yan and Xiao Mo's.

He immediately adjusted their strategy.

"Their medicine will sell for twice the original price. Ours will sell for half the original price."