Chapter 1980, Remuneration

Two Alchemists had been poached by Zhuo Ning Si previously, and she had surreptitiously stolen Fan Hong today. Not content, she was now openly trying to woo Yang Kai in front of him. Clearly, she didn’t put him in her eyes.

Kang Si Ran was furious!

“Why is Shopkeeper Kang so angry?” Zhuo Ning Si did not show the slightest fear; after all, both of them were Third-Order Origin Kings who had completely transformed their Saint Qi into Source Qi. It was only due to lack of opportunity that they could not break through to the Dao Source Realm. Pursing her lips, Zhou Ning Si continued, “I just said a few words to Alchemist Yang, it shouldn’t matter to you.”

Kang Si Ran’s face filled with murderous intent, but he knew he could not make a move here, so he was forced to choke down his burning anger while feeling his lungs burn.

Seeing his reaction, Zhuo Ning Si turned her beautiful eyes back to Yang Kai and continued, “Alchemist Yang, what do you think of this Mistress’ proposal? Regarding compensation, you need not worry, this Mistress will offer you twice as much as what Shopkeeper Kang has offered?”

Hearing this, Kang Si Ran’s face grew more and more ashen.

Before, the three Alchemists from Spirit Pill Plaza were tempted away by this woman’s wiles. He did not know much about Yang Kai or have any kind of friendship with him, so he could not be certain how he would react to such an offer.

Looking at Yang Kai with extreme anxiety, Kang Si Ran’s heart suddenly sank!

Yang Kai actually wore an eager expression on his face and said with a big smile, “Is such a good deed possible?”

Zhuo Ning Si smiled more happily and nodded, “Naturally. If Alchemist Yang does not believe this Mistress, he can simply ask Alchemist Fan. In addition to rich remuneration, this Mistress can also arrange four beautiful maidservants to serve Alchemist Yang and tend to his daily needs.”

Zhou Ning Si was a worldly woman who knew men spent all their lives chasing after power and wealth, so she was well aware of what methods to use to tempt them, as was obvious by her successfully poaching three Alchemists from Kang Si Ran in just over a month.

She believed that as long as Yang Kai was not a fool, he would make a wise choice.

“Shopkeeper Zhuo’s proposal is truly of great interest,” Yang Kai’s gaze shifted to the beautiful maidservants who were accompanying Zhuo Ning Si.

Seeing the look on Yang Kai’s face, Fan Hong could not help sneering as a light of contempt flashed across his eyes, thinking to himself that Yang Kai was a man without any integrity or character, but when he recalled his own situation, he suddenly felt awkward because he did not have the qualifications to look down on Yang Kai.

“Alchemist Yang… you…” Kang Si Ran looked at Yang Kai with a frustrated look of despair. A thousand words came to his lips, but in the end, he could not vocalize them and just hung his head helplessly.

Although he had signed a Soul Contract with Yang Kai just now, that contract only stated Yang Kai could not disclose the pill recipes Kang Si Ran provided him.

Yang Kai had yet to formally receive the pill recipes from him, so the Soul Contract was of no use!

Kang Si Ran felt deeply annoyed. If he had known this would happen, he would have added various conditions and terms to the contract, but it was late to regret now!

Zhuo Ning Si chuckled, her beautiful eyes flashing brilliantly as she seemed able to see the collapse of Spirit Pill Plaza. Once she succeeded here, she would receive much more attention from the upper management of the chamber of commerce.

As long as she could deliver a devastating blow to Spirit Pill Plaza, or better yet, force it to shut down, there was a chance she would be favoured by the higher-ups and allowed to transfer out of this small Maplewood City to a larger city where she would receive more status and benefits.

Just when she was about to seal the deal though, Yang Kai put on an awkward look as she said, “It’s a pity…”

“What a pity?” Zhuo Ning Si frowned.

“Actually, this Yang signed a Soul Contract with Shopkeeper Kang just now… So even if he had the intention, this Yang can’t accept Shopkeeper Zhuo’s proposal,” Yang Kai sighed with regret, his expression full of chagrin.

Kang Si Ran was taken aback and immediately shot Yang Kai a look of joy.

He did not believe that Yang Kai didn’t understand what restrictions the Soul Contract actually imposed. Yang Kai saying this now meant he truly had no intention of siding with Pill Pavilion, a pleasant surprise to Kang Si Ran.

At that moment, he directed a look full of gratitude towards Yang Kai.

After all, if Yang Kai really left, what else could he do besides cursing him for his impropriety? At that time, Spirit Pill Plaza would have no more Alchemists and would soon need to close.

Yang Kai’s attitude had become a life-saving straw for a drowning Kang Si Ran, causing his evaluation and impression of Yang Kai to undergo a complete change. Yang Kai’s figure even seemed a bit taller and grander now.

“A Soul Contract!” Zhuo Ning Si was shocked, “Shopkeeper Kang certainly spared no expense, even using a precious Soul Contract.”

Kang Si Ran coldly snorted, “I had no alternative.”

“Shopkeeper Zhuo, what do you think of this?” Yang Kai looked at Zhuo Ning Si with a smile, “I can perform Alchemy for Shopkeeper Kang while also for your noble establishment. I only need half of the benefits you promised before, how about it?”

“In your dreams!” Zhuo Ning Si rejected with no trace of politeness, glaring hatefully at Yang Kai.

After learning that Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran had signed a Soul Contract, she knew that it would be impossible to poach him, so she no longer had any reason to speak with him and shut him off completely.

Since she could not snatch him, what point was there in being polite?

Seeing this woman’s attitude turn so quickly, Yang Kai was a bit stunned.

Zhuo Ning Si had no intention of dealing with Yang Kai anymore, and she had already completed her objective in coming to Spirit Pill Plaza for now, so she sneered and spat, “Shopkeeper Kang, you only have one Alchemist left now, so I wonder how long your Spirit Pill Plaza will last! We’re leaving!”

Saying so, she waved her hand and led her beautiful maids down the street. Fan Hong naturally didn’t have any face to remain, so he hurriedly followed them.

Although the ruckus had subsided, Kang Si Ran’s brow remained deeply furrowed.

The predicament of Spirit Pill Plaza had not improved. Originally, with Yang Kai joining Fan Hong, there would be two Alchemists working for the shop. Kang Si Ran had felt a little relieved and was confident he could hold on for two more months until help arrived from the headquarters.

But what he did not expect was that just after inviting Yang Kai, Fan Hong would leave!

The situation had not changed at all.

The only thing he could hope for now was that Yang Kai’s Alchemy skills were substantially superior to Fan Hong’s but thinking about it carefully… Kang Si Ran felt that was unlikely. Yang Kai was already a Third-Order Origin King and had said to him at the outset that Alchemy was only a means of making money to him, a field he did not invest much energy into.

Such a cultivator would only regard Alchemy as an auxiliary profession. It would already be good if Yang Kai was able to refine Origin King Grade Spirit Pills by chance, so how could Kang Si Ran expect Yang Kai to be a true Grandmaster?

However, Yang Kai’s previous actions had left Kang Si Ran with a good impression of him. At the very least, Yang Kai was a trustworthy person.

Back in the meeting room, Kang Si Ran cupped his fists solemnly and said, “Alchemist Yang, regarding today’s matter, this old master offers his sincere thanks. If not for Alchemist Yang’s integrity, the face of Spirit Pill Plaza and this old master would have been completely lost.”

Yang Kai waved his hand lightly and said, “Shopkeeper Kang is too serious, this Yang did not do anything worthy of such praise.”

Kang Si Ran smiled and said, “This old master is actually a little confused. Since Shopkeeper Zhuo offered so many favourable conditions, why did Alchemist Yang…”

“En, I went to Pill Pavilion three days ago to buy pill recipes from them but was driven out by their shop-hand without even the slightest sign of courtesy.”

“Is that all?” Kang Si Ran’s jaw dropped slightly.

“What reason did Shopkeeper Kang expect?” Yang Kai chuckled.

“This old master understands. En, let us continue our discussion about remuneration then. Spirit Pill Plaza can provide two methods of compensation. One is a monthly salary where Spirit Pill Plaza will pay Alchemist Yang a certain amount of Source Crystals every month. As for the exact number… This old master can offer you twice the normal rate.”

Perhaps because he was grateful for Yang Kai’s choice to stay and help him, or perhaps because of the reward that Zhuo Ning Si had offered before, Kang Si Ran was not stingy with this issue and readily offered twice the normal salary.

“The other option is a sales commission! Spirit Pill Plaza will be responsible for providing you with various materials while Alchemist Yang will be responsible for Alchemy refinement. Once the Spirit Pills are sold, Spirit Pill Plaza will split the profits with Alchemist Yang. What does Alchemist Yang…”

“The second option,” Yang Kai replied before Kang Si Ran could even finish.

Kang Si Ran was startled!

He originally thought that Yang Kai would choose the first method; after all, only Alchemists who had great confidence in their own ability would choose the second method, because the more pills they refined the more profits they would make.

As a cultivator who did not focus on Alchemy, Yang Kai should have chosen the first method as it would protect his interests to the greatest extent, but he had actually chosen the second method, surprising Kang Si Ran greatly.

[Is Alchemist Yang a true Alchemy master?] Kang Si Ran wondered to himself.

Just to be cautious, he still asked, “Alchemist Yang does not want to take some time to consider? Alchemist Fan who left before was paid according to the first method.”

“No need,” Yang Kai shook his head.

“If so, then… good,” Since it was someone else’s choice, Kang Si Ran did not have much to say.

Soon, the two finalized the profit-sharing arrangement.

Originally, the ratio between Spirit Pill Plaza and its hired Alchemists was thirty-seventy, with the Alchemist taking thirty. Spirit Pill Plaza needed to procure materials and sell the various pills while the Alchemists were only responsible for refining pills, so it was not a loss for the Alchemist to only receive thirty percent of the profits.

But Kang Si Ran took the initiative to arrange a forty-sixty split with Yang Kai, to which Yang Kai naturally had no reason to refuse.

With everything agreed upon, Kang Si Ran asked, “Does Alchemist Yang need to go back and rest for a few days before beginning?”

Yang Kai smiled and looked at him, “With Spirit Pill Plaza in its current state, is there any time to rest? En, let us begin now. Shopkeeper Kang, please provide me with the complete pill recipe booklet first. I will take two days to study it before beginning the refinement.”

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“There’s no rush, appropriate preparations should be made first,” Kang Si Ran said as he took out a stack of pill recipes, he had prepared long ago from his Space Ring and handed them to Yang Kai, “Alchemist Yang, please come with me to the Alchemy Room!”

Spirit Pill Plaza has its own Alchemy Room, which was equipped with a large Spirit Array which could extract the underground Earth Fire for Alchemists to use. This room was located a hundred meters below ground and was originally used by three Alchemists, but now it was Yang Kai’s private site.