Chapter 97: Contract

Su Li was still frowning; Wooden Female, being sent out to independently manage the precious Lettuce business, is indeed sharp and not easily taken advantage of.

She wore a face that looked like she had taken a big loss, her voice clearly unwilling: "30% is too much… The elixirs I make only submit two portions as tribute to the Mountain Classic Beast Temple per batch."

Lin Manzhi: "Fine, then after removing the portion that must be offered, I'll add another 30% on my side."

Su Li: "……"

I was only giving an example; that doesn't mean I agree!

Lin Manzhi's finger tapped lightly on the stone slab, her bright black eyes looking over: "Su Li Shamaness, cultivating Lettuce takes a long time and great cost; you only spend Wushen Temple's money to purchase medicinal plants and then lightly craft the new elixir."

She didn't wait for Su Li to speak, continuing: "When the new elixir is sold, the fame and reputation will belong to you, and the Great Witch will value you; our master loves money, and now we're only taking the Beast Coins you have in excess."

Su Li almost got drawn in.

After thinking for a while.

"The most crucial part of the elixir is its production," Su Li said with a stern face.

"Without a Shamaness to make the elixir, your Lettuce can only fetch a few hundred Beast Coins… I think your demand for a 30% share is excessive! Your master sells medicinal plants; I can triple the price I pay for acquiring Lettuce."

"1,500 Beast Coins per piece; if you can bring that many Lettuce at once, 6,000 pieces would be nine million Beast Coins."

Hua Zheng felt he was about to push his understanding of the Beast Coin unit.

Nine million— sigh! That's a lot of money… Of course I agreed.

At that moment, Su Li suddenly leaned forward, reached into a bag and poured out a dozen gold coins onto the table; the coins clattered to Lin Manzhi's hand, the meaning to Wooden Female being obvious.

Lin Manzhi's expression was conflicted; she wanted to take the gold coins but dared not, finally placing both hands under the table, "Actually Su Li Shamaness, you're quite good; selfishly I want to cooperate with you."

Seeing Su Li's slightly relaxed expression, she changed tack:

"But you also know there are other Shamanesses besides you; we can work with other Shamanesses, and I'm sure no one will refuse such a deal. I'll give you a heads‑up: when I came out, my master also said that anyone who wants to buy out the Lettuce must give a share, so… now that you propose an exclusive buyout, I'm offering you the minimum my master set."

Su Li: "But… no one has ever mentioned a share from the elixir before."

Lin Manzhi: "What does a lack of precedent matter? Isn't it better to start from your side?"

"Those 6,000 Lettuce pieces must be refined within a few days; I can't do it alone, and even the Shamanesses under me need Beast Coins," Su Li said.

"After deducting all expenses, allocate 30% of your revenue as a share; we can keep the source of Lettuce cultivation hidden from outsiders, and you may claim that the main medicinal plants for the new elixir were arranged by your own servants— that's fine."

Lin Manzhi spoke calmly and steadily.

According to the original novel, the Great Witch only has a two- or three‑year lifespan; after her death the entire temple scrambles for the Great Witch's position, and later the original heroine becomes the Holy Shamaness and then succeeds as the temple's highest Great Witch.

Su Li, as the overseer of the Wushen Temple in Kuangsha City, is already powerful; she is now eager to pay a high price to buy out the Lettuce, making the other party's motives easy to guess.

Lin Manzhi also leaned forward at the table, lowering her voice slightly: "Su Li Shamaness, you want to return to the Mountain Classic Beast Temple quickly because you also covet the Great Witch's position, right? This opportunity is rare for you."

Su Li heard her own goal spoken from the opposite woman's mouth; her pupils contracted, and her heart rose heavily.

Then the other continued: "With a solid profit‑sharing partnership, it's a win‑win; you need not worry that if someone learns the main medicinal plant Lettuce for this elixir, they might offer a higher price and cause our master to renege."

Su Li was startled.

Thinking… it seems a two‑party split is safer?

She hesitated, looking at the Wooden Female before her, knowing that among the Beastfolk of Kuangsha City, breaking alliances is common.

The profit share proposed by the Wooden Female—

She is the highest Shamaness of this Wushen Temple; only 20% of each medicine must be offered, and the remaining profit belongs entirely to her, unlike other Shamanesses who must give another 20% to the temple's Shamaness administrator.

Here the Shamanesses manage themselves, and the method they use to make the new elixir is the same as the old one, only adding Lettuce extract; they still charge a thousand Beast Coins per batch as before.

And the other side demands 30% of her own profit, meaning she still retains 70%.

Su Li thought again.

After saying all that, the Wooden Female went from demanding half at first to now only 30%, and won't budge at all; it seems that's truly their bottom line.

Moreover, most importantly, she now truly needs the new elixir to return to the Mountain Classic Beast Temple quickly.

Thinking this, Su Li leaned back in her chair, gritted her teeth and decided, "Fine, we'll split 30% to 70%; I'll have someone bring animal hide so we can draft the contract."

Lin Manzhi narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled happily, "Alright."

Following Su Li's order, the maid quickly brought soft animal hide and a feather pen; Lin Manzhi reached out to take them, asked Su Li about the selling price, and then drafted the contract herself.

Lettuce Exclusive Supply Contract

Parties to the Agreement:

Supplier: Wooden Female

Purchaser: Su Li Shamaness

Terms:

1. The Lettuce produced by Wooden Female shall be supplied solely to Su Li and may not be resold to others.

2. Su Li uses the Lettuce to make medicine; each unit sells for 100,000 after deducting 20% principal, and 30% of each sale goes to Wooden Female as profit in Beast Coins.

3. Deliver 6,000 Lettuce every twenty days, and settle the previous elixir profit share on the same day.

4. Contract term is one year; violators may have their lives taken without recourse.

5. Lettuce must be of high quality; Su Li may reject any substandard produce.

Year 3020 of the Celestial Shaman Calendar, Dry Season, Month 1.

Lin Manzhi wrote two copies, kept one and gave the other to Su Li, "Please see if anything needs adding; if not, place your fingerprint here, and I'll take it back for my master to sign. When we deliver Lettuce in twenty days, I'll bring back the master‑signed contract for you."

Su Li took it, examined it carefully.

This simple yet thorough contract, which Su Li had originally harbored much resentment toward the Wooden Female for rushing to draft, now left her with nothing more to say.

"One year is too short, isn't it?" Su Li only pointed out that clause, "Since this is a partnership, shouldn't the contract term be as long as possible?"

Lin Manzhi smiled, lifted her fingertip and gently placed it under the word "two years": "One year is precisely the most reasonable term~ Think, if you discover a medicinal plant more valuable than Lettuce, you won't be bound by the contract then."