Chapter 40: Sniping the Pine Nut House

Inside the spacious living room, the lights were bright.

The chubby President Lu sat at the head of the table with a smile on his face. To his left sat a figure—a tall, sturdy middle-aged man with a rather impressive presence.

It was none other than the head of the Song family, Song Shan.

They were clearly in the middle of discussing business, but when Lu Qinger walked in with Li Luo and Cai Wei, the conversation was interrupted, and Song Shan looked over with a somewhat stunned expression.

And when he saw Li Luo and Cai Wei, the smile on his face faded, and his expression turned indifferent.

President Lu was also taken aback, but before he could speak, Lu Qinger said in a soft voice, "Second Uncle, the people from House Luolan have arrived."

President Lu looked into his niece's eyes, and then his mouth twitched slightly, but he still reacted quickly, nodding with a smile: "Since you've arrived, please take a seat."

Song Shan set down the teacup in his hand with a measured thud and frowned at President Lu: "President Lu, what is the meaning of this?"

President Lu chuckled and said, "Family Head Song, don't overthink it. Our Golden Dragon Bank believes in harmony bringing wealth, but we also have another creed: whatever leaves the Golden Dragon Bank must be a quality product."

"Although First-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light are relatively low-level, since they have entered my Golden Dragon Bank, they must naturally be of superior quality; otherwise, it would damage the reputation of the Golden Dragon Bank. Therefore, we will naturally choose the best."

Li Luo and Cai Wei took their seats, nodding in agreement: "President Lu speaks the truth."

Song Shan’s face was as dark as water. He swept a cold glance at Li Luo and Cai Wei, gradually reining in his emotions, and said in a flat tone while holding his teacup: "President Lu, why waste time on such matters? The Azure Spirit Liquid of House Xiayang has recently been beaten into a rout by the Sunshine Light of my Pine Nut House, and I believe President Lu has already investigated the gap in their refining power."

"I can say without hesitation that in this Tianshu Prefecture, it is impossible to find First-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light with higher refining power than my Song family's Pine Nut House."

"If President Lu truly feels that House Xiayang is a good choice, you can say so directly, and our Pine Nut House will simply withdraw."

It had to be said that this head of the Song family had some spirit; his words were neither soft nor hard, and he was full of presence.

President Lu laughed heartily: "Family Head Song, don't be angry. I also know that the 'Sunshine Light' of Pine Nut House is of excellent quality, but we must give other houses a chance to demonstrate their wares, right? If it turns out that Pine Nut House is indeed the best, I will apologize to you, Family Head Song."

Upon hearing this, Song Shan's expression softened significantly, and he chatted and laughed with President Lu for a few more moments, though the occasional glance he cast at Li Luo and Cai Wei across from him carried a hint of a sneer.

He knew the situation at House Xiayang very well. With the position of President currently vacant and Yan Lingqing and Zhuang Yi fighting tooth and nail, the internal affairs of House Xiayang were a mess. For Li Luo to come to the Golden Dragon Bank to compete with their Pine Nut House was truly ignorant of the heights of the world. Did he really think the status of a young house master of House Luolan could carry that much weight?

Song Yunfeng also sat down beside Song Shan, expressionless, preparing to watch a good show.

Lu Qinger stood beside President Lu, her figure slender, her appearance pure and sweet, a completely different style from Cai Wei.

However, there was a trace of doubt and worry in her eyes, because she understood that if Li Luo could not produce a truly superior First-Grade spirit liquid, her second uncle would absolutely not choose House Xiayang today.

And that Song Shan and Song Yunfeng would undoubtedly laugh at them.

At this moment, after pacifying Song Shan, President Lu turned his gaze to Li Luo and Cai Wei and smiled: "The two of you should know the requirements of our Golden Dragon Bank, right?"

"Although First-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light are low-level, our Golden Dragon Bank will not consider anything with a refining power below fifty-five percent."

Cai Wei smiled sweetly: "President Lu, the Sunshine Light of Pine Nut House only reached fifty percent refining power, right?"

"Only?"

Song Shan raised an eyebrow and said with a faint smile: "Steward Cai, you have quite a big mouth. The Azure Spirit Liquid of House Xiayang seemed to have 'reached' fifty-two percent before, right?"

"Family Head Song also knows that was before." Cai Wei smiled slightly.

Li Luo, at her side, had already placed the box in his hand on the table and opened it, revealing the forty vials of Azure Spirit Liquid inside.

"President Lu, allow me to introduce this to you. This is our House Xiayang's brand-new product: the enhanced version of Azure Spirit Liquid. Its refining power is... sixty percent." Cai Wei's soft, melodious voice spread through the room.

"Sixty percent?"

The faces of both President Lu and Song Shan changed at this moment; the former was skeptical, while the latter sneered aloud.

President Lu waved his hand, and a maid immediately stepped forward, holding a refining-test needle. She inserted it into a vial of Azure Spirit Liquid, and under the watchful eyes of President Lu, Song Shan, and the others, the needle on the device stabilized at the sixty-percent mark.

"It really is sixty percent?" President Lu said in surprise.

Song Shan said coldly: "House Xiayang certainly has deep pockets. I just don't know if these Azure Spirit Liquids were crafted by a Third-Grade Resonance Refiner, or by your House Xiayang's two Fourth-Grade Resonance Refiners?"

President Lu was thoughtful. After all, First-Grade spirit liquid was not high-level. If some Third-Grade or even Fourth-Grade Resonance Refiners were to craft it, it would not be difficult for the quality to reach sixty percent. But having such high-level refiners craft First-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light was in itself a huge waste.

With that time, they could craft Third-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light, and the value and profit generated would far exceed that of the First-Grade.

And the implication of Song Shan's words was nothing more than a suspicion that House Xiayang, in order to achieve its goal, had let some of its own Third-Grade Resonance Refiners craft a batch of First-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light.

President Lu looked at Li Luo and said: "Young House Master, what our Golden Dragon Bank needs is not just this one batch; we need a long-term order. If House Xiayang cannot stably supply this quality of Azure Spirit Liquid, it would be rather unfortunate in the end."

Song Shan drank two sips of tea with an indifferent expression. He certainly did not believe that House Xiayang had the ability to stably produce Azure Spirit Liquid with sixty percent refining power. Could they really keep sacrificing the time of Third-Grade Resonance Refiners to craft First-Grade spirit liquid? If so, House Xiayang would likely go bankrupt before long.

Facing President Lu's questioning gaze, Li Luo remained quite calm and simply said: "President Lu, rest assured. My House Luolan is a large house with a long history; we would not do anything foolish for such petty gains. As for letting House Xiayang's Third-Grade or even Fourth-Grade Resonance Refiners craft First-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light, my House Luolan would certainly not do such a stupid thing."

"If President Lu chooses the Azure Spirit Liquid, I guarantee that House Xiayang will provide a stable, long-term supply in the future, and the refining power will not be lower than sixty percent. Moreover, all Azure Spirit Liquid launched by House Xiayang in the future will be the enhanced version. In the future, the Azure Spirit Liquid will undoubtedly be the best First-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light in the entire Tianshu Prefecture."

Looking at Li Luo's calm expression, President Lu felt a slight shock in his heart. With Li Luo able to give such a guarantee, could their House Xiayang's Azure Spirit Liquid really be stably improved to this level, without relying on Third-Grade Resonance Refiners?

And it was not just him who was shocked; even the expressions of Song Shan and Song Yunfeng froze slightly at this moment. Li Luo's presence was too strong; he didn't look like he was bluffing at all.

This made Song Shan have to wonder: could House Xiayang's Azure Spirit Liquid really have been improved to this extent?

But how could that be possible!

Just half a month ago, the Azure Spirit Liquid of House Xiayang was only at the fifty-two percent level. How could it possibly have improved to sixty percent in just half a month?!

But if that wasn't the case, where did Li Luo get the confidence to supply Azure Spirit Liquid with sixty percent refining power for the long term?

The room fell into a brief silence. Lu Qinger looked at the box of Azure Spirit Liquid with great interest. Although she was also exceptionally surprised, she had a hunch that this might have something to do with Li Luo.

President Lu held a vial of Azure Spirit Liquid in his chubby hand and was silent for a few seconds. Then, a smile appeared on his round face. He turned his gaze to Song Shan and said apologetically: "Family Head Song, it seems we won't be able to cooperate this time."

Upon hearing this, Song Shan did not get angry; instead, he put down his teacup and smiled: "What are you saying, President Lu? There will always be opportunities in the future."

"Since President Lu has made his choice, I won't stay any longer. Hehe, if there are any problems with House Xiayang's supply later, President Lu can come to our Pine Nut House at any time."

This Song Shan did show the demeanor of a family head; he did not change his expression just because he had been intercepted by Li Luo. On the contrary, he smiled at Li Luo: "The Young House Master is truly a promising youth. It is said that you even fought to a draw with Yunfeng at the academy. It seems that in the hands of the Young House Master, House Luolan will still have a boundless future."

Li Luo also smiled and said: "Just a stroke of luck."

Song Shan smiled, said no more, and turned to leave with the dark-faced Song Yunfeng.

After Song Shan and the others left, President Lu also smiled at Li Luo: "I heard from Qinger before that the Young House Master has solved the problem of the empty resonance. Truly a joyous and congratulatory event."

"Also, regarding the Azure Spirit Liquid, let's sign a contract first."

Cai Wei came up at this time to finalize some contract terms with President Lu.

While they were busy, Li Luo stretched. Lu Qinger walked over and smiled lightly: "Congratulations."

"Thanks to you, otherwise things might have been more troublesome," Li Luo said gratefully. If Lu Qinger hadn't brought them over directly, once the Golden Dragon Bank had signed a contract with the Song family, today's matter would have been very difficult to achieve.

Lu Qinger waved her hand and reminded him: "However, you must put more of your energy into the upcoming academy grand examination. You know, if you don't get an admission spot to the Astral Sage College, that would be the biggest loss."

Li Luo nodded with a smile upon hearing this.

Lu Qinger suddenly said: "Do you have time recently? No one has sparred with me during the break. If you have time, we can spar and verify our skills with each other."

Li Luo said speechlessly: "Am I going to be a punching bag? No, no."

Hearing this, Lu Qinger stared at Li Luo for a few seconds with a faint smile, then turned and left.

Outside the Golden Dragon Bank, on the Song family's carriage.

When they were alone, Song Shan's face finally became much gloomier. During this period, House Xiayang had been heavily suppressed by their Pine Nut House, but he hadn't expected them to rise up suddenly and give him a hard blow.

Although these First-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light were not of great value in terms of cooperation with the Golden Dragon Bank, the key was that this would increase the fame of their Sunshine Light, which was conducive to their future dominance of the First-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light market in Tianshu Prefecture.

And now, it had been ruined by Li Luo.

"Father, can that House Xiayang really stably produce Azure Spirit Liquid with sixty percent refining power?" Song Yunfeng asked in disbelief.

Song Shan said indifferently: "Just wait and see."

"It's hateful. We spent such a high price to ask a Resonance Refining Master to improve the formula for 'Sunshine Light' through my sister's connections, and yet..." Song Yunfeng said with some annoyance.

"It's just First-Grade Spirit Liquid and Light."

Song Shan shook his head and said: "Even if House Xiayang won this round, they cannot beat our Pine Nut House."

"Your sister has already sent word that she will return to Nanfeng City soon. When she comes to take over Pine Nut House, she will surely be able to crush House Xiayang."

Upon hearing this, Song Yunfeng was overjoyed. His sister, Song Qingyu, had also been studying at the Resonance Refining Institute of the Astral Sage College, and her results were remarkable. If she could return, their Pine Nut House would have a solid foundation.

"Right now, your most important task is the academy grand examination. I hope you can win back all the face you lost before," Song Shan said in a flat tone.

"Also, in two days, I will go to the Viceroy's Mansion. The son of Viceroy Shi, Shi Kong, is the number one person in Dongyuan Academy and is exactly your age. Perhaps you two can interact more."

"The Viceroy's Mansion?"

Song Yunfeng was startled. That Shi Kong was said to be the person the Nanfeng Academy feared most in this academy grand examination. Moreover, his status as the son of the Viceroy also made him the premier powerful youth in Tianshu Prefecture. The only person who could suppress him in terms of status was Li Luo, the young house master of House Luolan.

Of course, that was referring to the House Luolan in its prime.

As for the current Li Luo, compared to that person, his status and fame were a grade lower.

(End of chapter)