Chapter 294: Empathy

"Kong Ming, what kind of madness has possessed you today, you brat? Could it be that you've truly lost your mind?"

Yao Lao held it in for a long time, but finally, unable to suppress the doubt and anxiety in his heart, he pulled at his throat and questioned him loudly.

"You listen well, that is three hundred million Contribution Points! Such a massive sum, how can you say it isn't high? What exactly are you calculating?"

"It is indeed high," Kong Ming sighed helplessly, a complex look appearing in his eyes, "but in my view, it is still not high enough."

"What on earth do you mean by that?"

Yao Lao was stunned at first, his face full of confusion, and then he became furious, shouting at the top of his lungs,

"Kong Ming, don't you go beating around the bush with me here. If you have something to say, just say it clearly and straightforwardly. Don't dawdle and hesitate; it makes one's heart burn with impatience!"

A look of helplessness could not help but appear on Kong Ming's face.

This Yao Lao had always been this blunt and straightforward; he never knew how to be tactful or subtle when he spoke.

With so many people present, he didn't even know how to save a little face for him.

But fortunately, having worked with Yao Lao for so long, he had long since grown accustomed to Yao Lao's fiery and direct temperament.

Moreover, he knew in his heart that the reason Yao Lao insisted on choosing the second condition was actually entirely for the sake of the Association, thinking only of securing more tangible benefits for it.

It was just that in the current situation, if they were to just choose the second condition like that, it might be a short-sighted approach.

Kong Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, stared intently at Lu Yu, and said slowly, "Little Brother Lu, based on my observation and judgment, if I'm not mistaken, since you have the courage to propose this second condition, you must have already planned out a strategy to deal with it, right? Why not give me the bottom line?"

"Does the President think I would secretly tamper with the Prescription and pull some shady tricks?" Lu Yu asked in return.

"That shouldn't be the case." Kong Ming shook his head hurriedly and explained, "A thing like a Prescription—whether it is true or false, good or bad—can be known with a little testing and verification. Besides, I have carefully observed your every word and action during this time.

In every gesture, I have found you to be natural and frank, and your conduct to be upright and honorable. No matter how I look at it, you don't seem like someone who would do those kinds of sneaky or underhanded things."

"The President truly has a unique eye; your ability to judge people is remarkable." Lu Yu smiled slightly.

Hearing this, Qi Heng and the others couldn't help but mutter to themselves.

This guy, he's praising both himself and the President at the same time; his skin is really thick.

"Little Brother Lu is too kind." Kong Ming smiled and continued, "To tell you the truth, when you proposed the second condition, I was truly tempted. Even if we spent three hundred million to buy the Prescription from you, for the headquarters, it would still be a deal where we win without losing."

"Then why did the President change his mind?"

"Naturally, it is to recruit a talent like you, who is only seen once in a century." Kong Ming said with a sincere expression and earnest eyes.

"The price you asked for is indeed quite high; within the entire Association, it can be said to be unique and unrivaled.

But objectively speaking, you do have this value; your ability and potential are obvious to all. The headquarters is willing to make such a concession precisely because we hope to exchange it for your full trust in the Association."

Yao Lao, standing to the side, listened to their conversation, feeling very uncomfortable in his heart. He couldn't help but sigh to himself that the world had truly changed; people's hearts were no longer as pure and simple as they once were.

Like himself and several other like-minded colleagues, for so many years, they had always been filled with passion, holding the great ambition of serving the Association and striving for the rise of the human race, working conscientiously and diligently.

The Association had previously mentioned that, out of recognition and incentive for their work, they were willing to give them a profit share from the Superior Blood Qi Pill, but they had all refused without hesitation.

And then look at this brat before them—his alchemy talent was so outstanding, one could say he was one in ten thousand, yet his heart and eyes were only filled with thoughts of making money. It seemed that apart from profit, he couldn't hold anything else!

He couldn't help but worry in his heart: if everyone were like this brat, valuing only personal gain, then how could the entire human race develop and grow strong? Where would the future of the human race lie?

Lu Yu nodded lightly.

"Moreover, I have an intuition." Kong Ming continued, his tone carrying a hint of certainty, "If we choose the second condition this time, I'm afraid we won't have another choice like today's in the future."

"Won't have another choice like today's?"

"What does that mean?" Qi Heng and Zhang Xue frowned upon hearing this, their faces full of confusion.

If they chose the second condition, hadn't they already made their choice? How could there be no more opportunities?

"Kong Ming, can't you just speak clearly?" Yao Lao was also furious, "I hate this about you the most. That brat Zhou Yu is the same; he always speaks vaguely, leaving people unable to make heads or tails of it."

Kong Ming smiled and looked at Lu Yu, saying, "Brother Lu, you must understand what I mean by this."

Lu Yu deliberately feigned a look of confusion, shook his head slowly, and said, "President, I really haven't figured out what you mean by that. You should explain it to me, otherwise, I'll keep fretting over it."

"Is that so?" Kong Ming's smile grew even deeper.

It seems that the young man before him is much shrewder than he had imagined.

However, this also precisely proved that his previous choice was correct.

"The President of the headquarters is indeed not someone easy to deal with." Lu Yu thought to himself.

How could he not understand what Kong Ming meant?

The other party had likely already guessed his response strategy.

That's right, it was the True Qi Pill.

If the Association were unwilling to make concessions this time and instead used three hundred million Contribution Points to buy out the Prescription, from a commercial transaction perspective, he wouldn't have said anything more.

But the True Qi Pill, which he had carefully fused and improved, was something he would never easily hand over to the Association.

After all, between people, one must always practice empathy.

If the Association were unwilling to show enough sincerity in this matter, then how could he contribute his results without reservation?

"Little Brother Lu, if you have nothing else to add, then we shall proceed as you previously proposed. From now on, for every Top-grade Blood Qi Pill the Association sells, we will allocate thirty percent of the profit to you and deposit it into your account on time. What do you think?"

"Good." Lu Yu agreed readily, "Then I will record the Prescription and the detailed operating procedures into a video and send it to the headquarters later."

"No need."

"Hm?" Lu Yu was stunned, looking at Kong Ming in confusion, "No need?"

"That's right." Kong Ming smiled, his gaze sweeping over Qi Heng and Zhang Xue.