Three percent success rate in ancestral awakening, ninety-seven percent become idiots.

This is a cost the Xu Family cannot afford, just like any other ancient martial arts family.

No one dares to gamble with such a chance.

Suddenly, another middle-aged man among the three, who hadn’t spoken till now, said, "I want to know, what is the cost to make this pill?"

Xu Beishan was calm and steady, Xu Xichao was like an old rascal. This man was Xu Dongxu, carrying a cloth bag on his back, giving off an impression of being a lone wolf, even when sitting with others. It’s as if he couldn’t fuse into others’ worlds, nor could others fuse into his.

The one Lin Tian couldn’t figure out the most was this man.

"Ten pills per batch, the main ingredients include True Qilin Bone Powder, White Root, Sumeru Beans, plus twelve other expensive herbs."

After Lin Tian finished speaking, he looked at the expressions of the three in front of him. Besides a bit of solemnity, they didn’t seem too surprised.

The herbs Lin Tian mentioned weren’t as rare as the Exquisite Dice, Dragon Scale Powder, or Phoenix Tail Feather but weren’t too different in rarity. No one wouldn’t feel the pinch from so many herbs.

Lin Tian was not in a hurry, as he wasn’t the one making or consuming the pills, so he let them stew over it.

After a long silence, Xu Beishan’s breathing became a bit more serious and he said, "I’ll take the pill recipe. What does the Xu Family need to offer you in exchange?"

"Well..." Lin Tian glanced at Xu Miaoxiu, seeing a flash of resentment in her eyes, although she didn’t say it explicitly, the meaning was obvious. Scam!

Lin Tian grinned, "Just five billion, for the token."

Xu Xichao’s eyes widened in disbelief, "How much?" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Five billion, Celestial Dragon Continent currency," Lin Tian said lightly, as if he were talking about just five bucks.

"Kid, you’re too greedy! That’s five billion, do you think the Xu Family’s money grows on trees? And to think Miaoqiu even stuck with you, drowned in wealth?" Xu Xichao scolded angrily.

The misfortune he swallowed just now didn’t mean he was stupid, that was five billion!

"That’s not fair. Don’t you know that with such a rare pill recipe, if I offered it to other families, they wouldn’t pay cash, they’d pay in pills. Not to mention, for Qi Increasing Elixirs, I’d demand 325, each priced over tens of millions at auction. Even if only 300 were sold, it would be several billion! Moreover, the Ancestor Returning Elixir is much pricier than the Qi Increasing Elixir."

The price of a pill involves not only its intrinsic value, but also the cost of ingredients and the difficulty of its refinement, all influencing the final price.

Lin Tian smiled, "Isn’t five billion cheap?"

"..." Xu Xichao wanted to argue, but Lin Tian calculated everything so clearly, he couldn’t find a flaw.

Lin Tian added, "If not, I’ll just take pills directly. I’m not asking for much, just a hundred pills, isn’t that cheaper?"

"..."

A hundred pills?

Ten pills per batch, requiring ten batches, not to mention the failures. The combined cost of the herbs alone is astronomical!

The Ancestor Returning Elixir is different from other pills in that its demand is pathetically low, and no one would produce it in large quantities.

"What do you want the Ancestor Returning Elixir for? Do you have a bloodline to awaken too?" Xu Xichao asked.

Lin Tian shook his head and laughed, "I don’t need to consume them, I can sell them. Once the auction starts, I’ll throw these pills in. Surely, I can make a lot of money. Besides the Xu Family, other families had impressive ancestors too, right?"

"..."

Bang~

Xu Beishan placed his teacup heavily on the tea table, saying in a deep voice, "Five billion it is. Dongxu, get the pen and paper!"

Xu Dongxu took out a small notebook from his cloth bag, only slightly larger than a palm but filled with tiny dense characters.

In such an advanced technological era, it was rare to see someone recording things with pen and paper.

Xu Dongxu didn’t directly hand the notebook to Lin Tian, but tore off a sheet of white paper, handing it to Lin Tian, saying, "Write the pill recipe on one side, and a bank account on the other, funds to be transferred within an hour."

Lin Tian, delighted, took the paper and pen and began writing vigorously.

Earning five billion for a few dozen words, this kind of thing he was very keen on.

After finishing, Lin Tian handed it back. Xu Beishan took it, and the three of them passed it around before putting it back in Xu Dongxu’s bag.

Xu Beishan stood up and said to Xv Baiping, "Sister-in-law, this pill recipe is urgent. We need to return to gather the herbs, so we’ll skip visiting my elder brother for now. Once he recovers, I’ll throw a three-day feast at the Xu Family’s house to celebrate."

"Alright." Xv Baiping nodded, just as she was about to stand, Xu Beishan added, "Sister-in-law’s health is delicate, no need to see us off."

Xv Baiping still stood up, saying softly, "It’s only a few steps away, a little walk might do me good."

After seeing the three off and returning to the tea room, Lin Tian curiously asked, "Being from the same Xu Family, why does it feel like there’s no familial love among you?"

Indeed, Xu Beishan and the others gave Lin Tian the impression of having ulterior motives.

Xiang Ming snorted, "They’re not good people, just a bunch of villains!"

Lin Tian narrowed his eyes and asked with a laugh, "What did they do? Did they steal your candy?"

"No, they didn’t..."

"Then what?"

"No reason, just bad! And you, you’re also bad!"

Xv Baiping said gently, "Xiang Ming, be polite, or I’ll punish you to stand on the plum blossom posts for three hours."

Xiang Ming pursed his lips, silenced.

Miaoqiu said to Lin Tian, "You heard them just now. They’re all my paternal uncles, also part of the Xu Family’s direct line. My dad has been seriously ill for years now, and they’ve been eager to become the Patriarch. They haven’t helped at all over the years, not worthy of being called relatives. They came to offer herbs this time just to reel in some benefits from you."

Lin Tian nodded, it was within expectation. Aren’t big families always about this kind of stuff?

Lin Tian laughed a bit, "Looks like asking for five billion wasn’t too much, huh?"

"It wasn’t? Five billion is too little, but I’m curious who they plan to make the Ancestor Returning Elixir for. It’d be great if they all turned into big idiots, hahaha." Miaoqiu couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of such a happy scene.

"Miaoqiu." Xv Baiping called.

Instantly, Miaoqiu stopped laughing, sat properly, and said, "Mom, I understand. They are elders, we shouldn’t talk behind their backs."

Seeing this, Lin Tian found it amusing, this girl knew how to act spoiled too.

"Hey, mom, who do you think they’ll give the pill to?" Miaoqiu asked.

Xv Baiping replied, "I don’t know, ever since your dad fell ill, I haven’t cared about Xu Family’s matters and people."