Chapter 53: At Least a Hundred Million

BOOM!!!

Those three words struck Yang Xun’s mind like a bolt from the blue.

He froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging open.

A... a hundred million??

Yang Xun felt his mind go blank with a BUZZ, and the whole world started to spin.

He originally thought that after finding a job with a monthly salary of one hundred thousand, he could finally rest easy!

But after hearing that number, he was completely dumbfounded.

Earning a hundred thousand a month is one million two hundred thousand a year!

Even without eating or drinking, it would take over eighty years to save up a hundred million!

"Sister... Sister Wei, you... you’re not joking, are you?"

Yang Xun’s voice trembled, his face a mask of disbelief.

"Do I look like I’m joking?"

Murong Wei shook her head with a bitter smile, her tone becoming very serious. "Xiaoxun, one hundred million is a conservative estimate."

"A conservative estimate??"

Yang Xun was stunned and nearly collapsed to the floor, completely floored by the value of these medicinal herbs.

"Xiaoxun, do you know why these five herbs are so precious?"

"The Nine Nether Cold Jade Grass grows in subterranean ice caves where it never sees the sun. It takes a century for a single plant to mature, and the known supply in the entire world is less than ten plants."

"The Red Flame Reishi only grows in the crevices of active volcanoes. It’s incredibly difficult to harvest; one wrong step and you’ll be smashed to pieces."

"The Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon is formed when a special type of ice silkworm spins a cocoon and pupates within thousand-year-old ice..."

"Every one of these herbs is a heavenly treasure that you might never find even if you searched for it. Their value can’t be measured by ordinary prices. One hundred million was just the minimum estimate my father-in-law made back then. When they’re actually traded, the price will only be higher, never lower."

At this, Murong Wei sighed softly, her eyes filled with helplessness. "This is also why I initially advised you to give up. It’s not that I don’t believe in your medical skills, but the barrier to acquiring these five herbs is simply too high. Even if you know their names and what they do, without sufficient financial resources, it’s all just empty talk."

Silence!!

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Yang Xun hung his head, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

One hundred million.

That number weighed on his heart like a great mountain, so heavy it was hard to breathe.

He was just a delivery-driving, live-in son-in-law.

Even with the hundred-thousand-a-month job from Xu Qian, facing an astronomical figure like one hundred million was like an ant trying to shake a great tree—laughable and pathetic.

"No matter how much it costs, I will find a way."

The next moment, Yang Xun snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot. His voice was low but incredibly firm. "Sister Wei, these herbs are to save my sister’s life. Even if it’s a billion, or ten billion, I, Yang Xun, will do everything in my power to earn it!"

Murong Wei looked at Yang Xun’s bloodshot yet resolute eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. She said softly, "Alright, I believe in you. I’ll start looking into leads for the herbs as soon as possible. The moment I have any news, I’ll let you know."

"Thank you, Sister Wei!"

Yang Xun gave a deep bow.

Murong Wei quickly helped him up, chiding playfully, "You don’t have to be so formal with me. It makes us seem like strangers."

However, just as Yang Xun was filled with gratitude, Murong Wei suddenly changed the subject. With a slight twinkle in her eye, a knowing smile appeared on her face.

"But, Xiaoxun... actually, out of these five herbs, there’s one you might be able to get without spending any money."

"What?"

Yang Xun’s head shot up, and he looked at Murong Wei with a puzzled expression. "Which one?"

"The Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon."

Murong Wei reached out and tapped the name on the slip of paper, her eyes glinting as she said slowly, "My father-in-law... has a Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon."

BOOM!!

Yang Xun’s pupils contracted violently, and he froze on the spot once again.

Murong Wei’s father-in-law has a Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon??

’The founder of Xinglin Hall, old Mr. Zhang Bo, actually possesses such a precious herb!’

"Sister Wei, is that true?" Yang Xun’s voice was trembling.

"Absolutely." Murong Wei nodded, her tone tinged with emotion. "My father-in-law obtained that Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon by a stroke of luck when he was young. He treats it as his most precious treasure and has never shown it to anyone in all these years. He’d refuse without hesitation if anyone in the family asked for it."

"Then how could I ever get my hands on it!"

Yang Xun wore a bitter smile.

"It’s very simple!"

Murong Wei smiled faintly and said mysteriously, "You just have to let him hold a grandson..."

A grandson!!

Yang Xun instantly understood everything. All the pieces of information clicked together in his mind.

’Murong Wei’s strange illness prevents her from having normal relations with her husband. She hasn’t been able to get pregnant for years, and even several attempts at in-vitro fertilization have failed.’

’And the Crimson Sun Pill is the perfect solution to this problem!’

’As long as I refine the Crimson Sun Pill, Murong Wei can take it to temporarily suppress the cold energy in her body, have normal relations with her husband, and conceive a child naturally!’

’By then, Murong Bo will have a son, and the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon will be as good as mine!’

"Sister Wei!" Yang Xun shot to his feet, his eyes burning with a fiery light. He said, word by word, "Don’t you worry, leave the matter of the Crimson Sun Pill to me! As soon as the herbs are gathered, I’ll refine it for you in the shortest time possible! After you take the Crimson Sun Pill, you can have normal relations with your husband. Once you get pregnant, the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon will be within our reach!"

Seeing Yang Xun’s excited expression, Murong Wei was both touched and amused. She reached out and gently tapped his forehead, teasing with a smile, "Alright, alright. You get all worked up with your eyes shining whenever this topic comes up, like a clueless kid."

"That’s because my little sister’s life is on the line!"

Yang Xun grinned, his face full of hope.

’Of the five rare herbs, if I can get the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon first, that would mean one-fifth of the task is already complete!’

’Although getting the remaining four will still be incredibly difficult, the first step is always the hardest. As long as I take that first step, I’ll have a direction forward.’

"So, for the herbs required for the Crimson Sun Pill, do you have them here, Sister Wei?"

Yang Xun asked immediately.

"Write down the formula first, and I’ll take a look."

Without another word, Yang Xun picked up the pen on the desk and scribbled down the formula for the Crimson Sun Pill.

Murong Wei took the slip of paper and read it over carefully. Her brow, which had been furrowed, slowly smoothed out. She nodded and said, "Xinglin Hall has most of these herbs. Only two or three need to be ordered from out of town. We should be able to gather everything in about three days."

"Three days! Great! If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now."

Yang Xun nodded emphatically.

’Things are going much more smoothly than I expected. The herbs for the Crimson Sun Pill will be ready in three days. Then I’ll find a place to refine the pill and give it to Murong Wei immediately.’

’As long as Murong Wei gets pregnant, the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon will be secured.’

Thinking of this, the great mountain that had been weighing on Yang Xun’s heart for so long finally seemed to shift a little.

"Wait!"

Just then, Murong Wei seemed to remember something. She grabbed Yang Xun’s arm and said, "Xiaoxun, there’s something I need your help with!"