Chapter 24

In the headquarters of the Purple Bauhinia Mercenary Group, a room still had its lights on. Wanrou, with her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, was looking at a piece of white silk in her hand.

Across from her, Mo Hongxian had a rosy complexion and bright eyes, showing no signs of injury. She was staring intently at Wanrou, her expression somewhat helpless.

After a moment, Wanrou put down the white silk, lifted her head, and said softly, "My father said that nobles from other large fiefs have approached him, asking him to help smooth things over and sell the secret recipe to them!"

"What did your father say?" Mo Hongxian asked.

"My father thinks it would be better to sell the secret recipe to all the restaurants in the city, and then gradually spread it out over time!" Wanrou said.

"Ah~" Mo Hongxian sighed, shaking her head. "My old man thinks the same way. I really don't understand what they're thinking. This is such a profitable thing, and they actually want to spread it out!"

"Ha ha!" Wanrou laughed lightly. "Of course, they are thinking about the prosperity of Hongyuan City. If the secret recipe is given to all the restaurants, our cuisine will gradually become our signature, attracting more people! Who knows, my father might even be promoted to the eighth Duke of the Empire because of this!"

Mo Hongxian leaned forward, pinched Wanrou's cheek, and said with a smile, "Little beauty, you're really naive! A Duke, do you think it's just any ordinary noble? That's a title passed down from the founding heroes. No matter how well Hongyuan City develops, Emperor Qiankun won't grant such a title... However, I didn't expect these two secret recipes to have such a big impact!"

Wanrou angrily swatted away Mo Hongxian's hand, rubbed her cheek, and said, "These two secret recipes are methods to remove the gamey smell, not just for a couple of dishes. They involve almost all meat dishes, and the benefits are unimaginable. It's not surprising that others are coveting them... My father said that in two months, people from the capital might even come to join in the fun. At that time, he won't be able to hold out, so it's better to spread it out and make a big profit!"

Mo Hongxian's playful expression turned serious as she thought for a moment and said, "I understand the logic, but we've already signed contracts with Fuyongzhai and Cuilou."

Wanrou gave Mo Hongxian a withering glance and said angrily, "Even my father can't withstand the pressure. Do you think they can hold out? They'll come to you themselves in a few days without you having to say anything!"

"What about Jiangling!" Mo Hongxian said again. "How do I explain it to him? Changing a steady stream of income into a one-time deal, the difference in profit is significant!"

"My father said that selling the secret recipe to all the restaurants in the city is also a contribution to prosperity, and he can give Jiangling a noble title!" Wanrou said.

"Ah!" Mo Hongxian was taken aback, then shook her head and smiled bitterly. "This compensation is not small. A noble title can't be bought with money. If it were two days ago, it would have been no problem, but now... Your father doesn't know that Jiangling has already activated his Yuan Spring, right?"

"My father certainly doesn't know! I didn't expect Jiangling to activate his Yuan Spring either. When my second brother mentioned it, I thought he was just talking nonsense!"

Mo Hongxian said, "Yes! I found it hard to believe when you told me. The fake medicine's potency destroyed his cultivation, but it didn't damage his mind and even activated his Yuan Spring..."

Pausing for a moment, Mo Hongxian continued, "But now, this contribution to Hongyuan City is useless for Jiangling!"

"Who says it's useless!" Wanrou waved her hand and said, "He's only at the 'Scholar' level now. We can help him advance to the 'Lord' level!"

"What?" Mo Hongxian's eyes widened in surprise. "You really dare to think big. Two cooking secret recipes for a 'Lord' level? Do you think your father would agree? How can he easily promote someone and still appease the other nobles?"

Wanrou pursed her lips in disdain. "How is it easy? You martial artists can easily advance to the fourth level of physical strength through medicine. Even without activating the Yuan Spring, as long as you have the support of your family, you can obtain a 'Lord' noble title. Isn't that easier than for Jiangling?"

Mo Hongxian stared at Wanrou for a moment, then suddenly lifted her chin and asked, "Little beauty, are you speaking up for him because...?"

"Hey!" Wanrou turned her head away from Mo Hongxian, her face flushed red. "What are you talking about? How am I helping him? If it weren't for your sense of commitment, I wouldn't bother... Besides, I'm not really helping him. Don't forget, he has more than just two secret recipes. He can make something called Huaxuezhai, and according to my second brother, he can also make a kind of pancake that is very delicious... With these two additional items, it should be enough for a 'Lord' level, right!"

"Um!" Mo Hongxian nodded, thinking deeply. "At first, I just thought this guy was not simple, but when he stitched my wound today, it gave me a mysterious feeling! If it weren't for the fact that he gets drunk and faints at the sight of blood, I would think he was almost unreal!"

"Right!" Wanrou said. "I feel like he can do anything!"

"What do you mean 'anything'? His combat strength is at least not up to five..." Mo Hongxian waved her hand in dissatisfaction. "A 'Lord' noble title should be a fair deal for him... But!"

Mo Hongxian leaned in close to Wanrou, her breath touching her face. "Little girl, you mustn't have any curious thoughts about him! Otherwise... hehe..."

As she spoke, she placed her right hand on Wanrou's chest.

"Ah~" Wanrou let out a scream of embarrassment, her face burning red. She pushed the other person away forcefully and said loudly, "Hongxian, I've told you before, no such jokes!"

Seeing that Wanrou was really angry, she turned her head away, her heavy breathing clearly audible.

Mo Hongxian lifted her right hand, looked at it, and grinned. Her eyes darted around, and she let out a painful groan, holding her left arm and leaning weakly against the back of the chair.

"Hongxian!" Hearing the groan, Wanrou turned around sharply, her angry expression instantly turning to panic and tension. "What's wrong? Did I touch your wound just now..."

As she spoke, she moved closer, her eyes already misty.

Seeing that Wanrou was about to cry, Mo Hongxian quickly stopped pretending and said, "It's nothing! I'm fine!"

"What do you mean 'nothing'? Let me see, is your wound open? You were so badly injured this morning..."

"Wanrou, I'm really fine. I'm an expert in the Inner Qi realm. After stitching my wound and stopping the bleeding this morning, I could draw in Yuan Qi to recover! Didn't you see that I was fine all afternoon? We even had snow pheasant for dinner..."

"So you were just fooling me... Mo Hongxian~" Wanrou's expression darkened, and she gritted her teeth and shouted.

"Wanrou, I'm sorry... Don't pinch me..."

Just as the two were playing around, a series of hurried footsteps approached the door, followed by an anxious voice: "Boss, Jiangling is here, his sister is seriously ill!"

"What!" Mo Hongxian and Wanrou paused, looked at each other, and said in unison, "Let's go, quickly!"

The two pushed open the door and a team member turned to lead the way, quickly saying, "Jiangling's sister is seriously ill. The physician at the small pharmacy couldn't treat her, and the large pharmacies in the noble district refused to take her. He finally came here! My second brother has already arranged for them to stay in the east wing."

"Jiangling is usually quite smart, how could he be so foolish!" Mo Hongxian walked quickly, her eyebrows furrowed. "If the first pharmacy couldn't help, he should have come to us as soon as possible!"

Wanrou asked, "How is his sister's condition?"

The team member replied, "It looks like she's on her last breath!"

"So serious!" Wanrou frowned sharply and said to Mo Hongxian, "We must quickly get Zhao Danqing's father to come!"

"Now they are competing for the supply of medicine for the Seventh Legion, and they are busy making external wound medicine. It's probably... The other large pharmacies not accepting patients is likely for the same reason!" Mo Hongxian was somewhat troubled.

Wanrou thought for a moment and said, "Tell Zhao Danqing that if he can get his father to come, we guarantee that his family's pharmacy will get the entire supply for the Seventh Legion!"

"Ah?" Mo Hongxian looked at Wanrou in surprise. Even the Duke of Dingbei couldn't influence the Seventh Legion, right?

"What are you saying! Have you forgotten about Jiangling's method of stitching wounds... Zhao Danqing's family's pharmacy can't compete with the Hengtong Trading Company, and they know it. But because they have no other options, they have to fight to the death. Now we're giving them a chance. As long as Zhao Danqing isn't stupid, he'll know what to do!"

"Good!" Mo Hongxian's eyes narrowed, and she said, "I'll write a letter and send it to Zhao Danqing with a message bird right away!"

In no time, a small, pink bird the size of a palm shot up into the sky and disappeared into the snow.

In another room, Jiang Xingchen was still holding Mei'er, talking incessantly, trying to rouse the little girl's will to keep fighting.

However, all of Mei'er's bodily functions seemed to be exhausted. The light in her eyes faded, her eyelids drooped, and her breathing grew weaker.

"Mei'er! Don't sleep, you mustn't sleep. Don't you want to see our territory? Brother hasn't taken you home yet..." Jiang Xingchen's eyes were bloodshot, and he kept repeating these words.

Second Brother, Fourth Brother, and a group of Purple Bauhinia Mercenary Group members, seeing this scene, felt a lump in their throats and wanted to cry.

"Jiangling, I've already gone to get the best physician in Hongyuan City. Just wait a little longer..." Mo Hongxian and Wanrou pushed open the door and walked in.

Jiang Xingchen, however, seemed not to hear, still calling out to Mei'er, never giving up.

Fourth Brother sighed softly and shook his head at Mo Hongxian, "Boss, it looks like we won't make it in time..."

"Wait!" Second Brother suddenly raised his hand to stop Fourth Brother, as if he had an idea. He took two steps to Jiang Xingchen's side and said loudly, "Jiangling, didn't you leave two pieces of snow pheasant meat? They contain Yuan Qi and should be able to keep the little girl alive for a while!"

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen's eyes instantly brightened, a glimmer of hope appearing. He nodded vigorously and said, "Right, right, I'm such an idiot, how could I forget!"

He quickly took a piece of snow pheasant meat from his pocket, bit into it, chewed it thoroughly, and then, holding Mei'er's face steady, fed it to her mouth-to-mouth.

A fragrant aroma flowed from the little girl's mouth down her throat, into her stomach, and then spread throughout her body. Her breathing immediately strengthened.

"It works! It really works!" Jiang Xingchen was overjoyed and quickly bit into another piece of snow pheasant meat, continuing to feed Mei'er.

Seeing this, Mo Hongxian wiped her moist eyes, turned her head, and said, "Send another message bird to Zhao Danqing, urging him to come as quickly as possible. Tell him that I, Mo Hongxian, will not break my word!"

After saying this, as if not wanting to disturb Jiang Xingchen, Mo Hongxian and Wanrou, whose eyes were red, turned and left the room.

The other men, seeing the leader leave, also followed suit.

The room's lights flickered, and only Jiang Xingchen remained, feeding the little girl mouth-to-mouth, his eyes filled with hope.

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**[AD Start]**

**[AD End]**