Xu Le was a bit dazed. The threat of death was so palpable that he didn't dare make a move.
Yin Yang waved his hand. Canned Food meowed, retracted its claws, and leaped back into Xu Le's shadow.
If Xu Le made even the slightest suspicious move, Canned Food would instantly kill him.
“Mr. Xu, don't be nervous. I have no ill intentions toward you, nor have I notified the authorities.”
“I'm just very curious—how did you ever think of growing humans?”
Xu Le didn't let his guard down, but hearing Yin Yang's question, he answered subconsciously,
“Because I wanted Great Qi to win this war, and wars require soldiers!”
“So I thought, if we could grow soldiers just like we grow grain, wouldn't Great Qi have an endless supply of troops in the future?”
Yin Yang gave him a thumbs-up.
“And that's why you planted your classmate in the ground?”
Xu Le said anxiously,
“As the saying goes, plant melons and you get melons, plant beans and you get beans.”
“If I want to grow humans, I obviously have to plant a human first.”
“Besides, I already told you, he'll be fine. I've calculated all the data.”
Yin Yang rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“If you're so confident, why didn't you plant yourself? If a dozen copies of you grew out of the ground, they could even help you with your research.”
Xu Le froze, then muttered softly,
“Right... why didn't I think of that? I was too focused on needing to fertilize and collect data.”
Yin Yang became even more speechless, now absolutely certain that the man before him was completely out of his mind.
“Mr. Xu, what I need is grain. Even if you grow humans, they're of no use to me.”
Seeing that Yin Yang wasn't in a hurry to kick him out but had only said the plan was unsuitable, Xu Le immediately spoke up.
“Open your mind! Look at it from another angle. Aren't humans meat too?”
Yin Yang stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Y-y-you... you want to eat...”
Xu Le was taken aback, then waved his hands frantically.
“No, no, no! I mean, humans are meat, and pigs are meat. If we don't grow humans, we can grow pigs!”
Yin Yang scratched his head.
“Can't we just grow normal grain?”
Xu Le's shoulders slumped.
“What's the challenge in growing grain? If I wanted to, I could produce rice that yields ten times the normal amount per mu in minutes.”
“Ten times?”
Yin Yang's voice was filled with skepticism.
Xu Le shrugged.
“Why else do you think the dean took me as his disciple? Before I joined the Agricultural Institute, the highest-yielding experimental field in Great Qi only produced one thousand three hundred kilograms per mu.”
“But I managed to make it reach over thirteen thousand kilograms per mu. That's why I was exceptionally admitted as his closed-door disciple.”
Yin Yang narrowed his eyes slightly.
“What did you crossbreed that rice with? An elephant?”
Xu Le shook his head.
“Not quite, but that's a good idea. I'd like to try it if I get the chance.”
“Back then, I discovered an overseas plant called hard bread eggplant, which contains a massive amount of edible starch.”
“So, I tried crossbreeding the two, and in the end, I got a seed that yielded ten times more per mu.”
“However, although the yield increased significantly, it was much weaker against pests and diseases, and the taste and texture were quite poor.”
“It still needs some time to be improved and popularized.”
Yin Yang waved his hand.
“Mr. Xu, I highly appreciate your attitude toward scientific research.”
“But personally, I respect life, so...”
Xu Le sighed inwardly, thinking to himself that these old fogeys simply couldn't see a world-changing opportunity right in front of them.
“So, are you willing to sell me that tenfold-yield seed?”
“Huh?”
Xu Le looked at Yin Yang, utterly bewildered.
Yin Yang smiled.
“The price I'll offer you should be enough to fund your research for quite some time.”
“And if you don't mind me saying, if you really want Great Qi to win the war, you could develop other areas.”
“For example, peas that can spit out bullets, or chili peppers that can be used as incendiary bombs.”
“Your human-growing plan is just too terrifying. When I first read it, I thought you had been corrupted by some evil god.”
Yin Yang's words stunned Xu Le once more. Then, Yin Yang continued,
“Besides, if you had developed in the direction I just mentioned, you probably wouldn't have been expelled and wanted.”
Xu Le muttered softly,
“Right... why didn't I think of that great idea?”
Seeing that his words had sunk in, Yin Yang continued,
“If you can help me optimize the seed to make it more resistant to pests and diseases, I'm willing to pay you one hundred gold notes.”
...
Half a month later, Yin Yang got the seeds he wanted, while Xu Le received his hundred gold notes.
Both parties were highly satisfied with the transaction.
What made Yin Yang even happier was that the envoy of Wanwu City had finally arrived near Zhirong City.
That very night, he eagerly entered Wanwu City and headed straight for the major material shops in the city center.
“Sir, how can I help you?”
Just as Yin Yang stepped inside, a receptionist wearing a cheongsam walked over.
She was tall and possessed an excellent temperament, looking at Yin Yang without a trace of disdain.
“Fate Moth.”
“You've arrived at the perfect time, sir. An old customer of ours just happened to commission us to sell a Fate Moth on their behalf.”
“What's the price?”
“Six million five hundred thousand.”
“Can it be any cheaper?”
“You can negotiate the price directly with the seller, but we will charge a one percent commission. Would that be acceptable, sir?”
“No problem.”
Yin Yang agreed, feeling quietly thrilled. This trip to Wanwu City wasn't in vain; he had found one of his materials at the very first shop.
“Do you have a Seven-Color Shadow Snake Spine?”
“I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have that at the moment.”
The receptionist smiled apologetically at Yin Yang, looking genuinely remorseful that she couldn't help.
He had to admit, the service at large establishments was indeed excellent.
“What about an Eight-Sided Gong?”
“We don't have that either.”
The receptionist led Yin Yang to a VIP room. After all, a transaction worth millions was by no means a small sum.
Furthermore, neither of the two materials Yin Yang had just mentioned was any cheaper than the Fate Moth.
A customer who could shell out so much cash at once was naturally someone they couldn't afford to offend.
Yin Yang was served fine tea and pastries in the VIP room. Before long, a man wearing a Tang suit walked in. Bowing apologetically, he said,
“I'm terribly sorry, sir. Our old customer prefers to remain anonymous. He said the final price for the Fate Moth is six million, and he will cover the commission for both parties. Would that work for you?”
After a moment's thought, Yin Yang nodded.
“Deal.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
The man in the Tang suit maintained a humble attitude. After Yin Yang made the payment and received the Fate Moth, the man bowed even lower.
“To express our apologies, please accept this small gift.”
As he spoke, he took out a jade pendant and handed it to Yin Yang.
“This is a Luck Jade Pendant. It can make you luckier.”
Yin Yang looked at the jade pendant very seriously and asked,
“Can I exchange it for cash?”
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