Chapter Ten: The Deal

Wang Ling flashed a sly smile, her expression mischievous like a little fox. She bit her sensuous, fiery red lips and, eyes twinkling, said, “This task is really simple, so don’t be so nervous!” As she finished, she covered her luscious mouth and let out a tinkling laugh.

Ling Tian thought to himself, Simple? Hardly. This woman is definitely up to something.

“Look how nervous you are! It’s just picking up a shipment,” Wang Ling continued. “Our company is a pharmaceutical enterprise. Most of our business is in Western medicine, but competition is fierce and it’s hard to get ahead. That’s why we recently set up a traditional medicine research team.”

At the mention of Western medicine, Ling Tian scoffed inwardly. Compared to traditional medicine with thousands of years of history, Western medicine paled in significance. Unfortunately, Western medicine now dominated the market—it was, after all, composed of refined or synthesized chemicals that act quickly on the body. But their side effects were severe, and they rarely addressed the root of the problem. Traditional medicine, on the other hand, was complex and difficult to master, with many precious herbs and formulas now lost to time. Coupled with the difficulty of preparation and preservation, it had gradually faded into obscurity.

Wait!

Going to pick up medicinal herbs—this was an opportunity, perhaps a chance to find some rare ingredients and refine a few elixirs. The highest achievement in traditional medicine lay in the art of alchemy, drawing out the full potency of medicinal herbs, an art with thousands of years of history in China, though much of it had been lost.

“I’ll go,” Ling Tian agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

Wang Ling was taken aback by his straightforwardness but quickly smiled. “You said it! Here’s the contact information, meeting place, and the passphrase.” She found a pen and paper, wrote everything down, and handed it to Ling Tian.

“There’s even a passphrase? You’re not doing some kind of black market deal, are you?” Ling Tian quipped, wondering if he’d stumbled into a den of thieves. A black market transaction? It seemed his fiancée, Mu Qingcheng, was no ordinary woman either.

Wang Ling, acting mysteriously, pulled Ling Tian aside and whispered, “Keep your voice down! Do you want the whole world to know?”

“Don’t act so mysterious. This is nothing. Laws only matter to ordinary people. For the powerful and the old families, they’re just window dressing. If they want something, they’ll do whatever it takes—black market deals, even hiring people to steal. I’ve seen it all,” Ling Tian replied with a disdainful snort.

He was, after all, the king of mercenaries. Although he mostly worked for the state, he occasionally took private jobs and was well aware of the underworld’s workings. In the mercenary world, aside from serving nations, their main clients were wealthy families and powerful conglomerates. Mercenaries would do anything for the right price.

“You know quite a lot. I’m impressed,” Wang Ling said in surprise, regarding Ling Tian with newfound respect. Most people would be nervous if they learned about a black market deal—such things only happened in movies for ordinary folks.

Ling Tian said coolly, “It’s probably nothing all that valuable. If it were, why would you assign such a sensitive task to a new employee like me?”

“It’s not a big deal. Besides, we’re not breaking any laws. We’re paying for goods—nothing stolen or snatched. Even if we’re caught, at most we’ll get a slap on the wrist and a fine,” Wang Ling said with a relaxed smile.

But the more nonchalant Wang Ling sounded, the more uneasy Ling Tian felt. He wasn’t worried about the deal itself so much as the possibility that this woman might tip off the police to get him in trouble.

“I’ll go get ready,” Ling Tian said, gathering the documents and, without hesitation, sprawled across Wang Ling’s desk and fell asleep.

Wang Ling’s face turned green. Sleeping counted as preparation? At the very least, he should go out for a drink to steady his nerves!

In the CEO’s office, Mu Qingcheng, dressed in a sharp business suit, stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing absently at the view outside. She had already received word of Ling Tian’s altercation with Wang Yong earlier, and had even watched the whole incident via the security footage provided by the department. Ling Tian’s performance had piqued her curiosity.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Come in!”

Wang Ling entered, standing straight before the desk and speaking respectfully, “President, I’ve assigned the task to Ling Tian as you instructed. But… this transaction is important. I’m worried he might not be up to it.”

Mu Qingcheng turned around, revealing a face of stunning beauty. Coupled with her alluring figure outlined by her suit, she made even Wang Ling, the acknowledged beauty of Qingcheng Group, feel a pang of inferiority.

“It’s just a routine pickup. There shouldn’t be any problems,” Mu Qingcheng replied calmly. “By the way, go to a security company and hire a few men to follow and protect Ling Tian discreetly.”

“President, do you really want to test how capable Ling Tian is?” Wang Ling asked curiously. In her view, Ling Tian was just physically skilled—she hadn’t seen any other abilities yet.

Mu Qingcheng smiled faintly. Her radiant smile made the flowers on the desk seem to wilt in shame. “I really am curious about him. Besides, with bodyguards in place, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

“But the other party isn’t exactly harmless. According to the latest intel, they’re sending ten men, all armed. If they try anything, wouldn’t Ling Tian be in real danger?” Wang Ling’s concern wasn’t for Ling Tian per se, but she sensed there was more to his relationship with Mu Qingcheng than met the eye.

Mu Qingcheng frowned slightly. The transaction itself was simple—money for goods. But this time, the merchandise was a batch of rare medicinal herbs worth millions, sourced from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, some rumored to be from legendary animals. The other party had sent ten armed men to guard against any double-cross.

She massaged her temples and asked, frowning, “Have there been any movements from the major families in Yunhai City lately?”

“You’re worried they might get involved?” Wang Ling replied.

Mu Qingcheng nodded. “Even if they don’t need the supplies for their industries, those herbs are so rare they’d be coveted by any of the big families. If it weren’t by chance, we wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity either.”

Wang Ling tensed at her words. If the powerful families of Yunhai City intervened, the consequences could be dire.

“President, our information has been kept extremely confidential. There shouldn’t be any leaks, right?” Wang Ling pondered but couldn’t think of anyone who’d spill—the number of people in the whole group who knew about this could be counted on one hand, all loyal supporters of the company.

“We may not leak, but that doesn’t mean the seller won’t,” Mu Qingcheng replied. “If the seller spreads the word, those families will be very interested in those rare herbs.”

Wang Ling was puzzled. “Why would the seller leak the news? What’s in it for them?”

“To stir up competition. If all the big families show up at the deal and start offering higher prices, who do you think the seller will choose?” Mu Qingcheng countered.

Wang Ling nodded thoughtfully. Mu Qingcheng was right—this was a black market deal, not a proper transaction. There was no ‘first come, first served’; whoever offered the best price could walk away with the goods.

Mu Qingcheng steadied herself. “Let’s just take things as they come. Go ahead and make arrangements—hire ten experts to follow Ling Tian. Also, buy him a bulletproof vest. I don’t want my… my employee getting hurt.” She nearly let something slip at the end.

So much concern for Ling Tian?

It seemed her suspicions were correct—there was something unusual between Mu Qingcheng and Ling Tian. After all, Mu Qingcheng, known as the company’s ice queen, was cold to everyone. If their relationship were ordinary, would she care so much about a new hire?

“And tell Ling Tian, if things go south, forget the goods—just make sure he comes back alive.” As she said this, Mu Qingcheng kept telling herself that she wasn’t worried about Ling Tian; she just didn’t want to become a widow before she was even married.