"How much?" Fang Yi was stunned for a moment, thinking he must have misheard.
Zhao Yuan repeated the price. "One thousand yuan a box."
Fang Yi frowned.
He had originally thought that the six boxes of Soul-Stabilizing Incense would be worth a few dozen, or a hundred yuan at most. He never expected Zhao Yuan to ask for a thousand yuan per box!
'It's true that some incense sells for over a thousand yuan a box. But that kind of incense is made from Upper Grade agarwood using secret formulas, and the manufacturers are always renowned, long-established companies. Besides, their boxes contain at least a hundred sticks! Yet this box of just ten sticks, made by Zhao Yuan himself, is supposed to sell for a thousand yuan? Doesn't that mean a single stick is worth a hundred yuan? That's more expensive than gold!'
"Little Brother Zhao, this price for your incenseā¦ it's a bit outrageous."
"Brother Fang, don't you worry. My Soul-Stabilizing Incense is absolutely worth the price." Zhao Yuan didn't offer any further explanation. He took out another box containing the four sticks of Soul-Stabilizing Incense he had planned to give Fang Yi, pulled one out, and used Fang Yi's lighter to ignite it.
A faint, soul-refreshing fragrance drifted up with the curling green smoke, slowly filling Hundred Herbs Hall.
"This scent is quite pleasant." Fang Yi took a deep breath, closing his eyes to savor it. 'There are at least a dozen medicinal herbs mixed in here, but the aroma it releases isn't muddled at all. In fact, it's blended exceptionally well, creating a wonderful olfactory experienceā¦ wait, no. This incense!'
Fang Yi's eyes snapped open, his face a mask of shock.
Ever since Fang Ling contracted her abdominal Gu disease, his worry over his daughter's condition had caused him to develop depression. Now that Fang Ling was cured, his depression had not improved along with her health. Though he acted as if nothing was wrong in front of others, he was, in fact, suffering the torment of depression every single moment. The illness not only left him with a constant tightness in his chest and shortness of breath, but it also slowed his thinking and kept his emotions in a perpetual state of pessimism and gloom.
But now, after inhaling the scent of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense, his Mental Realm not only returned to a long-lost state of tranquility, but his mood had also become much more optimistic and positive. His sluggish thoughts felt as if they'd been supercharged, becoming quick and nimble. The tightness in his chest and shortness of breath were swept away, replaced by a feeling of refreshing pleasure!
He hadn't felt this way since his depression beganāin fact, he had rarely felt it even before then. Fang Yi searched his memory; it seemed this was a feeling he had only experienced during his carefree childhood.
'This stick of incenseā¦ could it actually be letting me rediscover the carefree Mental Realm of my childhood?'
Fang Yi found it utterly unbelievable!
Zhao Yuan had anticipated Fang Yi's reaction. He simply smiled, saying nothing as he picked up his teacup and took a slow sip.
Fang Yi closed his eyes again, completely immersed in the delightful aroma. He could clearly feel his mental state rapidly improving, nourished by the scent. 'No, it's not just my mindā¦ even my physical condition is getting better! My organs, my Qi and bloodā¦ they're being stimulated by the fragrance, recovering a vitality I haven't felt in ages. It's like I'm seventeen or eighteen again, full of boundless energy!'
After a long while, Fang Yi opened his eyes and asked in disbelief, "This is allā¦ from the incense?"
"That's right!" Zhao Yuan nodded.
Fang Yi sucked in a sharp breath.
As someone in the traditional medicine business, he naturally had some knowledge of pharmacology. He knew that concocting a medicinal incense wasn't difficult, but creating one with such magical effects was next to impossible! Before meeting Zhao Yuan, Fang Yi had never heard of anyone capable of producing an incense with such miraculous properties. Not even the great Noble Families, steeped in the Medical Dao for centuries, could create something like this!
Still in shock, Fang Yi couldn't suppress his curiosity. "Little Brother Zhao, did you really make this medicinal incense yourself?"
Zhao Yuan nodded.
Fang Yi asked again, "Did you develop the formula yourself?"
"It was passed down by my master," Zhao Yuan replied.
"Your master is a true genius!" Fang Yi gave a thumbs-up, his praise genuine. Inwardly, he couldn't help but wonder who Zhao Yuan's master could be. 'A person with such skill could never be a nobody.'
How could he possibly know that Zhao Yuan's master was not only far from a nobody but was a peerless Witch Doctor who had been on the verge of becoming a Saint!
Zhao Yuan smiled and changed the subject. "So, Brother Fang, now that you've experienced the effects of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense, you no longer have any objections to my price, do you?"
He hadn't expected Fang Yi to shake his head again. "One thousand yuan a box won't work."
"Huh?" Now it was Zhao Yuan's turn to be stunned.
Thankfully, Fang Yi didn't keep him in suspense and immediately continued, "For something this good, a thousand yuan a box is far too cheap. I think it should be at least ten thousand yuan a box!"
"What? Ten thousand yuan a box? You've got to be kidding!" Zhao Yuan's jaw dropped. He had thought his own price was already greedy, but he never expected Fang Yi to be even more ruthless! 'Ten thousand yuan a box? Doesn't that mean a single stick costs a thousand yuan? Good grief, that's not lighting incense, that's burning Diamonds!'
"Kidding? Not at all. I'm being completely serious!" Fang Yi smiled. "Little Brother Zhao, I just experienced the effects of this Soul-Stabilizing Incense firsthand. It doesn't just help a person's mental and emotional state; it improves physical functions too! If I'm not mistaken, it should also have a certain effect of nourishing yin and strengthening yang. With so many powerful benefits, a treasure like this naturally has to sell for a good price!"
"But at ten thousand yuan a box, will anyone actually buy it?" Zhao Yuan asked doubtfully.
Fang Yi replied with total confidence, "Forget ten thousand a box, we could sell it even if the price were higher! But there's no need to set the price too high right away. We should use a more 'approachable' price to build up the Soul-Stabilizing Incense's reputation first. Once it's famous, it won't be too late to launch more expensive versions."
'Ten thousand yuan a box is what he calls an 'approachable' price?'
Zhao Yuan was floored.
He had figured the Soul-Stabilizing Incense would be profitable, but he never imagined it would be *this* profitable! The cost to make one box was only a few yuan. At ten thousand yuan, that was a markup of several thousand times!
"Brother Fang, I'll leave the sale of these boxes of Soul-Stabilizing Incense to you. I'll give you a ten percent commission!" Zhao Yuan said decisively. He knew full well that for a business to be sustainable, it was best to share the profits. You can't go on for long by hogging all the gains for yourself.
"Of course, of course." Fang Yi's face bloomed into a wide smile. He was certain that if the Soul-Stabilizing Incense business took off, the profits would absolutely eclipse those from running Hundred Herbs Hall. There was no way he was going to miss a golden opportunity for a meteoric rise like this.