Chapter 1285: Think Clearly before Answering
The promise Yang Haoran made brought a satisfied smile to the Old Crone's face. The Middle-aged Man's brows, however, were tightly furrowed; though he showed no intention of speaking, his expression clearly revealed that he seemed to be contemplating something.
As for the Young Man, his reaction was just as it had been before—his face displayed nothing but anger, devoid of any other emotion.
"Heh heh, are you willing to join?"
A faint smile played on Yang Haoran's lips as he shifted his gaze from the Old Crone to the Middle-aged Man, asking with a chuckle.
The Middle-aged Man hesitated slightly before counter-questioning Yang Haoran.
"Do I have a choice?"
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, then replied.
"Of course, you have a choice. You can choose to accept my invitation immediately, or you can choose to take a cigarette's worth of time to consider."
"No need to consider. I choose to join."
The Middle-aged Man knew perfectly well that since Yang Haoran had allowed Ye Zhiqiu to forcibly bring the three of them here, he had no intention of giving them a real choice. Yang Haoran's previous answer was the best proof of this.
Knowing there was no choice yet still asking was merely a way to vent his inner dissatisfaction. As for the decision itself, it had already been made in his heart even before Yang Haoran opened his mouth to ask him.
That decision was to compromise. One reason for making such a choice was that he still didn't want to die; another was that he knew following Yang Haoran would ensure he wouldn't be treated poorly, because he was a Pharmacist.
"Heh heh, your choice is a wise one. I can tell you without exaggeration that after some time, you will find that your decision today was not mistaken, even if you are very unwilling now."
Yang Haoran said with a smile. The Middle-aged Man, surprisingly, did not remain silent after hearing Yang Haoran's words, but instead responded coldly with four characters.
"I hope so."
Yang Haoran paid no mind to the Middle-aged Man's unwillingness. Most people in the Middle-aged Man's situation would not be willing, and this was perfectly normal. The reason Yang Haoran didn't care was that he understood this point, so he simply didn't take it to heart.
Moreover, the Middle-aged Man's current unwillingness didn't mean he would remain unwilling in the future. He believed that over time, as long as he provided enough benefits, the Middle-aged Man would slowly integrate into the group. At that point, unwillingness would subtly transform into willingness.
Yang Haoran's primary objective today was to persuade the three of them to become members of the Medicine God Society. Willingness wasn't important; what mattered was achieving the goal. Since the Middle-aged Man had chosen to compromise, his objective was naturally achieved.
"Heh heh, I won't disappoint you."
Yang Haoran chuckled in reply, then shifted his gaze to the Young Man. The reason he dealt with the Young Man last was that the Young Man was the most difficult of the three to handle. Allowing the Young Man to witness the other two join would, to some extent, create pressure on him, making it relatively easier to bring him in.
Of course, if both the Old Crone and the Middle-aged Man had refused to join the Medicine God Society, the Young Man's resistance would have been even stronger, requiring more effort to bring him in. Furthermore, Yang Haoran wanted to give the Young Man some time to cool down, to understand the current situation and comprehend his predicament. It was due to these considerations that Yang Haoran chose to handle the Young Man last.
"Heh heh, young man, I've given you time to consider. What have you thought? Will you join, or will you refuse?"
Yang Haoran asked with a smile. Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, the Young Man's anger didn't diminish, but rather increased.
"Don't be so chummy, I'm no 'little brother' of yours. And, I won't join your damn Medicine God Society. I just want to live freely without any constraints!"
The Young Man was highly agitated, roaring at Yang Haoran without any intention of compromising.
"Heh heh, it seems if I don't tell you the truth, you, young man, probably haven't quite grasped your current situation. Since that's the case, I'll be frank with you. Actually, ordinary Pharmacists aren't of much use to me and don't create much value. The reason I value them just as much is because I want to cultivate ordinary Pharmacists into Medicine Spirits, or even higher realms. As for how many resources it will consume to cultivate these Pharmacists, the Pharmacists of the Medicine God Society don't have to worry at all, because all these resources will be provided by our Guardian District."
Yang Haoran's words did not calm the Young Man's agitated emotions. After listening to Yang Haoran's speech, his expression was a mix of anger and mockery.
"Resources for cultivating Pharmacists are provided by your Guardian District, heh heh, that's truly laughable. What do you think Pharmacists are? Are they Chinese cabbages in a vegetable patch that will grow with a few scoops of manure? Let alone a large number of Pharmacists, even a single Pharmacist is exceedingly difficult to cultivate. Do you even understand?"
Yang Haoran nodded, giving the Young Man a definite answer.
"Heh heh, you might be surprised. While I don't claim to know everything about how many resources it takes to cultivate Pharmacists, I certainly know more than you."
Yang Haoran spoke with a faint smile. The Young Man, however, thought Yang Haoran was bragging and didn't believe for a moment that Yang Haoran truly understood the matter. He was just about to mock Yang Haoran further when Yang Haoran cut him off.
"Heh heh, you have no need to question the truth of my words. The president of the Medicine God Society is about to enter the Medicine Sect realm. Before her seclusion, I provided her with considerable assistance. So, do you think I'm clear on how many resources it takes to cultivate Pharmacists?"
Yang Haoran's words immediately stunned the Young Man. And it wasn't just the Young Man; even the Middle-aged Man and the Old Crone sitting nearby were equally stunned by Yang Haoran's remark.
The reason for their shock wasn't because Yang Haoran knew how many resources it took to cultivate Pharmacists. They were stunned that the president of the Medicine God Society was actually on the verge of entering the Medicine Sect realm.
What the Medicine Sect realm signified was something all three, being Pharmacists, naturally understood perfectly. They yearned for this realm with immense longing and desire.
This was especially true for the Old Crone, who had already entered the Medicine Spirit realm. Since reaching that stage, every slight advancement required immense amounts of time and resources, so she profoundly understood how difficult it was to advance from the Medicine Spirit realm to the Medicine Sect realm.
Conversely, the Young Man and the Middle-aged Man, being ordinary Pharmacists, though they ardently yearned for the Medicine Sect realm, didn't truly understand the difficulty of breaking through to it, because their current realms prevented them from personally experiencing it.
The main reason Yang Haoran brought up the Medicine God Society president's realm at this moment was to awe the three of them, especially the Young Man, who was the most emotional and uncooperative. At the same time, it was to arouse a sense of reverence in their hearts.
Among the community of Pharmacists, it was also a case of might makes right. However, "strength" here referred not only to combat power but more to alchemical ability. For the three of them, the Medicine Sect realm was an existence beyond their reach, and thus it was indeed easy to awaken their reverence in their hearts.
Yang Haoran watched the expression on the Young Man's face, and his shocked look brought him much satisfaction. As for the Old Crone and the Middle-aged Man beside him, though he didn't look at them, he could more or less guess what expressions they currently wore.
The Young Man was in shock, but Yang Haoran had no intention of giving him time to digest this startling news. He struck while the iron was hot, continuing to address the Young Man.
"Heh heh, as for how many resources it takes to cultivate Pharmacists, I claimed to have some understanding, and I trust you won't doubt that now. However, I would like to ask you, do you know how many resources our Guardian District can produce in a year?"
Yang Haoran's voice jolted the stunned Young Man back to reality. But having just snapped back, his brain hadn't yet begun to function properly when Yang Haoran posed such a question. Because of this, he didn't even consider the question, immediately responding with an annoyed expression.
"How would I know how many resources your Guardian District produces in a year? You ask me such a question? Are you out of your mind?"
Truth be told, not only did the Young Man not know how many resources the Guardian District could produce in a year, even Yang Haoran, as the Guardian, was equally unclear on this point. But even if he didn't know, he wouldn't say it aloud in front of the three of them in this situation. Not only did he not say it, he appeared extremely calm, as if he knew everything like the back of his hand.
Facing the Young Man's brainless mockery, Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged. After the Young Man's words fell, he chuckled and asked again.
"Heh heh, since you don't know, how can you be sure I can't afford to support the Medicine God Society's Pharmacists?"
Yang Haoran's words directly stumped the Young Man. The Young Man opened his mouth but couldn't force out a single word.
"Since I dare to cooperate with the Medicine God Society, I can certainly support it, because the Medicine God Society not only has the strong backing of our Guardian District, but the Medicine God Society itself can also create extremely high value. So, whether I can support the Medicine God Society is something you entirely needn't worry about. At this moment, you only need to worry about one thing: just tell me whether you choose to join or refuse."
At this point, Yang Haoran produced a cigarette for himself, while the Young Man's expression was stubborn, and he wanted to speak.
"I cherish talent, and I particularly appreciate those with backbone. If you make the wrong decision, it would be a pity. So, it's better if you don't give me an immediate answer. I'll give you a cigarette's worth of time to consider. Think it through carefully before you answer me. Of course, if you have any conditions, feel free to state them. There's no need to be polite."
Having finished speaking, Yang Haoran lit the cigarette he held in his mouth, then awaited the Young Man's reply.
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