The Herb King

Emerson returned to the Suliman Family's estate with an exhausted look on his face. When his sister, Michelle, saw his face, she couldn't help but ask him. "What happened to you?"

Tyrone who was standing behind Emerson held back his laughter.

Emerson noticed this and he immediately glared at him. He then turned his gaze back to his sister and sighed while shaking his head. "It's nothing serious. I just had to play with two little girls. Michelle, how can those two little girls be so energetic?"

Hearing that, Tyrone could no longer hold back his laughter.

Emerson didn't even have the energy to get angry. He was too exhausted to reprimand Tyrone.

Meanwhile, Michelle stared at them in confusion. "Can you tell me what happened?" Their reactions made her curious about the matter.

Emerson waved his hand and said. "I'll tell you later. I'll report it to Father first." He then headed to the family head's study with hurried footsteps.

***

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Come in."

Emerson entered the study and bowed to the middle-aged man sitting behind the desk. This person was the city lord and the head of the Suliman Family, Arnold Suliman. Just like Leopold Ballard, he was also an expert at the Nascent Soul Realm who had awakened four of his soul nodules.

"There's no need for formalities when it's only us. Come here and take a seat." Arnold smiled at his son. Emerson wasn't a prodigy in cultivation, but his talent in business and management made up for his lack of success in cultivation. This alone was enough to make Arnold proud of his son.

"Yes, Dad." Emerson slumped into the seat with a weary look.

Seeing this, Arnold raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What happened there?" He asked.

Emerson laughed bitterly and said. "I discussed with Sir Aethelwolf about the terms you provided, but he countered it with another condition."

Arnold wasn't surprised by this. He already expected that Aethelwolf would counter his terms to a more favorable deal. "Let's talk about that later. Why do you look so exhausted?"

Emerson leaned on his seat and recounted everything that happened.

After he told his father the whole story, Arnold couldn't help but laugh in amusement. "That man is the first one to have done that to the heir of the Suliman Family. He is truly special."

Emerson shook his head with a smile.

"Now, tell me the conditions he demanded." Arnold's face suddenly turned serious.

Sensing the change in his tone, Emerson quickly adjusted his sitting posture. He then cleared his throat and handed him the document sent by Aethelwolf. "He agreed to let us open 10 beauty shops, but he wants 10% of the net profit."

Arnold scanned the piece of paper and put it down after reading it. "It seems like that guy is also well-versed in business. He really knows how to maximize his profits."

The terms that Aethelwolf has suggested were not within his expectations so it caught him slightly off guard. It also made Arnold gain a new understanding of him.

Opening 10 highly profitable beauty shops was very tempting and he couldn't pass up this chance. Giving 10% of the net profit was also not overly expensive when thinking about the potential earnings he could make with the ten shops.

Thinking about this, Arnold stared at Emerson and said. "Agree to his demands."

Emerson was taken aback. His father didn't even think twice and accepted the deal without hesitation. "Yes, Dad! I'll write up the documents soon and deliver them to Sir Aethelwolf by tomorrow."

Arnold nodded and waved his hand. "Alright. You may go."

Emerson stood up and bowed before he left the study.

After he left, Arnold tapped his fingers on the table and turned his head to the dark corner of the study. "Have you investigated him?"

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadow. It was a person fully covered in black attire. His whole head was covered so his gender couldn't be identified. "I followed him and his family for a few days, but I didn't discover anything conclusive. I also sent my subordinates to the neighboring cities to search for their identities, but they haven't reported back to me yet."

Hearing this, Arnold furrowed his eyebrows. Aethelwolf appeared out of nowhere. His presence was a complete mystery and this made him feel that something was off about that person. "If your men can't find anything about them, cease your investigations. He might find out if we dig too much. We can't afford to offend a Nascent Soul expert in this situation." He muttered with a serious tone.

Northern Trance might appear peaceful on the surface, but there were numerous secret battles in the dark.

"Yes, sir!" The person nodded and disappeared into the darkness.

***

"Hey! Emerson, tell me what happened!" Michelle grabbed her brother's arm when she saw him coming out of the study.

Emerson's bitter expression and Tyrone's teasing smile made her inner gossipy spirit curious about what happened. As a sheltered daughter of a noble family, few things could interest her. Most of the time, she goes out to chat with her friends about juicy topics that happen in Northern Trance.

Emerson knew that he couldn't brush her off so easily so dragged her to the living room to catch his breath. The events that happened today almost drained his energy. He never thought that playing with two little girls would exhaust him to this extent. Just thinking about seeing them again tomorrow made him smile bitterly.

"Don't laugh at me, okay?"

"Sure! I promise!" Michelle nodded without hesitation.

Emerson stared at her suspiciously, but he still told her about what had happened.

When he told her that Aethelwolf rejected their father's condition and provided his terms, she was taken by surprise. The story continued and when it reached the part where he had to play with Aethelwolf's daughters, she covered her mouth with her hands and tried to hold back herself from laughing too hard. In the end, she failed to stop herself from laughing.

"I'll tell Dad that you must accompany me tomorrow to the Golden Lake Manor."

Hearing this, Michelle's smile stiffened.