Chapter Thirty-Seven: Resemblance

After carefully putting away the spiritual talisman, Ling Tian straightened his clothes a little, then sat in the courtyard to meditate and absorb spiritual energy. For someone like Ling Tian, whose demand for spiritual energy was enormous, the more the better—even the most sinister, yin-laden energy could be absorbed thanks to his mysterious cultivation technique. To him, it was no different than a person who eats without being picky.

By the time Ling Tian opened his eyes, it was already eight in the morning.

“If only I could use magical techniques, that would be perfect,” Ling Tian muttered as he returned indoors to wash up quickly. Within the jade slip, countless magical techniques were recorded. For example, the Dust-Dispelling Spell—just a simple casting would eliminate the need for lengthy washing rituals. According to Ling Tian’s current calculations, even to use the simplest techniques, he would need at least to reach the Qi Transformation stage.

Checking the time, Ling Tian realized he, the new employee of the Allure Group, had already skipped work for several days. Though the CEO was his fiancée, he couldn’t push the limits too far. At the very least, he ought to show up and report in every few days.

In the CEO’s office at Allure Group—

These days, Allure Group was in the midst of developing a new pharmaceutical product. Mu Qingcheng, the CEO, was working around the clock at the company. One-third of the rare medicinal ingredients she had obtained at the last black market auction were already consumed, yet the ideal result remained elusive. The entire research team was now treading carefully, as if walking on thin ice.

Every failure led to considerable waste of ingredients. But compared to the loss of materials, the greater cost was the mounting loss of confidence among researchers who had previously known only success.

Mu Qingcheng, with dark circles under her eyes reminiscent of a panda, sat in her swivel chair, her jade-like fingers clutching the latest lab report, brows furrowed in deep concern. The repeated failures were not the issue; it was the lack of any breakthrough amid these setbacks. The lab was essentially groping in the dark.

Blending traditional Chinese medicine with skincare to create a new beauty product was unprecedented worldwide, with no reference points. Despite gathering experts in both skincare and Chinese medicine, the research team remained at a complete loss.

Whether Allure Group could break the market deadlock and seize another opportunity for rapid growth hinged entirely on this Chinese herbal skincare product.

“Nearly a year of preparation and tens of millions invested, yet no progress at all,” Mu Qingcheng sighed, rubbing her temples and tossing the report onto the desk. Despite the company’s growth and her reputation as the city’s most beautiful CEO, things were not as glamorous as they appeared on the surface.

No matter how strong-willed, every woman—even someone as formidable as Mu Qingcheng—longs, deep down, for a shoulder to lean on, someone with whom to share her grievances and burdens.

That is a woman’s nature!

A knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” Mu Qingcheng said absentmindedly.

Wang Ling, dressed smartly in her business suit, entered and approached the desk. Seeing Mu Qingcheng’s troubled expression, she looked awkward, clutching the report in her hand even tighter.

“Is the latest report out?” Mu Qingcheng asked without much interest. She had just reviewed yesterday’s report; separated by just a day, there was little hope of any breakthrough.

After a moment’s hesitation, Wang Ling handed the report to Mu Qingcheng.

Mu Qingcheng didn’t even glance at it. She tossed it onto the desk and, rubbing her temples, said, “I don’t want to read it. Just give me a summary.”

Wang Ling nodded, took several seconds to organize her thoughts, and spoke: “According to the latest research, there’s still no clear progress. The biggest issues remain the purification of the herbs, the longevity of the effects, and absorption efficiency. So far, none of the experts have found a solution.”

“Another report just like all the others. They swore to me at the beginning that they’d make preliminary progress within six months and produce a prototype in eight. And now?” Mu Qingcheng slammed the desk. “We spent ten million hiring these experts, millions more on instruments and equipment, and at least another ten million on materials. If you add the losses from diverting resources away from other drugs, we’ve probably lost forty to fifty million by now.”

Such losses, even for a behemoth like Allure Group, were hard to bear.

If the market deadlock remained and the bleeding continued, the future would be grim.

“A decision must be made.” After a brief pause, Mu Qingcheng wiped the worry from her face and regained her steel resolve.

Wang Ling nodded, agreeing, “Yes, it’s time to choose.”

“There are two options,” Mu Qingcheng declared. “One: cut the project, concentrate resources on other products. Two: double down and invest even more. If we choose the first, all our previous efforts and resources are wasted, and we miss our chance to break the deadlock. If we choose the second, we take a huge risk—our cash flow will be tight, and if we fail, the company will suffer severe damage.”

Having battled alongside Mu Qingcheng for years, Wang Ling understood better than anyone the difficulty of such a decision.

“CEO, I think since we’ve already invested so much, we might as well go all in,” Wang Ling offered her view.

Mu Qingcheng nodded decisively. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Burn the boats, fight with our backs to the river. Immediately increase investment, recruit talent nationwide, and purchase more medicinal ingredients.”

“I’ll get on it right away.” Wang Ling turned to go, but paused at the door, then returned. “CEO, there’s something odd I’d like to mention.”

“What is it?” Mu Qingcheng asked, her curiosity piqued—anything that warranted Wang Ling’s return must be important.

Wang Ling explained, “In the past two days, something major happened in Yunhai City. The Nangong clan is searching for someone—a master of talisman crafting, reportedly. He apparently helped alleviate Nangong Xue’s illness. I think, if we can find this person, he might be able to help us.”

Hearing this, Mu Qingcheng’s eyes lit up. As a leader, she immediately grasped the significance—even if that talisman master couldn’t directly help, his connections might point them to the right person. “Any progress from the Nangong family?”

Wang Ling continued, “Not much, but something strange happened today. The usually low-profile Situ clan actually issued a patriarch’s decree, saying they’re searching for a benefactor. Here’s a sketch I found.” She pulled a photocopy from her pocket.

Mu Qingcheng and Wang Ling studied the image for a long time without drawing any conclusions. Had Ling Tian been standing nearby, perhaps they would have noticed the resemblance—seven or eight points alike. The portrait, drawn with a brush from memory by Old Master Situ, captured the spirit but lacked clear features.

After all, many people in the world share similar facial shapes.

“This person must be quite interesting, to have become the Situ clan’s benefactor and even prompted a patriarch’s decree. I’d really like to see what kind of man he is,” Mu Qingcheng mused.

Just then, Ling Tian strolled into the office.

Both Mu Qingcheng and Wang Ling suddenly realized that the man in the portrait bore a striking resemblance to Ling Tian…