Chapter 177: Is Ming Mu Crazy, or Is He?

Yun Qimu glanced with satisfaction at Ming Mu’s handsome, excited face, but she still pretended to hesitate, her tone uncertain as she said, “But what if the equipment inside gets damaged…”

Ming Mu blurted out, “I’ll pay for it.”

“And what if you’re not talented enough and waste too many raw materials?”

“I’ll buy the raw materials myself with spirit coins.”

“But…”

Yun Qimu hesitated, raising several more concerns, but Ming Mu didn’t feel like she was trying to take advantage of him at all. On the contrary, he thought she was a great boss—honest and considerate, kindly explaining everything to him in advance. Ming Mu felt deeply touched and grateful.

For the sake of that fully-equipped alchemy lab, he’d already given Yun Qimu an eight-million-degree beauty filter in his mind. No matter how harsh the conditions were, he didn’t care at all.

Watching this from the sidelines, Pei Yu felt his teeth ache with envy.

Ming Mu might be an alchemy maniac, but he was also a stingy one. As a good colleague, Pei Yu had never managed to get a single advantage from him before. So what’s the deal? Why is it different with Village Chief Yun?

Not only was this guy volunteering to work for free, he was even willing to pay for equipment damage and spend his own spirit coins to buy materials.

Damn it, is Ming Mu crazy, or is he?

Ming Mu shot him a glare. Hmph, how could mere spirit coins compare to a perfect alchemy lab?

If he could get access to that lab, what did any of this matter? He’d gladly pay out of his own pocket.

Besides, now that his brother could be saved, he didn’t have to pour all his energy coins into the dark matter removal project anymore. Why should he keep pinching pennies? Spirit coins existed to help him improve his alchemy skills—what was there to be stingy about?

Ming Xiao could see through Yun Qimu’s intentions, but he just stood by and smiled.

His white cotton jacket didn’t make him look sturdy; instead, the belt at his waist emphasized his slender, delicate frame. With his gentle smile, he was like the bright moon—a true gentleman, refined as jade.

Compared to Pei Yu, who stood beside him in a green hat and yellow cotton jacket, his bearing was on a whole different level.

Yun Qimu admired him for a moment longer, then stopped making things difficult for Ming Mu and agreed to let him work at the pharmacy workshop. She even provided him with the formulas for the plant nutrient solution and the red potion—both developed by Yun Xiaoyu. Although the formulas were there, the exact proportions of the ingredients still needed to be tested one by one.

Yun Qimu had originally considered rolling up her sleeves and learning to make these potions herself, but now that she had a better candidate in Ming Mu, she happily put that idea aside.

When Ming Mu received the two formulas, he was overjoyed. “These—these are the red potion and plant nutrient solution sold in the workshop! I—I’ll do my best to formulate them as soon as possible!”

He cradled the two parchment scrolls in his hands, his handsome face flushed with excitement, eyes blazing with passion. He couldn’t wait to gather all the raw materials and start experimenting right away.

“Alright, I’ll leave this to you,” Yun Qimu said, very satisfied with his attitude. “I can’t pay you a salary, but I can’t let you work for nothing either. Here’s the deal: during the testing phase, you’ll be responsible for the cost of raw materials. Once the formulas are finalized, I’ll use spirit coins to help buy the ingredients. At that point, you’ll get forty percent of the profits from any potions you make. If there are any changes in the future, we can renegotiate. How does that sound?”

Ming Mu didn’t hesitate long before agreeing. “That works.”

Yun Qimu loved employees who were so straightforward. Following the principle that a horse needs good feed to run well, she even provided this special talent with a free little cabin, which made Ming Mu quite happy.

It’s not like he couldn’t afford a cabin, but the fact that she provided one showed how much she valued him.

For a tech nerd like him, a place to live and a dream alchemy lab were everything. Now that Yun Qimu had given him both, how could he not be moved?

So he immediately promised Yun Qimu: alive, he’d be a villager of Earth Village; dead, he’d be its ghost. From now on, he was rooted in the pharmacy workshop—no one could poach him.

Yun Qimu was very pleased with this excellent employee and praised him warmly, calling him things like “a talented young man,” “an indispensable talent in the alchemy world,” and “the pride of our pharmacy workshop.”

Ming Mu, who was usually cold and indifferent—his whole heart devoted to alchemy except for his care for his brother—was so embarrassed by the praise that his face turned red and he looked away.

He was actually a little shy.

Wu Xingyu, who had just walked over, found him an eyesore, but only frowned and moved his lips, saying nothing.

Pei Yu, meanwhile, eagerly pulled out a formula for the warming pill and handed it to Ming Mu, saying hopefully, “Here, I’ll give you this formula. I don’t want much—just sixty percent of the profits, same as Village Chief Yun. How about it?”

Ming Mu didn’t take it, his face returning to its usual indifference. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

Pei Yu was taken aback and shook his head instinctively. “No, you’re not.”

Ming Mu looked at him coldly. “Then why do you think you can get sixty percent of the profits just by providing a formula, while I do all the work and research to find the right proportions and only get forty percent?”

Pei Yu blinked, a bit confused, then protested, “But isn’t that how you split it with Village Chief Yun?”

Ming Mu rolled his eyes. “Can you compare yourself to Village Chief Yun? She’s giving me the most precious thing to an alchemist—a perfect alchemy lab. Do you have one?”

“N-no…”

“So, you provide the materials, you get twenty percent, I get sixty percent, and the remaining twenty percent goes to Village Chief Yun as rent for the workshop. Any problem with that?”

“What, only twenty percent?” Pei Yu’s eyes nearly popped out. How did Ming Mu get so good at bargaining? With just a few words, he slashed Pei Yu’s share from sixty to twenty percent—no one could skin a watermelon as cleanly as he just got skinned.

Pei Yu was indignant. There had to be something wrong with Earth Village—why did everyone who came here turn into such shrewd businessmen?

Ming Mu looked at him coolly, completely calm. “If you don’t agree, forget it. The warming pill isn’t that important anyway. If we don’t have it, we can just wear a couple more cotton jackets.”

Pei Yu’s face fell. “Fine, fine, I agree.”

He looked utterly defeated, but in the end, he still handed over the warming pill formula. What else could he do? He couldn’t make it himself, and it was better than letting the formula gather dust.

Yun Qimu winked at Ming Mu with a smile—well done!

Ming Mu smiled back, a clear blush rising on his handsome face.

It was nothing, really. As an employee, it was only right to look out for the boss’s interests.

Yun Qimu’s eyes were full of approval as she looked at him, even more appreciative—what a great employee!"