Chapter 1283 — The Kang Family's New Decision: "Is... Is There Something Wrong With That?" Kang Zhaolong Was Stunned.

"What makes you suppose their trauma medicine follows the same recipe as our golden wound medicine? Don't tell me you intend to announce to the media that you had Zhaoming bribe the vice president of Doctor Guan Pharmaceuticals and obtain the formula? Say that, and the reputation of our Divine Doctor Kang Medical Group will be ruined along with it!" Divine Doctor Kang gave a cold snort and went on: "Besides, if you were to list those rare medicinal ingredients, the prescription for our Divine Doctor Kang golden wound medicine would be exposed to the danger of leaking as well! Remember, what makes our formula special lies precisely in those few precious herbs. If others learn of them and start probing, who knows - tomorrow a Doctor Li or a Doctor Wang might pop up! Isn't that just asking for trouble?"

"That... Grandfather, I'm sorry. I didn't think it through!" Kang Zhaolong hung his head and conceded his error with ill grace. He had been far too eager to turn the situation around, and so he had spoken without running it past his brain.

"Zhaoming, what are your thoughts? To think that of all the Kang family's young dandies - the one I used to have the least faith in - you are now the cleverest and most capable of them all!" Divine Doctor Kang was thoroughly pleased with Kang Zhaoming, especially since he had time and again rendered outstanding service, and so he valued him all the more.

"Grandfather, I think that while we are disposing of our trauma medicine stockpile, we ought to be doing something else as well. We cannot just sit here waiting to die!" Kang Zhaoming said. "The Great Families' summit is about to convene. We must do something, or we will certainly have no chance this time round!"

"Good. No sitting and waiting - go out and seize the chance. That is what descendants of my Kang family ought to do!" Divine Doctor Kang nodded. "Tell us your view!"

"First, our strength is far too thin, so we should draw a great family to our side. The best choice would actually be the Xiao family - after all, our two families once had a marriage pact, which makes them far easier to approach and win over than the others." Kang Zhaoming began to analyze smugly.

As a matter of fact, everyone understood the analysis he was giving; they simply felt there was no hope in it. But this foolhardy Kang Zhaoming did not care about any of that. He thought only of raising his own standing and his voice in the family, so no matter how feasible the matter might be, he would put it forward first.

"Mm, that makes sense." Divine Doctor Kang nodded.

Kang Zhaolong, listening from the side, had very nearly reached the limit of his endurance! Makes sense? Makes a blasted bit of sense! He knew that Grandfather now found Kang Zhaoming pleasing to the eye, so whatever the boy said, Grandfather pronounced it sensible!

Kang Zhaolong cooled his head, stepped forward and objected: "Grandfather, Zhaoming, though the Xiao family used to be on good terms with us, things now... Last time we went to pay them a visit, the Xiao family didn't even bother to acknowledge us. Do you really think the Xiao family would still take our family seriously?"

"Mm, what Zhaolong says is indeed a problem. What is your view, Zhaoming?" In truth Divine Doctor Kang possessed neither much ability nor much of a mind. At the very beginning he had been nothing but an illiterate who had not even finished primary school; by a stroke of fortune he had come into possession of a golden wound medicine formula, and it was on that account that he had been able to found the Kang family!

In reality, the man had no ability to speak of whatsoever. He did not even understand basic medical knowledge, let alone the management of a clan. In former years, however, backed by the mighty golden wound medicine formula, other families had all come to fawn upon them, so it hardly mattered that the Kang family was mediocre. Things were different now.

Divine Doctor Kang's affected air of mystery and unfathomable depth no longer served its purpose. Over the years he had indeed honed some of a leader's thinking and way of doing things, but his foundations were lamentably poor, so the moment a problem arose within the Kang family, he was the first to lose his nerve!

"This... this brings me to the second matter I want to raise! You must let me finish!" Kang Zhaoming's eyes darted, and he actually linked the first matter to the second. He was enormously pleased with himself - he really was a genius, to be able to connect the two like this!

"Oh? Then tell us quickly - what is the second matter?" Divine Doctor Kang harbored no suspicion at all and asked eagerly.

"The second matter is this: I intend to track down the formula for the Life-Prolonging Detox Pill as quickly as possible! Once our Kang family possesses the formula and can produce the Life-Prolonging Detox Pill, that will be tremendous good fortune for us. When the Xiao family learns that we are capable of manufacturing the Life-Prolonging Detox Pill, would they keep up this attitude of theirs? I dare say they would take the initiative to make peace with us! With the Life-Prolonging Detox Pill in our possession, the other great families would certainly have requests of us - and would securing our own elevation to a great family not then be well within our grasp?" Kang Zhaoming declared in a single breath.

When he had finished, he was half impressed with himself. He was simply too brilliant, too remarkable - to deliver speech that flowed so smoothly, he was nothing short of a genius!

"A splendid idea! A splendid idea! That our Kang family has Zhaoming - Heaven itself is blessing the Kang family!" On hearing this, Divine Doctor Kang slapped the table repeatedly in delight and roared with laughter.

"But Grandfather, Guan Xuemin has a formula too. If it goes like this, the formula won't be ours alone, and our advantage won't be at all obvious!" This time Kang Zhaolong came out playing the contrarian. Though he knew Kang Zhaoming was talking sheer nonsense - everyone knew all these things - the fact remained that Kang Zhaoming had actually tied them together, and there was nothing for it but to concede: this worthless playboy of a younger brother of his possessed a silver tongue capable of arguing black into white!

"Not so!" Kang Zhaoming replied. "It is said that the Life-Prolonging Detox Pill is compounded entirely from rare Chinese medicinal herbs, and the annual yield of these rare herbs is strictly limited - they are seldom seen. So it all comes down to competition: whoever secures those rare materials first seizes the initiative! I think that, given our Kang family's many years of dealings with those herb merchants, even if we cannot buy up every last portion of the rare herbs, we can certainly obtain some part of them. And possessing even a part of them gives us a measure of clout, for this stuff yields so little - only so much each year - and scarcity is what drives up value. When the time comes, we shall still have the advantage!"

"Good! Zhaolong, look at your brother. When it comes to scholarship and research he is no match for you, but when it comes to scheming and intrigue he is formidable! You have to admit it! Yet a bookish sort of man can never head a family - the family head needs a mind for strategy. I think Zhaoming's plan is entirely workable. Let us do it this way!" Divine Doctor Kang said, in high spirits.

"Yes, Grandfather!" Kang Zhaoming agreed, elated.

Kang Zhaolong's heart was bleeding. He had a mind too, and he had his share of schemes and stratagems! And he knew everything Kang Zhaoming had just said! It was only that in his eyes these were all tasks beyond accomplishment - yet this brat Kang Zhaoming had linked them all together, turning them into an unbroken chain of interlocking stratagems!

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