Lin Xiao Tian's explanation enlightened the two.
Although Lin Xiao Tian was a doctor, he was also a businessman, and this logic was understandable to him.
Liu Yue wanted to use her resources to engage in a price war, which at best would only suppress Lin Xiao Tian, causing his medical clinic to lose business.
However, if she couldn't capture the business of the hunting teams, couldn't she still attract other clients?
Physicians treating the sick and refining prescriptions were also quite lucrative.
Moreover, there were very few physicians in Hei Yan City. Liu Yue couldn't possibly poach all the patients, making it not difficult for Lin Xiao Tian to develop his practice.
More crucially, Lin Xiao Tian only charged consultation fees and no medicinal fees when practicing medicine, making him much more affordable than Liu Yue, who still profited from medicinal herbs.
On the first day Liu Yue announced the price war, she regretted it.
Because Lin Xiao Tian's medical clinic had slashed prices to an all-time low.
Lin Xiao Tian charged nothing beyond the cost of preparing the medicinal powder.
In other words, Lin Xiao Tian was offering his services for free!
Liu Yue had no choice but to brace herself and lower her prices.
However, she had to price them even lower than Lin Xiao Tian's, otherwise, people would still flock to his clinic.
Liu Yue couldn't afford to let Lin Xiao Tian's clinic thrive. After all, Lin Xiao Tian's team only had three people and just needed enough to get by, but her clinic had to support many staff. This meant downsizing.
But downsizing would be seen as a sign of weakness.
Adding to that, Luo Hou was constantly slandering her reputation outside. She couldn't appeal to emotions anymore and could only continue a price battle with Lin Xiao Tian.
One day.
Two days.
A week passed.
Lin Xiao Tian's medical clinic was as quiet as if a pin had dropped, a stark contrast to Liu Yue's establishment.
However, their moods were entirely different.
Lin Xiao Tian was relaxed. Even without business, he could still earn a little.
Previously, Liu Yue often compromised on the quality of medicine to maximize profits, causing patients' illnesses to linger. But with Lin Xiao Tian, ailments were cured promptly.
Gradually, Lin Xiao Tian's reputation began to grow.
Liu Yue's clinic was booming, but she wasn't making much profit.
Lin Xiao Tian waived the profit sharing for the hunting teams returning from the mountains, thus reducing labor costs like personnel for inspections. However, Liu Yue still retained these staff.
With each passing day, Liu Yue was losing money.
Moreover, with the surge in business, her workload increased daily. She had to turn away some clients due to being overwhelmed. Even though these were not highly profitable clients, their absence benefited Lin Xiao Tian.
As one grew and the other declined, it was evident that if this continued, Liu Yue would collapse before she could bring down Lin Xiao Tian.
She had even considered malicious tactics, like spreading rumors about Lin Xiao Tian. However, Lin Xiao Tian had anticipated this. Luo Hou harbored a deep grudge against Liu Yue and naturally sided with Lin Xiao Tian, leaving Liu Yue with no advantage in public opinion.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao Tian's reputation in Hei Yan City steadily rose due to his responsible approach.
Lin Xiao Tian was very good to his patients. Those who couldn't afford treatment could owe him, interest-free. At Liu Yue's clinic, patients had to sign promissory notes with interest rates even higher than those of the merchant guilds.
Because Lin Xiao Tian's treatments were almost always successful and he didn't resort to Liu Yue's tricks, his clinic's medical practice business actually surpassed Liu Yue's.
Thus, another month passed.
Finally, Liu Yue couldn't sustain it any longer. She modified part of the free contract for the hunting teams, adding a service fee.
Although the added fee was small and the profit-sharing clause remained waived, it still stirred resentment among the hunting teams.
"Didn't you say it was free? How can you go back on your word?"
"Physician Liu, you are a highly respected physician in Hei Yan City. You promised us you wouldn't mistreat your loyal customers. Is this your promise?"
"Pah! Still calling her a physician? My father's illness took years to cure. A few days ago, I took him to Physician Xu to try, and guess what? He was cured in three days, and it cost less than my daily food budget. Liu Yue is just a quack!"
"I've heard similar things. There have been recent rumors that illnesses Liu Yue couldn't cure were treated by Physician Xu within a few days, resulting in a complete recovery. What do you mean by the same profession, the gap is so vast?"
"What gap? In my opinion, Liu Yue is preying on the suffering. Look at how much she's profited from patient loans over the years. She's heartless, profiting even from the sick!"
"Promises broken! I say we should go to Physician Xu. He doesn't charge for consultations, and Wan Hao also guaranteed that Physician Xu doesn't charge for entering the mountains. We only need to pay for the medicinal powder!"
The crowd exchanged glances, their anger boiling.
In a moment, a large portion of the once bustling clinic's patrons departed.
Those who arrived later, unaware of the situation, entered out of curiosity. Upon hearing that Liu Yue was now charging a fee, they, too, cursed and left.
Quack!
Heartless merchant!
These words were like thorns, causing Liu Yue, hiding in the inner room, immense anger.
These were all facts.
But she didn't consider them wrong.
Becoming a physician was so arduous; she just wanted to make money, what was wrong with that?
However, she dared not voice these thoughts or show herself.
The hall was filled with people denouncing her. If not for the empire's support for physicians like her, those people might have resorted to violence.
"These scoundrels! When they paid three percent profit, no one complained. They even fawned over me like dogs. Now that I'm just charging a small service fee, they're treating me so unfairly!"
Liu Yue was helpless.
But Lin Xiao Tian was not surprised by this.
This was human nature!
For the vast majority of people, you could only be consistently good to them. Once you stopped being good enough one day, they would easily develop a sense of disappointment. If this disappointment persisted, they might even turn on you.
Conversely, if you treated someone poorly from the start, even occasional kindness would make them eternally grateful.
Lin Xiao Tian, having experienced so much, understood this perfectly.
Back then, Wan Hao and Zhu Kai believed they had no chance against the formidable Liu Yue, but Lin Xiao Tian was confident.
This was because Liu Yue shouldn't have been so good to these people in the first place.
Her mistake was thinking that by treating people as well as Lin Xiao Tian did, they would flock back to her. But she underestimated human nature.
Moreover, her past actions were already excessive, making it easy for Lin Xiao Tian to sway public opinion to his side.
Soon, Liu Yue's notoriety spread throughout Hei Yan City.
Earlier that morning, Liu Yue's clinic was packed.
Within a short span, it became deserted.
Liu Yue not only lost the hunting team's business but also her general medical practice and prescription business began to dwindle. If this continued, her clinic would surely collapse.
Without a clinic, coupled with her tarnished reputation in Hei Yan City, being forced to leave was only a matter of time!
"Xu Hao! You're forcing me!"
Liu Yue gritted her teeth and said.
In the next moment, she secretly made a decision.