"BOOM!"
Sun Tao’s words struck Xu Yang like a clap of thunder, leaving his mind reeling.
’Elder Li Yang is... gay?’
’Didn’t Yuan Gang say Elder Li Yang favored his son for being a prodigy of peerless talent? Could *this* be the kind of "talent" he ant?’
Goosebumps broke out all over Xu Yang’s body. The dignified image of Elder Li Yang he held in his mind collapsed in an instant.
"Senior Brother, who did you hear this from? If Elder Li Yang catches you spreading such baseless rumors, you’ll be in for it."
A wave of revulsion washed over Xu Yang.
’If Elder Li Yang is really... like that, there’s no way I’m taking him as my master. I have to get to the bottom of this.’
Sun Tao whispered, "Many of the Outer Disciples are saying it. I don’t know if it’s true, and it’s not sothing I’d tell just anyone."
Soon, Sun Tao dropped the subject of Elder Li Yang. It was all just hearsay, so he had no way of knowing if it was true.
Xu Yang made up his mind. When his three-year term was up, he had to find out the truth. Otherwise, he would never take a pervert like that for a master.
’I’m so handso. If he sets his sights on , it’ll be a huge ss.’
’Even if he doesn’t target , the thought alone is sickening.’
...
「The Xiao Family Estate」
When Xiao Chen heard his father had been punished and sent to Cyan Mountain, he felt as if his world had collapsed.
He still hadn’t completed his assessnt mission for the Inner Sect. Without his father, Xiao Hua, to help him, there was no way he could finish it alone.
And if the Su Family found out they had provoked Elder Li Yang, it would be difficult to explain the situation.
"Xu Yang!"
He knew this had to be because of Xu Yang. The only recent intersection between his father and Elder Li Yang was the plot to use the Yuan Family to fra Xu Yang.
"Little bastard!"
Murderous intent surged in Xiao Chen’s heart. He wished he could flay Xu Yang alive that very instant, but with Xu Yang in the Purple Sun Sect, there was nothing he could do. He would have to wait for Xu Yang to leave the mountain before he could make his move.
...
With Xiao Hua punished and the crisis averted, Xu Yang was in no hurry to complete his missions. Instead, he settled down to focus on his Cultivation.
Ti passed slowly. Soon, he had used up all the Elixirs on hand, and the ti for his one-month agreent with the Zhu Family arrived.
Xu Yang left the mountain ahead of schedule. He first found a broker to rent a courtyard, then located a Weapon Refining Workshop to commission a custom Alchemy Furnace. Only after that did he hurry to the old courtyard to begin refining the Blood Coagulation Pills.
The Zhu Family had already delivered the dicinal ingredients in secret.
After washing the cauldron and starting the fire, Xu Yang quickly began refining the Blood Coagulation Pills.
「The Su Family Estate」
"Useless! It’s been this long and you still haven’t found that Pill Master! The family spends so much money just to support a bunch of worthless trash like you."
Su Jianye was in a thunderous rage.
Thanks to the Blood Coagulation Pill, the Zhu Family’s business was flourishing. In contrast, the Su Family’s business was steadily contracting, and their inco declined month after month.
Although the Su Family’s foundations were deep, and their day-to-day operations were not yet affected, they would slowly fall into decline if this continued long-term.
Su Jiangong argued, "After we tipped our hand last ti, the Pill Master stopped buying ingredients on the open market. There are no leads to follow."
Su Jianye grew even more furious. "Do I have to teach you how to do your job? If there are no leads, then watch the Zhu Family’s leadership. See if they et with any strangers. And start watching all of the Zhu Family’s pharmacies.
That Pill Master isn’t buying ingredients from the market, which ans the Zhu Family must be supplying him directly. Watch their pharmacies! See if any of them are sending large quantities of ingredients to a specific location.
You must find this person. Otherwise, the Su Family’s business will be ruined."
Su Jiangong’s eyes lit up.
He had kept an eye on the Zhu Family’s leadership, but he hadn’t thought to monitor their pharmacies.
「anwhile, at the Zhu Family Estate」
Zhu Bin received a summons from the Patriarch and hurried over. Everyone he passed along the way greeted him with exceptional warmth.
He had once been a re Shopkeeper at one of the Zhu Family’s pharmacies. Although a disciple of the main family, he was a peripheral figure within the Zhu Family.
But everything had changed six months ago when he had, by chance, successfully negotiated a partnership with a Pill Master, bringing imnse profits to the Zhu Family.
Now, even the Patriarch himself would greet him warmly, calling him "Brother Zhu Bin."
"Patriarch, you were looking for ?"
Zhu Bin soon t the Patriarch, Zhu Xiancheng, in the main hall and bowed respectfully.
"Brother Zhu Bin, you’re here. Please, have a seat."
Zhu Xiancheng smiled. "I’ve called you here because there’s sothing I need to entrust to you.
You’ve seen the effect the Blood Coagulation Pill has had on our family’s business. For the past six months, the Zhu Family’s profits have been several thousand taels higher each month than they were previously.
But that’s not enough. Recently, several other families have approached us asking for a share of the Blood Coagulation Pills, but our entire stock of two hundred is already allocated. We have no extra supply to offer."
The end of the month is almost upon us. I want you to go and talk to that Pill Master. Tell him to refine three hundred Blood Coagulation Pills per month. We can pay him more—even eight taels and three mace per Pill would be acceptable.
Zhu Bin frowned slightly. "Patriarch, I’m afraid he won’t agree to an increase of one hundred Pills. From what I’ve seen, he’s more focused on his Cultivation. It’s unlikely he’d be willing to spend more ti on Alchemy."
Refining three hundred Pills a month... you couldn’t even work a beast of burden that hard.
The Pill Masters at the Purple Sun Sect were considered diligent if they refined two or three furnaces worth of Pills in a month. This Pill Master, cooperating with the Zhu Family, was already producing two hundred individual Pills a month, and the Patriarch actually wanted him to make another hundred. It was treating him as less than human.
Zhu Xiancheng said confidently, "The fact that he prioritizes his Cultivation is even better. For the sake of the Guiyuan Pill, he has even more reason not to refuse."
This was why the great families of Cyan Cloud City held themselves so high above others: only they could obtain a share of elixirs for the Gang Qi Realm from the Purple Sun Sect.
No one else could buy Vigorous Qi Elixirs, no matter how much money they had.
Zhu Bin’s heart sank. "Patriarch, if we press him too hard, what if he defects to another family?"
Elixirs for the Gang Qi Realm were precious, to be sure, but the Zhu Family wasn’t the only one with a quota from the Purple Sun Sect.
Zhu Xiancheng replied, "He killed the Su Family’s spies. He wouldn’t dare approach any other family besides our Zhu Family.
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