Chapter 77: The Hapless Fat Man

The value of supreme-grade elixirs far surpasses that of ordinary ones. If these twenty pills were to be put up for auction, they would surely fetch an impressive price.

However, the plump youth was far from satisfied. He complained angrily, "For your sake, I nearly offended all the geniuses in the Pill Hall, and now you’re trying to fob me off with just twenty pills? Can you really live with your conscience?"

Qin Feiyang’s face twitched. “Take a closer look before you say that. Oh, and close the door behind you when you leave.”

With those words, he walked out of the alchemy chamber to find Luo Xiong.

“No matter how closely I look, they’re just ordinary pills. Do you expect them to turn into divine elixirs?” the plump youth muttered with disdain.

Yet when he examined the pills carefully, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Pill patterns! Every single one bore the mark of the pill pattern!

He quickly checked each one, astonished to find that every pill was indeed inscribed with these coveted lines. “Is this guy even human?” he murmured, stunned.

In the next moment, jolted into action, he hurriedly stashed the twenty pills away, closed the stone door, and chased after Qin Feiyang.

Catching up with him, he plastered on a fawning smile, admiration gleaming in his eyes. “Boss Jiang, you’re incredible! You crafted pill patterns on your very first try—I absolutely idolize you. Please, let me be your follower!”

Qin Feiyang paused, caught off guard, and then shook his head with a laugh.

The plump youth grew anxious. “Don’t laugh, I mean it!”

Qin Feiyang smiled. “Sure, as long as you don’t regret it later.”

“I’ll never regret it!” The plump youth thumped his chest, swearing with utmost sincerity.

By now, most of the disciples were already up and had quickly heard the explosive news that Cheng Yi and his companions had been stuffed into pig baskets as punishment. The morning buzz in the Pill Hall was electric.

“Hey! Look, it’s Jiang Haotian!”

“I heard the pig basket incident is connected to him. Let’s go ask!”

At the first sight of Qin Feiyang, the disciples gathered around.

“Now’s your time to shine, Fatty,” Qin Feiyang said, seeing the crowd closing in, before weaving through the throng with a burst of speed, vanishing from sight.

“Don’t chase after him! Fatty was there last night. If you show enough sincerity, I’ll tell you everything!” the plump youth shouted, grinning slyly.

Hearing this, the disciples swarmed toward him.

Meanwhile, Luo Xiong, Feng Cheng, and Elder Mo were in their respective courtyards, tending to their gardens while chatting.

“It’s so hot this morning. When will it finally cool down?” Luo Xiong complained, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“Soon. Autumn is only a month away,” Feng Cheng replied with a laugh.

“I hope it comes quickly,” Luo Xiong sighed, shaking his head.

Suddenly, he noticed Qin Feiyang rushing over from afar and broke into a smile. “Our genius is here.”

Elder Feng stood up to look, his face lighting up with a broad smile. Even Elder Mo, usually stern and taciturn, was grinning.

“Greetings, Hall Master! Greetings, Elder Feng, Elder Mo!” Qin Feiyang halted before Luo Xiong’s courtyard and bowed respectfully.

Elder Feng chuckled. “Here so early—do you have more good news for us?”

“There can’t be that much good news.” Qin Feiyang gave a wry smile and bowed again. “Hall Master, I’ve come to ask if I might use Alchemy Room One.”

“Why?” Luo Xiong asked.

“I want to try pushing myself further,” Qin Feiyang replied.

The three exchanged glances, momentarily stunned.

Most people spend their entire lives unable to craft a supreme-grade elixir, yet this boy did so on his first attempt, and he’s still not satisfied? But it was a good thing—it showed ambition, worthy of praise and support.

“Mental strength, talent, pill fire, and furnace—these are all essential for crafting a fine pill. Very well, take Alchemy Room One. I rarely use it anyway,” Luo Xiong said with a smile.

“Thank you, Hall Master!”

“Hall Master, Elder Feng, Elder Mo, I take my leave!” Qin Feiyang, overjoyed, bid them farewell and hurried back toward the Pillfire Hall.

“What an impatient little fellow,” Elder Mo said with a smile, turning to Luo Xiong. “Hall Master, that sole reserved spot in the Pill King Hall surely belongs to him now, wouldn’t you say?”

“Haha—need you even ask?” Feng Cheng burst into laughter before the Hall Master could reply.

When Qin Feiyang returned to the Pillfire Hall, he quickly explained the situation to Gu Ba and the others.

They were both astonished. After all, Alchemy Room One was reserved for the Hall Master alone—never before had any disciple been allowed so much as a glance inside. Yet now, Qin Feiyang was given free rein. The difference in treatment could not have been starker. Since the Hall Master had agreed, none dared protest, and Qin Feiyang entered the chamber as he wished.

The room was about the same size as the others, but the furnace was the finest in the entire Pill Hall, glowing with an unmistakable luster.

Qin Feiyang reached out and flicked the furnace, the sound ringing out pure and resonant, unmarred by the slightest imperfection. He pressed a switch, igniting the black flame.

A deep hum filled the air as the pill fire blazed forth, crimson and fierce.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Feiyang began to refine a healing elixir.

Word of this soon spread, causing another stir. Not only had he managed to get Cheng Yi and his companions thrown into pig baskets, but he’d also secured the use of Alchemy Room One. Who exactly was this Jiang Haotian?

The plump youth, too, became the object of everyone’s attention.

When he entered the Treasure Pavilion with twenty supreme-grade pills, chaos erupted.

The Pill Hall had produced supreme-grade elixirs! The news swept through Black Bear City like wildfire. The heads of the major clans, the Martial Hall Master, and even the City Lord himself were drawn to the Treasure Pavilion.

For a time, the plump youth was the most sought-after man in the city, everyone eager to learn the origin of the pills. Though he liked to show off and was a bit greedy, he dared not reveal anything without Qin Feiyang’s consent.

In the end, the twenty pills were auctioned off for a total of twenty thousand gold coins, divided among the three leading clan heads, the City Lord, and the Martial Hall Master—a sky-high price.

To think: a single Qi-Gathering Pill normally sold for only two gold coins, and as for Body-Tempering, Healing, or Bone-Mending Pills, twenty ordinary ones wouldn’t fetch even ten gold coins. Compared to twenty thousand, the difference was astronomical.

In truth, even supreme-grade pills shouldn’t have fetched such a price, as they were all low-tier elixirs. But since these were the first supreme-grade pills ever seen in Black Bear City, everyone scrambled for them, driven largely by vanity: possessing a few supreme-grade pills was a mark of status and identity.

The plump youth, flush with his windfall, returned to the Pill Hall beaming with delight. But just because he kept quiet didn’t mean the matter was settled. Anyone with any standing in Black Bear City came to visit Luo Xiong, hoping for answers.

At first, Luo Xiong was bewildered, but upon learning the truth from their questions, his anger flared. That damned fatty, begging for a beating! But he merely feigned ignorance, saying he’d only just found out and would inform everyone after further investigation.

After finally sending the crowd away, the City Lord, Martial Hall Master, Treasure Pavilion Master, and even the War King Lin Liang from Yancheng’s Lin family came in person. Luo Xiong, along with Feng Cheng and Elder Mo, found the constant disturbances intolerable and simply avoided meeting anyone. Eventually, the visitors left, but none were willing to give up, trying every means to find out more.

Meanwhile, the disciples of the Pill Hall were busy speculating. Some considered Qin Feiyang, but immediately dismissed the idea—how could someone who had only just begun learning alchemy possibly craft supreme-grade pills? All clues pointed to the plump youth.

Yet since his return, he had vanished without a trace, nowhere to be found in the entire Pill Hall.

Beneath Luo Xiong’s courtyard, in a concealed, airtight cellar, there was a single chair in the left corner. The plump youth was tied to it, his body bruised and battered, face swollen and discolored, eyes nearly shut—he looked just like a pig’s head!

Luo Xiong, Feng Cheng, and Elder Mo stood before him, all wearing expressions of anger. Indeed, it was they who had tied him up, with Elder Mo personally delivering the punishment, the results evident from the plump youth’s sorry state.

The plump youth felt wronged. Jiang Haotian had given him the pills—they were his property, to use as he saw fit. Why should he be beaten for it? Wasn’t this interference a bit much? To make matters worse, not only had he been beaten, but the twenty thousand gold coins from the auction had also been confiscated by the three leaders. Were they not Pill Hall’s dignified authorities, not bandits? How disgraceful!

He felt more wronged than the legendary Dou E.

Luo Xiong asked, “Fatty, do you realize your mistake?”

“What mistake did I make?” the plump youth retorted. No matter that they were the powers-that-be, he would not yield!

“Stubborn fool. Old Mo, send him to the pig basket for a year or so,” Luo Xiong ordered.

“Ah! The pig basket? For a year?” The plump youth’s face changed dramatically as he cried out, “Hall Master, I know my mistake! I’ll change, I truly repent! I’ll accept any punishment—just not the pig basket!”

The three leaders exchanged glances, a hint of amusement in their eyes.

The Hall Master, face stern, said, “When you leave here, if anyone asks, you say you found the pills by chance, understand?”

“Yes, yes!” The plump youth nodded vigorously.

Feng Cheng added, “And if anyone asks about your injuries?”

“I know, I know. I’ll say I hurt myself by accident.”

“Good. At least you’re sensible. Let this be a lesson to you—keep a low profile from now on,” Feng Cheng said.

“The pig basket is always ready for you,” Elder Mo added suddenly. The plump youth trembled in fear, his face turning green.