Xiao Family Counterattack

Xiao Chen returned to the Xiao Family with the medicinal ingredients he had obtained from Ya Fei and began refining pills.

With Xiao Chen's current abilities as a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, refining Second Grade Pills was simply effortless.

As time passed, a Second Grade healing pill called the "Blood Recovery Pill" appeared in the Xiao Family Market and went on sale throughout Wutan City. Most importantly, its healing effects were better than the Gale Family's "Spring Return Powder," while its price was also lower.

Naturally, these "Blood Recovery Pills" appearing in Wutan City had been refined by Xiao Chen.

At the same time, the Mittel Auction House suddenly announced that it would cease all cooperation with the Gale Family and the Oba Family, including its partnership to supply medicinal ingredients.

The news enraged the Gale Family Patriarch. Without the Mittel Auction House supplying them with ingredients, they would have to purchase them from other cities.

That meant transport costs, escort fees, and other expenses. Even after the ingredients reached Wutan City, they still had to be refined. Adding Liu Xi's share as a First-Rank Alchemist, the Gale Family would barely make any substantial profit. Avoiding losses would already be considered fortunate.

However, after the Second Grade healing pill, the "Blood Recovery Pill," refined by Xiao Chen appeared in Wutan City, the Gale Family's once wildly popular "Spring Return Powder" immediately saw its sales plummet, leaving the Gale Family Market deserted. In contrast, the Xiao Family Market became exceptionally lively. Every day, large numbers of mercenaries and merchants came to the Xiao Family Market, making it even more prosperous than before.

At the same time, Jia Lie Bi, the Gale Family Patriarch, began to suspect that the Xiao Family also had an alchemist backing them—and one of a higher rank than Liu Xi—or that the Gale Family had offended someone they should never have offended.

Half a month later, the appearance of the Blood Recovery Pill had swept through Wutan City like a raging storm, rapidly seizing seventy percent of the healing medicine market and causing the Xiao Family's income to soar.

The Xiao Family sold Blood Recovery Pills for one hundred gold coins each. If the Gale Family began lowering the price of their Spring Return Powder, the Xiao Family would lower theirs as well. This was a commercial war.

Because Wutan City was situated near the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, there were many mercenaries in the city. The Magical Beast Mountain Range was fraught with danger, so mercenaries had an enormous demand for healing medicines. This made the Xiao Family's Blood Recovery Pills more popular than the Gale Family's Spring Return Powder.

For the same price, the healing pills they bought differed by an entire rank—First Grade versus Second Grade.

As large quantities of Blood Recovery Pills appeared, Xiao Chen became so busy every day that he had no time to cultivate. Over the past half month, he had refined nearly ten thousand Blood Recovery Pills, and that number continued to rise. At the same time, the profits from the Xiao Family's Blood Recovery Pill sales also continued to increase.

But while some rejoiced, others worried.

As the Gale Family's Spring Return Powder sold less and less in Wutan City, Liu Xi could no longer sit still. With fewer sales of Spring Return Powder, his share naturally decreased as well.

Thus, Liu Xi personally made a trip to the Xiao Family Market to see who dared steal his business. The Gale Family Patriarch went with him, as he too wanted to see who the Xiao Family's alchemist was.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen's pill-refining life continued.

When the Gale Family Patriarch and Liu Xi arrived at the Xiao Family Market, they did not get to meet Xiao Chen as they had hoped. Xiao Chen had never refined pills in the Xiao Family Market in the first place; instead, he refined them in his own courtyard within the Xiao Family estate.

However, walls had ears. The Gale Family also began secretly investigating the Xiao Family's alchemist. In the end, after paying a considerable sum in gold coins, they discovered the identity of the Xiao Family's alchemist.

"The one who refined the Blood Recovery Pills was actually Xiao Chen of the Xiao Family!"

Quite a few people were gathered in the Gale Family's main hall, including members of the Oba Family and the alchemist Liu Xi. They were all upper-ranking figures from the two great families.

At that moment, everyone present was shocked upon hearing the information they had uncovered from the Xiao Family.

"When did that Xiao Chen become an alchemist? And he's even a Second-Rank Alchemist!"

"Could it be that some expert is guiding Xiao Chen from behind the scenes?"

The people in the hall began discussing it one after another. They had heard of Xiao Chen before, but they truly had no idea when he had become an alchemist.

Seated at the head of the hall, Jia Lie Bi, the Gale Family Patriarch, held a white jade bottle in his hand. A faint medicinal fragrance wafted from within it.

Listening to everyone's discussion, Jia Lie Bi frowned slightly, his expression ugly. He turned to exchange a look with the Oba Family Patriarch, and the two of them nodded gently.

"Xiao Chen has already become a Dou Zhe at such a young age, and now he is also an alchemist. We cannot allow him to continue growing. This boy must not be allowed to live, or he will inevitably become a great enemy of both our families in the future."

A cold glint flashed through Jia Lie Bi's eyes as he spoke icily.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

At a seat on the left side near the head of the hall, a young man in white lounged lazily against the back of his chair. He was rather handsome, but the occasional lewd glint in his eyes thoroughly ruined his appearance. At that moment, one of his hands was slowly slipping beneath the clothes of the pretty maid standing beside him.

Under the young man's molestation, the pretty maid's face had turned slightly pale, tears gathering in her eyes as her delicate body trembled faintly without pause. Yet she did not dare make the slightest sound.

This young man in white was Liu Xi.

After hearing Jia Lie Bi's words, Liu Xi nodded and said, "If there's a chance, make him reveal the Pill Recipe for the Blood Recovery Pill."

Liu Xi was also very interested in the Blood Recovery Pill's recipe. After all, it was a Second Grade Pill Recipe.

Jia Lie Bi nodded at his words, but the matter required careful planning. For now, he would let the Xiao Family be proud for a while. As his thoughts turned, Jia Lie Bi quickly made a decision.

Afterward, the people in the hall discussed matters for half an hour before dispersing.

Xiao Family, inner courtyard.

Xiao Chen stood before the Cosmos Cauldron, continuously tossing medicinal ingredients into it while controlling the temperature of the flames.

As the flames churned, the medicinal ingredients within the Cosmos Cauldron rapidly melted. Their medicinal essences were extracted, then fused with several other ingredients before finally forming pills.

Pill fusion was the final step. At that moment, Xiao Chen's soul perception sensed the temperature of the flames and the changes occurring among the ingredients within the Cosmos Cauldron.

Inside the Cosmos Cauldron, seven differently colored medicinal liquids were merging into a single mass, eventually fusing into pills the size of longan fruits.

After a while, Xiao Chen flicked his finger, sending out a gust of force. The lid of the Cosmos Cauldron flew open, and Xiao Chen drew his hand toward the cauldron.

Suddenly, dozens of pills appeared before Xiao Chen. He carefully counted the number of pills refined this time and muttered to himself:

"Seventeen Blood Recovery Pills."

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Thanks to

Liren City Huan'ai for the 100 book coin reward.