A Worthless Penny

"You have repeatedly slandered my Mingxin Xuan. If you cannot give me a clear explanation today, my Mingxin Xuan will never let this go!" Shopkeeper Su said coldly.

Mingxin Xuan has always had an excellent reputation. The main reason why Mingxin Xuan is so famous is that eating Mingxin Xuan dishes has the effect of nourishing and preserving beauty, that is, making people more beautiful and youthful for longer.

This is a great temptation for young people, especially girls.

Although martial artists can use various secret techniques to disguise themselves flawlessly, the appearance they acquire after disguise is ultimately not their own. Who wouldn't want to be young and beautiful as they are?

For this reason, Princess Hongyi is a loyal customer of Mingxin Xuan; she has dined there countless times.

Seeing this, Jingyue Sha became anxious. In her opinion, Yi Yun had gotten into this trouble for standing up for her. She couldn't help but glance at Jingyue Yin, her eyes filled with a pleading look.

"Don't rush, let's see what Yi Yun has to say."

Jingyue Yin was also quite displeased with Princess Hongyi and Mingxin Xuan, believing that they were going too far. But Yi Yun was so young; could he really find fault with Mingxin Xuan's signature dish?

"A top-quality tonic, no different from taking elixirs? If that's the case, then your Cloud Hidden Phoenix Seeks Phoenix is indeed not a fraud." Yi Yun said.

Everyone was stunned. Princess Hongyi almost burst out laughing, her eyes fixed on Yi Yun: "What's this? Kid, do you think we'll let you off the hook after this farce?"

"What's your rush? It's not like you're looking for a man." Yi Yun glanced at Princess Hongyi indifferently.

Princess Hongyi's face immediately flushed red. "You!"

Her cultivation technique was unique, giving her a bewitching and alluring aura, but she usually hid it, appearing cold and aloof on the surface.

But now, it seems that Yi Yun has seen through her deliberately hidden seductive charm and is using it to mock her.

"The reason I say this is because your Cloud Hidden Phoenix Seeks Phoenix is not a dish at all, but a complete elixir. That's one reason," Yi Yun said, shaking his head.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Princess Hongyi frowned.

If it were elixirs, although the price would be very high, it wouldn't be so sought after. That's because of the special nature of the food, just like clothing or jewelry made of special materials. Although they can cover the body like clothing made of other materials, they lack that unique preciousness and rarity.

Furthermore, I've never heard of elixirs being used in cooking; these two are fundamentally different things.

Only a flicker of something unusual Shopkeeper Su's eyes, but he still shouted sternly, "Insolence! How dare you speak Mingxin Xuan Pavilion! The cooking methods for these dishes all originated from my Danxin Sect. The depth and strength of my Danxin Sect are beyond your imagination!"

In the Tiannan Great World, the Danxin Sect is not to be offended. Most of the top-grade pills and relics in the Tiannan Great World are supplied and sold by the Danxin Sect. Even the Cloud-Leaving Empire and the Lightning Divine Kingdom have to treat the Danxin Sect with utmost respect.

At this moment, Yi Yun had already walked up to the Cloud Hidden Phoenix Seeks Phoenix, sniffed the aroma, and said, "This is just a Spirit Nourishing Pill and a pill that also has beauty and anti-aging effects. Some other rare and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures prepared by Medicinal Cuisine Master were added, and then the Spirit Nourishing Pill and Beauty Enhancing Pill were processed using a special method and scattered into it, thus creating this Cloud Hidden Phoenix Seeks Phoenix. Not only that... the pills used in this dish were problematic to begin with."

Shopkeeper Su's heart skipped a beat. This kid was speaking with such conviction; could it be that he had actually figured something out? Or was he not a junior at all, but some enemy of the Danxin Sect who wanted to deal with Mingxin Xuan, deliberately giving him information and using him as a pawn?

Shopkeeper Su's face was gloomy. She felt that the latter possibility was more likely. Judging from Yi Yun's cultivation level and age, he couldn't possibly have such insight. He probably had someone behind him.

The Cloud Hidden Phoenix Seeks Phoenix is quite unique; otherwise, it wouldn't be used as the Mingxin Xuan dish of Mingxin Pavilion. This kind of secret recipe is only possessed by the Danxin Sect. Shopkeeper Su's understanding of Pill Dao is not deep; he only vaguely knows a little and doesn't know everything. The preparation of dishes is originally the responsibility of the alchemists.

Shopkeeper Su refused to believe that this young man could find flaws based on just a few words he overheard.

"What 'Spirit Nourishing Pill' or 'Beauty Enhancing Pill'? You're just making that up," said Shopkeeper Su.

Princess Hongyi sneered, "There are so many guests coming and going, including many pharmacists and alchemists. If it really was made from pills, how come others can't tell, but you can? You're spouting nonsense like this. Now it's not just Mingxin Xuan, but Danxin Sect won't let you off the hook either." Princess Hongyi said gloatingly.

Jingyue Sha looked anxiously at Yi Yun. The situation was escalating, and she didn't want Yi Yun to get into any trouble because of her.

"So what if I made a mistake? You've put it out for sale, so why can't people judge it?" Jingyue Sha said, forcing a smile.

"Indeed, the dishes of Mingxin Xuan are open to criticism, but slander will never be tolerated," Shopkeeper Su said coldly.

"You and your protector should bow your heads and apologize to me, then obediently get out of here, and I'll plead with Aunt Su on your behalf. I believe Aunt Su will be magnanimous and forgive you for my sake," Princess Hongyi said with a smile. She looked at Jingyue Sha meaningfully, "Today, will you bow your head or not?"

Jingyue Sha was filled with shame and indignation. She secretly resolved that even if she had to bow down here today, she would definitely kill Hong Yi with her sword at the martial arts tournament in a few days!

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose not far away.

Immediately afterwards, a middle-aged Scholar- like man walked in, accompanied by several Maidservant.

Upon seeing the middle-aged Scholar, Shopkeeper Su's expression changed, and he quickly greeted him with a smile, saying, "What brings Alchemist Zhang here?"

This Alchemist Zhang is the alchemist in charge of Mingxin Xuan of the Danxin Sect. Some of the medicinal dishes in Mingxin Xuan, Cloud Hidden Phoenix Seeks Phoenix, are his creations.

Even Princess Hongyi smiled and said, "Greetings, Alchemist Zhang."

This Alchemist Zhang represents the Danxin Sect, so how could Princess Hongyi possibly be negligent?

"What's going on?" Alchemist Zhang asked calmly, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

He had actually overheard some of it before coming over. He wanted to see who dared to question the dishes at Mingxin Xuan.

"Oh, it's an old acquaintance of mine, a protector of beauties, who doubts Mingxin Xuan's 'Cloud Hidden Phoenix Seeks Phoenix' is just a name without substance." Princess Hongyi finished speaking and revealed a sly smile, wishing she could make things even bigger.

Seeing Jingyue Sha's ashen face, Princess Hongyi felt extremely smug. This Jingyue Sha was still as foolish as ever; did she really think that just because she apologized, she would let her off?

Alchemist Zhang glared at Yi Yun: "You little brat, you dare to question me?"

Yi Yun sneered and suddenly reached out his hand.

A gray flame flickered in his hand and leaped directly onto the exquisite dish.

The exquisite dish was instantly enveloped by vital energy and scorched in the gray flames.

"Ah!"

The Maidservant carrying the tray was startled, while Shopkeeper Su flew into a rage. "What are you doing!"

"What's all the fuss about? It's just a dish. I'll pay you back if I ruin it," Yi Yun said calmly. "Or are you feeling guilty?"

Shopkeeper Su's eyes flashed as he looked at Alchemist Zhang.

Alchemist Zhang frowned. It seemed Yi Yun really knew something; judging from his posture, was he planning to refine pills?

This is a sect's secret recipe. Even if Yi Yun can tell it's made from pills, he doesn't know the formula. The pills are already dissolved; even if he tries to refine them with fire, what could he possibly produce?

Thinking of this, Alchemist Zhang calmed down and nodded to Shopkeeper Su.

With Alchemist Zhang present, Shopkeeper Su felt relieved. "If you can't prove anything today, don't even think about leaving Mingxin Xuan Pavilion!"

"If I prove it," Yi Yun looked at Princess Hongyi and Shopkeeper Su, "You just told me to apologize and get out, so go ahead and do the same thing. And you, you old woman, if you want to cut off one of my legs, I'll cut off both of yours, consider it interest."

Princess Hongyi glanced at Alchemist Zhang and sneered. With Alchemist Zhang around, she didn't believe Yi Yun could pull any tricks.

At this moment, the gray flames burned fiercely, and the wrapped dish gradually turned into a cloud of mist.

A few quarters of an hour later, the fog gradually contracted in the air, changing into various shapes.

This change has become increasingly apparent over time.

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Su had some doubts.

Could this kid really know how to refine pills?

Even Princess Hongyi frowned slightly; something seemed amiss.

Probably not. As a regular customer of Mingxin Xuan, she knows that this signature dish is a secret recipe of the Danxin Sect. Since it's a secret recipe, how could just anyone know it?

She looked at Alchemist Zhang and couldn't help but ask, "Alchemist Zhang, what is he doing?"

Alchemist Zhang's face was grim. He had never actually seen Yi Yun's method before, but it didn't seem particularly mysterious. It was just using fire to burn the already melted pills. What could possibly be produced by burning them?

"It's just a charade."

Alchemist Zhang gave her evaluation.

"So that's how it is. This kid was just stalling for time..." Princess Hongyi had just finished speaking when Yi Yun reached out and beckoned. A flash of white light appeared, and the mist quickly contracted, as if attracted by something, and all of it was drawn into Yi Yun's palm.

Then, Yi Yun slowly opened his hands.

To everyone's astonishment, two crystal-clear, milky-white pills appeared in his palm.

These two pills were formed from the condensation of that mist!

"After all, these are already processed pills; they can only be restored to about 70-80% of their original state," Yi Yun said calmly, holding the two pills.

Shopkeeper Su looked as if she had seen a ghost. She had just been certain that Yi Yun didn't know the pill formula, but now it seemed that he not only knew the formula, but was also extremely proficient in it!

Shopkeeper Su's face turned red and white in turns, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

Princess Hongyi was also stunned. "This... this..."

Even though she didn't understand pills, she could tell that Yi Yun had just forcibly refined a melted pill back into its original form!

The pill in Yi Yun's hand smelled refreshing and pleasant, exactly the same as the fragrance of the Cloud Hidden Phoenix Seeks Phoenix. This proved that what Yi Yun said was true; the Cloud Hidden Phoenix Seeks Phoenix was indeed formed from these two pills.

However, this elixir is extremely rare; once dissolved, it can be disguised as a dish, something Princess Hongyi has never seen before.

By this time, a number of people who had come to attend Princess Hongyi's birthday banquet had unknowingly gathered around. These people had originally come to watch Princess Hongyi amuse her rivals, but they were all extremely surprised to see this scene.

Even Jingyue Sha widened her beautiful eyes, her small mouth agape as if she were looking at an old monster, staring at Yi Yun as if he were a monster.

Princess Hongyi felt as if she had swallowed a fly, but they still had someone they could rely on. She quickly looked at Alchemist Zhang, thinking that perhaps Yi Yun had only used some underhanded methods, and Alchemist Zhang could expose him!

But they were stunned when they saw Alchemist Zhang's expression. Alchemist Zhang's shock at this moment was no less than theirs, and perhaps even greater!

Because only Alchemist Zhang truly understood the meaning of the Danxin Sect's secret formula.

He looked at Yi Yun incredulously and asked with difficulty, "How did you know the formula for the pill?"

But Alchemist Zhang quickly regained his composure. Now was not the time to ask that question; doing so would be a loss of face.

He said, "So what if it's dissolved from a pill? The dish itself is made from a pill, so what's the problem?"

After hearing Alchemist Zhang's words, although people thought they made sense, they still felt uneasy. Medicine and food are ultimately different. Food is milder, and martial artists can enjoy a feast whenever they want to savor life, but very few people would take pills for no reason.

Mingxin Xuan's popularity is largely due to the gimmick of its food.

But now they realize that they've been coming to Mingxin Xuan to take medicine all these years—doesn't that sound like they're sick?

"If that were all, I wouldn't say anything, but this Beauty Enhancing Pill —let's call it that for now—is a flawed formula from the start!"

Yi Yun's words were startling, and everyone was taken aback.

"A failed elixir prescription?"

Yi Yun nodded slowly. In fact, he was also very surprised. This was an ancient prescription casually recorded in the Medicine God's Classics. He did not expect that Mingxin Xuan also had this prescription.

"Boy, what nonsense are you spouting?" Alchemist Zhang's face darkened.

Yi Yun didn't take it seriously at all. He continued, "The Beauty Enhancing Pill formula you're using has a serious flaw. It only works on young people with high life potential, but it has the side effect of damaging that potential. To put it bluntly, it's exchanging life potential for a beauty effect. However, this damage is very minor, and most young people have limited cultivation levels, so they can't detect it at all. That's why your dishes sell so well and even have such a great reputation."

"If this is exposed, then in my opinion, this pill is just trash, worthless!" Yi Yun's voice was full of vigor.

Everyone was stunned. Indeed, everyone loves beauty, but if it comes at the cost of damaging one's life potential, even if it's just a minor injury, then it's not worth it.