Fan Jiu pocketed the three Origin Pills and smiled. "Brother Zhao, I'm afraid the count is off."
Zhao Gan asked in surprise, "How so? We agreed beforehand: if we used the furnace for twelve hours, we'd pay for two pills; if we used it for less than twelve hours, we'd pay for one. In truth, Brother Fan, we used your furnace for nowhere near twelve hours. You've received three Origin Pills already, so what exactly is wrong?"
"What about my share?" Fan Jiu said. "Your group refined the pills, but my furnace played no small part. Don't I get a cut? There's no such principle in the world!"
At Fan Jiu's words, every member of the Co-learning Society changed expression.
Zhao Gan's voice turned cold. "If I heard you correctly, Brother Fan must be joking with Zhao. Since when does renting a pill furnace require paying a share of the pills? What household's rule is that? Please enlighten me."
Fan Jiu's face darkened. "Brother Zhao, you're clearly trying to twist the truth. You're the first among the trial disciples to refine Origin Pills, so there's no precedent to go by. But you can't just wipe out the credit my furnace deserves. If you hadn't refined any pills, that would be one thing. But you did, and now you say my furnace had no part in it? Take that argument anywhere in the world, and I doubt anyone would accept it."
Fan Jiu's righteous indignation thoroughly enraged the Co-learning Society's people.
"Fan, you've got your head stuck in money. Ask around the whole world and see if anyone agrees with you."
"Raising the price after the fact, betraying all sense of decency for profit. Fan, are you trying to put yourself out of the furnace-rental business?"
"Brother Zhao, why waste your