Revenge

Jialie Clan, conference hall.

The night was deep, yet the hall was brightly lit.

Around the long Black Iron Wood conference table sat the core leadership of the Jialie Clan.

At the head of the table, the clan leader Jialie Bi sat with a calm expression.

Seated at his immediate left was the Great Elder Jialie Nu, who was currently holding a cup of hot tea, blowing away the foam, though a joy he couldn't suppress hid in the corners of his eyes.

The remaining elders and the managers in charge of various markets and guard units lined both sides, most of them looking spirited and whispering to one another; an atmosphere of excitement permeated the hall.

"Ahem." Jialie Bi gave a light cough, and the noisy discussion immediately subsided; everyone sat up straight, their gazes focusing on him.

"Everyone is here." Jialie Bi spoke slowly, "Master Liu Xi is currently refining medicine in the Alchemy Room, so he will not be attending tonight's meeting. Let's discuss the recent situation."

The third manager in charge of market business immediately stood up, a smile plastered on his face as he said:

"Reporting to the clan leader and elders! Ever since the 'Rejuvenation Powder' refined by Master Liu Xi was put on the market at a low price, the results have been immediate!"

"Over at the Xiao Clan market, the original medicine shops have seen their customer traffic drop by at least fifty percent!"

"Many mercenaries and rogue cultivators have switched to buying our medicine. Although the unit price is lower, the sheer volume makes up for it! This month's profit is expected to double compared to last month!"

"Good!" Jialie Nu slammed the table. "It won't be long before the entire medicine business in Wutan City belongs to the Jialie Clan! Hahahaha!"

Another thin, elderly man in charge of intelligence chimed in with a laugh:

"According to reports from our planted agents, the Xiao Clan is already losing their footing. They have a significant backlog of medicinal herbs and finished pills in their warehouse, and their capital turnover must be tight."

"Xiao Zhan has held three elder meetings in the last few days, likely discussing how to respond, but in my opinion, without an Alchemist, they can rack their brains all they want and it won't matter! They can only watch helplessly as we eat away at their market share step by step."

"Those old fogies in the Xiao Clan must be jumping with rage, right? Haha!"

"Master Liu Xi is truly the lucky star of our Jialie Clan!"

"At this rate, within three months, we will have cut off the economic lifeline of the Xiao Clan!"

Excited discussions and laughter erupted in the conference hall once more, as if victory were already within their grasp.

Jialie Bi's face was also full of smiles, but he raised his hand to suppress the voices of the crowd once again.

"Quiet." His gaze slowly swept across the room. "Although the current situation is excellent, the Xiao Clan has been entrenched in Wutan City for many years and still has a foundation; we cannot let our guard down."

"Furthermore, there are a few things we must clearly understand."

"First, Master Liu Xi has a high success rate in alchemy, which is our greatest advantage. However, while profits have doubled, ninety percent of that flows into his pocket. The Jialie Clan does all the running around and bears all the risks, only to end up drinking the leftover soup."

"What does the clan leader mean?" Jialie Nu looked over.

"My meaning is that this trade war is not just about making money. Of course, we cannot offend Liu Xi, as he has a third-grade Alchemist as a master behind him. Therefore, our true interest is that after we crush the Xiao Clan, we must seize their entire territory! We need to broaden our perspective, understand?" Jialie Bi said.

The crowd suddenly realized, nodding one after another.

Jialie Bi nodded and continued: "Second, Master Liu Xi's success rate in alchemy did not come out of thin air. I believe everyone here is aware that this is largely... because of that kid named Ye Xiu."

At the mention of Ye Xiu, the expressions of several high-ranking clan members who had been involved in the matter became subtle.

"That kid... what is his state now?" an elder asked hesitantly. "I went to take a look a few days ago. At this rate of blood extraction, I'm afraid he won't last long. If this 'Medicine Primer' runs out..."

"Indeed," another more cautious elder frowned:

"Clan leader, while Master Liu Xi's alchemy is important, this 'Medicine Primer' is a consumable. Should we... at least let him eat more to recover?"

"Even if it just helps him last a little longer, it would be good. It's better than him being exhausted quickly, and then where would we find another one of those, what was it, Innate Medicine Body?"

This question hit the nail on the head. How could Jialie Bi not know? He had even thought about secretly giving Ye Xiu some good healing medicine and supplements.

But...

A hint of coldness appeared on his face, and he shook his head: "Master Liu Xi has given clear instructions on this matter."

He paused, then said coldly: "When that kid was captured, he was disrespectful to the Master and spat on his face. The Master was furious and personally ordered that he only be fed the leftovers from the dogs."

"I see that the Master's anger has not yet subsided. If we go against his wishes now to give that kid preferential treatment, wouldn't that be a slap in his face?"

"Sigh..." Everyone sighed.

The conference hall fell into a brief silence. Feeding a vital strategic resource of the clan with dog food—how absurd was that?

But no one dared to speak ill of Liu Xi.

Jialie Nu snorted, breaking the silence: "A lowly servant kid, if he dies, he dies! Since Master Liu Xi has ordered it, we shall do as he says!"

"Perhaps the Master has his own measures, or when that kid is about to fail, the Master will have other ways to extend his life? We only need to fully cooperate with the Master now and win this battle! Thinking about anything else is useless!"

Upon hearing this, Jialie Bi said: "The Second Elder is right. As for that kid Ye Xiu, send one more person to guard him; just try not to let him die."

An elder nodded and was about to give the order.

"No need to guard him."

Just then, a cold voice rang out abruptly from the corner of the hall, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Who?!"

"Who is it?! How dare you trespass into the clan's restricted area!"

Jialie Bi and the elders present were horrified, turning their heads sharply toward the sound.

A black shadow had appeared at the entrance of the assembly hall at some unknown moment.

It was a youth, looking to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a slightly thin frame, yet he stood as straight as a javelin, wearing a set of servant's robes stained with grime and blood.

"Ye... Ye Xiu?" An elder recognized the youth with a start.

"What?"

"He is Ye Xiu?!"

Most of the other elders only knew the name but had never actually seen the person.

Jialie Bi looked at the youth and asked, "Ye Xiu, how did you get out of the dungeon?"

Ye Xiu let out a cold laugh: "How else? I walked out, naturally!"

Jialie Bi narrowed his eyes and said expressionlessly:

"I don't care what crooked path you used to escape, but as long as you crawl back to the dungeon right now, I can show mercy and let you live a few more days."