Anomaly

Before the temporary wooden house at Precious Medicine Workshop, Medicine Slave was washing the dishes. With his back to Ye Tong, he asked, "Young Master, are you really preparing to go to the prefectural city?"

"Yes, I have to go!"

Ye Tong sat cross-legged, sensing the condition inside his body. What faintly worried him was that less than a month had passed since his last medicinal bath, yet the toxins within him seemed to be stirring again. At the latest, in another half a month, he would likely have to use poison to fight poison once more.

Medicine Slave sighed. "The prefectural city is a dazzling world of luxury and desire, where indulgence flows unchecked and everything costs enough to make one shudder. Even if you brought ten thousand in gold there, spending it might not even raise a splash. We must bring more silver before we go! I just wonder how much silver we can earn from that batch of pills ordered by the War Tiger Adventurer Team."

Ye Tong stopped examining his body and glanced at Medicine Slave, a thoughtful look surfacing in his eyes.

Blood Demon Worm!

They were scarce in number and exorbitantly expensive.

To those who needed Blood Demon Worms, a price of one million blue gold would not be surprising at all. He only had so little money; it was nowhere near enough to bid for Blood Demon Worms. As for using Silver Crystals... he was willing, but even adding the Silver Crystals in his possession, it would probably still not be enough!

Make money!

Ye Tong drew a deep breath and said, "Medicine Slave, I'll make a list of medicinal ingredients later. Take it to the market and buy them. I'll give you all the silver notes and gold notes. Spend every last bit."

Medicine Slave's eyes widened as he said in disbelief, "Young Master, ten thousand Blue Gold is one hundred thousand taels of Blue Silver. Adding these twenty thousand taels' worth of silver notes, that makes a total of one hundred and twenty thousand taels of Blue Silver. You... you really want to use it all to buy medicinal ingredients?"

Without hesitation, Ye Tong said, "That's right. Spend it all."

Medicine Slave had recently realized that his young master cared greatly about gold and silver wealth, but he had never imagined that his young master would be willing to spend all one hundred and twenty thousand Blue Silver. This was truly an astonishingly grand stroke!

"Young Master, there's something I need to tell you."

"Speak!"

Medicine Slave hesitated. "That girl Xiao Jiu has gone missing."

Ye Tong narrowed his eyes, then slowly nodded. "I know."

Medicine Slave froze and asked in confusion, "You aren't worried?"

Ye Tong said, "Would worrying help? I once read Xiao Jiu's facial features and saw signs that she would soon travel far away. Don't worry. Although I don't know where she went, I believe she will certainly be safe and sound."

Facial features?

Medicine Slave revealed a strange expression. One could even discern that someone was "about to travel far" by reading faces?

This young master...

He truly understood him less and less.

Ye Tong said, "Before Precious Medicine Workshop is finished, I'll go to the place where Xiao Jiu lived to refine pills. Deliver all the medicinal ingredients you buy there as well!"

"Alright!"

Medicine Slave nodded in reply.

Construction on Precious Medicine Workshop did not stop. After Medicine Slave raised the price by five hundred Blue Silver, more craftsmen came, and the construction speed grew faster and faster. In merely twenty-one days, the expanded and more imposing Precious Medicine Workshop was completely finished. During those twenty-one days, aside from cultivation, Ye Tong devoted all his attention to pill refinement.

Ye Tong was highly skilled at refining poison pills, but he was somewhat lacking when it came to other types of pills. However, through failure after failure and the constant accumulation of experience, his pill-refining skill advanced by leaps and bounds.

"There's still one-third left."

Ye Tong checked the amount of pills and medicinal fluids he had refined, nodded in satisfaction, then lowered his head and continued refining pills. He had no intention whatsoever of moving back to Precious Medicine Workshop.

Finally.

With four days remaining before his appointed time with the War Tiger Adventurer Team, Ye Tong successfully finished refining all the pills and spiritual fluids ordered by the War Tiger Adventurer Team. Then he began making jade bottles. Medicine Slave made three round trips before transporting all the jade bottles containing the pills and spiritual fluids back to Precious Medicine Workshop.

"Young Master, you must not ask too little for them." In the spacious storeroom, Medicine Slave stood before the shelves, looking at the several hundred exquisite and unique jade bottles. He said seriously, "Your jade carving skill is the finest I have ever seen. This old servant guarantees that even if these jade bottles alone were sold outside, each one could fetch a hundred Blue Silver."

Ye Tong could not help laughing. "Isn't that a little exaggerated?"

Medicine Slave said solemnly, "Young Master, I am not exaggerating in the slightest. That is even a conservative estimate. If you meet someone who truly likes them, a single jade bottle could sell for a thousand Blue Silver. So you must not ask too little for this batch of pills!"

Hearing that, Ye Tong revealed a thoughtful expression. He recalled the story of buying the casket and returning the pearl. In truth, when he had first heard that story, he had wondered whether the buyer might genuinely have liked the wooden box while having no interest at all in the pearl.

Pearls!

In many people's eyes, they were treasures. Yet in some people's eyes, they might not be worth as much as a meat bun, a book, or a handicraft. Everyone viewed things differently, and the value they placed on objects differed as well.

After thinking it over, Ye Tong said, "Don't worry."

Medicine Slave nodded slightly. Knowing that his young master was not one to suffer losses, he stopped repeating himself and brought up another matter instead. "Young Master, for more than half a month recently, cultivators have often been lurking suspiciously outside Precious Medicine Workshop. They seem to harbor ill intentions."

Ye Tong raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sent by the Tong Family?"

Medicine Slave shook his head. "I don't know."

Ye Tong said, "Since we cannot figure it out, there is no need to bother with them. Just stay alert. By the way, there are still quite a few medicinal ingredients left in the stone house Xiao Jiu rented. Go retrieve those too!"

"Alright!"

Medicine Slave agreed and left the storeroom.

Cold Mountain City, Piaoxiang Tower.

Its luxurious and imposing interior was carved with coiling dragons and soaring phoenixes, exquisite beyond compare.

This was the most expensive den of extravagance and nest of tenderness in all of Cold Mountain City. The women within were dressed like blossoming branches, while the arriving guests threw away fortunes with a wave of their hands. Men and women reveled in pleasure amid drunken luxury, carefree beyond measure.

Third floor.

Inside a spacious room, the plump-faced Miao Daqing stroked his round belly while enjoying the service of two young women. Immersed in this haven of tenderness, he had even cast to the clouds beyond the ninth heaven the business deal he had recently been single-mindedly pursuing—currying favor with the Tong Family in hopes of cooperating with them.

Knock, knock...

Someone knocked on the door from outside, and a slightly hoarse voice came through. "Master, there is news."

Miao Daqing paused, then seemed to think of something. His expression immediately turned serious. Pushing away the women beside him, he waved a hand and said, "You may leave!"

A moment later.

After the two young women departed, a shrewd-looking young man entered. He shut the door behind him before approaching Miao Daqing and saying, "Master, it has been confirmed. That Ye boy from Precious Medicine Workshop has returned."

A cold smile appeared at the corners of Miao Daqing's mouth. "Word has already spread outside that Tong Kaishan of the Tong Family had his arm cut off by that Ye boy. Tong Kaishan even went to take revenge and seemingly suffered a setback.

"By now, the Tong Family's Patriarch probably wishes he could chop that Ye boy into eight pieces. I just don't know why the Tong Family's experts have not gone after him again. It should also be related to how he has been hiding recently."

The shrewd young man asked, "Do you intend to lend the Tong Family a hand?"

Miao Daqing nodded. "Since we learned Ye Tong's whereabouts first, then we will kill him. So long as we satisfy the Tong Family, that deal will likely be ours. Awei, immediately take the Lineage's experts and slaughter that Ye brat for me. Carry his head to the Tong Family."

The shrewd young man answered and immediately headed outside.

Cold Mountain City, Tong Family.

As the Tong Family's Patriarch, Tong Siyuan had been living quite comfortably lately, aside from his son, who caused trouble all day long, having one arm severed and nearly dragging the Tong Family into disaster.

"Madam, where is that little bastard?"

Inside the richly carved and painted house, Tong Siyuan drank a cup of tea and looked up at his wife, Madam Zhang, as she walked in unhurriedly.

A grave expression hung on Madam Zhang's face. "Husband, Shan'er is at the martial training ground. Do you think he has gone mad lately? In the past, he was never home. Sometimes, we would not see hide nor hair of him for days, and whenever news came, it was always that he had caused some trouble outside. Yet for the past twenty-odd days, he has cultivated at the martial training ground every day. He has even dragged Lineage guards over to spar with him. It is as if he has become a different person."

Tong Siyuan was stunned when he heard this. "You mean that for these past twenty-plus days, he has not left home at all? He has cultivated at the martial training ground every day?"

Madam Zhang said, "Yes!"

Tong Siyuan understood his son's nature well. Even though he had received the Lineage's support, he always loafed around during cultivation. Since childhood, Tong Siyuan had whipped him with a leather lash too many times to count, but it had never done much good.

Then!

What had happened to him lately?

Tong Siyuan pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Madam, come with me and take a look. I want to know what evil has possessed that brat."

Very soon, the couple arrived at the martial training ground. In the empty training ground, only two figures were darting up and down, locked in a fierce and inseparable battle.

"That is... Wu Bin?"

Tong Siyuan remembered Wu Bin. He was a Tong Family guard at the Qi Refining Seventh Level. Though not exceptionally strong, he was still considered a pillar among the Tong Family guards.

Madam Zhang nodded. "That is correct. It is Guard Captain Wu."

Tong Siyuan narrowed his eyes and quietly observed the two men fighting. Yet after watching for about a quarter of an hour, an incredulous expression emerged on his face. He discovered that his disappointing son, despite having lost an arm, could actually fight Wu Bin to a standstill. Most importantly, his son had already broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Level.

Something was wrong!

Tong Siyuan coughed. Only after the two men on the training ground separated, panting heavily, did he walk over with his hands behind his back. He examined Tong Kaishan, then waved at Wu Bin. Once Wu Bin had left, he frowned and asked, "Did you cause some kind of trouble?"

"No..."

Tong Kaishan thought of the scene where he had knelt at Precious Medicine Workshop that day, and his heart immediately trembled. Could Mu Xiaochen have come to cause trouble for the Tong Family?

"Father, what do you mean?"