Eldest Brother, Take Your Medicine

In the dim side room, a tiny bean of lamplight swayed in the night breeze. Zhu Hong'an and Gao Xian's shadows shifted with it, lending the room an indescribably eerie air.

Zhu Hong'an, slightly drunk, paid no attention. He didn't think Gao Xian could pose any threat to him.

A second-level Qi Refining alchemist—what could he possibly do to threaten him?

He was at the eighth level of Qi Refining, after all. In both magical power and physical strength, he could crush any early-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Besides, with Gao Xian's timid, cowardly nature, you could put a sword in his hand and he still wouldn't dare fight back!

Zhu Hong'an was confident he had Gao Xian in the palm of his hand. If the man refused to sign the contract today, he'd teach him a lesson!

"Shopkeeper Zhu, don't get worked up. I'll sign, all right..." Gao Xian looked utterly helpless, clearly admitting defeat.

That pleased Zhu Hong'an. "At least you know what's good for you!"

He added, "You'll hand over all the Spirit Stones you earned selling pills these past few months. Zhou Ye and Huang Ying's shares will be deducted from your monthly pay."

Zhu Hong'an was speaking merrily when he noticed the strange look Gao Xian was giving him. There was a hint of relief in it, along with a touch of pity and sympathy.

What does this brat mean by that?

Zhu Hong'an sensed something was wrong. Before he could figure out what, he saw a glint of gold suddenly rise in Gao Xian's bright eyes.

The golden light blazed, sharp beyond description, carrying a fierce, unstoppable force.

It was like—like a peerless divine spear thrusting straight at him.

Zhu Hong'an jolted in alarm. Though slightly drunk, he immediately realized something was wrong. "That's a spell!"

"Gao Xian can cast a spell instantly, without forming hand seals or chanting? How is that possible!"

Before Zhu Hong'an could make sense of it, a burst of pain struck his forehead, as if a red-hot iron spear had pierced straight through his brain.

The agony swallowed his consciousness in an instant, leaving him utterly unable to control his body. Only a pained scream escaped him on instinct.

Gao Xian wasn't surprised. He had already practiced with Zhu Qiniang and tested the power of the True Yang Spear.

Even Zhu Qiniang, with her formidable physique, had been left seeing black after a strike from a master-level True Yang Spear. According to her, Zhu Hong'an would never withstand it.

While Shopkeeper Zhu was unconscious, Gao Xian grabbed the back of his fleshy neck.

His master-level Lightning Dragon Hand let him take complete control of Zhu Hong'an's spine, ensuring the man's body went limp and couldn't resist.

Even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator couldn't pull off any tricks with his body under someone else's complete control.

To prevent anything unexpected, Gao Xian had already taken out the Soul-Bewildering Powder with his left hand and smeared it all into Zhu Hong'an's nostrils.

He sighed inwardly. Eldest Brother, take your medicine!

He hadn't wanted to be a lecherous landlord, but Zhu Hong'an had insisted on playing the eldest brother!

Gao Xian's string of movements had been astonishingly quick and fluid. Even if Zhu Hong'an had been conscious, it would've been hard for him to dodge. Now, he could only let Gao Xian do as he pleased.

The Soul-Bewildering Powder took effect immediately. Zhu Hong'an's screams stopped, and he promptly passed out.

Gao Xian let go, and Zhu Hong'an's fat body slowly slumped to the floor.

The sudden turn of events left Yang An at a loss. By the time he came to his senses, Zhu Hong'an had become a slaughtered pig, ready for the chopping block.

Yang An was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, a proper mid-stage cultivator. He had looked down on Gao Xian, who was only at the second level.

Seeing Gao Xian dispose of Zhu Hong'an with ease, Yang An finally realized how terrifying he was.

Yang An was clever enough in ordinary matters, but at a crucial moment, his mind seemed to seize up.

He stammered at Gao Xian, "You—you've gone mad..."

Gao Xian glanced at Yang An. He didn't know the man or what the right thing to do with him was, so he could only look to Zhu Qiniang.

"A mongrel who followed Old Zhu around."

Zhu Qiniang had little regard for Yang An. As she spoke, she took a single step and was in front of him.

Yang An's face was filled with terror. He hurriedly pulled a talisman from his sleeve, but before he could activate it, Zhu Qiniang clamped a hand around his throat and lifted him up.

With his blood and qi unable to circulate, Yang An's face quickly turned purplish red. He kicked wildly, but soon ran out of strength and rolled his eyes back, passing out.

Against Zhu Qiniang, a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator, Yang An had no power to resist.

Gao Xian saw that Yang An was about to die. After a moment's thought, he said, "Qiniang, don't kill him yet. If the Evil Spirit doesn't come, we'll have to make Yang An do it."

Zhu Qiniang looked puzzled. "Do we really need to go to so much trouble?"

"We do."

Gao Xian said gravely, "Shopkeeper Zhu's death needs a reasonable explanation. Whether or not anyone else believes it, at least we'll be able to account for it to the sect."

"All right." Zhu Qiniang casually set Yang An down.

Gao Xian went over and gave Yang An a little more Soul-Bewildering Powder, helping him sleep soundly.

"Now we just wait for our old friend to come calling," Gao Xian said.

Zhu Qiniang came to stand beside Shopkeeper Zhu and asked casually, "How long will the medicine last?"

"With that much in him, it should last at least two hours." Gao Xian wasn't entirely sure, so he had stuffed a small bottle of Soul-Bewildering Powder into Shopkeeper Zhu's nostrils.

Shopkeeper Zhu had first been struck by his True Yang Spear, then had his muscles and bones numbed by the Lightning Dragon Hand, and on top of that, he had been dosed with Soul-Bewildering Powder. Even with his high level of Qi Refining, he couldn't withstand all that.

Besides, they were both watching him. Even if Shopkeeper Zhu woke up midway, it wouldn't matter.

Zhu Qiniang nodded. "Good."

She undid Zhu Hong'an's blue robe, revealing a green vest beneath it.

Zhu Qiniang pulled off the vest and handed it to Gao Xian. "Azure Wood Armor. Old Zhu's most valuable treasure."

Gao Xian took the Azure Wood Armor. It felt light and supple, with a texture somewhat like leather.

Its surface bore wavelike patterns like those on tree bark, and it looked quite beautiful.

"What is it made of?" Gao Xian asked curiously.

"Refined from the bark of the Ten-Thousand-Year Azure Wood Tree. It's exceptionally tough—the best of the first-tier upper-grade magic artifacts, worth eight hundred Spirit Stones. It can activate the Wood Shield three times a day. It also comes with the Azure Wood Dew Spell, which can heal all kinds of injuries."

Zhu Qiniang said, "Luckily, your True Yang Spear was powerful enough to give him no chance."

Zhu Hong'an wasn't much of a fighter, but he had the Azure Wood Armor and plenty of talismans. If it had come to a fight, even Zhu Qiniang would've found it hard to take him down quickly.

"Put it on. This is the kind of treasure that can save your life. The Azure Wood energy can also nourish your body and blood, which is very beneficial," Zhu Qiniang said.

Gao Xian liked the Azure Wood Armor very much. The price alone made it appealing.

If anything happened, he could sell it for a hefty pile of Spirit Stones.

But considering how they worked together, the armor wouldn't be of much use to him. He and Zhu Qiniang had teamed up, so keeping it all for himself didn't seem right.

After thinking it over, Gao Xian said, "I mostly make pills. I don't get into fights. The Azure Wood Armor would suit you better."

Zhu Qiniang shook her head. "I have no use for the Azure Wood Armor."

Then she said meaningfully, "We killed Old Zhu together. From now on, we share our blessings and shoulder our troubles together. Don't stand on ceremony with me."

Gao Xian smiled too. "All right, then I won't stand on ceremony."

He immediately took off the Black Scale Inner Armor and put on the Azure Wood Armor.

The Black Scale Inner Armor he'd gotten from Old Wang had been decent quality, but it couldn't compare to the Azure Wood Armor. Not by a long shot!

Gao Xian used his divine sense to connect with the Azure Wood Armor and immediately felt a little resistance.

It was like using someone else's phone—everything felt unfamiliar and awkward.

Zhu Qiniang reminded him, "The Azure Wood Armor has a trace of Old Zhu's divine sense on it. Just blast it away with the True Yang Spear."

Following Zhu Qiniang's instructions, Gao Xian unleashed the True Yang Spear and drove it deep into the Azure Wood Armor. He could clearly feel a condensed force of spirit dissipate.

When Gao Xian tried controlling the Azure Wood Armor with his divine sense again, everything fell into place. There was no resistance at all.

For Qi Refining cultivators, the Azure Wood Armor was the highest-grade magic artifact they could control.

The Azure Wood Armor came with two spells, the Wood Shield and the Azure Wood Dew Spell. Gao Xian had never used either of them, so he would need time to get used to them.

While Gao Xian studied the Azure Wood Armor, Zhu Qiniang stripped Zhu Hong'an of his robe and removed his storage bag, magic artifacts, and talismans.

As Flying Horse Market's richest merchant, Zhu Hong'an had truly amassed a fortune.

Zhu Qiniang set the magic artifacts, talismans, and storage bag aside, then stood beneath the eaves and watched the man who was her husband in name only.

She didn't know if the Evil Spirit would come, and she wasn't very confident in Gao Xian's plan.

Whatever happened, Zhu Hong'an had to die tonight!

After sleeping for a long while, Zhu Hong'an's breathing gradually became slow and steady. His eyelids twitched; he was about to wake up.

Zhu Qiniang looked at Gao Xian. He was a little surprised too. It had only been an hour, and Shopkeeper Zhu was already about to wake up? Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators really couldn't be underestimated.

Just as Gao Xian was about to give Zhu Hong'an some more Soul-Bewildering Powder, he suddenly sensed that familiar trace of yin energy.

Gao Xian was delighted. My good friend, you finally came!