VIP Pass

"Over the next few days, I will make sure Tingyi doesn't eat any food from the lineage. All her food will be bought from outside by me personally." Xu Yin calmed down quickly. A woman grows strong for her children, and now that someone was plotting against her daughter, she wouldn't let them off easily. "However, on the day of the birthday banquet, I will still have Tingyi pretend to have been poisoned, catching them off guard!"

Su Chen looked at Xu Yin with admiration. "That's right, Little Aunt. That's exactly how it should be, but it's still not enough!"

"Not enough?" Xu Yin asked.

"The gap in strength between Cousin and Jiang Yuewu is very small. Even if Cousin isn't poisoned, it still doesn't guarantee a hundred percent crush on Jiang Yuewu," Su Chen said.

"Then what should we do?"

"The method is what I just said—rely on herself!" Su Chen said calmly.

"Rely on herself?" Xu Yin asked, puzzled.

"One must take control of one's own destiny. I can help her, but all I can do is point out a path. She still has to walk that path herself!"

With that, Su Chen stood up. "Little Aunt, go tell Cousin that if she wants to take charge of her own destiny, she should come find me within these next few days."

After saying this, Su Chen pushed the door open and left.

Xu Yin gazed at Su Chen's retreating back, a thoughtful look in her eyes. She had witnessed all of Su Chen's changes, and by now, she naturally trusted him one hundred percent.

However, Tingyi's temper was notoriously stubborn. Would she even listen to what Su Chen had to say?

Thinking of this, a trace of worry also appeared on Xu Yin's face.

As for Su Chen, he headed straight to Five Treasures Hall.

He planned to buy some body-tempering medicinal materials at Five Treasures Hall to temper his own physique.

His previous clash with the black-robed powerhouse from the Iron Garb Sect had made Su Chen realize the importance of body-tempering. If his physique could surpass ordinary martial artists of the same rank, then back then

he wouldn't have sustained such severe injuries.

Although the Alchemy Guild was not without materials, the Alchemy Guild was not a place of business after all, and the completeness of its materials was certainly far inferior to Five Treasures Hall. Many times, the Alchemy Guild had to purchase materials in bulk from Five Treasures Hall.

Arriving at the gates of Five Treasures Hall, Su Chen was just about to enter when he was suddenly blocked by two guards at the entrance. "I'm sorry, guest. Today is the bi-monthly VIP day of Five Treasures Hall, and only VIPs are allowed inside. Do you happen to have a Five Treasures Hall VIP pass?"

A VIP day?

Su Chen glanced around and indeed saw that the entrance of Five Treasures Hall today was completely deserted, forming a sharp contrast with the usual hustle and bustle.

However, since Su Chen had come, there was absolutely no reason for him to turn back. He frowned and asked, "Can't I go in without a VIP pass?"

"Yes, guest." Although the guard still spoke respectfully, a trace of contempt already showed in the depths of his eyes. "Without a VIP pass, entry into Five Treasures Hall is forbidden today."

This was a bit troublesome. Although Su Chen possessed the Honorary Guest Elder badge of the Alchemy Guild and would undoubtedly be able to pass through anywhere unhindered once he took it out, he didn't want to expose this layer of identity so early.

Su Chen shook his head, thinking to himself that had he known this, he would have disguised himself before coming out today—perhaps by wearing a black robe so that people wouldn't recognize him, allowing him to brazenly take out the Alchemy Guild's Honorary Guest Elder badge.

Just at that moment, a familiar figure emerged from the entrance of Five Treasures Hall. It was none other than Jiang Minghao.

Upon seeing Su Chen, Jiang Minghao couldn't help but chuckle gleefully. "Yo! If it isn't our great alchemy genius, Su Chen! What's the matter, without a VIP pass, you're locked outside? Do you want me to help bring you in?"

Although he said that, one could tell from Jiang Minghao's tone that he had no sincere intention of helping Su Chen inside. He was simply gloating and seizing the opportunity to humiliate Su Chen.

Sure enough, Jiang Minghao's next words were: "As long as you call me Grandpa twice and admit you're my follower dog, I wouldn't mind helping bring you in... Haha!"

Since Jiang Minghao was a direct descendant of the Jiang Family, it was no surprise that he had a Five Treasures Hall VIP pass.

Moreover, Jiang Minghao had his face severely slapped by Su Chen during the apprenticeship banquet last time, and up until now, his teacher, Master Qian, hardly paid any attention to him. He had harbored a deep bone-deep hatred for Su Chen in his heart, and now that he had finally found an opportunity, he naturally intended to ruthlessly humiliate Su Chen.

Yet Su Chen merely cast a cold glance at him and said, "Were you talking to me just now? Sorry, could you repeat that? There might have been a dog barking just now, and the voice was too loud, so I didn't catch what you said."

Su Chen actually compared his speech to a dog barking!

"Su Chen!" Jiang Minghao instantly flew into a rage. "Don't get too full of yourself! Don't forget, you're just a lowly parasite living under someone else's roof, living off the Jiang Family and eating from the Jiang Family! As long as I'm willing, I can kick you out of the Jiang Family at any time!"

"What did you say?" Su Chen's expression turned cold. Even if he lived in the Jiang Family, he was staying in Xu Yin's house and eating Xu Yin's food, which had nothing to do with Jiang Minghao at all.

Jiang Minghao's words undoubtedly touched Su Chen's reverse scale, and true qi was already rapidly gathering within Su Chen's palms.

Jiang Minghao still had no idea that he was about to suffer a disaster and wanted to say something else when a voice suddenly interrupted him: "Who is making a din and stirring up trouble at the entrance of Five Treasures Hall?"

Immediately following that, a man who looked like a steward walked out.

When that steward's

gaze made contact with Su Chen, his pupils shrank violently as he recognized Su Chen!

It was the youth who had publicly cured the Coldheart Python bite at Five Treasures Hall that day!

And the moment Su Chen saw the Five Treasures Hall steward appear, he withdrew the true qi from his palms. No matter what, if he beat Jiang Minghao to death right at the entrance of Five Treasures Hall, it would still cause some trouble.

Jiang Minghao remained completely oblivious to the fact that he had just escaped a calamity. Seeing the Five Treasures Hall steward come out, he smiled and said, "It's nothing, just someone without a VIP pass trying to sneak into Five Treasures Hall, and I stopped him!"

"It's this fellow!" Jiang Minghao pointed at Su Chen.

Yet, the next moment, a scene occurred that left Jiang Minghao utterly incredulous.

The Five Treasures Hall steward's eyes constricted. He immediately hurried toward Su Chen, bowed, and said respectfully, "I was unaware that Your Esteemed Self was visiting Five Treasures Hall today. Please forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar!"

"Esteemed sir, please come with me, I will lead you inside!" The steward made an inviting gesture and led Su Chen right through the gates of Five Treasures Hall.

Witnessing this scene, Jiang Minghao's eyeballs almost popped out of his head. What was going on? Why was the Five Treasures Hall steward treating Su Chen with such immense respect?

One had to know that Five Treasures Hall always practiced flattery toward the high and oppression toward the low; they only paid attention to people with genuine fame and status. Su Chen had zero reputation, and Five Treasures Hall couldn't possibly know what had happened at the Jiang Family banquet that day, so how could they possibly value Su Chen so highly?

Jiang Minghao didn't know that Su Chen's alchemy attainments had already been displayed at Five Treasures Hall. For Five Treasures Hall, the most worthy people to rope in were alchemists, so how could they possibly show disrespect to Su Chen?

Besides, the Five Treasures Hall steward was no fool; he had failed to recognize Mount Tai when facing Su Chen that day, only to be severely reprimanded by the person in charge of Five Treasures Hall afterward. Seeing Su Chen again today, he naturally showed the utmost respect.