Are You Going to Shield Him?

After Jiang Yuan slapped her, Feng Qing'er stood there clutching her cheek, stunned and furious.

When had she ever suffered such humiliation in her life? As the personal disciple of the master of Wind-Thunder Pavilion, she had actually been slapped in public.

Just as Feng Qing'er was about to lose her temper and began stirring the Dou Qi within her, she suddenly spotted three figures hurrying toward them from a distance.

They were the Pill Tower's Three Elders: Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and another elder.

When the Three Elders arrived, they saw the handprint on Feng Qing'er's face, then glanced at Jiang Yuan standing beside her. Confusion crossed their faces.

Xuan Kongzi was the first to speak. "What's going on? What brings someone from Wind-Thunder Pavilion here?"

Upon seeing the Three Elders, Feng Qing'er restrained herself somewhat. After all, she had come to pay a visit today, not cause trouble.

Though she hated Jiang Yuan so much she could grind her teeth, she suppressed her anger and bowed slightly. "Three Elders, I am Feng Qing'er, the personal disciple of Thunder Venerable, master of Wind-Thunder Pavilion. I have come to visit the Pill Tower today on my master's orders."

"I have brought a few modest gifts and would like to discuss something with you."

The Three Elders exchanged glances. They all knew she would not have come without a reason. After all, someone from Wind-Thunder Pavilion had traveled all this way bearing gifts. This was certainly more than a social call.

Xuan Kongzi nodded. "What business brings you here, Miss Feng?"

Feng Qing'er continued, "Here's the situation. I heard that an alchemist from the Pill Tower recently refined a peak eighth-tier nine-colored pill called the Nine Netherworld Underworld Pill. Its effect allows a Dou Zun expert to advance directly to Dou Sheng."

"My master is quite interested in this pill, so he sent me to discuss it with you. If possible, Wind-Thunder Pavilion would be willing to exchange Dou Techniques or cultivation methods for it."

"The terms are negotiable. As long as the Pill Tower is willing to part with it, Wind-Thunder Pavilion will certainly not disappoint you."

Feng Qing'er's tone was more courteous than before as she spoke. After all, she was facing the Pill Tower's Three Elders and had to show them some respect.

Yet when she finished, all three elders wore rather peculiar expressions.

Xuan Kongzi, in particular, remained silent for a moment before saying, "Miss Feng, well... I'm afraid we can't help you."

Feng Qing'er froze briefly. "Elder Xuan Kongzi, what do you mean?"

At that, Xuan Yi said calmly from beside him, "That Nine Netherworld Underworld Pill was not refined by one of our Pill Tower's alchemists."

"So even if you come to us to negotiate a trade, we can't conjure one up for you."

As soon as those words fell, Feng Qing'er stood rooted to the spot, her face filled with disbelief.

"It wasn't refined by someone from the Pill Tower? How is that possible? Across the entire Dou Qi Continent, only the Pill Tower or the Yao Clan could refine a pill of that caliber. If it wasn't one of the Pill Tower's alchemists, who else could it have been?"

Xuan Kongzi shook his head. "We would also like to know who refined it, but that is the truth. This pill did not come from our Pill Tower."

"If you truly want that pill, Miss Feng, you might try your luck at the Space Trade Fair. The auction will settle the matter when the time comes."

Hearing this, Feng Qing'er opened her mouth to say more, but the Three Elders genuinely did not look as though they were lying. She could only swallow the words on the tip of her tongue.

Still, she was filled with confusion and shock. If it was not an alchemist from the Pill Tower, who had refined a pill of that caliber? Could there be some hidden master alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent?

With a head full of questions, Feng Qing'er could only let the matter rest.

Before leaving, however, she could not help recalling the slap she had received earlier.

She addressed the Three Elders again. "Three Elders, there is one more matter in which I would like you to uphold justice."

"I was speaking perfectly reasonably here just now, yet that disciple of your Pill Tower slapped me for no reason. As the personal disciple of Wind-Thunder Pavilion's master, I came to visit your Pill Tower only to be treated like this. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

As she spoke, Feng Qing'er pointed at Jiang Yuan, who stood nearby.

The Three Elders followed her finger, their gazes settling on Jiang Yuan.

Zhang Qiling Xuan Kongzi frowned and asked, "Jiang Yuan, is what Miss Feng said true?"

Jiang Yuan, however, was not the least bit flustered. He gave Feng Qing'er an indifferent glance before saying, "She's right. I did hit her, but this woman deserved it."

The moment Jiang Yuan said that, Feng Qing'er nearly exploded with anger. She pointed at him, her voice trembling with rage. "Three Elders, you heard him, didn't you? He admitted it himself!"

"He attacked me for no reason. Surely your Pill Tower owes me an explanation?"

After saying this, Feng Qing'er waited for the Three Elders to punish Jiang Yuan. Let's see what you have to say for yourself now.

He even dared to act so arrogantly in front of the Three Elders. Surely they'll deal with him now. Yet after waiting for quite some time, she noticed that all three elders wore somewhat odd expressions.

Xuan Kongzi fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand. "All right, we've heard what happened."

"Jiang Yuan, go rest in the back. We'll handle things here."

Jiang Yuan grunted in acknowledgment without saying anything more, then turned and walked toward the back of the Elder Council, utterly calm and composed.

Feng Qing'er was dumbfounded by the sight.

What did this mean? They were just letting him leave?

She pointed at Jiang Yuan's retreating figure. "Three Elders, you... you're going to shield him? He hit me, and you're going to pretend you didn't see it?"

Glancing at Feng Qing'er's furious expression, Xuan Yi said evenly, "Miss Feng, we don't yet understand the full circumstances of this matter. We'll discuss it once we've gotten to the bottom of things."

Feng Qing'er seethed at those words. Discuss it once they'd gotten to the bottom of things? Didn't that mean they had no intention of holding him accountable?

The personal disciple of Wind-Thunder Pavilion had been slapped in public, and the Pill Tower's Three Elders were brushing her off with a casual "we'll discuss it once we've gotten to the bottom of things"?

They were clearly shielding that fellow!

Feng Qing'er gritted her teeth. Though she was deeply displeased, the Three Elders had already made their stance clear, and she could hardly turn hostile on the spot. After all, this was the Pill Tower's territory, and she had little strength on her own.

She could only suppress her anger and nod. "Very well. In that case, I'll take my leave."

With that, Feng Qing'er turned and left with her attendants. Before leaving, she cast a vicious glare in the direction Jiang Yuan had gone. She had already marked him down as an enemy in her heart. Sooner or later, she would avenge this humiliation.

After Feng Qing'er left, the Three Elders exchanged glances.

Xuan Kongzi sighed. "That brat really never gives us a moment's peace."