The pills were suspected of being stolen

Yao Lao winced at the loss, and a trace of anger had crept into his gaze as he looked at Xiao Mo.

"Ungrateful disciple! Ungrateful disciple!"

He shouted loudly, yet with the speed of lightning that left no time to cover one's ears, he tucked the Alchemy Furnace into his arms, terrified that Xiao Mo and Xiao Yan might snatch it back.

Xiao Mo was speechless.

He tossed the alchemy manual in his hand.

"Master, if you keep saying things I don't like hearing, I'll have no choice but to give this back and snatch the Alchemy Furnace away."

Yao Lao simply ignored him. He swiftly swept up everything on the ground, then flickered into a cloud of smoke and vanished into the ring.

Xiao Mo had never intended to take the furnace back. He had only said that to tease the old man for a little amusement.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan stared dumbfounded at the longsword in his hand, gripping it and giving it a shake.

The next second, a burst of flame shot from his palm. It climbed along the blade until it circled its edge.

The brilliant flames honed the blade to a keen edge, and its piercing gleam cast a faint red glow over both their faces.

"This is good stuff."

Although the two items together were worth less than the Alchemy Furnace, finding something good that Xiao Yan could actually use was rare enough to make the trade worthwhile.

Xiao Mo had never been one to agonize over things. Once something was gone, it was gone.

He immediately opened the system panel, and only then noticed that the progress bar for the second mission was full.

He immediately clicked to claim his mission reward.

The system's voice sounded in his ears again.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the side mission.]

[The host has successfully helped Xiao Yan refine 100 portions of Rejuvenation Powder. Rewards: 10,000 Shop Points and 1 point of good brother affinity.]

Another batch of points had come in.

He was now one step closer to his goal. Although he was still a long way from having enough points to redeem the Wood-Type Spiritual Root Pill, he was confident he could finish the missions as soon as possible.

"Xiao Yan, come on. Let's go find your father, Xiao Zhan."

He grabbed Xiao Yan, who was studying the Fire Sword beside him, turned, and ran toward the front courtyard.

Xiao Yan was completely bewildered. The first thing he had wanted to do after returning was rest, yet his senior brother had dragged him all over the place. He still hadn't managed to rest for even a minute.

Still, amid the exhaustion, there had certainly been pleasant surprises.

He had received another gift from his senior brother, though along the way, he had also wondered where that Jazz Alchemy Furnace had come from.

After all, they had been together the entire time, and he had never seen his senior brother go to the Market to buy an Alchemy Furnace.

Nevertheless, he chose to trust his senior brother and respect his secrets.

Xiao Yan let Xiao Mo drag him along in a daze, and they soon reached the front hall.

They had only just stopped when a disciple hurried out.

Upon seeing them, the disciple immediately stepped forward and grabbed their arms.

"Xiao Yan, Xiao Mo, come with me, quickly. The Xiao Clan Leader just told me to find you. He wants to see you."

Both were startled, but they quickly recovered and followed the disciple toward the front hall.

The disciple stopped after escorting them to the hall's entrance. They pushed open the doors and immediately spotted Xiao Zhan seated at the head of the room.

At the sight of them, a hint of a smile appeared in Xiao Zhan's eyes.

The other three elders, however, scrutinized them.

Xiao Zhan waved them over.

"Come, sit over here."

He had barely finished speaking when an elder sprang to his feet and immediately raised a hand to stop him.

"Xiao Clan Leader, I believe our first priority is to establish where these pills came from. I certainly don't think these two boys have the ability to refine such unusual Rejuvenation Powder."

The first elder looked them up and down suspiciously.

"I suspect they may have stolen it."

At those words, Xiao Yan's anger became impossible to contain.

They had stayed up almost the entire night painstakingly refining it, and his senior brother in particular had worried himself sick over those few pills.

Yet these people were spouting baseless accusations, immediately slandering them as thieves.

Admittedly, had this happened a few days earlier, even he would not have believed that the two of them could refine Rejuvenation Powder like this.

But the distrust coming from his own clan left his heart cold.

Xiao Zhan clearly noticed the dejection on Xiao Yan's face. He sprang to his feet and slammed a fist into the wall.

Plaster instantly peeled away. The wall the disciples had just repaired once again had a huge hole punched through it.

Even Xiao Mo winced at the sight.

The Xiao Clan Leader's temper is way too explosive, isn't it? One disagreement and he starts smashing walls. Even a renovation crew isn't as dedicated as he is. Let me count. From when I first arrived until now, this wall must have been repaired dozens of times, right?

Looking at the tottering wall, he was thankful it probably wasn't load-bearing. Otherwise, they would have been crushed beneath it long ago.

While he was staring blankly at the wall, Xiao Zhan roared at the elders below him.

"If you don't believe my son, then don't use our products in the future. Go buy them somewhere else!"

"Don't you think our products were stolen? Well, I happen to think you're all so noble and upright that you would surely scorn using stolen goods."

"So just go buy them elsewhere. From now on, don't expect even a single portion of Rejuvenation Powder from us."

The room instantly fell so silent that not even a crow or sparrow could be heard.

Xiao Mo cheered inwardly. Xiao Zhan's temper suited him perfectly, and it was just what was needed to keep everyone in the room in line.

The three elders looked grim. They hesitated to speak, but finally, the elder who had spoken first risked stepping forward and dropped to one knee.

"Xiao Clan Leader, we're only worried that their concern for the Xiao Clan led them to acquire these things through improper means."

"After all, that would be a moral failing. If we correct them now, they won't stray from the proper path. If we keep encouraging them like this, I'm afraid both of them will grow crooked."

The first elder felt that his argument truly seemed reasonable, so he immediately began elaborating on it.

"Think about it. These two could be considered the most gifted disciples in our Xiao Clan. If they were to fall into ruin like this, I would regret it for their sake, too."

Despite his words, the first elder's gaze remained full of suspicion as he looked at them, with even a hint of contempt.

Clearly, the first elder looked down on both of them completely and had already decided in his heart that they were thieves.

Xiao Mo sighed and pulled Xiao Yan forward from behind him.

"First elder, what if I can prove we didn't steal these pills? What will you do then?"