At those words, everything else the First Elder had been about to say stuck in his throat.
He had never considered that question.
After all, deep down, he was convinced that these two brats must have stolen the pills from some expert.
He simply refused to believe that two callow boys could possess the skill to refine such potent pills.
His thoughts shifted, and he spoke at once.
"Very well. If you can demonstrate how these two pills were refined, I'll apologize to you before everyone in the sect."
"But if you can't prove that you refined them, and we find evidence that you stole them, what will you do then?"
Xiao Mo answered without hesitation.
"Then I'll cripple my own cultivation and leave my master's tutelage. I'll no longer be a disciple of the sect."
That was an exceptionally vicious oath to impose on himself.
After hearing him swear such an oath, the First Elder's expression turned particularly ugly.
Especially when he saw the certainty on Xiao Mo's face, he began to wonder, deep down, whether he had been wrong.
But the arrow was already on the string and had to fly. He had been pushed this far, and there was no room left to back out.
The First Elder could only clear his throat.
"Fine. Let's seal the oath with a clap of our hands."
Xiao Mo sneered, quickly took two steps forward, and raised his hand to meet the First Elder's.
But just as he reached the elder, he suddenly withdrew his hand, his gaze brimming with icy coldness.
Seeing such a chilling gaze on a half-grown boy sent a shiver down the First Elder's back.
He felt as though a venomous snake had fixed its eyes on him, and even had a premonition of his impending defeat.
What nonsense am I thinking?
The First Elder hurriedly shook off those jumbled thoughts, snorted, and flicked his sleeve.
"I knew you wouldn't dare."
Xiao Mo merely gave a cold smile.
"It's not that I don't dare. It's that I don't think you're worthy. You've never been willing to trust disciples like us, nor do you acknowledge our abilities."
"We brought such miraculous medicine to the Xiao Clan, yet your first reaction wasn't gratitude, or a genuine attempt to find clues and verify things with us."
"You simply made baseless guesses and questioned our character without a shred of evidence. Are you worthy of being our elder?"
With that, he swiftly turned and walked straight to Xiao Yan's side.
"A teacher who doesn't trust his own disciples is unworthy of the title. I'm ashamed that the Xiao Clan has a First Elder like you."
The First Elder was so furious that his beard bristled and his eyes bulged. He pointed at Xiao Mo, ready to erupt, only to be silenced by a glare from Xiao Zhan.
"Damn it, isn't Xiao Mo right?"
The First Elder was struck speechless. Of course he knew Xiao Mo had a point, but his pride wouldn't let him swallow his dignity before a junior like this.
Even if he truly was wrong, he would persist in that mistake to the bitter end.
The First Elder snorted, turned, and promptly gestured for Xiao Mo to proceed.
"Such shameless boasting. Since your tongue is so nimble, hurry up and refine the pills. Let us see whether you really have that ability."
Xiao Mo nodded and told Xiao Yan to bring out the Alchemy Furnace. The two prepared to begin refining.
They deftly placed the herbs into the Alchemy Furnace, then began channeling their Dou Qi cultivation arts, gradually warming and heating the pills inside.
Soon, a layer of alternating red and blue light burst from the Alchemy Furnace, enveloping it in an instant.
The next second, the furnace lid blasted open. Without hesitation, he swiftly enveloped the Alchemy Furnace in Ice, forcibly pressing the lid back into place.
When the lid was opened again, a fragrant scent instantly spread throughout the mist.
When the three elders gathered beside the Alchemy Furnace, they were astonished to discover more than a dozen pills lying inside.
Every one of them was top-grade rejuvenation powder.
All three elders froze on the spot.
Xiao Mo dusted off his hands and gave them a faint smile.
"Surely three men of such lofty virtue and prestige wouldn't go back on their word? You wouldn't fall short of disciples like us, would you?"
In disbelief, the three elders took pills out of the Alchemy Furnace and carefully rolled them between their fingers for a while.
They even split a single pill into three portions, treating it as something precious, and each put a portion into his mouth.
After sensing the power within the rejuvenation powder, all three were dumbstruck.
They simply couldn't believe that these two juniors possessed such ability, that they could actually refine top-grade pills of such purity.
But the truth was right before their eyes. They had no choice but to believe it.
Xiao Mo looked at the First Elder, whose face alternated between ashen and pale, and pointed toward the door.
"Elder, I won't make things difficult for you..."
Meeting the First Elder's expectant gaze, he freely delivered the rest of his words.
"I'm a very reasonable person. I also understand that, at your age, your mind might not be as nimble as ours."
"So I can give you half a day to prepare properly. Tomorrow morning, I expect to hear you apologize to both of us before all the disciples."
Watching the hope on the First Elder's face swiftly turn to despair, he couldn't resist teasing him with a smile.
"First Elder, surely you didn't think I was about to let you off?"
"No way. Really? I, Xiao Mo, have never been the sort to repay hatred with kindness. I've always believed that if others don't offend me, I won't offend them."
"If anything like this happens again, it may not end as simply as it has this time."
He had never feared trouble or anyone else.
Since someone had dared to come after him, he naturally had to show that person a little of what he was capable of.
Seeing Xiao Mo deal with these old fossils all on his own, Xiao Zhan's face immediately brightened with a smile.
He was actually quite fond of the boy's temperament.
Compared with his own son Xiao Yan, who was inexperienced in worldly affairs and even a little naive at times, Xiao Mo was different.
The way Xiao Mo handled matters was simply satisfying, letting him vent his frustration and leaving him thoroughly pleased.
He stood firm when firmness was needed and took a roundabout route when a softer approach was called for. This fellow truly understood how to navigate life. He even left others unable to find any fault or loose end to seize upon.
As the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly gloomy, Xiao Zhan quickly coughed to break everyone's silence.
"All right, you three elders, put my pills down. Don't think I didn't see you secretly pocketing a few from the Alchemy Furnace just now."
These pills were the very foundation on which their sect would survive and thrive. Especially now, when they desperately needed a turnaround, every single pill mattered.
Xiao Zhan turned his gaze back to the three elders, his tone stern and warning.
"I'll let it go this time. Remember to apologize tomorrow. I also want to hear you apologize to the two of them before all the disciples."
"Besides, I didn't summon you here today to argue. I wanted us to discuss how we should price these things."
Before you continue