Pill King Gu He

The strong had their troubles, and the little folk had their discerning eyes. Everyone's life had its own splendor.

Hearing the call, Chen Cang pushed open the door and followed Shopkeeper Liao downstairs, just as a group entered.

"Oh, isn't this Brother Lei Zang? I didn't see you when I fled back last night. I thought you'd gotten lost in the desert."

The first man to be called out felt his old face burn, but he did not regret his decision. Even if he could do it all over again, he would still make the same choice.

"Ahem, let me introduce myself properly. My name is Lei Zang, and I'm an elder of the Mittel Family in the Imperial Capital."

So this was a round of coming clean.

Chen Cang nodded in acknowledgment.

There was nothing surprising about it, nor anything worth being surprised over.

After all, in some storybooks, even deserters could become generals. By comparison, Elder Lei Zang was merely a little timid, which was hardly grounds for condemnation.

"Let me introduce these two to you..."

"No need. I'll do it myself."

Lei Zang wanted to offer a friendly gesture, but the man at the head of the group raised a hand and cut him off.

Only after leading everyone aside to sit down did the man speak.

"I'm on good terms with the Misty Cloud Sect. After hearing about you, they became very interested. As it happens, I've been near Stone Desert City lately, so their sect leader asked me to come meet you. Oh, right, my name is Gu He. I'm an alchemist."

Whenever others introduced Gu He, they habitually included his title of Pill King.

But when Gu He introduced himself, he never did, nor did he need to.

In the Jia Ma Empire of today, it was no exaggeration to say that everyone knew his name.

As soon as people heard the name Gu He, they would naturally make the connection.

Gasp, so he's the Pill King!

Seemingly modest, yet quietly showing off.

Chen Cang nodded silently. He had learned another trick.

Then he obligingly gave the appropriate reaction.

"Oh! To think I'm standing before the Pill King himself. Forgive my poor eyes for failing to recognize you."

When Shopkeeper Liao called him downstairs, he had already told Chen Cang about Lei Zang's return and the old man's identity. Gu He was the only one he had not recognized.

Thus, from the moment Chen Cang came downstairs, his attention had actually been on Gu He.

Still, seeing through something did not mean saying it aloud.

Sure enough, Gu He was immensely pleased by Chen Cang's reaction, and his smile grew even brighter.

"It's fine. We've never met before, after all, so it's only natural that you wouldn't recognize me. Compared to me, you ought to know Old General Huang here better. He's the city lord of Stone Desert City. With a word from him, you'd be guaranteed a carefree, comfortable life here, with a different snake-woman serving you every day."

"You flatter me, Pill King. Defending Stone Desert City against the Snake-People already leaves this old man utterly drained. I have no such ability. Besides, we've never held the advantage in our clashes with the Snake-People. Just a few days ago, many civilians suffered at their hands, including quite a few underage girls."

The old city lord was deeply displeased by Gu He's words. It was as though, in this Pill King's eyes, Stone Desert City were some pleasure resort.

But given Gu He's standing, he could not rebuke him. He could only say a little more to make clear how difficult life on the border was.

Realizing he had misspoken, Gu He's smile stiffened slightly. He immediately gave an awkward laugh and turned toward Chen Cang to change the subject.

"Let's leave that aside. Chen Cang, Old General Huang and I came today because we both wanted to meet you. Your name is quite resounding these days. Lei Zang said you'd already broken through to Dou Ling. If word gets out, I'm afraid neither the sect leader nor the Imperial Family will be able to sit still... Wait, you're already at two stars?!"

Sensing Chen Cang's strength, Gu He froze in surprise.

Old General Huang was equally astonished, and the pressure on him grew heavier.

If someone like this were taken in by the Misty Cloud Sect, it would hardly be good news for the Imperial Family.

He and Gu He had come together today, and each knew perfectly well what the other was after.

"I've been training in the desert lately and gained a few things. I only broke through last night and haven't had time to consolidate it, so my aura is still a little unsettled. Please excuse me."

"..."

Silence was the best retort.

Only after a long while did Gu He speak again.

"Your talent truly is the finest I've ever seen, without exception.

"And from what I understand, you've always cultivated alone, without much proper guidance, and your cultivation environment has been fairly ordinary."

"Chen Cang, have you ever considered joining a faction?"

"Whether it's the Misty Cloud Sect or the Imperial Family, with your talent, you'd receive the best guidance and the greatest allocation of resources as soon as you joined. Your cultivation would progress even faster."

Old General Huang pricked up his ears beside him, ready to compete over terms, though he honestly had little confidence.

Although Gu He represented the Misty Cloud Sect and he represented the Imperial Family, both acting on someone else's behalf, Gu He's status gave his words far more weight.

Lei Zang, on the other hand, remained perfectly composed. He had never intended to join the competition and was now simply enjoying the show.

Chen Cang also knew that if he nodded now, these two would most likely make promises on behalf of the powers behind them, offering him the finest treatment.

Unfortunately, he truly had no interest in either the Misty Cloud Sect or the Imperial Family.

The help these two factions could offer him was far too limited. Joining them would instead be rather like spinning a cocoon to bind himself.

In strength, resources, and backing, neither the Misty Cloud Sect nor the Imperial Family possessed even one ten-thousandth of what the Soul Hall had.

Chen Cang had long since decided to enter the Soul Hall and reap some benefits. The only reason he had yet to act was that he still had not met their threshold.

"Thank you for the reminder, Pill King, but for now, I don't want to make a hasty decision. I may visit the Imperial Capital in a while. Once I've experienced things firsthand, I'll know which place suits me better."

Joining was out of the question, but stopping by for a look was fine.

Within the Jia Ma Empire, setting aside the exceptional existence that was Xun'er, the Imperial Family and the Misty Cloud Sect had the deepest foundations.

"Haha, you're young, but you've thought things through thoroughly. Honestly, I quite agree with your decision. After all, what suits you is best. Take the Misty Cloud Sect, for example. They've asked me many times to become an honorary elder, but I've never given them a definite answer. I do owe them some favors, but favors can be repaid in other ways."

Chen Cang smiled. Aside from showing off a little, the current Gu He was rather free-spirited.

At the very least, he was not unlikeable.

Then again, becoming a sixth-rank alchemist at his age on the Northwest Continent certainly gave him grounds for pride.

As for why Gu He later ended up bound to the Misty Cloud Sect, there was no doubt about it: a pretty face had turned his head.

"I'm glad you understand, Pill King."

Having understood Chen Cang's thoughts, neither Gu He nor Old General Huang pressed him.

To them, this was actually a decent outcome.

They had neither succeeded nor failed.

As long as they could report back, that was enough.

"What's there not to understand? I rather like you, kid. Oh, right, you're fire-attributed too, aren't you? I can sense it. Come, try this. Let me see whether you have the aptitude to become an alchemist."

As he spoke, Gu He took a Testing Crystal Ball from his Storage Ring.

Probably only alchemists considering taking on a disciple would carry something like this around.

Chen Cang knew his own circumstances, but Gu He had already held it out before him. He did not refuse and placed his palm on it.

"I was tested once when I first formed my dou qi vortex. Unfortunately, I don't have..."

Looking at the color emerging on the crystal ball, Chen Cang froze.