"Young master, where are we going?" Xiao Cui asked, blinking. After spending more than a month with him, the bright, quick-witted girl had noticed how different he was from before.
"No idea. Let's wander around and see if anyone is so bowled over by my handsome looks and dashing charm that they give me a few tens of thousands of taels to spend," Tang Yan replied casually.
At his nonsensical answer, Xiao Cui couldn't help rolling her eyes and pretending she hadn't heard him.
Young Master Tang headed wherever the crowds were thickest. Only after walking for nearly an hour did he stop, muttering, "They should be showing up soon."
With Grand Alchemist Tang's keen soul power, he could naturally sense people following him all along the way. There was no need to guess. In Cloud City, no one but the Liu Family had openly torn all pretenses of civility with the Tang Family to shreds. And among the Liu Family, Liu Yuan was the most likely person to pull something like this.
Suddenly, Tang Yan felt the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron inside him give a shudder.
In the month since his rebirth, the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron had rarely stirred of its own accord. The first time had been when it passed the Supreme Pill Canon on to him, and the second when it swallowed his First Spirit Pill.
What was the reason this time?
Tang Yan's gaze flashed like lightning as he swiftly scanned his surroundings, finally settling on an old man beside the road.
He walked toward the old man with a show of leisure. The Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron's reaction abruptly intensified, rocking ceaselessly inside his pill chamber, as though something there stirred an overwhelming hunger in it.
Tang Yan studied the old man as he approached. He looked about sixty and was an ordinary person. A stall stood before him, displaying an assortment of medicinal herbs.
Most of the herbs were utterly ordinary. The more valuable ones included a mountain ginseng, roughly thirty years old.
"Oyster mushroom grass, an ordinary medicinal herb. Bone-strengthening grass, an ordinary medicinal herb. Red fruit, an ordinary medicinal herb..." In the few steps it took to approach, Tang Yan identified the herbs on the old man's stall one by one. He examined everything from end to end without finding anything special.
He approached with a frown. The old man, who hadn't seen a single customer stop by, suddenly spotted a lavishly dressed young gentleman coming over and immediately put on a broad smile. "Young sir, what herbs do you need? My prices are absolutely fair. These herbs were dug up only a few days ago, so they're still full of medicinal potency."
"Sir, are all your herbs on this stall?" As he spoke, Tang Yan looked toward the old man's bamboo basket.
The old man couldn't help sighing. This young gentleman clearly hadn't taken a fancy to a single herb on his stall. He gave a bitter smile. "Everything I can put out is already on the stall."
Tang Yan's eyes lit up. Everything he could put out for sale was on the stall-didn't that mean there was still something in the basket? Tang Yan stepped over and lifted the cloth covering it. Sure enough, another medicinal herb lay inside.
When he saw its shape clearly, Tang Yan's pupils abruptly contracted, and he nearly cried out.
The herb wasn't large. It was yellow and withered all over, about the size of a radish. The roots beneath it curled in a scraggly tangle, making it hideously ugly.
As it happened, Tang Yan recognized it. This herb was called the Spirit Whirlpool Fruit.
This herb was exceedingly rare and demanded extremely exacting growing conditions. Its main effect was to temper the dantian, allowing it to hold more true qi. It was like a cup: its height remained unchanged, but widening its diameter allowed it to hold more water.
He hadn't expected to find such a treasure on this outing. Forcing down his delight, Tang Yan asked casually, "What's this thing? It's really ugly."
"I dug it up deep in the mountains. Forgive these old eyes, but I don't recognize it," the old man answered honestly.
"I rather like the look of it. Stew it with an old hen back home, and it might make a nourishing soup. How much silver do you want for it, sir?" Tang Yan asked breezily.
At Tang Yan's words, the old man waved his hands. "I don't even know what it is. Judging by its appearance, its medicinal potency has probably drained away long ago. If you want it, young sir, just take it."
"Then you have my thanks, sir. Xiao Cui, pay him a hundred taels of silver," Tang Yan said with a wave.
Xiao Cui inwardly sighed that her young master had returned to his spendthrift ways. She took a banknote worth a hundred taels of silver from her pouch and handed it to the old man.
"I couldn't possibly! I couldn't!" The old man hastily waved his hands. "This herb is worth one tael at most."
"If I tell you to take it, then take it. Enough nonsense," Tang Yan said, feigning displeasure.
The old man froze at his words, tears filling his eyes. He dropped to his knees with a thud. "My grandson is gravely ill, and I've been fretting over having no money for his treatment. Young sir, I'll remember your great kindness for as long as I live. If there's ever anything I can do for you, I won't hesitate, even if it costs me these old bones!"
"Sir, please get up! If anyone sees this, they'll think the young master is bullying the common folk again." Startled, Xiao Cui hurriedly helped the old man to his feet.
Tang Yan had no intention of lingering now. Ever since he had taken the Spirit Whirlpool Fruit into his arms, the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron in his dantian had been rocking in wild excitement, like a baby crying to be fed.
Suddenly, Tang Yan shuddered and hurriedly handed the Spirit Whirlpool Fruit to Xiao Cui. The wretched cauldron's excitement immediately reminded him of how it had swallowed his First Spirit Pill last time. Surely this thing wasn't planning to eat the Spirit Whirlpool Fruit?
"Young master, what is this? It's so ugly." Xiao Cui held the Spirit Whirlpool Fruit with some distaste.
The Spirit Whirlpool Fruit truly was hideous. Tang Yan hurriedly instructed her in earnest, "Xiao Cui, this is something precious. Hold it carefully. If it gets knocked or bumped, we'll suffer a huge loss. Keep it safe in your arms, and I'll reward you with a hundred taels of silver when we get home."
At his words, Xiao Cui's face immediately blossomed into a smile, and she cradled the Spirit Whirlpool Fruit like a precious egg. Although her young master had been an utter wastrel all these years, he had always treated her very well. Still, this was the first time he had suddenly been so generous.
Tang Yan had lost all interest in wandering the streets. Just as he was about to head home, an unwelcome voice suddenly rang out. "Well, well, who do we have here? Young Master Tang himself! It's been more than a month. You haven't forgotten me, have you?"
"How could I? A month ago, I beat you like a dog and won two thousand taels of silver from you. How could I forget a good fellow who lets me beat him up and then gives me money?" Tang Yan looked at the newcomers with a beaming smile.
Four people had arrived. Besides Liu Yuan, there were two men dressed as guards and a young man in blue robes.
Tang Yan narrowed his eyes. That young man had already reached the first rank of the Yellow Tier. He was probably a member of the Liu Family's main line.
Perhaps Liu Yuan had thought Young Master Tang looked cool carrying a folding fan the last time they met. This time, Liu Yuan had also dressed in white robes and carried a folding fan in his hand.
He had been walking with his head high and his chest thrust out. For all his affectation, he did have a touch of scholarly elegance. But at Tang Yan's taunt, his breathing immediately quickened, and his face flushed scarlet.
They hadn't seen each other for that long, so how had Young Master Tang's tongue become so venomous? He hadn't uttered a single filthy word, yet Liu Yuan felt profoundly humiliated.
"You fucking-" Liu Yuan opened his mouth to unleash a torrent of abuse.
"Keep your voice down!" Tang Yan pointed at Liu Yuan and thundered, "They say you can judge a man's taste by the company he keeps. If you shout like that, people will think we're close. What if they think I'm as tasteless as you? Wouldn't that disgrace my Tang Family?"
Liu Yuan opened and closed his mouth. He wanted to swear, yet couldn't force out a single curse. He felt his blood surge upward as a fierce sense of humiliation welled within him.
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