Death descended

"Lin Shisan, don't be an ungrateful fool."

"I'm giving you a golden opportunity to watch an immortal lord refine pills up close. Countless people beg for a chance like this and never get it."

Chen Yang rolled his eyes at Lin Shisan.

A trace of irritation stirred deep inside him.

"I'll remember, boss. Thank you for looking after me and helping me get ahead."

Suppressing the anger in his chest, Lin Shisan bowed deeply and respectfully to Chen Yang.

"No need for thanks. Just do your job properly later, and don't drag the rest of us down."

"Take all these rings."

Chen Yang tossed five Locator Rings into Lin Shisan's hands.

Clearly, Niu Shan's Locator Ring still hadn't been found.

"Stay on your toes."

"When you're told to add a particular kind of wood, add that wood. When you're told to make the fire blaze, make it blaze. When you're told to lower it, lower it."

"You mustn't make even the slightest mistake. Otherwise, not even the grand elder could save you."

From beginning to end, all Lin Shisan could do was nod and murmur his assent.

Then Chen Yang gave the other four a few brief instructions.

Finally, his gaze returned to Lin Shisan.

The sight of Lin Shisan made his blood boil. Every bit of goodwill he'd once felt had vanished.

Because of Lin Shisan, two of his ribs had been broken, and he'd nearly lost his life.

"I'll follow every instruction to the letter and do my work meticulously. I won't hold everyone back."

Fighting the urge to curse him out, Lin Shisan once again voiced his obedience.

Even a fool could see that Chen Yang was shirking responsibility in advance.

He made it sound like an opportunity, but he was really sending Lin Shisan to his death.

Ten thousand cries of Fuck your mother! churned through Lin Shisan's mind.

His hatred ran so deep that he wanted to stab Chen Yang to death right then.

But what good was hatred? He was only a menial servant, one of the lowliest small fry in the Tai Chi Hall.

His life wasn't his own.

Lin Shisan made up his mind.

If he survived this ordeal, he would raise his cultivation as quickly as possible and escape this man-eating place.

Following Chen Yang's arrangements, Lin Shisan and the others went with him to the easternmost Alchemy Pill Furnace.

They waited almost an hour before Zhou Xiaotian finally ushered in a purple-robed old man, his face beaming.

Needless to say, this had to be Zhao Xun, the immortal lord who would be refining pills today.

"Well, well, it really is you."

Zhao Xun acted as though they were old friends.

The moment he saw Chen Yang, he began teasing him.

"What happened to you, boy? Your nose is crooked, and your eyes are askew. Been doing plenty of wicked things lately, have you?"

"Heh, heh, heh..."

Chen Yang could only laugh awkwardly.

He respectfully approached to pay his respects.

"You jest, Steward Zhao. I've been so busy lately that I haven't even left the Azure Cloud Lineage. How could I have time to visit that sort of place again?"

There had been that incident last time.

Chen Yang had gone down the mountain, enjoyed a prostitute's services, and refused to pay. Zhao Xun had happened to catch him.

The beating he received had nearly crippled him.

Fortunately, Zhao Xun had later entered secluded cultivation, allowing Chen Yang to get off lightly.

He had been demoted one rank to supervisor and put on probation.

"Boy, you've got a sharp eye. Tell me how my luck looks today."

"I brought enough ingredients for four batches-two of Origin Vein Pills and two of Body Tempering Pills. How many batches will turn out?"

Zhao Xun questioned Chen Yang as though they were old acquaintances.

There was no sign at all of the grievances between them.

"Heh, heh, heh..."

Chen Yang gave another awkward laugh.

A sharp eye-was that praise or an insult?

Besides, who could predict how pill refinement would turn out?

How could a mere Servant Steward like him dare pass judgment?

This was an invitation to jump into a pit and bury himself alive.

"Immortal Lord Zhao reached the ninth level of Meridian Opening at the flourishing age of fifty, becoming a legend of the Tai Chi Hall. Only a Great Fortune Bearer could achieve that."

"And when it comes to pill refinement, you are the Tai Chi Hall's undisputed genius."

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you will certainly produce pills today."

"If anything goes wrong, it will only be because these boys failed to do their jobs properly, not because your fortune was lacking."

At the critical moment, Chen Yang still made sure to wash his hands of all responsibility first.

He promptly tossed the blame onto the other five.

Self-preservation was ingrained in his bones.

Anyone else could die, but never him.

"Boy, it's not just your eyes that are sharp. That heart of yours... is blacker than most, too."

Zhao Xun stepped closer, patted Chen Yang's shoulder, glanced at Zhou Xiaotian, and walked away laughing.

"Just joking! Hahaha..."

"...I..."

Chen Yang's expression couldn't have been uglier.

"Embarrassed" didn't begin to describe it.

His pointed mouth hung open, refusing to close. He felt worse than if he'd swallowed a dead rat.

After joining in with a few more ingratiating remarks, Zhou Xiaotian voluntarily withdrew to wait in the main hall, avoiding any appearance of impropriety.

Before leaving, he made a point of looking at Chen Yang and the five Servant Disciples behind him.

"If Immortal Lord Zhao succeeds today, not only will your past offenses be wiped clean, but I'll also give you an additional generous reward."

"If he fails... you... all of you..."

Crack.

The hearts of Chen Yang and the others shattered.

Chen Yang and Lin Shisan, in particular, inexplicably felt a gust of murderous intent drift over their heads.

They could only hope Zhao Xun's pill refinement succeeded. Otherwise, what awaited them would be far worse than shattered hearts.

Judging that the time had come,

Zhao Xun glanced at Lin Shisan, who was tending the firewood, and said to Chen Yang, "Boy, get the lads started."

"Yes, Immortal Lord Zhao."

Chen Yang cupped his hands.

Raising his voice, he shouted, "Nine-Sun Heavenly Emperor, purple qi comes from the east! The auspicious hour has arrived! May fortune bless our creation! Open the furnace!"

At once, the Servant Disciple named Cheng Feng hurried over and opened the furnace lid.

Another Servant Disciple quickly poured the prepared Heavenly Mountain Rain Dew into the Alchemy Pill Furnace.

Yet another Servant Disciple hurried over carrying a wooden tray.

On it lay spirit herbs of various colors and peculiar shapes.

Most of these had been brought by Zhao Xun.

A small portion had been offered by Zhou Xiaotian to Zhao Xun, adding flowers to the brocade.

Once everything was ready, Chen Yang received a nod from Zhao Xun.

He shouted again, "With the Nine-Sun Heavenly Emperor's blessing, add the ingredients!"

The fourth Servant Disciple, who had been standing respectfully nearby, followed Steward Zhao's list and placed several spirit herbs into the Alchemy Pill Furnace one after another.

The previously clear Heavenly Mountain Rain Dew instantly filled with swirling spiritual energy, and a delicate fragrance spread through the air.

"Light the fire."

Hearing the call to light the fire, Lin Shisan's heart tightened.

It was his turn.

"Silver flower at the bottom, centipede pine as the second layer, cypress wood below, purple yew wood in the middle, and black maple bamboo on top. Five pieces of each."

Steward Zhao Xun gave the instructions.

Only then did Lin Shisan understand.

The wood they had worked so hard-and even risked their lives-to cut was all fuel for pill refinement.

Niu Shan had lost his life for it, and Lin Shisan himself had nearly failed to return.

"Shisan?"

The disciple adding the herbs stood beside Lin Shisan and hurriedly nudged him out of his daze.

A chill swept over him, and Lin Shisan jolted awake as though from a dream.

Zhao Xun's icy gaze stabbed into him.

He hurriedly extended his spiritual sense into the rings and carefully placed the firewood inside, piece by piece.

Zhao Xun swept his sleeve toward the Pill Furnace, and the wood inside instantly burst into flame.

The process continued, and Lin Shisan lost count of how many times he added firewood.

Eight hours later, a rich fragrance filled the entire Pill Room, refreshing the mind and spirit with every breath.

Zhao Xun was delighted. This was a sign that the pills were forming.

Beside him, Chen Yang and the others finally relaxed their taut nerves.

Only Lin Shisan remained tense throughout.

He didn't dare slack off for a moment.

He watched the flames with complete concentration, his ears pricked for any instruction Zhao Xun might give.

What fucking opportunity? I haven't even lifted my head once. My back's bent so long it's going numb.

"Congratulations, Immortal Lord Zhao! The Body Tempering Pills are almost ready. You truly deserve your reputation as the outer sect's foremost pill refiner and the Tai Chi Hall's undisputed genius."

Chen Yang's flattery rang out like a string of resounding slaps.

He was trying to win back favor.

"A few insignificant Body Tempering Pills are naturally child's play."

"If my young disciple weren't about to break through, I couldn't be bothered to refine such low-grade pills."

"It's beneath my dignity! Hahaha..."

Under Chen Yang's flattery, Zhao Xun's face blossomed with delight.

He couldn't conceal his smile.

"...Bang!"

Zhao Xun's smiling face instantly changed from sunshine to storm clouds.

As radiant as it had been a moment ago, it was now equally ugly, burning as though he'd been slapped.

Oh no, it exploded.

Lin Shisan's heart stopped.

Before he could finish exhaling in relief, a deafening blast struck his ears. The Pill Furnace had exploded.

Chen Yang had offered his flattery too soon. His face was so dark it could have dripped water as he turned a sinister gaze on Lin Shisan.

He had become the scapegoat. Death had truly descended.