The resounding slap rang throughout the Pill Treasure Pavilion. Lei Tao's pupils contracted, and his mouth fell wide open.
Everyone else was utterly dumbfounded. Liu Wuxie had dared to strike someone in public, right before a steward of the Pill Treasure Pavilion. It felt as though he had poked a hole in the sky.
"Ah..."
The purple-robed man shrieked, his hair disheveled. That single slap had knocked out several of his teeth, but had done no serious harm. After getting up, he let out a piercing scream that made the rafters hum, then spat out the blood in his mouth along with several broken teeth.
"You little bastard, I'll kill you!"
He lunged forward, the ruler in his hand gleaming brilliantly as he moved to kill Liu Wuxie.
"Say one more word, and I'll kill you immediately."
Liu Wuxie vanished eerily from where he stood and appeared before the purple-robed man. Reaching out, he clamped a hand around his neck. He had concealed his strength earlier because he had wanted no trouble.
If the man truly wanted to court death, Liu Wuxie did not mind granting his wish. It was merely a little Pill Treasure Pavilion. Once he repaired his heart meridians, with the Grand Desolation Heaven-Devouring Instruction, it would not take him long to break through to the Xiantian Realm, allowing him to employ some Immortal Emperor methods.
Silence!
One could have heard a pin drop!
The entire Pill Treasure Pavilion was terrifyingly quiet. The trash in their eyes had suddenly become so formidable. He had cultivated an exceptionally powerful footwork technique and could easily seize someone at the Fifth Layer of the Houtian Realm.
Lei Tao withdrew his gaze. Even he had failed to catch a trace of that eerie footwork. When had this trash become so powerful?
"Young Master Liu, you've injured people repeatedly in our Pill Treasure Pavilion. Give me an explanation, or don't blame me for showing no mercy. Even if the Xu Household's head came, he might not be able to protect you."
Lei Tao's meaning was clear: unless Liu Wuxie gave the Pill Treasure Pavilion a satisfactory account today, he could forget about leaving alive. He would not even give the Xu Household face. His arrogance was overbearing in the extreme.
The surrounding crowd recovered from their shock, their faces filled with apprehension. The martial artists who had mocked Liu Wuxie earlier hid behind the crowd, lest he come to settle accounts with them.
"Take this and find someone from your upper ranks to speak with me."
Liu Wuxie had lost his patience. He took a pill formula from inside his robe and flicked it out. The paper, as thin as a cicada's wing, drifted lightly down before Lei Tao. That feat alone drew cheers from many onlookers.
Lei Tao caught the paper. Having managed the Pill Treasure Pavilion for so many years, he was knowledgeable and experienced. Liu Wuxie must have something to rely on if he dared to injure someone in public, so Lei Tao did not dare act too rashly. With the pill formula resting in his palm, he gently unfolded it.
The moment his gaze touched the pill formula, his entire body jolted. He had once been an alchemist in his youth, but his limited talent had prevented him from advancing. He had scraped together a steward's position at the Pill Treasure Pavilion and could ordinarily refine only some low-grade first-grade pills.
He could tell at a glance that this pill formula was extraordinary.
"What do you want to discuss?"
Lei Tao's tone changed somewhat. Although the Pill Treasure Pavilion sold pills, its selection was extremely limited. Most of its stock consisted of first-grade Origin-Nurturing Pills. Second-grade Heart-Nourishing Pills were sold in limited quantities each month. As for third-grade pills, it had none at all.
The grade written on the pill formula lay between the second and third grades. Lei Tao understood very well what it would mean once such a pill appeared on the market.
"Do you intend to discuss it here?"
Liu Wuxie frowned. He disliked noise, and the hall was too loud.
"Come with me!"
Before everyone's eyes, Lei Tao invited Liu Wuxie into the inner hall to discuss important business. The sight struck everyone present like a bolt of lightning. Wasn't Lei Tao supposed to suppress Liu Wuxie?
The sudden reversal caught everyone off guard. Just what was recorded on that slip of paper he had tossed to Lei Tao to make his attitude change so abruptly?
The two passed through the inner hall, which was decorated in sumptuous splendor. The Pill Treasure Pavilion did not lack money; it was swimming in wealth.
Lei Tao led him to a private room, and the two entered one after the other. The room was small, a little over twenty square meters, but lavishly furnished, with tables and chairs and even fresh fruit laid out on the table.
The main hall erupted into an uproar. Disbelief was written on every face.
"What's going on? Why didn't the Pill Treasure Pavilion kill him?"
Everyone was puzzled. The Pill Treasure Pavilion strictly prohibited fighting. Anyone who dared cause trouble there would be ruthlessly suppressed. Last year, someone had caused trouble here and been beaten to death.
Today, Liu Wuxie had not only caused trouble but also injured someone. Yet the Pill Treasure Pavilion had actually swallowed it and even invited him inside. It was rather inconceivable.
"Hmph, so what if he went inside? I bet he'll be carried out in a moment."
"..."
All manner of comments circulated outside. More and more people gathered, and no one left. They simply sat down to await the outcome.
"Speak. What do you want to discuss?"
Lei Tao's voice was low, his anger still unabated. Bringing Liu Wuxie inside did not mean the matter was settled. Unless he received a satisfactory answer, he would still kill him.
"Aren't you concerned that what's written on it is fake?"
A faint, wicked smile appeared at the corner of Liu Wuxie's mouth. Recognizing that the pill formula was extraordinary proved Lei Tao was no empty-headed fool. Having spent years at the Pill Treasure Pavilion and seen all sorts of pill formulas, he could pack up and go home if he lacked even that much discernment.
"If it's fake, you should know the consequences."
A sharp glint flashed through Lei Tao's eyes. If Liu Wuxie dared deceive the Pill Treasure Pavilion, he would kill him without hesitation, even if he was the Xu Household's live-in son-in-law.
"Your Pill Treasure Pavilion should have a two-star alchemist, shouldn't it? Why not have him appraise it? We can discuss things afterward."
Liu Wuxie sat quietly on the cushioned couch, picked up a piece of fresh fruit from the table, and bit into it, sending juice splashing. Everyone who could enter a private room in the Pill Treasure Pavilion to discuss business was a prominent figure in Canglan City. Bringing in a live-in son-in-law, and a useless one at that, was certainly a first.
"Someone, go invite Master Huo here."
Lei Tao issued the order. Someone outside the door acknowledged it and hurried away, and the private room fell briefly silent.
Faced with Lei Tao's fierce presence, Liu Wuxie remained perfectly composed, bringing a look of surprise to Lei Tao's face. Anyone else would have wet their pants in fright long ago, yet Liu Wuxie looked as unruffled as a light breeze beneath drifting clouds. By the time he finished a piece of fruit, someone opened the door to the private room.
"Lei Tao, I was refining pills. What important business made you summon me? If you've ruined my pills, I'll make you pay dearly."
Master Huo had a full head of white hair, keen eyes, and a vigorous stride. He strode inside, flicking his sleeve, his face full of displeasure.
Alchemists were exceedingly precious professionals on the True Martial Continent. Martial artists could not cultivate without pills. To be called an alchemist, one had to command the fire attribute and possess exceptionally strong soul talent. Only then did one qualify.
Even the Pill Treasure Pavilion's master had to treat Master Huo courteously.
"Master Huo, this brat brought out a pill formula and wants to discuss business with our Pill Treasure Pavilion. Please appraise it and see whether it's genuine. If it's fake..."
Lei Tao made a vicious gesture. If the pill formula was fake, he would kill Liu Wuxie himself.
Master Huo picked up the pill formula from the table, initially paying it little mind. The Pill Treasure Pavilion possessed the formulas for all the pills commonly available on the market, barring those rare varieties.
Even with a pill formula, it was useless without knowing the refining steps. This was also why Liu Wuxie dared openly show the pill formula to Lei Tao. Memorizing it would do him no good. The pill formula did not describe the refining steps; it contained only the ingredients and their proportions.
Master Huo picked up the pill formula from the table, his face expressionless. On the way here, he had heard the discussions outside, and ever since entering, he had regarded Liu Wuxie with disdain.
After examining it, he frowned slightly. The pill formula was exquisite, but he could not yet tell whether it was genuine.
"Master Huo, what do you think?"
Lei Tao asked, eager to learn the result. He had never seen this sort of pill either.
"Heavenly Spirit Pill. This is the first I've heard of it."
Master Huo set down the pill formula, tapped his fingers on the table, and closed his eyes. He could deduce a few things from the medicinal ingredients.
"The primordial Qi of heaven and earth takes spirit as sustenance; the seven exquisite apertures take essence as the pill." Liu Wuxie suddenly spoke, making Master Huo shudder.
His eyes flew open, revealing a gleam. Those words made his entire body tremble, his face alight with excitement.
"Spirit Essence!"
The two words burst from his lips.