The Pavilion Master

Over the next two days, serving tea and pouring water fell entirely to Steward Lan.

Everyone in the camp was dumbfounded. Steward Lan was a middle-aged man in his forties, yet he had taken Liu Wuxie as his master. If word got out, he would be lowering his own standing.

Yet not one person mocked him. Instead, everyone was filled with envy.

Deacon Hu eagerly trailed behind them these past few days, hinting to Liu Wuxie several times that he also wanted to become his disciple. Liu Wuxie pretended not to understand. Talent was one consideration when choosing disciples, but how they conducted themselves was equally important.

"Master, it's getting late. Let's set off!" Lan Yu had arranged everything.

After spending three days at the mine, the accompanying party set off for Canglan City, transporting ten cartloads of purple-gold ore.

"Lan Yu, go back ahead of me. I'll travel on my own!"

Liu Wuxie waved a hand, telling Steward Lan to escort the convoy and leave first. He needed to enter the mountains to temper himself for a while. With his speed, he would soon catch up.

The convoy drove out of the grand formation. Liu Wuxie handed Xu Yishan the secret method for entering and leaving it, putting him in control of the formation. Without his orders, ordinary people could not leave the camp.

Alone, he darted through the mountains, hunting Demon Beasts. This time, he ventured deeper.

Boom!

A second-tier Iron Lizard had its throat slit with a single saber strike. Its body rapidly shriveled, turning into pure liquid that filled the Grand Desolation Dantian.

He ventured deeper and deeper, already far from the Sunset Mountain Range. A cluster of ancient mountain ranges appeared ahead, and Liu Wuxie finally stopped.

"Time to head back!"

The convoy led by Lan Yu had already passed Phoenix Roosting Gorge. Using his movement method at full strength, he caught up with them a day later and entered Canglan City with them.

He had been away for eight full days this time. Lei Tao had visited the Xu Household every day to ask about Liu Wuxie's whereabouts.

The Pill Treasure Pavilion had been having a difficult time lately. Sales of Heavenly Spirit Pills far exceeded their expectations. In just these few days, countless martial artists had placed advance orders. Even the surrounding large cities had sent orders.

Without Liu Wuxie appearing, they dared not accept these orders. It was like having meat at their lips yet not daring to bite down. How that felt was easy to imagine.

The first thing he did upon returning was pay his father-in-law a visit.

Father-in-law and son-in-law met in the main hall. Amid the warmth, there was a trace of gravity, and a hint of worry flickered in Xu Yilin's eyes.

"Father-in-law, has the investigation into the Stone-Breaking Army's disappearance already reached our Xu Household?"

Lan Yu had mentioned this on the road. The investigation team would arrive in Canglan City within a day or two, and all four great lineages were subjects of the investigation.

"Yes. Fifty soldiers of the Stone-Breaking Army and a commander of a thousand disappeared in our Canglan City. It alarmed the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty, which sent an investigation team to get to the bottom of it."

Xu Yilin had also been worrying about this over the past few days. The Stone-Breaking Army's mysterious disappearance had left every lineage on edge, afraid the investigation might uncover something.

When the Stone-Breaking Army raged, corpses lay strewn for a thousand miles. No one in Canglan City could bear the consequences.

"When will the investigation team arrive?"

Liu Wuxie asked. He needed to make some preparations. He was not particularly worried about Deacon Qi and the others. His only concern was whether the City Lord's Estate would use this matter to strike at the Xu Household.

"They arrived today and are staying at the City Lord's Estate. The investigation begins tomorrow. We won't know the specifics until then."

Xu Yilin's brows were tightly knitted as he gave Liu Wuxie a meaningful look. The Stone-Breaking Army's mysterious disappearance was by no means a coincidence. These past few days, he had tried every means to investigate some leads. Ten days earlier, the Stone-Breaking Army had left Canglan City and entered the Sunset Mountain Range, never to return.

All signs indicated that the Stone-Breaking Army had most likely died in the Sunset Mountain Range.

"If it's a blessing, it isn't a calamity; if it's a calamity, there's no escaping it. When soldiers come, send a general to stop them; when water comes, bank it with earth. All we can do is adapt as things unfold."

Liu Wuxie offered a word of comfort. Excessive speculation would only add to their burden. On this point, Liu Wuxie certainly saw more clearly than his father-in-law.

"That's all we can do for now. It was thanks to your help that things worked out at the mine this time. Go back and rest early."

Returning to his courtyard, he had no time to rest. He lit a flame and began refining Heavenly Spirit Pills.

Only when it was time to light the lamps did he finish. He had refined more than two hundred pills. Having broken through to the third layer of the Innate Realm, he refined them with even greater ease, and each batch had an extremely high success rate.

He changed his clothes and tucked the Heavenly Spirit Pills into his robes. He had long since destroyed Zhou Hu's Storage Bag. Keeping it would only invite trouble.

The Pill Treasure Pavilion had already closed. Upon learning that Liu Wuxie had arrived, Master Huo personally came out to greet him. As though seeing a family member, he took Liu Wuxie by the arm and walked into the reception room.

"Young Master Liu, you certainly kept us waiting!"

His face was full of plaintive resentment, like a young wife waiting for her man. Standing nearby, Lei Tao's lips twitched. This was a little too enthusiastic.

"Something came up, and I had to leave Canglan City. Here are two hundred pills to ease the fire at your brows for now. From now on, I'll supply around a hundred every day."

Liu Wuxie rubbed his nose and took out all the pills in his robes, covering the entire table.

At the sight of the pills, Master Huo's and Lei Tao's eyes lit up. The Heavenly Spirit Pills had tormented them to the point of ecstasy and agony these past few days. Among the customers were many powerful figures who had forcibly pressured them to refine the pills as soon as possible.

Tap, tap, tap...

Tapping came from the distant corridor, like the sound of hoof-shaped boots striking smooth stone slabs, crisp and exceptionally penetrating.

Hearing the sound, Master Huo and Lei Tao shot to their feet and hurried outside.

"Pavilion Master, you're here."

The master of the Pill Treasure Pavilion was a Marrow Cleansing Realm expert. He had left Canglan City for Imperial Capital City some time ago and had only recently returned.

He already knew about the Heavenly Spirit Pills. He had not blamed Master Huo and the others for signing the contract. Under those circumstances, he would have done the same.

He was in his fifties, his face ruddy, wearing a tiger-skin padded jacket and Heaven-Treading Boots. He stood eight feet tall, with a somewhat stiff expression and sharply defined features. At a glance, he seemed the sort of man who drew a clear line between gratitude and grudges.

Before he had even come to a stop, his gaze fell upon Liu Wuxie. Their eyes met, and an invisible pressure bore down with chilling force.

A show of dominance!

He opened with a show of dominance. Liu Wuxie had forced the Pill Treasure Pavilion to work for him and sign an agreement, something without precedent. Although the Pill Treasure Pavilion suffered no loss, word getting out would still damage its reputation.

Master Huo and Lei Tao withdrew to one side, not daring to say much.

Liu Wuxie quietly activated the Ghost Pupil Technique. His Immortal Emperor Divine Sense enveloped the area, and an even more formidable soul force surged back. A violent rumbling suddenly filled the reception room, and the tables and chairs floated into the air. The sight horrified Master Huo and Lei Tao.

"Young Master Liu certainly lives up to his reputation!"

The Pill Treasure Pavilion Master suddenly withdrew his gaze, his expression undergoing a complete transformation. Laughing heartily, he sat beside Liu Wuxie, looking like an entirely different person from a moment before.

Lei Tao and Master Huo exchanged a look, their faces dark with exasperation. How could they fail to see that the pavilion master had tried to establish his dominance, only to fail? Their gazes toward Liu Wuxie filled with apprehension.

"This junior, Liu Wuxie, pays his respects to the Pavilion Master!"

He rose and bowed at the waist. Liu Wuxie did not stint on the proper courtesies. The Pill Treasure Pavilion Master reached out and held him, the two appearing very close. They did not look as though they were meeting for the first time, but rather like old friends reunited.

"My name is Bi Gongyu. Just call me Elder Bi from now on. Don't keep calling me Pavilion Master. It makes us seem distant."

The Pill Treasure Pavilion Master invited Liu Wuxie to sit, his tone exceedingly courteous. This was unlike his usual style. Liu Wuxie's actions had carried an element of coercion toward the Pill Treasure Pavilion, yet he had not become angry. Lei Tao and Master Huo looked bewildered. It was truly baffling.

They chatted about other matters afterward. Bi Gongyu did not mention the method for refining Heavenly Spirit Pills, and Liu Wuxie was even less likely to bring it up. They talked for two hours, and guest and hosts alike enjoyed themselves.

"Elder Bi, it's getting late. I won't disturb your rest any longer."

Liu Wuxie rose, and all three personally escorted him out of the Pill Treasure Pavilion. Only after he had vanished completely did they turn and return to the reception room.

Bi Gongyu's expression immediately darkened, as different from his earlier warmth as heaven from earth.

"Pavilion Master, why didn't you directly demand the method for refining Heavenly Spirit Pills just now?"

Lei Tao was puzzled. There was nothing wrong with his health, so he did not need Liu Wuxie to treat him. His attitude toward Liu Wuxie was not particularly respectful as he voiced his doubts.

"You think I didn't want to?"

Bi Gongyu reclined on a cushioned couch, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes. What had made him suddenly change his mind? He was in the Marrow Cleansing Realm; he could crush Liu Wuxie with one hand.

"Please enlighten us, Pavilion Master!"

Both looked at the pavilion master expectantly, waiting for him to dispel their confusion. Master Huo had pressured Liu Wuxie to hand over the refining method that day, but his severe ailment had left him no choice but to compromise. What was the pavilion master's reason?

"Do you know what I saw in his eyes just now?"

Recalling that scene, Bi Gongyu broke out in a cold sweat. The instant their eyes met, he had known he was wrong. The Ghost Pupil Technique had nearly sucked away his soul. Those were not human eyes, but the eyes of ghosts and gods.

"What did you see?"

The two asked in unison. There were not many things that could frighten the pavilion master. Even the Canglan City Lord had to treat him courteously and with the utmost respect.

"Mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Countless skulls flew toward me. In that instant, I sensed the threat of death. If I had kept meeting his gaze, I would definitely have been the one to die."

Both were trusted confidants who had followed him for many years, so he did not conceal these things and told them the truth.

"Is this young man truly so terrifying that even you fear him, Pavilion Master?"

Lei Tao sucked in a cold breath. He had not had much contact with Liu Wuxie and did not know him well. Recalling the scene at the beast-fighting arena, he could not help shuddering.

He had entrenched himself at every step, ultimately winning a large sum of gold coins and two hundred Spirit Stones besides. That was by no means something an ordinary person could accomplish.

"Pavilion Master, how did your trip to Imperial Capital City go? Can we preserve the Canglan City branch's standing?"

Master Huo asked with concern. The Pill Treasure Pavilion belonged to the Heavenly Treasure Sect. A main pavilion was established in each imperial dynasty, with branches in certain large cities. Those with poor returns or mismanagement were shut down outright.

Over the past few years, Canglan City's Pill Treasure Pavilion had declined by the day. Those in other large cities were flourishing and had developed many new pills, while they had been living off their past achievements and were close to being unable to hold on. This was precisely why the pavilion master had made the trip.

"We've kept it for now, but it's only a temporary reprieve. Within the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty, our Canglan City branch ranks second from last. Our annual returns only sustain our own operations. Although our expenses haven't exceeded our income, our profits are extremely meager. If this continues, it's only a matter of time before we're eliminated."

At this evaluation in Imperial Capital City, Canglan City's Pill Treasure Pavilion had ranked second from last. The lowest-ranked branch had been ordered to close, naturally leaving them in last place.

Origin-Nurturing Pills were among the most common pills on the market and could be bought in any large city. The Pill Treasure Pavilion merely held a monopoly in Canglan City. Origin-Nurturing Pills alone were far from enough to expand their business.

"Pavilion Master, Heavenly Spirit Pills are an opportunity for us. We must seize it."

Master Huo urgently wanted to obtain the method for refining Heavenly Spirit Pills. Once they mastered it, the standing of Canglan City's Pill Treasure Pavilion would soar into the heavens.

"Pavilion Master, the investigation team from Imperial Capital City will begin investigating the four great lineages tomorrow. If the Xu Household gets implicated, we..."