A Sudden Rise

Afterward, Su Wen scolded him a little more.

Only after warning Su Changhe not to disgrace the Su Household in his conduct or affairs did she leave with Zhou Ning, sweeping away without a backward glance.

Su Changhe waited until the group was out of sight. Finally unable to contain his anger, he grabbed his teacup and gulped down two mouthfuls.

Jiang Xi fanned the flames from beside him. "Husband, you should have listened to me back then. If we'd seized Zhou Ning's Pill Furnace, would he be basking in glory today?"

Steward Su instinctively thought she had a point. He really shouldn't have hesitated that day!

Then another thought struck him, and he abruptly came to his senses.

He scolded her, "Never mind whether the eldest miss would have pursued the matter. What if Zhou Ning had rented a Pill Furnace and become an Alchemist anyway?"

Wouldn't they have offended him beyond repair?

Jiang Xi's eyes darted about, and she said, "Husband, Zhou Ning is just a petty man intoxicated by success. He only became an Alchemist through sheer luck.

"I've recently gotten a feel for pill refining. Given a little more time, I expect I can become an Alchemist too. When that happens, your standing will surely rise with the tide."

Su Changhe's eyes filled with doubt and surprise. "You can become an Alchemist?"

With the war raging outside, Alchemists were extremely scarce, and their status had risen many times over. He had seen that for himself today.

Jiang Xi actually had no confidence. After all, she had spent years doing nothing else, yet had failed to refine even half a pill.

But Zhou Ning had deeply stung her today!

There had to be some shortcut. With her skills, all she had to do was make overtures to Zhou Ning, and she would surely be able to draw something out of him.

The day she became an Alchemist was just around the corner!

She had no desire to spend her whole life sleeping with a nasty old man. How revolting!

Jiang Xi said coquettishly, "Husband, if Zhou Ning can do it, why can't I? Besides, medicinal herbs on the lake have been cheap lately, so pill refining costs less too.

"Once I become an Alchemist, our status will be on a whole different footing." She continued whispering in his ear.

Su Changhe had suffered considerable losses today and had been forced to swallow his anger.

Then he thought about the exorbitant betrothal gifts he had paid to marry Jiang Xi. In the end, he was seized by the urge to gamble and said bitterly:

"Very well, I'll support you!"

After leaving the steward's residence, Su Junsong mounted the Azure Feather Eagle and took off again.

He wore an especially warm smile. "Are you satisfied, Alchemist Zhou?"

The wind blew against Zhou Ning as he rode, and he was in a good mood. Steward Su, who had once seemed so far above him, wasn't really so formidable anymore.

Zhou Ning nodded. "Many thanks, young master Junsong. I only hope Steward Su knows his place and won't come to resent me. After all, he's a great cultivator at Late Qi Refining."

Su Wen spoke at once. "He's just an old thing. I'll give him another warning later. If anything happens to you, I'll cripple him myself!"

Zhou Ning observed a moment of silence for Steward Su in his heart.

This woman was far too overbearing. Being bullied by her as she threw her weight around was probably quite galling.

The Azure Feather Eagle flew over Su Youyou's little island. Su Junsong's smile faded, and he suddenly sighed inwardly.

His aunt surely didn't want to see them.

He didn't descend. Instead, he took out a sound transmission talisman and tossed it down.

The talisman turned into a streak of spiritual light, sliced through the air, and shot toward the secluded little courtyard below, lodging itself in the array.

The Azure Feather Eagle spread its wings and turned back toward Bamboo Creek Island.

"An array master will come today to set up a defensive array. You needn't worry about your safety."

Zhou Ning said, "Many thanks."

"It's simply part of my duty," Su Junsong said with a cheerful smile.

After all, they had finally stumbled upon an Alchemist. If someone ambushed and killed him, that would be quite the joke.

A large bird flew over Bamboo Creek Island that day.

Several children chased one another and played. Some spread their arms, imitating an eagle's cry as they ran after the others.

Xu Qinghou was off duty today and would only go out if there was news of the Fuluo Eel.

He looked more weathered than ever. Since his allotted share of Fuluo Eel had been reduced, the only way he could maintain his current cultivation speed was to catch twice as many fish.

Being exhausted while on duty was one thing, but even when he rested, he was constantly worried that a messenger pigeon would arrive.

Old Jia said, "That Zhou lad should be back soon. After that, he can start paying back your spiritual rice bit by bit."

Xu Qinghou gazed toward the lakeshore. "Let's hope so."

"People ought to keep their feet on the ground and live their lives honestly," Old Jia remarked.

Just then, seven or eight men in fitted outfits came toward the retainers' residences by the lake, carrying a plaque amid the clamor of gongs and drums.

Old Jia's gaze sharpened, and he grew wary.

The newcomers were all cultivators at the Middle Layer of Qi Refining. Judging by their clothes, they were Su Household shadow guards, tasked specifically with gathering information within its territory.

The plaque was wrapped in bright red silk. Old Jia, who loved nothing more than prying, didn't dare release his Divine Sense to take a look.

The Su Household's shadow guards were skilled at coordinated attacks, and their Law Artifacts were standard-issue. Two at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining could easily take down Old Jia, who was at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

The shadow guards headed straight for Zhou Ning's residence.

Old Jia and Xu Qinghou exchanged a glance, both immediately sensing trouble.

Several other retainers lived nearby: some grew spiritual grain, some dredged for spiritual sand, and some hunted fish. They all came out to see what was happening.

The shadow guard in the lead held up the plaque, measured it against the doorway, and fixed it above the lintel.

Then he gave a sharp tug. The red cloth fluttered away, revealing several large characters: "Residence of Alchemist Zhou, Su Household guest elder."

Old Jia and Xu Qinghou both froze.

Suddenly, a great wind swept down from above, and a dark shadow blotted out the sun. The Azure Feather Eagle beat its huge wings and descended to the surface of the lake.

Three figures dropped down from its back. The person in the middle was none other than Zhou Ning.

Su Junsong walked at an unhurried pace, an air of natural refinement about him. He asked with concern, "Alchemist Zhou, is it to your liking?"

Zhou Ning was very pleased. The Su Household truly handled things thoughtfully.

Su Wen glanced over the watching retainers and frowned. "You see an Alchemist before you. Why aren't you bowing?"

She had ruled Bamboo Creek Island for several years and had personally crippled retainers' cultivation. Her authority was immense.

The retainers hurriedly bowed and offered their greetings.

For a moment, they were all profoundly shaken.

Old Jia in particular turned pale, then red, then ashen. The words "Zhou lad" were on the tip of his tongue, but he stumbled over them.

In the end, they became a respectful "Lord Alchemist!"

Having said that, Old Jia seemed to throw off his pent-up frustration. He forced a smile and called out:

"I always knew Alchemist Zhou was no creature destined to remain in a pond. Now it's been proven-I was right about you!"

Xu Qinghou kept his head lowered. He had been stunned, but when he heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched with difficulty.

Just moments ago, Old Jia had been speaking ill of Zhou Ning in front of him!

Zhou Ning looked at Old Jia's expression and shook his head. "Old sir, there's no need for such a formal greeting."

Then he looked at Scholar Xu.

Scholar Xu's shock had yet to fade, and his mind was in a daze. Had Zhou Ning really succeeded at pill refining?

He wanted to greet him as he usually did, but for some reason, the words refused to come, as though a pitiful barrier stood between them.

Smiling, Zhou Ning took out a Spirit Stone. "Thank you for your kindness back then."

Scholar Xu stared at the Spirit Stone and paused. His voice was hoarse. "This isn't my Spirit Stone."

The talismans he had given Zhou Ning that day had been worth roughly four hundred jin of spiritual rice. A whole Spirit Stone was worth far more.

Zhou Ning placed the Spirit Stone in his hand and patted him on the shoulder. "This is your Spirit Stone."

Afterward, Zhou Ning invited Su Junsong and Su Wen into his humble home for a chat.

The retainers around them looked at one another, each seeing disbelief in the others' eyes.

They knew that from this moment on, Bamboo Creek Island had gained an important figure.

Su Junsong gave Zhou Ning a batch of medicinal herbs for Qi-Benefiting Pills, Essence-Nourishing Pills, and the like.

He told him that the Su Household would send someone to collect the pills in a month and that he must not slack off, lest he cause them to miss an opportunity in the war.

Zhou Ning readily agreed, then saw the two of them out.

He glanced again at Scholar Xu and Old Jia, who stood there like door gods. Knowing they had been shaken, he exchanged only a few pleasantries before returning to his courtyard, activating the Bewildering Tracks Array, and refining pills.

Old Jia turned his gaze to Xu Qinghou's face. Seeing that he was still in a daze, Old Jia forced a smile.

"Scholar, are you feeling defeated?"

Xu Qinghou was numb. He truly understood now just how high Zhou Ning's status had become.

Only yesterday, he had been a fisherman on Cuiwei Lake, calling him brother, and now he had suddenly soared to wealth and prominence... Who could take that in stride?

One only had to look at how respectful Old Jia had been...

Old Jia seemed to see contempt in his eyes.

Damn it, he couldn't take it anymore.

Old Jia rebuked him to his face. "Scholar, no matter when, remember this: let him be as strong as he likes; he is but a breeze brushing a mountain ridge. Don't look down on yourself because of someone else's achievements, and don't sink into despair from here on!"

With that, Old Jia clasped his hands behind his back and gazed out alone over the vast lake.

Xu Qinghou had studied for many years and was no ordinary man in mind or character. Hearing this, he fell silent for several breaths.

Then he put on a spirited expression and nodded solemnly. "Thank you for the lesson, Elder Jia!"

As expected of a veteran cultivator who had spent decades in the cultivation world, his State of Mind truly was different from that of ordinary people.

Old Jia smiled faintly and returned home with his hands behind his back.

He shut the door and released his Divine Sense to check the surroundings. Only then did his face twist in anguish, turning green with jealousy.

He let out a strange wail. "Aiya, you really did it! You can't have succeeded! You can't have!"