Chapter 53: Verdant Pills

Chapter 53: Verdant Pills

I noted the guy standing in front of all the other thugs. The man wore cultivator robes, as his Qi flared all around him. I extended my senses and found the man to be in the lower fourth realm. I was both impressed by the show, and pitied all of them.

Impressed as even a large sect like Cloudy Peak Sect would easily pick a disciple in the 4th realm, even if they aren’t too young. The cultivator in front of me could pass for his mid twenties and would easily form the core disciple or heir of any sect outside the seven celestial peaks.

Yet, I pitied them at the same time as these goons had picked the worst time to arrive. Again. When there were so many of us around, and a prodigious thunder cultivator.

“Whatcha here for? We’ve already paid ya guys,” Su Lin said, straightening his back as he walked ahead. With the perpetual sleazy look and slouch it was easy to forget but Su Lin was quite tall and well built, taller than me, and I was fairly tall as well.

The thug glared, his presence flaring outwards. Surprisingly, Su Lin held his own, not budging an inch and a grin covered the man’s face.

“Yer the guy Silver Fang threw out aren’t ya?” the thug asked as Su Lin’s frown increased on his face.

Silver Fang. I’d heard Su Lin mention the name before. The guy running these thugs around? Wait, have I stumbled upon some kind of black market drug syndicate in real life?

“The protection fee has been raised, didn’t ya hear? It’s five golds now. Unless you want the halls sending their cultivators to see just what kinda pills you’ve got stocked up in there, I’d suggest either pay up or leave the shop and run,” the thug spoke, and I sensed Su Lin’s anger rising.

“Heavens, can’t even let an old woman live in peace can you?” the granny spoke, as she walked out, glaring at the thug.

“Don’t pretend to be some frail old woman, hag. We’ve heard about you, and what you used to do,” the thug spoke, as Granny Lang clicked her tongue.

“Pay them whatever they want,” she said, turning back to head inside. I saw Su Lin clenching his fists as he glared the thug down, a mocking grin on the man’s face.

My eyes drifted to the back, meeting the familiar thug Zou Chen from last time. The boy’s eyes widened as he turned to look at me, nudging the cultivator standing in front.

“Is that the guy? Cloudy Peak sect, not to mention an outer disciple,” the thug said, as his gaze drifted next to me, and towards Yan Yun and Liuxiang standing nearby. I had a suspicion that I knew exactly what the thug was going to say.

“What’s a beauty like that doing with the likes of these two? And a pretty boy huh? Never knew you swung that way Su Lin,” the thug said, laughing as his lackeys followed.

“You should leave them and come to Silver Fang. He’d appreciate your beauty a lot more closely. Even that pretty boy would make for a nice treat,” the guy said and I sensed Yan Yun’s Qi crackle within her core, but she surprisingly kept quiet.

What was even more surprising was the anger and disgust I found building in my chest as I stepped ahead. Explore the labyrinthine roots of this substance at Nøv€lß¡n

“I’ve said it the last time, and I’ll say it again. You really don’t want to start a fight,” I said, as the thug turned to look at me.

“Think yourself strong? Leave the pretense. Ya may scare these cowards but any real cultivator would sense your middling Qi. But since ya seem so intent, this big brother won’t hesitate from putting some sense in you,” the thug said, grinning.

“Not me, but these two are,” I said with a smirk, pointing back towards Yan Yun and Liuxiang behind me.

The man stared at me confused, before he looked at the young girl, and a pretty looking boy behind me and his face turned red with fury.

“You dare?!” the thug screamed, his fist lashing out.

“Alongside the Alchemy Halls, the Silver Fangs run the black market on the pills. The halls keep their recipes a secret, and in control, but they also have many forbidden ingredients and pills. Silver Fang deals in those, and other pills that the halls won’t take. I’d been selling yours to them for a higher price than a normal pill, to buy more herbs for Zhang. They soon found yer pills to be more effective, and wanted me to bring ya to them,” Su Lin said and I stared in surprise.

“Wait, so... he’s the drug lord of this city and you were selling my pills in there and... he wants me?” I asked, my voice rising in pitch as I spoke, and received a nod from Su Lin.

“Now he’s tryna get me to bring him this Alchemist. The one whose Qi smells like grass and earth. The ‘Verdant Pills’ they call it,” Su Lin spoke and I facepalmed.

There went my plan to remain unnoticed.

Taking a moment, I thought silently on the matter. I knew my pills were improved, but I had also expected other experienced alchemists to have come up with much better versions of their own. Those that tried anyways. Unless I was missing something? Perhaps it was tied to how I cultivated, and why I could form these spirit anchors to herbs. I turned to look at Su Lin.

“So, this guy doesn’t know who I am right?” I asked, receiving a nod from Su Lin. “Alright. I think I have an idea to sort this whole mess,” I said, digging into my pouch.

I held out the lotus seeds I’d packed, and used to create the pill that I used to fix Zhang’s Qi deprivation.

“There’s a village near a Qi vein nearby. It’s called Taizhou and if you show the village head there, and tell them mine and Liuxiang’s name, they’ll let you move in. You already have the pills I gave, which should be enough to sell to get a home there for all of you,” I said, handing over the seeds.

Su Lin stared at me in surprise and I smiled.

“Hey hey, we’re business partners okay? I’ve only really known you for three months or so, but that’s enough time to know someone. And this isn’t a charity, it’s an investment. I need a lab, somewhere outside the sect where I can pursue my path and make pills in peace. Taizhou is close enough that I can easily run to the city for whatever I need, and with the cultivators arriving there due to the Qi vein, the Granny should have enough business as well. I’m sure the village will appreciate more cultivators around as well,” I said, as I handed the seeds to Su Lin.

Su Lin stared at me, bowing his head. “I was wrong about ya Lu Jie. I had thought that ya were like me. But yer meant for far greater things. May the Heavens bless you,” Su Lin spoke, and I scratched my cheek in embarrassment.

“I don’t think they do, they keep shooting lightning at me,” I said, as the boy stared at me before bursting out in laughter. Laughter that I matched with my own.

Looking at Su Lin, I felt an odd feeling in my chest. I hadn’t ever really gotten the chance to know Su Lin. But perhaps once I was done with this tournament, I could.

Smiling, I extended my hand, forming them in my fist as Su Lin looked at me in confusion.

“It’s called a bro fist. Just, form a fist and tap it against mine,” I said, as Su Lin stared at me for a while before he formed a fist, setting it against mine.

“I’d gladly call you a brother,” he said.

It took me a moment to realise what he meant when I finally caught on. Bro fist. Brother. Swearing each other as brothers. Oh well, too awkward to try and tell him that’s not what I meant.

I pulled my hand back, smiling as I turned and saw Liuxiang looking silently, though I could detect the smile in the faint upwards curve of his lips. Yan Yun stood with a complicated expression on her face.

I glanced behind, watching Zhang standing further within the shop, leaning on one of his brother's shoulders as he nodded and I nodded back, and turned around. What a strangely eventful trip.

“Time to head back I guess?” I said out loud, when a crackle and a grumble interrupted me.

“Labby is hungry master,” Labby exclaimed, as I could almost sense her drooling, I laughed, taking out a pill as I handed to my little rat, and began to head back to the sect.

There was a spirit herb hunting tournament that I had to prepare for.