Chapter 861 - The Old Men Bicker
Li Guanqi stood rooted to the spot. He stared at the handsome, well-built man before him, momentarily at a loss for words.
Gu Changsheng approached with a smile. “Haha, Huaizhi, please don’t take offense. Guanqi is probably just surprised to see how young you look.”
He worried that Xiang Huaizhi might take offense at Li Guanqi’s momentary lapse in courtesy.
The man before Li Guanqi appeared young, but he was actually even older than Gu Changsheng. He was a genuine ancient monster, notorious throughout the alchemy world for his eccentric temperament. He might refine pills for a bitter enemy yet refuse the dying request of a dear friend.
Xiang Huaizhi was the oddity of the alchemist circle, yet his talent for the alchemy Dao was outrageous. That was why no one in the circle dared provoke him, let alone anger him. Furthermore, he was no frail alchemist incapable of fighting. Once he set his sights on an opponent, virtually no one escaped.
Li Guanqi studied Xiang Huaizhi with an indecipherable expression. Then he took Meng Wanshu’s hand and bowed. “Junior Li Guanqi pays his respects to Senior Xiang.”
Meng Wanshu did the same.
Xiang Huaizhi laughed warmly and said, “Good, good. It’s nice to meet you too.”
By now, everyone present understood what was going on. Several elders exchanged glances, reading disbelief in each other’s eyes. Not once had they seen Xiang Huaizhi treat an outsider with such warmth.
The corner of Xiang Huaizhi’s mouth lifted slightly as his cool, measured gaze swept over Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu. He had never imagined that he would meet Li Guanqi under such circumstances.
Li Guanqi took his seat, emotions churning. He hadn’t expected to run into Xiang Huaizhi, one of the most secretive figures among the Eight Generals.
Hong Zhi had once told him who the generals were. Long Hou, Hong Zhi, Chan Kongzi, You Ming, Nangong Xuandu, and now Xiang Huaizhi... The last two, I still haven’t met.
Xiang Huaizhi motioned for Li Guanqi to sit beside him, then turned to Gu Changsheng, who still stood there in a daze. “Go ahead and say what you came to say. Don’t mind me.”
Only then did Gu Changsheng take his seat, his voice turning grave. “Then I’ll skip the pleasantries. I’ve gathered everyone here today because Young Friend Li’s soul is incomplete. I’d like to ask you all to help find a way to restore it.”
The white-robed elder, sleeves folded, frowned. “Old Gu, you know as well as I do what a flawed soul means. There’s simply no way to create something from nothing. Not to mention... this young fellow allowed his illusory body to become independent! And if I’m reading things right, he severed all three hun and seven po completely from it, didn’t he?”
Han Yuan’s gaze was razor-sharp. With a single sweep of his aura, he had figured out Li Guanqi’s condition.
Beside him, the white-bearded elder Jiang Qizhi sighed. “There’s no other way. Even if you found some heavenly treasure capable of filling the gap, integrating it with what remains would be nearly impossible.”
Finally, Guo Feng rose to his feet. “If that’s the issue, then there’s nothing more to be said. Even if the five of us refined pills together, it wouldn’t make any difference.”
Gu Changsheng smiled. He had known all along that none of them would have a solution. Keeping them in suspense, he chuckled. “In that case... what would you say if I told you I had the recipe for an ancient pill—the Profound Origin Sacred Soul Pill?”
Scraaape!
All three old men shot to their feet at once, their chairs screeching across the floor.
Han Yuan grabbed Gu Changsheng by the collar and hoisted him up, his eyes blazing with excitement. “What did you just say? Say that again!”
Jiang Qizhi crowded in and grabbed Gu Changsheng by the shoulders. “Say it again! How could you have such a thing?!”
In his agitation, the old man had slipped into his native dialect.
Guo Feng pushed his way forward beside him. “Where did you get it? Is it genuine? My son’s soul was damaged a few years ago, as you well know. If you truly have the recipe for the Profound Origin Sacred Soul Pill, I’ll pay you three hundred million spirit stones for it!”
Jiang Qizhi shoved him aside. “Out of the way. Three hundred million? If that’s all you can afford, don’t embarrass yourself. Eight hundred million. I’ll take it.”
“Don’t make me smack you!”
Li Guanqi watched the scuffling old men, dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected things to turn out like this at all.
Clad in a flame-red robe, Xiang Huaizhi slowly raised one slender, elegant finger and beckoned to Li Guanqi. “Come here. Let me take a look at you.”
Li Guanqi obediently moved a little closer.
Xiang Huaizhi pressed a fingertip to the center of Li Guanqi’s brow. From the warm touch, a vast, gentle tide of divine consciousness swept through Li Guanqi’s body, brushing his sea of consciousness and primordial soul without intruding too deeply. The tension gradually drained out of him.
Xiang Huaizhi withdrew his divine consciousness, a faint crease appearing between his brows. He regarded Li Guanqi with mild reproach.
“You were reckless.” His tone was as natural as that of an elder chiding one of his own juniors.
Meng Wanshu covered her mouth and laughed quietly. “That’s right. You should scold him, Senior.”
Xiang Huaizhi glanced at her and nodded with a smile.
“Were you the one who gave Gu Changsheng the recipe?” he asked Li Guanqi.
Li Guanqi nodded silently, and Xiang Huaizhi lowered his voice. “Don’t flaunt your wealth, and don’t let these old codgers find out about it. Not that it would matter much if they did. If any of them dares lay a hand on you, I’ll burn their clan to the ground. Still, given the current situation, you’d best be cautious.”
Li Guanqi nodded obediently.
Gu Changsheng irritably shoved the others away, then looked down at his rumpled collar. “You’re all old men. Why are you still behaving like children? Since I brought you here, of course I’m going to tell you.”
With that, he had everyone sit back down. He glanced at Xiang Huaizhi. The man was getting along well with Li Guanqi and had shown not a shred of surprise that Gu Changsheng had the recipe.
Gu Changsheng looked around the table and said in a solemnly, “I will give each of you a copy of this recipe!”
Everyone was astonished.
Gu Changsheng explained plainly, “The techniques this recipe demands are exceptionally advanced, beyond what I can manage alone. I’ve called you all here today precisely because you’re my close friends. So... I hope everyone will be willing to lend their efforts. We also need to study the recipe itself. After all, many spirit herbs and plants went by different names in the ancient era, and some have since disappeared entirely...”
The old men flushed with excitement, growing visibly more animated. They had expected Gu Changsheng to seize the chance to squeeze a handsome sum out of them, not this. But the more generous he was, the more duty-bound they felt to spare no effort in refining the Profound Origin Sacred Soul Pill.
Even Xiang Huaizhi took an interest. Refining pills these days held no challenge for him at all.
Gu Changsheng showed everyone the recipe, and the old men crowded around Li Guanqi, examining his condition in turn.
Li Guanqi sat there like a test subject, listening to the five of them bicker loudly and at length.