Chapter 147 - 145: Plotting in the Shadows
Lu Chuanshan was eliminated in the first round and was in low spirits.
He hadn’t expected to actually win the Divine Pill, but he also hadn’t anticipated losing so miserably.
The Cauldron Opening Competition progressed much faster in the afternoon than in the morning.
Cui Xuanye and the others took their turns on the stage. The results were, as expected, crushing victories. Their opponents went up quickly and came down even faster.
Two members of the South Sea Pavilion also competed that afternoon. Even their names were strangely uniform, consisting of a surname followed by two numbers. Moreover, they both cultivated the same Poison Technique.
The moment their opponents saw them use the Poison Technique, they conceded without even a fight.
They had all witnessed the power of that Poison Technique in the morning. If even Lu Chuanshan of the Hidden Dragon Rankings couldn’t resist it, how could they possibly stand a chance?
Besides, once poisoned, it was impossible to even expel the toxins.
It wasn’t until near the end of the day that it was Chen Yuan’s turn to compete.
His opponent was a stout man with a round face, possessing only the Cultivation of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm Early Stage.
The moment he stepped onto the stage, the man grinned, cupped his fists, and said, "Inspector Chen, you are a brilliant young talent with astonishing strength. I am clearly no match for you."
"It’s an honor just to share the stage with a remarkable young man like yourself, Inspector Chen. There’s no need for us to fight. I’m afraid I couldn’t even withstand a single slash from you—though it seems you wouldn’t even need to draw your saber to defeat me."
"But since I’m already here, would you allow me to say a few words?"
The man knew his place and had a witty way with words, so Chen Yuan didn’t make things difficult for him. "Be my guest," he said directly.
The man cupped his fists to the crowd and said with a broad grin, "I am Xu Que, master of the Danyang Prefecture branch of the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower. I’m in charge of all intelligence for the smaller cities across northern Ping Province."
"If any of you have intelligence to buy or sell, feel free to find me. I’m famous for my fair prices and for being honest with all my customers."
From the very beginning, this man had no intention of competing. He had purely used a Top Grade Spiritual Medicine as an entry fee to advertise himself.
He just happened to be matched against Chen Yuan and was using the buzz around him to make his advertisement even more impactful.
Chen Yuan watched Xu Que, raising an eyebrow. ’The man’s position in the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower must be quite high.’
’Although the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower isn’t known for its Martial Power, the head of a Prefecture City branch should normally be at the Condensing Truth Realm.’
’For Xu Que to be in charge of a Prefecture City at his age and with a Cultivation in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, while also overseeing so many smaller branches in northern Ping Province, clearly shows his abilities are extraordinary. The Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower must have very high hopes for him.’
The thought of the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower reminded Chen Yuan of Wen Rou, the proprietress of the Forget Sorrow Building.
’I wonder which branch of the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower that sultry proprietress ended up running.’
Xu Que knew when to quit while he was ahead. He understood that saying too much would annoy people and disrupt the competition, so he made his brief pitch and promptly stepped down.
Several more pairs of contestants followed, and with that, the first day of the Cauldron Opening Competition came to an end, with half of the participants eliminated.
Those who were eliminated could choose to leave immediately or remain in Medicine King Valley until the competition was over.
As night fell, Medicine King Valley provided accommodations for everyone. They were given rows of independent courtyards built along the cliffs, surrounded by rare flowers and exotic herbs. The fragrant scent of medicinal plants filled the air, creating a very pleasant environment.
Having hosted the Cauldron Opening Competition so many times, Medicine King Valley had become very thorough in its arrangements.
Meanwhile, in the South Sea Pavilion’s residence.
Yan Jiuyi, the dark horse who had defeated Lu Chuanshan on the stage earlier, was now kneeling before the South Sea Pavilion’s Master, Yan Yuanming.
SLAP!
SLAP!
SLAP!
Yan Yuanming, who had appeared so kind and benevolent during the day, was now expressionless, slapping Yan Jiuyi across the face again and again.
One side of Yan Jiuyi’s face was already badly swollen, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t dare flinch.
"Getting cocky, are we? Arrogant and conceited! You’ve really forgotten your place, forgotten who you are!"
Yan Jiuyi kept his head up, speaking in a low voice. "Foster Father, please calm your anger. Your son knows his mistake. I just couldn’t stand the arrogance of those Martial Artists from the Noble Families and Major Sects."
"They were just born into good families. What right do they have to be so arrogant? He was clearly no match for me, yet he still put on such airs. It was sickening! I just got caught up in the moment and couldn’t hold it in."
Yan Yuanming said coldly, "’Couldn’t hold it in?’ We have been planning this for years. What if your little display raises suspicion and ruins everything? Is that a responsibility you can bear?"
"One moment of indulgence, and you risk ruining the grand plan. Is that fair to the hundreds of your brothers who didn’t survive? Is it fair to all my years of scheming?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Yuanming grabbed Yan Jiuyi by the neck and hoisted him into the air, his eyes like ice. "And you look down on the disciples of Major Sects? Where do you think your power came from? From your own arduous cultivation? From your own talent?"
"I gave you this chance to make a name for yourself in the Jianghu during this competition. Without me, you’re nothing but the son of a cheap whore, a bastard from gods-know-where!"
"There are plenty of others in the South Sea Pavilion who want this opportunity. If I had any other choice right now, I’d cripple you on the spot for your performance today and take back the Heaven-Devouring Poison!"
"I know I was wrong! Foster Father, spare me this once! I’ll never dare to do it again!"
Yan Jiuyi’s eyes were filled with terror.
He valued power more than his own life. If his foster father were to take that power away from him, it would be a fate far crueler than death!
"Hmph!"
Yan Yuanming flung Yan Jiuyi aside. "I’ll spare you for today," he said coldly. "But if you dare to act so recklessly and provocatively again tomorrow, you know the consequences."
Yan Jiuyi kowtowed again and again, his body trembling uncontrollably, clearly terrified beyond measure.
The other two of Yan Yuanming’s adopted sons in the room watched the spectacle, but there was no hint of gloating on their faces. Instead, they were both trembling with fear.
All their power came from their foster father.
When their foster father granted them power, they could make a name for themselves at the competition, even defeating prodigies from the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
But if he withheld that power, they were nothing more than a bunch of worthless trash.
Having once obtained and savored the taste of power, having it stripped away would be a fate worse than death.
Yan Jiuyi was a cautionary tale. They could not afford to make the same mistake.
"Stay in your rooms. I’m going to add a few more materials to the Shennong Cauldron."
Yan Yuanming glanced in the direction of the Shennong Cauldron, a contemptuous sneer forming on his lips. "Zong Siyuan is a mediocre fool. What does he know about Alchemy? Is he even worthy of touching it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Yuanming’s body dissolved into a wisp of mist and vanished from the room.
Chen Yuan wasn’t in his room either. He was dressed in black, completely concealed from head to toe.
He had suppressed his aura to the absolute minimum, his breathing was inaudible, and he was as still as an inanimate object. He was perched on a cliff at the edge of the valley, from where he had a clear view of the Shennong Cauldron’s location.
In the original story, someone plotted against Medicine King Valley during this competition. They secretly tampered with the Shennong Cauldron’s Array and mixed something into it. This caused the cauldron to explode for the first time ever, simultaneously creating one Divine Pill and one world-shaking Poison Pill.
At that point, the scene would descend into chaos. The Divine Pill and the Poison Pill would fly out at the same time, and the resulting battle inside Medicine King Valley would make it impossible to declare a winner for the competition.
In the end, the Poison Pill would be snatched by the secret plotter, while the Divine Pill would fly out of Medicine King Valley. It would ultimately be found by an Independent Martial Artist who wasn’t qualified to participate and could only watch the festivities from outside.
That person would use the Divine Pill to be completely reborn, change his destiny, and make a great name for himself in the Jianghu.
The original story didn’t specify the direction the Divine Pill would fly, or perhaps Chen Yuan had overlooked that detail.
However, the saboteurs had caused the cauldron to explode by breaking a corner of its Array, and the Divine Pill had flown out from that broken section.
Chen Yuan was lying in wait here, hoping to spot the saboteur. This way, he could predict the direction the Divine Pill would fly and intercept it ahead of time.
However, Chen Yuan had been waiting for an hour, and there was still no activity from the direction of the Shennong Cauldron.
The competition would last for several more days, and Chen Yuan wasn’t sure if the saboteurs would make their move tonight. All he could do was lie in wait and observe patiently.
But after carefully observing Medicine King Valley’s security, Chen Yuan could only conclude that they deserved to be plotted against.
Medicine King Valley had grown too comfortable over the years.
None of the Fish and Dragon Six Sects were renowned for their Martial Dao. Medicine King Valley, however, was the world’s foremost authority on alchemy, standing supreme in the Alchemy Dao.
Therefore, all the Major Sects treated Medicine King Valley with extreme courtesy, hoping to buy more of the Divine Pills they produced.
An Alchemist from Medicine King Valley, regardless of their Cultivation Realm or skill level, would be treated with the utmost respect by the major powers the moment they set foot in the Jianghu.
After living like this for so long, the people of Medicine King Valley had gradually lost their vigilance, becoming lazy and complacent.
For example, during an event like the Cauldron Opening Competition, which drew a motley crowd, Medicine King Valley should have been rigorously guarding its Divine Artifact.
And yet, there were only four Alchemists guarding the Shennong Cauldron, tasked only with ensuring the Array’s flame didn’t go out during the night. The primary defense was the Array itself.
While it was true that outsiders couldn’t use the Shennong Cauldron, any other major power would have surrounded it with layers of guards. Even the Sect Leader would have been standing vigil beside it.
Based on today’s events, Chen Yuan suspected that the people from the South Sea Pavilion were the ones who plotted against Medicine King Valley in the original story.
They weren’t from the Central Plains Martial World, and the power Yan Jiuyi wielded was incredibly bizarre. If everyone from the South Sea Pavilion controlled such a force, they could genuinely pose a threat to Medicine King Valley.
Besides them, the White-clothed Marquis, Zhao Wuji, was also a suspect.
Zhao Wuji was wildly ambitious and known for his secret machinations. Perhaps he also wanted to bring Medicine King Valley under his control to secure an endless supply of Elixirs for himself.
Just as Chen Yuan was analyzing the possibilities, there was a sudden, subtle change near the Shennong Cauldron.
The four Alchemists guarding the cauldron’s flame suddenly closed their eyes in unison, as if they had fallen into a stupor. At the same moment, a wisp of mist enveloped the Shennong Cauldron.
Chen Yuan couldn’t see a single person, but the Array abruptly flickered twice, and a thin mist appeared in the surrounding area.
By the time the mist dissipated, the four Alchemists opened their eyes simultaneously, seemingly not having noticed anything amiss.
P.S. Xu Que is a cameo character for the reader "Du Wo Bie Du Ta."