"Baishi, any news from the Pill King Garden?" Jiang Chen hadn't let his guard down around the Pill King Garden. Though its decline was inevitable, the old saying went — strike a snake and fail to kill it, and it would come back to bite you. Jiang Chen would absolutely not allow that to happen.
"Master, the fall of the Pill King Garden is all but certain. Word has it that the higher-ups there are planning to abandon the Garden and pledge themselves to Marquis Longteng's service as independent scholars."
"It seems we underestimated those people at the Pill King Garden. Those who read the times are true heroes. On that count, the Garden's people were smart. Knowing the cause was hopeless, they immediately threw themselves at Marquis Longteng's feet. And Longteng would be a fool not to welcome them. Alchemists and apothecaries are a tremendous asset for any lord with ambitions of rebellion."
"Yes, yes! Master sees everything." Qiao Baishi nodded, completely unbothered by Jiang Chen's habit of speaking without mincing words.
"Baishi, I'm here to pick up some pills and a few materials. Have them ready for me." Being a master came with certain perks, after all.
"Master, I've already prepared ten Divine Show Creation Pills, ten Blue Sea Pills, and several bottles of One Buddha Powder for you."
It had to be said — Qiao Baishi was quite thoughtful and considerate. Knowing that Jiang Chen would be participating in the Hidden Dragon Trial, he had set these pills aside well in advance.
This pleased Jiang Chen greatly.
"Here are some materials I need. Prepare those as well." These materials had their purpose. Last time, his father had been ambushed at the estate gates and poisoned with a sinister toxin.
This time, Jiang Chen planned to fight poison with poison — to turn the enemy's own methods against them. Preparing some formidable toxins of his own was child's play for him.
The art of poison was an unorthodox path, but before one's strength had fully matured and with the surrounding environment being so hostile, it was a necessary precaution.
Better safe than sorry.
If the enemy resorted to dirty tricks, countering poison with poison would be the perfect response.
After gathering everything he needed, Jiang Chen didn't linger long at the Apothecary Hall. Qiao Baishi was drowning in work these days, and Jiang Chen didn't want to waste either of their time.
Upon returning to the Marquis Jianghan estate, Jiang Chen was surprised to find Xuan Pangzi had been waiting for him for quite some time. With him was Huqiu Yue, the heir of Marquis Huqiu.
"Brother Chen, at last you're back! Your little brother's been suffering!" The moment Xuan Pangzi spotted Jiang Chen, he looked like a drowning man who'd just found a lifeline.
"What's wrong?" The Hidden Dragon Trial was fast approaching, and Jiang Chen knew that Xuan Pangzi wouldn't be loitering around here without good reason.
Xuan Pangzi pulled a grim face. "Brother Chen, last time I listened to your words, they really struck a chord. I decided to turn over a new leaf — so that my future kids could have the right to be reckless young lords, I was willing to burn off every last ounce of fat and fight to keep the Marquis's seal. But—"
At this point, Xuan Pangzi let out a heavy sigh.
"Spit it out." Jiang Chen couldn't stand it when the fat man dithered.
"Brother Chen, you know how it is — with this much fat on me, cultivation doesn't come easy. My Five-Meridian True Qi should've been enough to muddle through the Hidden Dragon Trial. But a few days ago, some guy suddenly popped up in our clan, and he's got Six-Meridian True Qi! Now there's a push among the elders to send the strongest young fighter to the Trial. Brother Chen, you know what that means — if that guy gets sent, the one inheriting my old man's Marquis Jinshan seal won't be me, Xuan Pangzi. It'll be that bastard!"
"What's his name?" Jiang Chen asked calmly.
"His name is Xuan Yuan!" Xuan Pangzi's face twisted with barely contained rage at the mention of the name — the kind of look that said he'd love to sink his teeth into the guy. "That punk used to only have Four-Meridian True Qi. I have no idea whether he suddenly broke through or had been hiding his strength all along, just waiting for the last second to steal my thunder!"
Xuan Pangzi was at Five-Meridian True Qi and had been stuck there for a year or two already. No matter what, he just couldn't locate his sixth acupoint.
Jiang Chen furrowed his brow slightly. "Didn't I tell you both to come see me before the Trial? If this hadn't happened, were you just not going to bother?"
Huqiu Yue's tigerish face flushed red. "Brother Chen, the old man's been keeping a tight leash on me lately. Says the Trial's coming up and I'm not allowed out to cause trouble."
"Fine. Since you've come to me, Xuan Pangzi, I'll give you two solutions." Jiang Chen said calmly.
"Brother, you really are my brother! I couldn't come up with a single idea, and you've got two? Quick, tell me — your little brother will follow your lead." Xuan Pangzi beamed, his gloomy expression swept clean away.
"First option: I do the dirty work for you — sneak up on that Xuan Yuan character and cut him down with one stroke!"
Xuan Pangzi flinched, and seeing the murderous look on Jiang Chen's face, a chill ran down his spine. He forced an awkward laugh. "That won't do, that won't do. An outsider interfering — especially you, Brother Chen — if anyone found out, we'd both be done for. I don't care about myself, but I can't drag you down."
"Then the second option: you beat him fair and square, leaving him with nothing to say." Jiang Chen didn't bother beating around the bush.
Xuan Pangzi pulled a face like he'd bitten into a bitter melon. "Brother, if I could beat him fair and square, do you think I'd be this miserable? You think I'm some kind of freak like you — challenging opponents above your level and beating Yan the Monkey like he's a dog?"
"Xuan Pangzi, when did you become this spineless? Did I say I wanted you to challenge his Six Meridians with your Five?"
"I really am just Five-Meridian True Qi — you know that, Brother Chen. I haven't been able to advance for over a year! That sixth acupoint is playing hide-and-seek with me!" Xuan Pangzi was thoroughly dejected.