Wei Jie's emotions were clearly stirred, and he seemed somewhat agitated.
Jiang Chen could understand Wei Jie's frustration. The Wei family had been collateral damage from start to finish—they were the most innocent victims in the whole affair.
Although the Panlong Patriarch had been somewhat affected, as someone on the verge of losing his cultivation with no miraculous reversal possible, there was simply no way to change his fate.
"Young Master Jie, the way I see it, you really should explain the situation clearly to the Panlong Patriarch." That was about the extent of the advice Jiang Chen could offer.
"The Panlong Patriarch is magnanimous. He understands our Wei family's loyalty. But the people below him don't see it that way. The Panlong clan, and the various noble families under them—they've always been jealous of our Wei family's position. Whenever they get a chance to push us out, they seize it. Slander after slander, suppression after suppression—even something white can be painted black."
Jiang Chen knew all too well about the power of slander. This kind of thing truly couldn't be cleared up with just a few words. To change the Wei family's awkward predicament would be no easy feat.
Wei Jie suddenly thought of something, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes. "Brother Zhen, I heard that back in the Myriad Domains, you once refined a pill called the Longevity Pill—it can extend a person's lifespan by five hundred to eight hundred years. Is that true?"
Jiang Chen laughed despite himself. Wei Jie was thinking far ahead, his ambitions reaching all the way to the Longevity Pill.
With a soft sigh, Jiang Chen shook his head. "The Longevity Pill is only effective for Saint Realm powerhouses. It does nothing for Imperial Realm cultivators—it might even make the situation worse."
Hearing that it could make things worse, Wei Jie couldn't help but recall the disaster caused by their former Pill King. Once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of a rope—his face changed dramatically.
"It really has no use at all?"
"Perhaps a little, but the chance of negative side effects is far greater." Jiang Chen knew Wei Jie was eager to use this opportunity to mend relations with the Panlong clan.
But the Longevity Pill absolutely could not achieve that, because it was only suitable for Saint Realm powerhouses.
There was indeed a pill that could extend the lifespan of Imperial Realm powerhouses—the Pine Crane Pill. Jiang Chen actually possessed one of the two key ingredients: the first Heaven-grade spiritual medicine he had obtained from Illusory Wave Mountain—the Thousand Illusion Hidden Cloud Pine.
The pine cones of this tree were one of the main materials for refining the Pine Crane Pill.
As for the other ingredient, the Golden Crown Cloud Crane heart—it came from an extremely rare spirit beast as well. While the Golden Crown Cloud Crane's overall rarity couldn't compare to the Thousand Illusion Hidden Cloud Pine, a single crane heart was actually more valuable than a single pine cone.
After all, the Thousand Illusion Hidden Cloud Pine could produce many cones, but each Golden Crown Cloud Crane had only one heart.
Of course, these were merely thoughts passing through Jiang Chen's mind. Setting aside a heaven-defying pill like the Pine Crane Pill, he hadn't even planned to refine the Longevity Pill.
If the Longevity Pill were refined, his identity would inevitably be exposed, drawing the attention of countless pairs of eyes.
Let alone the Pine Crane Pill, which was ten times, a hundred times more precious than the Longevity Pill.
With Jiang Chen's current status and standing, he simply couldn't handle the upheaval that the Pine Crane Pill would bring. Even the Wei family couldn't handle it.
Unless Jiang Chen's partner was the Panlong clan itself—then there might be some plausibility to the idea.
But one can never truly see through another's heart. Having once suffered the consequences of the Longevity Pill, it was clearly unrealistic for him to produce the Pine Crane Pill out of nowhere now.
Besides, the raw materials for the Pine Crane Pill—particularly the Golden Crown Cloud Crane heart—were by no means easy to gather. He had no intention of getting himself stuck in that quagmire.
"Brother Zhen, then will your Taiyuan Pavilion be dealing in Longevity Pills? If you do, you'll be recognized immediately. That wouldn't be good for you."
Jiang Chen shook his head. "I'll refine Longevity Pills someday, but the time isn't right yet."
"That's just as well. The Glazed Royal City may be powerful, but when the Imperishable Sky City and the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect want to cause trouble in the shadows, it's not easy to guard against." Wei Jie nodded, able to understand Jiang Chen's reasoning.
This was exactly what Jiang Chen appreciated about Wei Jie—at least the young man understood priorities, knew when to push and when to back off, wouldn't force others beyond their comfort, and could consider things from the other person's perspective.
This kind of virtue was something many noble family scions simply didn't possess.
"Young Master Jie, go back and tell your father. If the Wei family doesn't consider me unworthy of the position, I have no objection to serving as the Guest Pill King for the Wei family."
Hearing this, Wei Jie was overjoyed. "Brother Zhen, really?"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who talks nonsense?"
Wei Jie slapped his thigh. "Wonderful! I never dared to bring it up because I was afraid of putting you in danger. But honestly, the risk might not be all that great."
Jiang Chen chuckled. "I've made my way from the Myriad Domains all the way here—has there been any shortage of danger? And yet here I am."
"True, but you should still be extra careful. How about this—I'll send my personal guard steward Qixia to serve as your bodyguard?" Wei Jie suggested.
"That won't be necessary." Jiang Chen waved his hand, flatly refusing. Although Wei Qixia was an Imperial Realm first-level powerhouse, Jiang Chen truly didn't need the help.
If there was a situation he himself couldn't handle, adding one more Wei Qixia wouldn't make a difference.
After the two reached an understanding, Wei Jie departed in high spirits, heading home with this good news to report. Having Jiang Chen serve as the Wei family's Guest Pill King—the benefits were obvious.
The Wei family would shake off the embarrassment of being without a Pill King, and their alchemy business would get back on track.
Everything was heading in the right direction!
Wei Jie felt his entire body filled with energy and motivation. His trust and admiration for Jiang Chen had become almost blindly devoted.
Especially that scene where Jiang Chen had defeated Alchemist Yu—that had made Wei Jie deeply realize that this genius from the Myriad Domains, who had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, would one day shine just as brilliantly in the Glazed Royal City!