"Exploded... it actually exploded..."
The servant hurried to the explosion site upon hearing the blast, and was shocked to find himself sitting on the floor, muttering nonstop when he saw that it was room number 36 of Jiazi that had exploded.
From within the smoke and dust, a fat elder staggered out of the Pill Room, coughing continuously and complaining, "This Pill Furnace is no good... what did you say, it really exploded? Are you cursing me, boy?"
Seeing the fat old man with ash and dirt on his face and a fierce look, the servant shook his head frantically in fright, "No, no, no, it wasn't me..."
Xu Qingfeng had just stabilized Bai Mutian's condition when he heard the explosion and quickly rushed over. Seeing the elder, he immediately bowed with his hands clasped in front of him and said respectfully, "Grand Master Uncle, are... are you all right?"
The old man waved his hand dismissively and said, "I'm fine, I'm fine, hurry up and clean this place, find me a new Pill Room."
Xu Qingfeng sneaked a peek inside the Pill Room and saw that nearly all formations had been obliterated in the explosion. Such destructive power could turn even a cultivator of the Golden Core Realm to mince, yet the elder remained unscathed, truly a fierce man of the sect as his master had mentioned.
"Still looking? Find me a Pill Furnace quickly," the old man urged impatiently.
Xu Qingfeng couldn't help but ask, "Grand Master Uncle, the Heart Engraving Morning Dew Pill is known for its gentle nature, how could it cause such an explosion of the furnace?"
"How would I know? Just go and find me a Pill Room!"
Xu Qingfeng turned curiously to find a Pill Room and did not see the old man's face, covered in dust, flush with embarrassment for an instant when the Heart Engraving Morning Dew Pill was mentioned.
"Right, was it you, boy, who cursed my Pill Furnace to explode just now?" The fat elder turned his gaze back to the servant who was still seated on the ground, unable to get up.
"It wasn't me, it was the Peak Master..." the servant stuttered, shaking his head in panic.
"Peak Master? Which peak's?" The fat elder said with dissatisfaction, "Does he have a grudge against me? To curse me like that!"
"Four... Four Treasures Peak..." Although the servant was a mortal, he had heard that even a cultivator in the Golden Core Realm at full power couldn't destroy the formations inside Jiazi's Pill Room, and now the door had been blasted to pieces, indicating all the formations within were gone.
With such a huge explosion and no one dead, the servant knew that the fat elder before him was no ordinary man.
"Four Treasures Peak?" The fat elder frowned, seriously contemplating whether there was such a peak in the Hundred Peaks Sect.
Xu Qingfeng was about to leave to look for a Pill Room, but he perked up when he heard it was related to Cao Zhen, and quickly decided to take the opportunity to frame him first.
"Grand Master Uncle, this Four Treasures Peak is our Hundred Peaks Sect's one-hundredth ranked peak," Xu Qingfeng quickly said, "Its Peak Master looks down on everyone, so don't take his words to heart."
"He actually cursed me like that? What else did he say?" The fat elder's brows furrowed deeply, contemplating not resuming alchemy for the moment. Even if the other party was a Peak Master within the Sect, he was determined to let them understand his might.
"He..." under Xu Qingfeng's encouraging gaze, the servant hesitantly said, "He also said that the esteemed elder is not refining the Heart Engraving Morning Dew Pill but the Dark Fire Frenzied Pill... He also said that if it weren't for your profound cultivation suppressing it, the Pill Furnace should have exploded yesterday..."
A surging anger caused a moment of rigid embarrassment to pass over the fat elder's face, an expression that Xu Qingfeng caught sight of.
As a shopkeeper, naturally adept at reading people, he couldn't help but probe, "Grand Master Uncle, you're not refining the Heart Engraving Morning Dew Pill? Then... your deposit is incorrect... If you're refining the Dark Fire Frenzied Pill..."
"Shut your mouth first!" the fat elder pointed a stubby finger at Xu Qingfeng's forehead, his eyes filled with surprise as he looked at the servant and asked, "Did you just say that person passed by my Pill Room, took a sniff of the medicinal fragrance, and said all that?"
By this time, the servant was completely bewildered, only managing to nod blankly.
The fat elder raised his hand to stroke his chin, tapping his chubby cheek with his index finger as he pondered deeply. Being able to distinguish what pill was being refined based on the scent of the medicine was something a talented Pill Master could barely achieve, provided that the Pill Master knew exactly what the pill prescription was.
As for being able to tell if a Pill Furnace is about to explode just by the smell of the medicine, that's something not even a regular Alchemy Master can do! And to predict the timing of the explosion? That would require one of the best among Alchemy Masters!
If this person isn't bluffing! He should know how to concoct the Dark Fire Frenzied Pill, right?
"Four Treasures Peak?" The fat elder stepped towards the door of Precious Cauldron Pavilion after seeing the young servant nod.
Upon seeing the fat elder about to leave, Xu Qingfeng promptly reacted and hurried after him, saying, "Grand Master Uncle, if you're concocting the Dark Fire Frenzied Pill..."
"Shut your mouth!" The fat elder stormed out of Precious Cauldron Pavilion and, exuding senior authority, turned and grabbed a passing disciple, demanding, "Where is Four Treasures Peak?"
The disciple, intimidated by the fat elder's presence, subconsciously answered, "To the east, not far from Starfall Lake."
"Good!" Dropping the disciple, the fat elder soared into the air and sped off in the opposite direction, towards the west.
The abandoned disciple, looking at the departing elder, stood dumbfounded for a moment before he couldn't help but whisper silently, "Elder... your direction is west..."
Unfortunately, it was too late and too quiet for the elder flying across the sky to hear anything the disciple said.
Standing there, Xu Qingfeng couldn't help but feel speechless as he recalled how his master introduced him to most of the important figures of Hundred Peaks Sect, emphasizing Grand Master Uncle Beichen Zhen.
Beichen Zhen, one of the few remarkable figures of Hundred Peaks Sect! His cultivation was incredibly high, one of the numbered Alchemy Masters in the sect! One should treat him with great hospitality if encountered.
This time, to find a good guide, Xu Qingfeng had even checked the alchemy ingredients seriously—those were clearly for the Heart Engraving Morning Dew Pill. He never expected the Grand Master Uncle to be so shameless, to also bring an extra set of ingredients for concocting the Dark Fire Frenzied Pill!
"Ah, I can only ask my master to speak to the True Person in charge of the sect and seek reparation," sighed Xu Qingfeng, knowing well that even if the Grand Master Uncle admitted to concocting the Dark Fire Frenzied Pill and agreed to compensation, it would probably end up as bad debt.
"Senior Brother, why did that senior of the sect want to go to Four Treasures Peak just now?"
The disciple previously questioned by Beichen Zhen couldn't help but come forward and inquire from Xu Qingfeng, wanting to know if things were going south so that he could also use it as an excuse to acquire a token to leave the sect for a while.
"Don't worry, Junior Brother," Xu Qingfeng, thinking about how Cao Zhen, who swindled his Spiritual Money, would soon face misfortune for cursing a formidable senior, felt the gloom in his heart dissipate without a trace and happily said, "It has nothing to do with you, just relax."
The disciple who was questioned by Beichen Zhen then reassured left.
Xu Qingfeng, looking in the direction Beichen Zhen had left, didn't worry too much. It would just be a matter of time before the fat elder found Cao Zhen and questioned him about why he cursed and how he knew about the Dark Fire Frenzied Pill.
Wait a minute! The wrong direction? Could he be directionally challenged? Xu Qingfeng felt as if the world was spinning around him when he suddenly remembered that Beichen Zhen had a twin brother named Beichen Ying—one of the sect's tough guys! His alchemy skills were mediocre, but he loved alchemy dearly! He often impersonated Beichen Zhen, making him a notorious swindler known throughout Hundred Peaks Sect and the Immortal Cultivation World!
"Was that person just now... Beichen Ying?" Xu Qingfeng felt despair sinking in. If it was that grand swindler Beichen Ying, even reporting to the Sect Leader would hardly help! Too many within the sect and the larger Immortal Cultivation World have been duped by him!
"Shopkeeper, how did the Peak Master of Four Treasures Peak know it was the Dark Fire Frenzied Pill from outside the door?" The young servant stood by the side uncomprehendingly and asked in a low voice.
How did he know about the Dark Fire Frenzied Pill? Xu Qingfeng suddenly felt like something was off. How did Cao Zhen know about the Dark Fire Frenzied Pill? Was it a coincidence that he was familiar with that Pill Prescription, or did he actually possess profound alchemy knowledge? It made no sense! Four Treasures Peak wasn't established for alchemy, was it?
The more he thought about it, the more restless Xu Qingfeng felt. If Cao Zhen of Four Treasures Peak truly excelled in alchemy, and he had caught the attention of an alchemy-loving senior in the sect, wasn't he effectively sending him a powerful backer? It couldn't just be a coincidence! If he really was an expert in alchemy, Four Treasures Peak wouldn't have turned out this way.
No, it couldn't be! Xu Qingfeng quickly calmed himself. The one going to Four Treasures Peak was the old swindler Beichen Ying! Cao Zhen would surely be scammed terribly!
Unaware of what Xu Qingfeng was thinking, and even less aware that one of the formidable seniors of the sect was looking for him, Cao Zhen had spent a Spiritual Money to ride the Immortal Cloud Carriage leisurely back to Four Treasures Peak, only to find the courtyard even livelier than when he had left.