Chapter 280: Chapter 281: The Sudden Appearance of Ergouzi
Translator: 549690339
In the Elixir Sect’s grand hall where matters were deliberated, over sixty percent of the sect elders had gathered, barring those who were responsible for overseeing the alchemy competition. Nearly all the remaining elders were present.
Each person’s face was tinged with a hint of anticipation; they were all eager to learn the ancient alchemy techniques. Under the Sect Master’s implication, Elder Sun had reluctantly shared the pack of Enlightenment Tea Leaves that Li Xiaobai had given him with the other elders.
The Enlightenment Tea Leaves were refreshing to the heart and soul, purified the viscera, and cleared the mind’s platform. The doubts and confusions they had about alchemy were resolved in this moment, and the faces of the elders showed varying degrees of enlightenment.
Unable to resist, they took a couple more draws until the packet of tea leaves ran out and they burned their hands on the stubs. Only then did they snap back to reality.
Everyone unanimously concluded that this was an opportunity for the Elixir Sect; they must seize it well.
Zhong Daoquan led Li Xiaobai into the hall at a leisurely pace.
“Young Master Li, what do you think of this place? If you need anything prepared, just say the word!”
Zhong Daoquan was very polite, but Li Xiaobai knew that this was all because of the tea leaves. Once he had imparted the entire method of making the product, who knew if these old fellows would turn on him on the spot?
“It’s almost good enough, just a few leaves of Enlightenment Tea will do.”
Li Xiaobai casually lit a cigarette and said indifferently.
This action caused the assembled elders great heartache—that was Enlightenment Tea, an existence that could lead to enlightenment! How could he just casually light it up and smoke it?
Even more infuriating was that the plump fat chicken also copied him, lighting up a cigarette and puffing away.
“Cluck cluck, lately I can only smoke Enlightenment Tea Leaves, anything else irritates the throat, it’s a bit uncomfortable!”
Ji Wuqing took a small puff and exhaled smoke rings, saying lightly.
This provoked the elders to envy; that damn chicken was too detestable. They seemed to be living worse than a chicken, and it made them want to slaughter it and make soup.
Seemingly sensing the murderous intent, Ji Wuqing shivered, dropped the cigarette from its beak, and darted into Liu Fei’s arms to hide.
Seeing the wasted half-smoked cigarette on the ground, the elders had complex expressions. They really wanted to pick it up and continue smoking, but with so many people watching, they couldn’t embarrass themselves like that.
“Alright, Young Master Li, here is half a pound of Enlightenment Tea Leaves, all of top quality. You just go ahead and demonstrate. If you need more, just say the word, and I as Sect Master will send someone to fetch more.”
Zhong Daoquan took out a small bag, which was brimming with Enlightenment Tea Leaves.
Li Xiaobai was somewhat surprised. Enlightenment Tea Leaves were not a common treasure; they only possessed their effect when picked from the Enlightenment Tea Tree, and the tree only produced leaves for one month in a year.
The Elixir Sect was really willing to spend resources lavishly, it seemed; they were determined to learn ancient alchemy, sparing no expense.
“No problem, no problem, that should be just about enough.”
Li Xiaobai flicked his hand, pulling a large bag of Enlightenment Tea towards him and said cheerfully.
The onlookers were left thirsty with envy. Li Xiaobai had thick skin indeed; the Sect Master had brought out the Enlightenment Tea Leaves to earn his favor, and he had unhesitatingly taken all of them. While everyone else was just putting on a show, why was he the only one to act so simply?
But, displeased as they were, they still recognized that more pressing matters were at hand.
Zhong Daoquan did not say much else and gestured for Li Xiaobai to start.
“All the elders, pay attention. The first step is to grind the Enlightenment Tea Leaves into powder, for the core ingredient in our cigarettes is indeed this powdered Enlightenment Tea Leaves,” Li Xiaobai spoke as he reached into the bag, taking out a few leaves of Enlightenment Tea and placing them on the ground. The elders nodded in agreement; to their knowledge, the core of the cigarette was that powdery substance.
However, at that moment, a sudden gust of wind roared through the hall. Li Xiaobai only felt an immense force pulling at him, as the bag filled with Enlightenment Tea Leaves shot towards a direction in the hall.
“Who’s pulling these sneaky tricks, actually stealing my Enlightenment Tea Leaves, with such thick skin!”
Li Xiaobai was furious. The Enlightenment Tea Leaves he had gone to so much trouble to swindle had been snatched away before they even had the chance to get warm.
The cultivators’ faces darkened. What do you mean, ‘your Enlightenment Tea Leaves’? And who are you calling thick-skinned? Among the cultivators present, you’re the one with the thickest face.
But indeed, daring to steal things in the Elixir Sect was too presumptuous, clearly showing no regard for them, the Sect Elders.
Zhong Daoquan’s expression suddenly turned grim: “Who is it? Wouldn’t you like to come out and have a chat?”
“Woof! What the hell is this thing? It’s so dry it could break my teeth. Xiaojing, find the master who made this thing and butcher them!”
An extremely arrogant voice came from outside the door.
“The Saint Heir ate Enlightenment Tea Leaves just now.”
An old man’s voice came through.
“Woof! Who made these Enlightenment Tea Leaves? Bring them out and butcher them!”
“Saint Heir, the tea leaves come from a tea tree, not from someone’s hand.”
“Then chop down the tea tree. Do I, Lord Ergouzi, need to teach you such a simple thing?”
The arrogant voice sounded very angry.
“Saint Heir, you are now the Fire Qilin Saint Child; please refrain from calling yourself Ergouzi anymore. Such crude language should never come from someone of the Qilin bloodline.”
The aged voice rose again.
“Woof! Lord Ergouzi is a peerless being. That wretched Kylin will one day be trampled under your Lord Ergouzi’s feet!”
“If the Saint Heir possesses such lofty aspirations and ambition, why worry about not achieving great things!”
Listening to the two voices outside, one talking and the other responding, Li Xiaobai and Ji Wuqing exchanged glances, both wearing odd expressions on their faces. That annoying tone and arrogant attitude, didn’t it sound very much like Ergouzi?
And he actually referred to himself as the Saint Heir. Listening to what the cultivators outside Tianfeng City had said before, a Fire Qilin Saint Child had come for the competition among the Three Sects. Li guessed that it might be Ergouzi, and now it seemed to be about ninety percent certain.
Having not seen him for a long time, it looked like the fellow was doing quite well.
“Is the Fire Qilin Saint Child outside the hall? Since you are here, why not come in and catch up?”
After hearing the conversation outside, Zhong Daoquan’s anger also dissipated. In this area, the only one who could be called the Saint Heir was the one from Fire Qilin Cave.
This was the most promising Saint Heir of Fire Qilin Cave. Thanks to his revealed potential and bloodline, the cave even allowed him to appear in the world ahead of time. Such an individual’s future achievements were bound to be immeasurable; they could only be befriended, not antagonized.
“That’s right, it’s your Lord Fire Qilin. Xiaojing, get up and see who is calling for the Fire Qilin lord.”
Two figures entered from outside the door; specifically, an old man with white hair, carrying a throne on one hand, walked in, and on the throne was sprawled a… husky.
Using the terms of this world, on the throne lay a Qilin Divine Beast, the long-lost Ergouzi.
Ergouzi’s eyes were without spirit, his nostrils flaring, paying no heed to anyone there, his demeanor arrogant to the extreme.
Ji Wuqing couldn’t contain his irritation: “Damn it, to think I was actually worried about that damn dog. The moment he comes into his own, he doesn’t spare a thought for us at all, just enjoying his own blessed life!”
Chapter 281: Chapter 282: You as the Security Captain
Translator: 549690339
Ergouzi’s entrance was rather shocking, but the group from Elixir Sect felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
At such a crucial moment, someone came looking for them, clearly aware of the matter with Huazi. It seemed likely they were here to claim a share of the spoils.
Zhong Daoquan’s face turned somewhat ugly, as he realized the difficulty of the situation. After all, it was too late, they had been approached first.
“So it is the Saint Heir of Fire Qilin Cave who graces us with his presence. What a neglectful welcome. May I inquire why the Saint Heir has consumed our Elixir Sect’s Enlightenment Tea Leaves?”
Zhong Daoquan stepped forward to confront him first, asking while his eyes surreptitiously swept over the white-haired elder. The elder’s aura was unfathomable, and like him, possessed a cultivation level of the Great Crossing Realm.
He couldn’t help but feel inwardly alarmed. The depth of Fire Qilin Cave far exceeded his imagination. This elder must be the Protector of the Saint Heir, with each Saint Heir being assigned a Protector. In other words, just to protect the Saint Heir from external harm, Fire Qilin Cave had dispatched four Great Crossing Realm Experts.
It was hard to imagine how many more experts lay hidden within this time-honored powerful sect; truly worthy of a millennium-old sect, their profound foundation was immeasurable.
“So it’s your leaves, dry and lacking any moisture, terribly hard to eat, it even got stuck in your Fire Qilin Lord’s teeth. Xiaojing, this is the one, slay him!”
From the throne, Ergouzi opened one eye, glanced at Zhong Daoquan, snorted coldly, and spoke indifferently.
It was as if killing the other was as simple as crushing an ant.
“Saint Heir, this is the Sect Master of Elixir Sect. All the expenses for our stay here have been covered by him.”
The white-haired elder’s eyebrows twitched as he softly reminded.
“So, it’s the Sect Master of Elixir Sect… woof, who threw this Huazi so wastefully? Xiaojing, find this person and slay him!”
Now aware that it was the Sect Master of Elixir Sect, Ergouzi sobered up – this was its wealthy patron ‘dad’. Practically all of its indulgences in Central Province were reimbursed by him.
Just as it was about to exchange pleasantries with the man, something caught its eye in the corner – it was the half-smoked Huazi which had been discarded on the ground by Ji Wuqing.
Ergouzi immediately became enraged. It had gone without Huazi for more than a month, and during these days, not a moment passed when it didn’t long to draw on a stick. Each time it reminisced about the past, its eyes would moisten slightly.
And now someone had thrown the Huazi it longed for onto the ground, only half-smoked no less. Such extravagant waste was intolerable, and it must punish the offender!
It hopped down from the throne on its four short legs and sniffed at the half-smoked Huazi.
Then, under the astonished gazes of everyone, it opened its mouth wide, picked up the Huazi, a spark formed, lit it, and started puffing away, its face showing a human-like expression of pleasure.
“Saint Heir, what are you doing…?”
Zhong Daoquan was dumbfounded, feeling even more convinced that the other had come specifically for the ancient alchemy, for how else could he have instantly recognized the half-smoked cigarette on the floor as Huazi?
The remaining Elders felt nothing but admiration for Ergouzi. After all, Fire Qilin Cave was Fire Qilin Cave, focused on improving strength without care for superficial face-saving measures, decisively frightening.
“Wasteful extravagance is not a good habit. Today, Fire Qilin Lord will teach you a lesson. In the future, whoever dares to waste resources again will face the severe punishment of Fire Qilin Lord without mercy!”
Ergouzi declared righteously, its eyes unconsciously drifting towards Li Xiaobai and Ji Wuqing at his side, the corners of its mouth involuntarily curling.
“It was your worthless chicken who threw this Huazi, wasn’t it? Fire Qilin Lord has sniffed your scent,”
“Cluck cluck, indeed it was I who threw it, what can you do to me? Having the honor to lick the scraps left by me is a privilege for a worthless dog like you!”
Ji Wuqing retorted with a scornful look, clucking in response.
“Xiaojing, slay it!”
Ergouzi’s face darkened, and he casually waved his paw, as an elder beside him stretched out a hand, ready to kill Ji Wuqing.
“Hee hee, you mangy dog still dare to order people around!”
Ji Wuqing lost his temper, jumping up and cursing loudly.
“Ahem, would you mind giving me some face and just drop this matter? Let’s focus on the important issues at hand.”
Li Xiaobai coughed a few times and slowly spoke up, having realized that this damned dog was nothing decent and was just trying to flaunt its wealth in front of him.
“That’s right, that’s right, the important issues are what matter. Now that the Saint Heir is also here, why not watch this together?”
Zhong Daoquan also spoke up, his heart in turmoil; it was one thing for people from Fire Qilin Cave to arrive, but if things were delayed further and the people from the Three Sects arrived, then Huazi’s secret would be unprotected, and his dreams of monopolizing the benefit would go up in smoke.
“Hmm, not bad, you have a way with words, which is a slight improvement over that dumb chicken.”
Ergouzi nodded and said, “Lord Fire Qilin perceives you as a talent, a promising young man. How about this, come work some security for me. Bring all your friends too, and I’ll offer you the highest market rate. You’ll be the Captain of the security guards!”
“A month, that should be at least ten top-grade Spirit Stones, yes, ten stones!”
“How’s that, not too difficult for you, is it?”
Ergouzi was smug, a sly expression in his eyes. In his view, Li Xiaobai at best only ever used high-grade Spirit Stones; he probably had never even seen a top-grade Spirit Stone. Offering ten top-grade Spirit Stones was an outrageous price to slap the other’s face.
However, his expression quickly stiffened, as Ji Wuqing pulled out a Spirit Stone from his bosom, colorful and dazzling.
“You dare to offer this low-end currency, a top-grade Spirit Stone, to me? When did Fire Qilin Cave become so destitute?”
“Bark, what does a moronic chicken like you know? Fire Qilin Cave’s heritage could bring you to tears if spoken of!”
Ergouzi bristled, his failed attempt to flaunt wealth causing immense inner resentment.
“Hee hee, didn’t believe me about your lack of experience, did you? Do you know who she is? She’s the granddaughter of the Head of Treasure Pavilion, a genuine pride of the skies, not comparable to a mangy dog like you!”
Ji Wuqing rebuked.
As soon as these words were uttered, the great hall fell silent for a moment. Both the Elder from Elixir Sect and the elder surnamed Jiang looked at Liu Fei with peculiar expressions.
The words “Treasure Pavilion” carried serious weight, for the founder was a terrifyingly fierce individual, rumored to have survived by devouring raw flesh and blood, literally consuming human meat. However, after establishing the Treasure Pavilion, this person never showed his face again.
It was unsettling to think that the grandchild of such a fierce individual had come to Central Province to participate in the competition of the Three Sects.
“Are you, Liu Jiannan, the old ghost’s granddaughter?”
The elder asked Liu Fei, his expression one of doubt; this girl looked like she hadn’t seen much of the world, which was far from the old ghost’s modus operandi.
“Yes, Liu Jiannan is indeed my grandfather; do you know him, elder?”
Liu Fei cautiously replied, not expecting Ji Wuqing to drag her into this.
The elder sneered, stretching out his left hand that only bore four fingers, the little finger cleanly severed, with traces of Yin and Yang Qi still swirling around faintly.
“Know him? You see this missing little finger on my hand? Your grandfather took it!”
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