Chapter 230: The Pill King is Beneath Me

Chapter 230: Chapter 230: The Pill King is Beneath Me

"Hold on." Yi Xiaoyao’s brow furrowed at Yun Cang’s dismissal.

"Sir, isn’t it a bit rash to reject my Elixirs without even looking at them? Besides, this is a gift for Ling’Er, not for you. How could you possibly know if she’ll like them or not?"

Before Yi Xiaoyao could even finish, the youth in black robes seized the opportunity to retaliate. He sneered, "Hmph! Is there any need to look? Could your Elixirs possibly compare to the gift from my young master? You’re just asking to be humiliated!"

"I was trying to save you some face, but since you insist on being so tactless, I’ll just be blunt!"

Annoyed by Yi Xiaoyao’s tone, Yun Cang snorted. "Meng Ling is the greatest genius of the Yun Family. The resources she uses must be of the highest quality. How could we let her consume some worthless junk and risk damaging her foundation?"

Worthless junk?

Hearing this, the corner of Yi Xiaoyao’s mouth hooked downward as he spoke.

"Sir, if after inspecting my Elixirs, you feel they are inferior to the other gift, I will leave at once. But if you feel my Elixirs are superior, then I ask that you let me see Ling’Er."

The youth in black robes scoffed. "Hilarious. You dare compare your Elixirs to the ones from my young master?"

"Kid, do you have any idea what you’re up against? The Elixirs from my young master were personally refined by the Pill King! Do you even know who the Pill King is?"

"Oh, right. I forgot you come from a backwater place like the Great Shang Dynasty. A country bumpkin like you must be so ignorant you’ve probably never even heard of Lord Pill King!"

"In that case, allow me to enlighten you! Lord Pill King is the number one Alchemist in the entire Great Xia Empire. His supreme-grade Four-Stripe Elixirs are the closest thing to a Perfect Elixir!"

Yun Cang watched Yi Xiaoyao coldly. ’Explaining all this to him is like casting pearls before swine,’ he thought. ’Someone from the Great Shang Dynasty probably doesn’t even know what a supreme-grade Four-Stripe Elixir is. What’s the point? Can he even understand?’

In the next moment, Yi Xiaoyao’s cold voice cut the youth off.

"Pill King? I’ve never heard of him. Nor do I have any interest in someone whose Alchemy Skill is beneath my own."

As soon as he said this, everyone in the room, including the steward Yuncheng, turned to stare at Yi Xiaoyao with utterly bizarre expressions.

’The Pill King’s Alchemy Skill is beneath his?’

In all their years, they had never heard such a ridiculously arrogant and ignorant statement.

Who in the entire Great Xia Empire would dare claim their Alchemy Skill could rival, let alone surpass, that of the Pill King?

Likely no one but the young man standing before them, his expression still perfectly composed.

How could someone be so ignorant as to say something so absurd?

"Enough!"

Yun Cang slammed his hand heavily on the table. "Junior," he bellowed, "you claim your Alchemy Skill surpasses the Pill King’s. Fine! Let’s see what kind of Elixirs you have to show for it!"

With that, Yun Cang didn’t even bother to take the Storage Pouch. He simply raised a hand and shot a blast of Spiritual Power directly at it.

The Storage Pouch instantly ruptured.

CLATTER!

Elixirs, each one emitting an incredibly rich Pill Fragrance, scattered across the floor, rolling in every direction. There were over a hundred of them!

’Hmph. It’s actually a little surprising that someone from the Great Shang Dynasty can produce so many fourth-tier elixirs,’ Yun Cang thought, his expression still cold.

At the sight of so many Elixirs, the youth in black robes also let out a sneer.

"What’s the use of having so many? All of them together aren’t worth even one Elixir refined by Lord Pill King! My young master, on the other hand, gifted eight of Lord Pill King’s supreme-grade Four-Stripe Elixirs!"

"This Pill Fragrance is so strong... you must have just mixed in a bunch of cheap spices. It’s all for show. They’re undoubtedly full of impurities and Pill Poison. At best, they might have a single Pill Pattern."

Saying this, the youth in black robes mockingly bent down to pick up an Elixir that had rolled to his feet. He continued his jeer, "See? Just as I expected. Look at this... this... this is..."

The youth’s expression changed instantly. He shook his head, carefully counted the Pill Patterns on its surface one more time, and a gasp of shock escaped his lips.

"A Five-Stripe Perfect Elixir!!!"

"What?!"

Yun Cang’s expression tightened. His eyes immediately shot toward the fourth-tier elixirs on the floor. When he saw the Pill Patterns etched onto each one, the cold disdain on his face froze solid.

In a mere instant, his gaze swept across every Elixir on the floor.

Over a hundred fourth-tier Elixirs, and every last one of them was a Five-Stripe Perfect Elixir!

’What did this even mean? It was horrifying!’

’Inconceivable! Unbelievable!’

’And this was the "worthless junk" he had just dismissed?’

’If these were considered worthless junk, then no Elixir in this world could possibly be considered high-grade.’

Just then, Yi Xiaoyao’s voice cut through the silence, his tone dripping with displeasure.

"Hmph! Sir, I spent a fortune in precious herbs and several days of hard work refining these specifically for Ling’Er, and you just scattered them all over the ground!"

"Even if you refuse my gift, you have no right to treat it like trash. I wonder how you intend to compensate me for these Elixirs, which you have now defiled!"

This was no joke. It was a gift Yi Xiaoyao had poured his heart and soul into preparing for Yun Mengling, and now it had been ruined. How could he not be furious?

Yun Cang, having seen his share of the world, quickly recovered from the initial shock. But when he heard Yi Xiaoyao’s words, his face twitched.

’Compensate?’

’Five-Stripe Perfect Elixirs were things of legend, priceless beyond measure! Even if they had a price, it would be astronomical!’

’The cost of over a hundred Perfect Elixirs... even his City Lord’s Mansion couldn’t afford to repay such a debt!’

"This..."

Yun Cang’s face flushed red, then drained of color. He was a City Lord in the Great Xia Empire; in his long life, what situation hadn’t he faced?

But this... he was completely at a loss. He had truly never encountered a situation like this before.

The youth in black robes spoke up, though his voice lacked its previous arrogance. "My young master said he would pay any price for Miss Meng Ling’s sake. He will certainly be willing to compensate City Lord Yun for these Elixirs!"

"Oh?" Yi Xiaoyao said with a faint smile. "Is that so? Then have your young master go and ask that Pill King to refine the same number of Five-Stripe Perfect Elixirs as repayment."

The youth’s face fell. As far as he knew, the Pill King could only refine elixirs that *approached* the quality of a Five-Stripe Perfect Elixir; he couldn’t actually produce one of such legendary grade.

Seeing the youth’s expression, Yi Xiaoyao let out a cold laugh. "Don’t tell me that the Pill King—the one whose Alchemy Skill is supposedly ’far superior’ to mine—can’t refine a Five-Stripe Perfect Elixir?"

The youth’s face twitched, leaving him utterly speechless.

Yun Cang’s expression was a whirlwind of complex emotions. He remembered thinking that Yi Xiaoyao had probably never even heard of a Four-Stripe Elixir, and he’d found the claim of surpassing the Pill King to be laughably ignorant.

But now, the reality of the situation felt like a series of hard slaps across his face, each one leaving a burning sting.

...