Chapter 184 - 178: Savage and Domineering

Chapter 184: Chapter 178: Savage and Domineering

Hearing Chen Yue claim he had the wrong person, Guan Duzhou’s eyes narrowed slightly, leaving only a sliver of cold, sharp light shining through.

He took a step forward. The sound of his boots hitting the pharmacy floor was distinct and heavy. With that single step, the distance between him and Chen Yue shrank to less than three feet.

Among Martial Artists, a distance of three feet meant an attack could be launched at any moment—a potentially fatal one.

Guan Duzhou stared directly into Chen Yue’s eyes, his gaze overtly scrutinizing and oppressive, trying to find a trace of panic in Chen Yue’s pupils.

Chen Yue met Guan Duzhou’s gaze, his expression completely unfazed.

Guan Duzhou stared at Chen Yue for several breaths. Then, the corners of his mouth suddenly curled upward, revealing several sharp teeth.

"I asked for your help that day, and you refused. The bandit I worked so hard to intercept got away because of you. And now you’re trying to deny it?"

A puzzled look appeared on Chen Yue’s face. He furrowed his brow slightly and tilted his head, as if trying hard to recall something, before shaking his head.

"You must be joking, Senior Brother. I’ve never met you before, so how could I have refused to help?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Duzhou burst out laughing. The sound echoed through the pharmacy, startling the clerk behind the counter so badly that his hands trembled, and he nearly dropped the medicinal herbs he was holding.

Guan Duzhou clapped his hands twice in front of him, then stopped, his gaze falling back onto Chen Yue’s face.

"Fine, fine. So you won’t admit it."

Before the words had even left his mouth, he suddenly leaned forward and thrust out his right palm. The force of the strike was as sharp as a blade, cutting through the air with a piercing whistle as it aimed straight for Chen Yue’s shoulder.

The palm strike was swift and sudden, with no warning whatsoever.

Chen Yue’s brow twitched slightly. He leaned back, his entire body like a willow leaf brushed by the wind, and took a light, airy step backward.

It wasn’t a large step, but it was just enough for Guan Duzhou’s palm to graze past him.

Guan Duzhou’s brow rose, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Although he hadn’t used his full strength in that palm strike, the oppressive feeling and speed from his Inner Strength should have been enough to overwhelm most Marrow Refining Realm disciples.

He hadn’t expected Chen Yue to dodge so effortlessly. That backward step had seemed casual, yet it was perfectly measured—not an inch more, not an inch less—causing the force of the palm strike to hit nothing but air.

Guan Duzhou’s gaze swept over Chen Yue once more, this time with even more seriousness than before.

He suddenly realized that this Marrow Refining Realm disciple from the Panshi Sect was far more complex than he had seemed at first glance outside the city.

"Don’t fight! Please, customers, don’t fight!"

The Shopkeeper’s voice came from behind the counter, laced with frightened panic. His round face was slightly flushed with anxiety, and a thin layer of sweat had beaded on his forehead.

He was a merchant, and the thing he feared most was Martial Artists fighting in his shop. While Jishi Hall certainly had its backers, dealing with the aftermath of property damage was a huge hassle.

Guan Duzhou stared coldly at Chen Yue, then suddenly sneered. Without another word, he turned and strode out of Jishi Hall, disappearing into the crowd outside.

Chen Yue watched Guan Duzhou’s retreating back, his gaze flickering for a moment before quickly returning to its usual calm.

He withdrew his gaze and turned toward the Shopkeeper.

Seeing Guan Duzhou leave, the Shopkeeper let out a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Chen Yue, hesitating for a moment.

"Sir,"

The Shopkeeper lowered his voice. "Things have been tense outside lately. You should be careful when you’re out and about. It’s best to avoid trouble when you can and endure it when you must. It’s not worth fighting over a moment’s anger."

Having been the Shopkeeper of Jishi Hall for so many years, he had seen far more than the average person and knew what the grudges and feuds of Martial Artists could escalate into.

He was warning Chen Yue not just because he was a major customer, but also because the young man had made a good impression on him. He paid promptly and was polite, unlike some Martial Artists who acted as if they owned the world.

Chen Yue smiled and cupped his hands. "Thank you for the warning, Shopkeeper. I’ll be careful."

The Shopkeeper said no more; some things were best left unsaid.

He nodded, returned to his spot behind the counter, picked up his abacus, and tapped it lightly on the desktop. "What will you be needing today, sir?"

"Twenty-three Lighting the Acupoints Pills."

The Shopkeeper nodded and had the clerk prepare the Elixirs.

A moment later, the clerk came over with a tray on which several vials were neatly arranged.

Chen Yue inspected them one by one to confirm there were no issues with the Elixirs. He then paid, placed the vials into his Storage Ring, and left Jishi Hall.

The Shopkeeper stood behind the counter, watching the retreating figure grow smaller and smaller, a complex emotion in his eyes.

The Shopkeeper couldn’t help but shake his head. ’I wonder if I’ll ever see Chen Yue again.’

’He’s a big customer, always buying a large number of Elixirs. It would be a real shame to lose him.’

After leaving Jishi Hall, Chen Yue didn’t head directly out of the city. Instead, he turned down a few streets and arrived at the Panshi Sect’s pharmacy in the Prefecture City.

The pharmacy wasn’t in a bustling area, but on a quieter alley, with its familiar wooden plaque hanging by the entrance.

Chen Yue pushed the door open and walked in. On the shop’s counter were several medicinal sieves, where a few dried herbs lay, emitting a light fragrance as they aired out.

Lin Quan was standing behind the counter, holding a small scale and weighing some herbs.

He heard the door and looked up. Seeing Chen Yue, a flash of pleasant surprise lit up his eyes, and he set down the small scale. "You’re here!"

Shen Dujiang, who was leaning against a wall in the corner, looked up at the sound and broke into a smile.

Hu Shaoyu was polishing a short blade. When he saw Chen Yue enter, he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

The others in the pharmacy all nodded in greeting when they saw Chen Yue. They had heard that he was now an Inner Sect Disciple, a position of high status.

Chen Yue sat down and took the cup of tea Lin Quan handed him. He took a sip; the tea was warm with a faint bitter taste.

He casually asked how they had been. Lin Quan answered in a calm and natural voice while organizing his herbs.

Shen Dujiang came over and asked about Chen Yue’s recent situation at the Panshi Sect. Chen Yue gave a brief summary, not mentioning Ji Wanting or Hua Guanzhi, only saying that everything was going smoothly.

After chatting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Yue put down his cup and rose to leave.

Lin Quan and the others saw him to the door. Chen Yue then crossed several streets, left through the gates of Celestial State Prefecture City, and started on the road back to the Panshi Sect.

He had only gone a dozen or so li when his steps suddenly halted.

His ears caught a faint, unusual sound carried on the wind from behind him—the sound of deliberately muffled footsteps, coming and going from several hundred zhang away.

Someone was following him.

In the next instant, the Qi Blood in Chen Yue’s body surged, and his pace suddenly quickened.

He activated the Vertical Cloud Thousand Layer Step, and his figure blurred into a wisp of green smoke. Each step was faster than the last, and within a few bounds, he had covered a great distance and vanished from sight.

Two breaths later, Guan Duzhou’s figure appeared where Chen Yue had just been standing.

He stood there, staring in the direction Chen Yue had disappeared, his expression a mixture of shock and suspicion.

The crowns of the trees in the small grove were still swaying slightly, as if brushed by a gust of wind that had rushed past, but there was no longer any sign of a person among them.

Guan Duzhou’s brows furrowed tightly, his eyes now filled with gravity.

Back in Jishi Hall, he had already sensed that this Marrow Refining Realm disciple from the Panshi Sect was no simple character, able to casually dodge his probing strike and meet the gaze of a Refining Organ Realm Martial Artist like himself without flinching.

But it wasn’t until this moment, after witnessing the Body Technique Chen Yue had just displayed, that Guan Duzhou truly realized he might have still grossly underestimated the young man’s strength.

The speed of that Body Technique was faster than that of many in the Refining Organ Realm.

’If I went all out,’ Guan Duzhou thought, ’I might barely be able to keep up, but it definitely wouldn’t be as easy as it was just now.’

This Panshi Sect disciple had been acting ever since that moment in Jishi Hall.

Guan Duzhou stood silently for a moment, then snorted coldly and turned to leave.

’I’ll settle this score one day.’

It took Chen Yue less than a quarter of an hour to return to the Panshi Sect.

The main gate looked solemn and majestic in the sunlight, with two massive stone pillars casting long shadows that stretched from the gate all the way to the distant steps.

Chen Yue passed through the main gate and walked along the mountain path toward his courtyard. The disciples he passed along the way all cupped their hands in salute, and Chen Yue would nod in acknowledgment.

Ranked ninety-ninth on the Cyan Cloud Ranking—this was a prodigy of the Inner Sect, already leagues apart from ordinary disciples.

He closed the door, shutting out the clamor of the outside world, and began his daily cultivation.

「Two days passed in the blink of an eye.」

The duel between Chen Yue and Hua Guanzhi was the next day. The buzz from his battle with Ji Wanting had started to fade with time.

After all, nine days was long enough for any topic to grow stale, but as the duel approached, the excitement flared up once more.

Some Inner Sect Disciples had even started a betting pool, taking wagers on who would win and who would lose.

That afternoon, Yao Jin crossed several mountain paths and arrived outside a courtyard at the foot of Celestial Stone Peak where the betting pool was being held.

A disciple in a gray short jacket stood at the courtyard entrance, lazily leaning against the wall and basking in the sun.

Seeing Yao Jin approach, he lifted his head and jutted his chin toward the entrance, indicating that he should just go inside.

The courtyard was already crowded with people, gathered in small groups of two and three, talking amongst themselves.

In the center of the courtyard was a long table, on which lay an open register book and a wooden plaque displaying the betting odds.

Yao Jin walked up to the table, took out three silver banknotes from his robes—each for one thousand taels—and laid them out neatly on the table.

The disciple in charge of the register saw the three silver banknotes and his eyes lit up slightly. He looked up at Yao Jin, a hint of surprise and astonishment in his gaze.

Three thousand taels. That was the maximum bet amount allowed by their pool; they wouldn’t accept anything higher.

Yao Jin was a somewhat well-known Alchemy Master on Dan Peak. He was usually low-key and rarely participated in such lively gambling, so it was unexpected to see him place such a heavy bet right off the bat.

"Quite the big spender, Junior Brother Yao," someone nearby chuckled, their tone laced with a bit of teasing.

Yao Jin cupped his hands, a smile on his face. "I’m just close with Senior Brother Chen and wanted to show some support."

He didn’t explain further, simply placing the three thousand taels of silver banknotes on Chen Yue’s name.

According to the current odds, if Chen Yue actually won, he stood to gain two thousand four hundred taels.

A moment later, the registration was complete. Yao Jin put away his receipt and left the courtyard.

He took a short detour around Dan Peak before arriving outside Chen Yue’s courtyard.

Yao Jin pushed open the courtyard gate and saw Chen Yue practicing his fist forms in the yard. Each move was as steady as a mountain, carrying a majestic aura.

Yao Jin stood at the entrance, not wanting to disturb him. He waited until Chen Yue finished his routine before walking up and saying with a smile, "The bet is placed."