Chapter 386: The Name of the Pill Child

With the punishments meted out, it was time for rewards.

Yi Xiaoyao turned to Elder Hongmei, Zhu Tong, and announced, “From now on, the position of Grand Elder of the Holy Pill Academy will be held by Elder Zhu Tong.”

Zhu Tong was overjoyed and bowed in thanks. He’d never imagined that his simple act of appreciating talent would make him the head of the Holy Pill Academy.

“The other four elders will also have their ranks elevated,” Yi Xiaoyao added, his gaze sweeping over them.

The four elders’ faces lit up with joy. They would now be the Second Elder, Third Elder, and so on. With four elders having been dismissed, the Holy Pill Academy—once run by nine elders—was now in the hands of these five. Not only had their status risen, but their power had grown as well.

Of course, not one of the five would ever again dare to question Yi Xiaoyao’s status and identity as the Pill Child.

Just like that, the Holy Pill Academy was now firmly in Yi Xiaoyao’s hands.

The Red Butterfly Saint Witch gave a faint nod, her lips moving slightly.

“Before you leave the Red Wilderness, come find me.”

This was a message transmitted directly to Yi Xiaoyao’s mind. By the time he looked toward the Red Butterfly Saint Witch, she was already gone.

Man Zhan then led the three punished elders and Yi Lu away to receive their sentences, leaving only Flame Sacrifice Fire Dance behind, watching Yi Xiaoyao with a wide grin.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Yi Xiaoyao asked, giving Flame Sacrifice Fire Dance a strange look.

Flame Sacrifice Fire Dance chuckled. “I really thought you were going to agree to marry her. Then again, she can’t hold a candle to your Ling’Er, so it’s only natural you’d turn her down.”

The “her” she was referring to was, of course, Yi Lu.

Yi Xiaoyao just shook his head and smiled. “That’s all in the past now. Let me buy you a drink.”

The figures in the sky above the Holy Pill Academy then dispersed, leaving only the disciples on the ground below, their voices a rising tide of discussion.

“That Yi Xiaoyao… his performance at the Alchemy Dao Arena was already astounding, but who would have thought his identity is even more incredible? He’s actually the Pill Child of our Holy Pill Hall!”

“Di Shen and Yi Lu are considered supreme geniuses in the Alchemy Dao, but there are levels even among geniuses. They were just unlucky to have provoked the Pill Child.”

“Sigh… The Pill Child isn’t even twenty, yet he’s already accomplished so much. He’s just too brilliant!”

Amidst the gossiping crowd, Lan Yue’s expression was complicated. The Yi Xiaoyao she remembered—the ‘braggart,’ the ‘megalomaniac,’ the ‘bumpkin who’d never seen the world’—was in truth so far above her. The distance between them was now so vast she could never hope to cross it.

…

In a tavern outside the Holy Pill Hall, Yi Xiaoyao and Flame Sacrifice Fire Dance sat drinking at a table.

“What’s this? Buying me drinks out of the blue? You must be up to something!”

“I was only able to get this far in the Red Wilderness thanks to your help, Fire Dance,” Yi Xiaoyao said with a smile. “So this drink is my way of saying thank you.”

“That’s true,” she admitted. “But you don’t have to thank me. If I hadn’t helped you, I would never have been accepted as Master’s disciple. If anything, I should be thanking you.”

“Since you want to thank me, Fire Dance, could you do me a small favor?” Yi Xiaoyao asked with a sly grin.

“I knew you didn’t invite me for a drink out of the goodness of your heart!”

Flame Sacrifice Fire Dance huffed, shooting Yi Xiaoyao a look. It was as good as an agreement.

Yi Xiaoyao gave a wry smile. “Ling’Er has gone to Xuanhuang. Since you’re both the Red Wilderness Saintess and the Red Butterfly Saint Witch’s disciple, with your status and gender, I imagine it would be easy for you to see her. So…”

Before he could finish, Flame Sacrifice Fire Dance cut in. “So you want me to pass on news of Ling’Er for you, is that it?”

“Just to know that she’s safe is enough,” Yi Xiaoyao said, nodding sincerely.

Flame Sacrifice Fire Dance’s lovely eyes twinkled for a moment before she said, “Fine, fine. I promise.”

A wave of relief washed over Yi Xiaoyao. He looked at Flame Sacrifice Fire Dance and thought to himself, ‘That trip to Sunken Spirit Island really did win me two good friends.’

Now that the matter of the Cyan Emperor Order was settled, his next destination was the Cyan Wilderness. ‘I wonder how my other friend, Ji Hao, is doing,’ he mused.

As word of the Holy Pill Hall’s new Pill Child spread, the news reached the upper echelons of the great Alchemy Families. After all, the Holy Pill Hall had innumerable ties to these families. In a way, the Holy Pill Hall’s Pill Child was their Pill Child, too.

And so, every Alchemy Family began scheming how to curry favor with this new young master, Yi Xiaoyao.

Yet one family was plunged into a state of deep anxiety by this news: the Di Family.

Many people had gathered in one of the Di Family’s grand halls. Not only were the high-ranking members present, but even the Di Family’s Old Ancestor had appeared, his face grim as he sat upon the main seat.

The hall was deathly silent. The oppressive atmosphere made everyone’s expression turn grim.

“Nineteen years old. A Six-Stripe Dual Pill Soul Refining Master. And on top of that, the Pill Child of the Holy Pill Hall. Yet our Di Family somehow managed to offend him. Heh. A fine mess you’ve all made.”

The Di Family’s Old Ancestor spoke, his voice dangerously low as his gaze swept over everyone in the hall. They all hung their heads, not daring to breathe a word.

“Dan Fighting is supposed to be the fairest form of competition between alchemists. Yet someone from our Di Family refused to accept his loss, and ended up having his hands severed and an elixir forced down his throat. He has utterly disgraced the Di Family name!”

With a furious roar from the Old Ancestor, Di Shen fell to his knees with a THUD, prostrating himself and banging his head on the floor. “Old Ancestor, please calm your anger! It was a moment of foolishness, I know I was wrong! But my father… he was already killed by that Yi Xiaoyao…”

“You still have the gall to mention your father!” the Old Ancestor bellowed, leaping to his feet in a rage. “Your father, Di Heng, knew perfectly well you brought this on yourself! The fault was entirely yours, yet he threw away all decorum to join the Alchemy Dao Assembly with a bunch of juniors, vowing to kill the Pill Child. And in the end, he was the one killed by the Pill Child!”

“You and your father have completely shamed the Di Family! Because of you two, we have offended the Pill Child of the Holy Pill Hall! How is our family supposed to survive in Red Flame City, let alone the Red Wilderness, from now on?”

The Old Ancestor’s roars echoed through the hall. He raised a hand and brought it down, smashing Di Shen into a bloody pulp.

After killing Di Shen, the Old Ancestor’s fury was unabated. He bellowed at the crowd, “Di Shen and Di Heng’s entire bloodline is hereby expelled from the Di Family!”

At once, another group of people fell to their knees, begging for mercy, but no one dared to speak up and intercede.

“Di Hong,” the Old Ancestor continued, “as the Di Family’s Patriarch, you are also culpable for this disaster. Take a generous gift, go to the Holy Pill Academy, and apologize to the Pill Child. Resolve this feud.”

Di Hong quickly agreed, cold sweat dotting his forehead. He never could have imagined that a simple conflict between the younger generation would escalate to this level, threatening the very fate of his family.

…

With these families fawning over him and offering apologies, Yi Xiaoyao’s status became increasingly secure.

In the days that followed, Yi Xiaoyao was busy meeting with the various Alchemy Families, but he was in no rush to leave. He planned to advance his cultivation another step before setting out for the Cyan Wilderness.