Chapter 53 - 52: Grow Bigger and Stronger, Create New Glory

Chapter 53: Chapter 52: Grow Bigger and Stronger, Create New Glory

As dusk fell, the setting sun hanging low on the horizon cast a warm glow that shattered into shimmering fragments on the rippling surface of the Yanghe River.

East of the Yanghe River was the bustling East Market, home to the most prosperous restaurant in all of Lingge.

At this moment, business was at its peak.

Those coming and going were the talented young elites and wealthy families of Lingge.

A woman in a fiery red Pill Robe, dragging another woman in a long dress, burst through the main doors.

"Huh? Isn’t that Zhu Li? Where’d she steal that Alchemist’s robe?"

"Hey, you gossiping hag, shut your mouth! I’m the number one Alchemist of the Xingyu Pill Association now. Keep running your mouth and I’ll beat you up!"

Zhu Li’s hearing was exceptionally sharp today. She shook her fist from a distance at the young woman who had been whispering about her.

The woman jumped in fright but still seemed to want to retort, "You..."

Zhu Li immediately shouted, "Tell her, who am I?"

At that, a group of Alchemists in the main hall, all wearing the same style of Pill Robe, roared in unison, "The number one Alchemist of the Xingyu Pill Association!"

The woman was speechless.

The other patrons were also speechless.

They were all stunned. That kind of presence didn’t seem fake.

Besides, they had all heard that at the recent Gongdan Conference, a new power called the Xingyu Pill Association had raked in orders worth 1,400,000 taels, putting them in a position to challenge the three great alchemy clans.

And the insignias on these people’s Pill Robes did indeed seem to be the symbol of the Xingyu Pill Association.

So, that meant Zhu Li...

For a moment, the face of the woman from before turned a little pale.

Seeing this, Zhu Li satisfyingly lowered her fist and looked at Kan Luotang beside her. "Wasn’t I impressive?"

Kan Luotang couldn’t help but smile. "Very impressive!"

Zhu Li tugged at her hand. "Let’s go! The upper management of our Pill Workshop is in a private room on the second floor. Zhao Ci should be there too."

"But..."

"Don’t you want to see him?"

"I..."

Kan Luotang chuckled softly. "Actually, it would be better if I saw him in private. This is your Pill Association’s victory banquet, after all. It’s not appropriate for an outsider like me to attend."

Zhu Li waved her hand dismissively. "What’s not appropriate about it? I wouldn’t have even gotten in without you. In a way, you’re our Pill Association’s freelance headhunter!"

Kan Luotang was speechless.

’A freelance headhunter?’

’That actually makes some sense.’

Zhu Li grew curious and asked in a hushed voice, "Luotang, why do you suddenly want to see him? Don’t tell me you’re trying to become my boss’s wife ahead of schedule?"

Kan Luotang smiled and shook her head. "Of course not. Actually... I have some official business to ask of him."

"What kind of business?"

"Today, he petitioned His Majesty for 200,000 taels’ worth of pills for the common people. I was thinking, if possible, I’d like him to choose the people of the Northern Three Prefectures."

"Huh?"

Zhu Li froze for a moment as countless images flashed through her mind.

Before she became one of Zhao Ci’s Mansion Officials, Kan Luotang was the only person in all of Lingge willing to hang out with her, so she often followed Kan Luotang to the Northern Three Prefectures to practice medicine.

The conditions of the common folk there were truly unbearable to witness.

The area bordered the entrance to a ruin from a previous dynasty. This ruin was almost completely untamed, leaking Yin Wood Qi that caused poisonous weeds to grow everywhere. Even the crops would become toxic.

Although the toxicity wasn’t strong, long-term consumption led to it accumulating in the body, causing the people’s physiques to weaken over time and making them extremely susceptible to plagues.

Many people wanted to move away.

But in order to suppress the ruin, the Court absolutely forbade relocation, essentially using the population to forcibly absorb the toxicity.

Furthermore, the ruin’s entrance was unpredictable and couldn’t be completely sealed off by the Court. Desperados often passed through, and it was common for them to cause some trouble along the way.

Due to the harsh environment, experts from outside the Northern Three Prefectures were unwilling to station themselves there.

And the local youth, due to their weakened physiques, had very poor Innate cultivation conditions.

Zhu Li understood what Kan Luotang meant. With one’s qi flourishing, a hundred illnesses would vanish. Tossing five thousand Qi Cultivation Pills their way, even if it didn’t produce many Physical Body Realm experts, could support an entire generation and greatly alleviate the plight of the Northern Three Prefectures.

But sending the pills to the Northern Three Prefectures would undoubtedly offer the least benefit to the Court.

After all, for the same pill...

...would you give it to a promising talent?

Or to a sickly person in desperate need of treatment?

Different people would give different answers.

Zhu Li was a bit vexed. "This... I’m afraid it won’t be that simple!"

Kan Luotang nodded. "That’s why I want to talk to him about it in person."

"Luotang, don’t worry. I’m his confidante now. I’ll definitely put in a good word for you."

"Don’t!"

Kan Luotang quickly stopped her. "His Highness being willing to donate 200,000 taels to benefit the people is already an act of great kindness. He must have his own reasons for doing so. If you get involved, it might seem like I’m trying to pressure him. These pills have nothing to do with me in the first place; it’s already presumptuous of me to even make a suggestion, so how could I possibly pressure him? So, don’t you say a single word about this."

"...Isn’t it tiring to live like that?"

Zhu Li was at a loss for words, but she quickly regained her excitement. "We’ll talk about your matter later. First, come join our victory banquet."

With that, she dragged her along and burst through the door of the private room.

"Zhao... Your Highness! Your number one Alchemist has arri— huh? Where’s His Highness?"

"Tributor Zhu, you’ve arrived!"

Li Shu stood up. "His Highness said he went to negotiate with the Xun Mo and Lingyun families. If he finishes early, he’ll come over. If it gets late, he’s going straight into seclusion to cultivate. He’s performing his first Body Refining today."

"Ah..."

Zhu Li was a little disappointed. "His first Body Refining is that big of a deal? He’s even skipping the victory banquet. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was opening his Physical Body Divine Treasure!"

Her disappointment was impossible to hide.

This was a time for sharing joy, and she had been all geared up to tell Zhao Ci just how awful the expressions on the Zhu Family’s faces were!

Seeing her like this, a slight smile touched Kan Luotang’s lips. At first, she had been worried that Zhu Li wouldn’t be able to adapt to the competitive environment of a prince’s faction, but now it seemed she was getting along splendidly with her boss. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have such a strong desire to share things with him.

’As for the matter of the pills...’

’I’ll just have to pay Zhao Ci a personal visit tomorrow.’

She hadn’t expected that Zhao Ci would actually choose to directly convert the 200,000 taels into pills and donate them to the people.

Regardless of his motives, that kind of generosity was something an ordinary person could not possess.

’What a fascinating man he is.’

Meanwhile, Li Shu stood up with a grin. "At today’s Gongdan Conference, Tributor Zhu’s contributions were paramount. In the future, the rise of our Xingyu Pill Association will rely heavily on you. This toast is for you, Tributor Zhu!"

"Hey, alright, alright!"

The disappointment in Zhu Li’s eyes vanished in a flash. She raised her cup and excitedly shouted a slogan Zhao Ci had once told her: "Grow bigger, grow stronger, and create new glories!"

Kan Luotang was speechless.

’Sometimes, I really envy her personality.’

...

「Ninth Prince’s Mansion.」

"AH!"

Zhao Yong shot up, gasping for breath, beads of sweat rolling down his pale face.

A nearby maid’s face lit up, and she quickly ran out the door. "Doctor! Doctor! His Highness is awake!"

"How do you feel?"

Zhu Yan quickly offered him some tea. Ever since Zhao Yong had returned, his mental state had been off. He had been suffering from chest tightness and shortness of breath, his face was unnaturally pale, and his forehead was constantly breaking out in a cold sweat.

He had been holding up, but when he heard that Xun Mo and Lingyun had gone to Xiang’s Pill Workshop, his head had lolled to the side, and he had fainted.

These were obvious symptoms of complete mental and emotional exhaustion.

The blow had been far too great. After all, he had established his own Prince’s Mansion specifically to become the Crown Prince’s right-hand man.

Backed by the Feng and Zhu families, he had invested heavily in this Gongdan Conference. His goal was to make a name for himself in one fell swoop and show the truly talented that there was a feast to be had by following the Ninth Prince’s Mansion.

But he never imagined that after being squeezed out by Zhao Ci, forget the feast, they’d be left eating dirt.

Never mind what Zhao Yong was thinking.

Even Zhu Yan was under immense pressure.

After this whole fiasco, who knew if any young talents would still be willing to join the Ninth Prince’s Mansion.

After all, no one wanted to join a faction only to immediately be in merit debt.

"I’m not drinking it!"

Zhao Yong panted heavily, irritably pushing the teacup away.

Zhu Yan could only set the cup down, his brows furrowing together. "This is my fault, too. If I had stopped my father from letting that little bitch Zhu Li go, then..."

At the mention of Zhu Li’s name...

...both of their expressions turned so dark they seemed to drip with venom.

Who would have thought that the one to deal the fatal blow to the Yonghe Pill Workshop would be Zhu Li, a publicly acknowledged piece of alchemy trash.

"Cough, cough!"

Zhao Yong felt an unbearable tightness in his chest and coughed violently several times. Once he caught his breath, he said in a low voice, "It’s not your fault! I was there that day, and I didn’t stop it either!"