Huff! Huff! Huff!
Never before had Luo Chen’s breathing been so unsteady. His heart pounded wildly. His gaze locked onto the pure white pill floating in midair, disregarding everything else.
A Foundation Establishment pill!
At such a close distance, it was Luo Chen's first time that he ever saw the true form of a Foundation Establishment pill.
Four delicate pill patterns swirled around its surface like drifting clouds and mist, giving it an almost divine radiance. For a long time, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to look away with great effort.
In a strained voice, he asked, “Gang Leader, what do you mean by this?”
Mi Shuhua was pleased with his reaction, yet at the same time, he was slightly surprised that Luo Chen had managed to suppress his greed so quickly. He did not retrieve the pill but allowed it to continue floating silently in the air.
Mi Shuhua’s expression turned serious. “It’s very simple. I want you to put your full effort into refining Jade Essence pills—without holding anything back.”
Luo Chen’s voice was hoarse. “I have already done my best...”
“No, you haven’t!” Mi Shuhua narrowed his eyes slightly, spoke each word with deliberate weight. “I had people investigate the sales of your Myriad Wonders pills. Ever since you successfully refined mid-grade ones, you have almost never produced any low-grade pills. The same applies to top-grade ones.
“In other words, your talent in alchemy is far more terrifying than we initially believed.
“At first, I wasn’t entirely sure. But the first time you refined Jade Essence pills on a large scale, I noticed something unusual.
“Do you remember what your pill formation rate was back then?”
Luo Chen’s breath nearly halted. All this time, he had believed he had covered his tracks perfectly, leaving no room for suspicion. He was confident that even if Mi Shuhua had noticed his personal skimming of some Jade Essence pills, the man wouldn’t make an issue out of it.
From the past until now, Mi Shuhua had indeed never confronted him about it.
However, Luo Chen had not expected that the very thing he wanted to keep hidden, his level of alchemical expertise, had been exposed.
A thick ledger appeared in Mi Shuhua’s hands. With a casual flick, the pages turned to the front.
“In year three thousand four hundred seventy of the Mountain and Sea Calendar [1], first of December, the beginning of winter. The Alchemy Hall received ten low-grade Jade Essence pills and twenty mid-grade ones. A total of four sets of ingredients were used, resulting in a pill formation rate of fifty percent. The ratio of low-grade to mid-grade was one to two.”
Mi Shuhua recited these words without a trace of emotion, then fixed his gaze firmly on Luo Chen. "Based on what I know about you, you must have pocketed some pills when collecting them. Moreover, the ones you took were very likely the highest quality mid-grade pills.
“Luo Chen, am I wrong?”
Sweat appeared on Luo Chen’s forehead, and he remained silent.
Mi Shuhua, however, did not seem interested in waiting for an answer. He continued, "I don’t know much about alchemy, but I do know one thing: mastery comes with practice. An alchemist’s success rate should improve over time, not decline. Yet after that particular session, your pill formation rate never again reached fifty percent.
“Not only that, but the ratio of low-grade to mid-grade pills even dropped to seven to three at one point. Even after you claimed your alchemy skills had improved, the best you could manage was a six-to-four ratio
“Luo Chen, how do you explain that?”
Explain?
What kind of explanation could Luo Chen possibly give? He could only tremble with fear, lowered his head, bent his waist and remained silent.
Beads of sweat dripped down, one after another.
In the stone chamber, the soft patter echoed, like raindrops falling from the eaves onto the bluestone floor.
Silence, heavy, unspeakable, oppressive.
It was as if a lofty emperor was looking down upon a subject guilty of a grave crime.
Seeing Luo Chen in this state, Mi Shuhua unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
What a cunning little fox—I had nearly been fooled. But it was fine. Now that the truth had been uncovered, everything was still within control. The reprimand had gone far enough. Now, it was time to win his loyalty and maximize Luo Chen’s usefulness.
At this moment, he needed that value more than ever.
The tense silence was soon broken by Mi Shuhua’s noticeably gentler tone. “I know you come from a rogue cultivator background, just like I did. You’re wary of everything and trust no one. Even the slightest benefit, you refuse to let go of it.
“But haven’t I treated you well? You asked for pills, I gave them. You needed cultivation resources, I made sure you had them. You sought guidance in Qi-Refining, I shared everything I knew. I even took the initiative to give you meridian repair liquid and a small spirit-gathering array.
“Any one of these would be enough to make rogue cultivators fight to the death. Yet you, without ever leaving your chamber, received them effortlessly. Even when my family’s cultivators were displeased, I personally suppressed their complaints.
“So tell me, shouldn’t you reciprocate this kindness and serve me with all your heart?”
A hoarse voice escaped Luo Chen’s lips. “I deserve death. I was short-sighted, blinded by greed.”
He stood there respectfully, confessing his transgressions one by one. He even revealed the number of mid-grade Jade Essence pills he had secretly kept for himself.
Hearing such a forthright confession, Mi Shuhua couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.
“And in the future,” Luo Chen declared resolutely, “I will do everything in my power to serve you!”
Not enough. Still not enough! Mi Shuhua thought.
“I know you fear that your terrifying alchemy talent will attract unwanted attention.” Mi Shuhua, as if helping to justify Luo Chen’s actions, continued, “But now, with my protection, and with the name “Dan Chenzi” already established, it is only natural for you to showcase your abilities.”
“Gang Leader, you are absolutely right. I was truly short-sighted before!” Luo Chen appeared utterly remorseful, nearly slapping himself in regret.
“I once promised you that when you reached Foundation Establishment, I would acquire a Foundation Establishment pill for you. Do you remember?”
Luo Chen lifted his head, his gaze locking onto the Foundation Establishment pill.
Mi Shuhua nodded at him. “I am not one to make empty promises. From this moment on, this Foundation Establishment pill belongs to you.”
Luo Chen was stunned. Is it really mine?
But in the next moment, he saw the pill fall into a jade box. The jade box then floated toward him.
“When you reach the Perfected Mastery of Qi-Refining, come find me. I will personally remove the seal on it.