Translator: Anubis Translations
The group from the Jade Maiden Sect arrived at Gu Feng's courtyard with a fierce momentum, like a hurricane sweeping through. They surrounded the place directly, leaving no room for escape.
"Tingting!" Chu Youhuan stood at the main entrance of the courtyard, her face filled with anger, holding her weapon. "Surround the courtyard tightly. Don't let even a fly escape from inside!"
"Yes—" Qi Tingting also wore a fierce expression, leading a group of female cultivators to encircle the courtyard in multiple layers.
"Gu Feng!"
"Come out!"
"You scoundrel!"
The female cultivators shouted in unison, attracting the attention of passersby, who wondered what heinous act Gu Feng had committed to provoke such a grand response from the Jade Maiden Sect.
"Make way, what's happening inside?"
Wu Qi, who happened to be looking for Gu Feng, squeezed through the crowd. The scene before him made him pause, and he immediately shrank back, hoping to leave unnoticed. The Jade Maiden Sect was not to be trifled with, and he dared not draw attention to himself.
However, Chu Youhuan spotted him. "Stop! Do you know where Gu Feng is?"
Chu Youhuan didn't even bother to address him as her former junior brother, directly calling out Gu Feng's name. Wu Qi knew this was a sign of extreme anger.
Seeing her menacing gaze, he shuddered and replied softly, "Senior Sister Chu, I haven't seen Former Brother in a long time!"
"Oh?" Chu Youhuan appeared in front of Wu Qi in a flash, her beautiful eyes narrowing as she scrutinized him.
"You're in cahoots with him. How could you not know where he is?"
"Really, I don't know. I'm looking for him too!" Wu Qi's lips twitched. The phrase "in cahoots" was quite fitting!
"Squat down, hands on your head. You'll stay here until Gu Feng shows up," Chu Youhuan said coldly.
"Squatting down isn't very dignified. How about I just stand here? With my meager skills, I wouldn't dare run away," Wu Qi said with a bitter smile. Being forced to squat in front of so many people was humiliating.
"Either lie down or squat down. Choose!" Chu Youhuan glared at him, and without hesitation, Wu Qi squatted down, hands on his head, looking pitiful.
"Sect Leader, Gu Feng isn't here. He probably fled," Qi Tingting said with a frown as she approached softly.
"Impossible. Qiu Tian is watching him closely outside. He must still be in the Outer Sect," Chu Youhuan said firmly. Gu Feng had killed Qiu Ze, thoroughly angering Qiu Tian. In such a situation, he wouldn't dare leave the Outer Sect. That kid is too cunning to give Qiu Tian any opportunity.
"Who among you knows Gu Feng's whereabouts?" Chu Youhuan scanned the crowd, asking loudly.
"Half a month ago, I saw Former Brother with Yan Xixi from the Alchemy Hall..." A disciple stepped forward, eager to please. This was the fifth-ranked genius of the Inner Sect. Getting into her good graces would bring endless benefits!
"At the Alchemy Hall? I should have thought of that," Chu Youhuan muttered, then looked at the disciple with appreciation in her eyes. "Good, what's your name?"
The disciple was overjoyed. Was Senior Sister Chu going to reward him? He quickly replied, "This disciple is Hou Zisong!"
"Hou Zisong, you did well. After I catch Gu Feng, I'll tell him that the one who betrayed him is an Outer Sect disciple named Hou Zisong!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Wu Qi, squatting on the ground, couldn't help but burst into laughter, while Hou Zisong was left dumbfounded.
Scattered laughter echoed around.
"Let's go to the Alchemy Hall!"
The group from the Jade Maiden Sect moved like the wind, arriving at the entrance of the Alchemy Hall in the blink of an eye.
As they arrived, Yan Xixi had just returned from buying medicinal herbs. Seeing Wu Qi surrounded in the middle and Chu Youhuan's unfriendly expression, she tried to sneak into the Alchemy Hall through the side door.
"Xixi—"
"Hi, Senior Sister Chu! What a coincidence. I have something to do, so I'll take my leave now." With that, Yan Xixi darted away.
This made Chu Youhuan sneer. She was now certain that Gu Feng was hiding here.
"You think hiding in the Alchemy Hall will save you?"
"Wait here. I'll go in and drag that kid out," Chu Youhuan said briefly before entering the Alchemy Hall.
Chu Youhuan was beautiful and talented, with a noble aura that ordinary people lacked. Her appearance made the Alchemy Hall disciples, who were usually focused on their pill refining, light up with excitement.
"Which way did Yan Xixi go?"
"She... she went to the pill refining room," the Alchemy Hall disciple who was asked for directions stammered, his mouth twitching with excitement. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Chu Youhuan had briefly trained in the Outer Sect before, so she was familiar with the layout of the Outer Sect's Alchemy Hall. She quickly arrived at the underground pill refining room.
"Gu Feng!! Senior Sister Chu is here. What should we do?"
In a pill refining room on the second underground level, Yan Xixi closed the door behind her as soon as she entered, activating the defensive formations at full power.
"Is it already the end of the month?" Gu Feng, who had just finished refining a batch of pills, frowned slightly but showed no signs of nervousness.
He had been immersed in pill refining day and night, feeling exhilarated with each successful batch, and had completely forgotten about this matter.
"Aren't you worried she'll storm in here?" Seeing Gu Feng's confident demeanor, Yan Xixi asked in surprise.
"Heh, this is the Alchemy Hall. Would she dare to barge in?
Even if she did, she probably couldn't break through the formations here. Besides, she's not that kind of person," Gu Feng said with a shrug.
"You think highly of her. You caused her a loss of four million Spirit Stones!" Yan Xixi said with a hint of jealousy.
"Business comes with risks. There's a black-and-white contract to prove it. She's not an unreasonable person," Gu Feng said calmly, still unperturbed.
"Do you believe that yourself?" Yan Xixi glanced at Gu Feng, speechless. Four million Spirit Stones was an astronomical figure, even for Inner Sect disciples. Not everyone was as extravagant as Gu Feng, who could casually spend millions just to buy pill refining materials.
"Do you already have a plan? Is that why you're so confident?" Yan Xixi asked suspiciously, as if she had just thought of something.
"Xixi, you really understand me. You're my soulmate," Gu Feng said with a smile, tearing off a piece of roasted meat.
This made Yan Xixi feel an indescribable joy, her eyes curving like crescents.
"Compensation might appease her anger and settle the matter, but that's not the best solution. Besides, I don't have the money to compensate.
The best way is to find her a money-making opportunity to recoup the losses from the Outer Sect ban."
"Oh, are you planning to have her help sell the 'Bone Cleansing Pills'? That's a good idea. You can shift the blame for fraudulent sales onto the Jade Maiden Sect," Yan Xixi said excitedly. Her only concern about the 'Bone Cleansing Pills' was that it might damage Gu Feng's reputation.
With the Jade Maiden Sect taking the fall, she was delighted. Or rather, as long as Gu Feng's reputation wasn't tarnished, she was happy.
"Am I a fool? Handing over such a lucrative product like the 'Bone Cleansing Pills' to her? I'd be heartbroken!" Gu Feng said, exasperated.
"Chu Youhuan is definitely guarding the pill refining room. Let's not worry about her for now. After I finish refining the remaining pills, I'll discuss the money-making plan with her," Gu Feng said confidently.
With that, he activated the formations beside him. Spirit Fire surged, and ten pill furnaces simultaneously emitted metallic tremors. Streams of medicinal herbs were thrown into them in a dazzling display, like an assembly line.
Every time Yan Xixi saw Gu Feng's pill refining method, she couldn't help but feel a twitch in her eyelid.
The efficiency was simply too high, reaching a level that inspired awe. Every move Gu Feng made, every toss of a Spirit Herb, was like a pre-programmed action—fast and precise. Though not elegant, it was extremely efficient.
At first, she had tried to help Gu Feng refine pills, but after a few attempts, she realized that even as a genius of the Alchemy Hall, she couldn't master Gu Feng's refining technique.
Gu Feng's every step was openly displayed before her eyes, with no secrets hidden. He had even personally taught her the key steps and tricks.
Despite this, Yan Xixi still couldn't produce nine pills per furnace like Gu Feng, let alone operate ten furnaces simultaneously.
"Gu Feng, perhaps you're a pill refining genius!"
Gu Feng simply smiled at Yan Xixi's comment, which she had made over a hundred times.
He couldn't understand why, despite having no pill refining talent, he could successfully refine counterfeit Bone Cleansing Pills, producing nine pills per furnace every time without fail.
"Rise!"
With Gu Feng's light shout, the formations isolated the Spirit Fire, and the lids of the ten pill furnaces burst open simultaneously. Beams of spiritual light shot out from within.
"Same as usual, you handle these furnaces. I'll take care of the rest!"
Yan Xixi and Gu Feng worked in perfect harmony, leaping up together. Their four arms moved swiftly, accurately catching each pill.
Bottling, sealing, labeling—everything was done in one smooth motion.
The two exchanged a smile, and Yan Xixi began weighing the medicinal herbs while Gu Feng warmed the furnaces. Soon, they entered a new round of refining.
Deep within the pill refining room, in the midst of the burning Spirit Fire, a pair of flame-formed eyes filled with surprise and confusion, with a hint of envy.
---
"Gu Feng, I don't believe you won't come out!"
At the entrance of the second underground level's pill refining room, Chu Youhuan sat cross-legged, her eyes fixed on the stone door, fully focused, afraid that someone might slip away unnoticed.
She had been in this state for three whole days.
Just as she was beginning to doze off, with a loud bang, the stone door opened.
As soon as she saw Gu Feng's figure, Chu Youhuan's drowsiness vanished. She walked over with a fierce expression, grabbing Gu Feng by the collar and lifting him off the ground.
"Kid, I thought you were going to live in there forever!"
"You scoundrel, you knew about the Outer Sect ban and even begged Elder Liu to delay it until the end of the month to buy time.
"You caused the Jade Maiden Sect to lose four million Spirit Stones, and with the losses this month, you owe me six million in total...
"Pay up! If you don't pay today, I'll take you down with me!!"
Chu Youhuan's beautiful eyes widened as she grabbed Gu Feng and unleashed a torrent of words, her saliva raining down on his face. Gu Feng frantically wiped his face with his sleeve.
"Senior Sister Chu, can you speak without spraying saliva all over me? My face is drenched."
At these words, Chu Youhuan's flawless face turned bright red. She finally noticed her own lack of composure, and her imposing demeanor weakened slightly.
"Anyway, you need to pay up."
"I really don't have the money. Here, take a look!" Gu Feng took off the Storage Pouch at his waist and opened it in front of Chu Youhuan.
"I'm broke too. Paying you back is out of the question.
"But I can help you make money!" Gu Feng smiled, revealing a row of white teeth.
"You think you can trick me again? Want me to wipe that smile off your face?" Chu Youhuan's brows furrowed. Gu Feng's smile always gave her the feeling that he was about to pull off another scam.
"Senior Sister Chu, trust me. This time, I'll make sure you earn money, not only recouping your previous losses but also making a hefty profit." As he spoke, Gu Feng gave Yan Xixi a meaningful glance. She took out a small notebook from her Storage Pouch and handed it to Chu Youhuan with a strange expression.
"Here we go again? What list is it this time? How much is the buyout fee?" Chu Youhuan asked coldly.
"Senior Sister, this is a business plan Gu Feng specifically designed for the Jade Maiden Sect. Take a look first!" Yan Xixi said seriously, though her eyebrows betrayed her amusement.
"If you dare deceive me again, you'll regret it!" Chu Youhuan snorted, taking the notebook from Yan Xixi and flipping through it quickly.
"Kid, you've got some nerve, trying to play me again?
"You want the Jade Maiden Sect to rent land and build toilets??"
(End of the Chapter)
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