It was not until three breaths later that Elder Chihuo felt no impact at all, and slowly lowered the hand he had thrown over his head.
What greeted his eyes was a purple-gold token floating before him. Ancient, mysterious patterns were carved into its surface, and it gave off a faint, heart-stopping pressure. In the center of its front rose a towering pagoda that reached into the clouds, and on the back the word "Elder" was inscribed in flowing, elegant calligraphy.
When Elder Chihuo saw the pattern clearly, his expression changed violently and his pupils contracted.
"This... this is... a Pill Tower Elder Token!"
His voice shook, cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and his body trembled, his face full of terror. Given the identity of the token's holder, he understood at once which power it belonged to. In the entire Central Plains, only one power used a pagoda as its emblem: the Pill Tower, revered as a holy land by every Alchemist on the continent.
It was a Pill Tower Elder Token, and the purple-gold color marked the highest rank among them. Those who held such tokens were powerful and influential Elders of the Pill Tower. Even his own Valley Master would treat that token with respect. He knew that today he had not merely hit an iron plate. He had stepped straight into molten magma.
"I presume Patriarch Liu has already told you the full story of this matter?" Xuan Yi stopped three meters from Elder Chihuo and spoke, looking down at him. Xiao Tian stood quietly to one side. She had told him earlier that she would handle this.
"Very clearly," Elder Chihuo said in a trembling voice.
"Oh? I thought you were still pretending not to know." Xuan Yi sneered. When she had arrived earlier, she had already heard that Liu Shan had told them the whole story long before, and that this old man had been feigning ignorance.
Elder Chihuo bowed his head low and did not dare look up. "Yes! Yes! The Elder's rebuke is just!"
Looking at Elder Chihuo, Liu Shan felt a small surge of satisfaction. The man had deliberately made things hard for him earlier, but now the tables had turned.
"Since you know, then consider what your Burning Flame Valley disciples said earlier, and how a force subordinate to your Valley spoke disrespectfully to me, and then your disciple's words and actions just now. May I take it that Burning Flame Valley means to be an enemy of my Pill Tower? Is your Valley preparing to declare war on our Pill Tower?"
Xuan Yi spoke to Elder Chihuo calmly.
Elder Chihuo felt as though a great mountain were pressing on his chest, and breathing became difficult. A charge that heavy was truly more than he could bear.
"My lady, this... this is all a misunderstanding. How could we have such thoughts? We deeply respect your Pill Tower. I beg you, my lady, overlook my transgression and spare my life."
At that moment, Elder Chihuo wanted only to save his own life. If, because of the people he had brought, he had offended a Pill Tower Elder without investigating anything, his Valley Master might not kill him, but his rivals within the Valley would surely want him dead.
"You think an apology is enough? If apologies worked, there would not be so many struggles of life and death in this world."
"It seems your Burning Flame Valley disciples are not as good as the rumors say. I'm rather curious how Tang Zhen trains the disciples of his sect."
Xuan Yi did not soften at his plea. She was no saint.
"This old man... this old man was blind and offended the Elder. I am willing to let him die to atone for his sin and appease the Elder's anger," Elder Chihuo said hoarsely.
With that, he reached out and slapped the top of the head of the young man, who had woken and grown terrified as he listened.
"You..." The young man's pupils widened, and he made strange gurgling noises in his throat, wanting to say something, but he never had the chance. He collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from his seven orifices. He was clearly dead.
Xuan Yi and Xiao Tian were both slightly stunned. They had not expected the man to do such a thing. Xiao Tian, however, was not troubled by the young man's death. He had been fated to die anyway.
Xuan Yi glanced calmly at the corpse and turned back to Elder Chihuo. "The matter is settled for now. I will spare your life today. Now, let us discuss compensation."
From her words, Elder Chihuo understood that she was no longer pursuing the matter, and that his life was at least saved. It was a pity for his disciple, but he would burn extra incense for him in future. He had raised the boy for so long, and now it was time for the boy to repay him.
At Xuan Yi's words, he hurriedly took a large pile of items from his Storage Ring, including medicinal herbs and various special metals. "These are all things I have collected over the years. I hope the Elder will accept them."
Xiao Tian glanced at the items on the ground and thought, As expected of an old and cunning fellow. Everything Elder Chihuo had produced was tailored to Xuan Yi's identity as an Alchemist. Among the herbs were quite a few main ingredients for Grade 7 pills, and even three or four main ingredients for Grade 8 pills. A Pill Tower Elder had to be at least Grade 7 to hold the position, and someone carrying a purple-gold Elder Token would certainly be at least Grade 8.
The special metals held great appeal for Alchemists as well, since they could be used to forge medicine cauldrons. A good cauldron mattered a great deal to an Alchemist and could raise the success rate significantly.
Xuan Yi's gaze swept over the herbs and the metals shimmering with strange light. With a gentle flick of her finger, a spiritual ganoderma, green as jade all the way through, landed in her hand. A half-smile played on her lips. "Elder Chihuo certainly has a rich collection..."
"These were all obtained through legitimate means, not taken by force," Elder Chihuo quickly explained.
He thought to himself that they were all "gifts" from others. He truly had not taken them forcibly. Everyone had been willing.
"Whether that's true, you know in your own heart." Xuan Yi was no child to be so easily fooled. She had guessed the general situation at a glance. After all, she held one of the three President positions in the Pill Tower, and many people usually wanted to send her gifts to win her favor.
Xuan Yi waved a hand, and all the items flew toward Xiao Tian. He understood her intent and stored everything in his Yellow Spring Ring.
The two of them had not yet explicitly declared their feelings, but both knew they were fond of each other. Xiao Tian was in no hurry to break that last barrier, and neither was Xuan Yi. Both were waiting for a natural opportunity and enjoying this slow, gradual progress. After all, rushing the pace could easily make both of them uncomfortable.