Is It Wrong to Bully the Novice Village for System Rewards?

Hearing the request, Piao Genshuo wore an expression that said, “You’ve come to the right person.” He slapped his chest with a resounding thud, projecting absolute confidence.

“Brother Qi, rest assured! Between us brothers, there’s no need for formalities. Your problem is my problem.”

“To be honest, I am on very close terms with Senior Zu’s closed-door disciple. I’ll take you to see him personally. He definitely won’t refuse me.”

Qi Yuan was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected to make such a crucial connection by sheer luck. He hastily cupped his hands.

“In that case, I’ll have to trouble Senior Brother Piao.”

“Haha, it’s nothing!” Piao Genshuo laughed heartily, grabbing Qi Yuan’s arm and dragging him toward the exit of the Immortal Market. “Let’s go. That Junior Brother Liu set up his alchemy lab in Wild Wood Valley, just east of here. We’ll go ask him for help right now.”

“Wild Wood Valley?”

Qi Yuan paused, confused. “Senior Brother Piao, why isn’t the alchemy room of Senior Zu’s closed-door disciple built within the Pill Saint Sect? Why is it located in such a remote wilderness?”

Piao Genshuo’s expression stiffened slightly. He cleared his throat and spoke in a strange tone.

“Junior Brother Qi, you don’t know him. My good friend is… obsessed with alchemy. He isn’t very good at dealing with people.”

“Plus, his philosophy on alchemy isn’t exactly recognized by the mainstream alchemists within the Sect. So, he simply moved out to find some peace and quiet.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Qi Yuan nodded with a look of understanding.

Somehow, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this sounded incredibly unreliable. But seeing Piao Genshuo’s confident and assured manner, he decided to suppress his doubts for now.

A short while later, the two arrived at a secluded valley.

Qi Yuan looked around. The area was lush and verdant, the vegetation thick and thriving. The scenery was picturesque, yet strangely, there wasn’t a single living creature in sight. Not even the usually resilient snakes, insects, rats, or ants could be found.

Hanging in the air was a faint, acrid smell of smoke and sulfur that made his nose twitch involuntarily.

Upon entering the valley proper, Piao Genshuo’s expression suddenly turned grave. He swallowed nervously, stopped in his tracks, and turned to caution Qi Yuan.

“Brother Qi, listen to me carefully. If Junior Brother Liu tries to get you to test his pills later, you must not agree. Under any circumstances. Remember this well.”

“Why?”

Qi Yuan was puzzled. “As Senior Zu’s closed-door disciple, is his alchemy skill really that poor?”

BOOM!

Before Piao Genshuo could answer, a deafening explosion tore through the silence. A pillar of soaring flames shot into the sky, followed by a dense mushroom cloud. Countless colorful sparks drifted down from the smoke like deadly confetti.

Holy crap! What is going on?

Witnessing this catastrophe, Qi Yuan was instantly dumbfounded.

Piao Genshuo also froze, staring blankly at the rising mushroom cloud. It took him a long moment to reboot his brain before he forced a smile and explained:

“Don’t panic. It seems Junior Brother Liu is just… refining pills. We can go find him now.”

You call this alchemy?

Are you sure he isn’t manufacturing heavy ordinance?

The corners of Qi Yuan’s mouth twitched violently. He began to suspect he had water in his brain for believing a word of Piao Genshuo’s nonsense.

Although his internal monologue was currently screaming in confusion, they had already come this far. He had to investigate.

Steeling himself, Qi Yuan silently followed Piao Genshuo toward ground zero.

As they approached, a pungent stench of scorched earth and sulfur assaulted their senses, causing both men to cover their noses.

Ahead of them lay a vast expanse of open ground—or rather, a crater. The area was a complete mess. The lush vegetation ended abruptly, replaced by a circle of scorched black earth where all life had been reduced to carbon dust.

At the epicenter of this disaster sat a massive alchemy cauldron, several zhang wide, overturned like a dead beetle. Its heavy lid was deeply embedded in a cliff face a thousand zhang away.

Beside the overturned cauldron, a figure blacker than coal sat cross-legged on the ground. He was deep in thought, muttering feverishly to himself.

“That’s not right… I clearly neutralized the volatile nature of the Blazing Vine. Why did the cauldron still explode? Was the sequence wrong? Or was there a fluctuation in my technique…?”

“Junior Brother Liu Qi! Your Old Brother has come to see you, and I’ve brought a fellow Daoist along!”

Spotting the figure, Piao Genshuo’s eyes lit up. He quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Hearing the voice, the black figure finally turned his head. His face was so coated in soot that his features were indistinguishable, save for the whites of his eyes. His robes hung in tatters, smoking gently.

“Senior Brother Piao? What brings you here today?”

The soot-covered figure, Liu Qi, immediately perked up. He scrambled to his feet and rushed over, grabbing Piao Genshuo’s hands.

“Did you finally come to your senses? Are you here to help me test my new batch? I’ve told you before, my quality control is strict! Taking them definitely won’t cause problems!”

“Junior Brother Liu, please spare me!” Piao Genshuo shook his head like a rattle-drum, physically recoiling. “Your pills have too much of a ‘delayed effect.’ Last time, you almost sent me to the afterlife. I’m terrified of you now.”

Hearing this, Liu Qi looked disappointed.

“Brother Piao, that’s not very considerate. As the saying goes, ‘every medicine is three parts poison.’ As long as the therapeutic effect is strong, a few minor side effects are completely normal.”

“You have to believe me. I guarantee this batch is even more potent than the last…”

“Um… Junior Brother Liu,” Piao Genshuo deftly changed the subject before he could be conscripted as a guinea pig. “Where is your alchemy room?”

Faced with this question, Liu Qi scratched his head sheepishly, a cloud of ash puffing from his hair. He laughed awkwardly.

“Ah, the day before yesterday, I didn’t control the heat properly… The alchemy room sort of… evaporated. I was just worrying about how to build a new one.”

At this point, Liu Qi finally noticed Qi Yuan standing nearby. He looked at him curiously.

“Brother Piao, who is this gentleman?”

As he spoke, he casually formed a hand seal, conjuring a ball of clear water from thin air to wash the soot from his face and hands.

“I forgot to introduce you,” Piao Genshuo said with a laugh, pulling Qi Yuan forward. “This is my good friend, Qi Yuan. He is the newly appointed Holy Scion of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary. We came specifically to visit you today.”

Liu Qi didn’t seem particularly impressed by the lofty title. He simply looked Qi Yuan up and down, then calmly cupped his hands.

“So it’s the Supreme Mystery Holy Scion. Pleased to meet you.”

Qi Yuan returned the gesture with a warm, courteous smile.

“Brother Liu, you’re too polite.”

Piao Genshuo chimed in, getting to the point.

“Junior Brother Liu, Brother Qi here wishes to commission your Master to refine a batch of pills. The prescription and materials are all prepared. But as you know, asking your Master to take action isn’t easy, so we’ve come to ask for your help.”

Liu Qi nodded, showing a look of understanding.

“Indeed. Because there are far too many people seeking my Master’s services, he set a rule: he only refines three custom batches a year.”

“Even with your status as a Holy Scion, if you want my Master to act, you must first make an appointment at the Precious Pill Pavilion. Currently, the waiting list is… about five hundred years long.”

Five hundred years?

Qi Yuan’s face fell. He looked horrified.

“My need is quite urgent. I wonder if Brother Liu has a way to let me jump the queue? Spirit Stones are not a problem.”

Liu Qi’s expression became troubled. He hesitated for a moment before speaking awkwardly.

“You are Brother Piao’s good friend. By reason and sentiment, I should try to help you. But to be honest… I was personally driven out by my Master. I was nearly expelled from the sect entirely.”

“If I went to speak to him now, it would likely have the opposite effect.”

“Ah?”

Qi Yuan was stunned. He never imagined that this Liu Qi was actually an outcast—a disciple disowned by Zu Chengzhi himself.

What do I do now?

Just then, as if triggered by his own words, Liu Qi’s eyes flashed with intensity. He spoke with sudden, passionate agitation.

“Although my Master is the person I admire most in this life, I do not agree with his philosophy!”

“I believe that as an alchemist, one must not be confined by the dusty experiences of predecessors! One must have an innovative spirit! Only through continuous exploration and innovation can the Dao of Alchemy advance!”

“Currently, the alchemists of the Saint Sect treat the ancient formulas like sacred dogma. They lack even a shred of courage to change. If they continue to work behind closed doors like this, their path will become narrower and narrower until it disappears!”

As he spoke, Liu Qi’s expression grew increasingly fervent, almost fanatical.

“To prevent the Dao of Alchemy from decaying, I proposed my ideas to my Master many times. Unexpectedly, he did not approve. Instead, he drove me out of the Sect and told me to ‘reflect properly.'”

“My Master said he would only consider taking me back when I come to my senses. But that is absolutely impossible! I, Liu Qi, firmly believe my path is correct. There is nothing to reflect upon!”

“The ones who truly need to reflect are those complacent, stubborn fossils in the Pill Saint Sect who refuse to evolve!”

Hearing this impassioned manifesto, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but feel a grudging sense of respect.

This guy certainly had spirit.

Whether he had the skills to back up his madness, however, remained to be seen.