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

Chapter 226: May Cause Some Distress to the Pill Taker

Entering the private alchemy lab, Linghu Gao flicked his sleeves, instantly activating several layers of high-grade Formations to completely isolate the room and shield it from heavenly divination.

Only then did he lean in, lowering his voice into a hushed, conspiratorial whisper. “Young Friend, you said this supreme Master of the Dao of Alchemy can forge flawless Foundation Consolidation Pills. Tell me… can he also forge pills capable of extending lifespan?”

“Of course!”

Qi Yuan knew exactly what the old man was angling for. He offered a faint, confident smile and answered with absolute certainty. “That Master’s attainment in the Dao of Alchemy reaches the heavens and pierces the earth. There simply isn’t a pill in existence that he cannot refine. A mere lifespan-extending pill is child’s play for him.”

Since he was putting on a performance, he had to fully commit to the bit. Linghu Gao already swallowed the bait whole; Qi Yuan might as well blow the story entirely out of proportion to cement the old man’s absolute faith in this fabricated ‘Master’.

“Truly?! That is wonderful!”

Hearing Qi Yuan’s ironclad guarantee, Linghu Gao’s eyes practically glowed in the dark. He spoke with frantic desperation. “To be completely frank with you, an extremely exalted elder within the Ji Clan has almost entirely exhausted his lifespan. He urgently requires a batch of top-tier lifespan-extending pills to survive.”

“The Ji Clan specifically recruited me as a Guest Elder for this exact purpose! I have been ordered to abandon all other projects and devote my entire existence to rush-producing life-extending pills. They have given me unrestricted access to the Ji Clan’s deepest vaults. I can use any heaven-defying treasure I desire. Cost is completely irrelevant to them!”

Linghu Gao grabbed Qi Yuan’s shoulders. “If you can convince that Master to forge a batch of perfectly crafted life-prolonging pills, the Ji Clan Head would gladly pay any price you demand!”

“Ah?”

Qi Yuan perfectly mimicked a look of startled confusion. “Senior Linghu, asking an exalted being of his caliber to take action is not cheap. A basic Foundation Consolidation Pill costs 100,000 High Grade Spirit Stones! Exactly what kind of status does this Ji Clan elder hold?! To willingly burn through such a terrifying amount of resources just to extend his life… who is he?”

“This…”

Linghu Gao’s face stiffened. He took a deep breath, forcing an awkward, strained smile. “Apologies. I have sworn a Heavenly Dao Oath never to reveal the identity of the patient to an outsider.”

“But rest assured! As long as you can produce the pills, you absolutely do not need to worry about the Ji Clan’s ability to pay.”

Linghu Gao’s brows furrowed in deep worry as he added a crucial caveat. “However… because this exalted elder has consumed far too many lifespan-extending pills in the past, he has developed a massive tolerance. The vast majority of low and mid-tier life-extending pills are completely useless on him now.”

“You must implore the Master for a Saint-grade pill, something on the level of the Death-Averting Revitalization Pill or the Hundred Refinements Life-Gathering Pill. Only a pill of that supreme caliber will guarantee success.”

Linghu Gao stared at Qi Yuan, his eyes burning with feverish anticipation.

As one of the three supreme pillars of the Demonic Sect, the Ji Clan’s hoarded wealth rivaled the top orthodox sanctuaries. If he, Linghu Gao, was the man who delivered the cure that saved the life of the Ji Clan’s Great Ascension Ancestor, he would become the savior of the entire clan! The political power and endless wealth he would gain from that favor were enough to drive any man insane!

Qi Yuan nodded slowly, pretending to digest the information. He didn’t recognize either of the pills Linghu Gao had just named, but it didn’t matter. He had no intention of asking his non-existent Master to forge anything; he was going to use the pill he already had.

After a moment of theatrical contemplation, Qi Yuan suddenly slapped his thigh, his face lighting up with extreme excitement.

“Ah! Senior, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have completely forgotten! I actually happen to have a lifespan-extending pill on me right now! It was personally forged by the Master himself. It’s called the Prolonging Life and Enhancing Longevity Pill!”

He leaned in, his voice dropping into a greedy whisper. “This pill was originally commissioned for a certain dying elder in my own family. But since the Ji Clan Head is so desperately thirsty for a cure, and money is no object… why not sell it to him now and make an astronomical profit?! As for my family elder, well, he can wait! I’ll just beg the Master to forge another one later!”

“The Prolonging Life and Enhancing Longevity Pill?!”

Linghu Gao’s face lit up with initial joy, but it quickly morphed into a deep frown. He couldn’t help but press for details. “What kind of pill is that? Why have I never heard of it?”

Qi Yuan’s expression didn’t waver. He spoke with absolute conviction. “Because the Master invented it himself! This pill literally seizes the creation of heaven and earth! It completely ignores the consumer’s Cultivation realm or bodily resistance. As long as they swallow this single pill, their remaining lifespan will instantly be more than doubled!”

Hiss—!

Linghu Gao’s eyes bulged out of his skull. He sucked in a massive breath of cold air, nearly choking on it.

If he hadn’t just personally verified the existence of those physics-defying Foundation Consolidation Pills, he would have slapped Qi Yuan for spouting such absolute, unfiltered garbage.

Generally speaking, even the legendary Saint Grade Death-Averting Revitalization Pill could only extend a Great Ascension cultivator’s life by a few measly centuries.

But this kid was claiming his pill completely ignored Cultivation bottlenecks and forcefully doubled the consumer’s lifespan out of thin air?! That was horrifying!

Wait… didn’t that mean if the dying Ji Clan Ancestor swallowed it, he could theoretically live for another 80,000 years?! Even the mythical Immortal Pills of the upper realms weren’t this heaven-defying!

Truly worthy of a supreme Master! His alchemy is terrifying beyond comprehension!

Snapping out of his shock, Linghu Gao could no longer suppress his frantic agitation. He grabbed Qi Yuan’s arm, shaking it. “Young Friend! Quickly! Take out this Prolonging Life and Enhancing Longevity Pill and let me inspect it! If it is truly as miraculous as you claim, I will personally drag you to the Ji Clan Head right this second to negotiate! I swear I will not fail you!”

Qi Yuan had perfectly anticipated this reaction. He gently pulled his arm away and shook his head, his tone laced with heavy hesitation.

“Under normal circumstances, handing this pill over to you, Senior, to present to the Ji Clan would be perfectly fine. However…”

He paused, offering an apologetic, strained smile. “To be completely honest, the pill in my possession is not flawlessly perfect. While it absolutely guarantees the massive lifespan extension, it carries a… slight negative side effect. It may cause some minor distress to the consumer.”

“Because of this, when the Master bestowed the pill upon me, he strictly commanded that I must personally explain this side effect to the consumer face-to-face. Only after hearing the risks can the consumer make an informed decision on whether or not to swallow it.”

“Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that I personally deliver the pill. I humbly request Senior Linghu to arrange an introduction for me.”

The pill Liu Qi had given him was a literal cursed object. Since Qi Yuan only had one, there was absolutely zero chance he was handing it over to a greedy snake like Linghu Gao.

If he let the old man take the pill to the Ji Clan to claim all the credit, Linghu Gao would monopolize the astronomical reward. Then, when the horrifying, slow-motion side effects inevitably kicked in, Linghu Gao would instantly throw Qi Yuan under the bus to take the blame!

Qi Yuan wasn’t born yesterday. He wasn’t about to make such a suicidal, rookie mistake.

Hearing Qi Yuan’s firm refusal, Linghu Gao’s eyes narrowed slightly. He instantly realized he had severely underestimated the seemingly polite, eager Junior standing before him.

This kid wasn’t a naive fool blinded by greed; he was meticulous, highly cautious, and as cunning as a fox. He was a deeply troublesome character.

Ironically, this extreme caution only cemented Linghu Gao’s belief that the pill was genuine.

After all, Qi Yuan clearly wasn’t suicidal. Only an absolute lunatic would waltz into the heavily fortified compound of a ruthless, bloodthirsty demonic clan to peddle a fake pill. The Great Ascension Ancestor might be dying, but his brain still worked perfectly fine. If the pill was a dud, the Ji Clan would literally peel the skin from the seller’s bones while he was still alive.

Looking at Qi Yuan, Linghu Gao’s gaze grew even more heated. He wasn’t just looking at a merchant; he was looking at a walking, talking treasure trove with limitless Potential.

To be brutally honest, if Linghu Gao wasn’t utterly terrified of the mythical, god-like Master supposedly standing behind this kid, he would have abandoned all pretense of being a dignified Heaven-rank Alchemist and violently murdered Qi Yuan to steal the pill.

Becoming the sole savior of the Ji Clan Ancestor was a prize worth killing a thousand men for!

Forcing his greed down, Linghu Gao’s lips curled into a practiced, reassuring smile. “Since you are being so forthright with me, Young Friend, then this old man will gladly escort you to see the Ji Clan Head.”

“I am deeply indebted to you, Senior.” Qi Yuan smiled warmly, then quickly adopted a look of grave concern.

“However, the Ji Clan Head is a man of terrifying authority and supreme prestige. A nobody like myself is entirely unworthy of catching his eye. I must ask Senior to temporarily conceal my true identity and background. I do not want any unnecessary complications derailing our negotiations with him.”

“Young Friend Qi is truly cautious,” Linghu Gao said, looking at him with deep amusement. “Very well. As you wish. I will simply introduce you as the direct descendant of a certain reclusive, exalted Master.”

To Linghu Gao, this paranoid request made perfect sense.

If a kid had a god-like Alchemist standing behind him, failing to use a fake identity in the Demonic Sect was practically begging to be kidnapped. The Ji Clan Head wasn’t exactly known for his benevolent charity. If he realized how valuable Qi Yuan’s connection was, he might act polite to his face, but he would absolutely send black-ops assassins to shadow him the second he left the compound.

Having rationalized Qi Yuan’s paranoia, Linghu Gao didn’t waste another second. He grabbed Qi Yuan by the shoulder, hauling him onto a sleek flying boat, and shot directly toward the Ji Clan Head’s heavily fortified palace.