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Chapter 248: Which Pill Is the One

Di Nufeng's morning temper was always fierce, and he wouldn't dare provoke her.

However, since he was the one who had asked the Golden-Furred Hou to perform, if he hid away at this moment, it would show his irresponsibility. If that were the case, how could he expect the Big Head to toil away for him in the future?

So he stepped forward, cleared his throat, and addressed, "Esteemed teacher, it's already late in the day. Now that you're awake, it's just in time for lunch."

He subtly hinted that it was broad daylight, implying that if someone was disturbed by the Golden-Furred Hou's noise, it might not entirely be the Hou's fault.

Di Nufeng rubbed her sleepy eyes and grumbled, "What do you know? I was working hard for our Silver Sword Peak all night and only went to sleep at dawn."

"Oh?" Chu Liang asked curiously. "But esteemed teacher, weren't you drinking all night last night?"

"Of course not!" Di Nufeng replied. "There's a new event at the Mount Shu Summit this time and I was preparing for it!"

"What event?" Chu Liang asked.

This was probably something discussed at the assembly of peak masters the other day, and the news hadn't yet reached the regular disciples. Moreover, since the peak masters could participate, it was likely some kind of recreational event, not the main competition.

Sure enough, Di Nufeng raised her head proudly and announced, "The Wine-God Contest!"

Great. Perfect for what you have been training for your entire life.

Chu Liang found himself staring at the smirk on Di Nufeng's face, a smirk that seemed to convey the message, "I have fulfilled my lifelong ambition." It left Chu Liang feeling puzzled.

Why would the Mount Shu Summit host such an event? He wondered.

If the event were a Mahjong Tournament, it could be rationalized as a mental exercise.

But regardless, this was good news. When it came to alcohol consumption on Mount Shu, if Di Nufeng claimed second place, no one would dare to claim first.

Even if this was purely entertainment, the reward was likely to be substantial.

He even wondered if his teacher had offered fruits or used various methods to convince the higher-ups of Mount Shu to include this event.

"But isn't a Wine-God Contest just about drinking?" Chu Liang said to himself.

It was unknown whether the Golden-Furred Hou could understand human language. At this moment, it was pouting. Even as its expression was filled with suppressed anger, it did not dare to emit a single roar.

...

During lunchtime, the team for the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony gathered together.

On the table were several simple dishes, mainly consisting of delicious and affordable home-cooked meals, as Chu Liang was treating them[1].

He said to Lin Bei, "Have you spread the news that the answer to the third puzzle is available for sale?"

Lin Bei nodded. "Yes, I've spread the word. I told them I went against my team leader's decision and decided to sell the answer to the final puzzle."

Shang Ziliang looked a little worried. "Big Bro, are you sure this is alright? If we sell the answer to the third puzzle, wouldn't we lose our advantage..."

"Don't worry. I'll head out and claim the White-Jade Porcelain Cup first," responded Chu Liang.

"Ah? We're finally getting it!" Lackey A exclaimed, excitement evident in his voice. He continued, "I haven't heard of anyone claiming the prize. If we get it now, we'll be in first place!"

Yet, Chu Liang did not share the details with them, and they were unaware of Chu Liang's conflict with the higher-ups.

They simply thought that Chu Liang had unsolved questions.

But what Lackey A said was spot on. The first three teams to win in the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony would receive rewards, with just the rewards having variations in size. Before teaming up with Chu Liang, they had hoped for, at most, a third place. They had never expected to come in first.

Chu Liang nodded gently.

Even though Chu Liang did not take the Green Pill, Senior Sister Jiang, with her pride, would never claim the prize before him.

This was why Chu Liang had to act quickly. As time went on, more and more people would solve the final puzzle. While he could take his time claiming the prize, no one else would be waiting.

If he still hadn't claimed the prize, Senior Sister Jiang would be waiting for him to do it first, and her ranking would be affected as a result.

"But how do we sell this third clue?" Lin Bei asked again. "Although many people are interested, if too many people buy it, those who expressed their interest later might choose not to purchase. After all, only the top three will be chosen, and buying it later would be meaningless."

Chu Liang said with a smile, "An auction."

"Ohhhhhh!" exclaimed the team members in unison.

This idea had not crossed anyone's mind.

The answers to the three puzzles were sold using different methods, all chosen to maximize Chu Liang's profit. If it were anyone else, even if they had the same answers to the three puzzles to sell, they wouldn't achieve such a favorable outcome.

Chu Liang waved his hand and said with a smile, "Let's not be surprised. Let's eat..."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and realized that all the plates were empty. "Eh? I remember ordering food?"

...

Not long after, Chu Liang arrived at Azure Falling Peak once again.

The ancient tree of Azure Falling Peak still towered into the clouds.

As he landed on the branch he had once visited, he called out loudly, "Senior Aunt Yan, I'm here to disturb you again."

In a flash of white light, a figure appeared before him—it was none other than Daoist Yan, the master of Azure Falling Peak. Clad in a robe of blue and white, she displayed a cold and aloof demeanor.

With her perpetually indifferent gaze sweeping over Chu Liang, she asked, "You're here again. Do you have the high-grade Green Pill?"

"Yes, I do," Chu Liang said with a smile. He took out a small pill box and, with a raise of his hand, sent the pill box floating upward to hand it over.

Daoist Yan accepted the pill box, glanced at it, and remarked, "Then I'll have one of the disciples from the Hall of Alchemy come and verify it."

Even if she could discern the grade of the Green Pill, such matters must be verified by disciples from the Hall of Alchemy to be considered valid, which was also a necessary process for the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony.

With that said, she raised her hand and released a beam of white light. The light swiftly vanished, instantly arriving at the Hall of Alchemy on the Heaven-Reaching Peak, where it transformed into two lines of white characters in mid-air.

"A disciple from Silver Sword Peak has presented a high-grade Green Pill. Send someone for verification."

Upon receiving the message, a member from the Hall of Alchemy promptly arrived. To Chu Liang's surprise, it was none other than the seventh disciple of the Alchemy Master, whom he had met before.

It was Liu Qin.

Liu Qin, wearing a loose white robe, soared over, deftly manipulating the wind as he approached. As he landed, his expression remained indifferent.

To prevent Chu Liang from securing first place, the Hall of Alchemy had invested the most effort. Therefore, they became the most anxious when Chu Liang went silent. They were eager for other teams to reach this stage as soon as possible. So, when Jiang Yuebai came to ask for the high-grade Green Pill, they practically gave it away for free and even delivered it to her doorstep. Their sole desire was for a team to claim first place as soon as possible.

Who would have thought that the first person to come and verify the pill would be Chu Liang himself?

For such a major event like the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony, it was normal for a successor of the Alchemy Master to come and verify the pill. However, the fact that the one who came happened to be someone who had a grudge against Chu Liang indicated the attitude of the Hall of Alchemy.

They were certainly not planning to give him any chance to slip through the cracks.

"Senior Brother Liu," Chu Liang greeted with a smile nonetheless.

Liu Qin looked at him, pursed his lips, and remained silent.

Previously, Chu Liang had gained an advantage, so he could act as if nothing had happened.

However, for Liu Qin, it wasn't the same. Having been beaten up and suffered some losses, he obviously still harbored some resentment.

"This is the high-grade Green Pill he submitted. Take a look," Daoist Yan instructed, handing over the pill that Chu Liang had submitted to Liu Qin.

"Yes," Liu Qin said as he respectfully took the pill box from Daoist Yan's hand.

As he turned around, a faint smirk appeared on his face. It seemed he didn't believe Chu Liang could obtain the high-grade Green Pill, and he was contemplating how to expose Chu Liang's deception.

But soon, his expression turned grim, and he scrutinized the pill closely, as if he wouldn't let even a speck of dust on the pill escape his gaze.

After a while, his eyes were full of suspicion.

Liu Qin looked at Chu Liang, seeming to realize something, and exclaimed, "This must be the pill we gave to Jiang Yuebai!"

"What?" Daoist Yan, upon hearing her beloved disciple's name, inquired softly.

Liu Qin explained, "Recently, the Hall of Alchemy only gave out one high-grade Green Pill, and we gave it to Junior Sister Jiang Yuebai. It's obvious where he got his pill from!"

Daoist Yan looked at Chu Liang and asked, "Did Jiang Yuebai give you this pill?"

"No," Chu Liang immediately said as he shook his head.

"Obviously, she didn't give it to you. Junior Sister Jiang would never relinquish first place to someone else," Liu Qin said. "You must have obtained it using shady methods. You either stole it or used some cheating method!"

Daoist Yan remained composed as she stared at Chu Liang. While the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony had no rule against stealing or taking by force, if Chu Liang had indeed stolen the pill from her beloved disciple, she wouldn't be pleased.

Chu Liang regarded Liu Qin with a strange expression as he asked, "How many high-grade Green Pills did Senior Sister Jiang get from the Hall of Alchemy?"

"Of course, there's only one," Liu Qin replied. "You took it, and Junior Sister Jiang now has none!"

In front of Daoist Yan, Liu Qin tried to quietly create tension between Chu Liang and Azure Falling Peak.

But Chu Liang did not defend himself.

With a flick of his wrist, he took out another shimmering high-grade Green Pill and asked, "If you want me to return this high-grade Green Pill to Senior Sister Jiang, you'll need to tell me which of these two is the one you gave her."

"Eh?"

Upon seeing the second high-grade Green Pill, Liu Qin and Daoist Yan were stunned.

The Hall of Alchemy chose this as the final challenge because they were confident that no Green Pill was circulating outside. Obtaining even one was already difficult, so where did Chu Liang get a second pill?

What happened next exceeded their expectations even more. With a flick of his wrist, Chu Liang took out another high-grade Green Pill and asked, "Is this the one the Hall of Alchemy gave to her?

"What about this one?

"Or is it this one?"

He seemed almost like a magician. Each time he turned his wrist, another high-grade Green Pill appeared in his palm. In just moments, he was holding five or six pills in his hand.

In the days leading up to this, Chu Liang had been immersing himself in the art of alchemy. In actuality, he had already concocted pills that were nearly up to the standard of a high-grade Green Pill. Though the effects of these pills were on par with high-grade ones, there were some imperfections. To avoid any potential criticism, he kept refining his technique until he finally produced a few perfect Green Pills.

And now, all the high-grade Green Pills he had refined were here. The surprise on Liu Qin's face grew more and more intense. Finally, Chu Liang grabbed a jade gourd and tossed it to him without any second thoughts.

"Senior Brother Liu, please search carefully and tell me which pill is the one you gave to Senior Sister Jiang?"

1. He says this because home-cooked meals are cheaper. ☜