Chapter 103: Chapter 103: An Absolute Great Demon
Within the Imperial Palace...
Nangong Wen stared at a memorial in his hand, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"I... am without virtue?" Nangong Wen let out a cold laugh. "Lingyun Marquis, you actually dare to spread such rumors. Do you truly think I am so easily bullied?!"
"Dark Dragon Guard!"
As soon as he spoke, ripples spread through the air, and a man in black appeared, half-kneeling.
Nangong Wen’s tone was icy as he asked, "How many people are on the lists you’ve collected in recent years of those in Lingyun Marquis’s faction?"
"A total of one hundred and seventy-three people! Twenty-one are merchants, twenty-five are in the military, thirty-one are civil officials, and twelve are Academy teachers. The rest are all high-level Martial Artists whom Lingyun Marquis has secretly recruited over the years..."
"Excellent. Pick a few for me. It’s time to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys!"
"Yes..."
Nangong Wen’s expression was utterly cold. He murmured, "Oh, Lingyun Marquis... if you weren’t my own brother and subject, how could I have possibly tolerated you for this long..."
He was a decisive and ruthless man. Back then, he had distinguished himself from among the many Princes, his hands stained with untold amounts of blood, his path paved with countless bones. Although Lingyun Marquis was related to him by blood, that didn’t mean he would tolerate someone acting so brazenly right under his nose.
"Within these palace walls, the storms never cease. The imperial family is truly the most heartless of all."
.........
In the Muu Mansion...
Inside the study, Muu Yunlie held a Wolf Hair Brush, but his mind was in such turmoil that he couldn’t bring himself to write. Finally, with a sigh, he set the brush down and wrote the single character, ’Ya’.
"’Ya’... Father, are you referring to Teacher Qin?" Muu Xue asked with a faint smile.
"That’s right. I just can’t see through that boy," Muu Yunlie said, rubbing his head. "He’s just a young man of sixteen or seventeen, yet his conduct and style are far beyond what one would normally imagine."
"Wielding a Bronze Iron Order to storm Jinluan Hall."
"Facing the rebukes and ridicule of all the court officials, yet remaining perfectly calm and composed."
"He even maintained his composure under His Majesty’s imposing presence, his expression never changing."
Muu Yunlie continued, "All these actions seem so arrogant and conceited, yet he carries himself with this inexplicable confidence. It’s just too strange."
Muu Xue smiled faintly. "I told you Teacher Qin was an extraordinary person."
"Hmph. Extraordinary? Let’s see him refine a Seventh-Grade Elixir first."
Muu Xue glanced at her brother and said, "Brother, you’ve been prejudiced against him this whole time because you thought Teacher Qin was the one who leaked the news about Father’s poisoning. But after all this, you still don’t trust his character?"
Seeing the disappointment on Muu Xue’s face, Muu Yao was momentarily at a loss for words.
Just then, Muu Yunlie spoke up. "This matter indeed had nothing to do with Teacher Qin. The news of my poisoning was leaked by Master Chen. Yesterday, in the main hall, I personally saw him with Lingyun Marquis, the Left Minister, and the others."
Upon hearing this, Muu Yao’s expression changed. He immediately turned and left.
"Where are you going?" Muu Xue called out.
"I’m going to offer Teacher Qin a humble apology!" Muu Yao replied without turning back.
"You get back here." Muu Xue quickly pulled Muu Yao back. "Teacher Qin is probably preparing for the Alchemy. Refining a Seventh-Grade Elixir is no small matter. What good would it do to go apologize now? You stay put and think about how you’re going to properly make it up to Teacher Qin after this is all over."
"You’re right. I’ll listen to you, Xue’er."
.........
"You’ve lost your mind again, you brat."
Inside Ningxiang Pavilion, Huaa Que glared at Qin Ya with a furious expression. "You actually dared to barge into the Imperial Palace alone! If it weren’t for Muu Yunlie’s Iron Order, you would’ve been torn to shreds by those hidden experts long ago, you little shit."
"But I’m perfectly fine now, aren’t I?" Qin Ya replied with a faint smile.
Seeing that Qin Ya could still smile, Huaa Que became even more incensed. "How long have you even been in the Imperial Capital, you brat?! You’ve already stirred up this much trouble! You’ve offended the Wang Family and the Lu Family. And now you’ve even offended major court officials like Xiao Dilong, the Left Minister, and Lingyun Marquis. Are you trying to ascend to the heavens or something?!"
"If I offended them, I offended them. It’s no big deal."
"You brat... you’re infuriating." Huaa Que snorted coldly. To him, while those individuals had high status, they didn’t pose a real threat. He was just angry that Qin Ya was such a magnet for trouble. He then said, "Alright, spill it. How confident are you in curing the strange poison in Muu Yunlie’s body?"
Qin Ya stated indifferently, "The poison of a Barbarian Race Wizard may be potent, but to me, it’s nothing that a single Seventh-Grade Pure Yang Pill can’t solve."
Huaa Que froze, his expression instantly turning to one of utter shock. He exclaimed, "What did you say? A Seventh-Grade Pure Yang Pill?! My god, you can refine a Seventh-Grade Elixir?!"
"Before, I wouldn’t have been completely confident. But I gained a great deal from my recent secluded cultivation. It’s enough for me to refine a Seventh-Grade Elixir now."
As a preeminent figure of the Empire, an Extraordinary Martial Artist, even Huaa Que was deeply shaken. ’Good heavens,’ he thought, ’a Seventh-Grade Alchemist... I don’t know how long it’s been since one appeared in the Empire, let alone one this young! Forget the Yunxiao Empire, there might not even be one in the entire Azure Sky Realm!’
"You brat... you really are... too damn scary."
"It’s just a Seventh-Grade Elixir. What’s so scary about that?" Qin Ya pursed his lips. In his previous life, he had lost count of how many Ninth-Grade Elixirs he’d refined. A mere Seventh-Grade Elixir was truly beneath his notice.
Ugh...
The corner of Huaa Que’s mouth twitched. Seeing Qin Ya’s nonchalant expression, he was at a complete loss for words. ’A Seventh-Grade Elixir is nothing?’ If anyone else heard that, he couldn’t imagine how badly they would be scared.
This brat was an absolute, out-and-out monster.
「Three days later...」
Ever since the news spread that Qin Ya would be performing Alchemy to cure Muu Yunlie’s poison, the entire Imperial Capital had been watching. Nangong Wen even ordered a nine-zhang-high Alchemy Platform, covering an area nine zhang square, to be built in the Imperial Palace over several days.
The Alchemy Platform was located in the center of the Imperial Palace Plaza. When the day arrived, civil and military officials, nobles from the various prominent families, and all the major Alchemists of the Imperial Capital gathered there, wanting to witness for themselves just how Qin Ya would refine a Seventh-Grade Elixir.
"Haha, Pharmacist Lin, you came too."
"Indeed. I came to see this legendary Seventh-Grade Alchemist," Pharmacist Lin said, a mocking smile on his lips and a sarcastic tone in his voice. "After all, it’s not every day one gets to see a Seventh-Grade Alchemist, let alone one so young."
"Quite. He may be young, but his arrogance reaches the heavens. Does a brat who hasn’t even grown all his teeth know what a Seventh-Grade Alchemist even is? He probably achieved some minor success in the Alchemy Dao and got full of himself."
A gray-haired old man in a Carp Robe added with a disdainful expression.
In their eyes, Qin Ya was just a grandstanding clown. If becoming a Seventh-Grade Alchemist were so easy, they wouldn’t have been stuck at the level of Fourth or Fifth-Grade Alchemist for so long. That was an Alchemy Realm few in the Empire’s history had ever reached. For a mere boy to make such a bold claim...
It was simply... preposterous.
