Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 22: Tit for tat

Chapter 22: Tit for tat

Family Head Shang Li, despite voicing his question, could never believe the implications in his heart, for as the overseer of the Commerce Medicine Pavilion, he knew all too well the arduous path to becoming a Meridian Refining Master.

One of the prerequisites—possessing a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein—already barred the vast majority of cultivators on the continent from entry. Within the entire Shang Family, the only one to have activated an Ancestor Vein was the Family Head Shang Yan, yet the vein he activated was not of the Fire Attribute.

Three days ago, Shang Li had seen Yun Xiao in the Righteous Hall. At that time, Yun Xiao was merely at the late stage of the Qi Gathering. He absolutely couldn’t believe that in a mere three days, Yun Xiao had not only advanced to the Meridian Introduction Realm but had also acquired a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein.

Thus, as Shang Li asked his question, he didn’t wait for an answer from Xue Shou. He proceeded directly into the inner hall, treading lightly whenever he passed by the doors of an Alchemy Room, as if fearing he might disturb some presence within.

Xue Shou, following behind, dared not even let out a breath, seeing how cautious the second master of the Shang Family, a practitioner of Qi Gathering strength, was behaving. How could he afford to make the slightest noise now, lest he find himself in deep trouble?

After slowly passing several Alchemy Rooms, Shang Li turned his head and saw Xue Shou’s expression. He immediately knew that Yun Xiao was in this most secluded Alchemy Room and let out a sigh of relief.

It seemed Xue Shou was not incompetent, having arranged for Yun Xiao to stay in the innermost Alchemy Room. Theoretically, as long as nothing disastrous like a Destruction of the cauldron event occurred, Yun Xiao’s actions shouldn’t affect the distinguished guests in the preceding room.

Yet as Shang Li glanced back at the not-too-distant Alchemy Room, an unusual notion sprang to mind. Recalling the humiliation that Yun Xiao had brought upon the Shang Family in the Righteous Hall, that notion became even more irrepressible.

Even though Yin Huan of the Jade Pot Sect had left a harsh warning to protect Yun Xiao before her departure, Shang Li was aware that the one performing Alchemy within the Commerce Medicine Pavilion was someone even harder to offend. Perhaps this was an opportunity to suppress Yun Xiao.

As the thought crossed his mind, Shang Li resolved to act. He stepped forward, lifted the curtain before the room door, and then raised his right leg to kick the Alchemy Room door wide open.

......

Inside the Alchemy Room.

It was Yun Xiao’s first attempt at refining a Meridian Rushing Pill using this body. Frankly speaking, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to the process. Despite possessing the experience and soul of the Long Xiao Battle God from his previous life, Alchemy was not something to succeed at with ease.

At this moment, Yun Xiao was at a crucial juncture—the fusion of all refined medicinal essences into a single entity to form the embryo of a real elixir.

Bang!

Just as Yun Xiao was sweating profusely from controlling the temperature, he never anticipated the door of the Alchemy Room to burst into a loud noise as a beam of light shone through.

With a puff!

Caught in such a critical moment, Yun Xiao could hardly withstand such interference. His effort at Alchemy came to a frustrating end, and even the Meridian Fire within the Medicine Tripod jumped violently a few times and disappeared.

Watching the various medicinal ingredients explode into a puff of black powder within the Medicine Tripod, Yun Xiao’s face instantly darkened. He knew that he had failed in this Alchemy attempt—not because of his own fault, but due to external interference.

"Little beast, who allowed you to enter here? Get lost now!"

Who would have thought, just as Yun Xiao turned his head with a grim face without speaking, an outraged voice had already taken the lead. Hearing the voice, he knew that it was not Xue Shou, still in the early stage of Qi Gathering strength, but another old acquaintance of his own.

"Shang Li?!"

Yun Xiao’s gaze was fixed on the figure filled with wrath, recalling certain memories and promptly recognizing that this person was Shang Li, a ruling figure from the second branch of the Shang Family.

"Shang Li, do you know that interrupting someone’s Alchemy is a taboo? Did the Family Head never teach you manners?" No one would be in a good mood after their nearly formed elixir was completely destroyed, not even Yun Xiao, and at this moment, his anger was extreme.

"Ha ha, Alchemy? Yun Xiao, stop kidding, how could you possibly be doing Alchemy?" Shang Li burst into loud laughter, as if hearing a monumental joke, especially when he saw the empty tripod in front of Yun Xiao.

Because of Shang Li’s disturbance, not a trace of Meridian Fire remained in Yun Xiao’s Medicine Tripod, and the essences of the medicinal materials were reduced to ash, leaving no trace behind. It simply looked like a mess, so even now, Shang Li refused to believe that this youngster could truly refine elixirs.

Indeed, the qualifications to become a Meridian Refining Master were too formidable; whether psychologically or in reality, Shang Li was unwilling to accept that Yun Xiao could become a Meridian Refining Master.

"Yun Xiao, I won’t waste any more words with you. The Commerce Medicine Pavilion has an esteemed guest, hurry up and leave this place, or else don’t blame me for being rude!" Shang Li would certainly not care about a nobody like Yun Xiao, and his words carried a thick thread of intimidation.

Yun Xiao’s complexion turned somewhat sallow. Currently, he indeed had made a breakthrough to the early stage of the Meridian Introduction Realm, but he knew if he were to face Shang Li, who was in the late stage of the Meridian Gathering Realm, his chances of winning wouldn’t exceed ten percent. The gap between them was simply too great.

"I’m here waiting for Yin Huan. If he comes and can’t find me, do you understand the consequences?" At this juncture, Yun Xiao could only resort to blustering, and upon saying this, Shang Li’s expression subtly changed.

To tell the truth, Shang Li really feared Yun Xiao would pull another stunt. That day in the Righteous Hall, Yin Huan mysteriously fell for Yun Xiao’s words and acted to subdue his older brother, allowing Yun Xiao to slap him and cause a great embarrassment.

Shang Li did not wish to repeat his brother’s mistakes. However, thinking of the distinguished guest refining elixirs in the Commerce Medicine Pavilion, he felt a boost of confidence and sneered: "Even if you have to wait, go wait in the main hall. This Alchemy Room is not a place for you!"

Going back and forth, Shang Li just wanted to give Yun Xiao a hard time and believed with Yin Huan absent, he could easily handle Yun Xiao however he pleased.

Seeing Shang Li refusing to compromise, a flash of ruthlessness moved across the depths of Yun Xiao’s eyes. He really wanted to test his skills against this second young master of the Shang Family, even if there was only a ten percent chance of victory.

Yet, at a certain moment, when Yun Xiao’s nose twitched slightly, and he smelled an aura emanating from the outside of the Alchemy Room, he dismissed the thought and, without a word, strode towards the outside area.

"Smart kid, you know your place!"

Seeing Yun Xiao seemingly capitulate, Shang Li felt a rush of satisfying relief, thinking to himself that Yun Xiao had only dared to be so arrogant because he had Yin Huan’s support. Without his backing now, isn’t he forced to tuck his tail between his legs like everyone else?

As Yun Xiao stepped out of the room, Shang Li suddenly remembered something and hurriedly followed after him. He briskly walked to Yun Xiao’s rear, all the while glancing somewhat fearfully at another Alchemy Room.

Catching a glimpse of Shang Li’s look out of the corner of his eye, Yun Xiao’s internal sneer grew more intense, while a mischievous amusement played upon his face, and he quickened his steps.

Shang Li’s fears were coming true. Just as Yun Xiao was passing by the door of that particular Alchemy Room, he suddenly stood firm, then slightly sidestepped, mimicking the exact motion Shang Li had used to open Yun Xiao’s Alchemy Room door earlier.

The Shang Family’s second young master never expected Yun Xiao to make such a move, and without time to think about how Yun Xiao knew someone was inside that Alchemy Room, all he knew was that if Yun Xiao’s kick landed, the entire Shang Family could be implicated by this detestable kid.

The guest inside this Alchemy Room was no ordinary person, and probably not even the Shang Family Head would dare to provoke him. From the moment this individual arrived at the Commerce Medicine Pavilion, he had been treated as the most esteemed guest, with no effort spared to ensure he was satisfied.

Now, as Yun Xiao’s kick seemed poised to ruin everything, Shang Li was genuinely unconcerned with his earlier disruption of Yun Xiao’s alchemy. However, if Yun Xiao’s kick actually interfered with the guest’s alchemical process, he truly had no idea how to face the latter’s fury.

"You little beast, dare you!"

It must be said that the Shang Family’s second young master had a swift reaction. Moreover, as a practitioner in the late stage of the Meridian Gathering Realm, his shout was followed by a merciless punch that, despite being a late start, was about to slam into Yun Xiao’s back.

But just then, just as Shang Li was fully prepared to see his punch severely injure Yun Xiao, he suddenly realized that the youngster in front of him inexplicably sidestepped several feet to the left, causing his punch to hit nothing but air.

Yet what truly startled Shang Li was still to come. In an effort to stop Yun Xiao’s kick, he had used all his strength in that punch. Being in the late stage of the Meridian Gathering Realm, it was impossible to fully control the power of his physique, and in the next moment, he was terrified to his core.

Before Shang Li stood a thick curtain, and beyond it, the door to that Alchemy Room. The reason he turned pale was not that his fist might hit that door and be rebounded, but because he knew the door could not withstand the strike.

At this moment, how could Shang Li not realize he had fallen for Yun Xiao’s ruse? The youngster must have calculated that he would strike viciously, which is why he feigned a kick to trap him. Now it seemed, this little trick had significant consequences.

Crash!

Amidst Yun Xiao’s gaze filled with mockery and Xue Shou’s horrified expression, Shang Li’s punch was undeniably powerful—a full-force punch from a late-stage Meridian Gathering Realm practitioner was too much for the seemingly sturdy wooden door, which burst open with a crash.

Although when Yun Xiao heard a strange yet familiar voice coming from inside the room, his smile deepened; thinking to himself, wasn’t Shang Li’s karmic retribution arriving a little too fast?

However, when Yun Xiao saw a figure in a dark green robe through the broken door, a chill ran down his spine. He thought to himself that the trouble Shang Li was about to face would definitely not be minor.

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