Chapter 32 (2/2)
Xiao Chen, still wearing a pleasant smile, said to them, “Rest at ease, Elders. Give me three days. You have will the completed elixirs then.” With that, he left, bringing with him the large bag of medicinal herbs on their table. Even though he had failed to enlist the three Elders to help him, he would still extend the favor to the Elders for Lil Ruo’s sake. Moreover…
The three Elders waited until Xiao Chen was far. Their backs were wet with cold sweat. Elder Song was the first to break the silence, speaking softly, “This boy… His origins are mysterious… Surely he’s not a spy of the evil folk?”
Elder Liu snapped, “And you’d think that spies of the evil folk would be that open and direct as the boy?”
Elder Wu could only sigh before he spoke, “At any rate, word of this must not escape! We are now all in the same boat now, now that he’s helping us with the brewing…” He gave another long sigh and glared at Elder Liu, “You! Have a care with your tongue, Liu! It’s public knowledge now that you always fall asleep and speak silly things! You were caught dozing off when you were delivering elixirs to the Black Dragon Peak last month! Let Song handle the deliveries next time if you can’t help it!”
… …
For the next three days, Xiao Chen went to the Sky-gazing Gorge to train in the day. In the nights, he would busy himself by brewing the elixirs for the Elders. By the third night, he returned to the abode of the three Elders, carrying with him a package of freshly-brewed elixirs.
Still feeling slightly embarrassed for troubling him, Elder Wu said, “No matter what, we are grateful for your help, Xiao Chen. We will warn Ye Shaochong severely for his transgressions. But there is another person that you should never anger. We will smoothen things for you.”
Xiao Chen smiled gently to them, “Understood, Elders. I will not inconvenience you. It is late now. I suppose I’ll take my leave for now.” He bowed to them and left.
When Xiao Chen had left, Elder Wu wore an approving smile. “The boy is not half bad,” he said, “At least he treats us with respect, unlike the wretched and arrogant Ye Fei. Have a look at the elixirs, Liu.”
Elder Liu immediately opened the package. He was stunned for a moment before he spat, “Damn it!”
“What’s wrong! Surely the boy did not fool us?” The other two immediately scurried over and looked for themselves. Elder Song flared with anger, “Damn it! We’ve fallen for the boy’s bloody ploy!”
The pills in the package were so perfectly produced that they had no defects. Still, the pills were clearly superior in quality to the ones the Elders themselves concocted. Elder Liu frowned with dismay, “My God! How are we going to explain ourselves if the Elder of the Elixir Room asks about this? Can we just say that the first two bags were made hastily in a rush? We do not have the skills to produce such quality!”
“Vile boy! What else can we say but this? Does this mean that we will always have to ask the boy for help whenever the Elder of the Elixir Room demands such quality?”
“The damned boy had led us into a fix… Why is he here at the Sunset Peak of all places…”
… …
The silvery moon hung high over Xiao Chen who was smiling to himself as he strolled back to his cottage on the path through the woods. The walk back invigorated him until he sneezed suddenly.
At the same time, in a cave at the rear mountain, tendrils of Spiritual Qi swirled and coiled around aimlessly through the glimmering shafts of moonlight that flooded upon a figure kneeling on the ground. It was Ye Shaochong, who was severely bashed by Xiao Chen days before.
“Brother… You must help me. The boy is arrogant and conceited. He has crippled our influence and undermined our elixir business, driving us from the Sky-gazing Gorge. Look at my injuries, brother! These are all his handiwork! Many of our men have also suffered greatly under his oppression.”
The chilly night wind blew by. There was another figure, sitting quietly in the cave with his face unseen. A hollow and ghastly voice came from him, “You worthless slouch. On your feet.”
“Yes, Brother,” said Ye Shaochong, who only dared to rise on his brother’s command.
“Hmph! How many Spirit Stones have you collected this month? Do you think that I am not aware of the Stones that you have fleeced every month!”
Ye Shaochong shuddered with dread, “N-no, Brother. I would never dare to… The number of Stones that we’ve collected this month is halved, all thanks to that Xiao Chen!”
“Half? What will we hand to Mo Yu with only half the usual number? Do you think that he would offer you protection, if not for the Spirit Stones that you pay him every month?”
“B-but… but what can I do? Should I send the boys out to scrounge for more?” Ye Shaochong asked, his voice quivering.
“You will not have to trouble yourself with Mo Yu! Hmph! Let him revel in his glory days while he still can, this Mo Yu! Tell of me this Xiao Chen. Where is he from? Who led him?”
Ye Shaochong hectically replied, “He’s one of the new disciples this year. The useless weakling, Luo Shangyan, seemed to be his leader through the trials.”
“Ah? A new disciple… it seems that the new disciples do not know their place in my absence…”
“Indeed, Brother! Indeed! With Xiao Chen acting as their ringleader now, the lot of them now refuses to pay up their dues!”
“Hmph!” There was an unpleasant howl by the winds followed by a huge bang. A large boulder at the entrance of the cave was smashed to bits. Ye Shaochong shivered, trembling with jitters as he threw himself aside from the blast.
“Very well… It is time for me to show myself lest everyone forgets of my terror…”
“Indeed, Brother! Indeed! You should long have come out! Zhuo Wuhen and his gang have been especially insolent of late. They too have also taken our territory and have given the men some beatings…”
“Zhuo Wuhen… His end shall arrive when I, Ye Fei, complete my solitary training!”