Chapter 119 - 119: Got Involved
Gu Daofeng received the Nine Palace Bag but didn’t open it immediately, keeping his peace of mind.
He threw the Nine Palace Bag back to a disciple of the Ten-thousand Medicine
Sect who stood below, and commanded, “Open it and take the Nine Treasure Luminous Cauldron out.”
The disciple was already startled and didn’t dare resist when he received the Nine Palace Bag. He opened it immediately, and in no time, a beautifully crafted pill furnace, with the resemblance of luminous crystal surfaced in front of everyone.
The sight of the cauldron captivated everyone present, even Fang Lin, who had seen much in his lifetime.
Looking at the Nine Treasure Luminous Cauldron, Fang Lin had a touch of bewilderment in his eyes, “This pill furnace…”
When Gu Daofeng noticed the old man Gong didn’t play tricks and indeed handed over the Nine Treasure Luminous Cauldron, he showed his pleasure.
With a wave of his hand, the Nine Palace Bag returned to Gu Daofeng’s control, who also put away the Nine Treasure Luminous Cauldron.
Watching this, Palace Master Gong’s heart ached. The cauldron was their sect’s treasured artifact, but they had to give it away today. Master Gong wished he could slap himself to death.
The elders of the Pill Sect were overjoyed. The Nine Treasured Luminous Cauldron was the Ten-Thousand-Medicine Sect’s most precious treasure; many people in the Qian Country yearned for it. Now that it’s in the Pill Sect’s hands, it certainly pleased the crowd.
Looking at the people of the Ten-Thousand Medicine Sect, they all had somber expressions, looking as if they had lost their parents.
“The leader of your Pill Sect is indeed a devious fellow,” Dugu Nian confessed quietly behind Fang Lin.
Fang Lin nodded in agreement. Again realizing, he questioned, am I acquainted with you? He still ignored Dugu Nian.
Dugu Nian didn’t care about Fang Lin’s silence; she continued speaking, “Your
Sect Leader had had his eyes on the Nine Treasure Luminous Cauldron of the Ten-Thousand-Medicine Sect. In this alchemy competition, even if your sect loses, I have estimated you would keep us here. So, Palace Master Gong is to blame for being too naive.”
Fang Lin gave a snort. However, Dugu Nian wasn’t wrong; the Ten-Thousand Medicine Sect people indeed were naive. Did they think the Pill Sect could be easily humiliated?
Entering the territory of the Pill Sect, even if they win, they cannot safely leave.
“Thanks for your gift, Palace Master Gong. You may leave now. As for these people, we will make proper arrangements. But if you do not redeem them
within a month, there’s no need for them to live,” Gu Daofeng said lightly.
The complexion of Palace Master Gong darkened. He gritted his teeth and without saying a word, turned around and left.
The elders and disciples of the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect stared blankly as Palace Master Gong left, none of them dared to open their mouths.
“Take these people and lock them in the Demon Suppressing Cave. Arrange for more personnel to guard, ” Gu Daofeng commanded as soon as Palace Master Gong left, ordering all people of the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect to be locked up in the Demon Suppressing Cave.
No one resisted during this process. Everyone kept quiet. However much unwillingness and anger they harbored in their hearts, they had to suppress it.
But there was one person the Pill Sect found difficult to handle — Dugu Nian.
Dugu Nian had set her mind on staying there. She knew they couldn’t drive her away with force and neither could they throw her in the Demon Suppressing Cave along with the others from the Ten- thousand Medicine Sect.
After all, she was from the Dugu Family. Although they didn’t know her exact status within the Dugu Family, they assumed she held a significant rank. So, the Pill sect didn’t dare to offend her.
Fang Lin, however, didn’t bother getting involved with this; he took advantage of Dugu Nian’s momentary lapse of attention and fled from the scene.
Dugu Nian stood in place, turning around to look a couple of times, but not finding Fang Lin anywhere, stamped her foot in disappointment and simply sat down on the ground.
Gu Daofeng had no choice. He couldn’t offend her so he took her aside and gently persuaded her to leave the Pill Sect as soon as possible.
But Dugu Nian wouldn’t listen. She even threatened Gu Daofeng, claiming she’d tell her family about the ill-treatment she suffered at Pill Sect.
This threat left Gu Daofeng and the other Pill Sect elders dumbstruck with annoyance, yet they couldn’t vent their anger.
Helpless against Dugu Nian’s influential background, the Pill Sect didn’t wish to provoke her. Already having disputes with the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect and the Li Family, the Pill Sect couldn’t afford to incite more trouble. Inducing the wrath of a more powerful family, the Dugu Family, would be too much for Pill Sect to handle.
Regardless of what Gu Daofeng and others said, Dugu Nian firmly refused to leave. She made her intentions clear; she wanted to learn Shaking Three Mountains from Fang Lin.
Hearing this, Gu Daofeng and others completely ran out of ways to persuade her. In the end, Gu Daofeng stood up and left, leaving the elders at a loss.
None of the elders knew how to deal with this quirky and obstinate girl. Except for Mu Yan, who was smart enough to realize that Dugu Nian genuinely wished to learn Shaking Three Mountains. So, she told Dugu Nian that she could stay in Pill Sect but would have to stay with Fang Lin at all times.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Nian agreed unabashedly since learning Shaking Three Mountains was her ultimate goal.
Fang Lin returned to his residence, feeling weary from today’s events.
However, he had no time to rest as soon after, a large group of disciples arrived to pay a visit to Fang Lin.
Among these disciples, there were several senior ones. They didn’t hold any arrogance and instead respected Fang Lin.
Fang Lin understood why. His performance on the Pill Array had greatly influenced the situation, turning the tide, which was impressive and striking. Hence, these people were willing to associate with him.
However, Fang Lin was annoyed by them hellip; They were befriending him now as they saw his potential. As soon as he faced any difficulty, they would probably pretend not to know him.
So, Fang Lin didn’t show much enthusiasm towards them. Until his old friends like Xu Shangao, Wu Mengsheng, and others arrived, he did show a bit more affection.
In short, Fang Lin’s courtyard was filled with noise and excitement. Even Meng Chaoyang, one of the Four Elites of Pill Sect, made an appearance. His presence made people see Fang Lin in a whole new light.
This was one of the Four Elites of Pill Sect! Never had there been any mention of any member of the Four Elites visiting the residence of a junior disciple.
With the arrival of Meng Chaoyang, everyone looked at Fang Lin with even more awe. They showered him with praises.
Meng Chaoyang didn’t stay for long. Fond of neither noisy nor crowded places, he exchanged a few words with Fang Lin, acknowledging their acquaintance, and then left.
The others didn’t leave as quickly. Just as Fang Lin was thinking of getting rid of them, Dugu Nian showed up at his courtyard, wearing an icy expression.
Upon seeing her, Fang Lin groaned in exasperation. Was she really sticking around?
The crowd also saw Dugu Nian. The courtyard, once filled with laughter and chatter, quieted down instantly.
Feeling something was amiss, many people bid goodbye and left. In a short while, over half the people had left the courtyard, leaving behind only Xu Shangao and others who had a good relationship with Fang Lin..