Chapter 120: Test Her Out First

Zhou Qi felt a jolt of alarm; the gap between his cultivation and that of a fifth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator was still too vast. Before he could even think, the massive cauldron came hurtling toward him.

Zhou Qi activated the Divine Dragon Transformation, his oversized fist slamming into the incoming cauldron. With a booming "bang," the cauldron was brought to a standstill. Zhou Qi held out for three seconds before the immense force transmitted from the medicinal cauldron sent him flying backward.

Having expended its momentum through that strike, the cauldron was recalled by the old man.

Blood trickled from the corner of Zhou Qi’s mouth, and several of his finger bones were fractured. He scrambled to his feet, his injuries slowly beginning to mend.

Seeing Zhou Qi wounded, the old man felt no particular pride. His full-strength strike had only caused a trickle of blood; if the boy’s cultivation were any higher, he himself would have been defenseless. He had a premonition that he must kill Zhou Qi here and now, or the next time they met, he would have no means to fight back.

"If you don't want to suffer soul-searching, hand over your storage ring obediently to avoid further agony." As the old man spoke, a ball of flame slowly rose in his hand. He had refined this fire for many years, usually keeping it solely for alchemy; he would not have brought it out if not for the need to finish this quickly.

Huang Qianqian’s eyes lit up. This flame seemed decent—not much worse than the natal flame Zhou Qi possessed.

"Senior, please take care of this man," Zhou Qi said, turning toward Huang Qianqian. He had already realized the disparity between them; fighting to the death was meaningless. If this drew other enemies, it would only lead to endless trouble.

"Does this count as one favor?" Huang Qianqian asked.

Zhou Qi shook his head. "One flame—the one in his hand." He pointed at the fire the old man held.

Huang Qianqian was speechless. She had to fetch her own reward? Was she supposed to use her enemy’s belongings to do work for him?

Seeing the two whispering to each other, the old man took another look at Huang Qianqian. Could he have misjudged the situation? Was this woman actually the one with the highest cultivation?

But she looked so unremarkable, and in their previous confrontations, he had never seen her make a move. She must be trying to trick him, he reasoned; this was surely a signal to flee. He decided to test her.

"Ignorant woman, step aside immediately. I will not hold this against you. Your looks wouldn't fetch a high price even in a brothel, and I have no interest in meaningless tasks. My target is him alone. If you are sensible, I will spare your life," the old man said, though his heart was filled with extreme caution, fearing both that the woman might be truly formidable and that they might be preparing some sort of formation to escape.

Hearing this, Zhou Qi smiled. He had originally hoped to capture the old man for alchemy, but since he had spoken such words, that hope was likely dashed.

"What did you say? Are you talking to me?" Huang Qianqian was stunned, unable to believe her ears.

"I said I would spare your life," the old man replied. Was she deaf?

Zhou Qi only felt a gust of wind whip past. Huang Qianqian had vanished from where she stood, appearing in an instant before the old man, her hand already clamped around his neck.

Huang Qianqian released a trace of Phoenix aura, suppressing the old man so thoroughly he could not move.

The old man felt as if he were facing a prehistoric beast. His spiritual energy stagnated, and he lost his connection to both the medicinal cauldron and the flame in his hand. Terrified, he struggled to choke out a few words: "Senior... spare me, this humble one has eyes..."

"Too late." Huang Qianqian’s face was as cold as frost. The old man in her grip suddenly erupted into flames, the roaring fire swallowing the rest of his plea.

"Save the storage ring!" Zhou Qi shouted. The old man was clearly an alchemist, and alchemists were typically wealthy; otherwise, his two followers would not have each possessed a mid-grade spiritual artifact.

The fourth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator realized what was happening and turned to flee on his sword. If even the fifth-layer expert had no power to resist, staying behind was useless.

Zhou Qi tossed his iron ruler to Ye Jinglun. "Little Ye, stop him. Preferably alive."

With a mid-grade spiritual artifact in hand, Ye Jinglun’s confidence surged. Previously, he had avoided clashing with the opponent's mid-grade artifact, but now that he had one of his own, taking the man down was only a matter of time.

Seeing that Ye Jinglun had engaged the fleeing cultivator, Zhou Qi quickly stepped forward to store the previously knocked-out cultivator into the Medicine Immortal Sacred Mansion. He then looked toward the old man, but only a pile of ashes remained. If Zhou Qi had known the old man was merely trying to test Huang Qianqian, one wonders what he would have thought.

He hadn't expected Huang Qianqian to be so formidable. Zhou Qi had to re-evaluate her combat prowess. Although her cultivation was several realms higher than the old man's, the efficiency of the kill was staggering. That terrifying speed, the sudden eruption of flames—she was truly a master of fire; she hadn't been bragging at all.

I’ve been too rude to her in the past, he thought. I must change that.

"Here, Little Zhou. This is the storage ring you wanted. I’ll keep the flame, though. This cauldron looks decent; if you don't want it, I’ll take it too," Huang Qianqian said, acting as if nothing had happened, tossing the storage ring to Zhou Qi.

"Senior is truly impressive. However, I am also an alchemist, and this cauldron is useful for my craft. That old man was blind to your peerless grace and spoke recklessly; he brought his death upon himself," Zhou Qi quickly flattered her.

Huang Qianqian tossed the cauldron over, feeling that Zhou Qi's words were quite pleasing. She had been starting to feel like a mere errand girl, but it seemed he still respected her deeply.

With the cauldron in hand, Zhou Qi used his spiritual sense to inspect the old man’s storage ring. The man was indeed wealthy; there were at least ten million low-grade spirit stones inside. At the West Wind Pavilion auction, he had stopped bidding at two point one million, clearly harboring the intention to rob others all along. To be so rich yet so stingy—Zhou Qi shook his head.

There were also many third-grade pills, along with herbs, demon cores, and beast cores. He found several pill formulas: Spirit Recovery Pills, Stamina Pills, Blood Qi Pills, and Bone Marrow Pills. He already had these, so they were of no use.

Zhou Qi continued searching: Poison-Repelling Pill, Recovery Pill formulas...

Wait, a Recovery Pill formula! Zhou Qi was overjoyed. He had long wanted this formula. Although he had developed a tolerance to the Recovery Pill, it would still be useful if he could improve its grade. Even if it weren't, selling them would be far more profitable than the Spirit Recovery or Blood Qi pills.

The old man’s collection didn't contain any finished Recovery Pills; perhaps he had been unable to refine them himself, Zhou Qi speculated.

The other formulas were common, found everywhere, but obtaining the Recovery Pill formula was enough to satisfy him.

He took out the cauldron to examine it closely. He couldn't discern the material, but the fact that it could be used as a spiritual artifact meant it was surely a treasure. He couldn't wait to use it for alchemy, though now was clearly not the time. After tucking the cauldron away, he saw that the battle on Ye Jinglun’s side had concluded.

"Boss, I failed my mission. I accidentally killed him. Here is his storage ring," Ye Jinglun said, sounding ashamed. He had been ordered to keep the man alive, yet he had taken his life.

"Sigh, never mind. Keep the ring; it’s your spoils of war," Zhou Qi sighed inwardly. Another one of his employees lost.