Chapter 13

Long Juxue made no effort to hide her sense of superiority as the daughter of the first noble. Her tone was calm, yet she exuded an unshakeable confidence.

"In the 108 noble families of the Eastern Kingdom, there is nothing I, Long Juxue, want that anyone can take from me."

Jiang Chen laughed wryly. "So absolute? Can't there be any surprises?"

"There can't be any surprises," Long Juxue said coldly. "At least, I've never encountered one."

"Alright..." Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Then I congratulate you, today you've met one."

It had to be said, this woman's sense of superiority was overwhelming. Even when she was asking for something, she maintained a high and mighty attitude. It was as if speaking to Jiang Chen was a form of charity, like a swan deigning to notice a toad.

But in Jiang Chen's eyes, this attitude was laughable to the extreme.

The daughter of the first noble of the Eastern Kingdom? So what? Even the first noble himself, in his previous life, wouldn't have been qualified to tie Jiang Chen's shoes.

Watching Jiang Chen follow the Third Hall Master of the Alchemist Hall and leave decisively, Long Juxue experienced her first loss of face in front of a man.

"Jiang Chen, I'll remember you. At the end-of-year Qianlong Examination, if I, Long Juxue, can help you pass smoothly, I'll take your surname."

"I, Bai Zhanyun, will also remember you. You're tough today. At the Qianlong Examination, I'll make you understand that the price of offending me, Bai Zhanyun, is not something your mere Jianghan Manor can bear."

"And the Zhuque Manor, Yanmen Manor!"

These people, who had tried to curry favor but failed, were all seething with anger. Seizing on Jiang Chen as the soft target, they were determined to squeeze him.

Jiang Chen, of course, didn't take such threats too seriously. But the fact that these people were all declaring their names made him secretly amused.

"Each of you is eager to declare your name. Fine, it saves me the trouble of identifying you one by one. White Tiger Manor, Zhuque Manor, Yanmen Manor, right? You remember grudges, do you? Soon, you'll find out that I, Jiang Chen, remember grudges even more!"

Under normal circumstances, the Third Hall Master would never get involved in the conflicts between the nobles.

But this time, he had no choice. He had to fully support Jiang Chen.

When Jiang Zheng approached him, the Third Hall Master knew this was his only choice, and the only choice for the Alchemist Hall.

Otherwise, making Jiang Chen unhappy would mean losing the Shenxiu Creation Pill, and losing a huge business opportunity.

This business was far beyond what a few noble heirs could compare to.

Moreover, these noble heirs had no reason to vent their anger on the Alchemist Hall. They would choose the seemingly weaker Jiang Chen as their target.

As for how Jiang Chen would deal with it, that wasn't the Third Hall Master's concern. His focus was on making the current deal work.

The negotiations went smoothly, and the contract had already been drafted the day before. After reviewing it, Jiang Chen made some minor suggestions and then had Jiang Zheng sign it.

For a noble heir like him, he wouldn't personally handle such trivial matters.

Of course, Jiang Chen couldn't completely trust the Alchemist Hall. He still needed to control the key aspects himself.

He couldn't possibly hand over all the secret formulas and refining techniques.

If the Alchemist Hall got all the secrets and techniques and turned against him, that was a risk he couldn't afford.

The contract was thus happily finalized. Since the key aspects were still under Jiang Chen's control, the contract stipulated that he would visit the Alchemist Hall once in odd months and twice in even months.

In the world of martial artists, pills were extremely valuable. A common healing pill could sell for one to two thousand taels, and a slightly higher-grade one could go for three to five thousand taels.

The Shenxiu Creation Pill, with its transformative power, was priced between eight thousand and ten thousand taels, targeting the high-end market, which had a huge potential.

Even if only a hundred pills were produced each month, that would still be a million-tael monthly revenue. Annually, it would be a market worth tens of millions of taels.

This was a conservative estimate.

Once the market in the surrounding sixteen countries was opened up and production expanded to a thousand or even ten thousand pills per month, the demand would far exceed the supply, given the market's capacity.

This calculation showed just how large the market could be.

It was also easy to understand why the Third Hall Master was so eager.

After signing the contract, the Third Hall Master suggested a gathering at Songhe Tower, but Jiang Chen politely declined. Their cooperation needed to be kept low-key, and he didn't want it to become a city-wide topic.

Besides, his relationship with the Alchemist Hall was purely business, not intimate enough for a celebratory drink.

The Third Hall Master politely saw Jiang Chen off, accompanied by the other two elders, including the Blue Elder.

The Blue Elder still harbored some resentment towards Jiang Chen, and her expression was rather stiff.

Jiang Chen knew this and thought, "This woman is petty. I need to keep her in check so she doesn't ruin my plans."

After a moment's thought, Jiang Chen suddenly smiled. "Third Hall Master, if we didn't have this business relationship today, I doubt you would have sold me the Dragon Bone Yang Grass, right?"

"Ha ha, where did you get that idea? We, the Alchemist Hall, have our business principles," the Third Hall Master laughed heartily, but he didn't really believe his own words.

Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Without the business factor, the Dragon Bone Yang Grass would never have been sold to Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen laughed heartily, not bothering to expose the lie. "Regardless of the reason, I can only say that the Third Hall Master made a wise decision."

"What do you mean by that?" The Third Hall Master was intrigued.

"It's simple. Because the Dragon Bone Yang Grass was personally designated by His Majesty. If you hadn't sold it to me, the Alchemist Hall would have faced many lawsuits. Ha ha, I've said too much, too much."

Jiang Chen laughed heartily, mounted his horse, and said, "Third Hall Master, please stay."

The Third Hall Master was stunned, watching Jiang Chen ride away, lost in thought.

"His Majesty?" The Third Hall Master murmured, recalling the dragon-carved gold token from the day before. He vaguely felt that Jiang Chen might not be lying.

"This kid is full of hot air. His Majesty? Didn't he just get beaten by His Majesty?" The Blue Elder muttered disdainfully.

The Third Hall Master glared at her. "What do you know? You almost ruined things today! Remember, in the future, be smarter! Do you think his dragon-carved gold token is fake? Do you think the formula for the Shenxiu Creation Pill just appeared out of nowhere?"

The Blue Elder was speechless. Indeed, this kid seemed to have a peculiar aura about him.

The Third Hall Master, still shaken, warned, "No matter what, remember this. In the future, be more humble in front of Jiang Chen! This kid is not as simple as he seems!"

...

Deep within the palace.

Dongfang Lu slowly put down the book in his hand and took a sip of tea.

"Tian Du, what's happening at the Jianghan Manor?"

"Your Majesty, the Jianghan Manor is very calm, with no unusual activity."

"What about that kid?"

"That kid? He seemed to stay at home all day yesterday. This morning, he went to the Alchemist Hall and had a dispute with a group of noble heirs..."

Tian Du, his trusted guard, reported the situation in detail, leaving nothing out.

"Really? This kid got beaten up, but he's already out and about today? When did my personal guards become so incompetent?" Dongfang Lu smiled wryly.

"But, you said the Alchemist Hall actually sided with Jiang Chen? Ignoring those top noble heirs?"

"I also found it strange, but that's what happened. Moreover, the Alchemist Hall kept him as a guest for quite a while. It seems this kid isn't as weak as rumored."

Dongfang Lu nodded thoughtfully. "I hope so. Zhiruo's condition can only be entrusted to him now. I hope this kid doesn't play any tricks."

"He doesn't seem like it. If he were to play tricks, would he dare to act so openly? The crime of deceiving the emperor is not something the Jianghan Manor can bear."

"Tian Du, remember, no matter what, protect this kid. Arrange everything he needs. If anyone, regardless of their background, tries to harm him, deal with them first," Dongfang Lu ordered.

Clearly, he didn't want the incident at the Alchemist Hall to happen again. The Dragon Bone Yang Grass, he deduced, might be related to his daughter's condition!

If it was related to his daughter's condition, even the heir of the Longteng Manor would have to step aside!

...

After leaving the Alchemist Hall, Jiang Chen didn't return home. He still needed to prepare some things. In three days, he would enter the palace for the consultation, and there was a lot to prepare.

Not far from the Alchemist Hall, Jiang Chen, with his strong intuition, noticed someone stealthily following him. He didn't bother to expose them.

"Hmph, these blind fools. If you're really strong enough to take what belongs to Dongfang Lu, then come on."

Jiang Chen didn't mind provoking a conflict between the emperor and his subjects.

He had been a spectator at the sacrificial ceremony, and now, if any blind fools jumped out, he wouldn't mind watching a good show.

He might even subtly cooperate.

What disappointed Jiang Chen was that the capital's security was still quite good. At least, there were no public robberies.

"A bunch of cowards! The Dragon Bone Yang Grass is right here, come and take it. I won't fight to the death for Dongfang Lu. If you come to take it, I'll happily hand it over. Then, when Dongfang Lu asks, I'll happily inform on you."

Jiang Chen walked along, eagerly hoping for such an event. Unfortunately, the followers never made a move, which left him somewhat frustrated.

"A bunch of spineless scoundrels!" Jiang Chen shook his head. Not minding these minor interruptions, he spurred his horse toward the Songshi Pavilion, where he had business to attend to.