When they reached the outer hall of Haitang Pavilion, Jiang Lin met up with Shangguan Yaoyao and Jiang Liu. This time, instead of clashing head-on with Xiao Dong, he planned to slip away quietly.
Just as he cupped his hands to take his leave, the corner of his eye caught sight of the Millennium Soul-Calming Incense burning on the incense burner in the center of the Wanhua Pavilion. A plan suddenly formed in his mind.
This time, Xiao Dong’s alchemy skills would be elevated to the level of a Grandmaster of Alchemy, and all of it was thanks to the Medicine Immortal Duan Tianya. But what if Duan Tianya were made to fall into a deep sleep—wouldn’t that give him the chance to kill Xiao Dong outright?
Right now, Xiao Dong only had one of his three great golden opportunities left—his cultivation dojo, the Chaos Pearl. Moreover, this was a royal secret realm; the remnants of Xiao Zhan’s faction likely wouldn’t be able to enter. The timing, the place, and… the people—everything was in his favor. He had a real chance to kill him.
As for who would use the Soul-Calming Incense, it obviously couldn’t be him. Xiao Dong would surely be on guard against him. The best candidate was none other than the Emperor’s most beloved princess—Long Xiyue.
Glancing at the loli-faced, devil-bodied Long Xiyue, Jiang Lin said, “Princess Xiyue, I’m just an ordinary man who doesn’t understand alchemy, so I won’t join in the excitement.”
He was playing hard to get, letting Long Xiyue take the bait herself.
“Fine, fine, just leave already!” Long Xiyue said impatiently, waving him off.
Jiang Lin smiled faintly and started walking out with Shangguan Yaoyao and Jiang Liu. After just a few steps, he said, “Tsk, and this is supposed to be the most intelligent princess of the royal family? Being fooled so completely by a disguised man, what’s there to be proud of? Watching a staged performance—whose intelligence are we insulting here? And ‘Heaven and Earth Alchemy Style’? What a joke…”
Long Xiyue, who hadn’t gone far, suddenly turned her head. “Jiang Lin, what did you just say?”
Jiang Lin glanced back and curled his lip. “Nothing.” He continued walking.
“You know Master Yue Shang’s background?”
“I don’t know, no idea,” Jiang Lin replied as he kept moving.
Seeing this, Long Xiyue stomped her foot in frustration and took out a Dragon Head Token. “Jiang Lin, hear my order. I command you to tell me what you know!”
Still, it was exactly what he wanted. Jiang Lin pretended to be startled and quickly said, “I’ve seen Yue Shang refine pills before. In truth, he relies on an ancient remnant soul to refine alchemy. Without the remnant soul’s aid, he’s nothing!”
“Impossible!” Long Xiyue’s face turned bright red. “I’ve seen Master Yue Shang refine Nourishing Qi Pills, and it was definitely not using any so-called remnant soul method!”
Jiang Lin tilted his head and feigned indignation. “How about we make a bet? Later, at a crucial moment, you crush this Soul-Calming Incense and see if Yue Shang can still succeed in refining the pill.”
“What’s the wager?” Long Xiyue asked without courtesy.
“If you win, I’ll give you a top-grade spirit artifact.”
“And if you win?”
“I’ve been tricked by Yue Shang once before. If I win, I want you to take his life. In your royal secret realm, killing someone shouldn’t be difficult, right?”
Shangguan Yaoyao, standing to the side, sucked in a cold breath. As expected of a tyrant—treating human lives like nothing. If she didn’t need to build his favorability, she’d have sent him to his death on the spot.
Long Xiyue, on the other hand, didn’t believe Xiao Dong had lied to her. She thought Jiang Lin had come here deliberately to cause trouble and laugh at her. If she refused the bet, it would be as good as admitting Master Yue Shang cheated. So she agreed.
If he lost a top-grade spirit artifact, would it hurt? And if Yue Shang really was a fraud, daring to trick her—then he deserved to die. “Fine, I’ll take the bet!”
She took the Soul-Calming Incense and tucked it into her sleeve before turning toward the Hundred Flowers Area at the center.
Jiang Lin wrapped an arm around Shangguan Yaoyao and whispered in her ear, “My little enchantress, come with me to expose the true face of that fake alchemy master.”
Suppressing her disgust, Shangguan Yaoyao leaned close to Jiang Lin and walked toward Xiao Dong’s direction.
In the center of the Wanhua Pavilion, in the Hundred Flowers Area, mocking voices rang out. “With that shabby look, do you even recognize all these flowers? And you’re talking about refining the Hundred Flowers Pill? I really don’t know what tricks you used to get Princess Xiyue to bring you into such a core area. You’d better not embarrass yourself. Damage any of these spirit flowers, and even nine lives won’t be enough to save you. And if you waste any more of my time with Princess Xiyue, you won’t like the outcome.”
Jiang Lin didn’t even open his eyes to know what was happening. It was Liu Ziyang of the Liu family, one of the Four Great Families, provoking Xiao Dong. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
Soon, under the guidance of the Medicine Immortal Duan Tianya, Xiao Dong would refine a furnace of top-grade Hundred Fragrance Pills, the aroma spreading through the Wanhua Pavilion’s grand formation. The formation spirit would directly reward him with a scroll of “Hundred Flowers Competing in Beauty,” containing a heaven-grade cultivation technique. This would utterly humiliate Liu Ziyang and win Long Xiyue’s heart.
“Brother Jiang, this is the Master Yue Shang I mentioned earlier,” Long Xiyue said with a sweet smile, introducing Xiao Dong to Jiang Lin in an intimate tone that made those around burn with jealousy. “I heard Brother Jiang was taught by Aunt Jiang Zhiyi from a young age, so your alchemy skills must be impressive. Could you help me evaluate Master Yue Shang?”
Hearing this, Liu Ziyang clenched his teeth in silent fury. Jiang Lin was the capital’s number one tyrant—someone he couldn’t afford to offend. As an illegitimate son, he was nothing in Jiang Lin’s eyes.
Among the crowd, Xiao Dong narrowed his eyes the moment he saw Jiang Lin, hatred surging. The destruction of the Kunlun Mirror, the humiliation of the broken engagement, the poisoning that left him severely injured—these grudges were still fresh. He wanted nothing more than to tear Jiang Lin apart and drink his blood. Unfortunately, this was the royal secret realm, and he didn’t dare act rashly.
Jiang Lin understood well—this girl was trying to use him to provoke both men into hating each other. But he wasn’t falling for it. Unless Xiao Dong collapsed to the ground, he wouldn’t confront him directly without cause.
“This Master Yue certainly appears extraordinary, with an air of refinement. He must be a remarkable figure,” Jiang Lin said, glancing at Liu Ziyang but ignoring him entirely. A mere lackey wasn’t worth his attention.
Xiao Dong, still disguised as Yue Shang, turned his head without a word. Inwardly, he cursed Jiang Lin as a hypocrite—a man who pretended to be refined before beautiful women but acted despicably behind their backs. It seemed Princess Xiyue had been deceived by him too. Such deceit was intolerable; he had to expose Jiang Lin’s true nature.
Long Xiyue’s heart was already fuming. Hypocrite! Jiang Lin had just questioned Master Yue’s identity, and now he was flattering him. Coward! Soon, he would hand over that top-grade spirit artifact, and she would see him pay for his earlier arrogance.
“Master Yue, I know your alchemy skills are unmatched. Why not begin refining the Hundred Flowers Pill now?” she asked.
Xiao Dong glanced at Jiang Lin and Liu Ziyang. “Princess Xiyue, refining in the Heaven and Earth Alchemy Style is no small matter. Certain petty people should stay away.”
Liu Ziyang’s temper flared. Earlier, he had stayed silent for fear of Jiang Lin, but now this man dared insult him? “What did you just say, Yue? You looking for death…”
Before he could finish, Long Xiyue cut him off. “Enough! Master Yue Shang is someone I paid a great price to invite. Listen to him—step back ten meters with your men.”
Liu Ziyang froze, catching sight of the mocking smile on Xiao Dong’s lips. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Fine, you’re finished!” He then led his people to a nearby pavilion.
“I’ll step back too, so I don’t disturb Master Yue’s alchemy,” Jiang Lin said.
“Hmph, good that you know your place. If you dare cause trouble, I won’t let Father Emperor spare you,” Long Xiyue warned.