Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 2 You are the ones who should go
Sheng Yuanyao turned around with a strange look on his face. Whose general was so brave?

Honestly, these nine top-grade Qi-boosting pills had been reduced to five superior-grade ones, making them look much more ordinary, but they were definitely not ordinary. If judged by the standards expected of an eighth-grade alchemist, they were still considered quite outstanding.

Normally, alchemy can only be done one pill at a time, which is very inefficient. Only highly skilled alchemists, when refining relatively simple elixirs, dare to try refining multiple pills simultaneously in one furnace to improve efficiency. Of course, the more pills being refined simultaneously, the higher the control required of the alchemist. Being able to refine five pills in one furnace is considered quite impressive.

Moreover, many alchemists struggle with yield, often only getting whole furnaces of waste or substandard pills. Consistently refining regular, good-quality pills is already difficult, let alone high-quality ones, which can fetch double the price of good ones.

Although Lu Xingzhou stole the medicine, the benefits he generated from refining these five high-quality pills, with the same medicinal material investment as other companies, were already superior, and the Danxia Gang hadn't suffered any loss. No wonder the Danxia Gang had thrived over the past six months; it was a goose that laid golden eggs...

How powerful is this person? How dare you say that this level is not good enough?

A middle-aged man in fine clothes entered the room, accompanied by a young couple. The young man was the one who spoke. Lu Xingzhou simply smiled and said, "Greetings, Boss, Miss. I wonder who this is..."

Sheng Yuanyao knew what was going on. It turned out to be Danxia Gang leader Liu Qingcang and his daughter Liu Yaner.

Liu Yan'er snorted coldly, "This is Mr. Bai Chi, the eighth-grade upper-level alchemist we spent a lot of effort to invite. Mr. Bai is still striving for the seventh grade."

Lu Xingzhou looked calm and asked, "So what does Miss Liu mean?"

Liu Yan'er said, "Now that a stronger alchemist has arrived, you can hand over your position as the chief alchemist..."

Sheng Yuanyao blinked. "Eighth-grade upper level... Actually, refining five high-quality pieces in one furnace is quite difficult. Are you sure he has the qualifications to look down on Lu Xingzhou?"

The little Taoist boy quietly sat aside, peeled the sweet potato, took a bite, and handed one to Sheng Yuanyao, silently mouthing: "Sister, do you want to eat it this time?"

Sheng Yuanyao quietly took the roasted sweet potato, it was very fragrant.

Lu Xingzhou just smiled faintly: "Is this what Gang Leader Liu meant, or is it just what Miss Liu meant?"

Liu Qingcang waved his hand. "I know you built the Danxia Gang's alchemy system from scratch, and you single-handedly trained the alchemists below. I understand your reluctance. But that's just how things are. The capable get the job, and this is for the development of the Danxia Gang. Xingzhou can serve as Mr. Bai's assistant. It's also an opportunity to learn from a high-level alchemist up close, so you must seize the opportunity."

Lu Xingzhou laughed dumbly: "So, I want to thank Gang Leader Liu?"

Liu Qingcang said with a kind face: "Xingzhou, this is also my expectation for you. I know you have a good impression of Yan'er. The work of the deputy is not as heavy as before, so you can also spare some time..."

Liu Yan'er stamped her feet: "Dad!"

"Wait." Lu Xingzhou looked strange. "Who said I was interested in Miss Liu? Even if your gang doesn't have a mirror, they can still pee."

The Liu family's father and daughter's expressions froze.

Upon arriving in Xiazhou, Lu Xingzhou headed straight for the Danxia Gang, where he was accepted into the group by Liu Yan'er. He then went on to help the Danxia Gang build its alchemy system and train alchemists, working tirelessly and without complaint. He often looked at Liu Yan'er with such affection that almost everyone in the gang assumed he was doing this for her. If not for Liu Yan'er, then was he just being a slave?

Lu Xingzhou saw what they were thinking and said leisurely, "Actually, it's just that you guys gave too much..."

The Danxia Gang's salary for Lu Xingzhou was indeed high. After all, they were desperate for talent and were desperate for a talented alchemist. They were ecstatic to have him. Furthermore, Sheng Yuanyao had witnessed him embezzling from his employer, and his hidden profits far exceeded anyone's imagination. He probably stayed here for the money...

Unfortunately, the initial eagerness to recruit talents has now become nothing more than a withdrawal of the planks after crossing the bridge.

Liu Yan'er sighed: "Xingzhou, I know you can't admit it because you don't have the face to do so, but the affectionate and loving attitude you usually show me, is it all fake..."

The little Taoist boy muttered to himself, "His peach blossom eyes can make him look at dogs with affection..."

Liu Yan'er's self-indulgent words were stuck in her throat, and Sheng Yuanyao took a bite of the sweet potato.

"Forget about being an assistant." Lu Xingzhou said calmly, "I don't have the habit of helping others. Since the Danxia Gang has a more outstanding alchemist, I will look for someone else."

Liu Yan'er snorted coldly: "Just you, a cripple..."

"Yan'er!" Liu Qingcang interrupted quickly. A spoiled daughter could talk as she pleased, and he knew it. Even if Lu Xingzhou wasn't as skilled as Bai Chi, he was still a leader in Xiazhou. It wouldn't be worth it for him to go elsewhere. If he could stay here as a deputy, the Danxia Gang would be a huge winner.

I just misjudged it. I thought Lu Xingzhou would stay for Liu Yan'er, but I didn't expect that to be the case at all... Then why are you so serious all the time...

Liu Qingcang thought about this and sighed, "Xingzhou, would you please reconsider? Honestly, after spending so long together, everyone already treats you like family... How about a 10% salary increase from now on?"

Lu Xingzhou waved his hand and smiled, "Don't force it. Our fate ends today."

Liu Qingcang's expression finally turned cold. "You better think about it carefully. Don't think that you can travel the world just because you have alchemy skills. It won't be difficult to leave you alone in Xiazhou." Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "Then don't bother."

Bai Chi said leisurely, "Since you're determined to leave, I suggest you search them to prevent them from taking away any important gang items."

Sheng Yuanyao, who had been watching for a while, couldn't help but ask, "Hey, aren't you guys going too far?"

I thought Lu Xingzhou's embezzlement was a bit too much, but I didn't expect this group of people to be even worse. Not only did they destroy the donkey after crossing the river, but they also forced and humiliated him.

Liu Yan'er sneered: "What does our gang's internal affairs have to do with a vixen like you?"

Sheng Yuanyao was furious: "You!"

"What are you arguing about..." Lu Xingzhou interrupted Sheng Yuanyao's outburst and said leisurely, "Who said I'm leaving?"

Liu Yan'er showed a smug look as if she had known this would happen. "If you can't bear to do it, just say so. This tactic of retreating to advance is not very clever..."

Lu Xingzhou said, "What I mean is that you are the ones who should leave."

Everyone was stunned.

Could it be that this cripple has gone mad due to the blow?
"There used to be a Taoist temple on Danxia Mountain, called Danxia Temple. This alchemy room and the surrounding three miles should have belonged to Danxia Temple." Lu Xingzhou said calmly, "As far as I know, when Gang Leader Liu purchased the mountain from the government, the title deed for this area was missing, so technically speaking, this area doesn't belong to you. It's just that the original owner is gone, so you're temporarily occupying it."

Liu Qingcang's heart skipped a beat: "So what? The original owner is dead, and we still visit the grave and pay homage to him often. Now this place is ownerless, first come first served!"

The little Taoist boy muttered again, "The mound you all pretended to worship at the back isn't the original owner's grave at all. Buried there is a sow infected with swine fever, named Xiaohua."

Liu Qingcang: “???”

"The original owner has indeed passed away many years ago, but unfortunately, he has inherited something." Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly and took out a land deed. "Even more unfortunately, I, Lu, am the new owner of this place. Remember to do background checks before hiring people next time."

The Liu family father and daughter, as well as Bai Chi, were all stunned.

The deed was quite new; it looked like Lu Xingzhou had gone to the government office to exchange it. The old deed must have belonged to an old Taoist priest, but now it clearly read "Lu Xingzhou."

It really is his!
Sheng Yuanyao blinked desperately.

This master and disciple duo is funny and feels very interesting.

Bai Chi reacted and sneered, "Who said this deed is yours? I said it's mine!"

As the words came out, the Liu family father and daughter also thought of this. This Lu Xingzhou was simply foolish. He dared to expose the land deed in the core area of ​​their Danxia Gang. Wouldn't it be enough to kill him and take the deed away? A cripple and a child, wasn't he just asking for death? No one would know even if he was buried!

Liu Qingcang immediately stepped forward and was about to attack.

Lu Xingzhou leisurely stuffed the deed back into his arms and said, "Miss, if someone from the gang were to seize the deed from an innocent person, would you mind?"

With a "swish", the sword was unsheathed and blocked in front of Lu Xingzhou. Liu Qingcang's big hand just reached out and quickly withdrew, almost having his claws chopped off.

As if he had just noticed Sheng Yuanyao and the two subordinates behind him, Liu Qingcang looked very unhappy: "Who are you?"

Sheng Yuanyao had a blank expression on his face. His subordinates behind him sternly shouted, "This is our Xiazhou Demon Suppression Division, Commander Sheng! Behave!"

The Liu family father and daughter and Bai Chi's faces looked as if they had eaten shit. Such a young and beautiful girl, who would have thought you were the new commander of the Demon Suppression Division, Sheng Yuanyao! I thought you were a customer waiting for pills here!
Liu Yan'er's face turned pale. Who did she just call a foxy girl?
Seeing Sheng Yuanyao's cold look, the three of them could only bow and say, "Greetings, Commander Sheng."

Why was Sheng Yuanyao here? This was a problem. Sheng Yuanyao was a newly arrived official from Beijing, not a local, so no matter how many connections they had in the local area, it would be useless. Now, in front of the government, let alone killing someone to steal the contract, even if something happened to Lu Xingzhou in the future, Sheng Yuanyao would inevitably focus on their Danxia Gang. This idea was completely unfeasible!

What should I do?
Most of this mountain was bought by the Danxia Gang, and only the core area of ​​three miles around the top of the mountain is missing. If Lu Xingzhou stays here and doesn't leave, it would be like sitting and shitting on the heads of the Danxia Gang, which is disgusting no matter how you think about it.

Not to mention that the gang's main hall, everyone's residence, and the entire alchemy system are all in this area. Most of the places on the mountainside have no buildings and are all medicine gardens. They have lost even their homes.

After all this time, they are really going to be kicked out?

It’s just kicking someone, how could it turn out like this!
(End of this chapter)