Druid Fairy

Chapter 146 Intimidation
Wangyue Tower was one of the most notorious dens of iniquity in the prefecture.

With its carved beams and painted rafters, soaring eaves and upturned corners, one can gaze out over the vast expanse of Yunmeng Lake, where painted boats glide by and the occasional sound of string and wind instruments can be heard, bringing a sense of tranquility and joy.

As night falls, hundreds of gilded red lanterns are lit up at once, and from a distance, it looks like a dazzling fairy palace suspended in the night sky.

Those who can afford to hold a banquet here are either rich or noble.

Below the Moon-Viewing Tower.

Manager Qian was rubbing his hands together, pacing anxiously at the door, glancing up at the street corner every now and then.

"Oh my, my little darling, you've finally arrived!"

Upon seeing Li Mengze's unhurried figure, Manager Qian hurriedly went to greet him, pulled him aside, and lowered his voice: "Master Li, you must be very careful with this meal tonight!"

Li Mengze glanced discreetly at the pale yellow aura of "anxiety" emanating from Manager Qian, and calmly asked, "Manager Qian, who is hosting this banquet tonight?"

"He is the young master of the Huang family."

Shopkeeper Qian leaned close to his ear and lowered his voice. For the first time, a hint of difficulty and apprehension appeared on his shrewd face. "The Huang family has been officials for two generations and has extensive connections in the prefecture. We can't afford to offend them. This young master Huang specifically asked to see you today, saying that he has long admired your 'Qingyuan Pill'."

He paused, then leaned closer, lowering his voice to almost a whisper: "And there are rumors outside that this Young Master Huang... he's into homosexuality!"

"Homosexuality?"

Li Mengze's brows furrowed instantly, and an indescribable feeling of nausea welled up from the bottom of his heart.

Seeing that his expression was off, Manager Qian quickly waved his hand: "Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to see you that way. It's just that this young master Huang is very shrewd and resourceful. You must be careful what you say later, so as not to fall into his trap."

"Thank you for reminding me, shopkeeper. I understand."

Li Mengze nodded, a cold, sharp glint flashing deep in his eyes.

He followed Manager Qian into the Moon Gazing Pavilion.

Melodious music filled the air, and a strange fragrance wafted through the building. The two were led by a seductive maid to the private room "Lan Yue Ge" on the top floor.

The room was furnished with extreme luxury. The floor was covered with a whole snow wolf king's pelt, the walls were adorned with calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, and even the tables and chairs were made of "calming wood," a material known for its calming and tranquilizing properties.

Inside the private room, a feast of delicacies had already been prepared.

Longjing Shrimp, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Steamed River Catfish... Dishes that are hard to come by outside are now laid out on the table like ordinary side dishes.

In the main seat sat a young man dressed in a moon-white brocade robe.

The young man was in his early twenties, with a handsome face, truly a refined gentleman. Upon seeing Li Mengze enter, he immediately stood up, a warm smile as gentle as a spring breeze on his face.

"This must be the famous Alchemist Li!"

Li Mengze sneered inwardly. He looked respectable, but inside he was just a useless pretty face.

His "insight into good and evil" meant he had already seen through the other party completely.

Beneath that warm smile lay a scrutinizing gaze that made one extremely uncomfortable.

He wore a polite smile and cupped his hands, saying, "Young Master Huang, you flatter me."

The two took their seats as host and guest, and Huang Teng enthusiastically served food to Li Mengze, leaving Manager Qian aside. He spoke eloquently and humorously, creating a perfectly appropriate atmosphere.

He talked about strange and unusual things in the prefecture, then about interesting stories from the academy, and then subtly steered the conversation to Li Mengze's family.

"Speaking of which, your father and mother truly had excellent methods for raising their children!"

Huang Teng exclaimed, "Your uncle, County Magistrate Li, is renowned for his virtue, and your other uncle, Registrar Li, is exceptionally talented. Now, Master Li, you are also making a name for yourself in alchemy. Three outstanding individuals from one family—truly the envy of all."

He changed the subject, seemingly casually saying, "However, I've heard that you, Master Li, are still quite young. Business matters are ultimately mundane affairs, and they take the most time and energy."

I see you are wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao and shouldn't be distracted by these things. Look at your 'Qingyuan Pill'; although it's a divine medicine, its sales channels are too narrow, and your marketing methods are too immature. You're wasting such a good thing."

"What insightful opinion does Young Master Huang have?" Li Mengze asked calmly.

"I wouldn't call it insightful advice, just some immature suggestions."

Huang Teng took a sip of wine and laughed, "In my opinion, Master Li, you should just focus on refining pills. As for the accounting, why not leave it to Manager Qian, and have my family's accountant help with the checks? My Huang family has some influence in the prefecture, and I'm sure we can get your Qingyuan Pills an unprecedentedly good price. As for the profit... we can easily agree on a 30/70 split, you get 70% and I get 30%, how about that?"

He looked at Li Mengze with an undeniable air in his eyes, "Of course, if Master Li doesn't trust me, you are welcome to visit my residence often and personally review the accounts. My residence happens to have a quiet courtyard with abundant spiritual energy, perfect for quiet cultivation. I can also have my father guide you through some of your cultivation difficulties."

He spoke these words with such sincerity, as if he were truly thinking of a friend who was inexperienced in the ways of the world.

Manager Qian's expression changed, and he was about to speak when Young Master Huang gave him a warning look.

If it were anyone else, they would probably have been overwhelmed by these sweet words and gratefully agreed.

But Li Mengze simply put down his chopsticks.

He stared at Huang Teng quietly, making Huang Teng's smile slightly stiff.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Young Master Huang."

Li Mengze spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but exceptionally clear, "However, both alchemy and business are tests my father puts me through. He once said that a cultivator's practice involves not only cultivating the methods but also the mind. Human relationships, daily necessities, and even mundane matters are also part of cultivation. If one cannot even handle these small things well, how can one talk about the Great Dao in the future? As for cultivation, there are teachers within the academy to guide me, so I dare not trouble Uncle Huang any further."

He brought up the two mountains of "my father" and "my teacher," neither humble nor arrogant, yet subtly pushed back the hand extended by the other party.

The smile on Huang Teng's face finally faded a bit.

He gave Li Mengze a deep look, seemingly surprised that this seemingly harmless child was actually a tough nut to crack.

He originally thought that the Li family was just a bunch of bumpkins from Yunshui County. Although they had some marriage ties with the Mu family, Mu Wanqiu was only a concubine's daughter, so he figured the relationship couldn't be that close.

Unexpectedly, the other party dared to refuse him to his face.

"If that's the case, then so be it."

Huang Teng dropped his fake smile, picked up his wine glass, downed it in one gulp, and said with a hint of coldness in his voice, "I was being presumptuous."

He slowly rose, straightened his robes, and sneered, "Master Li is a young prodigy with unlimited potential. I hope your pills will continue to sell so well."

That's a very threatening statement.

After saying that, he didn't look at Li Mengze again, turned and left, leaving behind a table full of delicacies and a shopkeeper with an embarrassed look on his face.

Manager Qian was on the verge of tears, feeling terrified as he ate the meal.

“My little ancestor,” he leaned close to Li Mengze and lowered his voice, “why do this? The Huang family has been officials for two generations, and they are notoriously arrogant. If you offend them today, they will definitely make things difficult for you in the future!”

“Manager Qian,” Li Mengze picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of translucent shrimp, and said calmly, “If I back down today, he will take ten steps forward tomorrow. How can one expect a good ending when dealing with a tiger?”

He raised his head. "Don't worry, shopkeeper. If he makes a move, I'll take it. But you, shopkeeper, might be implicated. Please be careful."

Upon hearing this, Manager Qian felt a warmth in his heart. He finally let out a long sigh, cupped his hands, and said, "Don't worry, although Baicaotang is small, it's not a pushover that anyone can bully!"

His own boat was already tied to Li Mengze's.

One glory and one glory.

…………

The Huang residence, study.

Huang Teng returned to his residence, growing angrier the more he thought about it.

How could he, a dignified young master of the Huang family, be humiliated to his face by a callow country bumpkin?

"boom!"

A fine celadon teacup was smashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Huang Teng's handsome face was now filled with gloomy anger, completely devoid of the composure he displayed at Wangyue Tower.

"Give me something shameless!"

He gritted his teeth and cursed, "A country bumpkin like him, does he really think he can run rampant in the prefecture just because he concocted some lousy elixir? He's just relying on that woman Su Qingxue's favoritism!"

The servant standing nearby hurriedly stepped forward, carefully picking up the broken pieces on the ground while saying obsequiously, "Young master, why bother getting angry with such a petty person? In my opinion, that kid is just a frog in a well who has never seen the world, ignorant of his own limitations. He needs someone to teach him a lesson and let him know just how deep the waters of this prefecture really are."

"Give him a warning?" Huang Teng sneered, kicking over the stool next to him. "How can we warn him? He's Su Qingxue's precious darling now, spending all his time in the Pill Hall. Our people can't even get close to him!"

"Young master, please calm down. I have an idea." The servant's eyes darted around, and a sinister smile appeared on his face. "We can't do anything to him openly, but we can scare him a little in secret. How much courage can a half-grown child have? We don't need to send any cultivators, so as not to leave any evidence."

"Just find someone to sneak into his house at night, without harming him, and hang two bloody sheep heads in his yard. That'll scare him so badly he'll wet himself and lose his mind! Then he'll naturally know who in this prefecture he can't afford to offend!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Teng's anger was gradually replaced by a hint of amusement.

He pondered for a moment, then a cruel smile curved his lips.

“That’s a good idea.” He nodded. “That kid is an alchemist after all. It’s fine to scare him a little, but don’t actually kill him, lest we cause unnecessary trouble.”

"Don't worry, young master!" The servant bowed hurriedly. "Don't you trust me to handle this? I guarantee it will be done without anyone noticing, and he'll only have nightmares for a few days!"

…………

At night, everything is silent.

The dormitory area of ​​the academy was quiet, with only the occasional sound of footsteps from the night patrolling disciples.

Li Mengze sat cross-legged on the bed, not asleep.

He had already mastered the third level of "Breathing of the Tree," and now his Qi Refining cultivation had reached the peak of the second level. His spiritual power was far superior to that of ordinary people. He only needed to meditate for two hours each day to achieve the same effect as an ordinary person's night's sleep.

He was calming his mind and guiding the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to flow slowly through his meridians when suddenly, his keen senses detected an extremely subtle change.

Someone has broken into the yard!
The footsteps were extremely light, clearly intentional, but to Li Mengze's ears, they sounded as clear as drumbeats.

He didn't get up immediately, but instead silently attached a wisp of his divine sense to a fallen leaf outside the window, and the scene in the courtyard instantly appeared clearly in his mind.

A dark figure was seen sneaking over the courtyard wall, carrying a burlap sack that reeked of blood.

'mortal?'

Li Mengze frowned slightly, a hint of doubt rising in his heart.

This person showed no signs of spiritual energy, clearly indicating that he was an ordinary person who did not understand cultivation.

He broke into this place late at night, carrying such bloody things. What was his intention?

Although he was puzzled, he remained calm and waited for the other party's next move.

The dark figure was clearly very familiar with the terrain, and easily reached Li Mengze's window. Standing on tiptoe, just as it was about to hang the two sheep heads under the windowsill, it felt a chill on the back of its neck, and a terrifying aura that made its hair stand on end instantly enveloped its entire body.

"who!?"

He turned around abruptly, only to see a deep darkness.

Just as they were about to relax and continue their pretense, a sharp whooshing sound came from inside the house!
"puff!"

The shadowy figure felt a sharp pain in his wrist as a finely crafted iron arrow pierced through it, pinning his hand, which was holding the sheep's head, firmly to the window frame!
"what!"

The intense pain caused him to let out a suppressed scream. Without thinking, he immediately pulled a poisoned dagger from his pocket with his other hand and turned to stab wildly at the side.

But as soon as he turned around, he met a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.

Li Mengze had appeared in front of him without him even noticing.

He didn't use any magic; he simply delivered a sharp chop to the man's neck.

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, the man's body slumped to the ground, his eyes still filled with disbelief and horror.

Li Mengze released his grip, looked at the corpse on the ground, and frowned slightly.

He recognized the man; he was a handyman at the academy. He had no grudge against him, so the man couldn't have come here for no reason.

The only explanation is that he was instructed by someone.

"Huang Teng..."

A flash of murderous intent crossed Li Mengze's eyes.

He originally thought that Huang Teng would at most cause some obstacles in business, but he did not expect that the other party would be so impatient as to resort to such despicable means.

Although it was just intimidation, it crossed his bottom line.

If he had Su Qingxue, his alchemy teacher, not to be backed by him, and if the Li family had truly been without any support, today's intimidation would not have been a sheep's head, but a human head!
They dragged the body into the house and carefully cleaned up all traces in the yard. They took a pill from their storage bag and put it into the corpse's mouth.

The elixir dissolved upon contact with flesh, and in a short while, the corpse on the ground turned into a pool of yellow liquid. The two sheep heads also disappeared without a trace, leaving only a faint water stain on the bluestone slab.

After doing all this, Li Mengze's sense of crisis grew even stronger.

This matter will not end so easily.

He must improve his strength as soon as possible. Only by possessing absolute power can he nip all threats in the bud!
'It seems it's time to refine that elixir.'

He took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes, and turned to walk into the alchemy room that was exclusively his.

He took out all the rare medicinal herbs he had saved up through frugality these past few days, as well as the prescription book given to him by Su Qingxue.

After tonight, he had no more slackness.

What he wanted to refine was a pill that could help him break through his bottleneck and enter the third level of Qi Refining—the Breakthrough Pill!

Refining the Breakthrough Pill is more than ten times more difficult than refining the Clear Source Pill.

It not only has extremely high requirements for the age and quality of medicinal materials, but also requires alchemists to have almost demanding control over the heat and timing.

The most crucial step is to forcibly fuse together several violent energies with diametrically opposed medicinal properties at the moment of pill formation.

This process is extremely dangerous; the slightest mistake could destroy the elixir, explode the furnace, or even backfire on oneself.

Li Mengze took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all distractions and immersing himself completely in alchemy.

Inside the alchemy furnace, the fire roared.

Under his control, each rare medicinal herb was transformed into drops of pure medicinal liquid of various colors, emitting a unique medicinal fragrance.

Time slipped away slowly as I focused.

With all the medicinal liquids refined, the most crucial moment finally arrived.

Li Mengze's expression became extremely solemn, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He pushed his divine sense to its limit, carefully guiding several streams of different colored liquids to slowly merge.

"Zi la..."

The moment the medicinal liquid came into contact with the furnace, a violent repulsive reaction erupted, and the entire furnace began to hum, as if it were about to explode at any moment.

Li Mengze's eyes narrowed. He didn't panic. Instead, he transformed his wood-elemental spiritual energy into the gentlest threads, forcefully calming and guiding the violent medicinal power.

This process consumes a tremendous amount of spiritual energy.

One hour, two hours...

Li Mengze felt as if his head was about to be torn apart, his spiritual power was almost exhausted, and his vision was turning black.

"Just a little bit more, just a little bit more!"

He bit his tongue to force himself to stay awake.

Just as he was about to give up, the several opposing medicinal energies finally reached a delicate balance, slowly merging together to form a pill the size of a longan, perfectly round, radiating a faint glow.

Seven dazzling pill patterns were faintly visible on the surface of the elixir!
"It's done!"

Li Mengze breathed a sigh of relief, slumped to the ground, and gasped for breath.

Although he was extremely exhausted, he looked at the pill in his hand, which contained all his hard work, and a bright smile appeared on his face.

With it, reaching the third level of Qi Refining will be just around the corner!

(End of this chapter)