I'm invincible once I descend the mountain; the beautiful CEO is forcing me to get our marriage

What?

Waste pills?

Every word of those sentences was like an invisible slap in the face, striking Li Chengde's most prized possession.

"You...you're talking nonsense!"

Li Chengde was so angry that he trembled all over, and his face turned as red as a pig's liver.

He was trembling all over, his face drained of color, and his finger pointing at Ye An was shaking: "Who do you think you are, daring to criticize my pills?!"

His prized alchemy skills and the century-old glory of his Li family were shattered in an instant by a few casual words from the other party.

Ye An didn't even bother to look at him again, and calmly said to Jiang Xiaotian:

"Old Jiang, open the bottle and let everyone see for themselves. Don't let some frogs in a well spoil our fun."

Jiang Xiaotian understood immediately; these were exactly the words he had been waiting for.

He laughed loudly, picked up a small jade bottle from the stage, and uncorked it under the watchful eyes of hundreds of people in the audience.

Then, he slowly tilted the bottle neck downwards.

Everyone instinctively held their breath.

A pill the size of a longan, smooth and lustrous like jade, slowly rolled into his broad palm.

On the pill, clearly visible patterns resembling swirling clouds and mist emanated a faint spiritual light.

The purest medicinal fragrance became more than ten times stronger the moment the elixir appeared!

The entire banquet hall seemed to be permeated with this exotic fragrance.

"Crimson cloud pattern! It really is a crimson cloud pattern!"

"Oh my god..."

Several respected elders in the front row could no longer sit still. They pushed forward in a frenzy, their eyes burning with fervor, like wolves that had been starving for a long time seeing meat.

"The cinnabar clouds are naturally formed, and the medicinal fragrance lingers... I have never seen anything like it in my entire life!"

The white-haired old man who had previously commented that Li Chengde's pills were "a pity" was now trembling with excitement. Looking at the pills in Jiang Xiaotian's palm, his eyes revealed an almost reverent light.

He stared at it for a long time, his excitement gradually subsiding.

However, after his initial excitement, he abruptly changed the subject, his brows furrowing tightly as he sharply turned his gaze towards Ye An in the corner:

"But that's precisely why I'm even more puzzled."

His voice wasn't loud, but it silenced the entire room once again.

"To refine top-grade elixirs, one must have the right timing, the right location, and the right people; none of these can be lacking. Many alchemy masters have spent their entire lives trying to obtain even one batch."

"This Master Ye... is so young. Forgive my bluntness, but this is something that cannot be stably crafted by human hands!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd, who had just been utterly astonished by the extraordinary sight of the Dan Yun pattern, instantly calmed down.

Whispers began again.

"That's right, Elder Bai is right. The quality of this pill is too perfect, so perfect that it doesn't look like it was just made."

"Could it be... that Master Ye found it in some ancient tomb?"

"If it's an ancient elixir, its medicinal effects have probably been largely lost, and its value wouldn't be as high!"

Hearing these comments, Li Chengde felt as if he had grasped at the last straw.

He instantly recovered from his state of shame and indignation, and a mocking smile returned to his face.

"What do we have here? Just some pretentious show-off using the legacy of their predecessors!" He pointed at Ye An and burst into laughter. "Kid, you didn't even refine these pills, did you!"

He raised his arm and shouted to the crowd:

"Proving it is simple! I, Li Chengde, am not a stingy person. My 'Mysterious Fire Heart-Refining Furnace' is right here; I'll lend it to you!" "If you can refine another pill with cloud-like patterns in front of everyone, I, Li Chengde, will kowtow and admit my mistake on the spot!"

"Young Master Li is so magnanimous!"

"That's right, let's see what they're really made of!"

"I think he's just too scared! He's definitely feeling guilty!"

Immediately, people around started making a fuss, echoing Li Chengde, and the atmosphere became unfavorable to Ye An once again.

"You...you're just being unreasonable!"

Jiang Yu'er's pretty face turned red with anger. She suddenly stood up and stood in front of Ye An.

"My grandfather is a living example! Master Ye is so esteemed, why should he need to prove himself to a bunch of ignorant fools like you?!"

Li Chengde glanced at her dismissively and said sarcastically, "Oh, is Miss Jiang going to put on a show of a beauty saving a scoundrel?" "What, does our Master Ye not have a mouth? All he can do is hide behind women?"

He abruptly changed the subject, waving his hand dismissively in a show of magnanimity:

"However, for your sake, Sister Yu'er, I can give him a way out."

"If he admits now that he's inferior to the orthodox Li family in alchemy, and kowtows to me in apology, then this matter will be dropped!"

"You...you are despicable and shameless!" Jiang Yu'er gritted her teeth in anger, about to explode.

A hand gently pressed on her shoulder.

Ye An had already stood up at some point. He calmly stopped Jiang Yu'er, his gaze passing over the noisy crowd and landing directly on the white-haired old man who had raised the question.

The noise in the entire venue seemed to be muted at that moment.

"Old sir," Ye An's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, "I see that you are different from those sycophants; you still have some sincerity in your exploration of alchemy."

"Today, I will open your eyes to the world, so that you will not die with regrets."

The white-haired old man shuddered, his eyes gleaming with disbelief.

Li Chengde was overjoyed.

They've taken the bait!

That idiot, he actually fell for the trap!

"Good! You have guts!" Li Chengde suppressed his excitement, pointed to his alchemy furnace, and gestured "please," "Please, Master Ye! You may borrow my Profound Fire Heart-Refining Furnace!"

Ye An finally looked at him properly, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain.

"Too many qualities will affect the pill-making process. I'm not used to it."

Upon hearing this, the smile on Li Chengde's face froze completely.

Ye An surveyed the entire room, his tone so calm it was as if he were discussing a trivial matter:

"A bet is fine, but just kowtowing isn't enough."

He looked at Li Chengde, a playful smile curving his lips: "If I successfully refine the Dan Yun pattern, what will you do then?"

Provoked by Ye An's gaze, Li Chengde's anger surged to his head, and his reason was completely burned away.

"If you can truly refine the Pill Cloud Pattern!"

He pointed at Ye An, almost shouting:

"I, Li Chengde, will not only kowtow to you! I will also offer you the 'Nine-Leaf Fire Fungus' and 'Millennial Mysterious Ice Jade Marrow,' treasured by my Li family for centuries, as well as various ancient alchemical texts that my Li family keeps secret!"

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent!

Everyone, including Jiang Xiaotian who had remained calm and composed, and the white-haired old man, gasped in shock.

The items treasured by the Li family are all legendary rare medicinal herbs and family heirlooms!

This is no ordinary bet; it's a high-stakes gamble that will cost the entire family's fortune!

Ye An looked at Li Chengde, who seemed to be going crazy, and slowly nodded.

"This is more like it."