C.4499
Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
“Alchemist Gao, your skills are truly superb. This Yang is very lacking in comparison. I’ve learned a lot!” Yang Kai cupped his fist slightly.
Regardless of everything else, he had succeeded in secretly learning the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, so it made no difference to him even if he admitted his loss in this competition.
Besides, he deliberately made it so that he produced only one Low-Rank pill at the end. If he really put his mind to the task, it would have been impossible for him to produce such poor results even if it was his first time refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
Gao Xin Peng shook his head, “This Gao was unable to refine a Heaven Grade pill with the strength of an Earth Realm Master. It is this Gao who is lacking.” He turned to look at Miao Hong, “Brother Miao, please prepare a secret room. I need to have a good chat with Little Junior Brother Yang.”
“No problem.” Miao Hong immediately agreed.
Yang Kai sighed in his heart. He knew that it might be a blessing and not a curse, but even if it was a curse, it couldn’t be avoided.
The traces of how Yang Kai had imitated Gao Xin Peng were far too obvious. Gao Xin Peng probably suspected something a long time ago. He probably did not ask anything earlier because he did not want to be distracted during the competition. Now that the competition was over though, it was only natural to get to the bottom of the matter.
[How should I explain this situation?] Yang Kai was a little perplexed. [I can’t say that the pill recipe I obtained is identical to his. How can something so coincidental happen? But, there is no other reasonable explanation otherwise.]
At this point, he could only take one step at a time. Gao Xin Peng did not look like a pedantic person; furthermore, he was a Heaven Grade Alchemist. Yang Kai did not wish to have a falling out with him if possible.
Miao Hong quickly prepared a quiet room and Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai entered it with their entourages. Then, Gao Xin Peng turned to the two Heaven Realm bodyguards who had been following behind him all this while and said, “Leave us.”
“Sir...” The female Heaven Realm Master hesitated slightly.
“Leave us!” He instructed once more, in a firmer tone.
Only then did the two bodyguards take their leave. Before they left, they shot a deep glare at Yang Kai, as if to say that they would immediately rush in and chop him into pieces if he dared to harm Gao Xin Peng.
“You stand down too.” Yang Kai ordered Du Yu Yu.
Du Yu Yu said nothing in particular and respectfully left the room.
As soon as the door closed, Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai were the only ones left in the room. Gao Xin Peng stared fixedly at Yang Kai with a measuring look. The way he observed Yang Kai up and down was as though it was his first time getting to know him.
Yang Kai was watched so keenly that he felt uncomfortable all over; thus, he began mulling over how to end things later once the truth was exposed.
There were two more Sword Qi attacks that he could activate in the True Void Sword, but those attacks were ridiculously overpowered. If he used the True Void Sword here, forget Gao Xin Peng, the entire City Lord’s Mansion would be razed to the ground.
He neither wished to be pursued by Profound Pill Sect as a wanted man nor drag Void Spirit Sword Sect into his mess; therefore, he could not use the True Void Sword Qi unless it was absolutely necessary.
“Little Brother, do you know the identity of the Master who taught you Alchemy? What was his name?” Just as Yang Kai’s thoughts were bouncing around in his head, Gao Xin Peng suddenly popped out this question.
Yang Kai shook his head solemnly, “Unfortunately, I don’t. I’m sure you know that I’m a Void Spirit Sword Sect disciple, Alchemist Gao. Master came to Void Spirit Sword Sect, taught me Alchemy for a few years, then left to travel around the world again. From the start to the end, he never revealed his name.”
He casually responded to the question while thinking to himself, [How would I know what my non-existent Master is called? It’s unrealistic to make up a name now. If Gao Xin Peng decides to investigate, my secrets will quickly be discovered. I can only be as ambiguous as possible.]
Gao Xin Peng raised his eyebrows, “That Senior... Why did he teach you Alchemy?”
Yang Kai shook his head again, “I was only six or seven years old when my Master taught me Alchemy. I was too young at the time, so I don’t remember much from back then.”
“Six or seven years old...” Gao Xin Peng quietly made some calculations, “So, this happened approximately ten years ago?”
“En!”
“Do you remember how he looked?” Gao Xin Peng continued asking.
Yang Kai was helpless and could only continue talking nonsense, “I don’t quite remember. I think he is quite old as his hair was greying. He also always wore a set of dirty clothes...”
Gao Xin Peng’s eyes immediately lit up at those words, frightening Yang Kai so much that he quickly said, “As you know, I was very young back then. I don’t remember much.”
“I understand! I understand!” Gao Xin Peng nodded repeatedly, “Think about it carefully. What other more specific special characteristics did your Master have?”
“More specific? Which aspect?” Yang Kai was honestly at his wits end by now. He no longer knew how to continue with his story.
“His hand!” Gao Xin Peng raised his left hand and waved his hand around in front of Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment before the realization struck him, “Yes, there was something. I think he either had an extra finger or was missing a finger!”
“An extra finger!” Gao Xin Peng’s expression was serious.
Yang Kai slapped his thigh, “Yes, that’s right! He had an extra finger!”
He didn’t dare to say more. If he said anything else, he might end up exposing his own secrets. At this point, he had the vague feeling that this nonsensical Master he created on the fly was an actual person. It was just that Gao Xin Peng seemed to have misunderstood something; therefore, he quickly tried to take control of the conversation by asking, “Alchemist Gao, do you know my Master?”
Gao Xin Peng breathed out lightly. Yang Kai could sense that the way Gao Xin Peng looked at him had become much more cordial. Nodding lightly, Gao Xin Peng replied, “Of course! How can I not know him? If that’s the case, everything makes sense now.”
Yang Kai sat up straight, “Please enlighten me, Alchemist Gao!”
Gao Xin Peng smilingly said, “Didn’t you realise that the herbs you and I both needed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, as well as the refining process and the steps are basically the same?”
Yang Kai was astonished, “Is that so?”
Gao Xin Peng nodded and explained, “You were very focused on performing Alchemy earlier, so you probably didn’t have the time to observe your surroundings; however, I saw everything clearly. The pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that you and I have is almost identical! This should have been impossible as there are countless pill recipes for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in the Divine Armament World. Moreover, each pill recipe will have subtle differences unless they come from the same Sect. I was puzzled earlier and wondered why you had the pill recipe belonging to Profound Pill Sect, but everything makes sense now.”
Yang Kai pretended to humbly ask for advice.
Gao Xin Peng smiled, “Do you still not understand? The one who taught you Alchemy belongs to Profound Pill Sect!”
“Huh!?” Yang Kai was genuinely shocked. [I can’t believe that the non-existent Master I randomly created became related to Profound Pill Sect! This is quite a pleasant surprise.]
“Alchemist Gao, this...” Yang Kai didn’t know what to say. After careful consideration, he realised that the main reason for Gao Xin Peng’s speculation lay in the fact that their pill recipes were identical. As for the special characteristics of his fabricated Master, half came from his imagination and the other half was guesswork thanks to Gao Xin Peng’s guidance.
“Why are you still calling me Alchemist Gao?” Gao Xin Peng looked at Yang Kai with a smile.
It was said that great fortune brought wisdom, and Yang Kai’s wits were keen thanks to the good luck that came to him. He stood up and cupped his fist, “Greetings, Senior Brother Gao!”
“Sit down and talk!” Gao Xin Peng seemed even more amicable now.
Yang Kai sat down as he was told, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. He had been worried about what Gao Xin Peng would do to him, but things had taken such a sudden turn instead. By some unfathomable circumstances, he was now Gao Xin Peng’s Junior Brother.
“Of course, it’s hard to talk about the specifics since I have not met your Master in person. It’s only my speculation that you are the Disciple of that person, but I’m quite certain that is the case. Only that person will... uh, well, act in such a manner. The pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that you obtained is the best proof.”
In this world, there was nobody who could deduce a complete pill recipe just by observing and imitating another person performing Alchemy once. That was why Gao Xin Peng never suspected Yang Kai of imitating his refinement process on the spot. From the beginning, he suspected that Yang Kai was a Disciple taught by one of the wandering Senior Experts of Profound Pill Sect. His subsequent inquiry was only to confirm his speculation.
“Senior Brother Gao, what kind of person is my Master?” Yang Kai took the opportunity to inquire more about his fabricated Master; otherwise, he might accidentally expose his own lies in the future.
Gao Xin Peng pondered the question for a while before he gave a short and helpless laugh, “That person... How do I put it? His manner of conduct is very eccentric. It’s not something you can guess by using common sense. In any case, you only need to remember this, that man is one of the oldest and most authoritative Seniors in the Sect. Even I have to call him Martial Uncle if I run into him! It’s just that it has been many years since I last saw him. He doesn’t really like to stay in Profound Pill Sect. He prefers to travel all over the world. Only the Heavens know what he does out there.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “It turns out that Master comes from such a prominent background...”
“But, I’m surprised that person actually took in a Disciple.” Gao Xin Peng turned to look at Yang Kai with a pensive look. All of a sudden, the realization struck him. [Martial Uncle has such discerning eyes! No Earth Realm Master in Profound Pill Sect could have refined a Heaven Grade pill. Could Martial Uncle have noticed that Junior Brother Yang is incredibly talented? Is that why he made an exception and took in a Disciple?]
Yang Kai shook his head, “Master only taught me Alchemy for a few years. Moreover, he never allowed me to call him Master. He claimed that it was a disgrace to him.”
Gao Xin Peng failed to stifle his laughter, “That’s definitely how he does things! Don’t worry about it, Junior Brother Yang. Seeing as you were taught by that man, that makes you part of Profound Pill Sect. You should pack up your things later and follow me back to Profound Pill Sect to greet your Seniors!”
“But, Void Spirit Sword Sect...” Yang Kai hesitantly said, “I’ll be honest with you, Senior Brother Gao. This Junior Brother is the Eldest Disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect. Furthermore, I grew up in Void Spirit Sword Sect and am deeply indebted to the Master Sect for raising me. This Junior Brother cannot be ungrateful.”
Gao Xin Peng was slightly taken aback, “I forgot about that.”
He pondered in silence for a moment before he continued, “In that case, I’ll return to Profound Pill Sect and ask for instructions first. We’ll see what the Sect Master decides. Your situation is rather special after all. Profound Pill Sect has never had such a precedent before. I’ll visit Void Spirit Sword Sect to inform you once I have further information.”
“Then I shall have to trouble you, Senior Brother Gao.” Yang Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He definitely had no intention of going to Profound Pill Sect. The Master he casually created on the spot had accidentally gotten him involved with Profound Pill Sect. Although he managed to fool Gao Xin Peng, he was bound to face more inconveniences if he went to Profound Pill Sect. It would be bad if his lies were exposed in some way.
“Why are you being so polite with me, Junior Brother?” Gao Xin Peng was clearly in a good mood. Reaching his hand into his pocket, he took out a jade bottle, “Since you are already at the peak of the Earth Realm, you will need a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance into the Heaven Realm. Don’t use that Low-Rank pill of yours as its effects won’t be good. Your aptitude might be extraordinary, but it’s better to be careful. I have a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill here. It’s just right as a welcome gift from me as your Senior Brother.”
This High-Rank pill was clearly not the one he refined earlier. Nevertheless, Gao Xin Peng was a veteran Heaven Grade Alchemist. It was not strange for him to have such a pill on him.
Yang Kai did not refuse and accepted the pill gratefully.
Silavin: Argh… the guilt…
Man… it’s another thing to get justice from trashes but Gao Xin Peng is so nice…
