Chapter Seventy-Three: The Sly Fat Man

The explosion of the alchemy furnace thundered like a sudden clap of lightning, making Qin Feiyang’s ears ring. Shards flew in all directions, as sharp as blades. In an instant, several fresh wounds appeared on Qin Feiyang’s body, flesh turned outwards, blood streaming down. One piece, as large as a palm, embedded itself in his chest, stopping just an inch from his heart.

In other words, had the shard gone an inch deeper, piercing his heart, even a god descending to earth would not have been able to save him.

Yet he stood where he was, as if immune to pain, silently gazing at the ruined stone platform. His whole body was covered in dust and ash, in a state of utter disarray.

“Jiang Haotian, what’s with all the commotion?”
“Are you all right? Open the door, quickly!”

Two elder stewards, alarmed by the noise, rushed over and shouted urgently outside the door.

Qin Feiyang, however, paid them no heed. His hands slowly clenched into fists.

Nearby, Ling Yan and his companions exchanged bewildered glances; none had expected the furnace to explode.

“We’ve really messed up this time. We need to leave!” Lu Hong tugged at Ling Yan and the other’s sleeves, and with a jolt, the two turned and fled.

Boom! The stone door opened. A surge of dust and thick smoke billowed out.

The two elder stewards waved the smoke away and, frowning, looked at Ling Yan’s group. “What happened?”

“The furnace blew up,” Ling Yan blurted out, then hurried off with Lu Hong and the other, running out of the pill refining chamber.

“The furnace exploded?” The two elders were stunned, then rushed inside. The sight of the devastated chamber shocked them.

They turned to Qin Feiyang—his body covered in blood. When they saw the shard protruding from his chest, their hearts nearly leapt from their throats.

“Jiang Haotian, are you all right? Quickly, take this healing pill.”
“Don’t move. I’ll get the shard out for you.”

One elder produced a healing pill, while the other reached for the embedded shard.

But just then, Qin Feiyang turned and walked silently between them, heading outside step by step.

“Jiang Haotian, everyone fails at refining on their first try.”
“Yes, yes, don’t be discouraged. With more practice, you’ll surely succeed.”

The two elders, taken aback, hurried after him, gently comforting him.

“Thank you, Elders, but the explosion was not my doing,” Qin Feiyang said in a cold, heavy voice.

This time, Ling Yan and his companions had truly incurred his wrath.

The two elders exchanged glances, suspicion in their eyes. Could it have been caused by Ling Yan’s group?

“Whatever the reason, healing comes first.”
“Yes, if you don’t stop the bleeding, you’ll die.”

The two were frantic with worry. The palace lord, Elder Feng, and Elder Mo had personally ordered them to protect this young man at all costs. Clearly, in the eyes of the three great leaders, he was of utmost importance. If anything were to happen, they could not bear the consequences.

The main doors stood open. Qin Feiyang strode out, leaving bloody footprints behind. He stood on the stone steps outside, looked ahead, and saw Ling Yan and his companions heading toward a grand hall, laughing and chatting along the way—mocking him.

“Elders, I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” Qin Feiyang turned back, flashed a grin at the two elders, then launched into his Swirling Smoke Step, chasing after the trio.

But the two elders were deeply alarmed. For in Qin Feiyang’s smile, they glimpsed a cold, murderous intent. Seeing him pursue Ling Yan’s group, they immediately realized trouble was brewing.

“Quick, let’s go after him!” The two chased after Qin Feiyang in haste.

Ling Yan and his companions also noticed Qin Feiyang behind them. They turned to look—and their pupils contracted sharply!

At that moment, Qin Feiyang was drenched in blood, his face cold as icy steel, and under the moonlight, he resembled a blood-soaked demon. A chill crawled up their spines.

“Jiang Haotian, what do you want?” Ling Yan shouted.

Qin Feiyang said nothing, striding forward ten meters at a time, closing in rapidly.

“This is bad, he’s trying to kill us—run!” Ji Jin’s expression changed as he turned and bolted.

“He wants to kill us? Would he dare?” Ling Yan scoffed. He could believe a few insults, but murder? The Pill Hall had strict rules—no fratricide. Even if Qin Feiyang had ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare.

Lu Hong agreed; she didn’t believe Qin Feiyang would dare attack. Not only did she not run, she stood her ground, glaring at Qin Feiyang arrogantly. “Jiang Haotian, this is the Pill Hall, not the outside world. You’d better rein in your temper and behave yourself.”

“Behave?” Qin Feiyang’s lips curled into a chilling smile. “Let me show you what it means to behave.”

He stepped forward, grabbed Ling Yan’s hair, yanked him down, and drove his knee hard into Ling Yan’s abdomen.

“Aaagh!” Ling Yan screamed in agony.

“Weren’t you just complaining of a stomachache? Let me treat it for you.”

Murderous light surged in his eyes as he tossed Ling Yan to the ground and stomped hard on his abdomen.

“Ah!” Ling Yan howled, his cries tearing at the night, his face twisted in pain.

“How does it feel?” Qin Feiyang grinned.

“I… I’ll kill you!” Ling Yan roared in fury, scrambling up to attack.

“Hmph!” Qin Feiyang snorted coldly, dodged aside, and sent a fierce punch crashing into Ling Yan’s stomach again.

A bestial howl erupted from Ling Yan, his face turning a purplish-black. With a thud, he crashed into a patch of grass, leaving a depression in the earth. He could no longer rise, curling up and wailing in misery.

The two elder stewards arrived just in time to see this scene. Their faces changed dramatically, and one shouted, “Jiang Haotian, enough of this nonsense!”

“I’m not fooling around,” Qin Feiyang replied coolly, turning to look at Lu Hong.

She was stunned. She had never imagined anyone would dare fight in the Pill Hall. Was he borrowing courage from the heavens?

“I don’t hit women, but that doesn’t mean I’m afraid to. Don’t provoke me again.” Qin Feiyang cast her a look of contempt and strode past, chasing after Ji Jin.

“Jiang Haotian, stop right there!” Lu Hong’s voice was icy as she called out. Among the disciples of the Pill Hall, aside from Cheng Yi, none dared challenge her authority—not even Ji Jin. She had always regarded herself as a chosen daughter of heaven. Now, to be scorned by a newcomer—Qin Feiyang’s look of contempt deeply wounded her pride.

Yet Qin Feiyang acted as if he hadn’t heard.

“I told you to stop! Are you deaf?” Burning with rage, Lu Hong spun and charged at him, true energy surging in her palm.

Qin Feiyang glanced at her from the corner of his eye, slowed down, and his gaze glittered with cold light.

“This is getting out of hand,” the two elder stewards exchanged anxious looks.

One said, “He Wu, you help Ling Yan. I’ll stop them.”

He Wu nodded and strode to Ling Yan, but suddenly turned and shouted, “Gu Ba, hurry, or someone will get killed!”

“I know.” Gu Ba replied and raced after the other two, cursing under his breath, “These little brats are nothing but trouble.”

By then, Lu Hong had already caught up with Qin Feiyang.

“How dare you disrespect me? You’ll pay the price! Azure Primordial Palm!”

With a fierce shout, she unleashed a strike she had prepared long ago, aiming at his back. The Azure Primordial Palm was a superior martial technique, and as a four-star martial artist, her blow carried the force of seven wild elephants. The air howled, sand and stones flying.

But Qin Feiyang suddenly turned, matching her with a palm strike of his own, a shrill wind and thunder splitting the air.

Bang! The two palms collided.

Lu Hong spat a mouthful of blood, staggered back, her face instantly drained of color. At last, she stumbled and landed hard on her backside.

“How can this be?” she gasped. “Aren’t you a four-star martial artist too? How can you be stronger than me?”

Qin Feiyang’s lips curled in disdain. “Does your backside hurt? Should I find someone to rub it for you?”

“Scoundrel, I’ll smash you to pieces!” Lu Hong shrieked, charging at him again.

Slap! Qin Feiyang’s hand shot out like lightning, landing a stinging slap across her face. She was sent sprawling, rolling across the ground. A bloody handprint blazed on her cheek, burning with pain. Her face swelled rapidly, a trickle of blood at her lips, hair disheveled, utterly humiliated.

“This is your final warning. Don’t provoke me again, or even if you’re a woman, I won’t spare you.” With that, Qin Feiyang turned and strode away.

“Are you all right?” Gu Ba rushed over and knelt beside Lu Hong, concern in his voice.

Lu Hong, aggrieved, cried, “Elder Gu, Jiang Haotian is a troublemaker, lawless, attacking his fellow disciples. You must punish him severely!”

“I’ll report this to the Hall Master. You focus on recovering,” Gu Ba patted her shoulder, sighing inwardly, then hurried after Qin Feiyang. He was puzzled—how could that boy move so fast?

Meanwhile, Ji Jin was hiding behind a grand hall, panting heavily, drenched in sweat.

“To start fighting at the slightest provocation—this guy is terrifying. I can’t afford to cross him,” he thought, already regretting his earlier actions. If he’d known it would turn out like this, he wouldn’t have dared to meddle for anything.

“It should be safe here,” he muttered, peeking outside—only to see Qin Feiyang standing a dozen meters away, scanning the surroundings.

“Hey, Senior Brother Ji Jin, what are you peeking at?”
“I know—you must be spying on some beauty. Let Fatty have a look too.”

Suddenly, a suspicious voice sounded behind him. A chubby, round-faced youth with shifty eyes leaned in close.

Ji Jin’s expression changed. He spun around, clapped a hand over the fat youth’s mouth, and hissed, “Fatty, keep your voice down!”

The chubby youth gave a wicked grin, thinking there really must be a beauty nearby.

“You really know how to join the fun, don’t you?” Ji Jin cursed, then turned to peek outside again—but before he could look, a white figure suddenly appeared before him, blocking his view.

Who else could it be but Qin Feiyang?

Ji Jin’s face turned deathly pale.

“What, it’s a man?” The chubby youth was taken aback, as if discovering a new world, and chuckled, “Senior Brother Ji Jin, I never would’ve guessed you like men! My, your tastes are really something.”

“Shut up!” Ji Jin spun around and roared at him.

“Don’t be shy, Senior Brother. Don’t worry, I promise I’ll keep your secret safe,” the fat youth said, thumping his chest in a show of loyalty.

“Where did this character come from?” Qin Feiyang stared at the lecherous-looking fat youth, momentarily at a loss.