Chapter 78: Ling Sheng’s Confidence

Under the formidable pressure of the three great leaders, Fatty was utterly subdued. As soon as he was released, he didn’t say a word, bolted from the cellar as if fleeing for his life.

On his way to the Hall of Alchemy, disciples kept arriving, closing in on him from every direction.

“If you want to know the truth, don’t block my way. Follow me to the Hall of Alchemy,” Fatty declared.

Once they arrived, everyone urged Fatty impatiently to speak.

“The elixirs were found, the wounds were from bumping into things. That’s the whole truth.”

“Now that you know, go home, find your mothers, and stop pestering me.”

He shoved open the door, dashed in, hurled his words over his shoulder without looking back, and slipped into the alchemy chamber, sealing the stone door tightly behind him.

“Found them?”

“Who would believe that?”

“Fatty, open the door!”

“If you don’t, we’ll break it down!”

A group of disciples rushed into the Hall of Alchemy, crowding at Fatty’s door, shouting threats.

“I’m not your father, why are you so persistent? Get lost!” Fatty cursed, exasperated.

Were they blind? Couldn’t they see he had his reasons?

But his words only made the disciples outside even more agitated.

“What’s going on here?”

“Don’t you all have things to do?”

“If you don’t leave immediately, you’ll be locked in the pig cage!”

Finally, Gu Ba and He Wu rushed in, faces stern, and barked out orders, putting an end to the commotion.

In truth, they too were puzzled, but as senior elders, they saw things more clearly and chose to remain silent, acting as though nothing had happened.

Two days later, the matter of the supreme-grade elixirs had yet to subside when another story spread like wildfire.

Today was the day of the duel between Ling Yunfei and Ling Sheng!

From early morning, everyone raced out of the city, hoping to secure a good spot.

Before the main figures had even arrived, the East City Gate was already abuzz.

As the sun rose, the place was packed to overflowing, a sea of people.

Deep within the Black Bear Mountains, in a dense forest, a formidable beast prowled. Its fur was black as ink, bristling like steel needles, and its eyes, as large as millstones, gleamed with a terrifying light.

This was the Black Bear King!

Beside it stood a strange, demonic youth, his entire body covered in wounds—some with dried blood, others still bleeding.

It was Ling Yunfei, now resembling a man of blood, the sharp scent of iron thick around him.

Before the man and the beast lay another figure—Steward Ling.

But now, he was nothing but a corpse, slain by the Black Bear King.

Ling Yunfei lowered his head, staring at the steward’s lifeless eyes, his brow furrowed in confusion.

After a moment, he looked up at the Black Bear King and asked, “Senior Bear King, we are strangers. Why would you help me?”

The Black Bear King replied coolly, “I helped you for the sake of others.”

“Others?” Ling Yunfei was taken aback. “Who are they?”

“That’s not your concern. Don’t ask. Go back quickly, or you’ll be late.”

“Damn!” Ling Yunfei slapped his forehead. “Senior Bear King, could I trouble you for one more favor? The city is dozens of miles away—even without rest, I’ll never make it in time.”

The Black Bear King hesitated, then nodded. “Fine, I’ll help you once more. Climb onto my shoulder.”

Ling Yunfei bent, gathered the steward’s body, and leaped onto the beast’s back.

With thunderous strides, the Black Bear King disappeared swiftly into the vast mountains.

At the same time, not far away, in the depths of a canyon, the Wolf King frolicked playfully with the Black Bear cub.

At the Hall of Alchemy, Qin Feiyang opened the stone door of Alchemy Room One and strode out.

“Boss Jiang, you’re finally out! Do you know what Fatty’s endured these days? ‘A fate worse than death’ doesn’t even begin to describe it!” Fatty’s lament echoed as soon as he appeared.

“Is it really that bad?” Qin Feiyang paused, closed the door, and glanced at Fatty.

Fatty stood pitifully at the door of Room Five, looking exhausted and listless, his eyes darting warily to Qin Feiyang’s back.

Qin Feiyang looked behind—no one was there. He asked in confusion, “What happened to you?”

“It’s all your fault,” Fatty complained, on the verge of tears.

“Me?” Qin Feiyang blinked, then smiled faintly. “We’ll talk when I get back.”

With that, he turned toward the main doors.

“Wait, I’ll go with you!” Fatty hastily shut the stone door and hurried after him.

“They’re out.”

“How did it go?”

At the entrance, Gu Ba and He Wu saw Qin Feiyang and smiled.

“Not bad,” Qin Feiyang nodded.

Receiving such an ambiguous answer, the two didn’t press further. He Wu said, “The Hall Master asked us to tell you to see him first, and then you’ll all go outside the city together.”

“Thank you.” Qin Feiyang cupped his hands in thanks and strode away.

“Go see the Hall Master? Should I go… or not?” Fatty hesitated, then gritted his teeth and followed.

“Boss Jiang, you have no idea how unlucky I’ve been…”

“Not only did I not get any gold coins, I even got beaten up…”

“These past two days, I’ve been hiding in the alchemy room, afraid to come out…”

He poured out his woes, sniffling and weeping.

When Fatty finished, Qin Feiyang was lost in thought.

He hadn’t expected those twenty elixirs to fetch a sky-high price of twenty thousand gold coins.

“Boss Jiang, I’ve sacrificed so much for you. Don’t you think you should do something to soothe my wounded heart?” Fatty muttered, head down.

That was his real reason for coming along.

Qin Feiyang glanced at him, unable to hold back a chuckle. He produced twenty elixirs. “Here, but be smarter this time.”

“Thank you, Boss Jiang!” Fatty’s spirits soared as he happily accepted ten elixirs, carefully checking for pill patterns.

The disciples of the Hall of Alchemy had all gone to the East City Gate for the excitement, so the way was clear.

At the manor, Qin Feiyang stood at the entrance and called, “Hall Master, your disciple has come to report.”

Before he finished speaking, Luo Xiong, Feng Cheng, and Elder Mo emerged.

But seeing Fatty, the three exchanged subtle frowns.

Feng Cheng said, “Let me see the elixirs you refined these past two days.”

Qin Feiyang retrieved a universe pouch from his robes, took out a pill, and handed it over.

Feng Cheng examined the pill patterns. Though still a bit faint, they were much clearer than Qin Feiyang’s first attempts—obvious at a glance.

Luo Xiong patted Qin Feiyang’s shoulder, smiling. “Well done. How many did you make?”

“Healing, Bone Mending, Body Tempering, and Qi Gathering pills—fifty of each. They’re all here.” Qin Feiyang shook the pouch.

In truth, there were two hundred and twenty, but he couldn’t mention the twenty he’d already given Fatty, or the three would confiscate them.

“Impressive!”

“I’ve been at the Hall for months, and I can only manage fifty a day.”

“You’ve only just arrived, and you’re already so skilled—amazing!” Fatty gave a heartfelt thumbs-up.

Feng Cheng frowned, “Who told you to speak? Haven’t you learned from your lesson?”

Fatty paled, immediately falling silent.

“Hmph!” Feng Cheng snorted, then turned to Qin Feiyang, his face breaking into a smile. “Can we have these elixirs? We can’t offer the Treasure Pavilion’s prices, but we won’t treat you unfairly.”

Such a change in demeanor made Fatty silently cry injustice.

Qin Feiyang looked at the three, caught between thoughts, then smiled faintly and handed the pouch to Feng Cheng, declaring that he wanted no reward—just a small contribution to the Hall.

Seeing his maturity, the three leaders were all smiles, full of praise.

“Let’s go to the East City Gate. I want to see what kind of storm the Ling family can stir up!” Luo Xiong declared, striding ahead.

Feng Cheng and Elder Mo followed.

“Boss Jiang, are you crazy? Giving away all those elixirs for free?” Fatty whispered, full of regret. Those two hundred pills could have fetched tens of thousands of gold coins!

Qin Feiyang only smiled. One must look to the long term.

Though it seemed a gift now, the favor would pay off later—winning the leaders’ affection meant they’d help him even more in the future.

Suddenly, Elder Feng stopped and turned to Qin Feiyang, frowning. “By the way, where’s Ling Yunfei? Haven’t seen him recently. Hasn’t he come to the Hall?”

“No,” Qin Feiyang shook his head, smiling. “But I believe he’ll show up.”

Feng Cheng snorted, “You risked so much for him—if he loses today, even if the Ling family spares him, I won’t!”

Luo Xiong added without turning, “Don’t worry—even if Ling Yunfei loses, the Ling family won’t dare touch you.”

“Thank you, Hall Master,” Qin Feiyang replied. If Ling Yunfei truly lost, there’d be no merit in supporting him further.

At the East City Gate, all the powers of Black Bear City were present—including the Ling family. Only the Hall of Alchemy had yet to arrive.

“Why aren’t they here yet?”

“Are they afraid?”

“They signed the life-and-death agreement—they have to come, even if they’re afraid.”

“This Jiang Haotian is talented, but he bet everything on that Ling Yunfei—the fool.”

“He’s dead for sure this time!”

The Ling family’s youths were the loudest, flaunting their arrogance and disdain for all.

“Who wins and who loses is still unknown. Don’t be so quick to judge. If you do and lose, it’ll be all the more humiliating,” Qin Feiyang’s voice rang out as he arrived.

The crowd parted.

Qin Feiyang followed behind the three leaders, his expression calm and composed.

“You seem confident,” Ling Sheng stepped out, sneering at him.

“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have dared issue the challenge three days ago,” Qin Feiyang replied coolly.

“You’ll regret this,” Ling Sheng said with a chilling smile.

“Let’s wait and see,” Qin Feiyang answered, his tone unruffled.

Ling Sheng found such composure infuriating.

“We’ll see how long you can keep up the act.” He leapt onto the high platform, looking down at the crowd with imposing arrogance.

“Ling Yunfei, stop hiding! Come up here and accept your fate!” he shouted.