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Evening.
The residence of Shang Huan.
Old Hao hugged a medicine pounding jar, huffing and puffing as he ground the medicine with great effort.
“Are we really going to add fake Calming Pills?” he asked, somewhat hesitant.
It was one thing to sell fake Bone Powder, which was used to feed the Yellow Bud Rice. But the Calming Pill was intended for human consumption.
If something went wrong…
“Don’t you want to make money?” Shang Huan rolled his eyes.
“What if someone finds out?” Old Hao asked, his face full of conflict.
Shang Huan chuckled, “Do you think I’m just mixing this medicine carelessly?”
“I spent a fortune figuring out this recipe!”
“As long as you make the pills according to my formula and roast them in the Incense Burner, the scent is hundred percent like that of a real Calming Pill!”
Old Hao shook his head, “It may smell similar, but fake is fake after all, and it can’t help with cultivation one bit.”
Shang Huan became even more proud, “The Calming Pill isn’t as effective as the Soul Condensing Pills anyway.”
“It’s not the kind of Elixir Pill that shows immediate results.”
“Unless used in large quantities over a long period of time, only then can its effectiveness become apparent.”
“For regular cultivation, it’s impossible to notice any change, so how can they be sure whether these are real Calming Pills?”
“Besides, at least three-quarters of the Elixir Pills I sell are real Calming Pills.”
“Using them over a long time, even though the effect is slightly worse, who can judge that precisely?”
“Don’t worry, nobody will find out!”
Old Hao listened, dumbfounded, looking at the wily-grinning Shang Huan, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “You’re really a talent!”
“You flatter me!” Shang Huan’s eyes narrowed into slits, his face beaming with joy.
Thinking about the honest business practices he had followed in the past, Shang Huan felt a deep regret that was hard to express; making money had truly been an arduous task.
He had to thank that masked person, Shang Huan sighed.
If it hadn’t been for that person robbing him blind, he would never have discovered his extraordinary talent for counterfeiting.
Chen Mu outside the courtyard: “…”
Some habits never die!
…
Plop!
Old Hao, who had been pounding medicine just moments ago, suddenly collapsed, still clutching the jar.
Shang Huan’s face changed.
Had his counterfeiting been discovered?!
The room’s door opened on its own without a breeze, and around Chen Mu black smoke swirled, as he appeared slowly from nothingness.
“Mr. Gongsun!” Shang Huan quickly stood up, bowed, and subtly used his body to block the Fake Pills on the table.
Chen Mu looked at Shang Huan indifferently.
Only after seeing Shang Huan’s forehead break out in a sweat did he retract his gaze, casually placing eighteen porcelain bottles on the table.
He then spoke gently, “I’ll need your help in the future to sell twenty-four bottles of Calming Pills for me every month.”
Shang Huan was immediately overjoyed.
The more he sold, the more he would earn.
And with the fake medicine pills he mixed in…
Shang Huan saw an endless amount of White Jade Money appear before his eyes.
Then the gentle voice rang out again, “I hear you also practice Alchemy?”
Shang Huan felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head.
Ruined! His secret had indeed been discovered!
Looking up, he met the mysterious person’s indifferent gaze.
Chen Mu stared at the nervous Shang Huan, suddenly leaning forward, fixing his eyes on Shang Huan.
Then he inhaled sharply as if he were in front of a plate of braised beef, sniffing vigorously.
He activated Five Ghosts Moving Mountain at the same time, and a crazed look flickered in his eyes.
Shang Huan felt a numbing chill on his scalp, his whole body as if thrown into an ice cellar.
Madman!
Psychopath!
His mind raced!
“I had a reason!” he blurted out on impulse.
Continue your journey on empire
“Someone used to smuggle Calming Pills from the Ghost Ship before, but the profits were too small, and people quickly stopped doing it.”
“If I continued this unprofitable business, people who know the market would suspect the origin of the Calming Pills.”
“`
“`
“It’s very easy for people to assume that I am not taking goods from the Ghost Ship, but that someone else is capable of making medicine and alchemy.”
“Only by mixing in fake medicines and profiting from them can others understand why I do this.”
“This can also ward off a lot of prying eyes from my peers!”
“This is all for the sake of protecting your safety!”
Shang Huan felt his mind working faster than it ever had before, a series of words tumbling out rapidly.
Chen Mu looked at Shang Huan with a complex expression: “You son of a gun sure can argue your way out of anything!”
Upon further thought, there seemed to be a bit of logic to it.
Chen Mu straightened up, returning to normal, and continued in a mild voice, “I have to say, this touches me.”
“I must thank you,” Chen Mu said earnestly.
Shang Huan let out a breath, his back, however, couldn’t stop the cold sweat from breaking out.
Just now he had the eyes of a predator, now he’s thanking me like a friend… this guy is definitely a madman!
“It’s what I should do.” He tried hard to keep his voice from trembling.
“But please don’t continue to mix fake elixir pills into it,” the gentle voice started again.
“Yes!” Shang Huan quickly agreed, feeling a chill in his heart.
The words he had just blurted out were nothing but desperate excuses.
But the actual situation was indeed as he had said.
If this mysterious person wouldn’t allow him to mix fakes, and should spies find out,
Being captured, tortured, interrogated, or even silenced—just the thought of potential outcomes made him shudder in fear.
His life obviously meant nothing to Gongsun Sheng!
A surge of rage rose in Shang Huan’s heart. He might be a small fry, but does that mean his life is worthless?
“It seems you have a deep misunderstanding of me,” Chen Mu said indifferently, glancing at Shang Huan.
Shang Huan’s face changed color immediately.
Damn, if this madman blows his top, my life is over tonight!
As he hesitated over whether to make a run for the window,
Chen Mu’s gentle voice rang out again, “If you’re not afraid of being killed by the customers buying the medicine, you can continue to mix fake elixir pills.”
Shang Huan was puzzled. I’m only mixing in a quarter. The customers won’t notice, how could they kill me?
“Because the pills I gave you already had half of them as fake pills,” Chen Mu said calmly.
Shang Huan: “…”
…
In the north of Tongtian Square, in the Lower Courtyard residence.
Lin Su sat with his eyes closed at the head of the main hall, listening to a black-clad Patrolling Inspector report on the search results of the past two months.
“All new personnel have been thoroughly investigated.”
“No findings related to Dong Cheng’s disappearance were discovered.”
“On the contrary, two covert operatives from Zhongshan Path were found.”
Lin Su opened his eyes, “Zhongshan Path?”
“Yes!”
“According to the interrogation results, they should be the collateral disciples of some minor family from Zhongshan Path’s Lower Courtyard.”
“They themselves do not know why they are here, just that they were to infiltrate our Lower Courtyard first,” the black-clad Patrolling Inspector’s eyes shone.
“I feel that Zhongshan Path definitely has some conspiracy or trickery afoot, and we should report to the Oversight Courtyard early.”
Lin Su nodded slightly, “You have done well. Make sure those three people are well guarded, with no accidents. I will inform the Oversight Courtyard.”
“Yes!” the black-clad Patrolling Inspector said with a glowing face.
Thinking of Dong Cheng’s disappearance, he restrained his smile and cautiously glanced at Lin Su, “Prefect, it’s been too long since Dong Cheng disappeared. The perpetrator is also very cautious. Ordinary methods are now futile in the search.”
Lin Su glanced at the black-clad Patrolling Inspector, “What, you find it bothersome and don’t want to search anymore?”
The black-clad Patrolling Inspector hurriedly bowed, “I wouldn’t dare!”
He stepped forward and whispered, “Prefect, I’ve heard that in the Lower Courtyard, there’s a Magic Artifact that can track and record the past movements of Daoist Seals.”
“I wonder…”
Lin Su narrowed his eyes, “This matter should not be brought up again.”
“The case of Dong Cheng’s disappearance will be closed for now.
“Leave the rest to others.”
“I will follow the Prefect’s orders to the letter,” the black-clad Patrolling Inspector exhaled in relief.
These laborious and profitable tasks had been worrisome without any results.
Now that he was freed from the responsibility, he didn’t have to worry about it anymore.
Looking at Lin Su’s expression, the black-clad Patrolling Inspector had an epiphany.
Peers in the Inspection Courtyard always mentioned that Daoist Seals of the Lower Courtyard’s disciples could be recorded and tracked. Now it seemed, these were not just rumors.
“`