Chapter 2: You Are the Ones Who Should Leave
Sheng Yuanyao turned her head with a strange expression. Whose subordinate was so courageous?
Honestly, these nine top-grade Yi Qi Dan (Qi-Boosting Pill) becoming five excellent-grade ones might have made them seem much more ordinary, but they were certainly not insignificant. If judged by the standard an eighth-grade Alchemist should possess, this should still be considered very good.
Typically, Alchemy can only be done one Medicinal Pill at a time, which is very inefficient. Only high-level Alchemists, when refining relatively simple Medicinal Pills, dare to try refining multiple Medicinal Pills in one batch to improve efficiency. Of course, the more Medicinal Pills refined simultaneously, the higher the demands on the Alchemist's control. Being able to refine five Medicinal Pills in one batch was already quite good.
What's more, a large number of Alchemists were still struggling with the yield rate, often only getting entire batches of waste or substandard Medicinal Pills. It was already difficult to consistently refine regular good-grade Medicinal Pills, let alone excellent-grade ones? The price of excellent-grade Medicinal Pills was double that of good-grade ones.
Although Lu Xingzhou engaged in self-dealing, with the same raw material cost as other parties, the benefits he brought by refining these five excellent-grade Medicinal Pills already surpassed others. He didn't cause a loss for the Danxia Gang. No wonder the Danxia Gang had developed quite well in the past six months; he was like a hen laying golden eggs...
How powerful was the newcomer to dare say this level was not good enough?
Entering the door was a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes, accompanied by a young man and woman. It was the young man who spoke. Lu Xingzhou merely smiled slightly: "Greetings, Gang Leader and Young Miss. May I ask who this is..."
Sheng Yuanyao had a rough idea in her heart. So, it was Liu Qingcang, the Danxia Gang Leader, and his daughter, Liu Yan'er.
Liu Yan'er snorted coldly: "This is Mr. Bai Chi, an eighth-grade high-level Alchemist whom we went to great lengths to invite. Mr. Bai is even attempting to break through to seventh-grade."
Lu Xingzhou's expression remained unchanged: "So, Young Miss Liu, what is your meaning?"
Liu Yan'er said: "Since a stronger Alchemist has arrived, you can hand over your position as chief Alchemist..."
Sheng Yuanyao blinked her eyes. Eighth-grade high-level... it's actually still very difficult to refine a batch of five excellent-grade Medicinal Pills. Are you sure he truly has the qualifications to look down on Lu Xingzhou?
The Little Daoist quietly sat to the side, peeled a sweet potato, took a quiet bite, and then handed one to Sheng Yuanyao, silently mouthing: "Sister, are you eating this time?"
Sheng Yuanyao quietly took the roasted sweet potato; it smelled quite fragrant.
Lu Xingzhou merely smiled faintly: "Is this Gang Leader Liu's intention, or merely Young Miss Liu's?"
Liu Qingcang waved his hand: "This seat knows that you single-handedly built our Danxia Gang's Alchemy system from scratch, and the Alchemists below were also trained by you. It's understandable that you feel reluctant. But things are often like this; the capable reside. This is also for the development of our Danxia Gang. Xingzhou, you can be Mr. Bai's assistant. It's also an opportunity to learn and observe a high-grade Alchemist up close. You must seize it well."
Lu Xingzhou chuckled in amusement: "So, I, Lu, should thank Gang Leader Liu?"
Liu Qingcang's Face was benevolent: "Xingzhou, this is also my expectation for you. I know you have a good impression of Yan'er. The assistant's work won't be as heavy as before, and you can also free up time..."
Liu Yan'er stamped her foot: "Father!"
"Wait." Lu Xingzhou's expression became strange: "Who said I was interested in Young Miss Liu? If your Gang doesn't have mirrors, surely you have urine."
The expressions of the Liu father and daughter both stiffened.
Lu Xingzhou went straight to the Danxia Gang upon arriving in Xia Province, was accepted into the Gang by Liu Yan'er, and then helped the Danxia Gang establish its Alchemy system and train Alchemists from scratch, working tirelessly. His gaze towards Liu Yan'er usually seemed full of deep affection, making almost everyone in the Gang believe he did all this for Liu Yan'er. If not for Liu Yan'er, then was it to be a beast of burden?
Lu Xingzhou saw what they were thinking and said leisurely: "Actually, it's just that you all gave too much..."
The Danxia Gang indeed paid Lu Xingzhou very well. After all, there were no Alchemists at the time, and they were eager for talent, so they were ecstatic to get Lu Xingzhou. Furthermore, Sheng Yuanyao witnessed his self-dealing, and the hidden gains were far beyond others' imagination. He probably really stayed for the money...
It was a pity that the eagerness for talent back then had now turned into burning bridges.
Liu Yan'er sighed: "Xingzhou, I know you won't admit it to save Face, but was the deep affection in your eyes when you looked at me usually all an act...?"
The Little Daoist muttered to the side: "His 'peach blossom' eyes look deeply affectionate even at a dog..."
The self-important Liu Yan'er's words were stuck in her throat, and Sheng Yuanyao took a bite of her sweet potato.
"An assistant or whatever is out of the question." Lu Xingzhou said indifferently: "I, Lu, do not have the habit of working as someone's subordinate. Since the Danxia Gang has a more excellent Alchemist, I, Lu, will simply find another place."
Liu Yan'er snorted coldly: "Just you, a cripple..."
"Yan'er!" Liu Qingcang quickly interrupted. A spoiled Young Miss could speak carelessly, but he wouldn't be so ignorant. Even if Lu Xingzhou's level wasn't as good as Bai Chi's, he was still an outstanding individual in Xia Province. It wouldn't be cost-effective to let him go elsewhere. If he could truly stay here as an assistant, the Danxia Gang would make a huge profit.
It was just a misjudgment. He had been completely convinced that Lu Xingzhou would stay for Liu Yan'er, but he never expected that wasn't the case at all... So why were you so serious normally then...
Liu Qingcang sighed at this thought: "Xingzhou, please reconsider? To be honest, after such a long time together, everyone already considers you family... How about a ten percent increase in future salary?"
Lu Xingzhou waved his hand and smiled: "No need to force it. Our fate together ends today."
Liu Qingcang's expression finally turned cold: "You better think it over carefully. Don't think that having Alchemy skills means you can travel anywhere without fear. It's not difficult to make sure no one in Xia Province will take you in."
Lu Xingzhou chuckled: "Then you don't need to trouble yourself."
Bai Chi, standing by, said leisurely: "Since you're determined to leave, I suggest we search you, lest you take away important Gang property."
Sheng Yuanyao, who had been observing for a long time, couldn't help but say: "Hey, aren't you going a bit too far?"
She had thought Lu Xingzhou's self-dealing was a bit excessive, but she never expected this group of people to be even more so. Burning bridges and discarding tools after use was one thing, but they also wanted to force and humiliate him.
Liu Yan'er sneered: "This is our Gang's internal affair. What does it have to do with a vixen like you?"
Sheng Yuanyao was furious: "You!"
"What's all the fuss about..." Lu Xingzhou interrupted Sheng Yuanyao's outburst and said leisurely: "Who said I was leaving?"
Liu Yan'er showed a smug expression, as if she had known all along: "If you can't bear to leave, just say so. This tactic of feigning retreat to advance isn't very clever..."
Lu Xingzhou said: "What I mean is, you are the ones who should leave."
Everyone was stunned.
Had this cripple gone mad from the blow?
"There used to be a Daoist Temple on Danxia Mountain called Danxia Temple. This Alchemy room and the surrounding three li should have belonged to Danxia Temple's territory." Lu Xingzhou said indifferently: "As far as I know, when Gang Leader Liu purchased the mountain from the government, the land deed for this area was missing and incomplete. Strictly speaking, this place does not belong to Your Excellency. It's just that the original owner is no longer here, and Your Excellency is temporarily occupying it."
Liu Qingcang's heart skipped a beat: "So what? The original owner is dead, and we even regularly sweep the grave and offer sacrifices. This place is now ownerless land, first come, first served!"
The Little Daoist mumbled again: "The mound you're pretending to worship at the back is not the original owner's grave at all. A pig-plagued sow named Xiaohua is buried there."
Liu Qingcang: "???"
"The original owner did indeed pass away many years ago, but by coincidence, he had a Legacy." Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly and pulled out a land deed: "And even more coincidentally, I, Lu, am the new owner of this place. Remember to do a thorough background check when recruiting people in the future."
The Liu father and daughter, along with Bai Chi, were dumbfounded.
The land deed was quite new, indicating that Lu Xingzhou had exchanged the deed at the government office. The name on the old land deed must have originally belonged to an Old Taoist, but now it clearly stated "Lu Xingzhou."
It really was his!
Sheng Yuanyao blinked her eyes hard.
These master and disciple were interesting; it felt like there was a lot of gossip.
Bai Chi reacted and sneered: "Who says this land deed is yours? I could say it's mine!"
As he spoke, the Liu father and daughter also thought of this. This Lu Xingzhou was simply foolish, daring to expose the land deed in the core area of their Danxia Gang. Wouldn't killing him and seizing the deed solve everything? He, a cripple, plus a child, weren't they just asking for death? No one would even know if they were buried!
Liu Qingcang immediately stepped forward, about to make a move.
Lu Xingzhou calmly put the land deed back into his embrace: "Young Lady, Gang members are forcefully seizing a commoner's land deed. Are you going to intervene?"
With a 'swish', the waist saber was drawn, blocking Lu Xingzhou. Liu Qingcang's large hand, which had just reached out, was urgently pulled back, almost getting his paw chopped off.
As if only just noticing Sheng Yuanyao and her two subordinates behind her, Liu Qingcang's expression was very ugly: "Your Excellency is...?"
Sheng Yuanyao was expressionless, and her subordinate behind her said sharply: "This is Commander Sheng of our Xia Prefecture Demon Suppression Division! Behave yourself!"
The expressions of the Liu father and daughter and Bai Chi were as if they had eaten excrement. Such a young and beautiful girl, who would have thought you were Sheng Yuanyao, the new Commander of the Demon Suppression Division! They had thought she was some client waiting for Medicinal Pills!
Liu Yan'er's Face was even paler. Who did she just call a vixen?
Seeing Sheng Yuanyao's cold gaze, the three of them could only bow: "Greetings, Commander Sheng."
How could Sheng Yuanyao be here? This was trouble. Sheng Yuanyao was a new official from the capital, not a local, so no matter how many connections they had locally, it was useless. Now, in front of the government, let alone killing someone and seizing a deed, even if something happened to Lu Xingzhou later, Sheng Yuanyao would inevitably focus her attention on their Danxia Gang. This idea was completely unfeasible!
So what to do?
Most of this mountain was bought by the Danxia Gang, lacking only this three-li radius core area at the mountain top. If Lu Xingzhou settled here and refused to leave, it would be like sitting on top of their Danxia Gang's head and defecating, disgusting them no matter how they thought about it.
Not to mention that the Gang's main hall, everyone's residences, and the entire Alchemy system were all within this area. Most of the places on the mountainside had no buildings and were all medicinal gardens. They were practically losing their home.
After all this, they were actually going to be the ones driven out?
It was just kicking someone out, how did it turn out like this!