Chapter 23: Someone Behind the Scenes
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The Artifact Refinery was a restricted site. Outsiders were forbidden to enter without permission.
Whenever they sold their wares, they carried them out to the plaza. No one had ever dared to barge inside, let alone stroll about so brazenly. They were treating the Artifact Refinery’s dignity as if it meant nothing.
“We were invited here by Master Chen. He needed some pills, so we refined them for him,” Jiang Xuehan said truthfully, making no attempt to conceal anything.
The man, however, did not believe her. He gave a mocking laugh. “Even a lie ought to have some credibility. Would Master Chen ask the two of you for pills? Besides, you’re merely at the Spirit Refining Realm. How could you possibly refine pills?”
“As the master of the Artifact Refinery, I know Master Chen’s temperament better than anyone. Don’t try to deceive me!”
Geng Zi’an knew perfectly well that Master Chen had an eccentric disposition. How could he possibly ask two juniors for pills?
“We’re telling the truth. If you don’t believe us, go and ask Master Chen…”
Jiang Xuehan was exasperated. How could this man be so impossible to reason with? She was about to argue further, but Qin Liang stopped her.
Master Chen had already entered seclusion. Asking him to verify their story was hardly realistic.
Those who had seen the two of them enter with Master Chen had since gone off to attend to their own business. Qin Liang could not tell who had witnessed it and who had not. Under the circumstances, it was indeed difficult to prove their innocence.
“When we entered, someone saw us. Master, you can summon everyone and question them,” Qin Liang reminded him.
Geng Zi’an merely sneered. “Trying to stall for time? You stole a treasure from my Artifact Refinery, and I imagine you have accomplices as well.”
“Seize these two. We’ll deal with their accomplices afterward.”
Geng Zi’an issued the order to the guards behind him. No matter what, the dignity of the Artifact Refinery could never be challenged.
The eight guards immediately sprang forward, pouncing on Qin Liang and Jiang Xuehan. All of them were fifth-stage Spirit Refiners.
Jiang Xuehan’s expression darkened. She drew the sword blank she had just obtained and swept it fiercely through the air.
Whoosh!
Sword energy rippled outward. A gale erupted across the courtyard, crashing forward like a surging tide and colliding with four of the guards.
Qin Liang refused to be outdone. He drew the Origin Weapon sword blank, slashed horizontally, and moved at the same time.
Clang, clang, clang…
The might of an Origin Weapon was indeed extraordinary, far beyond that of ordinary iron. When it clashed with the iron weapons wielded by the guards, it cut through them as effortlessly as mud. In an instant, fragments of metal rang out and scattered across the ground.
“An Origin Weapon? And you’re a sixth-stage Spirit Refiner?”
Geng Zi’an narrowed his eyes. “You still claim to be innocent? How do you explain the Origin Weapon in your hands?”
“Master Chen exchanged it for us,” Jiang Xuehan explained, but he refused to believe her.
She was remarkably powerful. As a sixth-stage Spirit Refiner wielding an Origin Weapon, she was far beyond the four guards. They were defeated in moments and sprawled miserably to one side. She had held back; otherwise, their lives would have been in danger.
Qin Liang had not used lethal force either. With his swift movement and the Origin Weapon sword blank, he sent all four men flying.
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The battle had begun abruptly, and it ended just as quickly.
Geng Zi’an could still understand the girl’s strength. After all, she was a sixth-stage Spirit Refiner. But what of this young man?
A fourth-stage Spirit Refiner had actually defeated four fifth-stage Spirit Refiners? Even with an Origin Weapon, that should have been impossible.
“Hand over the Origin Weapon. Otherwise, you won’t be leaving this place today.”
As the master of the Artifact Refinery, Geng Zi’an would never allow thieves to get away with their crime. Origin Weapons were exceedingly rare and incredibly precious.
As he spoke, a powerful aura surged from his body. He had already reached the Origin Condensation Realm.
Qin Liang and Jiang Xuehan’s expressions grew even more solemn. Neither had expected to provoke such an expert. The master of the Artifact Refinery was one of the ten strongest experts in Sulfur City. How were they supposed to deal with him?
The aura alone pressed down upon them so heavily that they could barely breathe, and their faces went pale.
“Qin Liang, I’ll burn my Dao Root later to win you a chance at survival. Escape as quickly as you can.”
Jiang Xuehan’s cultivation was higher than Qin Liang’s, while Qin Liang possessed extraordinary talent. For the sake of the Jiang family’s future, she had to protect him.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Qin Liang forced himself to withstand the pressure and stepped in front of her protectively. “As long as I’m here, no one will hurt you.”
As he spoke, he released his spiritual perception, attempting to detect Geng Zi’an’s every movement.
Against an opponent this powerful, there might still be a chance of survival if he could use his keen perception to discern the man’s actions, determine his intentions, and seize any opening.
“Not one of you will leave…”
Geng Zi’an spoke with complete confidence, but before he could finish, he suddenly sensed it—a pair of invisible eyes watching him from the shadows. His spine turned cold, and sweat began to seep from his pores.
“What terrifying spiritual perception,” Geng Zi’an thought, deeply shaken.
To release such powerful spiritual perception without him noticing…
That meant the other party’s strength was no lower than his own. They might even possess enough power to crush him effortlessly.
His instincts immediately ruled out the young man and woman before him. Their cultivation was insufficient.
“Master, please show mercy! Please, show mercy!”
An elderly man with a black beard hurried in through the courtyard gate, his cries shattering the tense atmosphere.
Qin Liang withdrew his spiritual perception, and Geng Zi’an likewise retracted his aura.
They looked toward the entrance and recognized the newcomer as Luo Qian, the steward of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, but neither understood why he had come.
“Young Master Qin, I’ve finally found you.”
The moment Luo Qian saw Qin Liang, delight spread across his face. He was relieved that he had arrived in time.
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“Master Geng, please show mercy. If Young Master Qin has offended you in any way, I ask that you forgive him. He is still only a child.”
Though Luo Qian spoke humbly, he secretly transmitted a message to Geng Zi’an:
“Young Master Qin has a second-grade alchemist behind him. You absolutely must not offend him. Please, Master, be magnanimous.”
At those words, Geng Zi’an’s pupils contracted sharply.
The Artifact Refinery, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, and the auction house did business with one another regularly. He trusted that Luo Qian would not deceive him over something like this.
The terrifying spiritual perception that had made his hair stand on end earlier was most likely a warning from that second-grade alchemist hidden in the shadows. If he dared lay a hand on Qin Liang, he might already have been killed and left without a head.
At the thought, Geng Zi’an’s mind reeled, and he nearly fainted.
“Master!”
An apprentice from the Artifact Refinery came running over and reported, “Master Chen just sent word from the chamber where he is secluded. If Young Master Qin wishes to leave, no one is to stop him.”
“So it was all a misunderstanding!”
Geng Zi’an did not dare delay. Remembering that Qin Liang had an alchemist behind him—and might already have begun studying alchemy—he hurriedly put on a conciliatory smile.
“I happen to have an unused pill furnace. Please accept it as an apology.”
“I sincerely regret this misunderstanding. Young Master Qin, you must accept it.”
Jiang Xuehan looked at Qin Liang with a strange expression. She had no idea what he had done. Only moments ago, Master Geng had been imposing and aggressive; now he was lowering himself so humbly and even offering an Origin Weapon-grade pill furnace.
“This…”
Qin Liang keenly realized that Luo Qian must have said something. Otherwise, Geng Zi’an would never have changed his attitude so completely.
“In that case, I’ll accept it,” Qin Liang said without hesitation.
He openly accepted the pill furnace and left the Artifact Refinery with Jiang Xuehan.
“Young Master Qin, come visit us whenever you have the time!”
Geng Zi’an waved at Qin Liang’s departing back. Only after he could no longer see them did he let out a long breath, nearly collapsing from relief.
Both of them had gained something from their trip to the Artifact Refinery, and Qin Liang was quite satisfied.
After leaving the Artifact Refinery, Qin Liang asked Jiang Xuehan to return home first while he followed Luo Qian toward the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
“Steward Luo, you came looking for me in such a hurry. Just tell me what happened.”
Once they reached a secluded place, Qin Liang did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
Luo Qian said, “Please inform Young Master Qin that we have found a lead on the Ice Spirit Grass. It is listed in the auction three days from now. You will need to bid for it.”
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