Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  Chapter 429 - With Pleasure

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  Chapter 429: With Pleasure

  While Hui Yue and his family were busy cultivating in the calm room, outside in Muchuan City everyone was in an uproar. The information about the miraculous pill that could make anyone with enough perseverance into a King ranked expert was simply inconceivable.

  While the big families started considering how to get their hands on these pills, others started to fear that Hui Yue would use them to build an army for himself or maybe even give them to members of the families he had connections with.

  They wanted these pills more than anything, yet at the same time they did not want anyone else to gain these pills, and soon due to this a large group of people felt enmity towards Hui Yue. This pill was the most outstanding medicine they had ever seen before, but with it, a river of blood would flow. It was fortunate that the pill from the contest had already been used because otherwise, no one would be able to decide what to do with such a pill. Even the grandmasters would stoop to stealing when it came to something like this. If they could, they would be able to understand quite a lot from examining the pill. Even if they could not figure out a way to copy the formula they would at least be able to make pills that increased one’s cultivation base or pills that allowed cultivators to jump one or two ranks.

  At first, only a few people went to Hui Yue's mansion in the hopes of getting an audience with the master alchemist, but the guards would only say that Hui Yue was current not present and that they could not do anything. Still, no one left, everyone stayed and waited for the master of the mansion to return. As they waited more and more people appeared to see Hui Yue.

  Two days later Hui Yue finished cultivating, and when he opened his eyes, a smile appeared on his lips. Leaving the mansion, he went outside to meet his audience. Standing on the stairs, he looked out at the two hundred cultivators who had been stubborn enough to wait for him.

  "Good day everyone, I apologize for not meeting you all earlier. Creating the Silvermoon's Pill took a great toll on my body, and I needed to heal." He began, and his words caused the mad experts to lose most of their anger. What he said made perfect sense, and the experts felt slightly guilty for having cursed at him these past few days. It was only natural that something as outstanding as this pill had a high cost to create it.

  "I am sure you are all here for the Silvermoon's Pill, and I would gladly craft these pills for all of you." Hui Yue continued, and his words caused everyone to be deeply shocked. Everyone was stunned into silence by his words. They had all expected that he would adamantly decline to make any more of the pills and they had come prepared with arguments to persuade him, yet now he said that he would gladly concoct them.

  While some families were ecstatic, others narrowed their eyes. They were unable to believe him and waited for what he would want in return.

  "I will gladly craft this pill for you. However, I do not have any more of the materials." Hui Yue continued, "I had enough to create three pills. While the first two were given to my wonderful children, the final one was created for the annual alchemist’s contest. If you wish for me to concoct this pill for you, then you have to get your hands on the ingredients needed."

  Hearing this, some of the experts were relieved. Finding herbs was a tedious task, but it was still possible. Even the rarest of herbs would be found from time to time, and Hui Yue had just said that as long as someone managed to get the ingredients then he would create the pill.

  "The herbs I need can be found within these memory stones." Hui Yue said as he traded out one memory stone after another. More and more blue lights shone in front of Hui Yue's mansion, and frowns appeared on the faces of the experts. The majority of the herbs were some they had never heard about or even seen before while some of them were known to be incredibly rare.

  Hui Yue had added some herbs from the grave alongside some ultra rare herbs. This way Hui Yue would not lose out even if he had to create a few Silvermoon's Pills.

  Everyone, having seen the pills rushed away from the mansion and began to search high and low for the various herbs. It only took a few moments before the entire city knew which kind of herbs it was that Hui Yue needed to create a Silvermoon's Pill.

  The Black Market Auction House and the Alchemist Guild found that their stockpiles were once more emptied of certain herbs. Afterwards, when they found out that these herbs were needed for Silvermoon's Pill, all of them felt cheated for not requesting an even higher price for the precious herbs.

  "These herbs must originate from Shenyuan!" Someone came to this conclusion and soon groups of mercenaries and families alike headed towards the dangerous lands, hoping to return with herbs that they could sell for a fortune.

  While the city was in turmoil, Hui Yue was calmly waiting for Sha Yun to return. He cultivated, spent time concocting medicinal pills, and creating various things such as weapons, inscriptions, and runes which increased his Metal affinity.

  Lao and Jo went back to attend the Royal Academy after the annual pill auction ended, but they were told that they could no longer attend. The headmaster said that their cultivation was not due to their own efforts, and therefore they were no longer members of his academy.

  Hearing this, Lao snorted. He had proven his ability before he consumed the pill, and although the pill was the reason for their rapid improvement, it had required quite a lot of them to breakthrough. Even so, neither Lao nor Jo minded too much and without saying anything the two turned around returning home. At the mansion, they started cultivating together.

  Many of the herbs from the grave had been taken by Hui Yue, but he had not been able to get all of them, and suddenly the herbs from the tomb started to emerge. They were always sold at the Black Market Auction House, and their prices would easily soar to two spirit coins or more, an outstanding amount for a single herb.

  It had taken three weeks before the first person appeared in front of Hui Yue's mansion with a shaking heart and hopeful eyes.

  "I am the patriarch of the Zhou family, please let me inside. I have brought with me the materials requested to make a Silvermoon's Pill, alongside a reward to master Hui Yue as thanks for his help. If you concoct me the pill then I, Zhou Wang, owe master Hui Yue a favor."

  His voice reverberated through the many mansions and Hui Yue instantly heard it, alongside the entire city. Everyone waited curiously to see whether or not Hui Yue would keep his word and create the pill.

  A soon as the words had been spoken the gate opened and Hui Yue appeared in front of them. "Please come inside." He said and gestured for the Zhou Patriarch to follow him.

  "Your gift is truly extravagant." Hui Yue said shocked as he saw that it was a purse with ten spirit coins. Although this amount of money was not too outstanding, it was still a lot considering this expert would owe Hui Yue a favor. To be honest, Hui Yue did not care about the coins, but he did care about the favor.

  Clapping his hands, servants appeared and together the two experts moved to the library. "It will take me a full seven to nine hours to refine the pill. During that time, I cannot be interrupted. You are welcome to stay in the library until I have finished or come back in nine or so hours."

  "I’ll wait in the library. I look forward to seeing you in a few hours." The patriarch said with a nod. He was truly very worried. Although Hui Yue had managed to create the pill before there was always a chance that he would fail in concocting the pill, and if even the slightest interruption occurred, all the materials would be wasted.

  Although it was easy to say that it had gone wrong, Hui Yue put his full effort into creating Silvermoon's Pill for the Zhou Patriarch. The favor was what he truly wanted, and thus he had to create the pill.

  Hour after hour passed and while Hui Yue was focused on refining and merging medicinal pastes and energies, the Zhou family patriarch, who had intended to read some books, found himself too nervous to really focus on reading or cultivating.

  Time flew by for Hui Y
ue as he refined while time crept by at a snail’s pace for the Zhou Patriarch. Soon seven hours had passed. Then eight hours went by, and finally as the ninth hour came to an end, Hui Yue reentered the library with a jade bottle in his hands.

  Staring at the bottle, the patriarch felt his mouth dry out as he tried to ask if he had succeeded, but all he managed was a squeak.

  "Don't worry master Zhou." Hui Yue said with a smile as he gave the jade vial to Zhou Wang who quickly opened it. Within was a glistening pill and a very heavy scent wafted out.

  "Thank you. Thank you so much Master Hui!" The Zhou Patriarch said while truly shocked and elated. The pill had been a success, and he was now capable of returning home in high spirits. He had not wasted their materials nor had he been tricked by this young man.

  "My pleasure." Hui Yue smiled. He had gained a favor from one of the most outstanding families within Muchuan City while also gaining some very rare herbs he was currently unable to obtain.

  The Zhou Patriarch looked at Hui Yue with gratitude in his eyes. "Should we get the materials for another pill then we will trouble you once again." He said with a nod before he left the mansion.

  The word quickly spread through town that Hui Yue had crafted Silvermoon's Pill for the Zhou family. Now everyone truly knew that Hui Yue really would make the pills as long as the materials were provided. This made a second uproar appear as the ones who had hesitated to gather the herbs suddenly understood that they needed to work hard to catch up with the other families because everyone wanted Silvermoon's Pill.

  Hui Yue did not mind this too much. Instead, he just kept training and waiting. As one day took another, he had successfully concocted three Silvermoon’s Pills and the month had finally passed by. It was now time for Sha Yun to return and hope was evident in Hui Yue's eyes, hope, and anticipation. He could not wait for his friends to be together again. It had been far too long, and he would now finally have the chance to once again see his good friend. As for what the Frozen General wanted, Hui Yue had no idea but was slightly worried. The Frozen General was not someone Hui Yue could take lightly and therefore he spent all his time training his mind and his body.

  Chapter 430 - Arriving in Muchuan City

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  Chapter 430: Arriving in Muchuan City

  "What do you mean the inn is full? There is no one in the restaurant! How can your inn be full?!" The merchant said clearly in a bad mood. He had traveled all the way from the Yueliang Provence and finally arrived in Muchuan City only to see that the inn he favored refused to let anyone in.

  "I am very sorry sir, but the inn really is fully booked!" The servant said with a pleading expression in his eyes. "An expert arrived yesterday and booked the entire inn for the next two weeks. Although we appreciate the patronage of our regular customers, this expert cannot be insulted. I am sorry, but please find another inn for now."

  The merchant couldn’t do anything as the servant kept refusing him. Eventually, the merchant had no other option than to leave, cursing his bad luck and whomever it was that had rented out the entire inn.

  Seeing the merchant leave, the servant heaved a heavy sigh of relief. His hands were shaking, and sweat had soaked his clothes. There was nothing he wished more than to have the current guests gone, but he dared not offend them.

  Two days before a handsome young man had appeared. By his side was a snake-woman and behind him was a group of ten experts. These experts all had a cold air around them, and their eyes seemed as if they registered nothing they saw. Their hair was white, and their skin like snow.

  None of these experts had eaten anything since they had arrived. They had said nothing and just took on the task of protecting and guarding the handsome young man and the snake-woman.

  To the servant, these experts seemed dead, but even so, they were still able to function like normal humans. This scared every servant within the inn deeply, but no one dared to say anything. All they could do was to keep doing their chores like normal and work to serve the two normal people of the party.

  "So my dear Yun, we are back in Muchuan City now." Zhong Fai said as he plucked a few grapes from a bowl of fruit standing by his side. "How does it feel to be back home?"

  Sha Yun, looking at Zhong Fai, said nothing but shrugged her shoulders. She had been living with the Frozen General for quite some time now, and she knew perfectly well that he had been the one who massacred her group within the Grave of the Unknown and took her prisoner. Even so, she had a hard time blaming him.

  Despite her circumstances he had never mistreated her, nor had he ever declined any request of hers. He had even gone so far as to tell her that as soon as Hui Yue won this alchemist’s contest, he would personally escort her home.

  While Sha Yun had been treated well, Zhong Fai had only one thing he wanted her to tell him about, and that was Hui Yue. At first, Sha Yun did not wish to answer any questions about Hui Yue, but as time passed, she felt more and more at home in the Frozen Mansion. The more comfortable she felt, the more information he was able to get out of her, and eventually the Frozen General knew everything about Hui Yue that Sha Yun herself knew.

  "Now that we are back will you convince Hui Yue that you are the love of his life?" Zhong Fai asked with a gleam in his eye and a smile on his face as he noticed that Sha Yun was blushing.

  "I fear that I am too late." She said as she controlled her emotions and shook her head, "although I love Yue, I know that he loves Wang Ju Long. I have been gone for so long, and they have gone through many things together without me being here. It is only natural that they are closer now than they were before."

  "Even if he loves one person, who is to say that he cannot love another?" Zhong Fai asked curiously, and his words stumped Sha Yun before she shook her head. "I don't know if we are capable of sharing him. We don’t have a good relationship." She said while opening her mouth to say something else but closing it again.

  "It doesn't matter. As long as I can be of use to Yue, then I am grateful. He took me from the forests and showed me the world outside. I owe him everything; he has never treated me like a beast before. He has always been kind towards me as though I were a true human. To be treated this well, how could I possibly try and want for more?" Sha Yun asked, her words as much for herself as they were for Zhong Fai.

  "I see. Well if you need help, just call you uncle Fai here to help you. I am sure that I can make it possible for you to capture the heart of any handsome young man." He said with laughter and his words caused Sha Yun to laugh out loud as well. Having lived in the Frozen Mansion for as long as Sha Yun had she had understood that although Zhong Fai looked handsome and young, he was indeed very old. He was even older than Old Snake who was the king of the magical forest where she came from. Calling him uncle Fai suited his age, but not his appearance.

  Sha Yun was aware of the bet between Zhong Fai and Hui Yue. That she would be returned home if he won the contest, but she also knew that although Hui Yue was told that if he failed, she would be killed, Zhong Fai had no intention of killing her. She was the only thing which could help him get closer to Hui Yue, and killing her would cripple his own chances of any amicable relationship between the two.

  "Why are you so obsessed with Yue?" Sha Yun suddenly asked, her face frowning and her eyes uneasy. She knew that Zhong Fai was incredibly strong, so for him to take such an interest in another person was without a doubt something she did not expect. There had to be a reason behind it, but even til now she had never understood nor asked about it. Being in the Frozen Mansion she never dared to ask, but now they were in familiar surroundings she felt much braver.

  "I know you think it is an unhealthy interest." Zhong Fai said as he mused for a bit. "I am currently known as the Frozen General to everyone within this plane. I am known as a supreme expert here; a person which no one can defeat. I am on the same level as Wan Qiao and Li Xiaopeng. But the truth is that the three of us are nothing more than Saints. We might be strong for Saints, but that is our limit.
We are bound to this place and cannot travel to the various other worlds that are out there." Zhong Fai's voice faded as he looked into the distance.

  "This world is not controlled by the most powerful Saints but by An He and his Generals. What I wish is to fly freely and experiences the many vast worlds out there!"

  "I wish to breakthrough into the God rank, but to do so, I need something specific. Normally, this is something impossible for me to gain, but if it’s Hui Yue… It might be possible. One day you'll know. I’m sure you will be there when we get what I need." He smiled, and Sha Yun nodded her head.

  She asked no more questions; instead, she just waited for Zhong Fai to no longer be deep in thought about this mysterious something he needed.

  In Sha Yun's heart, Zhong Fai had turned into a good friend of hers. She really wanted Hui Yue and the Frozen General to become friends and work together. She was sure that Hui Yue would benefit from such an arrangement.

  "We are back in Muchuan City, how come you haven't already rushed to Hui Yue's side?" The Frozen General asked curiously as he leaned back into his chair. Looking at Sha Yun, his eyes glistened with amusement, and he could not help but wait to hear her answer. "I am your prisoner, remember?" Sha Yun joked back but deep inside she was nervous.