"Liars? It seems you're not convinced." The door creaked open, and from within stepped a公子 of gentle elegance, carrying an air of otherworldly grace. His light blue robes flowed like water, masking the faint chill emanating from him.
He walked with graceful steps to stand before the instigators. "Coward? Liar? Are you sure you're talking about me?"
The person before him was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, though his face flushed red as he stammered, "It's all a misunderstanding."
"That's right, we're talking about you. Do you think just because you claim to be a divine-grade alchemist, you actually are one?" But among them, another youth's eyes flickered with jealousy. Why? How could this man be so handsome, a thousand times more so than himself?
See, jealousy isn't limited to women; even men can't escape it.
"Whether you believe me or not is none of my concern." Ye Lanshan looked up, his eyes calm, unprovoked by their words.
"Unless you prove to us on the spot that you're a divine-grade alchemist, we'll beat you out of the valley even if we have to fight." The youth named Lü Jidao shouted, backed by several discontented faces. It seemed even the valley master's words couldn't sway them.
"Lü Jidao, that's enough. I believe Master Shanluo is not what you say." The youth who had just arrogantly called him a coward now defended him with a red face.
"Coward, liar—who said those words? Weren't they from your mouth first? Now you're turning on us? Hah." Lü Jidao sneered, looking at him with contempt.
"Exactly, Zhou Zizhi, you started this. Are you betraying us now?" Others also voiced their displeasure at his behavior.
"I, I didn't mean it that way. I'm saying we might have misunderstood Master Shanluo. Someone as refined and gentle as him couldn't be what we described." Zhou Zizhi stammered, his tone nervous and flustered.
"I'm so disappointed in you." Lü Jidao snorted at him, then turned to Ye Lanshan. "I challenge you. If you can beat me in alchemy, whether you're a divine-grade alchemist or not, we'll let you off."
"A challenge? I decline." Ye Lanshan was busy improving his strength; he had no time for such childish games.
"What, refusing the challenge? Are you scared? Afraid? What did I say?" Lü Jidao mocked, his eyes fierce.
The other youths also glared at Ye Lanshan, eager to drive him out of the valley.
A fist suddenly shot out, but Ye Lanshan dodged it easily. Lü Jidao, due to momentum, stumbled forward and fell flat on the ground.
"You—" He scrambled up, glaring at Ye Lanshan as if he wanted to kill him.
Ye Lanshan looked at him speechlessly and said flatly, "You charged at me yourself." Meaning, you came at me to attack; am I not allowed to dodge?
"How thrilling." Applause rang out as a man wearing a demon mask and clad in black robes stepped in, exuding a fierce, demonic aura.
His eyes were cold, yet within that coldness lay a hint of softness—a contradictory feeling, as if struggling between good and evil, unable to break free.
"Why not compete with him? If you're a divine-grade alchemist, what's there to fear?" The man spoke coolly, but his voice was pleasant—not like pearls falling on a jade plate, nor like temple bells, but a calm, magnetic tone that was simply soothing.
This man is no ordinary person, Ye Lanshan judged from the first glance.
As for the other youths, they all recoiled in terror at the sight of him, afraid he might use some cruel method against them. After all, this man was someone they couldn't afford to provoke—he could do as he pleased in the valley, wielding even more power than the valley master.
Indeed, this was the same man who had watched Ye Lanshan fight Luo Yongwu from the tree yesterday: Sikong Feihe.
"Right, Master. Since we have nothing better to do, why not spar with them?" Cangzhu lifted his head, his eyes burning with anger at the insults they had hurled at him.
"I'll compete with you, but since it's a contest, there should be a stake." Ye Lanshan, who had planned to showcase his skills at the exchange meeting, changed his mind. Perhaps gaining their trust early was more important, and it would only cost him a few hours of cultivation time—no big loss.
But even so, he wouldn't compete for nothing. Wasting so much effort on alchemy for a mere contest without any benefit wasn't his style.
Well, don't blame him for being so practical now. The enemies were too strong, and he had to devote all his time to boosting his strength and expanding his influence. Alchemy could wait until the Sikong family was fully under his control.
"A stake? Fine. If you lose, cripple your own meridians and get out of the Medical Valley." Since you're offering yourself up for humiliation, don't blame me for being ruthless, Lü Jidao thought, his fear tinged with venom.
He believed Ye Lanshan's demand for a stake was just a ploy to make them believe he was a divine-grade alchemist, to scare them off from the challenge. But he wouldn't fall for it.
Ye Lanshan nodded indifferently at this—after all, he wouldn't lose. But Sikong Feihe frowned, his eyes shooting daggers at Lü Jidao, making the latter shrink back.
"And if I win?"
"If you win, I'll cripple my own meridians and leave the Medical Valley." Lü Jidao scoffed, utterly convinced that this absurdly handsome man couldn't beat him. He was a prodigy among the new generation, with talent surpassing even Chensen, nearly unmatched among his peers.
"Such a boring stake. I don't need you to cripple your meridians. Just hand over all your possessions, including herbs and pills."
Crippling his meridians and leaving the valley—what good would that do him? At best, it would remove one annoying person. Cold, hard cash was far more practical.
"Fine, it's a deal."
Lü Jidao produced a massive alchemy furnace, clearly no ordinary item, and summoned flames in his hand—an even more powerful strange fire than Cangzhu's.
It seemed this guy did have some skill. But then again, if he didn't, he wouldn't be so arrogant as to challenge him.