NOVEL NEXT Gazing Chen Pavilion had its unique way to deliver message and muddy the water. Therefore, a blackmail from some mystery person was sent to Chen’s three days later—Thirty million high quality spirit stones for Chen Mo’s life!
No spirit stones, no life!
Thirty million high quality spirit stones were neither more of less for a big family to afford easily. Besides, Chen Mo’s special identity as the young chief of Chen’s ensured the success of the kidnap because the message was spread out, it would be a shame for Chen’s not to redeem him.
Chen’s chief master felt so furious that his teeth were almost gnashed into pieces, cursing secretly that this worthless thing should left the family for the evil spawn. Chen Mo was clear at the beginning that the bastard had thrown his junior brother home with his legs broken yet he still left the whole family behind just for the bastard. Now, he should still incur such a trouble for the family!
Totally trash without conscience!
‘Redeem him! Break his legs once he’s back home!’
Chen family wouldn’t know the thirty million spirit stones was just a start before more unexpected would greet them.
However, Chen Mo was totally ignorant of Chen’s reactions. He was right detained at the branch of Gazing Chen Pavilion and treated with dainty dishes and good spirit liquors on the white jade table. The rich aroma drifting into his nose, induced his sense of smell to surrender and have a try.
Beside Chen Mo, two beauties in yarn clothes stood still after serving him the liquor. And another two played Qin (a seven-stringed plucked instrument in some ways similar to the zither) or blew Xiao (a vertical bamboo flute) behind the yarn screen, with the tune lingering in the room continuously. Presently, all contributed to an extravagant scene!
But Chen Mo remained frozen, with his face much dim, “What do you want? Just go straight to the point!”
“Well, we should thank fate for bringing us together. Why does brother Chen have to be so callous?” Bai Yi took a sip of the liquor and entertained him with enthusiasm, “If you felt bored, this little brother is willing to play go chess with you.”
Chen Mo kept silent, the blue veins in his forehead throbbing. He finally understood why Mu Chen felt annoyed at his teasing in view of the current situation caused by the person in front of him who was more unreasonable and obstinate!
At this moment, a servant holding a box came over and reported respectfully, “My Lord, God-killing Hall receives a new order that someone affords three million spirit stones for Palace Master Mu’s life.”
“Mu Chen’s life?” Chen Mo was shocked.
Bai Yi waved his hand indifferently, “Since Pills Concocting Competition starts, more and more competitors came to buy Palace Master Mu’s life in higher and higher prices. Accept the money and kill the other in accordance with the old rules. There is no such thing to refuse spirit stones right at the door.” He grabbed the abacus beside him and stretched his hand to crackle it, nodding with great satisfaction, ‘Money comes in!’
Only the dumb ass wouldn’t earn the money right at hand! Even breaking the skeleton of a dead person could contribute to a few drips of oil, not to mention people alive.
Chen Mo ventured, “Won’t your lord be scared to damage Gazing Chen Pavilion’s prestige?”
“Our Lord certainly won’t do that. Palace Master Mu is his sweetheart, so he surely will protect him well.”
“I’m saying your real lord.”
“Alas! Every single word you’re saying sounds confusing. We only have one lord.” Bai Yi answered seriously, his eyes opening wide as if saying bluntly “look at my pure eyes of sincerity”. But Chen Mo just took a more skeptical view to his attitude, waving the sleeves furiously and sitting beside the window.
Bai Yi clapped his hands, signaling for the maids to serve this distinguished guest well without any desolation.
Chen Mo went dark again, with an impulse to throw the table.
Mu Chen, however, was confused why Chen Mo hadn’t come to visit him for so long a time since they were both at Pill City. But this doubt didn’t exist too long before Gu Yunjue attracted all his attention.
“Master, come here and sit down. This disciple is going to push you in this chair around for sightseeing.”
“Where did you get this chair?” Mu Chen refused Gu coldly. This evil disciple should become fond of the pushing chair game and flew anywhere with the chair. It just couldn’t be more shameful!
Although the chair was quite comfortable and could shift in sizes for either lying or sitting and able to float in the air without extra help, Mu Chen just felt embarrassed to receive so much attention sitting on it.
Nevertheless, Gu Yunjue asserted eloquently the falsehood, his face being so serious that no one could perceive his robbery. “I bought it. A few days before, I bought a catalogue on which listed bunches of good stuff in selling. And they deliver whatever hit customers’ fancy. This chair costs many spirit stones!”
Mu Chen suddenly felt regretful giving his disciple too much pocket money. Now that he bought this chair, he might bring more strange things to him later on.
“Master, come and sit down!”
“No!”
“Come on!”
“No!”
“I won’t leave you alone to move this chair. Instead, I’ll push it for you!”
“I’ve said no! You are going to defy your master? How dare you!” Mu Chen lifted the foot, kicked little disciple in his shin and tramped on it in succession, quite detesting the idea. But he didn’t know that his being like that attracted Gu Yunjue’s more desire to tease him. The two were playing delightfully when there came several knocks on the door.
Mu Chen took the chance and gave Gu another kick in his thigh, ordering him solemnly, “Open the door!”
Gu Yunjue had no choice but to put down the chair with much regret.
There at the door stood a middle-aged man with both robe and crown in black, who exhibited quite imposing an aura in his strapping build. He was no stranger to all in Pill City—the City Master, Bo Yuntian.
Mu Chen stood up and looked at the visitor surprisingly. With his identity and age taken into consideration, Master of Pill City should condescend to visit a pill cultivator.
In Mu Chen’s memories, he should only have intersection with Pill City in herb transactions decades later in his last life. City Master Bo was exactly a representative of those who were rich but silly. Every time Mu Chen bought herbs from City Master Bo, this man would give Mu a half discount generously and many collateral gifts. Mu Chen certainly didn’t know Bo Jinyu in his last life according his disposition. As he wouldn’t go around Pill City nor watch the competition among the four sects, he certainly wouldn’t meet with this coquettish lantern.
However, the other seemed quite complicated with surprise, nostalgia and incredibility mixing in his eyes, “You should look so alike with that person. Is your mother named Chen Yixin? I’m her sworn brother.”
Mu Chen nodded but didn’t know what to say. He wanted to stop the conversation of this topic. However, the other hadn’t mentioned his father while started from his mother’s old friend as well as his elder, so Mu Chen couldn’t just evict Bo out but to stand still coldly without saying a word.
Gu Yunjue edged to make space for the other to come in.
Bo Yuntian walked in, found a chair himself and sat down, looking at Mu Chen’s face while recalling memories, “One hundred years ago, your father had entrusted me to conceal your origin and take care of you as my son before things went wrong with him. But your mother was loath to deprive your family name Mu and insisted to take you back to Chen’s. After a hundred years, you’ve grown up now.”
Mu Chen’s eyes flashed slightly and then calmed down as he heard the three words, “things went wrong”.
Bo Yuntian asked with concerns, “How is your mother doing?”
Mu Chen responded coldly, “My mother died a hundred years ago. I don’t want to hear anything about the older generation. City Master Bo needn’t to mention it anymore.”
“Passed…away. How could that be?” Bo Yuntian stood up out of shock, “Ten years ago I met with your uncle who said your mother was in seclusion.”
Mu Chen sneered, full of contempt in his eyes, ‘I was a bastard who had disrupted the bloodline of Chen’s and persecuted his talented sister. If he acknowledged his little sister had died, people would aske the reason and eventually knew the existence of me. How could he recognize me? Absolutely not!’
Seeing Mu Chen’s expression, Bo Yuntian began to know that he had been deceived by Chen’s chief.
After Chen Yixin secluded from the world, her son adopted the father’s family name and was apprenticed by the best pill concoctor in the world. With unparallel endowments and bright prospect, he afterwards became the youngest grand elder within the sect and the noble master of the palace who took in charge of the whole Yanyang Palace. Now, everyone had to pay respect to this marvelous pill concoctor.
Bo Yuntian had discussed with his wife emotionally that his young sworn brother had a qualified successor but his cognition was entirely overturned after he saw Mu Chen.
“I see.” Bo Yuntian’s face went gloomy, “You can come for help anytime you want. I heartily wish you call me adoptive father rather than City Master Bo.”
His eyelids twitching, Mu Chen felt an impulse to turn against him. Certainly, everyone would be annoyed if someone just came in a sudden and said “I’m your adoptive father”.
As soon as Bo Yuntian left, he told the minion following him, “Go to the Chen’s and make a thorough investigation of the past. What truly happened that year? How could Chen Yixin be dead?”
“City Master, Chen’s is a big family. In case we offend them…” The minion bit his tongue, his worry easily heard in the words.
“They’d better weigh it up in their mind before they offend Pill City.” Bo Yuntian clenched his fist, feeling fury burning in his chest, “Chen Yi, the despicable and fickle bastard. From now on, triple the prices of all pills selling to Chen’s!”
*
Seeing Mu Chen lost in thought again, Gu Yunjue tutted and asked with concerns, “Since Master cares, why not make it clear by asking him directly?”
“Who cares? You treacherous disciple!” Mu Chen turned on him directly, “Virtually nonsense!”
Gu Yunjue couldn’t help smiling, “Right, I’m talking nonsense. Master doesn’t care at all!”
Mu Chen looked down at his almost transparent nails. Actually, he did care, but thought there was no need to figure it out anymore. Now he had something more valuable to care about. Thinking that, he lifted his hand and patted little disciple again. However, this little “thing” was exceeding what was proper day after day.
Mu Chen hadn’t expected that both the father and the son of Bo’s were good at pestering others.
Bo Yuntian sent things to them, not something priceless but food or toys for kids. One day they even received an ugly wooden figure. It was said that City Master Bo craved it himself. Every time Mu Chen saw it he would twitch the corner of his mouth, thinking secretly that the nuisance Bo Jinyu absolutely resembled his father!
At the very beginning of a new year, Bo Jinyu came to him again. He hid himself behind the doorway like a child with his head out and asked mincingly, “Mu Chen, would you like to concoct pills together?”
The tone sounded like he was asking ‘would you like to play together?’
Mu Chen felt a faint headache, ‘What a bad luck! If I had known the nuisance is so clingy, I wouldn’t have saved him and would simply let the devil cultivator catch him!’
Bo Jinyu continued, “I have prepared many herbs, about three hundred shares. I have also bought a pill prescription but don’t know whether the pill can be made out successfully.”
Mu Chen raised his brows, feeling kind of tempted.
Bo Jinyu took out a Wasteland Bull Horn, “Look! It’s the top herb treasured by my Senior Bother and quite rare.”
Mu Chen nodded coldly, “I’ll go with you!”
Gu Yunjue moved the chair over again. Mu Chen twitched the corner of his mouth, feeling an impulse to beat him again.
Mu Chen was totally different from Bo Jinyu in concocting pills. In order not to break the other’s furnace again, Mu Chen took out his own furnace which was a big black one inscribed with antique patterns but of unknown material and quality.
There were eight corners around the furnace, each lying a floppy triceratops. It didn’t look good but had an advantage of extraordinary solidness that it wouldn’t explode anytime.
Bo Jinyu sized it up curiously, “Puff! So ugly!”
Mu Chen snorted, “It’s useless to look good. An embroidered pillow looks nice and smooth-surfaced outside while has nothing but straws inside.”
Bo Jinyue nodded, “That’s right! The donkey at the mill produces smooth-surfaced dungs, but with straws inside its stomach.”
His eyesight being subtle, Mu Chen felt a little guilty to bully such an idiot.
Gu Yunjue stood aside and tried hard to force back laughter, ‘Little master was satirizing him to be beautiful in appearance but dull in reality but the other didn’t get it.’ On the other side, Mu Chen was throwing herbs into the furnace while asking Bo Jinyu with solicitude as he would treat a retarded, “What kind of orders have you taken again?”
Bo Jinyu took out a pile of orders and said domineeringly, “I’ve taken every order of concocting pills.”
Mu Chen looked at him with the same solicitude for an idiot, “I deeply doubt your capacity.”
“So I ask you for help!”
Mu Chen pursed his lips, ‘When did we get along so well with each other?’
“Oh right, the herb you asked me to inquire about is all here.” Bo Jinyu took out a spun gold bag, “It’s said that the best part was bought by Gazing Chen Pavilion. This part was intended to be used as an award, but my father sent me to give it to you for free after he heard you want it.”
“I’ll pay you double the price.” Mu Chen took over the bag and picked with fingers a piece of coral-like herb which was lush green with spirit air seemingly flowing around it. However, there was a grey bruise at the root that devalued the herb in the whole.
Mu Chen frowned disappointedly, “It is of too poor quality to be used.”
The Jade Zoysia Pungens he got in his last life was definitely better than this one. Gazing Chen Pavilion bought it prior to him by chance or on purpose?
Gu Yunjue’s eyes went dim, ‘Master is sensitive enough to see something. If he should discover some clues, I wouldn’t be able to explain myself even with several mouths. And it would be far from good to leak the information that I also reincarnate together with him.’
By then, Gu wouldn’t be able to cling to his master like a child and the efforts he’d made before would be in vain. If an adult, even his disciple, meant to approach him, Mu Chen would definitely be irritated.
Right at this time, Gu Yunjue suddenly sensed a familiar devilish air. He stood up and looked outside the window, with a certain worry hidden in his eyes, ‘What brings him here?’