Chapter 107: Chapter 108: Pill Formula Completion

The snow, far from stopping, had only grown heavier.

Watching Tributor Li lean against the Pill Furnace, his body slowly tilting before finally collapsing into the snow, everyone fell silent, their gazes filled with shock. The heavy snowfall seemed to muffle all sound.

Their gazes were filled with shock.

"This... this is bad!"

Hu Yao’s scalp went numb. ’This is a complete disaster!’

"How did it come to this!"

Lu Yi’s eyes widened. He subconsciously took two steps forward, then stopped.

However, he didn’t blame Chen Che.

Just as Tributor Li himself had said, the events of today could only be suppressed temporarily. The conflict would inevitably erupt again, perhaps even more violently than now. In this situation, Lu Yi himself—or anyone else present—would have made the same choice as Chen Che.

It was just that...

He hadn’t expected Chen Che to be so decisive. ’How am I supposed to explain this to the Valley Master?’

"Tributor Chen!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Lu Yi let out a long sigh and gave Chen Che a deep look.

"Come back to the valley with me. You must see the Valley Master!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Che saw several Late Stage disciples place their hands on the hilts of their weapons as Lu Yi spoke.

"Master, please see the truth!"

Hu Yao quickly stepped in front of Chen Che.

"Everyone saw it with their own eyes! It was all Tributor Li’s doing! He threatened Tributor Chen first, forcing him into a fight to the death. Tributor Chen had no choice!"

"Be that as it may, this matter is too serious. It’s no longer something I can decide. I must report to the Valley Master!"

Lu Yi slowly shook his head. If a Steward had died, he could have easily suppressed the matter.

But a Tributor was only half a rank below him in the valley. Moreover, this was someone Ye Jingzhou had personally recruited. Not to mention, Tributor Li had been working to complete a Pill Formula for the Valley Master. Now that he was dead, Chen Che had to give the Valley Master an explanation.

However, since Chen Che was also a Tributor, Lu Yi could only try to reassure him.

"Tributor Chen, rest assured. I will report tonight’s events exactly as they happened. The Valley Master is wise and principled. Once he understands the situation, he will certainly not make things difficult for you."

The moment he finished speaking, the disciples who had their hands on their weapons all advanced in unison. Two of them even reached for Chen Che’s shoulders.

"Master!"

Chen Che took a step back to dodge them as Hu Yao cried out in alarm, trying to dissuade them again.

The few Late Stage disciples glared at him like tigers stalking their prey, their expressions hostile.

Lu Yi slowly shook his head.

"Tributor Chen, don’t make this difficult for me."

Lu Yi’s voice was firm and left no room for refusal. Chen Che frowned as he saw the disciples closing in on him.

’This isn’t going to end well!’

Chen Che cursed inwardly. If it came to this, his only option was to betray Jinyun Valley.

"There’s no need. I already know what happened."

Just as the situation was about to explode, Ye Jingzhou, dressed in a white robe and radiating an ethereal, sagely air, stepped into the clearing. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gave the body of Tributor Li, now just a mound of snow, a cold glance.

"For this matter, the blame lies entirely with the two Li Brothers."

"Valley Master!"

Lu Yi’s expression shifted slightly. He quickly cupped his hands and said:

"You already know about this?"

"Valley Master!"

Upon seeing Ye Jingzhou, everyone dropped to one knee. Chen Che lowered his head slightly and cupped his hands in a salute.

"Mm."

Ye Jingzhou gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. His expression was placid as he looked at Lu Yi, betraying no hint of pleasure or anger.

"Li Hong colluded with Loose Cultivators to harm members of our valley; he deserved death! Tributor Li then used this matter to threaten others with his own life; he deserved death as well!"

Chu Gong and the others exchanged glances, relief evident on their faces.

This declaration meant the Valley Master would not pursue the matter further.

Hu Yao looked as if he had been granted a great pardon, and Chen Che also breathed a sigh of relief internally.

Against Lu Yi, he might have been able to escape by relying on his Divine Sense. But if Ye Jingzhou were to make a move against him, he would likely be in serious trouble.

Just as he was thinking this, Ye Jingzhou looked over at him, his tone surprisingly gentle.

"Tributor Chen, you’ve been working hard participating in the search for the medicine-stealing Demon Beast. Go back and get some rest. Hu Yao, escort Tributor Chen. We wouldn’t want any Tribulation Cultivators from outside the valley to try anything against him."

"Thank you, Valley Master!"

...

...

After everyone else had left, Lu Yi bowed and pleaded for punishment. "Valley Master, I failed in my duties. Please punish me! If I had been able to stop Tributor Chen from acting, perhaps this wouldn’t have..."

"You can stop him once, but can you stop him forever?"

Ye Jingzhou slowly shook his head, glancing at the corpse on the ground with a look of disgust.

"He was already bent on a fight to the death. Even if you and I had suppressed this today, would he truly have accepted it? Would he have continued to wholeheartedly complete the Pill Formula for me in the future? After what he said today, even if Chen Che hadn’t killed him, I would have done it myself."

Lu Yi understood.

Indeed.

Tributor Li’s words just now had made his rebellious intentions plain for all to see.

"It’s a shame. If these two Tributors had worked together, the revival of our Jinyun Valley would have been just around the corner!"

"Rely on a single Pill Master to revive Jinyun Valley? What a joke!"

Ye Jingzhou looked as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing, a mocking light in his eyes. He slowly shook his head and said:

"Pill Masters are merely support. At any time, strength and Realm are what’s fundamental. Without them, even the most powerful Pill Master is just a vassal. I once saw a Tier Two Alchemist who had his legs cut off and was chained in front of a Pill Furnace, forbidden to take even half a step away for the rest of his life."

Lu Yi was astounded. "Ah, that..."

"And before that, he was an honored guest of all the major clans. Even I would have had to bow and greet him. When your strength reaches a certain level, you can do as you please."

As he spoke, Ye Jingzhou’s gaze swept over the Pill Furnace, and he couldn’t help but frown slightly.

He saw it then.

At some point, the half-furnace of blood had begun to rapidly disappear. Looking closer, he saw the pile of Pill Mud at the bottom of the furnace was acting like a sponge, constantly absorbing the blood. Right before his eyes, it slowly formed into a Pill.

"Your teachings are wise, Valley Master."

Noticing Ye Jingzhou’s gaze, Lu Yi couldn’t help but say with regret:

"This batch of Pills used nothing but Tier Two Spiritual Medicines. It’s a shame it was ruined the moment the furnace was opened! It’s just a pity that with Tributor Li dead, the Pill Formula wasn’t completed. Perhaps we should wait a few days and have Tributor Chen join the valley to complete the Pill Formula for you?"

"There’s no need!"

Glancing at the astonished Lu Yi from the corner of his eye, Ye Jingzhou reached out, picked up the Pill from the bottom of the furnace, and let out a hearty laugh.

"Tributor Li has already completed the Pill Formula for me!"

"!?"

Lu Yi was stunned by his words, but his confusion was quickly replaced by joy. "Next, should we inform Tributor Chen and have him perform Alchemy for you?"

Ye Jingzhou slowly shook his head, his gaze distant.

...

"Is it true? The Li Brothers are dead? Good! That’s great!"

「In the Market, at the Pill Shop.」

Hearing Hu Yao’s account, Ding Fei cried out in excitement.

You have to understand.

For this entire time, they had been on edge, terrified that the Li Brothers would seek revenge. Now that they were dead, they no longer had to be so guarded.

"From now on, the Boss will be the only Pill Master Tributor in the valley!" Zhao Deyou quickly chimed in with a bow of congratulations. "Your future is limitless!"

"The Li Brothers deserved to die, and the Valley Master is wise and principled. At least a major conflict was avoided."

Hu Yao took a huge swig of wine and said, his words slurring slightly.

Chen Che remained noncommittal.

Only Ye Jingzhou truly knew the real reason for his decision.

Perhaps.

’He wanted to keep me around to complete the Pill Formula for him.’

’None of the people who’ve managed to carve out their own power in a place like this are truly kind and benevolent.’

The next morning, Lu Yi arrived at his door.