Leaving the village behind, Chen Che recalled the earlier scene and couldn’t help but sneer.

’Even a simple village woman like that understood the principle of gradual encroachment.’ ’Plant a few radishes today, a few garlic shoots tomorrow, and some wild greens the day after. Once the plot is full, the land would naturally become theirs.’

’Still, the Demon Beast turmoil in Chi State doesn’t seem to have affected these mortals.’

Chen Che thought to himself.

That made sense.

Mortals lacked the channels to get in touch with the world of cultivators, so their access to information was limited. By the time they learned of it, the world would have likely been turned upside down.

When he arrived at the Market, he found there were even more Cultivators than before.

Clearly, the situation over in Chi State had still not been brought under control.

As he reached his Pill Shop, he was greeted by the sight of Ding Fei arguing, red-faced, with a Loose Cultivator. A crowd of other Loose Cultivators had gathered around to watch the spectacle.

"What’s going on?"

Chen Che stepped forward and asked.

"You’re the owner of this Pill Shop?"

For some reason, the Loose Cultivator’s face was deathly pale, and he was bleeding from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Upon seeing Chen Che, the man’s eyes lit up, and he began shouting to the crowd, "I bought a pill from your shop yesterday, and it poisoned me! You have to give me an explanation today, or I’m not leaving!"

"Oh?"

Chen Che glanced at the man and noticed his aura was stable and his True Essence showed no sign of abnormality. He had clearly used some special technique to fake the appearance of bleeding from every orifice.

Seeing the man was about to speak again, Chen Che didn’t hesitate. He launched a flying kick that sent the man tumbling, forcing him to his knees as he began to retch violently.

"Beat him!"

Chen Che said calmly.

With their master’s command, Ding Fei and Zhao Deyou immediately rushed forward and unleashed a torrent of punches and kicks.

While shielding his head and trying to get away, the man was still trying to rile up the crowd. "This is a crooked shop! Not only do they sell inferior pills, but they also beat people! This is a classic case of a big business bullying its customers..."

"That’s right!"

"This shop is crooked."

"Give us an explanation!"

As he spoke, a few scattered voices from the crowd chimed in to support him.

Chen Che glanced at the crowd, not bothering to defend himself. Instead, he expressionlessly took out a Token. "I am a Tributor of Jinyun Valley. You dare try to extort my shop? You must have a death wish."

Then he said to Ding Fei and Zhao Deyou,

"Beat him within an inch of his life!"

The moment the man saw the Token, his expression contorted in terror.

He knew he had picked on the wrong person. Not only was the extortion a lost cause, but he wouldn’t be able to escape this beating either.

Resigned to his fate, he could only curl into a ball and shield his head as every punch and kick tore through him with excruciating pain.

The gawking Cultivators outside the shop were also slightly taken aback when they saw the Token, and they immediately began to see this unassuming Elixir Shop in a new light.

Almost as soon as he produced the Token, Chen Che felt the faint, almost imperceptible gazes that had been fixed on him vanish in an instant.

’I’ve been targeted by Tribulation Cultivators!’

Chen Che was inwardly alarmed.

Those with strength and courage become Tribulation Cultivators, murdering and robbing for treasure.

Those with less strength and courage resort to extortion.

It was a classic law of the jungle.

However, these Tribulation Cultivators understood the weight that the title ’Jinyun Valley Tributor’ carried. The moment he revealed the Token, they knew he wasn’t someone they could afford to provoke.

’It seems I can’t afford to lose this status as a Tributor if I want to get by in this world.’

After all, his foundation was too shallow, and his personal resources were meager.

In such chaotic times, without a powerful backer, he would easily become a juicy target for Tribulation Cultivators.

「A moment later.」

Ding Fei and Zhao Deyou had tossed the half-dead Loose Cultivator aside. The man lay on the ground, groaning, his pleading eyes darting toward a hidden corner of the crowd. The other Loose Cultivators who had previously spoken up for him now cowered, not daring to step forward to help.

The moment Chen Che turned and walked into the shop, those few men quickly lifted their companion, slipped into the crowd, and vanished.

"Greetings, Master!"

Inside the shop, a young boy was sorting Spirit Grass. He quickly bowed upon seeing Chen Che, stealing glances at him with eyes full of awe.

For low-level Loose Cultivators,

disciples of Jinyun Valley were already great personages.

A Tributor of Jinyun Valley, then, was a figure of almost unimaginable status.

"Back to work."

Chen Che nodded slightly.

This was Zhao Deyou’s eldest son, Zhao Changping, who had been working in the shop for several days. By training boys like him from a young age, they would grow up to be his loyal men.

He stepped into the back courtyard.

In a corner of the courtyard, a large quantity of Spirit Grass was piled up, including the Yingyue Flowers he needed.

The effects of Concentration Incense were not limited to just awakening one’s Divine Sense; it also nourished and enhanced it. Even Foundation Establishment Cultivators used it to strengthen their Divine Sense, at least until the Yingyue Flower lost its effectiveness for them.

Therefore, until he found a better substitute, he had no intention of stopping his acquisitions.

"Senior, someone from Jinyun Valley is here."

Just as he finished storing the Spirit Grass, Ding Fei approached him and whispered, "He first came two days ago. When he saw you weren’t here, he came back again yesterday. This is his third day here!"

"Someone from the Valley?"

Chen Che was a little surprised.

Jinyun Valley issued a list every month detailing which elixirs needed to be refined, and they would come to collect them at the end of the month.

He had already delivered the required elixirs a few days ago, fulfilling his obligations to the Valley.

This month’s list had only been delivered a few days ago. Logically, the Valley wouldn’t seek him out for no reason, let alone send someone to visit for several consecutive days.

"Alright, I’ll go take a look."

Chen Che walked to the front of the shop and saw an old man sitting in the corner. He looked to be in his fifties, with a round face and forehead lines that resembled the character for "king." He was turning a pair of Jade Balls in his hand.

"Master Hu?"

Chen Che raised an eyebrow.

It was none other than the Outer Sect Steward. Chen Che had once hoped to use him as a connection to enter Jinyun Valley.

Unfortunately, because his Spiritual Root was lacking, he hadn’t even qualified to pass through the gates.

"Ah Che, what are you doing here?"

Master Hu, who had been waiting anxiously, asked subconsciously upon seeing Chen Che. But then he glanced at Ding Fei standing nearby, and his scalp suddenly tingled as a possibility dawned on him.

"Could it be? Tributor Chen is... you?"

"The very same. What business brings Master Hu here?" Chen Che said with a smile, cupping his hands in a polite gesture.

"You do me too great an honor! Please, just call me Xiaohu."

Master Hu shuddered, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he scrambled to his feet. He had only heard that the Valley had a new Tributor but had never met him. Who would have guessed it would be an old acquaintance?

’Thank heavens he didn’t hear me say he’d never reach the Qi Refining Third Layer in his entire life!’

With that thought, Master Hu said respectfully,

"I am here under orders from Valley Master Lu to request that Tributor Chen refine some pills."

"What kind of pill?"

Chen Che asked casually.

He wasn’t the least bit surprised by ’Xiaohu’s’ behavior.

When you cross a social class, you can make people who were once arrogant become deferential.

"The Cold Frost Pill!" Master Hu said.

"The Cold Frost Pill?"

Chen Che was surprised. The Cold Frost Pill was an extremely niche Tier One High Grade Elixir that almost no one ever purchased.

Its primary function, after all, was to help one resist extreme external heat.

"Can Tributor Chen refine it?" Master Hu asked, his face full of expectation.

Chen Che detected the urgency in his voice. He didn’t answer immediately, asking instead, "Why the rush? What about Tributor Li?"

"Him?"

Master Hu lowered his head and answered frankly,

"I heard from others in the Valley that he can refine it, but he’s been very busy lately and simply can’t find the time."

"Can’t find the time?"

The corner of Chen Che’s mouth twitched.

During such a critical time, for Master Hu to come running here three days in a row, this pill must have immense strategic value.

And yet Tributor Li had fobbed them off with the excuse that he ’couldn’t find the time’?

Wasn’t he afraid of facing Jinyun Valley’s wrath?

’It’s one thing for him to be lazy on a normal day, but how dare he shirk his duty at such a critical juncture? If someone like him were on Earth Element Star, he’d be fired by his boss the very next day!’

’Hm?’

A thought suddenly struck Chen Che.

He suddenly understood why, for all these years, Jinyun Valley had only ever had one Pill Master Tributor.

Clearly, the "credit" for that state of affairs undoubtedly belonged to Tributor Li.

’Looks like I have no choice but to refine this pill, then!’

At this thought, Chen Che chuckled and looked at Master Hu.

"Come back for the pills in three days!"