Tributor Li didn’t even know how he left.

He stumbled back to his residence.

When Li Hong saw him, his face turned pale with shock, and he hurriedly asked what had happened.

"I miscalculated!"

Tributor Li sighed deeply, then briefly recounted what had just occurred. By the time he got to the part where Lu Yi spoke up to stop the infighting, his face was drained of all color.

"That brat is even more capable than I imagined. He’s better than me in just about every way. I was completely crushed this time."

"He’s really that capable? Even you’re no match for him, Big Brother? That’s insane!"

Li Hong’s expression changed, and he shot to his feet in shock.

He paced back and forth, muttering to himself. After a moment of contemplation, a vicious glint flashed in his eyes. He grit his teeth and said in a cold voice:

"In my opinion, we should go all the way and just get rid of him. That way, Big Brother, you’ll still be the only Pill Master Tributor in Jinyun Valley, and your position won’t be shaken..."

"Don’t be reckless!"

Tributor Li glanced at the murderous Li Hong and quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Are we just going to let it go?"

Li Hong was extremely unwilling to accept it.

"Lu Yi mediated to deliberately stop our fight. That brat is better than me in every way, so Lu Yi is using him to keep me in check. If something were to happen to him, I, as a Tributor, might live a little longer. But you would definitely be the first to be dealt with! Even if we can’t stand it, we have to endure!"

"I’ve been holding back for so many years, all for you to reach Foundation Establishment. If you can reach Foundation Establishment, why would we fear a mere fledgling like him?"

"As for Chen Che..."

Tributor Li took a deep breath and looked at Li Hong.

"Since he loves alchemy so much, I’ll break his legs, chain him to a Pill Furnace, and make him refine pills for the rest of his life!"

"Big Brother..."

Li Hong grit his teeth. "I will not disappoint you!"

...

Back at the Pill Shop, Chen Che thought back on the events that had transpired in the Valley.

He had come out on top in this round of intense competition, but the other party would never let it go. This enmity was now set in stone.

He was keenly aware of the principle: if you strike a snake and don’t kill it, you’re the one who will suffer the consequences.

’It’s a pity. Just as I thought, Jinyun Valley wouldn’t just stand by and watch me drive Tributor Li to his death.’

Chen Che felt a pang of regret.

’Getting rid of Tributor Li is easy. The main problem is preventing Li Hong’s retaliation. So, I must eliminate Li Hong first!’

Over the past few months, he hadn’t just been practicing alchemy; he had also gained a deep understanding of Tributor Li.

Tributor Li was a loner, but his younger brother Li Hong—the one who had once tried to extort his Pill Shop—was a tricky problem. Chen Che had only just reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. Wanting to silently take down this "Overseas Dragon" who had navigated the underworld for years would be rather difficult.

’Guarding against a thief for a thousand days is not as good as eliminating the threat once and for all!’

However, even though he hadn’t succeeded in pushing Tributor Li over the edge, his recent efforts were far from meaningless.

Not only had he broken through to the Sixth Layer, but he had also acquired a batch of very valuable Spirit Grass, mastered the refining methods for various pills, and even his Divine Sense had grown considerably.

’Jinyun Valley won’t be short on pills for at least half a year, and I can take this opportunity to get some well-deserved rest.’

As he was lost in thought, Ding Fei’s surprised and happy voice suddenly reached his ears:

"Master Hu, when did you get back?"

’Master Hu... Hu Yao?’

A thought stirred in Chen Che’s mind.

Looking up, he saw Hu Yao standing dazedly at the Pill Shop’s entrance, a look of indecision written all over his face.

"Fellow Daoist, surely you don’t intend to imitate the ancient sages and pass by your own door three times without entering?"

Chen Che called out with a cupped-fist greeting from a distance.

Hu Yao had no choice but to follow him into the back courtyard, where Ding Fei quickly went to prepare tea.

"It seems your trip was quite fruitful, Fellow Daoist. You’ve actually reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer!"

Chen Che congratulated him.

"Indeed. I have to thank you for that bottle of Sun Gathering Pills, Fellow Daoist. It’s the reason I managed to escape death several times on this trip," Hu Yao sighed. "The Demon Beasts are savage and fearless. It’s no exaggeration to say it was a near-death experience."

But what he hadn’t expected was that after being away for only two months, the fellow daoist with whom he had sat, drinking wine from large bowls and dividing up gold, had actually become a Tributor in the Valley.

His status was now far above his own, completely different from before.

And he knew his place.

Thinking of this, Hu Yao said in a solemn voice:

"Tributor Chen, about the matter of the Pill Shop’s profit sharing you promised before, please take it back."

"What are you talking about, Fellow Daoist Hu?"

Chen Che guessed his thoughts and said with a serious expression, "How can I take back a promise I’ve already made? I’m not the kind of person who looks down on old friends just because my status has changed."

Having lived two lives, Chen Che’s original intentions had not changed.

His principle had always been: so long as others do not wrong me, I will not wrong them.

"Brother Chen!"

Hu Yao was immensely grateful. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He had seen plenty of treachery and betrayal, but he never expected his friend’s heart to remain unchanged. He felt more and more certain that he had not made a mistake in befriending him.

After three rounds of tea, the atmosphere seemed to return to how it used to be.

Chen Che asked casually, "How are things on the front lines?"

"The Demon Beast scourge has stabilized, but that Tiger Demon still hasn’t been dealt with."

"Not dealt with?"

"The four Foundation Establishment Ancestors have it surrounded but aren’t attacking. None of them wants to be the one to stick their neck out."

Hu Yao sneered.

It turned out the situation in Chi State was so widespread it had already affected many Cultivation Forces. In the end, the ancestors of the four Foundation Establishment Clans in Chi State took action. However, they were afraid of pushing the Tiger Demon to a point of mutual destruction, so they chose to simply surround it without attacking, hoping to pressure it into leaving on its own.

Chen Che nodded slightly.

It was only human nature. Against such a ferocious Tiger Demon, no one wanted to be the first to attack and let someone else reap the rewards.

As for the dead and injured mortals, what did they matter?

To a Cultivator, mortals were no different from ants.

"Brother Chen, congratulations on becoming a Tributor. I don’t have any valuable gifts for you, just this little trinket. I hope you won’t mind." As he was leaving, Hu Yao took a perfectly square box out from his robes.

"This is...?"

Chen Che was about to refuse, but he froze when he saw the box.

It was a safe box.

It was perfectly square and, at first glance, looked like the box for a rice cooker.

"I know you like collecting these little trinkets. I found this box in an old mansion."

Hu Yao said with a smile.

It belonged to a large, wealthy family. Due to the Demon Beast chaos, all seventy-six members of the household had been eaten, leaving not a trace behind.

When he rushed over, there was nothing left but pools of fresh blood. He searched the entire mansion and found only this box.

Chen Che’s greatest hobby in this world was searching for safe boxes like this one; it gave him the feeling of opening a blind box. Neither Ding Fei nor Hu Yao found this strange, as most Cultivators had their own quirks.

However, such items were extremely hard to find.

After all, for an ordinary Loose Cultivator, a safe box was proof that their ancestors had once been wealthy, a treasure passed down through the generations.

In all this time, including this one, he had only managed to find three.

As for what he found inside, it was always a Pill Formula, a Cultivation Technique, or a Magic art. But to Chen Che, they were all "chicken ribs"—not particularly useful, but a shame to get rid of.

"Alright, in that case, it would be rude of me to refuse."

Chen Che didn’t think much of the box.

After all, what kind of great legacy could be left behind by mortals who couldn’t even withstand the Demon Beast chaos?

The next day after school, he passed by a locksmith’s shop and casually handed it to Wu Neng for a look. He never expected the professional to take just one glance before his expression changed. "My word! Did you raid the home of a Golden Core True Master?"

Chen Che understood the implication in his words and couldn’t help but be taken aback. "Are you saying this box was left behind by a Golden Core True Master?"

...