Chapter 146: The Arrival of Alchemists

　　Suddenly, someone in the crowd cried out in horror, “Elder Yin! You are the Martial Grandmaster of Myriad Treasures Store, Elder Yin Zhaoyang!”

　　“What? He is Yin Zhaoyang?”

　　“Damnit! A Martial Grandmaster? Really?”

　　“Why is Myriad Treasures Store involved in this?”

　　“No wonder the City Lord was given special treatment during the auction!”

　　Yin Zhaoyang’s face flickered. He did not expect to be recognized by someone. And worst of all, they all seemed to think he was with Yanwu. His face grew dark; if this misunderstanding were to spread, the Cheng and Zhou families would not let him go.

　　“Hmph! You pieces of trash are simply a disgrace to warriors!”

　　He was left with no other choice. A Primordial Qi blade appeared in his hand, and he threw it out, which immediately broke into thousands of rays and flew into the crowd. ‘After killing all these men, I will keep a safe distance from this Li Yunxiao and never fall into his trap again. I will be fine.’

　　“AHHH!”

　　Miserable shrieks and screams filled the air. The men tried to resist, but they were no match for a Martial Grandmaster. In the blink of an eye, every man was killed, including the Martial Lord. Many of them did not even have time to react before they were killed. The ground was scattered with broken limbs and bodies.

　　“You are truly amazing, Elder Yin! I’d be dead tonight without your help,” said Yunxiao with a smile. Meanwhile, he reached out a hand and performed a grabbing gesture, pulling dozens of storage rings into his palm.

　　Yin Zhaoyang had a sulky look, but he did not dare to vent his anger. He cupped his fist and said, “You’re just being humble, Young Master Yun! How would this motley crowd be your match when you have the ability to easily kill two Martial Kings of the Zhou family? By the way, Manager Xu is away recently for some personal business, so there are still many affairs that need my attention. I’ll have to take my leave now.”

　　Without waiting for Yunxiao’s reply, he turned and left in a hurry. He was scared that if he stayed too long, he would become the other’s hatchet man completely, which would make the Zhou and Cheng families misunderstand him. He was a Martial Grandmaster, but in the face of those aristocratic families with thousands of years of history, he still needed to tread carefully.

　　“Mind your step, and thank you for the help, Elder Yin! I’ll come to you again when Yanwu is in trouble!” Yunxiao took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs. His voice was so loud that it almost echoed throughout the whole city, waking many from their sleep.

　　Yin Zhaoyang was already a thousand meters away when he heard that, and he tripped himself and almost fell to the ground. He felt like he was going crazy. ‘This Li Yunxiao just wouldn’t let me go! With what he has shouted just now, and if he just purposely spread the news tomorrow, I’ll have no ways to remove the stigma off my name!’

　　Soon, the City Guards hurried over to the scene. They were all stunned when they saw the bodies and broken limbs on the ground. Yunxiao smiled and told them what to do, and then he went back to his mansion.

　　Early morning the next day, while people were guessing what happened last night, dozens of tall bamboo poles were erected at the city gate. Bodies were hung atop them, swaying and spinning with every gust of wind. Apart from City Guards, no one dared to stay near the city gate.

　　Children were locked in houses by adults, and few adults could be seen on the streets. Businesses were closed as if their owners saw that as an ill omen. The whole city was enveloped in a terrifying atmosphere.

　　Warriors in the city all broke out in a cold sweat when they saw the bodies, and their faces turned pale after hearing the rumors spread by the City Guards, and linking that to the shout they heard last night. Those who planned to take the things and slip away had an unsightly look on their faces while others who thought to observe for a few more days before making any decision felt lucky.

　　“I never expected Myriad Treasures Store to be the backer behind Yanwu! No wonder the City Lord is so rich!”

　　“Me too! I was puzzled why there was suddenly a new City Lord. It turns out he is just a puppet of Myriad Treasures Store.”

　　“What exactly is Myriad Treasures Store up to? Does it also want to support a secular power? But why did it choose Yanwu?”

　　“Well, this is not what you and I would ever know. We better think about what we should do now.”

　　“Haha! Luckily there were too many people yesterday, and I haven’t signed up. But, you’ve registered, right? Oh no, if you try to slip away now, I’ll see your body hanging on a bamboo pole tomorrow! Haha!”

　　Voices rang out among all warriors, some sounding happy and some fearful. Those who had planned to stay were excited when they learned their backer was actually a mighty one, while those who thought of cheating looked worried and were considering whether they should truly join the city or not.

　　The warriors who came to register outside the City Lord Mansion were no longer as many as the first day. The place was still packed with people, but most of them were here to watch. Yunxiao gave Meng Wu all the things brought to him by Yin Zhaoyang and those he had reclaimed from the dozens of men he killed, which were enough to recruit a few hundred more men.

　　As people were signing up intermittently, a group of about thirty men suddenly arrived outside the City Lord Mansion, each clad in a long robe. They went straight into the mansion. At the sight of the group, Li Changfeng beamed and hurried over. “You’re here, Master Zhang, Master Xu!”

　　The men were Zhang Qingfan and Xu Han, who had traveled through the night after receiving Yunxiao’s letter, along with many alchemists and apprentice alchemists from the association.

　　Zhang Qingfan glanced at the warriors around them. He silently nodded and followed Li Changfeng into the mansion, leaving the warriors outside to look at each other incredulously.

　　“Hey, did I see that right? They seemed to be wearing the alchemist robes?”

　　“I thought I was wrong as well. Those at the back are wearing advanced apprentice alchemists robes, but a dozen men at the front are all alchemists! I am certain!”

　　“Gulp!” A warrior swallowed and said, “I saw the badges on the shoulders of the leading two men…Heaven, they are both fourth-tier alchemists!”

　　“Fourth-tier? Pocked Face, are you sure you are not blind? Do you know what fourth-tier alchemists are? How would they come to a place like this?”

　　“Blind my ass! Don’t you know that the second brother-in-law of my cousin’s third aunt’s neighbor is an alchemist? I know all the badges from first to sixth-tier!”

　　“This is insane! Could they be fake? This is unbelievable!”

　　“Fake? Who on this continent dares to fake the alchemist badge? Even a Martial Supreme will be killed if he did that!”

　　“Crazy…Myriad Treasures Store is really crazy! This is such a huge investment! Even alchemists are joining them in groups! I want to sign up now!”

　　“Yes! With so many alchemists here, it means we will have a limitless future if we join them! I want to sign up as well!”

　　The arrival of Zhang Qingfan and others brought an unexpected result. Warriors who were hesitating poured over to sign up, and soon more people were joining then the first day.

　　“Master Qingfan, Master Xu Han, and the rest of the Masters, welcome! I thank you for lending us a helping hand when Yanwu is in dire need.”

　　Yunxiao sensed their arrival from his room, and their numbers were more than he had expected. Exulted, he hurried out to greet them.

　　Zhang Qingfan quickly returned the greeting and said, “Your words are too kind, Master Yunxiao! Yanwu is one of Tianshui’s cities, and as the alchemists of Tianshui, we have the obligation to help. So, when I received your letter, I immediately gathered some men and traveled overnight here.”

　　Xu Han said, “May I know how many and what kinds of medicinal pills does Master Yunxiao want? Why do you need as many alchemists as possible?”

　　When he saw all the alchemists beaming with energy and not looking tired, Yunxiao laughed. “Since you all are so eager to know that, please follow me.” While leading the group further into the mansion, he explained, “Apart from medicinal pills, I need all kinds of mystic weapons as well. For the purpose of refining them, I’ve copied the design of the alchemist association and constructed a pill pagoda for you.”

　　Liang Wenyu, a second-tier alchemist, shook his head and said, “There are arrays left behind by all the former Masters over the years in the alchemist association, as well as alchemy rooms and equipment suitable for us to use. The pill pagoda constructed by Young Master Yun should be rather simple. Why don’t you tell us your requirements? We can ask someone to construct one in the capital and then send it over here.”

　　The rest of the men nodded in agreement. With all the arrays and instruments in the alchemist association, the success rate of their refinement would be greater, which would also benefit their cultivation of the alchemy. That was the reason why a great number of alchemists spent most of their time in the association.

　　Xu Han frowned slightly and said, “Master Yunxiao must have his reason why he needs us here. What matters in alchemy is our own strength, and foreign objects are just supplements. If you can be guided by Master Yunxiao here even just a little bit, it will be better than spending your whole life in the association.”

　　He had great reverence for Yunxiao, so he naturally could not allow others to talk bad about him. After he had spoken, the rest of the alchemists shut their mouths and did not dare to speak another word, even if they had their own thoughts.

　　Yunxiao chuckled. “Rest assured, my friends! Although it only took three days to build, I can guarantee that the effects of my pill pagoda will not be worse than that of the alchemist association. I just fear that once you are here, you will not want to go back anymore.”

　　Everyone froze for a moment, and then each showed a look of disbelief. Even Zhang Qingfan and Xu Han, who had the full confidence in Yunxiao, looked dubious.

　　It was already considered a miracle when it took only three days to construct a pill pagoda. How could it be stronger than the alchemist association’s? Just as everyone was filled with suspicion, a simple-looking short pagoda appeared in their eyes.