Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen had been searching for Corpse Fiend Essence primarily to refine Gou Jun's corpse into a Fourth-Tier Late-Stage or even Peak-Stage Corpse Puppet.
After being besieged by Xue Mei and her companions, Song Wen realized that having another top-tier Corpse Puppet could sometimes turn the tide of battle.
Among Gou Jun's belongings, Song Wen had found six strands of Corpse Fiend Essence, but this was insufficient to refine a Fourth-Tier Late-Stage or Peak-Stage Corpse Puppet. He needed at least four more strands.
"I'm just curious," Song Wen said. "Does our Wu Ji Sect even possess such a rare treasure as Corpse Fiend Essence?"
Meng Lengyu remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"Fellow Daoist Gou Jun, regardless of your reasons for asking about Corpse Fiend Essence, I'll be honest with you. The Wu Ji Sect does indeed have it, but it's not stored in the Zhenbao Hall. That's a treasure I have no access to. Also..."
"In the future, if you ever need any spiritual materials that can be found in the Zhenbao Hall, I will sell them to you at the sect's established price, without adding any markup. All I ask in return is that you look after Meng Cao. He's too reckless, and I fear he might one day cause trouble that even I won't be able to resolve."
"Very well," Song Wen nodded and left the secret chamber.
After receiving the Spirit Herbs for crafting Ghost Force Pills from a Foundation Establishment Stage steward in Zhenbao Hall's main hall, Song Wen returned to the Alchemy Hall.
As he entered the hall, he saw a dozen Late-Stage Qi Refining disciples approaching him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dozen disciples simultaneously bent their knees and knelt on the ground.
Song Wen narrowed his eyes slightly and asked coldly, "Why do you kneel before me?"
One of the male cultivators, at the ninth level of Qi Refining, spoke with a hint of fear in his voice. "Disciple Chen Liang begs the Vice Hall Master to uphold justice for us."
Their kneeling immediately drew the attention of numerous disciples in the hall, who turned to stare with curiosity.
Song Wen's expression darkened. He had no interest in getting involved in the grievances of these low-level disciples, but given the public setting, he had no choice but to restrain himself.
"What grievances do you have?"
Chen Liang quickly replied, "Reporting to the Vice Hall Master, we were ordered to craft Ghost Shadow Pills. According to your instructions, our pill success rate must be at least 60%. However, Manager Shu has been withholding some of our Spirit Herbs. This effectively forces us to achieve a success rate of over 70% just to complete the task. But our pill crafting technique is poor, and we simply can't do it."
Hearing this, Song Wen's face remained as calm as still water, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts.
When Alchemy Hall disciples performed their Pill Refinement tasks, the sect often provided them with an excess of Spirit Herbs.
These surplus Spirit Herbs naturally ended up in the disciples' pockets, serving as an unspoken perk.
This was an open secret within the Alchemy Hall, a tacit understanding among everyone.
However, Shu Niang, having attached herself to Song Wen's influential position, grew envious of these Spirit Herbs. She secretly began withholding a portion for herself.
But Shu Niang seemed to have taken too much, leaving some disciples unable to complete their tasks. This led to the scene unfolding before them.
"Follow me."
With that, Song Wen strode directly into the depths of the Great Hall.
The cultivators kneeling on the ground hastily cleared a path and followed Song Wen to his personal Pill Refining Chamber.
Song Wen retrieved Shu Niang's Communication Jade Slip and instructed her to come immediately. Then, he closed his eyes and began meditating.
The dozen or so Qi Refining cultivators stood in a corner of the chamber, trembling with fear, not daring to make a sound.
Even just sitting there, Song Wen exuded an invisible pressure that enveloped the entire Pill Refining Chamber, making the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.
A suffocating silence hung in the air.
Aside from their own breaths and heartbeats, the dozen or so Qi Refining cultivators heard no other sound.
This oppressive silence filled them with an inexplicable sense of dread.
Time seemed to stretch, each second an eternity of agony.
Regret suddenly washed over them.
Why had they come to the Vice Hall Master to complain? They could have simply spent a few Spirit Stones to buy some Spirit Herbs and solved the problem themselves.
Just as their clothes were soaked with cold sweat, their hearts were about to break, and they teetered on the brink of collapse, Shu Niang's voice suddenly echoed from outside the Pill Refining Chamber.
"Vice Hall Master, Shu Niang requests an audience."
Song Wen raised a hand and lightly tapped the stone door, which slowly creaked open.
"Reporting to the Vice Hall Master..."
Shu Niang entered the Alchemy Chamber and was about to bow when she noticed the dozen or so cultivators huddled in a corner.
She instantly understood why they were there, and her expression froze.
In the next instant, Shu Niang's face contorted in shock.
A gust of wind suddenly struck, like an iron hand slamming into her cheek.
Crack!
A resounding slap echoed through the chamber.
Shu Niang was sent flying through the air, a spray of blood scattering in her wake.
Shu Niang didn't stop until she crashed into the stone wall behind her, collapsing to the ground.
Her once beautiful face was now a bloody mess.
Her entire right cheek was gone, revealing her skull and teeth stained with flesh and blood.
"Vice Hall Master, spare me! This subordinate was wrong and will never dare do this again," Shu Niang pleaded, her voice trembling.
Song Wen replied calmly, "Remember your words. If there's a next time, it won't be this easy."
"Thank you, Vice Hall Master!" Shu Niang kowtowed repeatedly, thump, thump, thump.
"Get up," Song Wen said slowly. "Handle this matter yourself."
Shu Niang scrambled to her feet and approached the dozen Qi Refining cultivators.
Seeing Shu Niang's gruesome face, the cultivators showed no joy at their revenge. Instead, they were terrified.
Their courage had been shattered long ago. They didn't dare press the matter further, merely reclaiming a small portion of the Spirit Herbs Shu Niang had withheld before retreating.
Shu Niang timidly approached Song Wen and offered him a storage pouch.
"Vice Hall Master, this is the profit from selling the Spirit Grass I withheld."
Song Wen took the pouch, his Spirit Sense probing its contents. Inside were fifty mid-grade Spirit Stones.
"Be more discreet in your actions in the future. Don't make such foolish mistakes again."
As he spoke, Song Wen casually tucked the pouch into his robes.
"Yes, this subordinate understands," Shu Niang replied.
"Go now and tend to your wounds," Song Wen said.
"This subordinate takes his leave," Shu Niang said, bowing before departing.
For the next period, Song Wen spent most of his time cultivating in his Cultivation Cave. Occasionally, he would go to the Alchemy Hall to refine pills or disguise himself to visit Shadow City, where he purchased the Spirit Herbs needed to make Blood Demon Pills and the blood food required for his Shadow Gu.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the year-long agreement had come to an end.
One day, Song Wen arrived at Le Liang's Cultivation Cave. Le Liang's cave was also located on West Cloud Peak, not far from Song Wen's.
"Hall Master, Gou Jun has come to pay his respects," Song Wen announced from outside the cave's stone door.
After a moment, the stone door opened.
"Fellow Daoist Gou Jun, what brings you to my humble abode today?" Le Liang asked with a smile.
"I've finished refining all the pills for the Cui Clan. I've come to deliver them," Song Wen replied.
(End of the Chapter)
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