Chapter 134: A Showdown of Honesty (Old Fox and Little Fox)

Hu! Hu! Hu!

Never had Luo Chen’s breathing been so rapid.

His heart pounded for it.

His gaze cast aside almost everything, staring fixedly at the pure white pill floating in mid-air.

Foundation Establishment Pill!

At such close range, Luo Chen saw the true appearance of a Foundation Establishment Pill for the first time.

Four wisps of pill patterns, like clouds and mist, set off this pill as if it were so sacred.

After a long time, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to shift his gaze away.

He said hoarsely: "What is the meaning of the Gang Leader’s action?"

Mi Shuhua was very satisfied with his reaction, but also felt a hint of surprise that Luo Chen could suppress his greed so quickly.

He did not take back the pill, letting it float quietly in mid-air.

Mi Shuhua’s expression became serious: "It’s very simple; I want you to refine the Jade Marrow Pill with all your strength, without the slightest reservation."

"I have already done my best..."

"No, you haven't!"

Mi Shuhua narrowed his eyes and said word by word: "I sent people to investigate your sales of the Myriad Wonders Pill. After you refined mid-grade Myriad Wonders Pills, you almost never produced low-grade ones again. The same goes for the high-grade ones!"

"In other words, you have a more terrifying and extreme talent in the Dao of Alchemy than we thought."

"At the beginning, I wasn't quite sure."

"But when you first refined the Jade Marrow Pill on a large scale, you revealed some clues."

"Do you remember what your pill success rate was at that time?"

Luo Chen’s breathing almost stopped.

All along, he felt he had done very well, almost seamlessly.

And he was confident that even if Mi Shuhua knew he was pocketing some Jade Marrow Pills, he wouldn't pursue it deeply.

From the past, and even now, Mi Shuhua had indeed not caused him trouble.

But he didn't expect that the alchemy attainments he had been trying to hide were suddenly exposed.

A thick account book appeared in Mi Shuhua’s hand.

He flicked it, and the account book flipped to the first few pages.

"In the 3407th year of the Shanhai calendar, December 1st, at the beginning of winter, the Pill Hall obtained ten low-grade Jade Marrow Pills and twenty mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills, consuming a total of four portions of raw materials, with a success rate of fifty percent. The ratio of low to mid was one to two!"

After reading this sentence without any emotion, Mi Shuhua stared fixedly at Luo Chen.

"Based on my understanding of you, you must have pocketed a portion while collecting the pills alone, and it is highly likely that they were the best-looking mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills!"

"Luo Chen, am I wrong?"

Luo Chen broke into a sweat on his forehead and said nothing.

Mi Shuhua didn't seem to want to hear his answer either, continuing: "I don't understand alchemy, but I know that the art of alchemy is just about familiarity! It only gets better and better, with a higher success rate; there is no reason for it to get worse!"

"But after that time, your success rate never returned to above fifty percent."

"Not only that, the ratio of low-grade to mid-grade even fell to seven-three at one point. Even after you claimed that your alchemy attainments had improved slightly, it was barely a six-four ratio."

"Luo Chen, how do you explain this?"

Explain?

What explanation could Luo Chen give?

He could only be terrified, keeping his head down and his back bent, continuing to say nothing.

Sweat fell, drop by drop.

In the stone room, the pattering sound was like raindrops on a bluestone slab.

Quiet, unspeakable, oppressive.

Just like an emperor high above, looking down on a minister who had committed a great crime.

Seeing him like this, Mi Shuhua couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

What a cunning little fox; he was almost deceived.

But that’s fine; now that it’s been found out, it’s not too late.

The beating ends here.

Next, it should be about winning over people’s hearts and maximizing Luo Chen’s utility.

He really needed this value right now!

The quiet atmosphere was soon broken by Mi Shuhua’s obviously softened tone.

"I know you are from a loose cultivator background, just like me, wary of everything and trusting no one. Even if there is the slightest benefit, you are unwilling to give it up."

"But I consider myself to have treated you well!"

"You want pills, I give them. You want auxiliary cultivation resources, I give them. You want Qi Refining insights, I give them."

"I even took the initiative to send you good things like the Pulse-Moistening Liquid and the Small Spirit-Gathering Array."

"Any one of these things, if taken out, would be enough for loose cultivators to fight over, but you can enjoy them without stepping out of your door. I even forcibly suppressed the dissatisfaction of my Mi family cultivators."

"So, shouldn't you also reciprocate and do your best to serve me?"

A hoarse voice sounded from Luo Chen’s mouth.

"I deserve to die, short-sighted, blinded by greed."

He stood there respectfully, counting his own sins.

He even told about many of the mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills he had pocketed.

Hearing these confessions, Mi Shuhua couldn't help but show a satisfied smile.

"And in the future?"

Luo Chen said resolutely: "I will do my best to serve you!"

Not enough, still not enough!

"I know you are also worried that your terrifying alchemy talent will attract covetousness from others," Mi Shuhua said proactively, as if to exonerate Luo Chen. "But now that you have my protection, and the name of Alchemist Danchenzi has already been paved, it is only right and proper for you to show some flair."

"The Gang Leader is right; it was indeed my short-sightedness before!"

Luo Chen was heartbroken, almost slapping himself in the face.

"I once promised you that when you reach Foundation Establishment, I would definitely buy you a Foundation Establishment Pill; do you remember?"

Luo Chen looked up, his gaze falling on that Foundation Establishment Pill.

Mi Shuhua nodded at him, "I am not a person who speaks empty words; now this Foundation Establishment Pill belongs to you."

Luo Chen was stunned; it really belongs to me?

Then the next moment, he saw the Foundation Establishment Pill fall into a jade box.

The jade box then floated in front of Luo Chen.

"When you reach the perfection of Qi Refining, you can come find me, and I will unlock the restriction on it for you."

"How is it? Now that the Foundation Establishment Pill is in your hands, are you at ease?"

Luo Chen was in a trance, holding the jade box, still unable to believe it.

A Foundation Establishment Pill, just like that, easily obtained?

His peripheral vision fell on Mi Shuhua’s expectant face.

Suddenly!

His expression became solemn.

Then he pointed to the sky and swore an oath.

"As long as Luo Chen is in the Mountain-Breaking Gang for one day, I will refine as many mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills as possible, and will no longer hide my skills! If there is any deception, may I be struck by lightning!"

Hearing this promise, Mi Shuhua finally showed a satisfied expression.

Although some people don't take a cultivator’s oath seriously, it is still somewhat useful.

Especially for someone like Luo Chen, who is oriented toward the Dao.

He was extremely satisfied!

In today’s showdown of honesty, Mi Shuhua still had the last laugh.

How could a little fox compare to an old fox!

Accompanied by Mi Junping, Luo Chen, with a face full of gratitude, left the Mi family.

Mi Junping sneered in her heart at his change in demeanor.

This kid hides really deep; does he really think a Foundation Establishment cultivator is that easy to fool!

From now on, just do your best to be a beast of burden for the Mi family!

Not until Luo Chen returned safely to the inner city and hid in his own home did the gratitude on his face completely fade.

Taking out the jade box, Luo Chen’s face was gloomy.

Foundation Establishment Pill!

What kind of ghost Foundation Establishment Pill!

It’s just a big pie!

And this pie, many people have been fooled into wanting to eat it.

Han Dang, the Heart-Devouring Tiger who died on the Dao Discussion Platform, Qin Liangchen who lost an arm, and even Zeng Wen and Wang Yuan of the Mountain-Breaking Gang, etc.

Now, this big pie has come to Luo Chen’s hands.

But he can only look at it, but cannot eat it.

Under the gaze of Luo Chen’s Spirit Eye Technique, the restrictions on the jade box were so dense that there was almost no way to start.

This can no longer be considered a restriction; it can be called a small sealing formation!

A Qi Refining cultivator shouldn't even think about how to unlock it.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, other than Mi Shuhua himself, no one else can unlock it.

Because on it, there is also Mi Shuhua’s spiritual sense mark; once touched, the items inside will collapse.

Perhaps only a Jin Dan cultivator, who is completely one major realm higher, can easily unlock it.

But for a mere Foundation Establishment Pill, how could one possibly move a Jin Dan cultivator to take action.

"A good calculation; I fear he has been waiting for me to make an oath to the Dao!"

Luo Chen clenched his fists, his anger surging.

Mi Shuhua treated him well, but when had he ever let Mi Shuhua suffer a loss?

For the Jade Marrow Pills refined before, hadn't the bulk of the profit been eaten by Mi Shuhua?

Yet today, he still set up such a trap for himself!

Taking deep breaths, Luo Chen forced himself to calm down.

He began to recall every single thing he encountered after stepping into the stone room.

Whether it was the pseudo-second-tier spiritual vein stone room set up by the second-tier Spirit-Gathering Array, the monthly cultivation quota, or even the Foundation Establishment Pill shown at the end.

None of them were not using huge temptations to impact Luo Chen’s heart.

After paving the way to this point, he suddenly brought up Luo Chen’s previous hiding of skills and corruption.

Under such a huge impact, anyone would likely be unable to withstand it.

But as a transmigrator, Luo Chen had experienced plenty of PUA from his superiors and leaders.

Especially when Mi Shuhua handed the sealed Foundation Establishment Pill to Luo Chen.

He knew that this was the most typical "carry a big stick, give a sweet date."

"This old man’s art of controlling subordinates is truly skillful."

Playing with the jade box, Luo Chen could easily guess that the Foundation Establishment Pill inside was the one nominally belonging to Qin Liangchen.

Now that Mi Shuhua had given it to him, wasn't it also to alienate him from Qin Liangchen?

In the Mountain-Breaking Gang, besides Wang Yuan, Qin Liangchen and his wife were the ones he had the best relationship with and could rely on each other.

Now that he had taken someone else’s Foundation Establishment Pill, no matter what happened in the future, he would feel estranged from Qin Liangchen in his heart.

But this thing, it’s visible, but not edible!

It’s purely to disgust people!

One pill to kill two scholars?

No, counting the cultivators who died because of this Foundation Establishment Pill, it’s more than two!

In the end, it was his own carelessness.

Back then, after his Jade Marrow Pill proficiency reached the perfect level, in order not to let Mi Shuhua wait too anxiously, he started large-scale refining.

Without Grandmaster-level proficiency, he was unable to control the pill success ratio well.

That Mi Shuhua was also a thoughtful person; by slightly checking his previous sales of the Myriad Wonders Pill, he had roughly guessed the truth about his hiding of skills.

Truly an old fox... no!

Luo Chen frowned, "He found out through the Pill Hall account book, but if he knew before, why didn't he say anything?"

The pill grade ratio would have a huge impact on profits.

The profit here was not one or two spirit stones, but hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of spirit stones!

"If I occasionally pocketed a little, he wouldn't mind. But involving such huge profits, he should have talked to me long ago."

"In other words, he actually only found out recently!"

Thinking through this, Luo Chen could only curse "old rascal."

But it was also fortunate that he had left a hand.

At that time, following the atmosphere, the oath to the Dao he made, Luo Chen had tampered with it.

"Refine as many mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills as possible; this does not include high-grade Jade Marrow Pills!"

Although Mi Shuhua overestimated Luo Chen’s alchemy talent, he did not expect that Luo Chen could already refine high-grade Jade Marrow Pills.

The profit here was even greater!

Moreover, this sentence had a premise.

That is, "As long as Luo Chen is in the Mountain-Breaking Gang for one day."

In other words, if Luo Chen ran away, this oath would collapse on its own.

Mi Shuhua should also be able to guess this point, but he was very confident in the means he left on Luo Chen, so he did not expose it.

Especially after Luo Chen racked his brains to hide his realm, only to be seen through by Mi Shuhua.

Mi Shuhua was even more confident in his means.

Both had their own calculations, but in the end, it was Luo Chen who fell into a disadvantage.

The reason was very simple: his strength was not as good as the other’s.

"I only hate that I don't have Foundation Establishment strength; otherwise, why would I have to be subservient and act like a villain!"

"Foundation Establishment, Foundation Establishment..."

Luo Chen muttered this term; never had his heart for Foundation Establishment been so strong!

But for now, he was ultimately powerless.

Putting the jade box away properly, Luo Chen sighed.

Next, he couldn't hide his skills; he really had to refine mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills on a large scale.

He didn't know if the name of Alchemist Danchenzi was really useful or not.

Could Mi Shuhua’s mid-stage Foundation Establishment strength really protect him well?

These were all unknowns.

Luo Chen didn't like this feeling of his life and death being in the hands of others; he even had thoughts of running away.

The best escape route was the Changyin Mountains.

That side had been explored almost enough, and by relying on the Grandmaster-level Qi-Restraining Technique, he could hide relatively safely.

But the Changyin Mountains were still too close to the Great River Workshop.

There was only one Huiye Mountain in between.

What if he went deeper into the Xiaoyue Mountain Range and borrowed the path to run to other workshops?

According to the map planning, to go to the nearest other workshop from the Xiaoyue Mountain Range, he would at least have to cross the Great Snow Mountain.

In the millions of mountains of the Eastern Wasteland, the deeper one went, the higher the tier of demonic beasts, and there was no lack of third-tier and fourth-tier demonic beasts.

The Grandmaster-level Qi-Restraining Technique, I fear, was not enough!

However, he was already very close to the Great Perfection, so he could seize the time to practice more recently.

Another problem with running away was also very prominent.

That was, after running away, how would he solve his cultivation?

In the deep mountains and wild forests, there was no stable and safe cultivation environment.

Moreover, with his aptitude, relying solely on the operation of the technique, his cultivation speed would at most reach the efficiency of a dual-spirit-root aptitude.

This was only the efficiency he could barely achieve with the blessing of a spiritual vein cave cultivation environment.

He needed pills, a large amount of pills, and preferably orthodox cultivation pills produced by the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

This was also something that the deep mountains and wild forests could not provide.

As for other auxiliary cultivation resources, Luo Chen hadn't even thought that far.

"Loose cultivators, seemingly carefree. But when it comes to cultivation, it’s really useless!"

Luo Chen shook his head; if he really wanted to run away, he had to at least prepare enough cultivation resources first.

And all of this required a large amount of spirit stones.

"Fine, I’ll work hard for a few months and earn a big one first!"

"With Grandmaster-level proficiency in Jade Marrow Pills at full power, the output of pills will probably make the Pill Hall cultivators dumbfounded!"

Luo Chen thought to himself, finding joy in bitterness.

But thinking that after going full power, Mi Shuhua would definitely earn more, he felt a bit stifled.

"Speaking of which, Mi Shuhua suddenly used various means to deal with me, both temptation and suppression, and finally promised a heavy treasure, the Foundation Establishment Pill. This kind of urgent chain of means doesn't fit his traditional art of controlling subordinates at all!"

Suddenly, Luo Chen thought of the sickly pale face he saw when he first entered the stone room.

"He is seriously injured?"