Heretic Apothecary Genius

Chapter 55: Superior-Grade Spiritual Artifact!

There were four dots branded on the handle of the Black Nether Sword. At present, as the Black Nether Sword twinkled with a bright light as it was controlled by Chang Laosi’s dharmic powers, they were clearly seen.

Chang Laosi himself had long been stunned, in complete disbelief that all of this was real. A superior-grade spiritual artifact, how was it possible? Money couldn’t even buy it. The superior-grade spiritual item from the previous auction wasn’t even as good as this one, merely worth tens of millions…

Although Chang Laosi had some property, even all of them were put together wasn’t enough to exchange for a superior-grade spiritual artifact, much less such a strong one.

Especially when he saw the four bright dots on the sword handle, tears flowed down from the corner of his eyes.

“Mas… Master, this… this is too valuable, I cannot…” Chang Laosi personally experienced the power of this Black Nether Sword and only came back to his senses after some time. His hands trembled as lifted the sword with both hands, preparing to return it.

“Since you’re still addressing me as Master, you should know, how can I take back something that I’ve given you. Besides, a mark has been specially made on it for you. In the future, this is an item that belongs exclusively to you.” Ren Jie gestured with his hand for him to keep it and said, “Completely grasp this refinement before you head out, just in case some people hatch a plot. This is something that your Master got after saving someone’s life. I subsequently gave it a little bit of restoration. It’s not anything valuable, I got it for free.”

Upon seeing those four bright dots earlier, everyone had associated it with Chang Laosi’s name. Now that they heard this, they could finally confirm that it was indeed a mark that was specially made.

To be able to leave a mark on a superior-grade spiritual artifact, what kind of skills were needed?

Given Fang Yan’s earlier agitation and Ren Jie’s words, everyone instantly looked towards Fang Yan. Could it be that this was the Fang family’s…

“Ren Jie, my Fang family agreed to give you a middle-grade spiritual item. I’m afraid that’s been some inconsistency in this, perhaps the servants took the wrong item by mistake…” Fang Yan finally couldn’t hold back and spoke up. A superior-grade spiritual artifact, how could they give it away just like that.

“Shut your trap.” Ren Jie was just waiting for Fang Yan to come forward. He directly and bluntly pointed at Fang Yan and said, “How shameless. Previously at the Fang residence, I said that I’ll save the person with six million jade coins and a middle-grade spiritual item that the Fangs have promised long ago. You people f*cking claimed that you didn’t have that much money and subsequently said that Chang Le Casino belonged to the Fangs. You used Chang Le Casino to pledge for five million jade coins, then gave me a million jade coins and an apothecary room under your name, a manor under Fang Tianen’s name, and the fabric shop under Fang Qi’s name before I used the treasure that my father left behind to save her.

“I have yet to get even with you lot.” Right now, Ren Jie got directly to his feet and rebuked loudly. “What Chang Le Casino is an asset of the Fang family. Chang Laosi merely pays tributes to the Fang family to request for protection and ensure their safety. In the end, you actually used me wanting to swallow up Chang Le Casino as a reason to force Chang Laosi to sell Chang Le Casino at a low price of a few hundred thousand jade coins, then use it pledge for five million jade coins on my side. If I hadn’t met Laosi subsequently, I really wouldn’t know that you pulled such a trick. I saw that Chang Laosi has some talent, so I decided to take him in as my disciple. Originally, I wasn’t planning on continuing to be entangled with you in this matter. I didn’t expect your Fang family to be so unscrupulous, that you all actually went around spreading rumors.”

Chang Laosi also said, “Fang Yan, I am not a child. Your Fang family tried to swallow up my Chang Le Gang several times to no avail. In the end, you actually used such despicable means and even shifted the blame to my Master. I will forever remember this score.”

“You… you two… Chang Laosi, you’re asking for death…” Fang Yan was so incensed that he was about to explode. “You two have colluded long ago, don’t think it will work just like that. Chang Laosi, you’re dead, no one will be able to protect you.”

Upon hearing these words from Fang Yan, the corner of Gao Peng’s lips twitched. He wanted to remind Fang Yan but held back.

“Earlier on, I just said, one of the aims of taking in a disciple is to have everyone look out for him. Fang Yan, you’re really mighty. You’ve already started threatening to kill my disciple in my Ren residence. Guards, seize him and beat him up.”

“Ren Jie, how dare you. I am the leader of the imperial guards. I am here to attend the banquet as a representative of the Fang family, do you dare touch me?” Fang Yan was truly enraged this time. This was different from begging Ren Jie to cure Fang Qi.

The personal guards did not care about what leader of the imperial guards, representative of the Fang family at the banquet. They went forward and directly grabbed him.

“Ren Jie, Chang Laosi, just you wait. Boom…” Fang Yan had some genuine capabilities, his cultivation at the Divine Power Realm also wasn’t a joke as he sent two personal guards flying. In the next moment, he’d turned into a stream of light and charged into the air. Although long-distance flying was difficult, he knew dharma spells for short distance mid-air acceleration.

He’d just rushed out, but before he could fly out of the courtyard and before Tong Qiang could strike, a huge pai gow 1 tile appeared in the air. It instantly became more than ten meters tall and struck Fang Yan back down with a slamming sound.

He had officially acknowledged his Master and Ren Jie had actually gifted him a precious superior-grade spiritual artifact. Add to that the idea that Ren Jie had told him that was a dream-like world to him, Chang Laosi was wholeheartedly set on following his young Master. Hence, he struck at the first moment. Although his pai gow dharma treasure was merely an inferior-grade spiritual artifact, in his hands, it was still extremely powerful. It totally wasn’t something that Fang Yan, a person who relied on medication to break through to the first level of the Divine Power Realm, could hold against. Fang Yan was slammed out of the air like a housefly behind swat by an enormous flyswatter.

“Boom…” Fang Yan landed heavily on the ground, making a deep dent on the surface.

“Slandering my innocence, spreading rumors to create trouble, and even threatening the life of my disciple. And this was done at my Ren residence, at the banquet of me taking in my disciple. You’re really bold.” Ren Jie went on, “Guards, tie him on the pillar at the entrance. I’ll wait for the Fang family to give me an explanation.”

“Yes.” With a wave of Tong Qiang’s hand, people lifted up Fang Yan, who had had his resistance beaten out of him, and dragged him to the entrance.

“Hang on!” Right then, Li Yan, who barely managed to stand with support, shouted. He endured the pain and said, “Ren Jie, how dare you. Fang Yan is the leader of the imperial guards, even the military has no right to easily arrest him. You actually dared to injure and even want to tie him up. I see you’re truly insolent and conceited.”

Li Yan believed that since he had come forth representing the royal family, he had to say something when he had the chance now because there was an unusual intention in His Majesty’s act of sending him here.

“Today I only invited Jade Capital’s top ten gangs and members of the four other big family clans, I did not invite some leader of the imperial guards. If he was here representing His Majesty, I wouldn’t dare to do so even if I have ten heads. However, Fang Yan is here on behalf of the Fang family today. The Fang family was ungrateful and treacherous. I used up the only drop of antidote to save their family member and they actually trapped me unjustly in secret. Right now, they even shameless wanted to seize my possession and kill my disciple…”

At this point, Ren Jie’s brows straightened as he shouted, full of foppery, “If I don’t punish him, how would I manage such a big Ren family, how would I survive in Jade Capital, wouldn’t I be bullied by everyone in the future? Marquis Li, I invited the other family clans only to be witnesses. Today, this is between my Ren family and the Fang family, your Li family shall not interfere.”

Although the address of five big family clans existed since the founding of the country, the Li family was the royal family, after all. Most of the time, people were used to saying four big family clans, raising the Li family up high. And the emperor only set himself as an equal with the other family heads as the family head of the Li family in the Five Clans Hall. During all other times, they were still set apart very clearly. However, right now, Ren Jie was intentionally not mentioning any emperor or royal family. There was only the five big family clans in his words. As for the current issue, it was between the Ren and Fang families, he totally wasn’t giving Li Yan the chance to interrupt.

Manage such a big Ren family, upon hearing this from Ren Jie, Li Yan almost burst out laughing. If you can really manage the Ren family, everyone here wouldn’t be us and no one would dare to provoke you. Only, after Ren Jie said this, he didn’t know how to respond.

Could it be that he had been playing the fool in the past? This was very different from the Ren Jie in the past. However, if he was truly clever, he shouldn’t have stood out and put things this way. Not to mention other people and forces, just those elders in the Ren family and the two others would never let him truly wield power. He was seeking death, he would only die faster like this. Gao Peng watched Ren Jie, realizing that he was increasingly unable to figure him out.

It was common for the lineal descendants of the five big family clans to hide their capabilities or intelligence, only to display them during suitable times in order to avoid drawing too much attention and dying young. However, Ren Jie’s situation was different. Regardless of how clever he was, when beset with troubles internally and externally, he would only die even earlier. If he just muddled along in life, he might still be able to remain alive for a longer time.

Was this his final madness, sending the helve after the hatchet!! Gao Peng had wanted to make use of this banquet to perceive Ren Jie. However, Ren Jie actually took Chang Laosi, the gang leader of Chang Le Gang as his disciple and even gifted a superior-grade spiritual artifact. Even he was shocked. Following that, Ren Jie’s actions left him confused and in doubt.

As for Zhan Sihai, Huang Yun, Lei Shi, and the others, they took a long time to come back to their senses, thinking to themselves, He’s too fearless. The leader of the imperial guards, a lineal descendant of the Fang family beaten up and even tied to a pillar at the gates, this is too fierce.

Whether Fang Yan was the leader of the imperial guards or a lineal descendant of the Fang family, regardless of either identity, they didn’t dare to provoke him easily. And here today, he was actually…

At present, they couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Everyone claimed that this Ren Jie was a puppet family head, a dandy young master. But no matter what, he was Ren Tianxing’s son and also held the title of Ren Family Head. Fortunately, they hadn’t been ignorant and offended him previously.

However, this didn’t have much to do with them, after all. The matters of the five big family clans were something that they’d never dared to touch.

Only when they saw the superior-grade spiritual artifact in Chang Laosi’s hand once again, a gaze of utter envy and jealousy appeared in their eyes. If this had been an unclaimed possession, even if the other party was a powerhouse in the Yin Yang Realm, they would join hands and even summon more people to snatch it. A superior-grade spiritual artifact was enough to set off a brutal fight in the Jianghu.

Right now, all these people only had one thought in mind. Ren Jie took in this Chang Laosi as his disciple in such a high-profile manner, regardless of how the hearsay was in the outside world, for every day that Ren Jie was still the family head of the Ren family, they had to treat him with caution.

“Congratulations Ren Family Head on taking in a disciple. Congratulations!” Zhan Sihai was the first to react. This was Ren Jie taking in a disciple, after all. And Chang Laosi didn’t seem like he was being forced at all. Besides, with this superior-grade spiritual artifact, even they themselves wanted to be this disciple. Where was there the need to use coercion?

Once Zhan Sihai started with his congratulations, the people from the top ten gangs then came to their senses and congratulated him in succession.

These words didn’t require money or expend any energy, why not do a favor that cost nothing.

Whereas Li Yan and Gao Peng looked on indifferently. Unlike the top ten gangs, they were looking forward more to the subsequent matter.

“I hereby thank everyone for giving me face today. In the future, if my disciple were to wrong or offend any of you, feel free to come to me. Although I side with my own, I am definitely not an unreasonable person. If he is really in the wrong, I will make sure to punish him all the same. However, for those who directly flaunt and threaten to kill my disciple like earlier, everyone has seen the consequences. Alright, everyone has dined and wined to satiety and also witnessed me taking in my disciple, I shall not see you out.”

Revealing his relationship with Chang Laosi was the most advantageous counterattack to the Fang family and the others. However, it would also push Chang Laosi and himself to the teeth of the storm. It was better on his side. At least, his life wouldn’t be in danger for now. But it was different for Chang Laosi.

Although he was at the ninth level of the Divine Power Realm and was also one of the few powerhouses in Jade Capital, he was alone, after all. While Ren Jie needed Chang Laosi’s help to make the issue big to earn money as soon as possible, at the same time he needed to counterattack, so he might as well be in for a penny, in for a pound.

Precisely because of this, he gave the Fangs and others ample time previously. When Fang Yan jumped out at this time, it was just what Ren Jie wished for. As for the others, Ren Jie wasn’t afraid of directly letting them know.

Hearing him speak so arrogantly and directly, Zhan Sihai and the rest were speechless and wryly smiled inside. There was even this kind of Master. Fortunately, Chang Laosi wasn’t the usual dandy child. Otherwise, with such a parent spoiling him, it would be difficult not to go astray.

Originally, Zhan Sihai, Huang Yun, Lei Shi, and the others felt extremely uneasy staying there. Once they heard Ren Jie, everyone agreed and took their leave one after another. Even Li Yan, Gao Peng and more felt that it would be too boring to stay on and also left.

“Master, I can use this sword for now, but…” Although he was already so fond and unwilling to part with it, seeing that everyone had left, Chang Laosi went forward, wanting to have a discussion with Ren Jie about the Black Nether Sword again.

Ren Jie waved his hand. “I accepted your teacher acknowledgment gift. You are sincere and emotional, with gambling as your goal in this life, you even fused your own understanding into it. For your dreams, you cracked and acknowledged me as your Master. You sincerely acknowledged me as your Master, so I sincerely accepted you as a disciple. There’s no need to say any useless rubbish in the future. Having such a superior-grade spiritual artifact doesn’t change anything for me, but it would have a huge effect on you. After all, with these actions of mine, you will become a thorn in the Fang family’s side.”

Footnotes:

A Chinese gambling game played with a set of 32 Chinese dominoes