C133 Pill King Note(2)

Though there are ranks beyond Pill King, like Pill Emperor, these are rare in today's world. It's been ages since a Pill Emperor has appeared, and even Pill Kings are scarce, with only a handful emerging in recent decades, most of whom remain reclusive.

In the Heavenly Martial Sect region, and even in more advanced areas, a Pill King is incredibly valuable.

Liang Fengyue was originally just a lesser-known member of the Liang family. Perhaps due to an ill-chosen name, he spent his youth frequenting disreputable places, nearly getting expelled from the family. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he became obsessed with the art of alchemy.

No one took him seriously at first. But to everyone's surprise, he had an extraordinary talent. Rising from a young man who couldn't concoct a basic potion, he steadily advanced to become a renowned Pill King, establishing the Pill King Pavilion.

Back then, the Pavilion was so esteemed that even sects with grand reputations sought its services. However, this didn't last long, as Liang Fengyue eventually left the country, and the era of the Pavilion producing king-level pills ended.

Fortunately, Liang Fengyue left behind the "Pill King Note." Although the Liang family no longer had a Pill King, they could still produce spirit pills, preserving the Pavilion's name. Today, only Liang Ruoxuan's father remains capable of crafting these spirit pills.

A year ago, Ruoxuan's father met an untimely death while away, and the "Pill King Note" mysteriously disappeared. Soon after, the Ma family established the Pill King Pavilion right across from them.

The Ma family was already a prominent household in the city, far surpassing the declining Liang family. Faced with such provocation, the Liang family had no choice but to endure in silence.

Before long, the Ma family produced the "Pill King Note" along with a marriage contract, claiming that Ruoxuan's father had arranged for her to marry Ma Tenglong, the Ma family's eldest son, before his death. They also asserted that the "Pill King Note" and the Pill King Pavilion were part of her dowry.

Not only did Ruoxuan find this hard to believe, but so did many others. However, no one dared to offend the Ma family over it. Additionally, the Ma family spread the word that the Liang family's Pill King Pavilion was in name only and should be called the Medicine King Pavilion, while their own was the true Pill King Pavilion. This is why people in the city referred to Ruoxuan's family as the Medicine King Pavilion.

The Ma family continued to press the Liang family, who struggled to hold their ground. Fortunately, Yu Jun, one of the city's four leaders and a close friend of Ruoxuan's father, consistently supported the Liang family. Without his help, they might not have lasted this long.

Recently, the Ma family issued a challenge, proposing a contest to determine the rightful owner of the Pill King Pavilion. The loser would have to hand over their pavilion to the winner. If the Ma family lost, they would return the "Pill King Note." If the Liang family lost, they would have to honor the marriage contract.

Liang Ruoxuan accepted the challenge without hesitation. Even though the Ma family had acquired the "Pill King Note," they hadn't had it for long. They had hired an alchemist from outside, who could only produce mid-grade treasure pills. The Liang family, despite the absence of Ruoxuan's father, still had the foundation to craft high-grade treasure pills with ease.

However, on the very day Ruoxuan accepted the challenge, the Liang family's alchemist, capable of crafting high-grade treasure pills, announced plans to join the Ma family and would not participate in the Pill King Competition. This news understandably upset Ruoxuan, causing her to cough violently.

Woo Zhengyang, witnessing this, understood the situation without needing further explanation. Being betrayed by one's own family is far more painful than being oppressed by others.

"Miss Liang, what's happening?" Zhengyang asked as Uncle Hai handed Ruoxuan another pill.

"Sigh... It's my fault for being too ambitious a few years ago. I let the fire energy enter my body while crafting pills, leaving behind a fire toxin," Ruoxuan replied with a bitter smile.

Hearing this, Uncle Hai suggested, "Miss, perhaps we should skip the Pill King Competition. I can take you away from this place..."

"Uncle Hai!" Ruoxuan interrupted firmly. "I will never hand over the Pill King Pavilion. Even if it costs me my life, I will participate in the Pill King Competition."

"What's this? Miss Liang, are you planning to enter the Pill King Competition yourself? Your fire poison..."

"The fire poison in my body doesn't affect my alchemy. In fact, it enhances the quality of my pills. I still have a shot at winning with a mid-grade treasure pill. Even if I lose, at least I gave it my all. If it comes to it, dying isn't the worst outcome. I don't have many years left anyway. Meeting my father in the afterlife would at least give me some peace."

"Miss, every time you make a pill, you're burning through your life!" Uncle Hai couldn't help but shed tears at the thought.

Liang Ruoxuan, frail yet serene about life and death, comforted him, "Uncle Hai, even if I stop making pills, I won't live past twenty. Early or late, it makes no difference. If I can protect the Pill King Pavilion, I can die without regrets."

Uncle Hai remained silent, as did Woo Zhengyang. Though Ruoxuan seemed indifferent to life and death, she hadn't grasped the world's dangers. Even if she won the competition, once she was gone, the Ma family would have an excuse to strike again, leaving the Liang family defenseless.

This was a doomed situation, with the Ma family simply trying to hasten the inevitable. Even the marriage contract was irrelevant to them; they just wanted a legitimate reason to act.

"Maybe... I can help you!" Woo Zhengyang suddenly spoke up.

Seeing Uncle Hai and Liang Ruoxuan relying on each other reminded Woo Zhengyang of his own days with Uncle Fu in the Lau family, stirring emotions within him.

"What?" Liang Ruoxuan and Uncle Hai were both surprised by Woo Zhengyang's words. Uncle Hai quickly became skeptical, but Liang Ruoxuan eagerly asked, "Senior Brother Woo, are you an alchemist too? Can you create a top-grade treasure pill?"

Woo Zhengyang shook his head and softly replied, "I'm not an alchemist, but I might be able to cure your fire poison!"

"Really?" Uncle Hai was shocked, though still a bit doubtful.

"Is that true?" Liang Ruoxuan's face lit up with joy as she pressed on, "You should know, even though our Pill King Pavilion has declined, we are still a family of alchemists. My father has exhausted himself trying to cure my fire poison, but to no avail. It's easy to make a spirit pill, but finding a remedy that neutralizes fire poison without harming the body is incredibly rare!"

Woo Zhengyang smiled slightly and took out a jade box from his Hidden Heaven Bag.

Seeing the item inside the box, Liang Ruoxuan's eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, "Ice Crystal Fire Grass!"