Chapter 204: Chapter 127: The Chief (Part 1)

Wu Tieshan’s mansion was located in the East District of the Prefecture City. While not as sprawling as the estates of the most powerful families, it was still quite grand.

Its vermilion-lacquered gates were flanked by stone lions guarding the home. The courtyard inside was paved with bluestone and dotted with several gnarled, ancient plum trees, exuding an air of quiet dignity.

When the butler led Chen Qing into the main hall, Wu Tieshan was already there, laughing and conversing with an elderly man.

“Haha, Chen Xiaoyou, you’re here! Please, have a seat!”

Seeing Chen Qing enter, Wu Tieshan let out a hearty laugh and rose to greet him.

Ever since their joint trip to the Wutai Sect, the two had been in frequent contact, and Wu Tieshan’s desire to befriend him was quite obvious.

This was especially true after Chen Qing advanced to the Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power, at which point Wu Tieshan had sent a messenger with a lavish gift.

The elderly man beside Wu Tieshan also rose, his gaze shifting to Chen Qing.

The elder was lean and wiry, dressed in gray linen robes. A leather pouch, worn to a glossy sheen, and a short, antiquated blade hung from his waist.

“Come, Chen Xiaoyou, let me introduce an old friend of mine.”

Wu Tieshan introduced him enthusiastically. “This is Jiang Bohong, Brother Jiang! He’s a renowned Assassin in Yunlin Prefecture who spends his years in dangerous places like the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp. His wealth of experience is such that even I pale in comparison!”

’Jiang Bohong?’

Chen Qing’s heart jolted. He had definitely heard that name before.

In Yunlin Prefecture and even the surrounding prefectures, when people spoke of Assassins who ventured deep into the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp, Jiang Bohong was a name to be reckoned with.

Rumor had it that some years ago, he had wiped out two small families in the Prefecture City that had allied themselves with the Zheng Family. Afterward, the Zheng Family dispatched two Late-stage Embracing Pill masters to hunt him down and kill him.

Jiang Bohong escaped directly into the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp, thwarting the Zheng Family’s plan. In the years that followed, he was seldom seen in Yunlin Prefecture.

Now, with the Zheng Family’s downfall, their old grudges had naturally vanished.

“You flatter me, Brother Wu. It is merely an empty reputation.”

Jiang Bohong smiled and cupped his fist. “This must be Chen Qing, Chen Xiaoyou, yes? A true hero born from the young! To be at the Mid-stage Embracing Pill at such a young age, and with an exceptionally solid foundation… no wonder even Younger Brother Wu holds you in such high esteem. My own meager abilities are not worth mentioning. Your future, on the other hand, is limitless!”

“You praise me too much, Elder Jiang,” Chen Qing said, quickly returning the salute. “I am Chen Qing. I have long admired your great name, and it is an honor to finally meet you today.”

It was necessary to show a certain degree of respect when facing such an experienced and formidably powerful veteran of the Jianghu.

Especially since Jiang Bohong regularly traversed the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp; he was clearly no ordinary man.

The three took their seats, and a graceful maidservant served fragrant tea.

Wu Tieshan was a straightforward man, and after a few pleasantries, he cut right to the chase. “Chen Xiaoyou, I heard Zhicheng mention that you seem to be quite interested in treasures that can enhance one’s Root Bone aptitude?”

Chen Qing nodded. “That is correct. My aptitude is ordinary, and I’m well aware that the Root Bone is the very foundation of Martial Arts. Therefore, I’ve been keeping an eye out for such opportunities. Do you have some news for me, Elder Wu?”

Wu Tieshan laughed and pointed to Jiang Bohong beside him. “For that news, you’ll have to ask Brother Jiang!”

Jiang Bohong stroked his salt-and-pepper beard. “I’ve spent decades scraping by in the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp. Besides hunting Exotic Beasts and gathering poisons, I sometimes stumble upon legacies left by my predecessors. A few years ago, in a perilous location, I was fortunate enough to acquire half of a tattered, ancient Pill Formula. It was for something called the ’Bone Transformation Pill’.”

“The Bone Transformation Pill?”

Chen Qing’s heart leaped in his chest, and he stared at Jiang Bohong with a burning intensity.

“Precisely.”

Jiang Bohong nodded and continued in a slow, measured tone, “This is no ordinary Elixir for advancing one’s Cultivation. Its primary purpose is Bone Strengthening and Muscle Forging—to refine one’s foundation. According to the Pill Formula, it is effective at improving any Root Bone of the Six Forms or lower! However…”

He changed his tone. “The Pill Formula was incomplete. It took me years of painstaking effort and countless experiments to barely complete the refinement process. The hardships involved are not something I can discuss with outsiders. As such, this Pill Formula is one of the cornerstones of my livelihood. I will never sell it.”

Chen Qing understood. ’Anyone who gets their hands on a Pill Formula like that would guard it like a priceless treasure. They wouldn’t show it to anyone, let alone sell it.’

He took a deep breath and asked calmly, “Then what is it you’re proposing, Elder?”

“My proposal is this,” Jiang Bohong said, looking at Chen Qing. “I will handle the alchemy. Regardless of the yield, I will take fifty percent of the finished pills as my compensation. In addition, there is a fixed ’Furnace Opening Fee’ of five thousand taels of patterned silver.”

’Fifty percent compensation? And a five thousand tael Furnace Opening Fee?’

Chen Qing’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

’Those terms are incredibly steep.’

It meant that not only would he have to shoulder the cost of the expensive ingredients and pay the high Alchemy Fee, but he would also only receive fifty percent of the pills that were successfully refined.

To make matters worse, Alchemy itself carried an extremely high risk of failure.

“Elder, may I ask about the success rate? And how many pills can one batch produce?” Chen Qing pressed. This was the crucial point.

Jiang Bohong didn’t try to hide anything, admitting frankly, “Refining this Pill is quite difficult. Although I’ve mastered the process, I’m limited by the conflicting medicinal properties of the ingredients and the precision needed for heat control. The success rate is only about thirty percent. If a batch is successful, it will typically yield five to six pills.”

’A success rate of only thirty percent!’

’A maximum of six pills per batch, and I’d still have to give fifty percent to Jiang Bohong!’

’In other words, even with a successful batch, I would get three pills at most. It might even be just two.’

’And there’s a seventy percent chance of failure. If that happens, all the precious ingredients will be wasted, and the five thousand tael Furnace Opening Fee would be gone for nothing.’

’The risk… is immense.’

“What are the main ingredients required to refine this Pill? Please, Elder, enlighten me.”

Chen Qing asked in a heavy tone, already bracing himself for a list of astronomically expensive ingredients.

Jiang Bohong was clearly prepared, ticking off the items on his fingers. “There are three primary ingredients, all of them rare Treasure Medicines at least fifteen years in age. The first is the Yin Condensing Flower. This flower grows on the banks of extremely frigid Cold Pools. Its petals are like black jade, and its stamens are coated in frost. It serves as the catalyst to harmonize the medicinal properties. The second is the Earth Dragon Blood Ginseng. This ginseng must have grown by absorbing the Essence Blood of an underground Exotic Beast known as the Iron Wire Earth Dragon. Its entire body is crimson and contains a vast amount of blood qi; it is the core of the Bone Transformation power. As for the third…”

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