It wasn't until three breaths later that Elder Chihuo realized no attack had come. He slowly lowered the hand covering his head.
What greeted his eyes was a purple-gold token floating silently before him. Ancient and mysterious patterns were carved across its surface, subtly emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.
In the center of the front side stood a towering pagoda reaching into the clouds, while the back bore the words "Elder" inscribed in elegant, flowing calligraphy.
The moment Elder Chihuo clearly saw the token, his expression changed drastically. His pupils contracted sharply!
"This… this is… a Pill Tower Elder Token!"
His voice trembled uncontrollably. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, his body began to shake, and terror filled his face.
With his knowledge and background, he naturally understood exactly which power the token belonged to.
In the entire Central Plains, there was only one force that used a pagoda as its emblem—the Pill Tower, revered as the holy land by alchemists across the continent.
This was a Pill Tower Elder Token, and its purple-gold color marked it as the highest rank among elder tokens.
Those who held such tokens were typically powerful and influential elders within the Pill Tower. Even his own Valley Master would have to treat this token with utmost respect.
He knew that today he had not simply hit an iron plate—he had stepped straight into molten magma.
"The full story of this incident—I presume the Liu Family Head has already told you?" Xuan Yi stopped three meters away from Elder Chihuo and looked down at him as she spoke.
Xiao Jietian stood quietly to the side. Xuan Yi had told him earlier that she would handle the matter herself.
"Very clearly," Elder Chihuo replied, his voice still trembling.
"Oh? I thought you were still pretending not to know," Xuan Yi sneered.
When she had arrived earlier, she had already heard Liu Shan explain the entire situation in detail, yet this old man had continued to feign ignorance.
Elder Chihuo lowered his head deeply, not daring to look up. "Yes! Yes! The Elder's lesson is correct!"
Liu Shan watched Elder Chihuo's current miserable state and felt a slight sense of satisfaction. He had deliberately made things difficult for the old man earlier, but now the tables had completely turned.
"Since you already know, then according to what your Burning Flame Valley disciple said earlier—disrespecting me, along with his words and actions just now—can I take this to mean that your Burning Flame Valley intends to make enemies of my Pill Tower?"
"Is your Burning Flame Valley preparing to declare war on the Pill Tower?"
Xuan Yi spoke calmly, yet her words carried immense weight as she addressed Elder Chihuo.
Elder Chihuo immediately felt as if a massive mountain were pressing down on his chest, making it difficult to breathe. Such a heavy accusation was something he truly could not bear.
"My lady, this… this is all a misunderstanding! How could we possibly harbor such thoughts? We hold the deepest respect for the Pill Tower. Please, my lady, overlook my transgression and spare my life!"
At this moment, Elder Chihuo only wanted to save his own life. Otherwise, if he offended a Pill Tower Elder because of the people he had brought without properly investigating the situation, even if his Valley Master didn't kill him, his rivals within the Valley certainly would.
"You think a simple apology is enough? If apologies worked, there wouldn't be so many life-and-death struggles in this world."
"It seems the disciples of your Burning Flame Valley aren't as well-disciplined as the rumors suggest. I'm quite curious how Valley Master Tang Zhen trains his sect's disciples."
Xuan Yi did not soften in the slightest because of his pleading. She was no saint.
"This old man… this old man was blind and offended the Elder. I am willing to let him die to atone for his sins and appease the Elder's anger," Elder Chihuo said hoarsely.
As soon as he finished speaking, he reached out and slapped the top of the young man's head. The disciple had just woken up and was listening in terror to their conversation.
"You…" The young man's pupils widened instantly. He made strange gurgling noises in his throat, wanting to say something, but never got the chance.
He collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his seven orifices. He was dead.
Xuan Yi and Xiao Jietian were both slightly stunned. They hadn't expected the old man to act so decisively.
However, Xiao Jietian felt no pity for the young man's death. He had been destined to die anyway.
Xuan Yi calmly glanced at the corpse before turning her gaze back to Elder Chihuo. "The matter is settled for now. I'll spare your life today. Now, let's discuss compensation."
From Xuan Yi's words, Elder Chihuo understood that she was no longer pursuing the matter aggressively. At the very least, his life was safe.
It was a pity for his disciple, but he would burn more incense for him later. After all, he had raised the boy for so many years—it was time for repayment.
Hearing her demand, he quickly took out a large pile of items from his storage ring, including rare medicinal herbs and various special metals.
"These are all my personal collections over the years. I hope the Elder will accept them."
Xiao Jietian glanced at the items on the ground. As expected of a cunning old fox, everything Elder Chihuo produced was perfectly tailored to Xuan Yi's identity as an alchemist.
Among the medicinal herbs were quite a few main ingredients for seventh-grade pills, and even three or four main ingredients for eighth-grade pills.
After all, a Pill Tower Elder had to be at least a seventh-grade alchemist, and someone holding a purple-gold Elder Token would definitely be at least eighth-grade.
The special metals also held great appeal for alchemists, as they could be used to forge medicine cauldrons. A high-quality cauldron was extremely important to an alchemist and could significantly increase their pill-refining success rate.
Xuan Yi's gaze swept over the pile of shimmering medicinal herbs and metals. With a gentle flick of her finger, a spiritual ganoderma that looked like green jade landed in her hand. A half-smile appeared on her lips.
"Elder Chihuo certainly has quite a rich collection…"
"These were all obtained through legitimate means by this old man, not through forceful seizure," Elder Chihuo quickly explained.
In his mind, these were all "gifts" from others. He truly hadn't taken them by force—everyone had been willing.
"Whether that's true or not, you know best in your heart," Xuan Yi said. She wasn't a naive child easily deceived. She could guess the general situation at a glance. After all, as one of the three Presidents of the Pill Tower, many people constantly tried to curry favor by sending her gifts.
Xuan Yi waved her hand, and all the items flew toward Xiao Jietian. Understanding her intent, he stored everything away in his storage space.
Although the two had not yet explicitly confessed their feelings, they both knew they were mutually fond of each other.
Xiao Jietian was in no hurry to break that final barrier, and neither was Xuan Yi. Both were waiting for a natural opportunity, quietly enjoying this slow and gradual progression.
After all, rushing things too much could easily make both parties feel uncomfortable.