Chapter 431: Chapter 431 Barefoot Run_1
Outside the door, seventy to eighty people were gathered. At the forefront was the red-haired youth, whose lost legs had been completely restored.
Although they had been making quite a racket, they immediately fell silent upon seeing Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King emerge. All eyes were filled with dread.
"Have you all finished cleaning? Come up here," Qin Feiyang frowned.
"We... we’ve cleaned up..." a small, skinny disciple stammered.
Qin Feiyang glanced down at the bottom of the patio well. Indeed, it was spotless, without a speck of dust in sight.
The Wolf King asked, "So, what are all of you doing gathered here?"
A female disciple timidly replied, "We were watching Murong Jing and Wu Yan’s alchemy competition."
"An alchemy competition?" Qin Feiyang was taken aback. "What was the outcome?"
The female disciple said, "Murong Jing won."
"She won?" Surprise flickered across Qin Feiyang’s face.
He knew Murong Jing was a Top Grade Alchemist. Lv Yun had also once mentioned that Murong Jing could produce top-grade elixirs. However, during his entire time in State City, he had never witnessed Murong Jing practicing alchemy firsthand. Therefore, he still had no idea just how skilled Murong Jing was in alchemy.
Just then, the blue-haired youth walked out, looking distraught, his face etched with unwillingness.
The Wolf King sneered, "You’re not even a match for a woman. What’s there for you to be arrogant about?"
"Shut up!" the blue-haired youth shouted furiously, clenching his fists tightly.
"OH!" The Wolf King extended a claw provocatively. "Got a temper, do we! Come, come. I’ll have a round with you!"
The blue-haired youth’s pupils contracted, fear clearly visible on his face.
HUMPH!
But he couldn’t bring himself to swallow his pride. Snorting through his nose, he looked at the red-haired youth. "Xui Yang, I want your Alchemy Room Number Four."
The red-haired youth frowned, clearly displeased. But in the end, he nodded. "Fine. Then Alchemy Room Number Five will be mine."
The current occupant of Alchemy Room Number Five immediately paled, his eyes filled with helplessness.
Xui Yang, Wu Yan... Qin Feiyang glanced at the two of them. Judging by the current situation, Wu Yan’s talent in alchemy seemed to surpass Xui Yang’s.
"Does anyone else wish to challenge me? I’m ready anytime," Murong Jing said as she walked out, her gaze calmly sweeping over the crowd.
No one uttered a sound!
"Whoever stole my Pill Furnace, get down here and face death!"
At that moment, a furious shout erupted from the bottom of the patio well.
Everyone looked down to see Lu Xingchen standing below, panting heavily, his eyes blazing with rage.
"What’s going on?"
"Who stole his Pill Furnace?"
Everyone was bewildered.
Suddenly, all eyes turned to Qin Feiyang. During the time Lu Xingchen was reflecting on his mistakes, only Qin Feiyang had entered Alchemy Room Number Two. Given his personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if he stole Lu Xingchen’s Pill Furnace.
Qin Feiyang walked to the railing and looked down at Lu Xingchen. Without denying it, he said calmly, "It was me."
"You!" Lu Xingchen gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
But the next moment, a smile crept onto his face. "So it’s Brother Qin! Why didn’t you inform me of your arrival in the Inner Hall sooner, Brother Qin? I would have come to welcome you!"
Qin Feiyang chuckled lightly. "Senior Brother Lu was busy reflecting on his mistakes. How could I dare to disturb you?"
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. What was this situation? Weren’t they enemies? Why did it now seem as if old friends were reuniting?
WHOOSH!
Lu Xingchen leaped up and landed in front of Qin Feiyang, laughing. "Brother Qin, if you fancied the Black Lion Pill Furnace, you could have simply told me. I would have gifted it to you. Why resort to such despicable tactics?"
This didn’t sound right. It sounds like he’s mocking Qin Feiyang, doesn’t it?
Everyone’s expressions changed. It seemed Lu Xingchen hadn’t forgotten their past grievances. He still harbored resentment towards Qin Feiyang. However, he hadn’t chosen to confront him directly. Instead, he was using this method to ridicule Qin Feiyang.
Qin Feiyang, you’ve finally met your match! Let’s see how you’ll counter this! Will you lash out? Or endure it? Everyone looked at Qin Feiyang, a hint of mockery in their eyes.
Qin Feiyang saw the looks in their eyes but merely smiled faintly. "Senior Brother Lu, you’re mistaken there," he said cheerfully. "I neither stole nor deceived, so how can my actions be called underhanded? If we must say, I was able to take the Black Lion Pill Furnace because I had the ability. And I’m quite confident that you definitely won’t be able to take it back."
A chill went down everyone’s spines. This Qin Feiyang, though his words were seemingly polite, was laced with provocation.
Lu Xingchen’s hands also clenched tightly. This was because Qin Feiyang’s words carried a double meaning. The overt meaning was that Qin Feiyang had the ability. But the implied meaning was that Lu Xingchen was incompetent!
"I’ll endure it!" Lu Xingchen took a deep breath and laughed. "Since Brother Qin has taken a liking to the Black Lion Pill Furnace, as your Senior Brother, I naturally must be magnanimous. I hereby publicly announce that I am gifting the Black Lion Pill Furnace to you."
These words also carried a hidden depth. By phrasing it this way, it wasn’t Qin Feiyang taking it by ability, but Lu Xingchen gifting it. The significance was entirely different. Lu Xingchen could not only save face but also display his magnanimity—killing two birds with one stone.
"Giving away a fourth-rank Pill Furnace just like that! Senior Brother Lu, you are truly worthy of being a disciple from a prestigious family." Qin Feiyang chuckled. "If you happen upon a Fifth Grade Pill Furnace in the future, Senior Brother, please don’t forget your Junior Brother!"
"Utterly insatiable!" Many showed expressions of disdain. Lu Xingchen’s eyes also held a hint of mockery.
"You’re all too naive."
"He’s not being greedy."
"He’s implying that Lu Xingchen is a spendthrift, a profligate son," someone whispered.
Qin Feiyang was quite surprised. He shook his head and chuckled. "It seems there are still one or two clever people in this Inner Hall!"
Only then did everyone come to a sudden realization. Brave and resourceful—this Qin Feiyang was truly a difficult character to handle.
Lu Xingchen’s expression froze on the spot; it was as unsightly as could be. He had thought he could save face, but this turned out to be even more humiliating.
Qin Feiyang’s lips curved into a smirk. "Senior Brother Lu, I’ve usurped your alchemy room. You don’t mind, do you?"
"Of course..." Lu Xingchen paused, then forced a laugh. "Of course not. After all, as a Senior Brother, I must look after a newly arrived Junior Brother."
But internally, he was already seething with uncontrollable rage! Ever since he became a Top Grade Alchemist, he had never been so aggrieved! Especially the word "usurped," it made him feel intensely humiliated.
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Qin Feiyang cupped his hands with a smile, then turned and brazenly walked into Alchemy Room Number Two.
BANG!
The stone door slammed shut.
A cold glint flashed in Lu Xingchen’s eyes. He turned to Wu Yan and said, "I want your alchemy room. Vacate it for me immediately."
Wu Yan smiled bitterly and pointed at Murong Jing. "Alchemy Room Number Three is hers now. If you want it, go ask her!"
"Oh?" Lu Xingchen looked at Murong Jing, a brow slightly raised, and said, "I want to challenge you."
Murong Jing said淡淡道, "Then be quick about it."
Her composed demeanor and calm tone nearly drove Lu Xingchen insane. A woman dares to look down on him? He didn’t know that Murong Jing had no intention of belittling him; it was simply her personality.
Nearby, Wu Yan’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.
Lu Xingchen entered Alchemy Room Number Three. Murong Jing waved her jade-like hand, and the stone door closed with a THUD.
Xui Yang asked in confusion, "Wu Yan, why didn’t you tell Lu Xingchen?"
"He’s always so arrogant, why bother telling him?" Wu Yan sneered.
"True." Xui Yang nodded, a wide smile on his face. "First, he was utterly humiliated by Qin Feiyang, and next, he’s going to lose to a woman. He’s bound to go berserk later."
"How is that possible?!"
Sure enough. Not long after, a furious roar echoed from within Alchemy Room Number Three.
Immediately after, the stone door opened, and Lu Xingchen walked out of the alchemy room, his face ashen.
"Lu Xingchen, don’t forget our bet," Murong Jing’s icy voice drifted from within.
"What bet?" everyone asked, looking at Lu Xingchen in confusion.
But the next moment, all their eyes widened in disbelief. The women, in particular, gasped and turned their heads away.
Because Lu Xingchen was stripping off his clothes, leaving only his undershorts.
BANG!
The stone door of Alchemy Room Number Two opened. The Wolf King and Qin Feiyang, hearing the commotion, walked out. Seeing this scene, they were instantly dumbfounded. Why did he strip?
However, facing the crowd’s astonished and questioning gazes, Lu Xingchen offered no explanation. He leaped directly from the railing and fled outside.
Streaking? Those two words surfaced in everyone’s minds.
Qin Feiyang retracted his gaze and looked at Wu Yan and the others, asking with a puzzled look, "What happened?"
"HUMPH!" Wu Yan snorted coldly, also leaped down, and chased after Lu Xingchen.
The rest also ignored Qin Feiyang one after another, following to watch the spectacle.
The Wolf King chuckled. "It seems they’re quite dissatisfied with you."
"So what if they are?" Qin Feiyang sneered.
At this moment, Murong Jing walked out.
Qin Feiyang turned to her, asking perplexedly, "Why did Lu Xingchen strip?"
"Before the competition, he tried to intimidate me, so I retaliated a bit. We made a bet: the loser had to streak once around the Inner Hall," Murong Jing explained. Her tone and expression remained exceptionally calm, as if she had done something utterly trivial.
"HEH HEH, I’m going out to take a look!" the Wolf King cackled, then darted below.
Qin Feiyang’s face darkened. "Don’t forget we have important things to do! Get back here quickly!" he roared.
"Got it!" the Wolf King replied without even turning his head.
Murong Jing also returned to Alchemy Room Number Three.
Qin Feiyang watched her retreating figure, his gaze flickering, unfathomable. Although Lu Xingchen wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, he definitely had genuine skills. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been lauded to the high heavens. But now, he had actually lost to the hitherto unknown Murong Jing.
This woman... is quite something! It’s even possible that, like me, she’s concealing the true level of her spiritual power. That Lu Xingchen is truly unlucky. To suffer setbacks several times in one day... let’s see how he can act arrogantly in the future. However, the real show is yet to come!
Qin Feiyang smiled coldly and also turned back to Alchemy Room Number Two.
After closing the stone door, he sat in the lounge area. After a moment of contemplation, he took out the Image Crystal Stone, and his Battle Intent surged, quickly activating it.
Soon, a spectral figure materialized. It was precisely Yin Yuanming!