Chapter 3: The Young Master Is Jumping into the Lake for a Bath

Time passed second by second. The warm energy that had originally gathered in his cultivation core gradually rose in temperature.

Boom!

Countless streams of qi flowed through his Soul Sea, surging endlessly toward that blazing mass of energy in his cultivation core. Soon, the shape of a pill cauldron began to take form. With a muffled rumble, the True Qi within his cultivation core ignited as if set ablaze, scorching through his Meridians.

Though the temperature had been intense from the start, Tang Yan had managed to endure it. But as time wore on, his skin began to burn red and scalding hot.

He had intended to hold on a little longer — but when he noticed wisps of white vapor rising from his body and felt his consciousness growing dangerously faint, he could bear it no more. Without even stopping to dress, he shoved open the door and bolted outside.

"Young Master, where are you going — ah!" Little Cui had heard the commotion and poked her head out the window. By the light of the bright moon, she caught sight of the Young Master in his rather unrestrained state. Her mouth fell open, her pretty face flushing crimson in an instant. She stamped her little foot, let out an indignant huff, and ultimately couldn't bring herself to follow him out.

Splash! In the stillness of the night, a tremendous sound of something hitting water spread across the rear courtyard.

Old Master Tang had already reached the eighth grade of the Profound Realm in his cultivation — a genuine expert — and his hearing was extraordinary. The moment that sound reached his ears, his heart lurched. Wasn't that direction exactly where that brat lived?

"What is going on?!" Old Master Tang strode out of his study and bellowed.

"In reply to the Master — the First Young Master has gone to jump in the lake for a bath," said a figure stepping out from the shadows.

"That insufferable fool!" Old Master Tang's mouth nearly twisted with fury. He had just begun to think the boy had turned over a new leaf, yet in less than a single day, the lad had reverted to his old ways. It was the beginning of autumn — not cold, but the lake water at night was no ordinary person's comfort. What madness had seized the boy now?

Whatever faint hope Old Master Tang had harbored for Tang Yan was instantly extinguished by this latest spectacle the First Young Master had made of himself before everyone's eyes. He let out a long, heavy sigh, flicked his sleeve, and walked away.

As for the First Young Master himself — the moment he plunged into the lake and felt the cool water wash over him, the burning sensation finally began to ease. The Supreme Pill Scripture Cultivation Technique was truly domineering. On his very first attempt at cultivation, it had not tempered his cultivation core but his Meridians!

That True Qi, blazing like fire, relentlessly refined his meridian channels, forcing impurities to seep out through his pores and expel themselves from his body.

After a whole night of this ordeal, the surge of True Qi finally subsided. Tang Yan slowly opened his eyes.

"That felt incredible!" He swam to the bank and stretched his limbs, taking stock of his own strength. In a single night, he had advanced to the third grade of the Primary Realm. He couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of this cultivation technique.

Perhaps because his cultivation had progressed, his mind was now clear and sharp, and he saw his current situation with far greater clarity.

The Tang Clan was in decline. Yun City was rife with undercurrents, and the ambitions of the great families to carve up the Tang Clan's holdings were plain for all to see. But as long as he lived, Old Master Tang — fiercely protective of his own — would fight to the death, making it difficult for anyone to gain the upper hand. Only if he died would his grandfather lose the will to carry on, and then the Tang Clan would be easy to deal with.

You want to destroy the Tang Clan? I'll make damn sure you never get your wish. A cold gleam flashed through Tang Yan's eyes. An unguarded killing intent slipped free — and with it, the aura of a generation's Pill Saint erupted in a sudden burst.

The aura vanished in an instant, yet every expert within the Tang Clan compound felt their hearts seize. But it had been so brief — could it have been an illusion?

While the Tang Clan's experts were still unsettled and uncertain, the First Young Master had already changed his clothes. He wore a white robe trimmed with gold embroidery, looking every inch the noble young lord. A folding fan in hand, anyone who didn't know better would have taken him for some graceful, distinguished young gentleman from a prominent family.

Though his strength was only at the third grade of the Primary Realm, refining a first-grade Pill — drawing on his past life's experience in Alchemy — would be child's play. The only problem was that the Tang Clan didn't even have a pill cauldron. He would need to acquire one separately before he could begin.

An ordinary pill cauldron cost at least a thousand taels of silver. And his grandfather, in an effort to prevent him from going out and causing more trouble, had confiscated all his spending money, leaving him with only thirty taels a month.

"I'll have to ask Grandfather for some silver." Just as Tang Yan was puzzling over how to broach the subject, he saw someone come rushing toward him from outside the door.

"Young Master, where are you going? Hurry back and lie down."

"Uncle Mo, what's the matter?" Tang Yan was curious. For minor matters, a servant was usually sent. For Uncle Mo to come in person was rather unusual.

Uncle Mo let out a quiet sigh. "The last time the Young Master had a little run-in with the City Lord's daughter, the people from the City Lord's Manor have come demanding an explanation. It's a bit of a thorny situation this time — among those who came is Wu Xuan from Miaodan Pavilion."

"Miaodan Pavilion?" Tang Yan's heart skipped a beat. He immediately recalled what he knew about that name. Miaodan Pavilion enjoyed a renowned reputation throughout the entire Nation of Tingxiang. The masters within its ranks included no shortage of third-grade Alchemists, and whether there were any fourth-grade Alchemists remained unknown — though by convention, when an organization publicly declared it had third-grade Alchemists, there were usually stronger figures kept hidden in the shadows.

An Alchemist's status was already exalted. If one could further lean on the great tree that was Miaodan Pavilion, even a second-grade Alchemist could walk sideways through an entire city with no one daring to provoke them.

It was said that Miaodan Pavilion's chief Alchemist, Wu Xuan, was not yet thirty years old and had already stepped into the rank of second-grade Alchemist. There were also rumors that Wu Xuan was on close terms with the City Lord's daughter, Lin Dongxue. Could it be that Wu Xuan had come today to seek justice on Lin Dongxue's behalf?

Over the many years of Miaodan Pavilion's growth, countless people had come to owe it favors, and countless others sought to curry its goodwill. If today's matter was handled poorly and Miaodan Pavilion took a disliking to the Tang Clan because of it, all those people desperately seeking Pills would surely band together against the Tang Clan. Though the Tang Clan held considerable power in Yun City, it was not the greatest — and besides, this was merely a small city.

"Uncle Mo — Grandfather wants me to go back and lie down, feign illness to win sympathy, then offer some compensation to the City Lord's Manor and settle the matter that way, am I right?" Tang Yan mused for a moment before speaking.

Uncle Mo was taken aback. This boy was showing a shrewdness he had never displayed before.

"Let's go to the front hall. The Tang Clan may not be at the height of its power, but if we strike with everything we have, no one will come out unscathed — not even the City Lord's Manor. If they want to move against me, they have to consider Grandfather's feelings. At the very least, they don't dare — not yet!"

Tang Yan gave a light smile and strolled toward the front hall.

Uncle Mo was startled again by Tang Yan's words. The Tang Clan may have been the last of Yun City's Four Great Families, but it was still one of the great families. If it threw caution to the wind and brought the full force of the clan to bear against any power in Yun City, even the City Lord's Manor would suffer a devastating blow. Even if those people coveted the Tang Clan's assets, as long as the Old Master still drew breath, who would truly dare to kill Tang Yan in broad daylight?

Watching Tang Yan stroll ahead with both hands clasped behind his back, white robes flowing, graceful and at ease — Uncle Mo's expression fell into a momentary daze. If only the First Young Master had steeled his heart and committed to the martial path back then, by now, among the younger generation of Yun City, there would surely have been a Tang Clan member stirring up the winds and clouds.

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Edited by Fat Goose