"Tch!" Yuan Zhi's expression was uglier than ever before.
Herb Sage announced to everyone, "This matter will henceforth be discussed privately. Yuan Zhi, Obsidian, you may use my private chambers."
Xiao Chen turned away, looking back at the crowd. "Before that, there is one final thing I'd like everyone to remember."
His voice carried across the entire gathering as he said, "The upcoming auction of the Obsidian Treasury's main branch will feature medicines, treasures and artifacts from across the world."
He paused.
"Naturally, I have perfectly authenticated each and every item."
His gaze settled upon Yuan Zhi. "Even the pills and their formulas."
The implication was unmistakable. Yuan Zhi's face became pale as Xiao Chen turned to face him.
Jin Huang, meanwhile, had already forgotten about the argument. He had returned to the VIP section, where Zhao Kun suddenly found himself becoming nervous. Finding the courage, he waited for Jin Huang to sit down, cleared his throat and was about to initiate conversation when...
Jin Huang spotted the two attendants who had been serving him earlier. Smiling at them, he waved, "Hey!"
The two attendants immediately stood straight. "Young Master?"
"Could I get some more food," Jin Huang asked with pleading eyes.
The attendants looked at one another, then at the mountain of empty plates still surrounding Jin Huang's seat that they had been dreading having to deal with. Zhao Kun was taken aback as well, and decided to hold the thought.
One of them swallowed. "The Young Master wants... more?"
Jin Huang nodded. "Yes, please."
The other attendant glanced in the direction of the kitchen.
"We've already served you approximately one hundred and eighty dishes."
Jin Huang blinked. "Only?"
The attendants' eyes twitched; Jin Huang smiled.
The two attendants immediately remembered the peculiar purple banknote Xiao Chen had given them and their expressions changed.
"Of course!"
"Right away!"
They hurried away as Jin Huang nodded approvingly. "Good employees."
Meng Lan, who had been watching the exchange, stared at him. "You just ate enough food to feed a small village. I fear, somewhere out there, there are dozens of starving villagers in need."
Jin Huang looked genuinely offended. "Hey, if those villagers were hungry, they'd come here where the food is! It's not my fault if they starve!"
To that, Meng Lan had no answer.
Inside Pill Tower, Xiao Chen walked alongside Yuan Zhi.
Neither spoke as the enormous doors closed behind them and the noise of the gathering faded.
Yuan Zhi finally stopped once they had ascended the tower and entered Herb Sage's private chambers. "Obsidian."
Xiao Chen stopped as well. "Yes?"
"You've gone too far."
Xiao Chen slowly turned his masked face toward him. "Have I?"
"You know exactly what you're doing!" Yaun Zhi grit his teeth, fists balled tight, eyes narrowing. "You want my Divine Opening Pill. This is all just a ploy!"
There it was. The real matter.
Xiao Chen said nothing, and Yuan Zhi continued. "You've been trying to purchase my formulae for months, even going so far as to offer to help me test the latest one."
"Correct," Xiao Chen folded his arms.
"And now you've brought that boy here and humiliated me in front of half the continent."
"Not half," Xiao Chen corrected, "Not yet."
Yuan Zhi's expression darkened. "You intend to use this to pressure me into giving you the formula."
Xiao Chen's smile was invisible beneath his mask. "So you understand perfectly. Good. That will make this easier."
Yuan Zhi clenched his fists. "The Scarlet Emperor will be there, will he not?."
Xiao Chen chuckled, "Among others. Every major sect will be there. Every powerhouse in the various paths of cultivation. Beast tamers, forgers, healers- you name it."
Yuan Zhi frowned, "And now that you've made sure that everyone here believes my Divine Opening Pill belongs to Lord Duotian, you will capitalize on that to boost sales if you secure the formula for my Divine Opening Pill."
Xiao Chen raised his arms in a 'you got me' pose. "I don't see why you're so mad. This is a win-win."
Yuan Zhi glared at him. "I'm mad because you're threatening me."
Xiao Chen stepped closer. "Why bother taking issue with the turtle for choosing to swim when it has legs for walking? I'm offering you an opportunity here. A chance to make more money than your puny mind can imagine."
Yuan Zhi's expression changed and he sighed, "So that's what this is about? Money? Even for all the money in the world, I wouldn't accept this."
Xiao Chen's voice became quieter. "Then... what about all the money in this world... and another?"
Yuan Zhi stared at him. For the first time since this confrontation began, uncertainty entered his eyes. "What do you mean, Obsidian?"
Xiao Chen walked past him, heading toward the cascading light coming from Herb Sage's private balcony at the top of Pill Tower. "Come on, Yuan Zhi. Surely you've heard the rumors about this upcoming auction."
Yuan Zhi's mind raced with thoughts, until, finally, a particular thought entered his mind that caused him to gasp. "You don't mean..."
Behind the mask, Xiao Chen's smile grew wide... and villainous. The trap had closed, and poor Yuan Zhi had finally stepped inside.
"That's right, Yuan Zhi. You have all underestimated my Obsidian Treasury. Not only will those old Empyrean monsters, sleeping in seclusion, come out. I even have the means to attract the attention of otherworld fiendgods. Think of the possibilities for profit!"
"With your pill formulas, which are of a genius beyond compare, we can give those old beasts something to drool over! Their greed is our opportunity to take them for all they're worth. And now..."
Xiao Chen looked over the edge of the balcony, down at the gathering... down at Jin Huang. "Now, I have something that I never thought possible. A way to maximize on profits that were already projected to be unimaginably large."
Yuan Zhi took a breath, "You refer to Jin Huang. I can't believe you got your hands on a disciple of that old beast, Duotian."
Xiao Chen laughed, "Indeed. Not even I can believe it."
At first, Yuan Zhi nodded along. However, as the words echoed in his mind, his eyes widened and he took a step back. "Wait. Are you saying-"
"Yes. His alchemical prowess was a shock to me as well. I have to admit I was scared for a moment there. I had no idea how we were going to salvage this. In my desperation, I was unable to come up with a proper plan, but who would have thought that I happened upon a little miracle man."
"I don't care what I have to do, I will have Jin Huang at my side when I go to the main branch. With him, and your pill formulae, we can produce pills that even those ancient fiendgods will lose their minds over! The attention alone will be enough for the name of the Obsidian Treasury to reach more and more worlds!"
Hearing Xiao Chen's maniacal laughter, Yuan Zhi felt as though he were standing next to an actual demon, and not just a man wearing the mask of one. "You are truly something else, Obsidian."
"Just an opportunist, Brother Zhi. That, and a man in desperate need of wealth." Xiao Chen let out a breath and turned, leaning against the edge of the balcony.
"What will you do with all that wealth, Obsidian? What is your real goal?'
Hearing this question, Xiao Chen's eyes dimmed and he gazed up at the cusp of Pill Tower, and the sky beyond. "I'm sure you once had a dream that you chased with every fiber of your being. I am doing the same."
"Only, my dream requires far more of me. It is a dream so grand that, truthfully, it feels a bit silly to admit." Xiao Chen laughed wryly.
"I established the Obsidian Treasury and used every method at my disposal to build it up to where it is now. My reach extends beyond this world because of it, but that is not enough."
Xiao Chen looked down, and his eyes found Yuan Zhi's. "Even if just in name. Even if just the Obsidian Treasury's success will be all there is to show for it..."
"I want to be the owner of this entire Realm."
Yuan Zhi's shock was all there was. He felt that he was finally seeing Xiao Chen for what he truly was:
A madman. A madman with a dream that was truly impossible.
Suddenly, as he found himself recalling all the times Xiao Chen approached him, all the various methods and tricks, and how relentless he was in his pursuit of Yuan Zhi's legendary formulae, he also found himself laughing in spite of himself.
He laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more. He did not even realize when Xiao Chen had joined in with him. Together, they laughed for quite a while.
Then, all of a sudden, Yuan Zhi reached into a magical pouch and produced a scroll tied with a simple ribbon, sealed with a special, magical seal. "Here, Obsidian."
Taking it, Xiao Chen gasped, "Is this..."
"Yes," Yuan Zhi nodded. "Every formula I have ever perfected, including the most recent Divine Opening Pill formula. It's all there."
"Thank you for seeing things my way," Xiao Chen put the scroll away and offered a handshake, "and for being willing to work with my Obsidian Treasury."
Taking his hand, Yuan Zhi stared directly into his eyes and smiled.
"Before that, though, we need to discuss your commission."