Sovereign of the Three Realms

Those sent to retrieve ingredients swiftly returned with their prizes. Jiang Chen took them to his room where he concocted a few pills capable of slowing the poison’s progress. Although the “Ninelaugh Golden Buddha Powder” was indeed powerful, its poisonous attributes were not especially violent. With these pills, the poison’s effects could be suppressed for at least half a month.

Jiang Chen could even provide a complete cure right away, but decided to play his cards close to his chest. He had no choice but to let the young master of the Wei household suffer for a few more days. Moreover, Jiang Chen assumed this Lord Seven would also be speculating about his identity. Lord Seven might’ve even be wondering if this mysterious pill king was the Jiang Chen that the Eternal Celestial Capital was so desperate to catch. Jiang Chen might encounter some unexpected trouble if he didn’t keep a hold of the other party’s fate. They might not necessarily betray him, but they could easily extricate themselves from a potentially sticky situation. Frankly speaking, this was simply a case of mutual exploitation. It was crucial to retain one’s value in such an exchange and Jiang Chen’s current significance lay in the fact that he had the means to treat the poison. He had no need to fear being sold out as long as the other party was dependent on him.

After refining the pills, he duly delivered them. “Lord Seven, the young master’s ailment will certainly be alleviated after these pills. He will definitely regain consciousness today. Please make arrangements to leave the city tomorrow morning.” Jiang Chen didn’t stay to exchange superfluous words. He turned around and left swiftly. It was meaningless to speak too much. He’d rather let them figure things out themselves. They had no reason to inquire into the root of the matter unless they were completely out of their minds.

Lord Seven held the pill in his hands and was momentarily caught in indecision. He still hadn’t been able to see through this person who had mysteriously appeared to offer his services.

“Lord Seven, this person… what are his intentions?”

“Lord Seven, could he be the one the Eternal Celestial Capital is after? Perhaps he wishes to borrow our strength to leave the city?”

“That might be the case. He’d better not be deceiving us and worsening the young master’s illness.” The people began to voice their opinions and concerns one after another.

Lord Seven gestured, “As matters stand, we can only observe the young master’s condition after he takes the pill.”

They were left with no other alternative. With the poison already at this stage, the future was already guaranteed to be catastrophic unless immediate treatment was administered. No one wanted to admit it, but they were ready to grasp at any straw in their desperation. They promptly placed the pill into the young master’s mouth and helped him swallow.

Everyone was in attendance, all eyes on the young master. The young man lying on the stretcher opened his eyes with much effort after fifteen minutes. “This… am I home?”

“Young master, you’re truly awake?” Lord Seven was overjoyed.

“Qixia,1 where am I?”

“Young master, we’re still at the Myriad Peoples City. We’ll return to Veluriyam Capital soon.”

The young master’s voice was faint. “Qixia, if I don’t make it, you have to warn father of the conspiracy within the family walls; brother turning on brother…”

Lord Seven hurriedly replied. “Young master, you won’t die. We’ve managed to invite a pill king to help us, and your poison is under partial control. You’ll be cured as soon as we return to Veluriyam Capital. Young master, you have to hold on.”

Although it was uncertain whether he understood everything, the young master nodded weakly and slowly closed his eyes without replying. Lord Seven hurriedly leaned forward to listen for signs of breathing. Relief flooded his body as he felt the young master’s breathing and pulse becoming stronger.

He waved his hands. “All of your withdraw; don’t disturb the young master’s rest.” Lord Seven kept watch alone after sending everyone out. The young master woke up once again after two hours of rest. His mind had recovered much of its clarity, and his consciousness had also been restored to its normal state.

“Qixia, am I really not dead?” The young master’s eyes were becoming increasingly spirited.

“Young master, you’ll be fine! That pill king’s intervention is indeed extraordinary!” Lord Seven was truly convinced of Jiang Chen’s skills now.

“Which pill king is he? No ordinary pill king can deal with this poison.” The young master apparently had some misgivings. Lord Seven thus summarized recent developments for him.

The young master was slightly taken aback. “How extraordinary! Could he be the Jiang Chen that the Eternal Celestial Capital is after?”

Lord Seven laughed wryly, “That Jiang Chen is merely a youth from the Myriad Domain. It’s also common knowledge that they haven’t birthed any pill kings. Although I had my suspicions, I feel that this person is unlikely to be Jiang Chen.”

How would it be so easy to nurture a pill king? How could a pill king rise from a backwater like the Myriad Domain, not to mention one of such a caliber? Lord Seven had previously suspected that the other party was Jiang Chen looking to borrow their influence to pass the northern gate. Now after seeing the latter’s methods and the young master’s subsequent recovery, Lord Seven no longer felt that the pill king was Jiang Chen. He was sure that there was no way Jiang Chen would possess such miraculous skill in pill dao. He had also never heard of the Myriad Domain boasting of such a pill king. But it went without saying that as a citizen of Veluriyam Capital, Lord Seven had very little interest or understanding regarding the affairs of the Myriad Domain.

Jiang Chen massacring Gong Wuji’s party was hot news in the various neighboring regions. But to those of Veluriyam Capital, it was nothing of special concern. After all, even the Eternal Celestial Capital was an unremarkable existence to Veluriyam Capital.

“His identity notwithstanding, such a person must be recruited at all costs. Don’t offend him.” Feeble as he was, the young master still possessed a resolute charisma.

Lord Seven replied swiftly, “Please rest assured, young master. This subordinate understands. Even if he is taking advantage of our power to pass through the northern gate, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to build a good relationship with such a man.”

“Indeed. We’ll have to see how much gall they have if the Eternal Celestial Capital wishes to inspect House Wei!” Although still recovering, the bearing with which this young master spoke commanded much esteem. “One more thing, Qixia. Upon our return, don’t disclose the news of my recovery even if I’m cured. Something about this poisoning is extremely peculiar. I suspect…”

“Young master, could it be that you’ve some speculations about the source of the poison?” Lord Seven was alarmed.

“I’m quite certain that I was poisoned even before I left home. I suspect treason within our walls! The question is who and from which branch?” The young master’s tone was ugly. “Who would’ve thought our great House Wei would actually raise a traitor!”

“Young master, are you certain?” Lord Seven was overwhelmed.

“Although not fully certain, I’m at least nine parts certain of this. Let this be for now, we can discuss this further upon our return. The most important matter at hand is to build an amiable relationship with this pill king. Our Wei family had always lacked talent in that field. If we can build a good relationship with this master, perhaps he will lend us some assistance in the future.

“The young master is indeed wise. Although this pill king is mysterious, this subordinate feels that he is a true master of his trade.” Jiang Chen’s extraordinary methods had brought about swift and dramatic results, which was enough for Lord Seven to sing constant praises. His assessment of Jiang Chen had increased tremendously as a result. Master and subordinate chatted for a while longer before Lord Seven reminded his charge, “Young master, your poison has yet to be completely cured. You should rest and recuperate for now. Leave matters regarding the pill king to this subordinate.”

The butler’s devotion was evident to anyone passing by. Despite being a mere subordinate, he obviously held the young master’s life in higher regard than his own. Jiang Chen received a multitude of odd glances when he returned to the plaza. These wandering cultivators were obviously curious about his identity. According to Lord Seven, it appeared that this unassuming fellow was actually a pill king? Pill kings were a rare sight in Myriad Peoples City, especially for the wandering cultivators. To them, pill kings were nothing short of divine existences. A pill king’s worth was not something these wandering cultivators could compare to. An abundance of emperor realm cultivators existed in the Divine Abyss Continent, but there were less than a tenth of that number who could call themselves pill kings.

From this, one could see how high a pill king’s worth and status was in the Divine Abyss Continent. Jiang Chen had already grown accustomed to these astonished looks. He’d been on the receiving end of such looks since he’d first joined a sect. But he didn’t wish to further complicate things at this time. Many of the wandering cultivators who wanted to approach him tactfully backed off after seeing Jiang Chen’s indifferent attitude. Obviously, no one was willing to rashly disturb a pill king for fear of rousing his ire and landing in hot water. To be frank, a single word from a pill king could move countless people on his behalf.

“Sir Jiang, have you found a way to leave the city?” Huang’er asked with a smile.

“Let’s talk inside.” Jiang Chen narrated everything that had happened after he’d entered the room.

“Huang’er is not overly familiar with Veluriyam Capital. I’ve only heard that they’re led by seven Titled Great Emperors, who oversee twenty eight major clans beneath them. Every major clan oversees a large tract of territory with countless aristocratic families, sects and factions beneath them. That should be the basic administrative structure of Veluriyam Capital.” Although Huang’er didn’t know many specifics, she was well acquainted with the general picture.

“This means that House Wei is an aristocratic family under one of the major clans? They are a third rate force within the Veluriyam Capital?” Jiang Chen became somewhat hesitant, “Are they reliable?”

“A third rate force from the Veluriyam Capital is still no weaker than the average second rank sect. Furthermore, they represent Veluriyam Capital. I highly doubt that the Eternal Celestial Capital would willingly butt heads with them. After all, it’s a well known fact that Veluriyam Capital protects its own,” Huang’er analyzed coolly.

“I hope so. Who knows how long it’ll take to pass through the northern gate if we miss this opportunity,” Jiang Chen sighed. It was somewhat of a gamble this time, but they had no other choice. If they were to wait and prepare until the outcome was certain, everything would be over and done with.

Their original projection for the journey had already been delayed quite a bit. The agents who had been sent to buy the Regal Pill Palace prisoners should have long since returned to Veluriyam Capital. And yet, Jiang Chen was still on the road. If too much more time passed, there would be no telling how much more tangled the situation could get. He could wait no longer.

Huang’er suddenly spoke, “Sir Jiang, I’m not certain about this Wei family’s prestige and whether they can suppress the arrogant Eternal Celestial Capital. Why don’t we split up? You go with them and I will move on my own. That way we’ll draw relatively less attention.”

“How can I allow this?” Jiang Chen shook his head, “I promised Elder Shun that I would take care of Miss Huang’er…”

Huang’er smiled sweetly, “And you take care of me very well indeed. However, Sir Jiang needs to listen to Huang’er this time. They won’t interrogate me if I’m on my own. I’m a girl after all, and completely different from their target. I’ll find a way to meet up with you right after we pass through the northern gate.”

Jiang Chen wanted to protest, but Huang’er’s eyes glimmered with determination. “Sir Jiang, this time you must yield to Huang’er’s temper! It’s been so decided; I’ll return to my room now. You leave with them tomorrow morning and I’ll leave a while later.” Huang’er’s usually easy-going demeanor had been replaced by firm resolution. She didn’t allow Jiang Chen the slightest opportunity to refuse.

1. Qi is the Chinese character for “seven”