Chapter 172: A Confrontation Session, The Old Fox and the Young Fox

Huff! Huff! Huff!

Never before had Luo Chen’s breathing been so unsteady. His heart pounded wildly. His gaze locked onto the pure white pill floating in midair, disregarding everything else.

A Foundation Establishment pill!

At such a close distance, it was Luo Chen's first time that he ever saw the true form of a Foundation Establishment pill.

Four delicate pill patterns swirled around its surface like drifting clouds and mist, giving it an almost divine radiance. For a long time, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to look away with great effort.

In a strained voice, he asked, “Gang Leader, what do you mean by this?”

Mi Shuhua was pleased with his reaction, yet at the same time, he was slightly surprised that Luo Chen had managed to suppress his greed so quickly. He did not retrieve the pill but allowed it to continue floating silently in the air.

Mi Shuhua’s expression turned serious. “It’s very simple. I want you to put your full effort into refining Jade Essence pills—without holding anything back.”

Luo Chen’s voice was hoarse. “I have already done my best...”

“No, you haven’t!” Mi Shuhua narrowed his eyes slightly, spoke each word with deliberate weight. “I had people investigate the sales of your Myriad Wonders pills. Ever since you successfully refined mid-grade ones, you have almost never produced any low-grade pills. The same applies to top-grade ones.

“In other words, your talent in alchemy is far more terrifying than we initially believed.

“At first, I wasn’t entirely sure. But the first time you refined Jade Essence pills on a large scale, I noticed something unusual.

“Do you remember what your pill formation rate was back then?”

Luo Chen’s breath nearly halted. All this time, he had believed he had covered his tracks perfectly, leaving no room for suspicion. He was confident that even if Mi Shuhua had noticed his personal skimming of some Jade Essence pills, the man wouldn’t make an issue out of it.

From the past until now, Mi Shuhua had indeed never confronted him about it.

However, Luo Chen had not expected that the very thing he wanted to keep hidden, his level of alchemical expertise, had been exposed.

A thick ledger appeared in Mi Shuhua’s hands. With a casual flick, the pages turned to the front.

“In year three thousand four hundred seventy of the Mountain and Sea Calendar [1], first of December, the beginning of winter. The Alchemy Hall received ten low-grade Jade Essence pills and twenty mid-grade ones. A total of four sets of ingredients were used, resulting in a pill formation rate of fifty percent. The ratio of low-grade to mid-grade was one to two.”

Mi Shuhua recited these words without a trace of emotion, then fixed his gaze firmly on Luo Chen. "Based on what I know about you, you must have pocketed some pills when collecting them. Moreover, the ones you took were very likely the highest quality mid-grade pills.

“Luo Chen, am I wrong?”

Sweat appeared on Luo Chen’s forehead, and he remained silent.

Mi Shuhua, however, did not seem interested in waiting for an answer. He continued, "I don’t know much about alchemy, but I do know one thing: mastery comes with practice. An alchemist’s success rate should improve over time, not decline. Yet after that particular session, your pill formation rate never again reached fifty percent.

“Not only that, but the ratio of low-grade to mid-grade pills even dropped to seven to three at one point. Even after you claimed your alchemy skills had improved, the best you could manage was a six-to-four ratio

“Luo Chen, how do you explain that?”

Explain?

What kind of explanation could Luo Chen possibly give? He could only tremble with fear, lowered his head, bent his waist and remained silent.

Beads of sweat dripped down, one after another.

In the stone chamber, the soft patter echoed, like raindrops falling from the eaves onto the bluestone floor.

Silence, heavy, unspeakable, oppressive.

It was as if a lofty emperor was looking down upon a subject guilty of a grave crime.

Seeing Luo Chen in this state, Mi Shuhua unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

What a cunning little fox—I had nearly been fooled. But it was fine. Now that the truth had been uncovered, everything was still within control. The reprimand had gone far enough. Now, it was time to win his loyalty and maximize Luo Chen’s usefulness.

At this moment, he needed that value more than ever.

The tense silence was soon broken by Mi Shuhua’s noticeably gentler tone. “I know you come from a rogue cultivator background, just like I did. You’re wary of everything and trust no one. Even the slightest benefit, you refuse to let go of it.

“But haven’t I treated you well? You asked for pills, I gave them. You needed cultivation resources, I made sure you had them. You sought guidance in Qi-Refining, I shared everything I knew. I even took the initiative to give you meridian repair liquid and a small spirit-gathering array.

“Any one of these would be enough to make rogue cultivators fight to the death. Yet you, without ever leaving your chamber, received them effortlessly. Even when my family’s cultivators were displeased, I personally suppressed their complaints.

“So tell me, shouldn’t you reciprocate this kindness and serve me with all your heart?”

A hoarse voice escaped Luo Chen’s lips. “I deserve death. I was short-sighted, blinded by greed.”

He stood there respectfully, confessing his transgressions one by one. He even revealed the number of mid-grade Jade Essence pills he had secretly kept for himself.

Hearing such a forthright confession, Mi Shuhua couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.

“And in the future,” Luo Chen declared resolutely, “I will do everything in my power to serve you!”

Not enough. Still not enough!

Mi Shuhua thought.

“I know you fear that your terrifying alchemy talent will attract unwanted attention.” Mi Shuhua, as if helping to justify Luo Chen’s actions, continued, “But now, with my protection, and with the name “Dan Chenzi” already established, it is only natural for you to showcase your abilities.”

“Gang Leader, you are absolutely right. I was truly short-sighted before!” Luo Chen appeared utterly remorseful, nearly slapping himself in regret.

“I once promised you that when you reached Foundation Establishment, I would acquire a Foundation Establishment pill for you. Do you remember?”

Luo Chen lifted his head, his gaze locking onto the Foundation Establishment pill.

Mi Shuhua nodded at him. “I am not one to make empty promises. From this moment on, this Foundation Establishment pill belongs to you.”

Luo Chen was stunned.

Is it really mine?

But in the next moment, he saw the pill fall into a jade box. The jade box then floated toward him.

“When you reach the Perfected Mastery of Qi-Refining, come find me. I will personally remove the seal on it.

“So, now that the Foundation Establishment pill is in your hands, do you feel at ease?”

Luo Chen’s expression was dazed as he held the jade box, still unable to believe it.

A Foundation Establishment pill, just like that, it was mine?

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Mi Shuhua’s expectant expression.

Suddenly! His expression turned solemn.

He raised his hand to the sky and swore an oath.

“As long as I remain in the Poshan Gang, I will refine as many mid-grade Jade Essence pills as possible and never hold back again! Should I deceive you, may the heavens strike me down!”

Hearing this solemn pledge, Mi Shuhua finally showed a look of deep satisfaction.

In today’s confrontation, it was Mi Shuhua who had the last laugh.

A young fox could never outwit an old one!

***

With Mi Junping accompanied, Luo Chen left the Mi family estate, his face full of tearful gratitude.

Watching the shift in his expression, Mi Junping sneered inwardly.

This brat hid himself well. Did he really think a Foundation Establishment cultivator was so easy to fool? From now on, he would be nothing more than a workhorse for the Mi family!

It wasn’t until Luo Chen had safely returned to the inner city and locked himself inside his home that the tearful of gratitude had finally faded from his face.

Taking out the jade box, his expression darkened.

Foundation Establishment pill! What a joke.

It was nothing more than an illusion of promise, one that many had been tricked into chasing. And many had already been fooled into believing they could take a bite.

Devouring Heart Tiger Han Dang, who had died on the Debate Platform; Qin Liangchen, who had lost an arm; even Zeng Wen and Wang Yuan from Poshan Gang—they had all been deceived by the same illusion.

And now, that very illusion had been placed in Luo Chen’s hands. But he could only look at it—never consume it.

Under his Spirit Eyes, the seal on the jade box appeared impossibly intricate, leaving no gap for tampering.

This wasn’t just a simple restriction. It was practically a miniature full-fledged sealing formation. A Qi-Refining cultivator could forget about trying to unseal it.

Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn’t be able to break it—unless they were Mi Shuhua himself. Not only was the box heavily protected, but Mi Shuhua had also left behind his own spirit imprint. Any attempt to tamper with it would result in the contents being instantly destroyed.

Perhaps only a Golden Core cultivator, an entire major realm above, could unravel it effortlessly. But for a mere Foundation Establishment pill, how could anyone possibly persuade a Golden Core cultivator to intervene?

"What a brilliant scheme... He must have been waiting for me to swear my Dao oath all along!" Luo Chen clenched his fists, rage surging within him.

Mi Shuhua had treated him well, but had Luo Chen ever let him suffer a loss?

Hadn't the bulk of the profits from the Jade Essence pills he refined already gone straight into Mi Shuhua's pockets?

And yet today, the man had still set this trap for him!

Taking deep breaths, Luo Chen forced himself to calm down.

He began replaying every event from the moment he stepped into that stone chamber. From the pseudo-second-tier spirit vein created by the formation, to the promise of monthly cultivation sessions and finally, the ultimate lure of the Foundation Establishment pill.

Each one was designed to strike at his deepest desires, to tempt him beyond reason.

Then, after building up to this point, they suddenly accused him of withholding his true abilities and embezzling pills.

Under such overwhelming pressure, anyone else might have broken down.

But Luo Chen, as a transmigrator, had plenty of experience dealing with workplace manipulation from superiors. Especially when Mi Shuhua handed him that sealed Foundation Establishment pill.

At that moment, he knew this was the classic trick, beat him with a stick, then offer him a sweet date [2].

"That old man is a master at controlling his subordinates."

Fiddling with the jade box, Luo Chen could easily deduce that the pill inside was none other than the one that supposedly belonged to Qin Liangchen.

Now that Mi Shuhua had given it to him, wasn’t this also a means of driving a wedge between him and Qin Liangchen?

In Poshan Gang, aside from Wang Yuan, the only people he could truly rely on were Qin Liangchen and his wife.

And now, having accepted a Foundation Establishment pill that should have belonged to someone else, he would never be able to face Qin Liangchen the same way again. No matter how things played out in the future, that lingering sense of distance would always be there.

But this damned pill—he could see it, but he could never consume it! It was purely meant to disgust him!

A single pill to kill two men?

No, considering the number of cultivators who had died for this Foundation Establishment pill, it was far more than just two!

In the end, it was his own carelessness.

Back when his proficiency in refining Jade Essence pills had reached the Perfection level, Luo Chen had started mass production in haste, not wanting to keep Mi Shuhua waiting too long.

However, without reaching Grandmaster level proficiency, he couldn’t fully control the pill-grade ratio.

Mi Shuhua, being the cunning man as he was, had merely looked into Luo Chen’s past sales records of Myriad Wonders Pills. That alone was enough for him to piece together the truth—Luo Chen had been deliberately holding back his abilities.

Cunning old fox... No, wait!

Luo Chen frowned.

He figured it out from the Alchemy Hall’s records. But if he had known all along, why didn’t he bring it up sooner?

The pill-grade ratio had a massive impact on overall profits. This wasn’t just about a few spirit stones, it was about hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands!

If I skimmed a little here and there, he wouldn’t care. But with profits on this scale, he should have confronted me much earlier. Which means... he only figured it out recently!

Realizing this, Luo Chen could only curse under his breath.

Old bastard!

Still, it wasn’t all bad. He had prepared for this.

Back when he had sworn his Dao oath in the heat of the moment, he had tweaked it ever so slightly.

"To refine as many mid-grade Jade Essence pills as possible—this, of course, did not include top-grade Jade Essence pills!"

Mi Shuhua might have overestimated Luo Chen’s alchemy talent, but he had never imagined that Luo Chen could already refine top-grade Jade Essence pills. Those held an even greater profit margin.

More importantly, there was an unspoken condition buried within that oath, "As long as Luo Chen remained in the Poshan Gang."

In other words, if Luo Chen fled, the oath would collapse on its own.

Mi Shuhua had likely considered this possibility, but he was confident in the methods he had used to keep Luo Chen under control. That was why he hadn't been exposed.

Especially after seeing through Luo Chen’s carefully concealed cultivation realm, which only made Mi Shuhua more certain that his control over Luo Chen was absolute.

Both had their schemes, but in the end, Luo Chen was at a disadvantage.

The reason was simple—he lacked the strength to turn the tables.

"If only I had Foundation Establishment strength, I wouldn’t have to bow and scrape like this!

"Foundation Establishment... Foundation Establishment..."

He muttered the words over and over. Never before had his desire for that realm burned so fiercely.

But no matter how strong that desire was, it didn’t change the fact that, right now, he was powerless.

With a sigh, he carefully stowed the jade box away.

There was no more room to hold back—he would truly have to begin mass-producing mid-grade Jade Essence pills.

The reputation of Dan Chenzi as an alchemy master—was it truly useful?

Could Mi Shuhua, with his mid-Foundation Establishment strength, truly protect him?

These were all unknowns.

Luo Chen despised the feeling of having his life and death controlled by another. The thought of escaping had already begun to take root in his mind.

The best escape route lay through Changyin Mountain.

He had explored most of the area there. With his Grandmaster level spirit suppression seal, he could hide relatively safely.

However, Changyin Mountain was still too close to Dahe Market.

It was only separated by Huiye Mountain.

What if he ventured deeper into Howling Moon Mountains and used it as a passage to flee to another market town?

According to the map, traveling from Howling Moon Mountains to the nearest other market required passing through the Great Snow Mountains.

The deeper one ventured into the Great Million Mountains of the Eastern Wilderness, the stronger the demonic beasts became. Third-tier, even fourth-tier creatures lurked within.

His Grandmaster level spirit suppression seal might not be sufficient!

However, he was close to achieving Perfected Mastery. Perhaps, in the meantime, he could take the time to refine his technique further.

Another glaring issue with his escape plan remained—how would he continue cultivating after fleeing?

The deep forests and mountains offered no stable or secure environment for cultivation. Moreover, given his aptitude, relying solely on his cultivation would only match that of a dual-spirit root cultivator’s efficiency at best. And even that was only achievable in a spirit vein cave as a cultivation environment.

He needed pills—large quantities of them, preferably orthodox cultivation pills produced by the Spirit Herb Pavilion. This was something the wilderness could never supply.

As for other auxiliary cultivation resources, Luo Chen hadn't even begun to consider them.

"Rogue cultivators may seem free, but when it comes to cultivation, they are utterly powerless!"

Luo Chen shook his head. If he truly wanted to escape, he would first need to amass enough cultivation resources and that required a massive amount of spirit stones.

Fine, I’ll put in the effort for a few months and make a huge fortune first!

With my Grandmaster level proficiency in refining Jade Essence pills at full force, the results will probably leave the alchemists in the Alchemy Hall dumbfounded!

Luo Chen found amusement in his own suffering as he entertained the thought.

He found some amusement in his own predicament, but the thought of Mi Shuhua profiting even more from his efforts left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Come to think of it, Mi Shuhua’s recent tactics—temptation, coercion, and finally offering him a priceless Foundation Establishment Pill—felt unusually desperate. Such an aggressive, rapid-fire approach was entirely unlike his usual leadership style."

Then, Luo Chen recalled the moment he had first stepped into the stone chamber—how he had seen that pale, sickly face.

"Is he seriously injured?"

1. 山海历 (Shanhai Calendar) is likely a fictional calendar system for this novel. The name suggests it could be derived from "山海" (Shanhai), meaning "mountains and seas," which evokes imagery of vast, ancient landscapes—possibly hinting at a historical or mythical setting. ☜

2. The phrase “一个大棒，给一个甜枣” is a Chinese idiom that translates to "a big stick, then a sweet date" in English. It refers to a classic strategy of punishment followed by reward—first instilling fear or discipline, then offering a benefit to pacify or control someone.This concept is similar to the "carrot and stick" approach in Western terminology, where discipline or coercion is paired with incentives to achieve compliance or control. In literature and strategy, this method is often used by rulers, leaders, or manipulators to maintain authority while ensuring loyalty. ☜