Tainted Blood

by Tinalynge

  “If it is not the infamous Ye Xiao,” he said with a smile yet not a smile on his face.

  “I assume you are here to trade for the Rainbow Pills,” he continued. Xue Wei nodded his head.

  The man’s eyes narrowed further, but in a way that made his face contort with undisguised joy. “I know you previously traded quite a few formations for a Rebirth Pill back in Golden Crow City,” the middle-aged man continued.

  Xue Wei understood that the negotiations for their business deal had started the moment they came into contact with this man.

  He was slightly stunned because they were discussing something like this in public. Still, he did not say anything. He nodded his head again to acknowledge what the man had said.

  “I am Zhou Yuan,” the man introduced himself. “I am the leader of the Medicinal Pill Workshop here in Cloudsoar City. Although our branch’s Golden Chambers is not as prominent as the branch back in Golden Crow City, I am of the impression that the Rainbow Pills are of much more value than the Rebirth Pill.”

  The man was smiling. He knew the situation with the Rebirth Pill and how they had been adamant on buying it back then, but now he was using it to raise the price of the Rainbow Pills.

  Xue Wei was somewhat depressed. He was not willing to cheat the Golden Chambers as they had shown him ample respect, but he was not willing to be cheated either. This man was clearly out to scam him.

  “We have some formations,” Bai Tianyi took the word. His immature, light voice caught every person on the floor by surprise.

  They had never expected that the first to speak would be a child they had overlooked. “We have formations, but it’s not like we’re dying to get our hands on some Rainbow Pills. Were you thinking we’d pay an exorbitant price for them?”

  “We have these Flameward Formations. They are increasingly rare. We offer one Flameward Formation, alongside one Paralyzing Formation and one Spiritual Energy Bomb for each of the Rainbow Pills. It is not up for discussion. If you are not interested in our offer, then feel free to decline it and we will be on our way.”

  His words, coupled with the tone, took them all by surprise. They had never expected that this young child was allowed to make the calls, but the way Xue Wei just stood behind the little boy with a slight smile on his face told them that the he had the authority to do so.

  The man’s narrowed eyes widened in surprise. He had thought that they would begin a discussion on the worth of the items, but the price offered by the child was already rather tempting to accept right away.

  If they really changed their mind because he hesitated, was it not a great loss for the Golden Chambers?

  Struggling with internal debate, the middle-aged man finally reached a conclusion. “I can sell you four Rainbow Pills.”

  Xue Wei smiled and nodded his head. He withdrew the twelve formations from his storage ring and also four pouches, wherein he put the four sets of formations separately. Then he waited for the four Rainbow Pills to be brought out.

  This was the crucial point and also the most dangerous one. Xue Wei had taken out his items, flaunting his wealth, while the other side had yet to even present their goods.

  The dilemma also manifested clearly in the eyes of the leader of the Medicinal Pill Workshop; his eyes glistened dangerously for a second before he remembered his orders. Then he unhurriedly withdrew four snow jade bottles containing a Rainbow Pill each.

  The exchange was fast and smooth. As soon as Xue Wei was given the four Rainbow Pills, he transferred them into his storage ring. Zhou Yuan did the same with the formations.

  Having finished the exchange, Xue Wei nodded to Zhou Yuan. “Thank you for a pleasant transaction,” he said with a slight smile. “We will take our leave now, but maybe we can work together later on.”

  Just as Xue Wei, Hei Gou, and Bai Tianyi left the upper floor, another youth was led up the stairs by a young attendant. “I need at least three Rainbow Pills,” he said arrogantly. His words caused Xue Wei to glance over, only for him to realize that the other person was also looking at them.

  “Looks like anyone and their grandmothers can try to trade for the Rainbow Pills,” the youth said mockingly. Xue Wei’s unveering stare made him snort. “But in the end, you need treasures of equal value to make this exchange. Hah, even country bumpkins are trying to get their hands on Rainbow Pills. Seems they are trying to reach much higher than their class allows them to.”

  As for who exactly this young man spoke about was not clear, but Xue Wei couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in amusement. Hei Gou, who also listened in on the conversation, could not help but chuckle.

  “You, peasant, are you laughing at me?!” the young man exclaimed. The way his face twisted made him look rather ugly.

  Just as Hei Gou was about to answer him, Xue Wei lifted his hand and shook his head, stopping the words that almost came out of Hei Gou’s mouth.

  Xue Wei knew his good friend. Hei Gou was definitely going to bust the young man’s bubble and tell him that they had just bought four Rainbow Pills, but Xue Wei did not wish to draw too much attention to himself—at least not more than what he already had.

  This young man did not know who Xue Wei was, so he was clearly not from Cloudsoar City. He also honestly believed he had enough valuables to exchange for three Rainbow Pills, showing he had a prominent position somewhere.

  Bai Tianyi seemed to agree with Xue Wei, as he walked very subtly faster so that they could leave the workshop without letting the conflict escalate. The young man from the stairs also decided not to pursue the matter. He felt that he had won the argument since the other side stayed quiet and he was also in a hurry to get his hands on three Rainbow Pills.

  As he entered the upper floor, he held his chin up high and did not deign to look at the cultivators that were guarding the room. In fact, although he was only an Ordinary Knight himself, he was no foreigner to Earth Knights or even experts above that realm.

  “Manager Zhou,” the man called out and looked at the middle-aged man at the end of the floor. “I am Ouyang Yan, a member of the Ouyang family. I have come here to exchange some of my treasures for three Rainbow Pills.”

  Had Bai Tianyi heard the words, his eyes would have constricted and his heart would have started beating faster. The Ouyang family was one of the ancient families that had chased him when he was still human and seeking immortality. Their ancestor was one of the experts that had spent their life essence to seal Bai Tianyi in the small village in the Azure Forest Kingdom.

  Fortunately, neither Ouyang Yan nor Bai Tianyi were aware of each other’s identities and thus they just smoothly passed by each other like strangers on the street.

  “Young master Ouyang, I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we are out of Rainbow Pills right now.” Zhou Yuan shook his head apologetically, but inside he was not really sorry.

  Although the treasures that this Ouyang Yan could bring out would be outstanding since he was a descendant of the Ouyang family, they could not possibly compare to twelve formations. Even the Ouyang family only had a single formation master.

  “You already traded them away?” Ouyang Yan’s eyes widened in surprise, his mood plummeting down from high up in the heavens to the lowest of hells. “Did you, by any chance, just trade them right before I arrived?” he inquired.

  Zhou Yuan’s face did not change. He shook his head. “I am afraid I cannot answer this question. We promise our customers full confidentiality. We do not answer such questions.”

  Ouyang Yan could not help but gnash his teeth in annoyance, but he was certain that those three earlier were the ones who had taken the Rainbow Pills. Their behavior, which he had at first taken as a display of submission to his power, was, in fact, them making a mockery of him.

  The words he had said then now felt like a joke. Ouyang Yan knew that the Golden Chambers had gotten their hands on four Rainbow Pills, while the head disciples from the three great sects also had secured one each.

  He had gotten
news this morning that all four Rainbow Pills were still available at the Golden Chambers, so he had not rushed over. Now he regretted his decision greatly.

  “Manager Zhou, please excuse me,” he said, running out of the Medicinal Pill Workshop.

  It was clear that he was not willing to give up just like that. Seeing his determination, Zhou Yuan considered intervening. Should he send the Earth Knight to protect Xue Wei? In the end, he decided not to. The opposing person was a member of the Ouyang family. Even the Golden Chambers did not want to get involved in a feud with them.

  Chapter 6 - Rainbow Pill

  Ouyang Yan was not a reckless figure. He knew that those three youngsters had to have some kind of backer to be able to afford the Rainbow Pills.

  He was only one person, and he was only a fourth layer Ordinary Knight. Although the others had seemed weaker, they held the advantage of numbers; not to mention that Ouyang Yan was nothing but a normal member of the Ouyang family. If he had been important, he would not need to go to a border country like the Chengzi Kingdom for mere One Color Rainbow Pills, nor would he be traveling alone.

  Since he had a lot to take into consideration, he hesitated. And yet for some reason he could not stop his own body from moving, trying to catch up with the young men he had seen before.

  Unfortunately, when he exited the Medicinal Pill Workshop, he found that there was no sign of the three of them. They had vanished completely into the crowd.

  Considering what to do, Ouyang Yan pondered for some time, but he ultimately came up with nothing. He had no connections in this kingdom and he knew that his family would be against him using his background to intimidate and force others into assisting him.

  Sighing, he shook his head. “If it’s fate, then we will meet again,” he stated. With a last glance at the crowd, he decided it was time to leave the city. It held no more interest to him.

  Although Ouyang Yan had not seen them, Xue Wei had actually not gone far. The group was not in a hurry and were slowly strolling back to the hotel. Although the city had hated Xue Wei at the start, no one paid attention to him anymore. The three great sects continuously kept all his movements under strict watch.

  The Cerulean Starlight Sect was aware that they had messed up earlier. The Grand Elder of the sect who had been hostile towards Xue Wei had been punished for his behavior. Today, a new Grand Elder had arrived to take over the branch.

  They were, however, aware that it was too late to mend the relationship with Xue Wei as he had not even once tried to find their sect in the time he had been in Cloudsoar City.

  Since he had cut all contact with the Cerulean Starlight Sect, Xue Wei was suddenly all alone against the three great sects. Although he was excessively prideful after the hatching of his dragon spirit, he also understood that right now the safest place was close to the Golden Chambers.

  Even if the three great sects would not want to become enemies of the Golden Chambers and considering that they had already used their influence to pressure them, it was clear that they would go the extra mile for Xue Wei.

  “If he wants to lock himself up within the city, then let him. We cannot act against him, but he is also incapable of acting against us.” This was the general opinion of the three great sects.

  It was true that a formation master was important and revered. A formation master would be respected and tried to be won over, but since they already had bad blood between each other, the sects believed it would be best to get rid of him before he became a problem.

  The three great sects were all famous and continent-spanning because they were a place where everyone could join, granted that they had a talent for cultivation. They were places where one could be provided with resources that their background could not afford, and in the end they could end up accomplishing great things.

  There were many of their disciples who had come from remote areas. As a result, the sects had grown in strength and influence over the years. However, there were still factions even they could not afford to insult.

  The Golden Chambers was one of them. The Ouyang family was another. Right now, the Golden Chambers was protecting Xue Wei so they could only back down.

  It has to be said that despite backing down for now, they had no intention of letting Xue Wei and his companions go. While he might not be able to command the wind and the weather right now, if he continued to grow as he did, one day he might have enough influence to be able to become a thorn in their side. Although they believed that he would not seek to directly obliterate their branches and bases and murder their disciples, he could still heavily injure their sects foundations, be it financially or reputationally, if he set his mind to it.

  Xue Wei himself was perfectly well aware of this fact.

  “We’re going to leave this city soon, right?” Hei Gou asked curiously. Xue Wei shook his head. “Cloudsoar City will be our base for some time,” he said apologetically. “While I would love it if we could leave right away, I am afraid that it’s not possible. If we leave, the three great sects are going to hunt us down, and then we will be in for a world of pain. If we manage to survive, we’ll have been incredibly lucky.”

  Bai Tianyi nodded his head, his eyes gleaming dangerously. “Three great sects, more like three-legged cats,” he snorted. “They tried chasing us out of the city by turning the public opinion against us, but they totally failed. Now they are just biding their time.”

  “So when can we leave?” Hei Gou asked. Xue Wei pondered the question. Finally, he sighed. “The stronger we are, the better. But we need to be at least at the Ordinary Knight level, maybe even at the Earth Knight level.”

  A grimace flitted across Hei Gou’s face. He had only recently broken through to the Heavenly Warrior realm. Becoming an Ordinary Knight was not something he could just pull out of a hat. In fact, it would take him quite some time, maybe even years!

  Xue Wei was also not happy about it. In fact, he was annoyed that he had been caged like a beast inside Cloudsoar City. Although humans officially did not permit murder among each other, the truth was that the stronger experts would do anything that benefited themselves. If getting rid of Xue Wei was in their best interests, then he would be removed at the first possible moment.

  The only pleasure that Xue Wei had was that his stay in Cloudsoar City had caused the three sects to gnash their teeth in anger and impatience as they waited for him to leave. Just as they had imprisoned him, he had answered by annoying them in his own way.

  “We have enough resources to do what we need to do,” Xue Wei said after a bit of silence as they walked back to the hotel. “We should be able to spend a few years here. But once we reach the Knight stage, we will make a run for it.”

  By the time Xue Wei finished speaking, they arrived at the hotel. This time he paid for a full year in advance. His straightforwardness made the Golden Chambers and the three great sects aware that he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

  “I have to warn you,” Bai Tianyi said after they entered Xue Wei’s suite and closed the door.

  “Rainbow Pills are seen as being wonderful magical pills; the most outstanding of all the pills because they are created by energy alone, not medicinal herbs.”

  “Unfortunately, this also means that it’s kinda hard to know what to expect.”

  “You could get a pill that increases your spiritual energy or you could get one that increases your Qi. You can even get one that increases your physical strength. It is hard to say.”

  Xue Wei frowned. “Then are they not quite a gamble to consume?” he asked. Bai Tianyi flashed a wide smile at the other male. “It is, but when you get it right, you really get an astronomical increase in strength.”

  “So if it is a gamble, how come you were lucky enough to have it increase your spiritual energy?” Hei Gou asked, puzzled. “Were you just very fortunate or do you have some kind of trick?”

  Bai Tianyi gave Hei Gou a look that clearly displayed that he had never thought that this dog could be s
mart.

  “Good question,” he said teasingly. Hei Gou, who had sensed the gaze, snorted but did not say anything as he wanted answers. “I am created from spiritual energy,” he began the explanation. “I am a sword spirit. Because of this, I have no physical strength, and I have no Qi.”

  “It is impossible for the Rainbow Pill to enhance something that does not exist. As a result, all I can get is spiritual energy.” Bai Tianyi smiled excessively as he explained his situation.

  “So you can eat as many Rainbow Pills as you please and all of them will increase your spiritual energy?” Xue Wei was the one to ask with a raised eyebrow. Was this not a little unfair?

  “I can.” Bai Tianyi nodded his head affirmatively, his smile widening even further so much so that the corners of his lips almost touched his eyes.

  “Well, take two of the Rainbow Pills then,” Xue Wei sighed. “Since they are guaranteed to increase your strength, it is better for you to consume them than for us to risk them being wasted. Hei Gou and I will take one each.”