30: Chapter 30 I'm Not a Medicine God

Chu Sheng sat in the backyard of the Huichun Pill Hall, with a pile of spirit stones and various bottles and jars spread out before him.

The bounty from suppressing bandits, his share of pill refining profits, and the medicinal herbs stuffed into his hands when the Liu family made their investment...

Adding up all his assets, he had actually scraped together eight hundred spirit stones!

Plus a pile of poisonous herbs and strange materials he had specifically picked out, enough to poison half of Jin Xiao City.

He weighed the money bag in his hand and grinned.

Eight hundred spirit stones could buy half the Lin family in Qingshi Town, but in Jin Xiao City...

He thought for a moment, "It's just enough to treat a True Condensation Realm big shot to a cup of tea. But it doesn't matter; money isn't for spending, it's for fishing."

He rummaged through the cabinet, "It's time to play the pig to eat the tiger."

In the East Market of Jin Xiao City, diagonally opposite the "Hundred Treasures Pavilion" opened by the Chen family, a shabby little street stall appeared.

The stall owner was a young cultivator with seven or eight ordinary-looking medicinal pills laid out in front of him.

There was also a crooked wooden sign that read, "Pill Refining Services, Competitive Prices."

It was none other than Chu Sheng, who had changed his appearance.

He squatted there for three days, selling only a few low-quality pills with barely acceptable quality each day at prices so low that his competitors wanted to pay him to leave.

On the fourth day, the target appeared.

Several cultivators dressed in the attire of Chen family deacons came out of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. As they passed the stall, one of them with sharp eyes sneered.

"Yo, isn't this the 'expert' hired by the Liu family? How did you end up like this? Setting up a street stall?"

Chu Sheng looked up.

"My lords of the Chen family, you're joking... That job at the Liu family, sigh, the herbs they provided were all substandard, and I had to pay for them if I ruined them. I really couldn't continue, so I had to come out and earn a living myself."

"My lords, have some pity and buy a couple? The pills I refine, although average in appearance, are absolutely effective!"

He held the pills in his hands with an eager expression.

The few Chen family members exchanged glances, disdain flashing in their eyes.

One of them took the pills, sniffed them, and casually tossed them back onto the stall: "Do you dare to bring out such garbage to embarrass yourself?"

Chu Sheng hurriedly caught them and apologized with a smile: "Yes, yes, yes, my meager skills naturally can't catch the eyes of you lords. However..."

He lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously.

"My ancestors passed down a few pill formulas that are said to double the effects in the bedroom. If you lords could give me a chance, I'd be willing to serve you, and I'd be much more generous than the Liu family!"

The leading deacon raised an eyebrow, looked him up and down, and suddenly laughed.

"Interesting. How about this, our Chen family is short on a batch of Body Tempering Pills, so we'll give you a chance. We'll provide the materials. If you refine them well, you'll have food on your table in the future."

Chu Sheng was overjoyed: "Thank you, my lords! Thank you! I will definitely do my best to satisfy you!"

Three days later, Chu Sheng handed a batch of Body Tempering Pills to the Chen family members.

Each pill was plump and round, and there were even faint pill patterns flowing on the surface, with excellent appearance.

The Chen family members were quite satisfied after inspecting them.

"Not bad, better than what those alchemists in our hall refine. You really have some skills, kid."

Chu Sheng rubbed his hands: "You flatter me, my lords. This is all the ability I have; it's all thanks to your opportunity."

He paused and lowered his voice: "I used an ancestral secret method for these pills. The effect is thirty percent stronger than ordinary Body Tempering Pills. If you lords use them yourselves, you will definitely be able to feel it!"

The few Chen family members exchanged glances, a trace of greed flashing in their eyes.

How were they to know that while these pills looked shiny on the outside, Chu Sheng had mixed in Soul-Eroding Powder on the inside.

This was something Chu Sheng developed, and an ordinary Condensing True Essence cultivator wouldn't notice it without careful inspection.

Inside the Liu family, the argument regarding Liu Qingyan's marriage had been going on for two months.

Third Aunt told everyone she met.

"For a girl whose cultivation has been crippled, it's her blessing to be able to marry for the family, yet she still puts on airs and refuses to go. She really doesn't know what's good for her!"

On this day, during the routine family meeting, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

Liu Yuanhai slapped the table, "We can't drag this out any longer! The Chen family has already sent people to urge us three times! If we don't give them an answer, how can our Liu family continue to stand in Jin Xiao City?"

Liu Chengqian's face was livid.

Everyone turned around and was instantly stunned.

Liu Qingyan stood at the door in a plain white dress. Although her face was still a bit pale, her aura was solid, and she had surprisingly recovered to the Qi Induction stage!

"I do not agree," she said coldly.

Liu Yuanhai opened his mouth wide, unable to react for a long time: "Your... your cultivation..."

"My injuries have been seventy percent healed by Alchemist Qin."

Liu Qingyan walked into the hall, her gaze sweeping over everyone and pausing for a moment on the faces of her second uncle and Third Aunt, "Who else wants to send me to the Chen family?"

The meeting hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

However, when the news reached the Chen family, it immediately caused an uproar.

"What? The Liu family girl's cultivation has recovered?" The Chen family's second master, Chen Zhenshan, who held power, sneered, "What does she think our Chen family is? A place she can just back out of whenever she wants?"

He immediately sent an envoy to the Liu family with an extremely arrogant attitude.

"According to the rules of the cultivation world, the arena decides the outcome! The Liu family shall send people to fight three matches against our Chen family's disciples. If the Liu family wins, the marriage contract is voided. If they lose... they lose both the person and their wealth!"

It wasn't that the Chen family didn't want to annex the Liu family by force; they were mainly afraid that the Liu family ancestor would be driven to desperation and bite them before dying.

The Liu family members looked at each other in dismay.

Three matches?

The highest cultivation among the Liu family's younger generation was only Qi Guiding Rank 8, and that was piled up with medicinal pills. Fighting against the Chen family disciples who had trained for real was just serving themselves up on a platter, wasn't it?

Just as the hall was silent, a lazy voice came from outside the door.

"I'll take it."

Chu Sheng swaggered in.

The Chen family members were stunned for a second, then burst into laughter: "You? A guest alchemist? You're worthy of fighting our Chen family disciples?"

Chu Sheng wasn't angry; he took out a money bag from his bosom and placed it on the table.

"Add another eight hundred spirit stones, betting on the Liu family to win. Dare you take it?"

The laughter stopped abruptly.

The Chen family envoy stared at the bulging money bag, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes.

Eight hundred spirit stones was not a small amount.

"Deal!"

He immediately finalized it, "Since someone is handing over money, why shouldn't we accept it?"

The arena was set up at the Jin Xiao City martial arts field, with crowds of spectators.

In the first match, the Chen family sent out a Fifth Stage of Qi Guiding body cultivator, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with muscles knotted all over his body.

Chu Sheng walked onto the arena slowly; he looked like he would fall over with a gust of wind.

The body cultivator gave a sinister laugh and rushed up with a punch.

Chu Sheng didn't dodge or evade, taking the punch squarely on his chest—

"Bang!"

He flew backward, hit the edge of the arena, and spat out blood.

The whole arena was in an uproar.

The body cultivator was smug: "Is that it? And you dare to step into the arena?"

Chu Sheng slowly crawled up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and smiled.

"You touched my clothes just now, right?"

The body cultivator was stunned and looked down at his fist.

There was a layer of extremely faint powder on the surface of his fist, almost invisible.

The next second, his face turned purple, his spiritual energy ran wild, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"First match, Liu family wins." The referee swallowed and announced the result.

The whole arena exploded!

Chu Sheng looked at the body cultivator twitching on the ground in the scene and laughed until he couldn't straighten his back.

"Poisoning on clothes? This is too underhanded! But I like it!"

In the second match, the Chen family learned their lesson. They sent up a Sixth Stage of Qi Guiding sword cultivator, holding a three-foot green blade, guarding strictly and refusing to get close.

Chu Sheng sighed.

He took out a pill surrounded by black aura, emitting a strange, fishy smell, from his bosom in front of everyone and swallowed it.

In an instant, his aura surged, jumping directly from the Qi Induction Fourth Grade to the peak of the fourth grade!

But at the same time, black blood began to ooze from his seven orifices, and he looked like a mad demon.

"A temporary breakthrough pill? Is he tired of living?" someone in the audience exclaimed.

Chu Sheng didn't care and rushed towards the sword cultivator, laughing wildly.

His fighting style was completely suicidal, trading injury for injury and blood for blood.

The sword cultivator was scared by this crazy fighting style, his sword momentum became chaotic, and he revealed a flaw.

Chu Sheng seized the opportunity and slapped a poisonous palm onto his shoulder.

The sword cultivator's half body went numb instantly, and his long sword dropped to the ground with a "clatter".

"Second match, Liu family wins." The referee's voice was shaking.

Chu Sheng stood swaying on the stage, his mouth full of blood, but he laughed happily.

In the third match, the Chen family's final ace, the Qi Guiding Rank 7 Chen Feng, took the stage with a livid face.

Chu Sheng raised his hand: "I concede."

Everyone was stunned.

Chu Sheng grinned, revealing his blood-stained teeth: "I can't fight anymore. However..."

He looked at Chen Feng, "Young Master Chen, why don't you try circulating your energy to your Qi Sea point?"

Chen Feng subconsciously circulated his energy, and his face turned pale instantly—his Qi Sea was stinging, and his spiritual energy circulation was sluggish!

"You... when did you poison me?!"

"The arena only talks about victory or defeat, not the means."

Chu Sheng shrugged, "Or, why don't you force your energy and fight me? Let's see if the poison acts faster, or if I fall faster?"

Chen Feng froze in place, afraid to act rashly.

The Chen family envoy was trembling with rage, but there was nothing he could do.

Finally, the referee announced: "Third match... Draw! Total score, Liu family wins! Marriage contract voided!"

The Liu family members cheered and jumped for joy.

Chu Sheng, however, felt his vision go dark and fell straight backward.

The effect of the poison pill had worn off, and the backlash had arrived.

Achievement unlocked: Insidious Victory (Green).

Win a key duel using unconventional means.

Chu Sheng looked at the unconscious man in the scene, his mood complex.

"He won, he won, but these methods... poisoning, taking drugs, risking his life, they are all dirty tricks that you use once and lose."

He sighed.

"It's not a long-term solution after all. He was lucky this time, with Strong Luck to back him up, but what about next time? And the time after that?"

He looked at the figure of Liu Qingyan guarding the bed in the scene and suddenly smiled.

"But then again, with a beauty taking care of him, this coma isn't a loss."

"Let's continue, let me see how long he can lie there this time."