Volume 1, Chapter 5: He Cannot Escape

"Not a chance! Unless you hand over the medicinal pills or five hundred spirit stones, or..." Master Liu chuckled with malicious intent. "You kneel before everyone here and thank me for my years of patronage."

A burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding crowd.

Bai Zhi lowered her gaze to hide the amusement in her eyes, a faint smile curling the corners of her lips beneath her veil.

"Do you dare to make a wager?"

"Hahaha... What a joke. You, a woman who can’t even refine a Profound-grade pill, what could you possibly use to bet against me?" Master Liu laughed, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Speak then. What is the wager?"

"Let’s bet on the type of pill you are most proficient in."

As soon as Bai Zhi spoke, laughter rippled through the nearby stalls.

"What do you have to bet against Master Liu? He was in the top ten at the Alchemist Convention fifteen years ago."

"Master Liu is only showing mercy because you’re a woman struggling to get by. You’d be better off just paying the stall fee today; he’ll continue to look after you in the future."

"Kneeling to offer thanks isn't such a bad option, either!"

"Go on, go on. What's the point of making such a beautiful woman kneel in public? It would be much more interesting... to have her kneel on a bed."

A few demons watching the spectacle chimed in, steering the conversation into lewd and unbearable territory.

Seeing the looks on their faces, Fu Ming felt a pang of heartache. He had never known that every month, when his master went down the mountain to sell her wares, she was subjected to such humiliation. He only knew that whenever she returned, though exhausted, she was always full of smiles, bringing back all sorts of rare materials just to refine magical artifacts and pills for her disciples, never uttering a word of complaint.

"On the path of cultivation, strength is what speaks," Bai Zhi said, sweeping a cold gaze over the crowd.

"If I win, you return all the stall fees I’ve paid you over the years, totaling fifteen superior-grade spirit stones. If I lose, I will pay you fifty years' worth of stall fees, totaling thirty superior-grade spirit stones, and I will kneel and apologize to you in public."

A hush fell over the crowd, followed by the sound of sharp intakes of breath.

Such a massive wager?!

Fu Ming frowned. He knew Bai Zhi had once taken first place at the Artifact Refiner’s Convention and was quite famous, but as for alchemy... he knew she could do it, but he had no idea what her level was.

"Master..." Fu Ming tugged at Bai Zhi’s sleeve, his expression grim.

"We shall each produce the highest-grade pill we possess, and the winner will be clear." Bai Zhi shook off his hand, staring straight at Master Liu, enunciating each word clearly.

"Do you, or do you not, accept the wager?"

Master Liu hadn't expected such a high-stakes bet, and his brows furrowed.

Medicinal pills were generally divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Within each grade, they were further categorized as supreme, superior, middle, and inferior.

He had confidence in his own alchemy. The pill he kept in his collection was a Profound-grade supreme pill; to beat him, one would need at least an Earth-grade pill. There were only a handful of people in the world capable of refining Earth-grade pills, and he did not believe this woman could produce something of such high caliber.

"Fine! It’s a bet!" Master Liu’s brow smoothed out, a mocking smile returning. "Everyone here can bear witness. Don't go crying in front of your disciple when you lose! It would be unbecoming of a master."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Master Liu took out his prized possession.

It was a Profound-grade supreme Spirit-Protection Pill, round and plump, overflowing with medicinal fragrance. It was indeed a supreme-grade item!

"Master Liu, once you win, can you sell this Spirit-Protection Pill to me? I’m about to reach a breakthrough, and if I consume this, I won't have to worry about my tribulation!"

"Move aside, I want it! Name your price!"

"Twenty middle-grade spirit stones! I’ll take it!"

Seeing the pill, the crowd forgot this was supposed to be a wager. After all, such pills were rarely seen in the black market even once a year.

Master Liu grinned from ear to ear, his gaze shifting arrogantly toward Bai Zhi.

"Poor, pathetic woman, it’s your turn."

Bai Zhi said nothing more. With a flick of her fingertips, she produced a pill.

Someone gasped aloud, "It’s actually a Profound-grade supreme Spirit-Protection Pill as well!"

"The pills are identical! The difficulty of refining them must be the same!"

"Doesn't that mean it’s a tie? How can the winner be decided?"

Seeing this, Master Liu frowned, his heart skipping a beat. He hadn't expected this poor woman to actually produce something of such quality.

He gave a dry cough. "Ahem, since they are the same, it’s a draw. I won't collect your stall fee today, but from now on, don't even think about setting up your junk here again!"

"Wait a moment, Master Liu." Bai Zhi arched an eyebrow. "The victor hasn't been decided yet. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Master Liu narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"My pill possesses a medicinal vein, while yours... does not."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd noticed that the pill in Bai Zhi’s hand was not only round and plump, but it also bore a faint, golden-shimmering medicinal vein!

With the appearance of a medicinal vein, the difference in the pill's efficacy was immense, and its value was at least ten times higher.

After his initial shock, Fu Ming suddenly hopped up in excitement. Youthful and energetic, his smile was bright and striking.

"My master won! You old geezer, pay up!"

Master Liu trembled, yet he remained stubborn. "It was agreed that the grade would determine the winner. Yours just has an extra vein—that doesn't, that doesn't count as winning!" As he spoke, he began frantically packing up his stall.

"Hey, Old Liu, that’s not fair. She won, why won’t you admit it?"

"Exactly. You’ve been doing business here for so many years, how can you go back on your word?"

"Is that all the integrity you have? It’s only fifteen superior-grade spirit stones! You’ll earn that back in a few years of selling pills! Hahaha..."

The jeering from the crowd grew louder and louder.

"It doesn't count! The grades are the same, how can she have won?! Besides, this pill of hers... it was even... it was bought at my stall!" Master Liu was still digging in his heels, forcefully pinning a baseless claim on Bai Zhi, pointing a finger at her viciously.

"I only refined these two in that batch, and you insisted on taking the one with the vein at a low price. I didn't hold it against you then, but now you actually..."

The crowd’s gaze toward Bai Zhi turned unkind. Using someone else’s pill to compete was, indeed... dishonorable.

"Do you have anything else, then?" Bai Zhi watched him, unperturbed.

"Hmph, I am the only one in this entire black market who could refine these two!" He turned to the other alchemists in a fit of pique. "Which one of you could do it?"

Thinking of the veined pill in Bai Zhi’s hand, they all remained silent.

"Oh? Is that so? Are these also refined by you?"

Bai Zhi flicked her fingers again, and seven different Profound-grade supreme pills appeared in her hand, the medicinal fragrance wafting out, intoxicating everyone who smelled it.

"Heh, you can’t even name all seven of these, can you?"

Seeing these pills, Master Liu stopped packing, his face ashen. After a long moment, he abandoned his half-packed stall and turned to run, his speed so great that it stunned everyone.

"Master! He’s running away! I’ll go chase him down!"

"No need." Bai Zhi put away the pills, watching the direction of his flight with calm eyes.

"Master... that’s fifteen superior-grade spirit stones! You’re just going to let him go?!"

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, she walked straight through the throng toward the material section, specifically the area where spiritual plants were sold.

Bai Zhi curled her lips slightly, as if everything was within her control.

"He cannot escape."