Great Immortal With Boundless Mana

Chapter 41: No Room for Doubt

"One hundred and ten Solidifying Yuan Pills, ninety White Dew Pills, sixty Returning Qi Pills..."

Zhu Hong'an sat behind the counter, using an abacus to calculate today's medicine sales.

Because his expression was not good, the four assistants in the shop kept their heads down and worked, afraid to look at Zhu Hong'an.

"Damn it, it's getting less and less." Zhu Hong'an suddenly slammed the counter and cursed.

Feima Market was only so big, and the wandering cultivators were all poor. With the booming sales of Deer Antler Powder and Tian Gui Pills, they naturally had to cut back on other expenses. It wasn't just the pills; other businesses were inevitably affected. However, the pharmacy was affected the most.

Zhu Hong'an turned his head to look at Yang An, who was smiling apologetically. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

Yang An had small eyes, a flat nose, black spots all over his face, a small stature, and was wearing a black Daoist robe. Standing there with a hunched back, he looked like a big rat.

Despite being scolded by Zhu Hong'an, Yang An still smiled and appeared humble. He lowered his voice and said, "Boss, the spirit stones are all with Gao Xian. His spirit stones are your money."

"Hahaha..."

Zhu Hong'an loved hearing this and couldn't help but feel in a good mood.

Originally, Zhuo Ye's secret sale of Deer Antler Powder didn't have much impact on him. Zhuo Ye's teacher was an elder who transmitted techniques, so it wasn't good to offend him. The key was when he went to find Zhuo Ye, the other party had a good attitude and only agreed to a trial sale for a few months. If the business was good, they would cooperate in the future.

At that time, he didn't think much about it, but when Huang Ying came to buy Tian Gui Pills, he knew something was wrong. After investigating, it turned out that this kid Gao Xian was up to something! Knowing this, he was not angry but rather delighted.

As long as he had Gao Xian in his grasp, all that money would be his. Moreover, Gao Xian would only be able to refine pills for him in the future.

Deer Antler Powder and Tian Gui Pills would both become his cash cows. As for Zhuo Ye and Huang Ying, without Gao Xian providing pills, they were nothing.

Zhu Hong'an patted Yang An on the shoulder and praised him, "Thanks to you for finding out the situation. Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly."

As for how he wouldn't treat him unfairly, Zhu Hong'an felt that giving him a few words of praise was already pretty good.

Yang An nodded repeatedly with joy. "Thank you, boss."

As soon as Yang An raised his head, he saw Zhu Qiuniang entering through the back door, and his smile instantly became a little dry.

Yang An was somewhat afraid of Zhu Qiuniang, who had a cold expression all day. He knew very well that Zhu Qiuniang was the number one enforcer of Changsheng Hall, with a cold and ruthless personality.

What was even scarier was that he could never figure out what this woman was thinking.

He had always kept his distance from this woman.

"Madam, you're back." Yang An hurriedly greeted respectfully, also reminding Zhu Hong'an.

Zhu Hong'an closed the account book and turned to look at Zhu Qiuniang. "Did you bring him back?"

"Mhmm."

Zhu Qiuniang replied, "He's in the backyard."

"This kid is timid. Let him stew for a while, and he'll be scared on his own."

Zhu Hong'an smiled and said, "Let's eat and drink our fill before dealing with him."

Yang An quietly reminded, "Boss, don't let him escape."

"He won't dare."

Zhu Hong'an sneered, "Feima Market is so small, where can he run to? If he dares to run around, without me doing anything, his master Xu Mingyuan can kill him!"

He took out a spirit stone from his sleeve and threw it to Yang An. "Go to Old Li's liquor store and buy some good dishes. Today is a good day, we should have a drink..."

By the time Yang An returned with the food and drinks, it was already completely dark.

Yang An sat in the lower seat, accompanying Zhu Hong'an and his wife for a drink. He didn't dare to eat much and just diligently poured wine for Zhu Hong'an, accompanying him in conversation.

Zhu Qiuniang ate a lot but didn't touch a drop of alcohol. After she finished eating, she left first.

When Zhu Qiuniang left, Yang An finally relaxed. He had a few drinks with Zhu Hong'an and was a little tipsy, discussing the beauties of Feihua Courtyard.

As they talked about those enchanting slender waists and long legs, Zhu Hong'an also became excited. "After Gao Xian signs the death contract today, I'll take you to Feihua Courtyard for some fun. Yun'er, Feng'er, their skills are really something..."

The two old men became more and more excited as they talked, already thinking about how to have a good time later.

They continued drinking until the moon was high in the sky before Zhu Hong'an brought Yang An to the backyard room.

It was mid-September, and the weather had already turned cold.

The room was originally used for storing miscellaneous items, not facing the sun, and the window paper was all torn. When the night wind blew, the room became even colder.

The light from the oil lamp flickered in the night wind, sometimes bright and sometimes dim. Gao Xian, sitting at the table, had an expression that was neither gloomy nor sunny, calm with a hint of indescribable strangeness in the light and shadow.

Zhu Hong'an was a little surprised. In his impression, Gao Xian had always been timid and didn't know what to do when frightened.

Why was he so calm now?

He also became somewhat unhappy. Did this kid really think he wouldn't dare to make a move?

Zhu Hong'an walked over with a stern face and slammed the table. He shouted loudly, "Gao Xian!"

As a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining, Zhu Hong'an's voice was full of vigor and loud.

Gao Xian, on the other hand, remained unusually calm. He sat still, with no expression of surprise on his face.

He looked up and calmly asked Zhu Hong'an, "Shopkeeper Zhu, why did you call me over?"

"You still have the nerve to ask!" Zhu Hong'an had been putting on a bit of a show, but now he was genuinely angry.

Seeing that Gao Xian dared to sit there and ask him why, Zhu Hong'an became even more furious.

"I'm asking you, did you refine Huang Ying's Tian Gui Pill and Zhou Ye's Lu Jiao San?"

Gao Xian nodded, "Yes, I refined them."

He then asked in return, "What's the problem?"

"You have the audacity to ask!" Zhu Hong'an pointed at Gao Xian angrily and cursed, "The medicinal materials are mine, the pill furnace is mine, but you secretly refine pills and sell them. Is that how your master taught you?"

"The entire Fei Ma Collection can only sell pills through me. That's the rule set by the sect!"

"What you're doing is theft, betrayal. I will send you back to the Lianyun Sect's disciplinary hall, and you will undoubtedly die."

Zhu Hong'an's tone slowed down a bit as he continued, "Considering your master's face and your young and ignorant first offense, I'll give you a chance."

Gao Xian's mood was also complicated. He had no idea that the Changsheng Hall had a monopoly on selling pills. Such an important matter, yet Qiniang never mentioned it...

The problem was that he had no choice. Zhu Hong'an was too greedy and difficult to cooperate with. Lu Jiao San and Tian Gui Pill were also related to the spiritual light of humanity and had to be sold in large quantities.

He remembered Qiniang asking him what he would do if Zhu Hong'an didn't allow him to sell pills. It turned out she had already warned him...

Gao Xian sighed softly, "Please speak plainly, Shopkeeper Zhu."

Just as Zhu Hong'an was about to say something, he noticed that Gao Xian had been sitting there all along. He grabbed Gao Xian by the collar and lifted him up, saying, "You little brat, how dare you sit in front of me? Who do you think you are?"

Gao Xian didn't resist. He gently pacified Zhu Hong'an, "Shopkeeper Zhu, don't get agitated. Let's talk slowly."

Yang An watched from the side and felt that Gao Xian was too calm. Although he had never interacted with Gao Xian before, he felt that something was off.

Suddenly, he sensed someone entering and turned his head to see Qiniang standing at the door.

Qiniang was a head taller than him, standing silently at the door, motionless, but naturally exuding a strong aura.

Yang An hurriedly nodded and smiled apologetically at Qiniang. He moved two steps to the side, avoiding her.

Having Qiniang stand behind him was not only impolite but also made him feel unsafe.

Zhu Hong'an was still berating Gao Xian, spitting as he spoke. Gao Xian's face was full of helplessness.

This middle-aged man didn't take care of his oral hygiene and had just been drinking, making his breath unbearable.

Zhu Hong'an thought that Gao Xian was scared, and he felt a bit proud. This kid was quite good at pretending, but all these tricks were useless in his hands.

He took out a contract from his sleeve and slapped it on the table. "If you sign this contract, I won't hold you accountable for what happened before."

Gao Xian took the contract and read it. The content was simple: Changsheng Hall and him signing a hundred-year contract, with every pill he refined belonging to Changsheng Hall.

If he violated the contract, Changsheng Hall had the right to dispose of him as they pleased.

As for treatment and rewards, not a single word was written.

"Shopkeeper Zhu, this contract is too long, and it doesn't mention how the benefits of refining pills will be shared..."

Gao Xian shook his head. The contract conditions were too harsh. If he really signed it, he would become a slave of Changsheng Hall.

Qiniang hadn't lied to him!

He didn't fully believe Qiniang's words, mainly because she clearly had deep malice towards Shopkeeper Zhu.

Now it seemed that Zhu Hong'an was truly greedy and ruthless, not leaving any room for others.

Zhu Hong'an grabbed Gao Xian by the collar and lifted him up. The two faced each other, eye to eye, and Zhu Hong'an's small eyes were filled with a fierce light.

He sneered, "You secretly used my medicinal materials and pill furnace to earn so many spirit stones. Do you really think I'm running a charity?"

"Today, either you sign the contract or you die. It's your choice!"

Gao Xian sighed again. He glanced sideways at Qiniang standing at the door. Qiniang slightly nodded her head in response.

Zhu Hong'an had his back to Qiniang and couldn't see her actions.

On the side, Yang An saw the interaction between Qiniang and Gao Xian. He was filled with suspicion and unease. "What are Gao Xian and Qiniang up to? Something seems off..."

(End of this chapter)