"The latter, of course."
Zhuge Wei Yue's eyes brightened slightly. She already understood Zhao Ci's meaning.
The Hundred Refinements Furnace was like a master teacher—one renowned for cultivating geniuses.
If she worked with Zhao Yong, even if the quality of his pills reached the level of the main Zhu Clan, it wouldn't do much to enhance the Hundred Refinements Furnace's reputation.
But if the Xiang's Pill Workshop were to rise to prominence because of it, the reputation of the Hundred Refinements Furnace would surely reach a new level.
It was a good reason, and it swayed her slightly, but it wasn't quite enough.
Zhao Yong, however, sneered. "If you could truly turn a mediocrity into a Sword Dao Grandmaster, that would be one thing. But I'm afraid this 'mediocrity' is just mud that won't stick to the wall. If he studies his whole life and still can't comprehend the Sword Dao, then the teacher's lifelong fame will be ruined by this one student."
Hearing this, the crowd nodded.
That was true. Zhao Ci's argument wasn't wrong, but it was based on one premise: that the Xiang's Pill Workshop could actually rise.
'But given the skill of their alchemists…'
'Their alchemy techniques are subpar.'
'Their family's cultivation technique is lacking too.'
'On what grounds do they have the audacity to claim they can rise?'
Obviously.
Zhao Yong was clearly thinking the same thing. He looked at Zhao Ci and said, "Lao Shi, ambition is a good thing, but how can you guarantee that a mediocrity will rise?"
Zhao Ci wasn't flustered at all. "Whether a mediocrity can rise is one question, but whether a genius might fall is another. The scenario Brother Huang just mentioned would indeed tarnish a teacher's reputation. But there's another situation that's even more damaging: when, after being taught by a master, a genius becomes just another face in the crowd."
Zhao Yong was amused. "What a joke! My Yonghe Pill Workshop..."
Zhao Ci suddenly cut him off. "Brother Huang pooped his pants!"
As soon as the words were spoken.
The entire hall was stunned.
Gasps of shock echoed one after another.
No one had expected the topic to take such a turn.
This rumor had been spreading like wildfire recently. Everyone lived in Lingge; it was impossible not to have heard it.
'But for Zhao Ci to pull something like this in public... what's the point?'
Zhao Yong's face turned green. "Bastard! It's one thing for common folk to believe a rumor spread by street thugs, but Lao Shi, you're a member of the Royal Family! Do you actually believe this, or are you just playing dumb? What is your motive for bringing this street gossip to an auction to stir up trouble?"
Zhao Ci said calmly, "Seeing is believing. Right at the entrance to my residence, Brother Huang pooped his pants!"
Zhao Yong: "..."
The crowd: "Hiss..."
It had just been a rumor before, but now the man himself was here to confirm it.
'Just how deep does this grudge run?'
'Are you two brothers never going to see each other again?'
Zhao Yong's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He had thought Zhao Ci would only dare to show his shameless side in private, but to do it in front of everyone...
He was furious. "Make up whatever you want! Let's not even mention that I didn't do it—even if I did, what does that have to do with this auction? Lao Shi, do you really think tarnishing my name will improve the skills of your alchemists?"
But Zhao Ci shook his head, his expression serious. "Of course, it's related. Brother Huang, you and I are both from the Royal Family. While we may not have lived in complete luxury, we were never exposed to anything unclean. We cultivate the Emperor's Extreme Body Refining Technique, making our bodies incredibly strong. Even if we ate something bad, this shouldn't have happened."
"For more than a decade, Brother Huang, you never had any health problems. But just a few days after establishing your own residence... you know what happened."
"Hasn't Brother Huang ever wondered why? Could it be... that you got a bad stomach from your own pills?"
"Also, I've heard that many cultivators in Lingge have been getting upset stomachs recently. I wonder how many of them bought pills from the Yonghe Pill Workshop."
Finally.
He added another sentence, "Brother Huang! I truly don't mean to insult your reputation. I'm new to the Pill Realm, and my heart is filled only with fervor for the common people and loyalty to the Great Yu."
"Everything I'm doing is just to ensure that the cultivators of the Great Yu can have pills they can trust!"
"This isn't a question I want to ask, but one I must ask on behalf of the countless people who buy pills. Please, Brother Huang, don't blame me!"
Hiss!
Ah, this.
'This is too shameless!'
The sudden, sharp turn in the conversation left everyone a bit dazed.
The angle was a little bizarre, but it seemed to hold true.
After hearing the rumor, they had all sought confirmation. The incident wasn't fake.
And recently, it did seem that quite a few cultivators had been suffering from diarrhea to the point of collapse.
'Could it be...?'
Zhao Yong was also stunned speechless. His vision darkened. "Nonsense, I..."
The words had barely left his mouth.
When he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and a violent torrent of gas rushed frantically toward his rear.
"GURGLE..."
Zhao Yong's scalp went numb.
'What's happening?'
'Didn't the Imperial Physician already cure me?'
'This is bad!'
'I can't let anything happen again, not in public!'
He lost all ability to think and sprinted madly in the direction of the latrines.
Everyone present: "..."
The auction house fell silent.
Everyone was dumbfounded. What kind of plot twist was this?
They had all heard that intestinal gurgle.
'This Prince is really something.'
'When he has to shit, he *really* has to shit!'
'But wasn't that a bit too sudden?'
Zhuge Xiao, who had been diligently studying the art of commercial warfare, was also baffled.
He quickly recalled Zhao Yong's qi and facial complexion from earlier in the day.
After getting a hazy answer, he was even more confused.
Back in Ba Shu, he had handled some of the family's business. He thought he was already competent, able to navigate the subtle, underhanded dealings between merchants.
But compared to Zhao Ci, he was clearly outmatched.
'What kind of poison was that?'
'To make a cultivator have a stomach upset with such precision!'
'As expected of Lingge.'
'What vicious commercial warfare!'
Zhao Ci retracted the hand he had just used to stick an On-Spot Relief Charm on Zhao Yong.
'The final move of the Seven Injuries Fist is complete.'
'Time to pull back my hand!'
Sitting next to Zhao Yong had been his goal all along.
Composing himself, he turned to Zhuge Wei Yue. "Elder Zhuge, what are your thoughts?"
Zhuge Wei Yue: "Ah?"
She was still a bit dazed. She had seen plenty of storms in her life, but this was the first time she had witnessed something so bizarre.
Zhao Ci asked again, "Who do you think this order for the Hundred Refinements Furnaces is more suited for?"
Zhuge Wei Yue: "..."
She couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Her intuition told her it was possible Zhao Ci had done something to cause what just happened.
But she had no proof, and things had already reached this point. Regardless of the truth, the idea that Zhao Yong had gotten a bad stomach from his own pills was now the public consensus.
The risk was too great; she didn't want to bear it.
After a moment of contemplation, she said, "This order goes to the Tenth Prince!"
"Many thanks!"
Zhao Ci expressed his thanks, then cupped his hands toward Zhu Yan. "I was just lucky."
Zhu Yan: "???"
[System Notification]: Wish fulfilled. Reward received: Insight +100, Stolen Skill: Divinity Refining Furnace.
[Divinity Refining Furnace]: Use the Spirit Platform as a furnace to temper the Primordial Spirit.
Whoa!
Zhao Ci was ecstatic. Of the seven Divine Treasures in the human body, every one had established cultivation methods except for the Spirit Platform.
Even Secret Technique Elixirs that could benefit the Spirit Platform were exceedingly rare and hidden away in some unknown corner of the world.
'I can't believe that woman, Gu Xiangzhu, actually had it.'
Although it wasn't the specific method to open the Spirit Platform Divine Treasure, being able to temper his Primordial Spirit was already incredibly powerful.
He had gotten everything he came for.
There was no reason to stick around and watch the rest of the show.
So he stood up, took the order form, and walked straight up to the second floor under everyone's watchful eyes.
...
「In the back rows.」
Zhu Li received another note. "Zhao Ci wants me to wait for him at the back door of the auction house."
"This..."
Kan Luotang finally snapped out of her daze from the earlier performance. She pursed her lips and said, "He probably wants to give you the Fire Manipulation Pill."
"But why would he help me?"
Zhu Li's expression was a bit strange as she whispered, "Luotang, he's not thinking of bagging both of us, is he?"
Kan Luotang shook her head instinctively. "No! The Tenth Prince keeps his promises. He's a gentleman!"
Zhu Li glanced to the side and saw Zhao Yong just returning from the direction of the latrines, his expression fouler than the latrine itself.
She felt her definition of "gentleman" had just been severely challenged.