In the grand hall, Xiao Yan gazed at the number 348 on his Qing Huo Crystal Card, and couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed and sentimental. With the route of selling medicinal pills now in place, the troubling matter of worrying about Fire Energy had been left far behind. Inside the hall, Xuner and the others were also seated. After two days of continuous pill sales, their pills had gained some reputation. As such, the Rock Gate was gradually entering a stable phase, and they no longer needed to personally sell the pills. Instead, they announced fixed sales locations and had Rock Gate members guard them, while they simply waited to collect the Fire Energy.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s nostalgic expression, Xuner smiled gently. “Although selling medicinal pills is indeed highly profitable, it would not have reached this level of success without your speed and success rate in refining pills. I heard that even the entire Medicine Gang, working together, could only slightly surpass what you can achieve in one day. Not to mention the materials, just the manpower consumed is considerable.”
Xiao Yan smiled. He relied merely on the power of the Heavenly Flame and the support of the Pharmacist Elder. Stretching his body, he felt a bit bored. These days, he had been continuously refining pills, and the Rock Gate now had enough pills to last for a week. Thus, he had a lot of free time now, which made him feel a bit uneasy. However, having just broken through to the eight-star rank, if he were to close off for another breakthrough, it might be a bit too much.
“Have the people sent to buy herbs returned yet?” he asked, his voice muffled as he stuffed a piece of cake into his mouth. The past few days of refining had used up most of the previously purchased herbs.
“Yes, but they should be back soon,” Xuner nodded slightly. But as she spoke, there came a rapid knock on the door, followed by several figures rushing in.
“What’s the matter, A-Tai?” Xiao Yan asked, surprised at the breathless A-Tai and the others.
“Boss, something has happened!” A-Tai took a deep breath, calming his rapid breathing before speaking with a dark expression.
“What is it?” Xiao Yan frowned, swallowing his food, his voice turning cold.
“The people sent to buy herbs all returned empty-handed,” A-Tai said angrily.
“As expected… It seems the Medicine Gang is behind this, though their reaction was quicker than I anticipated,” Xuner said coldly, her willowy eyebrows furrowing.
Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, a hint of coldness flashing across them.
“Also, the brothers we sent out to sell pills were obstructed. Some, who were more hot-tempered, tried to resist and were injured. Most of the sales locations have been destroyed,” A-Tai ground out, teeth clenched, clearly angry.
“What?!” The moment these words were spoken, the faces of the people in the hall turned furious, and Xiao Yan stood up, his face dark as a storm.
“How dare the Medicine Gang be so arrogant? Do they think our Rock Gate is easy to bully?” Hua Jia said, her face grim.
“Not the Medicine Gang.” A-Tai shook his head, grinding his teeth. “According to the reports, those causing trouble seem to be from the ‘White Gang’!”
“White Gang…” Xiao Yan was initially stunned, then his face flashed with coldness. “These scoundrels are still unwilling to stay quiet.”
“Boss, what should we do now? We can’t let this go!” Xiao Yan’s face was dark, feeling the burning gazes of those in the hall. After a moment, he waved his hand, his voice cold. “A-Tai, gather everyone. Let’s go to the White Gang! If they want to step on our heads, they’ll have to pay the price!”
“Alright! Boss, let’s get them!” Hearing Xiao Yan’s decision, A-Tai’s face flushed with excitement. He nodded vigorously and quickly ran out of the hall, shouting loudly.
“Xiao Yan, are you going to confront the White Gang now?” Xuner pondered for a moment, then asked.
“If we fight, we fight. The Rock Gate has suffered a lot from the White Gang recently. If we ignore it, not only will it boost their morale, but it will also make the Rock Gate look weak,” Wu Hao said, a hint of ferocity in his tone.
“Wu Hao is right. Even if we can’t beat them, we need to show them that the Rock Gate is not to be trifled with!” Hua Jia glared, her fierce personality showing. She had been restraining herself since entering the inner courtyard, but she could not tolerate such provocation and humiliation.
“This time, the White Gang has gone too far. If we remain passive, it will disappoint our injured brothers,” Xiao Yan said, his face slightly pale. After a moment, he turned to Xuner. “Xuner, your suggestion to form or hire a herb-picking team may need to be accelerated. With the financial strength of the Medicine Gang, if they want to block us, we won’t be able to resist. Now, we can only rely on ourselves.”
“Okay!” Xuner nodded. “We’ll start preparing tomorrow!”
Xiao Yan nodded, his face cold. “Now, everyone put down what you’re doing. Follow me to the White Gang. We need to make Bai Cheng that bastard know that stepping on the thorny Rock Gate isn’t without cost…”
On the wide, tree-lined avenue, passersby watched the large group of people with a murderous aura, and stopped in shock. Most of them carried gleaming weapons, and their fierce expressions made bystanders shiver.
As the crowd disappeared from view, the once calm road filled with whispers.
“What are these guys up to? They look like they’re out for blood.”
“Look at the badges on their chests. They seem to be from the Fragrant Gate.”
“Ah? The recent Fragrant Gate that’s been selling pills? Is that black-robed youth leading them the one who refines the pills, Xiao Yan?”
“I heard the White Gang kicked the Fragrant Gate today. From the looks of it, the Fragrant Gate is going after the White Gang. Hehe, this should be a good show…”
The inner courtyard, usually peaceful, became lively because of the fierce Fragrant Gate. Many students, eager to watch the spectacle, spread the news, attracting a large number of onlookers to the location of the White Gang. Although there were many disputes in the inner courtyard, such large-scale gang battles were quite rare.
“Bad news, boss!” In a room filled with laughter, the door suddenly burst open, and a figure rushed in, shouting…
“What’s the matter, panicking like this?” Bai Cheng, sitting at the head, frowned, displeased. Yesterday, the Medicine Gang offered him a price that piqued his interest, asking him to deal with the Rock Gate. He had long disliked the Rock Gate, and now someone was offering a large sum to take them down, which delighted him. So when the offer was made, he readily accepted.
With the Fire Energy from the Medicine Gang, Bai Cheng could exchange for a powerful battle skill in the Skill Pavilion, possibly even moving up in the ‘Strong List’. Being interrupted at this moment did not please him.
“Xiao Yan is leading the Rock Gate to attack our White Gang!” At first, Bai Cheng was only slightly stunned, but then his face changed dramatically. Standing up, he sneered, “I didn’t expect this brat to have such guts. But an egg hitting a stone will only end in self-inflicted pain!”
“A Rock Gate without even a Dou Ling trying to fight us? Boss, because of me, we were forbidden from touching them for half a year. But now they’ve come to us, that bet is nullified!” Fu Ao, red-faced, laughed.
Bai Cheng glanced at the overjoyed Fu Ao, sneering. “It’s not that simple. That guy’s Fire Lotus technique is said to be unbeatable even by Rainer. Even in a direct fight, you might not win.”
Hearing Bai Cheng’s words, Fu Ao’s face reddened slightly, but he insisted, “That technique is strong, but with his abilities, he can use it only once a day. If I can withstand one wave, he’ll be like a soft clay, ready to be molded.”
“Now is not the time to talk. Gather the men. The Fragrant Gate is making a big move, and our White Gang cannot show any weakness. Otherwise, how can we stand in the inner courtyard?” Bai Cheng snapped, ordering sternly.
“Yes, sir!” Everyone in the room responded, rushing out to gather the gang members.
Hearing the commotion outside, Bai Cheng’s face turned cold, and he sneered, “Since you’ve come to us, don’t blame me. This time, I won’t let you embarrass yourselves in the inner courtyard, or I’d be ashamed of my ‘Strong List’ ranking. A bunch of ignorant rookies!”
With that, Bai Cheng swept his sleeve, a mocking chill on his face, and strode out of the room.
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