The efficacy of the Dragon and Tiger Great Reverting Pill was something others might not understand, but Yang Hao knew it better than anyone. It was crafted from a combination of rare medicinal ingredients. Although within the Alchemical Cauldron Sect, it was considered a foundational pill among the assisting elixirs, its effects were absolutely remarkable. An average person would become highly energized after taking just one pill, and for those with functional impairments, at most an extra pill would guarantee effectiveness.
But this old man spoke so firmly and convincingly that he didn’t seem to be lying at all. Therefore, Yang Hao was now facing an unprecedented dilemma.
He wasn’t the only one shocked—Heyuanzi inside his belly was also stunned: “Could it be we’ve finally hit a wall? Even if someone had ten trees worth of timber, after taking our pills there would definitely be a reaction. This guy is just too exaggerated.”
“So…” Yang Hao was considering whether he should bring out some auxiliary pills like the Strength-Enhancing Pill, each of which had its own unique effects.
“You don’t need to bother,” the old man seemed to see through Yang Hao’s thoughts. “I’ve already tried all the medicines you sell in your shop. They’re completely ineffective. Not only that, but I’ve tasted every kind of medicine produced in this entire universe, and none of them have had any effect whatsoever.”
“Then why are you even coming to me?” Yang Hao was filled with frustration. “If you’re completely and utterly beyond help, then just accept your fate. Why come here and torment me?”
At the thought that he might be killed if he couldn’t cure the old man, Yang Hao felt so miserable he wanted to find a corner to cry in. In his frustration, he just let all his anger pour out.
The old man’s face darkened rapidly: “Are you trying to die? Stop talking nonsense. Just wait here for death. My bodyguards outside will come and collect your corpse.”
After saying this, the old man turned and strode toward the door, clearly intending to summon the experts outside to kill Yang Hao.
“Hurry up and stop him!” Heyuanzi shouted urgently.
Yang Hao had already activated his “Flickering Petal Phantom Steps” technique. In an instant, he blocked the old man’s path. The astonishing speed momentarily startled the old man.
“What do you want?” The old man’s eyes turned icy cold, glaring at Yang Hao with the kind of commanding authority only someone at the very top could possess.
“Although I can’t cure you right now, give me three days. Within three days, I will definitely find a way to completely heal you,” Yang Hao said firmly, word by word.
In truth, at this moment Yang Hao had completely lost his composure and was merely repeating Heyuanzi’s suggestion as a temporary strategy.
“You’re already helpless now—how could you possibly succeed in three days?” The old man clearly didn’t believe him. “You’d better cherish whatever time you have left in this life.”
“Wait!!” Seeing the old man still heading for the door, Yang Hao knew that once he stepped outside, his life would be over. “Have you started rejecting aphrodisiacs in recent years?”
This question came out rapidly—it was Heyuanzi’s last-minute inspiration, saying that if Yang Hao asked this way, the old man would definitely believe it. Desperate, Yang Hao just blurted it out.
“What?” The old man indeed stopped in his tracks. “What did you say?”
“Did you find chemical medicines very effective a few years ago, but the more you took, the less effective they became, until in recent years they’ve been completely useless?” Yang Hao realized he’d struck gold and quickly continued following Heyuanzi’s line of thought.
“More or less like that,” the old man frowned. It seemed his symptoms had indeed been accurately guessed by Heyuanzi.
“Three days!” Yang Hao declared with determination. “Just give me three days, I will definitely find a way to completely cure your condition. If not, you can do whatever you want with me—even take my life!”
The old man’s expression remained icy as he silently stared at Yang Hao for a moment. “Three days?”
“Three days!” Yang Hao noticed the old man’s attitude softening slightly and felt a surge of excitement.
But the old man tilted his head and sneered, “Fine then. Three days it is. But if after three days you still haven’t figured it out, I won’t take your life.”
“Really?” Yang Hao hadn’t expected the old man to actually spare him.
“But I will kill every one of your relatives and friends, letting you live forever in guilt and pain,” the old man said coldly, pushing Yang Hao aside and walking out.
It was as if he had merely brushed aside a piece of wood. Yang Hao stood there like a statue, so stunned he didn’t even notice the old man had already exited the room. The previously empty corridor suddenly filled with over a dozen elite swordsmen who respectfully followed the old man out.
“Kill all my relatives and friends…” It took Yang Hao a long time to regain his senses. He staggered to the sofa and sat down, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.
“He’s too ruthless!” Heyuanzi also exhaled deeply. “This old bastard is too cruel. He must have been a master of political manipulation. Just killing someone is already terrible enough, but to threaten to wipe out your entire clan, making you live forever in guilt for causing their deaths—that’s the ultimate form of torment.”
“What should we do now…” Yang Hao had only been a senior student at the advanced academy on Laimon Star, and later just a shop owner. How could he have possibly gotten involved with such a powerful figure? Not only was his own life in danger, but his family might also be at risk.
“What else can we do!” Heyuanzi said angrily. “Don’t be so defeatist. As long as we can figure out a solution within these three days, everything will be fine.”
“How is that possible!” Yang Hao had completely lost confidence. “He’s been taking medicine for years, and it’s only gotten worse. How could we possibly find a solution in just three days?”
Just moments ago, Yang Hao had repeated Heyuanzi’s words purely to buy time. He hadn’t truly believed there was any way to solve this problem. “What if I pack up right now and run home to take my family into hiding?”
“Stupid idea!” Heyuanzi scoffed. “Look at the way that old man carried himself—he must be an extremely powerful and influential figure. Under the Empire’s surveillance system, no one can escape unnoticed. Do you really think you can run away? Besides, even if you and your family escape, what about your friends? What about your lovers?”
Heyuanzi’s words hit the nail on the head. The old man’s threat to kill Yang Hao’s family and friends likely wasn’t limited to just his parents—his lovers wouldn’t be spared either. There was no way Yang Hao could take all his friends and loved ones into hiding.
“Then what should I do?”
“Right now, the only choice we have is to take a gamble. No matter what method we use, as long as we can restore the old man’s confidence in our pills, we can buy more time,” Heyuanzi said, surprisingly full of confidence. “After all, we are part of the Alchemical Cauldron Sect of cultivation. If we can even refine immortal elixirs, how could we possibly fail to heal one person?”
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