Chapter 3: Master Wu

Wanbao Pavilion.

The streets bustled with carriages and horses, the crowds ceaselessly flowing. Walking amidst the throng, Jun Wushuang instantly became the center of attention.

"Isn't that Jun Wushuang? I heard he tried to disgrace his mother-in-law and was beaten by the Ji family before being sent home. Who would have thought the once top genius of Jiangning City would turn out to be such a beast in human guise?"

"He's utterly shamed the Jun family. How does he still have the face to walk around? If I were him, I'd have bashed my head in out of shame long ago."

"He was the city's number one genius—his skin must be thicker than ours could ever be."

One mocking voice after another followed him. Jun Wushuang's reputation had plunged into the mire.

This was Ji Yuntian's doing, deliberately manipulating public opinion to suppress both Jun Wushuang and the Jun family, dragging them into a maelstrom of scandal.

That old fox never ceased his scheming.

But no matter how many plots you devise, all your cunning will be broken by my fist.

Once I recover my strength, not a single member of the Ji family will be spared!

"Grandfather, what's wrong? Please, don't scare me!"

Jun Wushuang had just reached the entrance of the Wanbao Pavilion when a tearful young woman’s voice broke out.

An elderly man dressed in splendid garments had collapsed to the ground. He was tall but gaunt, his thin frame reminiscent of a skeleton. Now, lying unconscious, his eyes tightly shut, his face contorted in pain, he trembled violently.

His breaths were shallow, and black poisonous blotches had already begun to spread across his face and body.

Clearly, he had been poisoned—fatally so.

"Is there anyone who can save my grandfather? If so, I’m willing to pay a reward of one million spirit stones!"

The young woman, clothed in blue, wept as she pleaded with the surrounding crowd, her desperation plain to see.

She could not have been more than seventeen or eighteen, her eyes large and beautiful, her features exquisitely delicate—like a beauty from a painting. Her bearing was that of a blue lotus, pure and elegant, a vision of ethereal grace.

Now, in her fragility and helplessness, she seemed even more pitiable—enough to move any heart.

"One million spirit stones!"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

This was an astronomical sum. The Jun family's annual profits amounted to only two or three hundred thousand spirit stones. This young woman was offering the equivalent of four or five years of the Jun family's income in a single breath—unimaginable.

Yet both she and the old man were dressed with extraordinary refinement; clearly, they were people of immense wealth and status.

"Who are these people, able to offer a million spirit stones as medical fees?"

"I have no idea. I've never heard of such figures in Jiangning City. Perhaps they come from a larger city."

"One million spirit stones—if I got that, I'd never have to worry about food or drink again for the rest of my life!"

The crowd was awed, but no one stepped forward. One million spirit stones was tempting, but one needed the ability to claim them. The old man’s condition was obviously critical, his end imminent. If someone tried to help and failed, they might be held responsible for his death—perhaps even with their own life.

No one dared to take such a risk with people of such wealth and power.

"Let me try!"

At this moment, a voice of authority rang out.

The crowd parted, and an old man in a crimson alchemist's robe strode forward, his hands clasped behind his back. His hair was silver, his bearing ethereal, and a faint medicinal fragrance lingered about him—a man well acquainted with rare herbs.

"Master Wu!"

The sight of this alchemist drew exclamations of awe from the crowd, their eyes filled with admiration.

"Master Wu is not only the head of the Wanbao Pavilion’s branch here, but also a third-rank alchemist. In Jiangning City, there is no better alchemist."

"Even Master Wu has been drawn here. That old man is surely saved now. With Master Wu’s skills, there’s no illness that cannot be cured."

"Indeed, with Master Wu present, even the gravest ailments can be healed. It looks like the one million spirit stones will soon be his!"

Everyone gazed at Master Wu with fervent hope.

A third-rank alchemist was already a figure of the highest standing in this small city. As the head of the Wanbao Pavilion’s branch, his status exceeded even the three great families—he outranked the city lord himself.

With such a figure personally intervening, how could there be failure?

Buoyed by the crowd’s praise, a trace of arrogance appeared on Master Wu’s face, but he did not forget his task.

He strode up to the young woman.

"Let me see what is going on here."

Master Wu did not recognize the identities of the old man or the young woman, but the million spirit stones was all the incentive he needed.

He bent down, formed his fingers like a sword, and pressed them to the old man’s brow.

An invisible surge of spiritual power entered the old man’s body, probing his condition.

"Spirit Sea Realm," Jun Wushuang observed, his eyes narrowing. He had gauged Master Wu’s strength.

This Master Wu was not only a third-rank alchemist, but also a cultivator of the Spirit Sea Realm.

To open the consciousness sea and give birth to spiritual force—that was the hallmark of the Spirit Sea Realm.

Though not as direct as spiritual energy, spiritual force was crucial. Whether cultivating, comprehending the Dao, or refining pills and weapons, all required formidable spiritual power.

As a third-rank alchemist, Master Wu’s spiritual force far exceeded that of other cultivators at his level.

Under the crowd’s anxious gaze, Master Wu withdrew his hand.

"Master Wu, how is my grandfather?" the young woman asked hopefully, her eyes brimming with worry.

Master Wu smiled, supremely confident.

"Rest assured, I have identified the cause. It is merely poison. This poison is not difficult to cure—for every hundred cases I’ve treated, at least eighty have recovered."

Arrogance glimmered in his eyes as he spoke.

He raised his right palm and struck the old man's body eighteen times in succession.

With each strike, the old man's convulsions ceased, the foam at his lips disappeared, and his condition markedly improved.

"As expected of Master Wu—a single touch and the effects were immediate."

"This old man is saved. To encounter Master Wu today is his fortune; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived."

"Master Wu is truly miraculous. From now on, I’ll buy all my pills from Wanbao Pavilion."

The crowd showered Master Wu with praise, his pride swelling all the more.

"Your grandfather's pain has been relieved. All that remains is for him to take this Celestial Fragrant Jade Dew Pill I refined, and the poison will be purged!"

Master Wu reached into his storage ring and produced a jade pill bottle.

As he opened it, a rich, enticing aroma filled the air—one breath and the mouth watered, the whole body relaxed as if soaking in a hot spring.

"A top-grade spiritual pill!"

The crowd exclaimed in recognition of the pill’s quality.

A top-grade spiritual pill was worth a hundred thousand spirit stones, and this one was personally refined by Master Wu, making it even more valuable.

But compared to a million spirit stones, a single top-grade pill was nothing.

"Thank you, Master Wu. As long as my grandfather recovers, the one million spirit stones will be given with both our hands."

The young woman, full of gratitude, carefully took the pill bottle, extracted the Celestial Fragrant Jade Dew Pill, and prepared to administer it to her grandfather.

The pill was round, fragrant, and of exceptional quality.

Seeing this, the young woman’s confidence grew, and she moved to feed the pill to her grandfather.

At that very moment, a sudden voice rang out:

"If you wish for his death, then give him that poison."