"I can become your servant, but there must be three principles agreed upon. First, you cannot force me into doing things I’m unwilling to do. Second, you must not take action against Prince Liu Mansion. Third, the duration of my servitude cannot exceed thirty years."
Mo Shang listed a series of demands one after another.
He probably hadn’t fully grasped the current situation; otherwise, he wouldn’t have confidently proposed so many conditions.
"Are you done?" Chu Feng asked with a cold sneer on his face.
"Yes!" Mo Shang, believing in his own strength and status, thought that offering to serve Chu Feng for thirty years would surely thrill him. He waited for Chu Feng to agree to all his terms, then provide the antidote.
To Mo Shang’s surprise, Chu Feng turned to leave, not sparing him a glance.
Mo Shang became anxious, "Prince Chu Feng, do you think the conditions are too many? How about reducing one?"
Chu Feng still ignored him and walked even faster.
"I will only make one condition, is that okay?" Mo Shang asked through clenched teeth.
By now, he had somewhat sobered up and recognized the situation. His confidence had transformed into a lack of assurance.
It’s like when we’re about to sell something, before taking it to market, full of joy, we imagine fetching a good price. But once we quote a price at the market, the potential buyers just shake their heads and walk away.
At that point, we start to doubt ourselves.
Was it priced too high? Maybe setting a lower price is better!
"Hey, wait, don’t go! I, as the steward, will not make any conditions. Is that alright now?"
Mo Shang was on the verge of collapse in this psychological battle with Chu Feng.
In the end, he didn’t dare to demand even a single condition.
"Open your mouth!" Chu Feng reached into his sleeve, having already secretly taken out a Detoxification Pill.
Mo Shang was an important figure. Once subdued, he could be of great use. He could even be used to bring down Prince Liu Mansion in one fell swoop.
After Mo Shang opened his mouth, Chu Feng flicked his finger, propelling the Detoxification Pill into Mo Shang’s mouth.
"After you return, bathe in realgar water, and you will recover. It’s best not to forget your promise to monitor every action of Prince Liu Mansion for me and secretly support all my operations."
"If you betray me, not only will you die, but your family will also be exterminated without exception."
Although Chu Feng was but a youth, with a very calm tone, his words had an extreme intimidation effect when they reached Mo Shang’s ears. In Mo Shang’s eyes, Chu Feng was nothing short of a demon.
Even more difficult to deal with than those old monsters who had lived for hundreds of years.
Mo Shang couldn’t help but lament, "I thought of myself as the foremost strategist of Prince Liu Mansion, clever and capable in all things. Yet unexpectedly, I’ve been brought down by the most inconspicuous ’waste’ prince of the Sword King Mansion."
And it wasn’t just an ordinary fall; it was like tumbling into a ditch with no chance of turning things around ever again.
The pill Chu Feng had just fed him wasn’t clear—whether it was a detoxifying elixir or a poison pill. Mo Shang simply did not know and dared not inquire further.
Yet, looking at Chu Feng’s confident demeanor, Mo Shang was sure that if he dared betray Chu Feng, or if he were treacherous or double-dealing, his death would be exceptionally miserable.
After Chu Feng had subdued Mo Shang, he unwittingly arrived at the Royal Capital’s Heaven and Earth Auction.
He wanted to sell his Puppet Elixir for a good price and to cash in quickly, and the auction was the best option.
Moreover, he didn’t need to show himself and could have the auction house conceal his identity, reducing the chance of exposure.
Even if his identity was revealed by chance, Chu Feng had already prepared his countermeasures.
Overall, the risks were manageable.
At least, a mere Puppet Elixir would certainly not be enough to expose his identity as the Eternal Life Pill Master.
"Go away, go away! This is not a place where a beggar from Sword King Mansion like you should come!" The guarding guard immediately recognized Chu Feng and waved him away repeatedly.
In the eyes of many, the Sword King Mansion is so poor that it can’t even afford a meal. It has become the biggest joke of the Jianyun Dynasty.
"Never laugh at the poor young! Perhaps one day I’ll be wealthy, or even a distinguished guest at this auction. When that time comes, I will make you kneel to greet me every time I enter an auction."
Chu Feng’s face was full of anger, these gatekeepers naturally have a pair of dog’s eyes, always fond of looking down on others.
When they encounter wealthy and powerful guests, they immediately flatter and fawn. But when it comes to the poor or those without status, they instantly become arrogant, displaying a fierce and hideously ugly countenance.
The weak should not bully the weak.
Instead, they should aspire to match the strong and strive to rise.
"Haha, kid, are you still dreaming? With that bear-like appearance of yours, you also wish to become a guest of honor at our auction?"
"If you became a guest of honor, then I, the guard, would be the owner of the auction house."
"Scram, scram, scram! Hurry up and get lost!"
The guards at the auction house acted as if they had heard the funniest joke. They wore faces full of mockery, taunting Chu Feng.
Facing such disdainful gatekeeping dogs, Chu Feng was helpless and was about to go find Niu Baotian. Otherwise, he couldn’t even get in the door.
Just then, a commanding and stern voice came from behind, "Let him in!"
The guard who was just now incomparably ferocious immediately crumbled at the sight of the person behind Chu Feng, visibly shrinking in stature.
"Oh dear, it turns out Minister Wu has arrived! Please, come in quickly!" This guard dared to shout and chase Chu Feng away, but facing a big shot like Minister Wu, he would never dare any disrespect.
All he could do was bow and scrape, wag his tail for mercy.
Minister Wu had taken an elixir refined by Chu Feng, and his Fire Element Sword Vein had strengthened by more than double. He was very satisfied with the effects of the elixir.
He came to the auction this time because he had heard that there was a batch of extremely rare and precious medicinal materials.
He wanted to bid on a few suitable ones and then take them to the Pharmacist Guild, asking Niu Baotian to refine them into elixirs.
To his surprise, he saw that Chu Feng was being stopped by the guards on the steps, not being allowed into the auction house.
Minister Wu had a good impression of Chu Feng and greatly admired Chu Feng’s alchemy skills. So, he stepped forward to help and teach the guard a lesson.
"Listen well, if I see you stopping Pill Master Chu Feng from entering again, don’t blame me, the Chief of Staff, for being discourteous," said Minister Wu in a cold voice, warning the guard before looking towards Chu Feng, smiling, "Alchemist Chu, it’s a coincidence to meet again! We see each other yet once more!"
"Thanks to your great favor last time, you helped me refine that batch of elixir. After taking it, the effects were excellent."
The guard was left dumbfounded, looking at Chu Feng as if he were a monster.
To receive Minister Wu’s recognition was already strange enough.
There are many alchemists in the Royal Capital, and it seemed Minister Wu had never been so amicable with anyone else.
"Thank you, Minister Wu, for speaking up for me! Thank you!" Chu Feng gratefully bowed in thanks, then turned and entered the auction house.
His eyes quickly swept across the room, immediately spotting a window labeled "Elixir Appraisal."
There were also several other windows, all for handling other auction procedures.
"Please help me appraise these two elixirs!"
Chu Feng presented a Puppet Elixir and a Continuation Pill.
Both types of elixirs were extremely valuable, and only a master like Chu Feng could have refined them.
The old appraiser took the Jade Box containing the two elixirs casually in his hands.
But the more he looked at them, the more shocked he became.
"This, this is the Continuation Pill?" He had been an appraiser for so long, but he had never seen two elixirs like the ones brought in by Chu Feng.