Jiang Chen soon arrived at Taiyuan Tower on Vermillion Bird Avenue. Taiyuan Tower was co-owned by Jiang Chen and House Wei, where Taiyuan Lodge had been won it off the Majestic Clan in a bet.
Taiyuan Lodge was now occupied by the disciples of the Regal Pill Palace and a few of Jiang Chenâs old brothers, such as Liu Wencai and Fatty Lu. Jiang Chen had set up Mu Gaoqi in the young lord residence instead of Taiyuan Lodge. Taiyuan Lodge was now managed by Elder Yun Nie, even though Shen Trifire was in charge in name.
Jiang Chen noticed an abnormality before he even arrived at Taiyuan Tower. Two incredibly lavish pill shops had been erected right beside it. Their signboards were magnificently huge, overshadowing Taiyuan Towerâs. This development was startling. What on earth was going on? Which clueless bastard had erected two pill shops right beside Taiyuan Tower? Were they trying to court trouble?
It was widely held that Taiyuan Tower was the best pill shop in Veluriyam Capital. Shops within a 500 meter radius of it had seen a sharp decrease in customers ever since it opened. Opening another pill shop next to Taiyuan Tower was clearly suicide. But it was quite obvious that the owners of these shops werenât suicidal, just here to cause trouble. The shops flanked Taiyuan Tower, seeking to encircle the establishment. However, that wasnât all.
These shops were openly challenging Taiyuan Towerâs authority. A pill dao master was giving a lecture on a stage in front of one of the shops, and an enormous audience standing around to listen.
Even though the crowd wasnât as large as the ones for Jiang Chenâs lectures, the number of people present was still incredibly significant. Taiyuan Towerâs limelight was completely eclipsed by the large crowd. In fact, Taiyuan Tower seemed a little abandoned, especially when compared to the hustle and bustle of yesteryear.
Jiang Chen frowned slightly as he took this in from afar. He was extremely sensitive to such things and instinctively felt that something was amiss. By right, such a scene shouldnât be occurring with Taiyuan Towerâs standing in the capital. Everyone knew that this establishment was backed by Pill King Zhen, the Sacred Peafowl Mountain, and even Emperor Peafowl. But these newcomers didnât hold back despite knowing Taiyuan Towerâs background, which meant that they had powerful backers of their own as well.
Jiang Chen was infuriated. Taiyuan Tower had seen its fair share of troubles ever since it opened. Heâd thought that the defeat of the Majestic Clan would bring an end to all of the troubles. It would seem that wasnât the case. But Jiang Chen wasnât someone whoâd let anyone take a dump on his head. Though he was furious, he didnât allow rage to consume him. Instead, he walked up to the shop expressionlessly and listened to the lecture.
After a while, he noticed something peculiar about the contents of the lecture. Even though he didnât know the Capitalâs pill kings very well, he had a rough understanding of their proficiency in pill dao. The lecturerâs foundation in pill dao far exceeded many old pill dao masters in the capital, but he was middle-aged at most. Yet despite his relatively young age, he was giving a pill dao lecture that contained incredibly advanced concepts.
Jiang Chen furrowed his brows. Where is this pill king from? His pill dao knowledge seems to be at the same level as Pill King Bu and Pill King Lu Feng, but heâs clearly much younger than both of them.
He was very eloquent and wielded his silver tongue well. His lecture touched on a wide range of topics, yet was also incredibly profound and interesting. From time to time, the audience would ask him questions and he would answer without breaking a sweat.
Jiang Chen was somewhat skeptical about the lectureâs authenticity. The questions from the audience was very masterful and profound, yet the lecturer was able to answer them without any pause or hesitation. A great deal of knowledge was needed to do such a thing.
He quickly saw through their ruse. The audience asking the questions were definitely accomplices. They would exchanged glances with each other before asking a well-timed question.
A bystander often had a clearer view of the situation. From his point of view, Jiang Chen could immediately tell that the lecturer was working together with the questioners. The latter was nothing but hired muscle. The questions seemed incredibly profound and high level, but the answers had already been prepared beforehand. The answers were still incredibly detailed and comprehensive, but being prepared beforehand made everything meaningless.
As Jiang Chen continued to observe, he was even more certain of his findings. He grew increasingly disgusted as the pill king went on with his lecture. There seemed to be no end to his eloquent speeches.
Suddenly, he burst into a loud peal of laughter. This interruption was very jarring, as if thunder rumbling on a sunny day. It immediately disrupted the atmosphere around the shop. The guards standing on both sides of the stage immediately rushed towards Jiang Chen to maintain order.
âWhere did this scumbag come from? How dare he disrupt the blessed lecture by laughing out loud? Is he looking for a beating?â
âDonât bother with words. Just kick him out!â These guards pounced at Jiang Chen like a pack of ferocious beasts.
Jiang Chen casually brandished his sleeves. A powerful emperor domain exploded forward and swept them off their feet. He smiled coldly and looked sharply at the pill king. âWhere did a fame-seeking troublemaker like you come from? Since when did we have someone like you in the capital?â
Jiang Chen wasnât dense or slow. How could he not tell that the pill king and the pill shops were trying to oppose Taiyuan Tower, him, and Sacred Peafowl Mountain? He wasnât going to be courteous to an enemy.
Likewise, the person on the stage wasnât ignorant like a newly hatched bird. When he noticed that someone had come to provoke him, all he did was laugh coldly. âMen! Thereâs a troublemaker! Kick him off our premises!â
Jiang Chen cracked a cold and ruthless smile. Kick me out? With a flash of his figure, he leaped onto the stage and took a stance roughly four meters away from the pill king. Equipped with an emperor level Evil Golden Eye, he stared straight at the pill king and pinned him down.
âKick me out? Pray tell, how are you going to do that?â
The pill king didnât think that Jiang Chen would possess such incredible speed. The latter had appeared in front him in a blink of an eye! He was so dumbstruck that he could no longer form discernible words.
âY-you... who are you? Why are you disrupting my lecture?â
âFirst of all, when did a pill king like you suddenly appear in Veluriyam Capital? I have no issues with your lecture, but youâre clearly answering questions that you and your accomplices have prepared beforehand! Youâre playing the crowd to gain game! Iâll not stand by idly after noticing such a thing!â Jiang Chen answered coldly.
âT-thatâs a pack of lies!â Color immediately drained from that manâs face. Anxious and against a wall, he hurled abuse at Jiang Chen. âYou slandering brat! Youâre trying to ruin my reputation! You mustâve be a hired grunt sent here by those that are afraid of my influence!â
He looked pointedly at Taiyuan Tower, clearly insinuating that Jiang Chen was sent by the competition to cause trouble.
âEveryone, this person with an unknown background has disrupted our lecture! What do you think we should do with this evil-doer?â The man suddenly yelled at the crowd. It was the best way to quickly raise controversy. The audience immediately began to raise a fuss.
âBrat! Who are you? How dare you stir up trouble?â
âHow dare you interrupt our lecture? Heâs just trying to ruin everything on purpose!â
âGo away! Stop disrupting our lecture!â
âYeah! Nobody cares who you are! If you truly possess skill and knowledge, you can conduct lectures of your own! Weâll attend if youâre good! Otherwise, scram! Stop monkeying around!â
The crowd was foaming at the teeth. Jiang Chenâs sudden interruption was clearly unpopular. They genuinely believed that Jiang Chen was trying to disrupt their lecture and learning.
Humans were truly forgetful creatures. Many of the audience had attended Jiang Chenâs lectures in front of Taiyuan Tower before. Like grass easily swayed by the breeze, they now attended a lecture from a pill shop clearly competing with Taiyuan Tower. It was as though the lectures theyâd received from Taiyuan Tower had never even existed in the first place. They didnât seem to possess even an ounce of gratitude.
Jiang Chen sighed gently when he saw many familiar faces. He considered revealing his identity as Pill King Zhen, but it would be a little too self-depreciating. He was the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain after all. His social standing was leagues above anyone present. The pill shop might even use his identity to turn the argument in their favor. If he won the argument, the crowd would find that it was a natural conclusion. However, the pill shop might use this fact to further promote their influence.
A pill battle with the world-famous Pill King Zhen was free marketing. Winning or losing would no longer matter. Therefore, Jiang Chen didnât lose his rational even though he was angry. He wasnât going to reveal his identity so that the other side could use it against him.
Jiang Chen was jeered from all directions. Ignoring the crowd, he glared at the pill king coldly and suddenly smiled bizarrely. âFine. Since you claim that theyâre not your accomplices, let me dish out three questions. Iâll admit defeat if you can answer even one. Iâll offer you my sincerest apologies, compensation, and take myself out of your sight!â