Supreme Emperor of Mist

"You're back?" the youngest of the seven Lang's asked Er-Lang the moment he noticed his carriage arrival from afar. Although not one of them is related by blood, the brotherhood between them is thicker than blood-related brothers.

That's because all of them came from the same place known as Yixun Town. It was also recently conferred with the title of "Town" about the same time as Xiyun City.

But from the rumor circulating around the sect, that wasn't the reason why the Lang [Medicine] House is famed in the Outer Sect. The reason behind their reputation actually came from their recent contribution to the last province war.

Close to three months ago, a smaller, less than 10,000 soldier's battle happened between the borders connecting Yunshan Province and Kuanglei Province. It was a bloody battle where the Yunshan Province eventually triumphed.

During that battle, the seven Lang's managed to defend against three assaults launched by the cultivators from Kuanglei Province and provides close to 5,000 pills with various effects to support the frontline.

Of course, the close distance between the frontline and Xiyun Town is why the Lang [Medicine] House managed to perform that well during the skirmish.

"Don't pick a fight with me. I'm still angered right now!" Er-Lang kicked the door off from the carriage as he returned to the spiritual cave with huge paces.

"What happens? Did they reject your invitation for them to join us?" Qi-Lang asked while following him from behind.

"Reject? I'm not even capable of bringing that topic up! The tongue of their alchemist was too sharp!" Er-Lang complained. He slammed the door into his room shut the moment he went inside, leaving Qi-Lang outside smiling by himself.

"Aww... I guess I'll bring one girl back for Er-Ge later..." Qi-Lang crossed his fingers on the back of his neck and left.

...

...

...

"I'm sure that the Lang [Medicine] House are going to keep causing trouble with us. Although I'm confident of Lan-Er's alchemy skills, we have to always remember that it is good to beware of what our opponents willing to do to win."

"Confronting the one with a spear is easy, but what we need is to beware of the one with a bow on our back." Qin Fan gave Qin Lan a word of advice.

"Eldest brother, I know what I'm doing. Don't worry. If they really wanted to come at us, then let them come." Qin Lan chuckled.

"Fellow disciple Qin." just when Qin Lan finished his sentence, a familiar voice came to them. It was the two-meter tall giant that fought against Wang Da Ya yesterday, Shan Xiong Xin.

"Fellow disciple Shan," Qin Lan cupped his hands together and greeted Shan Xiong Xin. In his hand was a Qiankun Pouch.

"Am I disturbing everyone with my arrival?" Shan Xiong Xin smiled. Paired with his body, this smile of his can be said to be the most cheerful expression so far they've seen since this morning.

"Of course not! Let us continue our talk inside the spiritual cave!" Qin Lan invites Shan Xiong Xin to follow him inside.

Because Shan Xiong Xin's arrival seems to be related to an alchemy request, the others did not follow. Qin Fan and Qin Chan made their way back to the Min-Ren Dwelling in the afternoon, leaving the other six to tend the plants.

...

"Fellow disciple Qin, let me introduce you two. This is Sun Wu Jian, my senior brother and also the sixteenth disciple of the tenth elder." Shan Xiong Xin started their discussion with an introduction of the companion beside him.

From how he respectfully introduced Sun Wu Jian, he's likely someone with a proper background. Furthermore, the surname Sun is rare, especially in this Yunshan Province.

"Greetings, alchemist Qin. You can call me Wu Jian if you don't mind. I'm actually here because my junior brother believes that you're the only one capable of helping me." Sun Wu Jian then followed with the momentum built by Shan Xiong Xin to speaks with Qin Lan casually.

"Senior brother Wu Jian is too courteous. Feel free to call me Qin Lan as well. You as well, fellow disciple Shan. Just addressed me as Qin Lan if you treat me as a friend." Qin Lan replaced the teaware on the table with a set of wine cups as he speaks.

Although it was still afternoon, a wine was supposed to be enjoyed when talking about casual subjects.

"I'll follow fellow disciple... Ah, no... Brother Qin Lan's word then." Shan Xiong Xin smiled. Hearing Qin Lan's reply made him felt that Qin Lan is someone worthy of befriending.

"Please enjoy. This is a new brew created during my own free time. The Rock Lotus Fruit was the main ingredient when I'm tinkering with the ingredients to brew this wine." Qin Lan pokes a hole in the rice paper used to cover the wine jar.

It was about the size of a medicinal cauldron. Since the ingredient used to brew this wine is less precious, Qin Lan didn't put too much effort into packaging it.

But the fragrant that came from this wine tells them something otherwise. Even if the packaging was shabby, that does not mean the quality of the wine is subpar.

A fragrance bomb explodes outward once Qin Lan removes his finger away from the rice paper dyed with a red colorant. The alcohol content, now weaponized, immediately made their cheek flushed by tasting it through smell alone.

"How fragrant... I think only the capital's White Emperor's Cup can compete with this flavor!" Sun Wu Jian said. From his choice of words, it gave out a hint of where he actually came from.

"Capital... Don't tell me he's related with that family?" Qin Lan poured the wine equally into three different cups.

"Fellow disciple Wu Jian, fellow disciple Xiong Xin, please!" Qin Lan invited them to enjoy the first cup of this recently brewed, nameless wine.

The cups are then raised up to their eye level in both hands. Then, all three mentioned the word "PLEASE!" at the other two as they finished the cup of wine in a single gulp.

"Good wine!" Sun Wu Jian made his remark.

"If brother Wu Jian loves the taste of this lowly brew of mine, feel free to bring a few jars back later when you leave. Let us enjoy the one before us as we continue!" Qin Lan filled their cup again as he suggests that they're now ready to discuss whatever in Sun Wu Jian and Shan Xiong Xin's minds.

"I will be straightforward." Sun Wu Jian said.

"I am actually in the middle of preparing for an attack expedition towards the Kuanglei Province. But to make this attack a success, I need the assistance of a few alchemists. My choice was the people from Lang [Medicine] House and Black Stone Faction at first, but I hesitated."

"It was not because they're lacking in skills. It was because the way they conduct themselves wasn't the quality I'm looking for. Money is not a problem to me, but morality is!" Sun Wu Jian said.

"Brother Qin Lan, I need your reliable assistance in alchemy. But I will not pay for your service with anything else except money. Please let me know if you're reluctant to do so." Sun Wu Jian stares deeply into Qin Lan's eyes as he finished his sentence.

"I don't mind about getting paid or not. All I have is a question that has to be answered." Qin Lan replied.

"Please ask." Sun Wu Jian finished the second cup of wine as he agreed to answer Qin Lan's question.

"Why would your highness lead an assault personally?" Qin Lan's question made the cup in Sun Wu Jian's hand fall onto the ground. Even Shan Xiong Xin couldn't believe what he just heard.

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