NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44 - Head-to-Head
The Gu family, Gu family head with a dark expression, reflected on the recent relic expedition. Although the Gu family had obtained what they wanted, the losses far exceeded their initial expectations.
Originally, the Gu family had planned to achieve two goals at once: use those ignorant cultivators to deal with the Golden Ring Poisonous Bees in the relic, and at the same time, lure the Tian family over to weaken their forces. However, they hadn’t anticipated that the Tian family would have a new Foundation Establishment cultivator emerge.
“You’re telling me you had no idea about Tian Ru? That girl has reached Foundation Establishment!” Gu family head said angrily. Tian Ru was of the same generation as his son, and now she had become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, on par with their family’s ancestors. It made him both jealous and resentful.
“Father, Tian Ru left the family long ago. It was only when she returned this time that we learned which sect she had joined. I’ve heard of the Tianhai Sect, but it’s so far away. No one from the Gu or Lu families is inside, so the news never spread.” Gu Zhixiao also felt quite uncomfortable. Tian Ru? She was a young girl younger than him; he had never taken her seriously before. But now, seeing her again, he would have to address her as a senior.
“I don’t think she will stay in our town for long. She will eventually return to her sect. We need to pay attention to the situation of the Tianhai Sect. It’s possible that this time, she might bring a few young members of the Tian family into it.” Gu Zhixiao felt some pressure. Although his son was about to join the Changxian Sect, it wouldn’t be easy for him to return. Even passing a message was difficult. If he had to just watch the Tian family flourish, it would be very frustrating.
“You’re right, Eldest. It seems that at the Ascension Conference this time, we need to support a few more juniors from the family and find a way to get them into a sect.” The Gu family head had no choice but to change his strategy. They couldn’t just pour all their resources into one person; sometimes distant water couldn’t put out a nearby fire. “This time, I plan to seclude myself with a few elders and focus on studying alchemy, trying to refine a batch of pills to help ease the family’s situation. As for the outside situation, you three brothers keep an eye on it.”
Gu Zhixiao nodded and said, “Father, don’t worry. As long as you and the elders improve your alchemy, our Gu family will thrive.” The pill business was the foundation of the Gu family. Although the Gu family had miscalculated this time and couldn’t monopolize the benefits from the relic, at least they had secured the alchemy techniques, and they could use the detoxification pills in hand to attract a group of cultivators.
Gu Zhixiao’s plan was good, but after the Gu family head and several elders entered seclusion, news from the market quickly reached him. He immediately called the steward responsible and began to question him: “You’re telling me that the Tian family has detoxification pills circulating? The Tian family’s detox pills are more effective than our Gu family’s?”
How could this be possible? Even if Tian Ru had brought back some pills from her sect, the quantity wouldn’t be large enough to circulate them. How could it spread out?
And the Tian family’s detox pills are of better quality than the Gu family’s? This was a huge blow to Gu Zhixiao’s plan to make money from detox pills and recruit cultivators.
The steward broke into a sweat, not even daring to wipe it away, and carefully said, “My lord, we only heard what others said, so there’s no way to make a direct comparison.”
“So what did they say? Are you still hiding things from me?” Gu Zhixiao was so angry that he almost kicked the steward to the ground. If the steward wasn’t his trusted subordinate, would he have the patience to listen to these explanations?
“It’s like this,” the steward quickly explained what he knew. “Those cultivators said that our Gu family’s detoxification requires two to three pills to completely remove the toxins, but the Tian family’s… only needs one, and…” He cautiously looked at the lord’s expression and gritted his teeth before continuing, “It clears it completely.”
Gu Zhixiao immediately realized the severity of the situation. If this was true, it would be a huge blow to the Gu family’s pills. He quickly pressed on: “Have you verified this? Is this a rumor the Tian family deliberately spread, or is it true? Who is the one distributing these pills?”
“It should be true. Several cultivators who were poisoned said it themselves,” the steward said with a bitter expression. Some cultivators had come to him earlier seeking pills, but when he quoted a high price, they hesitated. He hadn’t expected that just a few days later, they would return to show off. “I wanted to find someone to make a detoxification pill to compare it with our Gu family’s pills, but the Tian family is being cautious with us. Only those who have been poisoned can request the pills directly and must take them on the spot. They claim that the pills are in limited supply and that they only took them out to help those poisoned this time.”
“Good for the Tian family!” Gu Zhixiao kicked over a chair beside him. He could already predict that with such a move, the reputation of the Gu family’s pills would suffer greatly. “You go back first, keep an eye on the Tian family, and find a way to get one of their detoxification pills.”
“Yes, my lord,” the steward quickly bowed and left. After stepping outside, he dared to wipe the sweat off his forehead. But he soon sighed again, realizing how difficult it would be to get those pills. Whether the pill was taken on the spot or not was something that could be immediately verified—there was no way to fake it.
Gu Zhixiao had someone investigate further and found that the situation had developed even worse than what the steward had reported. Some cultivators had even gone to the Gu family’s medicine shop demanding refunds, claiming that the Gu family had sold them inferior pills and were trying to get more money from them. With that amount of money, they could have bought two detoxification pills from the Tian family, and even if they paid double, it might not completely clear the toxins. Who knew if the toxins left in their bodies would affect their cultivation in the future?
Gu Zhixiao had to send more of the Gu family’s guards to protect the shop. Once pills were sold, it was unheard of to take them back. This could not be allowed to set a precedent.
With Tian Ru in charge at the Tian family, Gu Zhixiao couldn’t pressure them. He suspected that it might have been Tian Ru who provided the detoxification pills, but he had no choice but to go and disturb the Gu family head’s seclusion to report the situation.
“It looks like we’ll have to put everything else aside for now and focus on refining a batch of detoxification pills,” the Gu family head said after thinking for a moment. “Once this batch of detoxification pills is ready, we’ll see what the Tian family has to say. Also, we need to control the materials for making these pills. Let’s see how the Tian family can refine pills without spiritual herbs. It’s best if we can find out who made those pills.”
“Yes, father.”