Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 79 Xing Yue Returns Home
"The young master is back!"

The guard in front of the Xing Mansion shouted loudly, and the servant in the courtyard ran all the way to report to the guard guarding in front of the hall.

The guard who was guarding the main hall door entered the hall again, striding forward but not going deep. He stopped, clasped his fists towards Xing Rufeng and said, "Master, the young master is back."

Upon hearing this, Xing Rufeng showed joy on his face and nodded to himself.

Seeing that Xing Rufeng had no other instructions, the guard tactfully retreated and implicitly followed Xing Rufeng's previous instructions: "After finding the young master, welcome him into the main hall."

At this moment, after receiving the message from the guards in the courtyard, the old man who was walking in front of the main hall of Xing Mansion stopped and stood firmly in the middle of the hall, waiting for Xing Yue's arrival...

"Mr. Hu!"

As soon as the handsome young man passed the dense bushes and revealed his figure, he shouted eagerly to the familiar old man in his sight.

Seeing Xing Yue's hurried steps, Butler Hu calmly took a few steps forward, neither hurried nor slow, to meet Xing Yue.

"Mr. Hu, I heard that the elixir has been found." Although Xing Yue looked a little tired, his overall state was high spirits. He did not look like he had been running around outside for a long time and looked exhausted both physically and mentally.

Butler Hu nodded with a smile in his eyes and said lightly: "Let's go, your father is still waiting for you."

Xing Yue followed Butler Hu's steps, and the two of them walked towards the main hall, one on the left and one on the right.

……

"Master, Butler Hu."

The guard standing at the entrance of the main hall, upon seeing the two approaching, clasped his fists and spoke in turn, making a "please" gesture.

As soon as the two entered the main hall, they saw that in addition to Xing Rufeng, there was another person in the hall. That was the pharmacist of the Xing Mansion who was previously responsible for refining the heavenly grade pill.

Xing Yue met the pharmacist's evasive gaze, somewhat confused about the situation... He turned his gaze and saluted Xing Rufeng on the main seat, saying, "Father."

Xing Rufeng looked at Xing Yue and nodded slightly, then smiled and said to Butler Hu, "Mr. Hu, please sit down first." After Butler Hu sat down, he waved to Xing Yue, indicating that he should sit down too.

"Tell them again what you just told me." Xing Rufeng said to the pharmacist.

"Yes."

After answering Xing Rufeng's question, the pharmacist turned to the two of them and prepared to explain in detail.

"Although this Heavenly Grade Pill is about to be released, it is indeed not fully refined and its quality is poor. Despite this, it is still much less toxic than the one you took earlier. There are no common poisons on the surface of the pill, so I believe it is relatively safe."

"Relatively safe?" Xing Yue frowned and asked with some doubt.

"Yes, young master. I am not an alchemist, and my knowledge is limited. I cannot observe the situation inside the pill, nor do I know all the poisons. I can only make this judgment." The pharmacist was a little unconfident, but still told everything.

"Then you still say it's safer?" Xing Yue was a little annoyed by what the pharmacist said.

"This……"

Faced with Xing Yue's rage, the pharmacist was somewhat at a loss for words. However, it was his fault, after all. Furthermore, if Xing Yue didn't take the Heavenly Grade Pill he had concocted, his status within the Xing Mansion would undoubtedly be diminished, with numerous disciples and the respect he once enjoyed. The pharmacist was confident that the Heavenly Grade Pill was highly unlikely to be poisonous. If Xing Yue took it, there was a high probability that he would ascend to the Heavenly Grade. In that case, he would still be a useful member of the Xing Family, and his status within the Mansion wouldn't change significantly. This could only be considered a false alarm after an unexpected incident. If the Patriarch was pleased, perhaps no punishment would be imposed.

Of course, he didn't want Xing Yue to take risks, but he had no better choice now. Thinking of his current situation and considering himself, he could only persuade Xing Yue to take this unrefined Heaven-grade Pill.

The pharmacist found it difficult to speak, but he still followed his inner thoughts and advised, "If the young master wants to advance to the ranks of Heavenly Grade Warriors before the Yingzhou Martial Arts School selection begins, taking this pill is the best option at the moment if you can't find a better Heavenly Grade Pill."

Xing Yue leaned back in his chair and tapped his forehead lightly with his hand. He knew in his heart that what the pharmacist said was true and there was no better choice now.

"Yue'er, you have made it very clear. It is better to take the pill early rather than late. After making some preparations, just take it." Xing Rufeng looked at Xing Yue tapping his forehead and interrupted his silence.

Xing Yue looked at the person sitting on the main seat and asked, "Father, where did you find the elixir in the mansion?"

"Alchemy room." Xing Rufeng said firmly.

"When the guards and I went out to search, were there people guarding every corner of the mansion?" Xing Yue continued to ask.

Xing Rufeng said slowly, "There are guards on duty in every part of the mansion, and they are always there, especially in the alchemy room."

"How did the pill disappear? How did it come back? Was it done by someone inside the mansion? Or someone outside the mansion? Or was it a collusion between insiders and outsiders?" Xing Yue threw out the questions in his mind one after another, completely unaware of the changes in his father's expression.

As the head of the family, Xing Rufeng was clearly displeased after hearing Xing Yue's repeated questions. He said in a heavy tone, "I will investigate further."

Xing Yue glanced at the jade box on the table beside Xing Rufeng, his expression showing a lot of reluctance. Then he turned his gaze to Xing Rufeng and said, "Then consider whether to take this Heaven Grade Pill after this matter has a result."

"Then how long do we have to wait? After the selection of Yingzhou Martial Arts School is over?" Xing Rufeng raised his eyebrows and asked Xing Yue.

"This matter is too strange. What is the other party's motive for stealing the Heaven-grade Pill? If it is to take it and then be promoted to a Heaven-grade warrior, then why would he return it? On the other hand, if the other party has the ability to come and go freely in public, and can steal it without anyone noticing in front of so many eyes in the mansion, and return it without anyone noticing while the guards are guarding it closely, this is no longer something that a peak Earth-grade warrior can accomplish. Is this series of actions of the other party just to play tricks on our Xing family? If we don't figure this out, how can we take it?" Xing Yue finished speaking in one breath.

"Why are you thinking so much? This isn't what you should be thinking about. Your top priority right now is to take this Heavenly Grade Pill, redouble your training, and be prepared to pass the assessment when the selection begins and enter the Yingzhou Martial Arts School."

"Doesn't Father care about my safety? Doesn't he care about the strange things behind this matter?"

"Safe? Strange? The pharmacist said it's just that there are a few impurities, so the medicine isn't as effective. These are minor issues. The most important thing is that it's not toxic. What are you afraid of?"

Xing Yue said in disbelief: "Basically nothing..." Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Xing Rufeng.

Xing Rufeng was seething with rage and discontent, blurting out, "Do you know that our Xing family is currently at a critical juncture? If we're not careful, we'll be swallowed up! Do you really believe what's being said? Do you really think the Jiang family is in decline and can no longer rival our Xing family?" He pointed at Xing Yue and suddenly sneered, "Maybe it was before, but when I, Xing Rufeng, took the herbal medicine contract to the Jiang family to exchange for that damn inner elixir for you, Xing Yue, I gave them a chance to turn things around. For the future of the Xing family, what's the point of taking such a small risk?"

Xing Yue was somewhat disappointed after hearing what his father said, and did not want to argue any further. He bowed to Xing Rufeng and Butler Hu and left the main hall.

"Snapped!"

Xing Rufeng looked at Xing Yue leaving, threw the tea bowl beside him, and became angry.

"An unsatisfying thing!"

(End of this chapter)