Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

"It should be soon," Xun'er said to Xiao Fan and the other person after glancing outside.

"Boss, something terrible has happened!"

Just as the group was waiting, Atai suddenly pushed open the courtyard gate and ran in.

"what happened?"

Seeing Atai's disheveled state, Xiao Yan and the others were slightly puzzled. Xiao Fan shook his head helplessly behind them; it was unavoidable after all, the Medicine Gang must have intervened.

"It was our disciples who went to buy medicinal herbs, but when we went today, there weren't any herbs left," Atai said, panting.

"It seems the Medicine Gang has made a move." Xiao Yan reacted quickly, and upon hearing Atai's words, he knew that the Medicine Gang must have bought all the medicinal herbs.

"That's not all." Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Atai continued, "Our disciples who went to sell pills were also stopped by the Medicine Clan. They said that selling pills required paying taxes, and some of our disciples who tried to resist were beaten down by them."

"What!?"

Upon hearing Atai's words, Hu Jiaxing's eyebrows furrowed, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light. She turned to Xiao Fan and said, "Let's go, let's take them down!"

Seeing Hu Jia angrily about to rush out, Xiao Fan smiled wryly, reached out and pulled her back, and said softly, "We have to think about what to do if we rush over there. You know, the Medicine Gang is not as easy to deal with as the White Gang. Even those ranked high on the Power Ranking have connections with the Medicine Gang. They might be waiting for us to walk right into their trap!"

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Hearing Xiao Fan's words, Hu Jia calmed down, stood aside with her arms crossed, and looked displeased.

"Junior brother?"

Xiao Fan didn't answer Hu Jia, but instead looked at Xiao Yan to the side and asked, "What are your plans?"

Upon hearing Xiao Fan's question, Xiao Yan pondered for a moment before replying, "In any case, we must go to the Medicine Gang. Otherwise, we can only see what to do there."

"Alright, Atai, gather everyone from Panmen together, and we'll go to the Medicine Gang to demand an explanation!" Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes; he was never afraid of causing trouble!

"Yes!"

"Hey? Look at that group of people, they look so aggressive, what are they doing?"

"Judging from the badges they're wearing on their chests, they seem to be from Panmen. Could something big have happened again?"

"Judging from their aggressive demeanor, it seems like there's going to be a good show. Let's follow them and see."

"Don't you know yet? I heard that the Medicine Gang has made a move. They not only bought up all the medicinal herbs that Panmen had acquired, but also sent people to cause trouble at the places where Panmen sells pills, making it impossible for Panmen to sell any of their pills."

"So that's how it is. I told you long ago, the Medicine Gang would never let Panmen snatch such a big market from them. Now they finally couldn't hold back anymore."

The Panmen people marched aggressively, making no attempt to conceal their purpose, heading straight for the Medicine Gang's location. Along the way, the surrounding students had already spread the word.

The last time Panmen mobilized such a large force was when Xiao Fan and Bai Cheng fought. Many people had only heard about that battle. Now that they saw that Panmen and the Medicine Gang seemed to be about to fight again, they naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to watch the show and followed behind the Panmen members.

Along the way, the procession grew longer and longer, and more and more students followed behind to watch the show. By the time they arrived at the entrance of the Medicine Gang, the place was already completely blocked.

Chapter 174 Fighting

In front of the Medicine Gang was a very spacious open space. As soon as Xiao Fan and his group arrived, a large number of people emerged from inside the Medicine Gang, including several who appeared to be very powerful.

"It seems the Medicine Gang was prepared!"

Looking at the two people in front of the medicine gang, Xiao Fan narrowed his eyes. These two didn't look like simple people.

"Look, it's Lin Huang, ranked twenty-third on the leaderboard, and Huang Zui, ranked nineteenth."

"I've long heard that the two of them have a close relationship with Han Xian of the Medicine Gang, and it seems to be true."

"Those two are quite strong. Even if Panmen Xiao Fan defeated Bai Cheng, it seems that Panmen won't come out on top today."

Xiao Yan naturally heard the discussion among the crowd. He glanced at the two young men and then turned his gaze to the leader of the Medicine Gang.

"This must be Han Xian, the senior from the Medicine Clan, right?"

Xiao Yan stepped out of the crowd, waved to signal the angry Panmen members behind him to calm down, and then spoke to Han Xian.

"Hehe." The seemingly kind-looking young man stepped forward, glanced at Xiao Fan behind Xiao Yan, and cupped his hands in a respectful greeting to Xiao Yan. "This must be Junior Brother Xiao Yan. May I ask what brings you to my Medicine Clan today?"

"What are you doing?" Xiao Yan looked at Han Xian and said coldly, "Didn't Senior Han send people to cause trouble for my Panmen first?"

"Is that so?" Han Xian was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized what was going on and slapped his forehead to apologize to Xiao Yan, "I think Junior Brother Xiao Yan has misunderstood. I was just helping you out as your senior."

"Junior brother, you don't know this, but in the inner academy, selling pills requires paying a certain tax to the academy. I was afraid that you were new here and didn't know anything, and I was worried that you would be taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives, so I had no choice but to step in and help you out of this predicament."

"So, I should thank Senior Han Xian." Listening to Han Xian's twisted facts, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, and a chill emanated from his body.

"Humph!"

Noticing Xiao Yan's actions, Huang Zui and Lin Huang behind Han Xian stepped forward and helped Han Xian block Xiao Yan's aura.

The two were already quite strong, and now that they were working together, even Xiao Yan was finding it somewhat difficult.

Seeing this from behind, Xiao Fan stepped forward and walked to Xiao Yan's side. A powerful aura emanated from his body, and a scorching heat that made people's hearts tremble even caused the temperature in the room to rise.

"Ok?"

Sensing Xiao Fan's aura, Lin Huang and Huang Zui were both somewhat surprised. In that instant, they actually sensed a faint threatening aura emanating from Xiao Fan.

The two exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes. Xiao Fan's strength was indeed several levels greater than the rumors suggested.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, a sound suddenly came from outside the arena.

"Hey, Huang Zuilin and Huang Huang, you two, are you itching for a beating again?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Zui and Lin Huang's eyes flashed with displeasure. Why was he here?

Xiao Fan and the others turned around and saw that it was Lin Yan who had come.

"Senior Lin Yan."

Upon seeing the newcomer, the surrounding crowd was even more surprised. Everyone knew that Lin Yan was practically a madman in the inner courtyard, yet his strength was extremely formidable, and few dared to provoke him. They never expected him to appear today, and it seemed he was still on the side of the Panmen.

"Lin Yan? This doesn't seem to be any of your business."

Upon seeing Lin Yan appear, Han Xian's expression turned somewhat unpleasant; Lin Yan's arrival had exceeded his plans.

"Heh, you fake medicine seller, shut up." Lin Yan mocked Han Xian, then said loudly, "Xiao Fan cleared the fire poison for me. Anyone who dares to attack Panmen is attacking me, Lin Yan."

As he spoke, Lin Yan took out a long-handled, bright red axe, slashed it twice in the air, emanating a chilling aura. He then gripped the axe in his hand, coldly staring at Lin Huang and Huang Zui opposite him, seemingly searching for the best place to strike.

"Crazy Axe Lin Yan, that's a real madman. Even Lin Xiuya and Yan Hao wouldn't want to go up against him!"

"This is getting interesting. People on the top of the rankings are rarely seen, but so many have gathered here today."

"That's not all!" someone nearby corrected. "See that? Over there watching the battle is Chen Zhi, ranked fifty-sixth on the Strong Ranking. He wields a large sword with incredible skill, and he could even put up a fight against a five-star Dou Ling."

"There's one over there too. That guy in blue is Qin San, the Flower Master ranked sixty-first on the Strongest List. I heard—damn, I forgot he has sharp ears—he hates being plotted against behind his back. I'm off..."

Before he could finish speaking, the young man who had just been explaining things to everyone noticed Qin San's gaze and immediately fled the scene.

"Lin Yan!"

Seeing Lin Yan helping Panmen so much, Han Xian's face also darkened. Lin Yan was ranked ninth on the Strong Ranking. Even if Lin Huang and Huang Zui were combined, they would not be his match. Moreover, there was Xiao Fan on the other side who was eyeing him covetously.

"Senior Han Xian." Seeing Han Xian's expression, Xiao Yan calmly walked between the two sides and said to Han Xian, "In the end, this is just a matter between us. Since that's the case, I wonder if Senior Han Xian dares to make a bet with me."

"What bet?" Han Xian asked, not wanting to directly confront Lin Yan after hearing Xiao Yan's words.

"Since this matter was caused by pills, how about we have a competition as alchemists?"

"You want to compete with me in alchemy?" Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Han Xian felt a little disdainful but did not show it.

All along, the only person he considered his rival was Xiao Fan of Panmen. Because of Xiao Fan, he paid less attention to Xiao Yan.

“That’s right. Let’s have a contest of alchemy. If I lose, the Panmen Sect will give up selling pills in the inner courtyard.”

Hearing Xiao Yan's answer, Han Xian pondered for a moment before saying, "Okay, but the competition must have a wager."

"I wonder what Senior Han Xian wants?"

Upon hearing this, Han Xian inwardly burst into laughter, but outwardly said calmly, "If you lose, you must hand over the formulas for the three types of pills."

"So you were after the prescription." Xiao Yan nodded upon hearing this, then asked Han Xian, "What if you lose?"

Han Xian laughed heartily upon hearing Xiao Yan's words: "If I lose, we'll give you the five busiest trading locations that the Medicine Clan exchanged in the inner courtyard. How about that?"

“Great!” Upon hearing Han Xian’s words, Xiao Yan’s eyes lit up. Five trading locations with the highest foot traffic would be enough for Panmen to conduct pill trading.

"So how shall we compete, and who shall be the referee?"

“Since this is a competition, it’s not appropriate to use the prescriptions that either of us has. I know Elder Hao from the Herbal Medicine Management Office. In that case, let Elder Hao set the question, and we’ll refine the same kind of pill together. He can then be the judge.” Han Xian said calmly.

Seemingly noticing the suspicion on Xiao Yan's face, Han Xian said, "You don't need to worry about Elder Hao being biased. Lin Yan, who is by your side, can testify to that."

“Elder Hao is an upright person in the inner courtyard. If he is to be the referee, he will definitely be fair and impartial.” Noticing Xiao Yan’s gaze, Lin Yan nodded.

“Alright, since that’s the case, let’s go find Elder Hao and explain the situation. How about we settle our differences in alchemy at the North Square tomorrow?” Xiao Yan said to Han Xian with a smile.

Chapter 175 Competition Questions and Anomalies

After Xiao Yan and Han Xian made their agreement, they stopped arguing and dismissed the crowd. Xiao Yan then went to Elder Hao of the Herb Management Office to explain the situation.

Hearing the two recount the whole story and learn that they wanted to compete in alchemy, Elder Hao became quite interested. While it was common to see people competing in strength within the inner courtyard, it was rare to find someone like the two of them competing in alchemy.

With a desire to see what would happen, Elder Hao agreed to their request, but stipulated that he would choose the topic of tomorrow's competition himself and would not let them know in advance.

Hearing Elder Hao's agreement, the two breathed a sigh of relief. Then, when they heard that Elder Hao would announce the competition questions the next day, they were helpless but had no choice. They nodded in agreement and went back to rest.

......

The next morning, most of the students in the inner courtyard who were not cultivating gathered early at the North Square.

After all, the news that Xiao Yan was going to compete with Han Xian in alchemy had already spread. The fact that Elder Hao from the Herb Management Office would personally act as the referee had greatly piqued the interest of all the students.