Goddess Painting

Whoosh—!

The disciples instantly erupted in chaos!

"Holy crap! Peak Master is awesome!"

"That's incredible! How did they do that?"

Lu Qianlang wiped his sweat and said excitedly:

"I heard from the shopkeepers that it's because our Peak Master's reputation for being an Eight-Stroke Top-Grade cultivator has spread! They believe that Tian Shu Peak has unlimited potential, which is why they came to make connections ahead of time!"

"That's strange. Didn't they say the Lin family was suppressing us? Why are these alchemy forces suddenly not currying favor with the Lin family anymore?"

"Who cares!"

Lu Qianlang waved his hand:

"Whatever the reason, this is definitely thanks to the Peak Master!"

"Now that we're receiving such good treatment, we absolutely cannot let the Peak Master down!"

"Those who haven't bought the pills yet, hurry up and go! After you buy them, come back and get back to cultivating! Get back to clearing the wilderness!"

"yes!"

The disciples were greatly encouraged and rushed down the mountain as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

……

at the same time.

In front of the pharmacy in the market.

A group of disciples from other peaks were queuing to buy medicine, but they watched helplessly as the disciples from Tian Shu Peak cut in line, bought the medicine, and even got a discount!

"What's going on?!"

"Why should we give them such a low price?!"

"I'm a regular customer! I come here often to buy medicine, how come I've never received a discount?"

"Exactly! This is discrimination! If we want a cheap price, everyone should get a cheap price!"

Faced with the crowd's protests, the shopkeepers merely rolled their eyes indifferently.

"Don't you have the Pill Pavilion?"

"The alchemy pavilion at Qingyun Sect is so much better! The prices are fair, the portions are huge and you can eat your fill. It's much cheaper than here!"

"Go buy it at Dan Ge! Stop yelling here!"

The disciples from the other peaks turned green upon hearing this.

Dan Pavilion?

The Dan Pavilion is practically an empty shell now!

And I heard they're even having some kind of "limited supply" policy, where each person can only buy one bottle a day!

That small amount is enough for whoever needs it.

"No! This is so unfair!"

"Let's go! Let's go to Dan Pavilion and demand an explanation!"

In an instant, the disciples, filled with resentment, marched in a mighty force toward the Pill Pavilion.

……

Dan Pavilion Hall.

Chen Xiangdong was frantically trying to calm his agitated disciples:

"Everyone! Please quiet down!"

"There's nothing I can do about the rising prices of medicinal herbs!"

"We are trying to find a solution! Please be patient..."

"Patience my ass!"

One of the disciples slammed the empty medicine bottle onto the counter:

"What did you solve?!"

"The disciples of Tian Shu Peak can buy cheap pills outside, but your Pill Pavilion can't even supply enough!"

"As the manager of the Pill Pavilion, you can't even handle this simple matter. I think you're a complete waste!"

"I'm going to file a complaint against you! I'm going to report you to the Peak Master for hindering our cultivation!"

The situation briefly spiraled out of control.

Just then.

boom!

A vast and terrifying pressure descended from the sky, instantly enveloping the entire hall!

"So noisy!!"

A majestic voice boomed like thunder.

Everyone looked up and saw an old man dressed in a purple-gold alchemy robe appear out of thin air, his body surging with spiritual energy, clearly a powerful expert above the Meridian Opening Realm!

"Sect Master!!"

Everyone bowed in greeting.

The Pavilion Master of Dan Pavilion coldly scanned the crowd, finally fixing his gaze on Chen Xiangdong:

"I am already aware of what has happened today."

"Chen Xiangdong, what's your explanation?"

Chen Xiangdong knelt on the ground with a thud, trembling all over:

"Your Excellency is wise!"

"This price increase was a joint effort by the Li and Shen families, affecting the entire clan! It was truly not my fault!"

"I've done everything in my power to mediate! I even personally went to both families to plead for them, and I just got back!"

"Will it affect the entire clan?"

A deacon who had always been at odds with Chen Xiangdong suddenly stepped forward and sneered:

"Why have I heard... that some pharmacies have not only resumed selling Tian Shu Peak, but are even offering it at quite a discounted price?"

The pavilion master frowned: "Is that so?"

"Absolutely true!" The deacon pointed to the disciples below. "These disciples can all testify!"

The disciples shouted in unison:

"That's right! We saw it with our own eyes!"

"Disciples of Tian Shu Peak get a 10% discount on medicine! But we can't even buy any!"

The pavilion master's face darkened as he stared at Chen Xiangdong:

"Chen Xiangdong, what kind of butler are you?!"

"I..." Chen Xiangdong stammered, cold sweat pouring down his face, "This...this might be a misunderstanding..."

The steward, however, gave him no chance to catch his breath and continued to deliver the finishing blow:

"Reporting back to the Pavilion Master!"

"It's common knowledge that Deacon Chen went to great lengths to make things difficult for Tian Shu Peak out of personal greed and to curry favor with certain forces!"

"Now that the Li and Shen families have suddenly raised their prices, yet they've singled out Tian Shu Peak... Could this be an attempt to stand up for Tian Shu Peak?"

"This is clearly a mess caused by Chen Xiangdong, yet we, the entire Dan Pavilion, are being made to take the blame!"

With this serious accusation leveled against him, Chen Xiangdong completely panicked:

"Master! Let me explain! It's not like that at all..."

"That's enough!"

The pavilion master abruptly waved his sleeve, interrupting him:

"I don't want to hear explanations! I only care about the results!"

"You caused the Pill Pavilion to cut off its supplies today, incurring public wrath and disrupting the cultivation of countless disciples!!"

"Now! I order you to go to Tian Shu Peak immediately!"

"If this matter can be resolved, the anger of both families quelled, and the supply of medicinal herbs restored... perhaps I can forgive and forget!"

Chen Xiangdong felt as if he had been granted a pardon and kowtowed repeatedly:

"Yes, yes, yes! Please rest assured, Your Excellency! I will definitely resolve this!"

……

Half an hour later.

Chen Xiangdong stumbled and crawled to Tian Shu Peak.

Looking at the dilapidated mountain gate, he felt a mix of emotions.

There was a time when he also arrogantly shut Qin Feng out and humiliated him to his heart's content.

But now...

"Peak Master Qin! Is Peak Master Qin here?!"

Chen Xiangdong stood at the door, shouting at the top of his lungs, his tone extremely humble:

"The sinner Chen Xiangdong has come to see you!"

however.

The door was closed tightly.

Only two gatekeeper disciples watched him coldly:

"The peak master is currently in seclusion and is not receiving visitors."

"Let's go back."

A cold shoulder!

A blatant refusal to open the door!

Chen Xiangdong knelt at the door for a full hour, shouting until his throat was hoarse, but there was not a sound from inside.

In the end, he could only slink back to Dan Pavilion.

Inside the lobby.

The pavilion master looked at Chen Xiangdong, who was disheveled and empty-handed, and a hint of disappointment and disgust flashed in his eyes.

"Chen Xiangdong, what else do you have to say?"

"I have already investigated the matter thoroughly."

"For your own selfish desires, you colluded with outsiders to target the sect's disciples, causing the Pill Pavilion to suffer enormous losses and its reputation to be ruined!"

"What should be the punishment?!"

Chen Xiangdong collapsed to the ground, his lips trembling, "Sect Master... I..."

"Remove him from all posts!"

The Pavilion Master's voice was icy as he announced the final verdict:

"Confiscate all additional income earned during the term of office! Compensate the cabinet for losses!"

"Never hire again!!"

"Drag it away!"

Two disciples from the Enforcement Hall stepped forward and dragged Chen Xiangdong away like a dead dog.

After dealing with Chen Xiangdong, the Pavilion Master looked around:

"Which deacon is willing to make another trip to Tian Shu Peak to finally settle this matter?"

The deacons exchanged glances and eagerly stepped forward.

This is a great opportunity to show off! Who can't see that Qin Feng is a hot commodity right now?

The pavilion master randomly selected a steward who looked rather composed.

……

Tian Shu Peak.

The steward, carrying generous gifts, met Qin Feng with utmost respect.

"Peak Master Qin! What happened before was all due to that scoundrel Chen Xiangdong's willful actions! It had nothing to do with the Pill Pavilion!"

"That scoundrel has now been dismissed and is under investigation! The Pavilion Master specifically ordered me to come and apologize!"

"From this day forward, Dan Pavilion will offer a 10% discount on all transactions with Tian Shu Peak! Furthermore, we will prioritize supplying them!"

As he spoke, he handed over ten bottles of second-tier cultivation pills:

"This is a small apology; please accept it, Peak Master!"

Qin Feng accepted the pill, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Although he knew that Chen Xiangdong alone could not influence the decisions of the entire Dan Pavilion, and that the Dan Pavilion's higher-ups had tacitly approved or even authorized his previous suppression of him.

But now that the other party has backed down and even offered a way out and some benefits, it's a good thing.

Then there's no need for me to fight to the bitter end.

After all, the Pill Pavilion is a sect's property, and a complete falling out would not benefit oneself.

"Since the Pavilion Master is so sincere, then I, Qin, shall accept it without hesitation."

"Go back and tell the Pavilion Master that this matter... is over."