Chapter 23: Fifth-Grade Medicinal Pill

"Beautiful, truly breathtaking! I have passed my fiftieth year and seen countless women, yet never have I laid eyes on one so stunning!"

Within the Xiaoyao Great Hall, someone suddenly gasped in exclamation. This cry echoed the sentiments of everyone present, for at this moment, Yu Yumeng was indeed profoundly beautiful.

Once Luo Shan recovered from his stupor, he glared furiously at Qin Xingchen. "Qin Xingchen, this is the Wangyue Sect. Did you have the sect's permission to bring an outsider in so casually? What crime do you think you have committed?"

Qin Xingchen cast a sidelong glance at Luo Shan, his tone at its most calm, even as he spoke the most contemptuous words: "Why are you barking like a dog?"

"You..."

Luo Shan gritted his teeth in anger, unable to believe that Qin Xingchen dared to speak to him in such a manner.

At this moment, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yu Yumeng walked toward Yu Tianba and Yu Xiong, holding a black box in her hands.

Yu Xiong looked on in astonishment. "You... are you Yumeng?"

"Yes, foster father," Yu Yumeng replied with a slight nod.

"What? This... this peerless beauty is actually Yu Yumeng?"

"Yu Yumeng? I seem to have heard that name before. Isn't there an ugly adopted daughter of the Wangyue Sect leader named Yu Yumeng? But I heard she was a hideous girl covered in scars. How could she be this beautiful? She’s even more stunning than the sect’s saintess, Yu Shanshan! Are the rumors false?"

The crowd in the hall whispered among themselves, every face etched with shock. Some of the beautiful women from the various clans and sects present, upon seeing Yu Yumeng’s transcendent beauty, felt either ashamed of their own appearance or filled with envy.

Yu Shanshan, sitting not far away, had her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Yu Yumeng’s face. She simply could not fathom how the perpetually ugly Yu Yumeng could suddenly become so beautiful—so beautiful that even she felt inferior. A wave of intense jealousy washed over her, turning her expression incredibly sour.

Yu Xiong stood up and looked at Yu Yumeng, asking, "Yumeng, how... how did your face become so beautiful?"

Yu Yumeng glanced at Qin Xingchen and smiled faintly. "Foster father, Xingchen cured me."

"What!"

Yu Xiong looked at Qin Xingchen in shock before turning back to Yu Yumeng, smiling. "Good, that’s good! As long as you’ve become beautiful, it’s fine. You’ve prepared a gift, right? Go ahead and present it to your grandfather!"

"Yes." Yu Yumeng nodded slightly and handed the black box to Yu Tianba. "Grandfather, this is the birthday gift I have prepared for you. Please, accept it."

However, Yu Tianba did not reach out to take the gift. Instead, his voice was cold. "Little girl, do not call me grandfather! You are merely an abandoned infant my son picked up eighteen years ago; you are not of my bloodline. Therefore, you do not need to give me any gifts, and you are not worthy of calling me grandfather, lest others misunderstand. Do you understand?"

"But..." Yu Yumeng started, then hesitated.

Seeing this, Qin Xingchen narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening. He realized then that perhaps he and Yu Yumeng should never have come to this birthday banquet.

Yu Xiong looked at Yu Tianba. "Father, Yumeng has good intentions. Since she is offering a gift, for my sake, please just accept it. Don't embarrass the child."

"Shut your mouth!" Yu Tianba rebuked Yu Xiong harshly. "I do not need you to teach me how to conduct myself! Hmph!"

Yu Yumeng looked at Yu Tianba, unwilling to give up on her offering. "But Grandfather, this contains a Grade Five medicinal pill. Xingchen says this pill can not only help you recover your cultivation but also extend your lifespan by at least a hundred years. Please... just accept it."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall was shocked once again!

"What! A Grade Five pill? Is there really a Grade Five pill in that black box?" someone exclaimed.

"Haha... a Grade Five pill? The entire Tianhe Dynasty can’t even produce a single Grade Four pill, yet you dare to dream of a Grade Five? Are you trying to be funny?"

A Grade Five pill! For the people of the Tianhe Dynasty, where there wasn't even a single Grade Four alchemist, where could a Grade Five pill come from? No one believed Yu Yumeng’s words; to many, they were utterly ridiculous.

But Yu Tianba was one part believing, nine parts skeptical. He had spent ten years in seclusion trying to break through to the Earth Martial Realm, but he had suffered multiple instances of qi deviation, causing his body to suffer a backlash. Consequently, he hadn't succeeded in his breakthrough; instead, his cultivation had plummeted, and he suffered from severe internal injuries. He had spent a fortune just two days ago seeking a Grade Two alchemist to refine a pill to heal him, but even that alchemist had shaken his head, claiming helplessness. Before leaving, the alchemist had warned him that only a pill from a master of Grade Four or higher could cure his injuries, and without such intervention, he would undoubtedly die within two years. But the highest-ranked alchemist in the dynasty was only Grade Three. Where could he find a Grade Four?

He had resigned himself to his fate. But now, Yu Yumeng claimed the box held a Grade Five pill that could restore his cultivation and extend his life by a century. How could he not be shocked?

Even knowing she might be deceiving him, he reached out and took the black box. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, he had to test the authenticity of the pill. Under the gaze of the crowd, he gently opened the box.

However, when he reached in and pulled out the contents, it was a "pill" that looked exactly like a ball of mud!

Seeing this, the crowd burst into laughter, feeling that their sect's ancestor had been played for a fool by a young girl. Yu Tianba, feeling humiliated, saw his expression darken instantly.

Seeing that his father, Yu Tianba, was about to explode with rage, Yu Xiong hurriedly spoke up for Yu Yumeng. "Father, Yumeng had good intentions, please don't be angry!"

"You rebellious son, shut up!" Yu Tianba scolded Yu Xiong again. "Look at what kind of wild brat you’ve brought here! She dares to mock me like this and cause me to lose face in public. It is absolutely outrageous!"

Yu Xiong was immediately cowed into silence.

"Grandfather, Xingchen said this is a Grade Five pill, so it must be a Grade Five pill. You must believe Xingchen!" Yu Yumeng still refused to give up. No matter how much others doubted—even if the "pill" did not look like a real one—she chose to believe in Qin Xingchen.

By now, Yu Tianba was livid! He could not believe that after living for so long, he had been made a fool of by a young girl!

"Take your things and get out of this hall immediately! Do not ruin my birthday celebration, get out!" Yu Tianba threw the "pill" at Yu Yumeng and said coldly. He was barely restraining his emotions. If not for the presence of so many people, he would have liked to slap Yu Yumeng a hundred thousand miles away.

At this moment, Luo Shan walked over, snatched the "pill" from Yu Yumeng’s hand, and toyed with it. He looked at Qin Xingchen with a sneer. "Qin Xingchen, I didn't expect you and your woman to dare mock the Ancestor in front of so many people, claiming this trashy mud ball is a Grade Five pill? Heh, it's a good thing the Ancestor is broad-minded. If it were me, I would have thrown you two pieces of trash out of this hall long ago. Take your trashy mud ball and get out, hmph!"

Having said that, he threw the "pill" onto the ground. It rolled across the floor and hit the tip of Qin Xingchen’s shoe.

Qin Xingchen picked it up, pulled Yu Yumeng behind him, and looked at Yu Tianba. "Ancestor, are you really sure you don't want it?"

Yu Tianba bellowed, "Want what? What would I want with a piece of trash? Get out!"

Qin Xingchen’s heart turned cold. After hearing about Yu Tianba’s condition from Yu Xiong, he had decided to refine a Grade Five pill specifically for him. He had spent nearly an hour yesterday at the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce, exhausting many precious heavenly treasures, just to refine this pill as a birthday gift for Yu Tianba. He never expected that this Grade Five pill would be treated like garbage by the short-sighted Yu Tianba.

"Are you sure you don't want it?" Qin Xingchen looked at Yu Tianba and sneered. "Very well, you had best not regret this!"

He grasped the pill in his right hand and squeezed it gently.

*Crack!*

The layer of mud-like coating shattered and fell away. A genuine, high-grade medicinal pill was revealed in his palm, emitting rays of golden light.

Immediately after, an incredibly rich fragrance of alchemy flooded the entire hall, making everyone feel refreshed, as if they were suddenly in a paradise.

Everyone was instantly struck dumb!