Chapter 368: Timing
Back then, Ye Chen hadn't been the only one in the room.
When facing the combined assault of four Divine Might Realm experts, Hongyu Pill Venerable had been right there by Ye Chen's side!
As the foremost Alchemist in the dynasty's eastern region, Hongyu Pill Venerable had amassed countless magical artifacts and spirit weapons over the years. Her hidden trump cards were impossible to guard against.
Furthermore, she was a peerless expert at the Peak of the Divinity Transformation Realm. With her capabilities, it was entirely possible that she could have resolved the catastrophe on her own!
And that, it seemed, was the most logical explanation.
The Eternal Night Sky had also conveniently blocked all external perception, leaving the people from the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce completely unable to discern any details of what had transpired. They could only guess.
Furthermore, a rift seemed to have formed between the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce and Hongyu Pill Venerable, all because of Ye Chen.
With all these factors combined, the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce finally abandoned its plans to recruit Ye Chen.
They had clearly promised to allow Ye Chen daily access to their treasury to take whatever medicinal ingredients he needed. Now, they were suddenly manufacturing an excuse to revoke that promise.
'What a bunch of short-sighted fools.'
'If they had just shown a better attitude at the start and been the first to apologize to Master, they could have become his friends.'
'But in the end, their arrogance and refusal to back down led to this complete break with Master.'
Chi Ming couldn't help but laugh. "The higher-ups at the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce must have water in their brains."
"It's fine. Breaking with me is actually a good thing for us,"
Ye Chen said with a smile, "If I was holding back before out of consideration for our past relationship, well, there's no need for that anymore."
"When do you plan to make your move, Master?" Chi Ming's eyes lit up. He'd been wanting to deal with those guys for a long time.
"No rush." Ye Chen shook his head. "I plan to meditate for a few days to stabilize my cultivation realm."
"Besides, I have a wealth of new resources on hand. I'm going to refine some pills to raise our collective strength."
...
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
The abrupt, urgent knocking echoed through the room. Hongyu Pill Venerable frowned, a flash of impatience crossing her face.
The knocking was so frantic, it sounded like a debt collector at the door. Hongyu Pill Venerable was not pleased.
She opened the door to find a man clad in Heavy Armor.
His name was Yang Zheng, one of the guard captains for the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce. He was also the Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivator who had clashed with Chi Ming earlier.
"What is it?"
Hongyu Pill Venerable asked coldly, her voice laced with displeasure.
She had been in meditative seclusion, trying to grasp the opportunity to break through to the Divine Might Realm.
But now, she had been disturbed by this guard captain!
Naturally, she wasn't about to give him a warm reception, even if he was from the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce.
"Commander Murong sent me to inform you that as of now, you no longer have the right to use this room. Please leave."
Yang Zheng said coolly.
"Oh?"
Hongyu Pill Venerable was taken aback. 'Is the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce really ready to drop all pretenses?'
"Pill Venerable, please leave as soon as possible," Yang Zheng repeated.
"I understand." Hongyu Pill Venerable gave Yang Zheng a long, hard look.
She never would have imagined the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce would go this far, showing no consideration for their past relationship whatsoever.
After all, as the foremost Alchemist in the dynasty's eastern region, she had collaborated with the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce on countless occasions.
If that weren't the case, she would never have been granted the privilege of staying here.
This area was reserved exclusively for the Chamber's top brass.
And in the end, aboard this very flying ship, her connection to Ye Chen had led to a complete falling-out with Murong Dai.
Hongyu Pill Venerable had little to pack. She walked out of the room, her gaze falling indifferently on Yang Zheng.
"Are you certain that Commander Murong speaks for the entire Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce?"
"If you truly intend to sever ties, I will no longer be cooperating with your chamber,"
she said nonchalantly.
"Of course!"
But just then, Murong Dai herself appeared, approaching from a distance.
She looked down on Hongyu Pill Venerable, her voice laced with a chilling severity. "Our chamber operates across the entire dynasty. We've never been short of Alchemists to work with."
"Forget Sixth Grade; at our Chamber headquarters, we even have Seventh Grade Alchemists!"
"A mere Sixth Grade Alchemist is in no position to make demands of our chamber."
At these words, Hongyu Pill Venerable fell silent.
"I hope you won't regret this."
She tossed out the words coolly and turned to leave.
Murong Dai watched Hongyu Pill Venerable's retreating back, a cold sneer forming on her lips.
'You really think too much of yourself.'
'Make me, Murong Dai, regret this? You're not worthy!'
Murong Dai let out a cold laugh.
In the main hall, He Daoyun was clearing away a tea set when he saw Hongyu Pill Venerable stride past with a frosty expression. He couldn't help but call out a greeting. "Pill Venerable, where might you be off to?"
Hongyu Pill Venerable paused briefly and glanced at He Daoyun. "From this day forward, I have no further dealings with the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce."
Watching her retreating figure, He Daoyun was stunned.
'Did I do something to offend her?'
He couldn't help but feel a surge of panic.
'This was Hongyu Pill Venerable! If he was the one to drive away such an important figure, he could never bear the responsibility!'
"Elder He, a report from the lookout! There's been a sudden, drastic change in the weather along our upcoming route!"
"Based on their observations, we may be heading into a thunderstorm!"
Just then, one of the crew rushed into the hall, brushing past Hongyu Pill Venerable. He was panting heavily, his voice fraught with urgency.
"A thunderstorm?"
The moment he said it, the expressions on both Hongyu Pill Venerable's and He Daoyun's faces changed drastically.
"What's going on? How could such disastrous weather appear out of nowhere?"
He Daoyun's expression was grim. "Weren't we told the weather along this route would be calm for the next several weeks?"
"I... I don't know!" the crewman said, his voice trembling with anxiety. "The weather changed so suddenly, it's too late to divert to another route."
"Go report this to Commander Murong at once!"
He Daoyun ordered directly.
He was already vexed, and hearing about this new disaster only made him more so.
"Y-yes, sir!" The crewman scurried away.
'A thunderstorm, hmm?'
Hongyu Pill Venerable's eyes narrowed slightly before she, too, left the hall.
...
"The time is almost right!"
In a guest room in the ship's finest section, a wickedly handsome man slowly straightened up, a look of excitement on his face.
"It's time to execute our plan!"
He glanced to the side, where a pretty young woman was respectfully pouring tea.
The young woman was Qingli. She looked up in surprise. "The time?"
"That's right."
The man's feverish gaze roamed over Qingli's body. "When the time comes, you just need to do exactly as I command."