The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 530: After the Small One, Here Comes the Big One

Locked inside a secret chamber of the Pill Alliance was Dugu Qingyun, who was nursing a few broken ribs.

Dugu Qingyun felt utterly frustrated. He was merely a runner for the Pill Alliance, and yet they had confined him.

At this moment, he was feeling some regrets. Why did he act so arrogantly? Had he been lower-profile, wouldn’t he have avoided so much trouble?

Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets. Starting fights in the Pill Alliance was the most foolish of acts, no matter who you were. Even if you were of royal blood, getting into fights here would only land you in trouble.

However, individuals like Dugu Qingyun wouldn’t reflect on their own wrongdoings. Instead, he blamed all his misfortunes on Fang Lin.

If only Fang Lin had obediently followed him like a good little duckling, then he wouldn’t have ended up in such a predicament and wouldn’t have lost so much face.

Of course, Mo Ziming locking up Dugu Qingyun here was only a temporary measure. He didn’t need the man to suffer much, just enough to instill some sense into him and remind him that not everyone could act recklessly in the Pill Alliance.

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Within the Dugu Family’s mansion in Xuan City,

Just like the Gongsun Family, the Dugu Family also possessed a mansion in Xuan City. At this moment, three high-ranking members of the Dugu Family had gathered together.

“This Mo Ziming has gone too far, actually detaining Qingyun. Is he trying to provoke our Dugu Family?” said a man who looked to be in his forties. He bore some resemblance to Dugu Qingyun, as he was Dugu Qingyun’s father, Dugu Sheng.

The other two people present were an old woman in a hemp suit who looked quite frail, and an emaciated old man who seemed on the verge of falling asleep. But a faint spark of energy flickered in his eyes each time he opened and closed them.

Both the elderly woman and the man were high-ranking family officials and powerful martial artists stationed in Xuan City by the Dugu Family.

As for Dugu Sheng, he wasn’t a constant presence in Xuan City; he had recently come, bringing Dugu Qingyun with him.

“In fairness, Qingyun was far too arrogant. To even dare to start a fight within the Pill Alliance is absolutely foolish,” remarked the old woman while glancing at Dugu Sheng.

Looking a little perturbed, Dugu Sheng responded, “Auntie, all Qingyun did was try to bring Fang Lin in. How could that have escalated into a fight? This was clearly a set-up by the Pill Alliance to entrap Qingyun.”

The old woman’s face twisted into a contemptuous sneer. “Does the Pill Alliance need to pick a fight with a nobody like Qingyun, or frame him? He’s your son, Dugu Sheng, not the son of the Great Xuan Emperor. What makes him worth framing?”

These words were rather harsh, implying that Dugu Sheng wasn’t a big shot, and neither was his son. They insinuated that the Pill Alliance had no reason to frame him.

“Ahem! We can’t really say that, can we? Although Qingyun might have been a little arrogant, the overbearing behavior of the Pill Alliance is disrespectful to our Dugu Family,” said the old man in a weary voice.

Dugu Sheng quickly chimed in, “Sir Qi is right. After all, Qingyun is a member of the Dugu Family. If he did something wrong, he should be punished by us, the Dugu Family. What right does the Pill Alliance have to detain him?”

He paused for a moment, then continued in a dark, grinding voice, “All of this was started by Fang Lin. He not only landed my son in prison, but also got uncomfortably close to Dugu Nian. He’s trying to bring down our entire Dugu Family!”

“We can talk about Fang Lin later, but we do need to bring Qingyun back,” muttered the old woman, furrowing her brows.

“Auntie and Sir Qi shouldn’t need to show yourselves. I shall meet this Mo Ziming personally, bring Qingyun back, and while I’m at it, will also bring back Fang Lin,” Dugu Sheng suggested.

The old woman hesitated, concerned that letting Dugu Sheng deal with the matter could lead to unpredictable outcomes.

“You’d better make the trip as soon as possible then,” said the old man.

“Yes!” Dugu Sheng said, turning to leave immediately.

After Dugu Sheng had left, the old woman looked worried: “Qingyun is young and impetuous, and that’s still excusable. But Dugu Sheng, he’s equally hot-headed. I fear he might cause some trouble at the Pill Alliance.”

However, the old man didn’t seem concerned: “No worries. Mo Ziming won’t detain Qingyun for long and we should be able to bring him back. As for that Fang Lin, if he still refuses to come after this, it would be clear disrespect for the Dugu Family. But I don’t think he’s that foolish.”

Despite the old man’s words, the old woman’s worries didn’t dissipate. She did not want the Dugu Family to confront Fang Lin with such an aggressive attitude, but instead wanted to maintain a more moderate approach. Unfortunately, given her position in the family, her opinion held less weight than the old man’s, and she was unable to defy decisions he had already made.

Meanwhile, Dugu Sheng, after receiving the old man’s permission, did not waste any time. Accompanied by four Heavenly Origin-level martial artists from the Dugu Family, he headed straight for the Pill Alliance. His demeanor was threatening and he showed no intention of being subtle about his intentions.

As soon as Dugu Sheng entered the Pill Alliance, he began scanning his surroundings with a piercing gaze. The four Heavenly Origin martial artists exuded a formidable aura behind him, causing the atmosphere inside the Pill Alliance Lobby to become tense.

“Mo Ziming, I, Dugu Sheng, am here. Aren’t you going to come out and greet me?” yelled Dugu Sheng, in a manner eerily similar to that of Dugu Qingyun’s previous visit.

Another person from the Dugu Family!

All the Pill Refiners present revealed their irritations. The Dugu Family had gone too far. It was one thing for a junior member to behave arrogantly, but now even a senior member was here throwing his weight around. Did they really think that Pill Refiners had no temper?

“Humph! Causing a ruckus in my Pill Alliance, you’ve got some nerve!” Mo Ziming appeared, treating Dugu Sheng with the same amount of disregard and openly berating him.

Dugu Sheng’s face twitched with rage. “Mo Ziming, you’ve detained my son. Now that I’m here, release him at once!”

A cold sneer spread across Mo Ziming’s face. “No wonder that brat was acting so brazenly, causing such a disturbance here. Turns out his father behaves no better.”

“Mo Ziming! Enough talk. Today, I am here to take Qingyun back. And I want that Fang Lin to show up too. I will be taking him away,” said Dugu Sheng sternly.

Meanwhile, the four Heavenly Origin martial artists also moved forward, appearing very intimidating.

Mo Ziming just sneered at Dugu Sheng and his party, “When did the people of the Dugu Family become such fools?”

“What did you say? Daring to insult the Dugu Family?” Dugu Sheng roared in anger.

Mo Ziming simply smirked, “No matter how big your Dugu Family is, can it be larger than the Pill Alliance?”

With a wave of his hand, more than a dozen martial artists rushed out, each emitting a powerful aura, clearly demonstrating they were all above the Heavenly Origin level.

“Daring to cause trouble in the Pill Alliance, he must be mad!”

“What a joke!”

“How did the Dugu Family produce such idiots?”

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These dozen or so men all looked at Dugu Sheng and his party with contemptuous expressions; some even regarded Dugu Sheng with the look one reserves for a complete idiot.