Trouble with the Yan Family

Having more pressing matters to attend to, she did not haggle with the young woman.

Immediately after concluding the transaction, she departed from the Qianjin Pavilion, scanning her surroundings once outside.

“Oh? What’s the rush? I still wanted to ask if you happen to be a poison alchemist,” the young woman in charge of acquisitions remarked, her voice tinged with disappointment as she watched Yan Yun hastily depart.

Based on her inspection of Yan Yun’s elixirs, these particular poison pills were rather uncommon, clearly not something one would stumble upon by chance.

Meanwhile, after a thorough search, Yan Yun finally located the elderly cultivator at a shop specializing in the acquisition of artifact-refining materials.

“Elder, I’ll take your damaged magical artifact. I’ll offer you a thousand spirit stones for it,” Yan Yun called out, quickly approaching the old cultivator.

The elderly cultivator was momentarily taken aback.

It appeared the damaged magical artifact held by the elder was far more intricate than anyone might have initially assumed.

Nevertheless, the two quickly reached an agreement.

Yan Yun, feeling immensely satisfied, prepared to procure more medicinal herbs.

With the funds she now possessed, she would have ample surplus ingredients to dedicate herself to the study of alchemy.

Her fortune today was truly exceptional, for she had stumbled upon a genuine treasure.

“Even the Qianjin Pavilion has its moments of failing to recognize true value,” Yan Yun chuckled, gazing at the mirror in her hand. “It’s fortunate that you, Ancestor, happened upon it, otherwise that old fellow truly would have sold it off as mere scrap.”

This mirror was merely half of a Divine Venerable magical artifact, its power lost due to the incomplete divine patterns within, a consequence of its severe damage.

Yet, should this artifact fall into the hands of a Divine Venerable cultivator, they could mend its divine patterns with their spiritual power, allowing even this half to unleash the might of the Divine Soul realm.

What a stroke of luck, then, that Yan Lingyun herself was a Divine Venerable expert!

Given but a month’s time, she could fully restore the divine patterns within.

Even if she had no personal need for it by then, selling it would undoubtedly fetch a starting price of at least a million spirit stones.

However, just as Yan Yun arrived at her family’s market, she was abruptly assailed by the sounds of a commotion erupting from within.

Inside the Yan family’s alchemy shop, a haughty young man stood, one hand clamped around the shop owner’s throat, hoisting him effortlessly into the air.

The interior of the shop was a scene of disarray, with several Yan family market guards lying injured on the ground, clearly having sustained severe wounds.

“Is this how your Yan family conducts business? Selling inferior elixirs? According to the regulations of the Jiang Kingdom Immortal Dao Alliance, selling defective pills warrants a tenfold compensation for a minor offense, and a complete ban on sales for a severe one.

As for me, this young master, I won’t make things too difficult for your Yan family.

Just give me tenfold compensation for this fake item.

Hand over the money,” the defiant young man sneered, a cold glint in his eyes.

The proprietor of the Yan family’s alchemy shop was visibly seething with indignation.

“Young Master, to accuse my Yan family of selling counterfeit medicine without any evidence whatsoever—isn’t that just blatant troublemaking?” the shop owner retorted furiously.

No sooner had he spoken than a man standing beside the haughty youth interjected with a sneering, sarcastic tone.

“Brother Lin,” he drawled, “it appears the Yan family suspects you of deliberate sabotage.

Such accusations are not easily shrugged off, you know.”

The seemingly volatile young man let out a cold laugh, then abruptly flung the shop owner away.

The proprietor crashed heavily into a nearby shelf, a mouthful of blood erupting from his lips.

“In that case,” the young man declared, “we shall have to teach them a proper lesson in reason.”

Having made his pronouncement, he turned his gaze towards the onlookers gathered outside the shop entrance.

“Esteemed onlookers,” he announced, “I am Lin Ze, from the Lin family of the Royal Capital.

Today, I came to the Yan family to purchase elixirs, only to discover that they were selling defective goods.

Tell me, does my Lin family resemble the sort of clan that would frame others?”

Upon hearing that the aggressor hailed from the Royal Capital’s Lin family—a name that sent shivers down the spines of many, especially the cultivators among the crowd—a hush fell over the onlookers.

Not a single soul dared to utter another word, nor would anyone champion the Yan family’s cause.

The Lin family of the Royal Capital was, after all, one of the Jiang Kingdom’s preeminent clans.

Neither the onlookers nor the Yan family itself could afford to incur their wrath.

Just then, the formidable cultivators stationed by the Yan family finally arrived on the scene, among them Yan Yun’s elder brother, Yan Hui.

As the eldest son, Yan Hui was primarily responsible for overseeing the family’s market divisions.

Upon entering, his gaze swept over the chaotic interior of the pavilion, causing his brow to furrow deeply.

However, they had already heard the aggressor’s identity: the Lin family of the Royal Capital.

They knew better than to provoke such a powerful clan.

“May I inquire, esteemed sir, what has caused such displeasure?” Yan Hui asked, feigning ignorance.

“I am Yan Hui, the eldest legitimate son of the Yan family.

Should there be any matter, I am empowered to resolve it.”

As he spoke, he subtly glanced at the individuals flanking Lin Ze, recognizing them as members of the Zhou and Song families.

At this moment, Yan Yun also arrived outside the shop.

“What exactly has transpired here?” Yan Yun inquired casually.

Immediately, someone offered a reply.

“Young ladies, you may not be aware, but someone from the Royal Capital’s Lin family arrived at the Yan family’s alchemy shop, accusing us of selling counterfeit medicine, and a brawl ensued.”

Yan Yun’s brow furrowed at once upon hearing this.

While she wasn’t intimately familiar with the intricacies of the family’s businesses, the Yan family had been established in Qifeng City for a millennium and had never once been implicated in selling counterfeit goods.

Her initial thought was that this was a deliberate provocation, prompting her to observe the situation further.

Spotting Yan Hui, a young man from the Zhou family immediately leaned in to whisper something to Lin Ze.

Having delivered his message, he then approached Yan Hui.

“Yan Hui,” he began, “this is Young Master Lin Ze, from the Royal Capital’s Lin family.

He is, in fact, the cousin of Young Master Lin Mo from the Cloud Blossom Sect.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Hui’s brow furrowed even deeper.

After a moment of profound contemplation, he cupped his hands in a respectful salute to Lin Ze.

“Young Master Lin, might I ask what has incensed you to such a degree?”

Lin Ze scrutinized Yan Hui from head to toe before divulging his grievances.

Upon hearing the accusation, Yan Hui, naturally, could not possibly admit to it.

“That is impossible,” Yan Hui declared. “Our Yan family’s reputation is widely known; we have never once sold defective elixirs.

Young Master Lin, might I request a look at the pill you hold?

Should it genuinely prove to be a product of my Yan family’s refinement, I shall certainly offer a tenfold compensation.”

With a quick flicker of his eyes, Lin Ze, surprisingly forthright, tossed the elixir directly to Yan Hui.

“See for yourself,” he challenged.

Upon receiving it, Yan Hui immediately began a meticulous inspection.

To his dismay, he discovered that the elixir did indeed bear the hallmarks of his Yan family’s craftsmanship.

Every elixir refined by their Yan family bore a distinctive mark.

Yet, he was utterly bewildered as to why this could be.

There was simply no conceivable reason for such a thing.

He then hastily proceeded to inspect the elixirs that had been stocked in recent days.

His inspection revealed, to his shock, that every single bottle contained defective pills.

This discovery left him utterly without recourse or argument.

“My apologies, Young Master Lin,” Yan Hui stated decisively, “it appears there might have been an issue during our Yan family’s sorting of the elixirs.

Nevertheless, I shall compensate you tenfold as per the regulations.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Ze smirked.

“Haha, now that’s more like it!” he crowed. “When you make a mistake, you should face the consequences head-on.”

Yan Hui, therefore, compensated Lin Ze with ten Yuan Heaven Pills, amounting to a total value of tens of thousands of spirit stones.

These Yuan Heaven Pills were among the essential elixirs for cultivators of the Cave Heaven Realm.

After receiving his compensation, Lin Ze strode out of the alchemy shop, then declared in a loud, mocking tone, “Well, I never! To think the esteemed Yan family would also stoop to selling counterfeit medicine.

What an eye-opener this has been!”

With Yan Hui’s tenfold compensation, the accusation of selling counterfeit goods was instantly solidified.

In a flash, customers erupted into a flurry of discussions, and the news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching every corner of the city.

Yan Yun, having witnessed the entire spectacle from outside, inwardly recoiled with a sense of dread upon seeing Yan Hui offer compensation.

‘Brother, why did you suddenly concede?’ Yan Yun thought, a surge of anxiety rising within her. ‘This is troublesome.

If this is the work of someone with ulterior motives, secretly plotting against us, our Yan family will be utterly unable to clear our name.’

After a moment of intense thought, she discreetly shadowed Lin Ze and his companions, intent on discovering their true intentions.

Once they had distanced themselves, the group wore expressions of triumphant conspiracy.

“Haha, the Lin family truly possesses cunning methods!” a Zhou family disciple cackled maliciously. “Our Zhou and Song families certainly couldn’t have managed to secretly infiltrate the Yan family’s alchemy shop and tamper with their elixirs by introducing defective ones.

This time, both the Yan and Jiang families are in deep trouble.”

Lin Ze let out a cold snort. “That Jiang Yao woman, daring to refuse my brother’s goodwill?

She truly doesn’t know her place.

She may possess talent, but alas, she has yet to fully mature.”

Yan Yun had Yan Lingyun surreptitiously listen in on their conversation, and soon, she grasped the full extent of the scheme.

‘So, they truly are deliberately causing trouble,’ Yan Yun mused. ‘Did Jiang Yao offend someone within the Cloud Blossom Sect?

But why are they not targeting the Jiang family directly?’

Yan Yun sensed that this entire affair was likely far more intricate than it appeared.

As news of the Yan family’s alchemy shop allegedly selling counterfeit goods spread, the Yan family’s high-ranking members immediately convened to strategize on how to salvage their damaged reputation.

Concurrently, they initiated a thorough investigation to pinpoint precisely where the breakdown in their processes had occurred.

While it was not uncommon for some elixirs to be flawed, knowingly selling them as finished products was an entirely different and gravely problematic matter.