Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 336: Chapter 336 Self-Justification

”Indeed! The Huanyue Sect has operated its Pill Pavilion in Illusory Moon City for many years. When has there ever been an incident? You’re the ones who made a mistake, but instead of taking responsibility, you try to drag the Huanyue Sect into it. I’ve never seen such disgusting merchants!”

Ma Chunsheng had his own tale of woe but couldn’t voice it. By now, he realized the Huanyue Sect must be behind this—he had fallen right into their trap! I’m afraid the clerk who suggested buying elixirs from the Huanyue Sect was bought off by them, too!

Of course, now was not the time to assign blame to the clerk. The most important thing was to navigate the immediate crisis. However, given the circumstances, Ma Chunsheng knew he was powerless to turn the tide. After all, without evidence, no one in Illusory Moon City would side with him.

Seeing Ma Chunsheng’s silence, the middle-aged man spoke again. ”Everyone, let’s tear down this crooked merchant’s shop and drag them to the City Lord for judgment!”

The moment he finished speaking, a few Martial Artists charged toward Chen Yue Pavilion. With someone taking the lead, the onlookers quickly joined in, hoping to snag some benefits for themselves. Since Chen Yue Pavilion’s business was so popular, there were bound to be valuables inside.

In such a chaotic situation, no one would say anything if they pilfered a few items. After all, there’s safety in numbers. As the crowd surged forward, the scene became uncontrollable. Ma Chunsheng sighed in despair. He had been entrusted with managing Chen Yue Pavilion, but now, before Ye Qingchen had even returned, it was about to be burned to the ground.

”Stop!”

A loud shout echoed as a figure blocked the entrance to Chen Yue Pavilion, halting the advancing crowd. The newcomer was none other than Ye Qingchen. He had been happily rushing back after hearing from Qin Yue that the Chen Yue Pavilion had opened for business, only to be met with this scene upon his return.

When Ma Chunsheng saw Ye Qingchen, he was overjoyed. He quickly ran over and said, ”Owner, you’ve finally returned.”

Hearing the form of address, Ye Qingchen roughly understood Ma Chunsheng’s identity. But given the urgency of the situation, he dispensed with the formalities and asked, ”What happened here?”

Ma Chunsheng began to tearfully recount the entire incident. Ye Qingchen frowned, a look of understanding dawning on his face.

After a moment of thought, Ye Qingchen turned to the middle-aged man leading the crowd and said, ”I am the owner of Chen Yue Pavilion. My name is Chen Qingye. Since this incident has occurred, it is our responsibility, and we will not shirk it. However, everything requires evidence. You claim you bought these Spirit Pills from my Chen Yue Pavilion. Let me see them.”

The middle-aged man was clearly prepared. He produced a medicine bottle from his robes, the words ”Chen Yue Pavilion” inscribed on it. Handing it to Ye Qingchen, he challenged, ”This is your Chen Yue Pavilion’s exclusive medicine bottle. Are you still going to deny it?”

Ye Qingchen took the bottle and poured the Spirit Pill into his palm. He immediately sensed something was wrong. However, instead of rushing to explain, he took an identical Spirit Pill from his own robes and announced, ”Everyone! This is clearly not a Spirit Pill from our Chen Yue Pavilion. Please look. In every type of Spirit Pill from our pavilion, I add a dose of Tranquil Spirit Herb as a mark!”

As he spoke, Ye Qingchen channeled his Spiritual Energy into the pill. A moment later, a scent that soothed the soul and refreshed the mind emanated from it.

”That’s the scent of Tranquil Spirit Herb! It really has been added,” an alchemist in the crowd, who naturally recognized the aroma, exclaimed in surprise.

Ye Qingchen then channeled Spiritual Energy into the Spirit Pill the middle-aged man had provided, but it emitted no such scent.

The comparison made it clear to the crowd that this was indeed not a Spirit Pill from Chen Yue Pavilion. It makes sense. Chen Yue Pavilion just opened. How could they be so brazen as to sell fake medicine right from the start? It turns out someone was trying to frame them!

At this point, a pot-stirrer in the crowd shouted, ”Owner Chen, who exactly is trying to frame your Chen Yue Pavilion?”

Hearing the question, Ye Qingchen saw it as the perfect opportunity to clear his name. But just as he was about to speak, the middle-aged man interrupted him. ”What nonsense! Chen Yue Pavilion must be deliberately making pills of different quality to pass off inferior ones as superior!”

This middle-aged man was a disciple of the Huanyue Sect, sent with the express purpose of ruining Chen Yue Pavilion’s reputation. He never expected Ye Qingchen to return so suddenly, let alone be so prepared. However, the man had his orders and could only continue to cause trouble, forcing the argument with such irrational claims.

If it were just him, people might not have been convinced. But the Huanyue Sect had sent a considerable number of people to stir up trouble. As the saying goes, a lie told often enough becomes the truth. With their instigation, the onlookers began to believe the middle-aged man’s words once more.

Seeing the crowd growing agitated again, Ye Qingchen frowned. He knew these people were looking for trouble, and public opinion was turning against Chen Yue Pavilion. He had to find a solution.

”Everyone, please quiet down!” Ye Qingchen gave Ma Chunsheng a meaningful look, and Ma Chunsheng loudly silenced the murmuring crowd.

Once the noise died down, Ye Qingchen produced two more Spirit Pills and addressed everyone. ”Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, when an alchemist refines a Spirit Pill, they will invariably use some of their Soul Power. Therefore, once a pill is successfully created, it will retain the alchemist’s unique Soul Power signature.”

His words made the crowd nod in understanding. In Illusory Moon City, where alchemy was prevalent, almost everyone had some knowledge of the craft.

Seeing their affirmation, Ye Qingchen began to channel his Soul Power into the pill he had taken out. The Soul Power flowed slowly into the Spirit Pill, where it was perfectly absorbed. The crowd nodded again; this indicated the pill was a perfect match for Ye Qingchen and was undoubtedly his creation.

Next, Ye Qingchen channeled his Soul Power into the pill provided by the middle-aged man. Although this pill also absorbed his Soul Power, a small portion of it failed to integrate and dissipated into the air. This made it obvious that the Spirit Pill was not refined by Ye Qingchen.

The middle-aged man was struck dumb. Ye Qingchen shot him a cold sneer, but now was not the time to deal with these instigators. He put away the Spirit Pills and declared to the crowd, ”Everyone has seen clearly. These Spirit Pills were indeed not made by Chen Yue Pavilion. This incident must be the work of someone who is jealous of our business and is deliberately trying to slander us.”

The crowd murmured in agreement, and someone shouted loudly, ”I wonder how Owner Chen plans to resolve this? Even if the Spirit Pills weren’t made by Chen Yue Pavilion, they were still bought here. You’re not going to deny responsibility for that, are you?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the middle-aged man and his cohorts immediately voiced their agreement.