Chapter 3139 — The Exhibition

"Yes," the man nodded and withdrew.

Ouyang Legend was about to rise, but he sat back down to wait for Ouyang Nong. Privately, though, he found it rather amusing—this Ouyang Nong truly knew how to seize the moment! Still, it was just as well. With Kang Jingming present, no one could accuse him of shady dealings.

Everything would be out in the open, with nothing to hide. Once Kang Jingming went back and reported what he had seen, the Xuandan Sect would have no choice but to swallow its grievance in silence.

"President Shen, President Ouyang, Ouyang Nong pays his respects to you both!" Ouyang Nong said respectfully as he entered, deliberately ignoring Kang Jingming off to the side. Kang Jingming thought nothing of it—after all, the man was one of the Cultivator's Commerce Association's own, and it was only natural that he did not know him.

"Ouyang Nong, what brings you here? Is there some important matter? Why didn't you mention it beforehand?" President Shen found it odd. After all, vice presidents like them were normally stationed in their own market towns and territories, returning only for matters of consequence—and Ouyang Nong had not even called ahead. Could he have been in contact with Ouyang Legend beforehand?

But when President Shen turned his gaze to Ouyang Legend and saw the same surprise and curiosity mirrored there, he dismissed the thought. It seemed Ouyang Legend had known nothing of this either.

"President Shen, President Ouyang, I've come here this time on a matter of great importance. The reason I didn't call ahead is that the matter is simply too significant—I wanted to report to you both in person!" Ouyang Nong said respectfully.

"Oh? What matter?" President Shen's interest was immediately piqued. If Ouyang Nong put it that way, it had to be no small thing.

"It's like this: a client has approached our Cultivator's Commerce Association to collaborate on selling a heaven-defying artifact!" Ouyang Nong said.

"That sort of thing you can handle on your own, surely. There's no need to come in person over a single heaven-defying artifact—a phone call would have done," President Shen said, somewhat puzzled.

"Indeed, little Nong. You must learn to stand on your own two feet. You can't come running to me and your Grandpa Shen over every little thing—how will you ever grow that way?" Ouyang Legend chimed in.

"No, that's not it—there's more than one such artifact!" Ouyang Nong said. "These heaven-defying artifacts can be mass-produced!"

"Mass-produced? Then how is it still heaven-defying?" President Shen asked, taken aback.

"Exactly. Like these pills—anything that can be mass-produced, how could it be called heaven-defying?" Ouyang Legend agreed.

"President Shen, President Ouyang, though this thing can be mass-produced, it more than deserves the name heaven-defying!" Ouyang Nong said with considerable pride. "This thing is called the First-Grade Automatic Pill Cauldron!"

"First-Grade Automatic Pill Cauldron? What on earth is that?" President Shen was dumbfounded. He had never heard of any artifact by that name.

"It's a kind of cauldron that can automatically refine first-grade pills!" Ouyang Nong said.

"Automatically refine first-grade pills?" President Shen's eyes went wide, and he stared at Ouyang Nong in disbelief. "Ouyang Nong, you're not talking nonsense, are you? A cauldron that refines pills automatically? Did I hear that right? Where could such a thing exist? If it could refine pills automatically, what would we need alchemists for?"

"Indeed, little Nong. You haven't been swindled, have you? This gentleman before you, Elder Kang Jingming, is an elder of the Xuandan Sect. Why don't you ask Elder Kang whether he has ever heard of such a thing?" Ouyang Legend said, pointing at Kang Jingming with feigned shock.

Kang Jingming had been astonished by Ouyang Nong's words as well. A First-Grade Automatic Pill Cauldron? How could such a thing possibly exist in this world? Was this some kind of joke? Hearing Ouyang Legend's question, he answered at once: "Quite right. What First-Grade Automatic Pill Cauldron? Mr. Ouyang, have you been taken in by someone? I've never heard of such a cauldron even within the Xuandan Sect. You should know that the first- and second-grade cauldrons on the market today are all made by our Xuandan Sect—we're the manufacturers—and we've never heard of any pill cauldron that refines pills automatically. If such a thing existed, would the Xuandan Sect not know of it?"

Ouyang Nong glanced at Kang Jingming and spat out four words that nearly made Kang Jingming choke: "Ignorant and ill-informed!"

"You... you... Hmph! I can't be bothered to argue with the likes of you. Swindled and still counting the swindler's money—you're a textbook case!" Kang Jingming fumed.

"Elder Kang, please calm yourself. Let me ask Ouyang Nong what this is all about," President Shen said, raising a hand to gesture Kang Jingming to be patient. Then he turned to Ouyang Nong. "Little Nong, tell us—what exactly is going on? You're usually such a shrewd man. How could you be so muddleheaded now? How could such a thing possibly exist?"

"Facts speak louder than words, President Shen. Just wait a moment—once you've seen my demonstration, you'll understand what's going on!" Ouyang Nong did not argue. He merely waved a hand and gestured toward the door behind him, then pointed at Little Kong, who was walking in from the entrance. "This is the pill inspector from our market town—Little Kong. President Shen and President Ouyang both remember him, I trust?"

"Quite so, I remember him. It was I who assigned him to you in the first place!" Ouyang Legend nodded. "I remember."

President Shen had no recollection of the man, though he knew what a pill inspector was. That only deepened his confusion. "Ouyang Nong, are you saying this First-Grade Automatic Pill Cauldron of yours was inspected by Little Kong?"

"Indeed!" Ouyang Nong nodded.

"Muddleheaded indeed!" President Shen said, caught between laughter and tears. "Think about it, Ouyang Nong. A pill inspector who has barely even touched a pill cauldron in his life—how could he possibly inspect that cauldron for you? He doesn't understand them at all!"

"President Shen, I've already told you—just watch!" Ouyang Nong said, then turned to Little Kong. "Little Kong, refine a Spirit-Gathering Pill for them!"

"Yes, Vice President Ouyang!" Little Kong answered. With that, he took the First-Grade Automatic Pill Cauldron from his pack and, in full view of everyone, set it on the ground before him and sat down cross-legged.

"What kind of pill cauldron is that?" President Shen, President Ouyang, and Kang Jingming all stared in astonishment at the object Little Kong had produced, unable to make out what it was.

"This thing is called the First-Grade Automatic Pill Cauldron. Next, I will demonstrate the refining of a Spirit-Gathering Pill for everyone!" As he spoke, Little Kong opened the First-Grade Automatic Pill Cauldron and showed everyone the utterly empty interior of the cauldron! (To be continued.)