Chapter 2211 — Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Indeed! Exactly so!" The local expert nodded. "That's why this task has so many Yellow Rank rogue cultivators flocking to it. Getting your hands on a Spirit Gathering Pill is as good as a guaranteed promotion to the Black Rank. A temptation like that, heh heh..."
"The Tagan family has an alchemist?" Wei Zhao asked.
Although the Spirit Gathering Pill was only a Yellow Rank first-grade pill, it was a Yellow Rank first-grade pill of exceptionally high quality, far harder to refine than a Spirit Gathering Pellet. Only an alchemist at the Yellow Rank second-grade level could possibly succeed at refining one; a mere Yellow Rank first-grade alchemist had almost no chance of success.
"Heh heh, naturally!" The local expert nodded. "The Tagan family's alchemist is not only a Yellow Rank second-grade alchemist, but also possesses an artificer's constitution. Word has it he's been delving into the mysteries of artifice..."
"An artificer? Really? Hasn't the way of artifice been lost to this world long ago?" Wei Zhao's eyes widened in surprise.
Wei Zhao's astonishment seemed routine to the local expert. Chuckling, he said, "That's right, but the Tagan family's alchemist does have an artificer's constitution. If he didn't study artifice, it would be a waste of his gift, so he's researching it. He may not be able to forge divine weapons, but he can still produce small trinkets—first- and second-grade pill cauldrons, for instance. Only a third-grade alchemist could make those, yet with his second-grade alchemist strength and his special constitution, he can produce them as well."
"So this fellow is quite formidable!" Though Wei Zhao could not tell whether the local expert's words were true or false, this little town of Ruileida was indeed a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!
"Naturally." The local expert nodded. "And that is precisely why the Tagan family is the strongest of the three great families in Ruileida Town. With an alchemist holding the seat of power, cultivators flock to them in great numbers. I don't know their exact strength, but I fear they must have at least Earth Rank experts among them!"
"Earth Rank experts..." Wei Zhao had underestimated Ruileida Town before this.
"Quite so. Moreover, because of their partnership with Red Conch, the Tagan family's coffers run deep. Their alchemist specially invented a method of purifying and refining a drug for Red Conch, one that boosts both purity and yield. In return, Red Conch naturally never fails to give the Tagan family its annual cut," the local expert said.
"An alchemist purifying narcotics..." Wei Zhao frowned. Many alchemists disdained such work, yet this Tagan family alchemist had stooped to it. It seemed the families and cultivators here did not play by the rules at all.
"What's so strange about that? The Lu family even has cultivators keeping watch over the venues for the Fire Wolf Gang!" the local expert laughed.
"But if the Tagan family has such experts, why recruit adventurers to help?" Wei Zhao asked, puzzled.
"That's simple enough. Catching spirit beasts is dangerous work; who would want to risk the family's core strength? If the Tagan family's cultivators were all injured, would the other two families not kick them while they were down? Would the Fire Wolf Gang just sit by and watch?" the local expert said. "So the simplest way is to offer a reward and hire help. If it succeeds, every participant gets a Spirit Gathering Pill; if it fails, every participant gets five Spirit Gathering Pellets. Of course, anyone who flees the field gets nothing. A reward like that is enough to make plenty of cultivators risk their lives!"
"That makes sense!" Wei Zhao nodded.
The local expert then rambled on, explaining the situation in Ruileida Town and how to find the Tagan family, among other things. Wei Zhao's money had not been spent in vain.