Chapter 3992 — Given in Private
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
After all, even in the Pill Hall, where alchemists gathered in numbers, those capable of refining a Foundation Establishment Golden Pill were not many, and those who could produce top-grade quality were fewer still.
Judged from this angle alone, this newcomer alchemist named Kang Jingming could almost by this very fact rank directly among the elite alchemists!
Even Wei Zhao, who knew Kang Jingming inside and out, could not help but be rather surprised. If Xu Lingchong's words were all true, then he had indeed underestimated this fellow before. With his present cultivation of only the early Foundation Establishment stage, to refine a top-grade Foundation Establishment Golden Pill at least showed that the man had no small talent in the way of alchemy.
Everyone present was a person of no small consequence, and this feeling of being admired by the whole assembly left Kang Jingming floating on clouds, secretly delighted beyond all restraint.
Still, he at least remembered the instructions Xu Lingchong had given him beforehand, and stepped forward at once, bowing: "Young Master Xu flatters me. As a newcomer of Chongtian Pavilion, doing my humble part for Miss Shangguan is merely my duty—I hardly deserve such praise."
This speech Kang Jingming delivered with admirable modesty and propriety, and the grandees present voiced their approval one after another, privately thinking that with a little cultivation this lad might well accomplish something in the years to come.
Having gathered his fill of the spotlight, Kang Jingming suddenly shifted the subject and turned toward where Wei Zhao stood: "Fellow newcomer Lin, of the Yingxin Pavilion newcomers, only you and I came today. It is a rare chance to attend Miss Shangguan's birthday banquet—you ought to show a little sincerity as well. I know you have always made astonishing moves, so you must not lose face for our Yingxin Pavilion today. If you have a gift, why not bring it out and let us all feast our eyes?"
Everyone present was a shrewd soul, and the intent behind Kang Jingming's words was plain to them at a glance. They promptly put on expressions of eager anticipation—none of it concerned them, after all, and whoever was disgraced or shamed was no affair of theirs.
Yet Wei Zhao merely shook his head faintly: "My apologies. As for my gift, I already gave it to Miss Shangguan in private earlier."
Kang Jingming was slightly taken aback, but beside him Xu Lingchong gave a light laugh: "Given to Junior Sister Lan'er in private? Everyone here presents their gifts together—why must you, a mere newcomer, make yourself a special case? I hear you are an alchemist like Junior Brother Kang. What gift exactly did you give? Why not bring it out and let everyone compare—after all, competition is what drives improvement!"
Xu Lingchong's high-sounding words at once cornered Wei Zhao where he could not decline, and the eyes of the whole assembly shifted accordingly to Shangguan Lan'er.
Shangguan Lan'er thought to herself that this was bad. Because of the interruption by the little curly bear earlier, she had not yet opened the gift inside the spirit jade box to look at it.
Even so, she could guess that given Wei Zhao's meager circumstances as a newcomer of Qingyun Pavilion, it was basically impossible for him to have given anything better than a top-grade Foundation Establishment Golden Pill. If she agreed to this just like that, her little junior brother would be outdone by that loathsome man's underling.
Her mind racing, Shangguan Lan'er was just about to think up an excuse to decline when the little curly bear simply pulled out the spirit jade box it had snatched into its paws and, without a word, opened it in front of the entire assembly.