Chapter 193

Chapter 193: Xiao Zi An with a Kind Face and a Ruthless Heart

As soon as Rong Shu took out the herb, she felt the ice-aspect spiritual energy of the surroundings gather toward it. Seeing that the effect was about to spread beyond her room, she hurried to put the herb back into the Storage Pouch so as not to cause a disturbance.

Rong Shu and Little Hamster traded a glance, and she muttered: “A demonic cultivator stronghold had such a superb ice-attribute herb? That makes no sense. An herb this good, placed in a stronghold without even a single Golden Core Stage cultivator, even if there are layers of formations outside for protection.” [Could this be the Ice Crystal Glaze Lotus stolen from Ice Lake?]

Once the thought surfaced, Rong Shu could not help but turn it over and over. The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. “When I go receive my prize tomorrow, I will mention it to Fourth Senior Brother,” she said as she glanced out the window and saw that the sky was fully dark.

Today’s competition had taken up most of the day. Add to that the robberies of the demonic cultivator strongholds and now the sorting of the spoils, and the day had slipped away without her noticing.

Having made up her mind, Rong Shu continued organizing the rest of the haul. “Medicinal herbs, a few hundred kinds. Not particularly high grade. Most are for healing or for concocting sedatives. Spirit Stones, around a few hundred thousand. So poor. As for weapons, there are quite a lot, but most have some kind of mark on them. Were these stolen by demonic cultivators? Better to melt them down. Safer and simpler.”

After she finished sorting everything, Rong Shu sought out Wu Hua and told him that she suspected they had gotten hold of the Ice Crystal Glaze Lotus. Wu Hua had never seen the Ice Crystal Glaze Lotus and could not judge whether it was the same, so he agreed with Rong Shu’s plan to speak with Xiao Zi An tomorrow.

At that moment, in the local sub-guild of the Alchemists’ Guild, Xiao Zi An sat at ease on a long chair, leaning back as his right hand played with two smooth, round jade stones. Two men came in, forcing a disheveled, middle-aged man forward.

“Kneel,” barked the older-looking one, driving a thread of spiritual energy to press the middle-aged man down onto his knees before Xiao Zi An. Then the man turned to Xiao Zi An and said with deference: “Young Master.”

Xiao Zi An lifted his gaze to the middle-aged man who had been dragged in and curled the corner of his mouth: “You are the steward guarding Ice Lake. With early Nascent Soul cultivation, you could have founded your own sect in the Southern Wilds.”

The middle-aged man looked as if he had been fished from a pool of blood. His face was white, his voice weak and airy as he said: “Young Master, this subordinate understands his fault. I beg the Young Master to give me another chance.”

Lounging back in the chair with his chin slightly raised, Xiao Zi An spoke in an airy, almost rueful tone: “Tsk, I only came out to clear my head a little. The daily filth I could overlook. My mood was quite good. For ordinary matters, turning a blind eye is possible—for example, the way you have skimmed twenty percent off the rewards for every Alchemy Conference these past years.”

At that, the man’s pupils shrank and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. The two attendants standing by also lost their composure and dropped to one knee in a hurry: “Young Master, we knew nothing of this. Please investigate clearly, Young Master.”

Xiao Zi An ignored their pleas and sighed to himself: “Why make this so difficult for me? If you are going to fool me, at least do it cleanly. Otherwise, even a blind man can see the clues.”

The middle-aged man kowtowed frantically to Xiao Zi An. Half his teeth had already been knocked out, and his speech whistled as he begged: “Young Master, I truly did not know anyone would steal the Ice Crystal Glaze Lotus. Please, give me another chance.”

For over a hundred years, it was not as if no one had attempted to steal the Ice Crystal Glaze Lotus, but those people either returned in disgrace or were caught on the spot. Gradually, few dared to harbor such thoughts. No one had expected the Ice Crystal Glaze Lotus to be stolen out of the blue.

Staring at the man for a few breaths, Xiao Zi An suddenly asked: “How many years have you been with the Alchemists’ Guild?”

Startled and uncertain, the man answered in a quavering voice: “Nearly two hundred years.”

Xiao Zi An nodded: “Two hundred years. Before I was even born. That is quite a while.” From beginning to end, his tone remained gentle, making it hard to guess his thoughts. “Since you have worked so long and hard, the guild is not without feeling.”

The man’s heart leapt and he started to bow again, but in the next breath Xiao Zi An added lightly: “Abolish his cultivation.”

The middle-aged man froze, staring at Xiao Zi An in disbelief. The two attendants were also startled. How could the punishment jump so suddenly to the abolition of cultivation?

“No, I have labored for the guild for two hundred years. Even if I have no merit, I have toil. Young Master, you cannot do this. I beg you, Young Master, I will atone for my crimes with service,” he cried.

Xiao Zi An glanced at the two attendants who were still stunned and asked: “Hm? Do I need to repeat myself?” The two shivered, lowered their heads, and answered at once: “We will carry it out at once.”

“No, you cannot. I have shed blood for the guild. You cannot do this,” the man shouted, trying to lunge at Xiao Zi An, but the attendants moved swiftly to restrain him.

Xiao Zi An’s lips held a faint smile devoid of warmth as he said: “It is precisely because you have served the guild for two hundred years that I feel a bit embarrassed to kill you. Embezzlement, collusion with outsiders, reselling medicinal herbs, killing for profit, dereliction of duty and abuse of office—count them one by one. In light of all that, merely abolishing your cultivation is not excessive, is it?”

The middle-aged man was struck dumb. He had not imagined Xiao Zi An could uncover everything in such a short time, down to the very bottom of his past. It was over. Completely over. Those were the only three words left in his mind.

He was quickly dragged out. A few seconds later, wretched screams sounded from outside. “Ah, ah, ah.”

After a moment, the older attendant returned to report: “Young Master, it is done. Shall we throw him out of the guild now, or wait until he has recovered a bit from his injuries before sending him away?”

Still toying with the jade stones, Xiao Zi An said, his gaze deep: “Send him to the mines first and have him work there for a few months. If he shows any resentment toward the guild, tidy it up cleanly. I do not like loose ends.”

A chill ran through the attendant. “Yes.”

“Go. I am going to sleep,” said Xiao Zi An as he stood and turned to leave.

“Respectfully sending the Young Master off,” they said.