The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 399: Wooden Comb

“No!” Zhao Shenkong shrieked, his eyes filled with despair and fear of death.

He didn’t want to die – he was still young, with a promising future ahead. How could he die here?

But Fang Lin didn’t care how horrified or desperate Zhao Shenkong was. His only thought was – kill this bastard.

Just as the massive bone club was about to come crashing down, a beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping both Fang Lin and Zhao Shenkong.

Fang Lin’s club was but a hair’s breadth from smashing Zhao Shenkong’s skull when the white light enveloped him, rendering him completely immobile.

Zhao Shenkong, still frozen in terror and despair, was unable to move, but he felt a huge wave of relief. He wasn’t dead yet!

Fang Lin gritted his teeth in frustration. He had almost killed Zhao Shenkong, and he hadn’t expected this turn of events. He sighed inwardly, It seems that Zhao Shenkong wasn’t destined to die yet.

“Cough, you two should calm down. Inside the Pill Pole Tower, any action threatening someone’s life will be prevented. So no matter how much you fight, it is meaningless.” The old man in white finally spoke.

Fang Lin scoffed. “Who said it’s meaningless? Someone here got scared shitless – that makes it very meaningful.”

His words were clearly directed at Zhao Shenkong, intended to belittle him.

As expected, Zhao Shenkong’s face flushed with anger and unwillingness, tinged with a hint of mortification.

Not only had he been scared, but he had also begged Fang Lin for his life, even handing over his Nine Palace Bag to save himself.

Although survival was a basic instinct, thinking back on his disgraceful behavior made Zhao Shenkong wish he could crawl into a hole.

This was humiliating!

As a prince of Yun Country and a prodigy of Alchemy Tao, he was supposed to be rising through the ranks and making a name for himself. Yet, here he was, begging Fang Lin for his life. It was truly the ultimate humiliation.

“Fang Lin, you may not be able to kill me, but I swear this isn’t over!” Zhao Shenkong roared, though he came off as rather comical.

Fang Lin smirked, about to say something, when the white light flickered and separated the two, restoring their freedom.

Zhao Shenkong, gasping for breath, glared at Fang Lin, his chest aching with pain.

He wanted to take out some Pills to swallow but realized that his Nine Palace Bag was now in Fang Lin’s hands.

At this point, Zhao Shenkong’s face fell, and he said to Fang Lin, “Give me back the Nine Palace Bag.”

Fang Lin showed a mocking grin. “You gave me the Nine Palace Bag of your own accord, and now you’re asking for it back? Have you no shame?”

Zhao Shenkong was furious to the point of wanting to curse out loud, thinking back to his pathetic display made him want to slap himself.

“Fang Lin, return the Nine Palace Bag to me.” Zhao Shenkong gritted his teeth and said.

Fang Lin shook his head, grinning. “No.”

Zhao Shenkong was both angry and frustrated, his heart filled with melancholy.

He was well aware that now that Nine Palace Bag was in Fang Lin’s hands, he probably wouldn’t get it back. He couldn’t defeat Fang Lin, nor could he forcibly take it.

At this point, Zhao Shenkong felt an unbearable sense of frustration. Facing Fang Lin, he was at a total disadvantage, constantly on the losing end, and now he’d lost his Nine Palace Bag too.

Zhao Shenkong felt an urge to die. The Nine Palace Bag itself wasn’t crucial, but everything inside it constituted his entire family’s fortune.

Now, Fang Lin happily walked over to the Wordless Ancient Stele. Instead of rushing to decipher the stone, he toyed with Zhao Shenkong’s Nine Palace Bag in his hand.

“Well, let’s see what kind of treasures this thing holds.” Fang Lin said cheerfully.

Zhao Shenkong stood there, nearly spitting blood in frustration, wishing he could throw himself at Fang Lin in rage.

Then, with apparent ease, Fang Lin erased the traces of Zhao Shenkong’s possession etched on the bag and began to inspect the things inside.

“Huh? Nine-Legged Insect Grass? Good stuff!”

“Wow! Hundred-Year Snow Spirit, not bad!”

“This ring inscribed with a Defensive Array is pretty great.”

“These few bottles of Pills are passable, barely worth mentioning.”

···

Fang Lin continued to rummage through the bag, pulling out each item to make a comment on it.

This was done deliberately for Zhao Shenkong to watch, simply to provoke him.

Indeed, Zhao Shenkong was so upset at this display that he spewed a mouthful of blood. His injuries worsened, forcing him to sit down cross-legged and circulate his Inner Strength to suppress his wounds.

The injuries were one thing, but the indignation in his chest made Zhao Shenkong incredibly uncomfortable. He didn’t want to watch Fang Lin flaunting his treasures, but he could still hear Fang Lin’s giddy exclamations – it felt like a death sentence.

After inspecting the items for a while, Fang Lin’s smile grew brighter. Indeed, a prince’s Nine Palace Bag was something else. Especially when the owner was an Alchemy Tao prodigy – there was no shortage of treasures in the bag.

In particular, Zhao Shenkong actually had two Millennium Ancient medicinal herbs – it was like an unexpected windfall. Fang Lin was so excited that he was almost gushing with joy.

“Hm? What’s this?” Suddenly, Fang Lin seemed to have found something unfamiliar, sounding puzzled.

Zhao Shenkong glanced instinctively and was immediately filled with rage, he looked as if he was about to explode.

Fang Lin held in his hand an ordinary wooden comb, with long, black hair coiled around it – clearly a woman’s.

Fang Lin examined it from all sides. It was just a common comb, made from some good-quality wood. Nothing more.

Puzzled, Fang Lin looked at Zhao Shenkong. Was this guy some kind of pervert, carrying around a comb used by women?

“Fang Lin, put it down, or I swear I’ll fight you to the death!” Zhao Shenkong shouted angrily. Ignoring his injuries, he stepped towards Fang Lin, looking both furious and desperate.

Fang Lin furrowed his brows, finding Zhao Shenkong’s behavior strange. He said, “Does this comb mean anything to you?”

Zhao Shenkong stopped in his tracks, his expression instantly changed, revealing a mix of sorrow and reminiscence.

“That is my mother’s keepsake.” Zhao Shenkong responded in a low voice.

Fang Lin was taken aback at this, showing a complicated expression on his face.

“I thought it was something important. Since it’s useless, you can have it back.” Fang Lin casually tossed the comb back to Zhao Shenkong.

Zhao Shenkong hurriedly caught it and carefully placed it close to his body.

Then, he gave Fang Lin a complicated look, remaining silent as he retreated to a distance to continue healing.

To everyone’s surprise, Fang Lin didn’t provoke Zhao Shenkong anymore. He silently stowed away the items from the Nine Palace Bag and hung it on his waist.

Afterward, Fang Lin turned to look at the large green stone slab behind him – the Wordless Ancient Stele.

However, no matter how he looked at it, it seemed like a useless piece of green stone, the kind that looks out of place wherever it’s placed.

“Old man, what should I do now?” Fang Lin asked.