When Mo Qi and Sun Qian walked in, Mo Qi took in the scene. Ye Xiaobu stood in the center, Shi Xi and Fu Baishuang sat in chairs, and Hong Hu, perched on Fu Baishuang's lap, immediately stood up, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the intrusion.
Shi Xi angrily demanded, "Who are you people? Who allowed you in?"
Before Mo Qi could respond, Ye Xiaobu exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty, why are you here?"
The faces of the three changed drastically. Shi Xi shot to his feet, looking nervously at Mo Qi with the expression of a child caught doing something wrong.
Fu Baishuang, however, remained seated, looking at Mo Qi with an arrogant air. "Greetings, Your Majesty. My legs are not good, so I will not stand."
In his view, the Red Leaf Empire still needed him, and would ultimately rely on him to deal with the Yellow Leaf Empire. Therefore, he felt it was necessary to maintain his status.
"You..." Ye Xiaobu was about to lash out at him, but Mo Qi held him back.
Killing someone was too easy; with a mere gesture, he could dispatch all three of them.
However, killing them would not change the Red Leaf Empire's current predicament.
"Are all three of you alchemists?" Mo Qi asked, looking at Fu Baishuang.
Before Fu Baishuang could answer, Ye Xiaobu chimed in, "Yes, they are all alchemists. There are also a few artifact refiners on the third floor."
Mo Qi produced three ice silkworm cocoons and placed them on the table. "All three of you, try your hand at this. Those who can draw eight hundred strands or more can stay. Otherwise, you may leave."
His words carried both authority and a veiled threat, which sobered the three of them.
If it had been Ye Xiaobu, they might have tried to play games. But facing Mo Qi, they could only rely on their skills.
The three slowly stepped forward and each took an ice silkworm cocoon to begin drawing silk. Fu Baishuang's progress was rapid, while the other two struggled immensely, their movements labored. It was clear they would not be able to complete the task.
Soon, Fu Baishuang had drawn over six hundred strands. His pace slowed slightly, but he remained composed, as if confident of success. While drawing, he spoke to Mo Qi, "Those two certainly won't finish. Don't make things difficult for them; they were only allowed in because of me."
Ye Xiaobu immediately added, "Yes, his normal skill is drawing eight hundred and fifty strands. It was precisely because I saw how outstanding and excellent he was that I allowed him to bring others in. Who knew that after entering, he would become arrogant, look down on everyone, and be utterly insubordinate."
Ye Xiaobu revealed Fu Baishuang's capabilities. Fu Baishuang then slammed the ice silkworm cocoon onto the table. "That's right, I am that excellent. The three of us will advance and retreat together. If they leave, I leave too. If I leave, your Danbao Pavilion will likely close its doors very soon. In the entire realm, besides me, no one can deal with the alchemists of the Yellow Leaf Kingdom."
Before Mo Qi could speak, Fu Baishuang casually sat back down. "Since you are here, I will make it clear to you: unless you let me be the Pavilion Master of Danbao Pavilion, I will not work diligently for you."
Mo Qi smiled meaningfully. "Arrogance is only acceptable if you have something to be arrogant about. Drawing eight hundred and fifty strands, do you think that's impressive? If I were to accidentally draw eight hundred and fifty strands, I would be too embarrassed to even mention it, yet you are proud of it."
Fu Baishuang snorted coldly. "Anyone can brag. I could say I can draw a thousand strands. You," he scrutinized Mo Qi from head to toe, "you might be better at fighting, but when it comes to alchemy, don't embarrass yourself."
Sun Qian suddenly let out a giggle.
Fu Baishuang, unaware of her amusement, felt offended. He turned and nudged Hong Hu. "They're laughing at me, and you're doing nothing?"
Hong Hu forced a dry smile at Sun Qian with a distressed expression. Sun Qian covered her mouth, laughing even harder.
Mo Qi also picked up an ice silkworm cocoon and said to Fu Baishuang, "Whether it's bragging or not, we'll soon find out. But let me state this upfront: if I draw a thousand strands, what will you do afterwards?"
"I will refine pills with all my heart, producing over a thousand top-quality pills daily, without any complaints," Fu Baishuang replied.
"Good," Mo Qi nodded. "And if I fail to draw a thousand strands, then I will let you be the Pavilion Master of Danbao Pavilion."
"Actually, being the shopkeeper is also fine," Fu Baishuang added.
Mo Qi pointed to the other two. "As for those two, we don't keep idle hands here. If they insist on staying, they will start as apprentices, with half the pay."
"Alright, no problem," Fu Baishuang agreed.
This was a sure win, a situation where he couldn't lose. He would even bet his own head on it.
In such a wager, all that mattered was what he stood to gain.
As soon as Fu Baishuang finished speaking, Mo Qi brushed his hand over the ice silkworm cocoon, pulled it, and tossed it to Fu Baishuang. "Check this. Is it a thousand strands?"
Fu Baishuang's eyeballs nearly popped out. After a long moment of stunned silence, he took the cocoon and examined it. The more he looked, the more his shock grew, his surprise almost spilling over his face.
This ice silkworm cocoon was indeed free of impurities. He had never seen such a pure ice silkworm cocoon. If it weren't for the pain he felt when he pinched his thigh, he would have thought he was dreaming.
How had he achieved this?
If someone could do this, they would be an anomaly, a prodigy.
For ordinary people, drawing one strand at a time, managing to draw a thousand strands was already a miracle.
He had drawn a thousand strands in one go.
No, this must be cheating.
Fu Baishuang, his face ashen, stared at Mo Qi. "You must have had someone else draw it beforehand and pretended to do it yourself. You actually did nothing."
"He really can do it," Sun Qian said, her eyes shining.
Mo Qi rolled his eyes and looked at Fu Baishuang. He took out another ice silkworm cocoon and handed it over. "Check this first. See if it was prepared in advance."
Fu Baishuang took the cocoon and examined it, then shook his head with certainty. "It wasn't drawn beforehand, but this time, you definitely won't be able to draw a thousand strands, no matter how long it takes."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Qi snatched the cocoon back from him. Then, with his other hand, he brushed and pulled, handing the cocoon back to Fu Baishuang. "Check again."
Fu Baishuang's eyes widened in disbelief. He looked at Mo Qi, then at the cocoon, and finally fixed his gaze on the cocoon, unable to recover for a long time.
What a slap in the face! Could there be a louder one?
For the first time in his life, he felt like a complete failure!
He had once considered himself a genius; how shameless he had been!
If there had been a crack in the ground at that moment, he would have disappeared into it.
Hong Hu and Shi Xi were also stunned, their faces shifting from pale to flushed, unsure of what to do.
Previously, relying on Fu Baishuang's abilities, they had acted with impunity and arrogance within the Danbao Pavilion. But now, even Fu Baishuang was utterly crushed. How could they possibly hold their heads high?
Seeing that he had subdued Fu Baishuang, Mo Qi pointed to the three of them. "Wait here for a moment, all three of you. We'll go out to greet our opponents shortly. I need to go upstairs first."
He then turned to Ye Xiaobu and said, "Lead the way. Let's go see the artifact refiners."
Everyone respectfully responded, "Yes!"
Led by Ye Xiaobu, Mo Qi and Sun Qian ascended to the third floor.
In the artifact refining room, Yin Dacong, Mao Xiaolong, Yao Chenchen, and Shao Jun were diligently engaged in their craft.
Presumably, they had heard the commotion downstairs and came to check. Knowing that His Majesty was present, they had temporarily adopted an appearance of serious work.
Mo Qi did not expose them. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Yin Dacong. "Help me see what this is."
Yin Dacong took it and examined it carefully five times, completely bewildered. "This seems to be a recipe for refining some artifact, but I feel it cannot be refined. Something is missing – something that can alter the purity of the Golden Lotus Gourd. Otherwise, the impurities are too great, preventing the absorption of spiritual energy, thus making the artifact unrefinable."
Mo Qi nodded with satisfaction. "Good. It's good that you can recognize this. Now, continue looking and see what exactly is missing."
Yin Dacong studied it for a long time, his face turning red with effort, but he couldn't figure it out.
Mo Qi said, "Let me tell you, it's missing ability!"
These words were incredibly hurtful.
Yin Dacong immediately became indignant. "I'm lacking ability? Then... then who can refine it? Whoever can refine it, I'll call them 'father'."
Mo Qi smiled slightly and walked directly to a nearby refining furnace. He took out the raw materials, spirit stones, and basic materials. The basic material was a Golden Lotus Gourd. Mo Qi removed the impurities from it, then placed all the materials into the refining furnace and began the process.
An hour later, Mo Qi took out the gourd. After a brief cooling period, he removed all the other raw materials. Then, he placed the gourd back into the furnace, added some spirit stones, and resealed the furnace lid to continue refining.
Yin Dacong watched, dumbfounded. This method of refining was indeed something others could not achieve.
Firstly, the impurities in the Golden Lotus Gourd could not be removed. And this refining method was something others likely wouldn't conceive of.
Yin Dacong felt he had already lost, his expression extremely grim.
Several hours later, Mo Qi opened the furnace lid and took out the gourd. It gleamed golden, was rich with spiritual energy, and was surrounded by a layer of mist. It looked comparable to a magical treasure.
Yin Dacong sighed, forced to admit his admiration. "This... I admit you have exceptional skill in artifact refining. My ability is indeed inferior to yours. Alas, I have no face to remain here. I shall leave now."
With that, he prepared to turn and leave, but Mo Qi stopped him. "If anyone who is inferior to me in artifact refining has to leave, then no one will be able to enter this refining room. In fact, artifact refining doesn't require such high standards for impurity removal; it only requires transferring more spiritual energy to the artifact. With time and effort, you can certainly do better than me."
As he spoke, Mo Qi took out a dense artifact refining manual and handed it to Yin Dacong. "Cultivate diligently. I look forward to your rapid progress."
Yin Dacong's desire to leave stemmed from his pride. Seeing that Mo Qi did not mention the wager at all and even gifted him a manual, he was deeply moved. He immediately accepted the manual and repeatedly bowed his thanks. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Mo Qi handed the Golden Lotus Gourd to Sun Qian. Then, he led everyone from the artifact refining room downstairs. He called for Fu Baishuang and the others.
The group, a considerable procession, walked out of the Danbao Pavilion. They set up a table, on which were placed countless boxes. Mo Qi began filling them with the various pills he had refined.