This man is formidable—Joe Di's first impression. He was certain this fellow was no weaker than Master Dui, who had just left. Since he couldn't discern the man's cultivation, it was likely beyond the Immortal King realm.
"She brought this upon herself," Joe Di replied calmly. "For no reason, she set a trap and nailed my junior sister here, even placing a life-locking restriction. If I hadn't intervened, my junior sister would be dead by now. I merely returned to your daughter what she inflicted on others."
He was certain this man wouldn't dare act rashly; even Master Dui had said Joe Di was justified.
"You've got guts." The murderous aura around the yellow-robed cultivator almost took physical form. "Let's see if you can survive today..."
As he spoke, he reached to pull out the spear lodged in his daughter Quinn Huang.
Joe Di had endured the harshest environments in body refinement; he was not afraid of anyone's killing intent, no matter how palpable. Seeing the yellow-robed cultivator move to pull out the spear, Joe Di sneered, "Don't say I didn't warn you—not just anyone can pull out that spear."
"Hahaha..." The yellow-robed cultivator laughed wildly, though his eyes held no humor. "I, Ethan Huang, have never seen such an arrogant and self-important Immortal Lord ant..."
As he uttered the word 'ant,' Ethan Huang reached out, and the spear Joe Di had thrust into his daughter was already in his hand—his laughter stopped abruptly.
Bang! A spray of blood erupted as a bowl-sized hole burst open in Quinn Huang's chest. Her vitality was utterly extinguished, even her soul wiped clean.
Ethan Huang was stunned. His divine sense saw it clearly—the restriction pinning his daughter was a low-grade life-locking array, something he considered trivial. So why did she die when he pulled out the spear?
His daughter was dead...
Ethan Huang finally snapped, murderous intent surging. "Go die!"
A frenzied palm strike was about to land on Joe Di; he felt a chill as a sense of death washed over him.
At that moment, Joe Di's face changed. He hadn't expected Ethan Huang to be so reckless. Did he not realize that killing here meant certain death?
"Order Master Huang, stop! This is Cauldron Haven." A clear voice called out, and a woman rushed forward.
Ethan Huang shivered, his momentary madness faded, and he finally calmed down. This was Cauldron Haven—if he dared kill here, he would surely die.
No, he'd already killed someone—even if it was his daughter, it still counted as murder.
"Order Master Huang, you may be a sect leader, but if you want to kill recklessly in Cauldron Haven, that's not enough." A calm voice rang out, and two men in steward robes flanked Ethan Huang.
Ethan Huang calmed down completely. He cupped his fists to the two stewards and said, "I was impulsive just now. The sudden loss of my daughter made me agitated, and I almost made a grave mistake."
The steward on the left nodded. "We understand Order Master Huang's feelings. Since it has happened, please come with us to the Law Enforcement Hall to explain."
"Of course." Ethan Huang didn't even look at Joe Di. He collected his daughter's corpse and followed the two Cauldron Haven City Stewards out.
In his eyes, Joe Di was already dead—just a matter of sooner or later.
"Thank you, Steward Holly," Joe Di said to the woman who had stopped Ethan Huang. Even if Holly Chance hadn't intervened, the two City Stewards would have stopped Ethan Huang anyway, but Joe Di accepted the favor.
Holly Chance nodded and said to Joe Di, "Alchemist Di, may I visit your residence to talk?"
Joe Di smiled slightly. "Of course, Steward Holly, please."
Joe Di was not actually worried. As long as he stayed in his shop, what could Ethan Huang do to him?
To kill him, Ethan Huang might not even break through his defensive array before the Cauldron Haven City Stewards arrived. The only pity was that his Terraflame Banner wasn't with him; his array was only rank seven, which was still a bit lacking against Ethan Huang.
"Haha, Alchemist Di, you're incredible. Ethan Huang is an early-stage Immortal Sovereign. Anyone else would have been too scared to speak, their legs turning to jelly." A pale, slightly chubby young man walked over, giving Joe Di a thumbs-up as he laughed.
Joe Di recognized the voice—it was the same sarcastic tone that had spoken up for him earlier.
"Thank you for speaking up for me earlier, my friend," Joe Di said. He could tell at a glance that the pale-faced youth was a Grand Immortal, with cultivation stronger than his own.
The pale-faced youth waved his hand. "It's nothing, just a small matter. I like making friends like Brother Di."
"I'm heading back to my shop. If you don't mind, friend, you can come sit for a while," Joe Di invited.
The pale-faced youth laughed. "That's exactly what I wanted. My name is Aaron Jace."
Joe Di nodded. "In that case, Daoist Jace, Steward Holly, let's go."
After saying this, Joe Di threw out several array flags. Before the surrounding cultivators could react, Joe Di, already some distance away, waved his hand.
Boom! With a loud explosion, the shop that had set up the trap for Sprout was blasted to pieces by Joe Di. Several clerks were thrown out—not killed, but stripped of their clothes, looking like half-roasted pigs.
The surrounding cultivators clicked their tongues in secret. This guy was ruthless and couldn't stand any loss. If it were another cultivator, they'd already count themselves lucky to escape with their life and a windfall, but this guy wasn't satisfied and even blasted the shop before leaving. If Master Dui hadn't spoken up, this act of blasting the shop could have landed him in Cauldron Haven's Law Enforcement Hall.
He really had guts. Some people, thinking of this, suddenly wanted to know what kind of shop this gutsy alchemist ran.
......
"Sprout, keep Aaron company for a bit. I'll chat with Steward Holly." After instructing Sprout, Joe Di said to Aaron, "I'll be down soon, Brother Jace."
Joe Di knew why Steward Holly sought him out. He had offended a ruthless man, and now, as an honorary alchemist of Starspire Apothecary, he was still of some use to them. Steward Holly was probably here to help.
Aaron Jace waved his hand. "Brother Di, go ahead. My only trouble each day is having too much time. I'm just bored, so don't worry about me."
Joe Di was also curious about Aaron Jace. In that situation, anyone who spoke up for him would be courting death unless they were foolish.
So he felt Aaron Jace probably didn't just like him—maybe there was another reason, but he'd wait until after talking with Holly Chance to find out.
"Junior Sister Mo, you're injured, so go rest in your room." Moria Lane's cultivation was low, and she was injured. Plus, she was a Pure Spirit Body; Joe Di didn't want her to stay outside.
"Mm." Moria Lane got up and went upstairs. Her cultivation was low, but she understood that Joe Di was facing a big problem.
......
"Please, Steward Holly." Joe Di brought Holly Chance to the second-floor reception room and poured her a cup of ordinary Immortal Spirit Tea.
As for Starlight Tea, Joe Di planned to serve it after the discussion, lest Holly Chance get distracted by it.
"Alchemist Di, actually my task from headquarters is to persuade you to join Starspire Apothecary. After that, they will handle everything for you..."
Joe Di had been through too much; as soon as Holly Chance spoke, he sensed something was off. What did she mean by 'task received'? His conflict with Order Master Huang had just happened, yet Holly Chance already had orders from headquarters?
The only possibility was that Starspire Apothecary knew this would happen. Realizing this, Joe Di's expression darkened.
Seeing Joe Di's face, Holly Chance knew he understood the whole story. She sighed, "I tried my best to persuade headquarters, but my status is too low. No one listened to me. In the end, I was sent to play the good guy, to step in and help you at a critical moment."
Joe Di spoke calmly, "So Order Master Huang was in on it with Starspire Apothecary? He played the villain, Starspire played the good guy, and then they planned to take me away and keep me as a pill refiner?"
Holly Chance secretly admired Joe Di's quick and meticulous thinking. She nodded, "That's right. I just didn't expect you to act so decisively, resolving the crisis before we could intervene. Even though there will be more trouble ahead, I believe you'll find a way out."
Joe Di looked at Holly Chance. "Why are you telling me this?"
Holly Chance smiled faintly. "Ever since I received this task, I never intended to harm you. Now that you've overcome the first wave of trouble, it's good for me too. At least I don't have to warn you to be careful. I was going to tell you to leave Cauldron Haven quickly, but now that's not an option. I know Ethan Huang well—if you hadn't killed his daughter, you might have had a chance to escape. Now, he definitely won't let you go."
"Ethan Huang has already been taken away by the Cauldron Haven Law Enforcement Hall," Joe Di said calmly.
Holly Chance sneered. "Cauldron Haven Law Enforcement Hall? You overestimate them. It was only because it happened in public. As a sect master, Ethan Huang will be released immediately and will come after you. As for you, you've become a thorn in the Law Enforcement Hall's side. Just wait—trouble will keep coming your way until they drag you inside."
Joe Di had already anticipated this outcome. He took a breath and asked, "Steward Holly, you and I are just casual acquaintances. Why are you helping me?"
Holly Chance shook her head. "You gave me a Seven Aperture Soul Gathering Pill. When my friend learned about it, she asked me to help you no matter what. Besides, I want to help you myself. I believe you will never be just an ordinary immortal alchemist."