Strongest War Emperor

"Damn it, get the hell up and speak properly!" Having a grown man clinging to his leg was not a pleasant sensation. Shen Lang felt goosebumps break out all over his body, and he nearly kicked the guy hard enough to cripple him.

"Young Master Lang, please just spare me! I know where to find a Seven-Star Begonia..." Lanlos had decided to go all in. This was no longer a matter of pride.

At first, he’d been a little concerned about Zhan Lan being nearby, but her words had reminded him of something.

’You’re a genius Alchemist...’

’That’s right! Where else could I find an Alchemist this powerful and this young?’

On one hand, he was worried Shen Lang was still displeased with him. If the young master was still upset, a single word from him would be enough to get Lanlos kicked out of the Treasure Pavilion.

On the other hand, he wanted to latch onto this powerful backer... and maybe even get a few pointers!

For these two reasons, he couldn’t care less that Zhan Lan was standing right there.

’Kneeling before a genius Alchemist like him isn’t shameful at all...’

"Whether you know where to find a Seven-Star Begonia or not, stand up first. I don’t like to repeat myself, and I’ve already made an exception for you today..." Shen Lang took a deep breath, speaking in the calmest voice he could muster.

A grown man in his thirties, blubbering with snot and tears while hugging your leg... most people wouldn’t be able to stand it.

Lanlos tried to press his luck. "No! I won’t get up unless you promise to forgive me, Young Master Lang..."

"Fine..." Shen Lang sighed, extending his right hand, palm facing up.

"What...?" Lanlos’s heart leaped into his throat as a sliver of panic set in.

A pitch-black Thunder Ball, crackling with dense arcs of electricity, materialized in Shen Lang’s right hand.

"A Thun... Thunder Ball?" Lanlos’s eyes bulged as he stared at the sphere in disbelief.

Shen Lang smiled. "That’s right. I’m surprised you recognized it."

With a flick of his wrist, the small Thunder Ball erupted in a brilliant flash and slammed into Lanlos’s chest...

BOOM!

Lanlos let out a pained shriek and was sent flying backward, taking the chair behind him along for the ride.

He collapsed to the ground, his limbs twitching uncontrollably as electricity coursed through them. He was foaming at the mouth, cutting a ridiculous figure.

"Young Master, he..." Zhan Lan covered her mouth, unable to believe what she had just seen.

Shen Lang had previously given her the impression of a bright, cheerful young man, albeit one who was a little too calm.

She never expected him to be so ruthless, striking without a moment’s hesitation!

Shen Lang chuckled. "Don’t worry. A single Thunder Ball won’t be enough to kill him."

As he spoke, he pointed a finger at Lanlos. A jet of water vapor materialized from thin air and sprayed the unconscious man, who jolted and sat bolt upright.

"Feeling better now? If you are, let’s talk business," Shen Lang said nonchalantly, taking a sip of his tea.

Lanlos shuddered and scrambled to his feet, his voice trembling. "Yes, yes, much better, Young Master Lang... Whatever you need, just say the word. I swear on my honor to handle it perfectly for you!"

"You swear on your honor...? Now that you mention it, I’m even less convinced... But whatever. Someone has to do this, and since you’ve already taken a Thunder Ball from me, it might as well be you," Shen Lang said with a helpless sigh.

He then took out three pieces of parchment. They were covered in densely written names of various materials, followed by the required quantities.

Lanlos nervously took the three parchments. His hand trembled so violently he almost dropped them.

"So... so many precious materials? Thousand-leaf Dew! That’s the sap of a Demon Companion Grass, found near the lairs of Fifth Level Demon Beasts! A Fifth Level Demon Beast is equivalent to a Xuanwu Realm Powerhouse!"

"Three Demon Crystals from a Soaring Water Beast—a Fourth Level Water Demonic Beast? Their Attack Power isn’t that impressive, but they tend to hide in the depths of great lakes. It’s incredibly difficult to lure them out..."

"Broken Vein Treasure Lotus, Golden Cauldron Immortal Grass, Pear Blossom Immortal Essence... Th-th-this..."

"What the hell are you stuttering about? I’m not asking you to go gather them yourself! Just write these down. Your Treasure Pavilion should be able to collect more than half of them. For the rest, just post quests and leave them to the Mercenary Corps or other experts," Shen Lang said, his expression darkening.

Only then did it dawn on Lanlos.

’That’s right, who is this person in front of me? He’s a genius Alchemist! That one formula he produced earlier was practically priceless. Money is no object for him!’

’And if money isn’t an issue, what in this world can’t be bought?’

"S-so, does Young Master Lang mean you’re entrusting this task to me?" Lanlos asked in disbelief. It was one thing when he didn’t know how incredible Shen Lang was, but now that he knew, he was completely overwhelmed by the favor.

A task like this should have been given to a high-level executive like Sima Qing. He wasn’t even qualified to touch it, yet Young Master Lang had entrusted it to him!

"It doesn’t matter if you’re not willing. I can just give it to Zhan Lan," Shen Lang said nonchalantly.

WHOOSH. Lanlos clutched the three parchments to his chest as if afraid Zhan Lan would snatch them away. "I’m willing, I’m willing! A thousand times, yes!" he said excitedly. "Rest assured, Young Master Lang, I’ll handle it perfectly!"

Shen Lang smiled. "Not just perfectly, but quickly. Money is no object. Offer twenty to thirty percent above market price... for the hard-to-find ones, even forty percent is fine. Alright, now tell me about the Seven-Star Begonia."

Lanlos swallowed hard. "That much of a markup... Oh, the Seven-Star Begonia! Young Master Lang, you’ve asked the right person. A friend of mine happened to mention it just a while ago. To be honest, the Seven-Star Begonia isn’t worth much, but it’s notoriously hard to find. It’s a plant that..."

"Get to the point," Shen Lang cut him off.

Lanlos flinched. "A friend of mine saw a Seven-Star Begonia south of the Sorrow Swamp in Thorn Valley. Next to it was a Seven-Star Poison Flood Dragon, probably around the Fourth or Fifth Level. He wasn’t sure, though. He saw it from a distance and was scared away before he could get a closer look."

"Thorn Valley... Sorrow Swamp?" Shen Lang’s gaze sharpened. "Where exactly in the Sorrow Swamp? That’s not a place ordinary people can enter, is it?"

If that Seven-Star Poison Flood Dragon really was Fourth or Fifth Level, it would be equivalent to a human Martial Artist at the Peak of the Qi Martial Realm or the Initial Tier of the Xuanwu Realm. With Shen Lang’s current Cultivation, it would be difficult, but not overly so.

He was confident he could deal with it using Talismans, Profound Artifacts, and the powerful Cultivation Techniques he could now use.

However, the Sorrow Swamp was no casual destination. The gloomy region was damp and rainy, perpetually shrouded in a poisonous mist. Furthermore, the swamp’s dominant predator was the Lightning Crocodile, and they were as numerous as blades of grass.

The Lightning Crocodile not only had nigh-impenetrable defenses like Copper Skin and Iron Bones, but it was also as fast as lightning...

For the average Martial Artist, navigating such a place would be next to impossible. Collecting the Seven-Star Begonia in the Sorrow Swamp was far easier said than done.

"Er... I didn’t ask about that at the time. I heard the guy went with a Mercenary Corps, so I don’t know the specifics. But rest assured, Young Master Lang! I’ll find him right away, get the exact location, and have him draw a map for me. Don’t you worry," Lanlos said, puffing out his chest.

Shen Lang nodded in satisfaction and stood up. "Then I’ll leave all this to you. If you handle these matters properly, I will allow you to observe when I’m performing Alchemy on a few of the Spirit Medicines."

"Huh? Y-y-you..." Lanlos felt like he was going to faint. He was so stunned he couldn’t form a complete sentence.

This sudden windfall of fortune had come so quickly it caught him completely off guard.

Shen Lang paid him no mind and continued, "I’ll also need to trouble Miss Zhan Lan to get me a catalog for the auction. If anything comes up, you can find me at Tingfeng Restaurant, across from the Treasure Pavilion."

Zhan Lan replied, flustered, "But... Elder Qing hasn’t returned yet..."

Shaking his head gently, Shen Lang smiled. "It doesn’t matter whether he returns or not. He’s probably got his hands full because of that formula. If I’m not mistaken, the auction in two hours might not proceed as scheduled. I’m going to the restaurant to wait for two friends. You can find me there if any issues arise."

"The auction might not proceed as scheduled?" Both Zhan Lan and Lanlos were stunned for a moment. Then, they recalled the Giant Potion Formula and instantly understood.

Shen Lang lingered no longer and walked right out of the Treasure Pavilion.

Now that money was no longer an issue, many other problems would solve themselves.

He had been embarrassingly short on cash before. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stooped to asking Shui Qingwu for a loan, only to be called a "lowlife" by Cai Ying.

’I need to concoct the Medicinal Liquid for Body Forging for myself, Elixir Pills to advance my Cultivation, Elixir Pills for the Purification of Essence and Marrow for my parents, and a few powerful defensive Magical Treasures for them...’

’All of this requires a huge amount of Spirit Stones.’

’The items I plan to create are anything but ordinary, and many of the required Spirit Medicines and Spirit Grasses are incredibly precious and rare.’

He hadn’t truly understood the value of the formula before. When he’d run into Shui Qingwu and her group, he had assumed the Giant Potion was worth maybe eighty or a hundred thousand Gold Coins at most.

Of course, both the formula and the Spirit Array Map were scarce resources, and he had a very limited supply. If he weren’t in such desperate need of money, he never would have sold them so readily.

The VIP private rooms at Tingfeng Restaurant were on the third floor, which offered the best views in the entire establishment.

Just as Shen Lang was about to head upstairs, someone blocked his path.

A grating, elderly voice dripping with sarcasm drifted down from the staircase. "Well, well, Young Master Shen Lang. This isn’t the sort of place for you. Only prominent figures are allowed on the second and third floors of Tingfeng Restaurant. It’s not quite appropriate for your kind to be here..."

The person blocking his way was a short, stout man in his fifties with salt-and-pepper hair. Behind him, two household servants stared at Shen Lang with smug expressions.

"So, it’s the Xiao Family’s butler, Wu Qu," Shen Lang said, his expression unchanged. "Excuse me, you’re blocking my path."

"Fuck! What if I don’t move? You gonna fucking hit me?" Wu Qu snarled, his eyes turning vicious. "I tried talking to you nicely, but it went in one ear and out the other, huh? Don’t know what’s good for you! Get the hell out of here now, or don’t blame me for kicking you to death! Goddamn son of a bitch, some piece of trash thinks he can just walk into Tingfeng Restaurant!"