The Rise of David
Copyright© 2025 by RichXpower
Chapter 48: Stupefied
A blood-curdling scream filled the air as Benji cut off his left hand.
The bloody scene frightened everyone into silence, most of all Leroy.
Benji clutched his bleeding wrist and eked out, “Thank you for sparing my life, Mr. Lewis!”
Coldly, Tommy tossed out, “Don’t thank me. Thank Mr. Chance!”
“Thank you, Mr. Chance. I will not forget your kindness!” Benji turned and knelt before David instead.
Leroy stammered in utter disbelief, “B-Benji?”
He stared at his cousin, stupefied by the horrifying turn of events.
Benji yelled at him, “F*cker! Get on your knees right now!”
Petrified into submission, Leroy hastily fell to his knees. He kept his head lowered and his mouth shut.
David stood up and walked toward the exit.
Tommy followed him and addressed Benji coldly, “Your cousin was disrespectful toward Mr. Chance. I’ll trust you to teach him a lesson.”
“Understood, Mr. Lewis!” Benji nodded fervently.
David lifted a finger and pointed at Pamela. He commented, “Deal with this woman too.”
Pamela was already pale and shuddering in fear, and she fainted from shock the minute David pointed her out.
“Yes, Mr. Chance. I understand,” came Benji’s reply.
David allowed his gaze to rove over the room once more, and his classmates all looked away, trying their best to shrink into themselves. Juliette hid at the back, terrified that she would suffer the same fate as Pamela or Leroy.
Finally, David’s gaze landed on Virgil, and he smiled. “Work hard, Virgil. I trust in your abilities. If you have any difficulties in the future, you can seek Tommy’s help.”
Tommy piped up, “Of course! Virgil, you can contact me anytime for help!”
Virgil could only nod repeatedly in reply.
Benji steeled his nerves as David and Tommy took their leave. He ordered his men to drag Leroy and Pamela out of the restaurant. Terrified screams rang out soon after. Benji did not take Tommy’s orders lightly.
David’s classmates regretted the way they had acted earlier. If they had not teased and mocked him so, David might have given them unimaginable riches like he did Virgil.
Meanwhile, David and Tommy had arrived at the room on the third floor.
David asked, “Have you heard anything of Steven? Has he been causing you trouble?”
Shaking his head, Tommy replied, “He hasn’t. His master, Hydra, is a rare sight, and he has been difficult to track down.”
“Hmph! Even his grandmaster hardly frightens me. All these experts of ancient martial arts are nothing to me,” David scoffed.
“Well, of course, My Lord. They are no match for your immortal techniques!” Tommy chimed in.
David smiled and said, “No need to butter me up.” He took an enhancement pill from his pocket and offered, “I have a pill here that can increase your abilities upon consumption. Once you take it, Steven will cower in the face of your prowess.”
Tommy was fascinated. The pill was smaller than a thumb and looked utterly unassuming. Can it truly boost my abilities?
He asked curiously, “My Lord, what pill is this? It sounds impressive.”
“It’s an enhancement pill. Don’t underestimate its effects. The herbs used to craft one pill cost millions!”
“What?” Tommy exclaimed and immediately swallowed the pill.
Warmth filled his abdomen and began spreading out toward the rest of his body.
Soon enough, Tommy felt his body surging with energy and in need of release.
David noticed the change in Tommy and smiled. “Does your building have a backyard? Go ahead and give it a try!”
“Yes, there is!” Tommy immediately led him out the back.
There was a huge stone behind Tommy’s restaurant. Tommy had paid a fortune to have a saying carved into the stone.
David pointed at it and suggested, “Why don’t you swing a fist at that stone?”
Tommy punched the stone without a moment’s hesitation.
Crack!
The stone split down the center.
Tommy stared at his fist in amazement. I must have used tonnes of force to break that stone!
David patted him on the shoulder and said, “Your punch can easily kill a bull. Steven’s Impenetrable Skill is practically child’s play to you now. In the face of true power, there is no such thing as Impenetrable Skill!”
Tommy’s excitement was palpable as he asked, “My Lord, do you have more? I want to swallow two more pills!”
If I’m already this strong after taking one pill, I will be practically invincible after taking two!
David rolled his eyes in response. “This pill is crafted from rare and exorbitant herbs. I exhausted a lot of spiritual energy trying to create this thing! I can hardly give you another pill, let alone two!”
Tommy scratched his head and replied sheepishly, “I got too excited. This pill could fetch you tens of millions per piece. Martial arts are all the rage nowadays. Too many people are willing to spend a fortune on exotic herbs or hire masters to train them in ancient martial arts. Steven purportedly spent two hundred million to train under Francis Yancey.”
“Two hundred million?” David was stunned. He spent two hundred million on such paltry skills? Tommy can break through his Impenetrable Skill after consuming just one pill. Damn, this pill is even more valuable than two hundred million!
David’s eyes lit up as he identified his source of income.
He asked, “Tommy, if I craft more of these pills, will you be able to sell them?”
“My Lord, isn’t it better to let our men consume these pills instead of selling them? If you need funds, Templar Regiment has a commercial street under its name. We’re drawing lucrative profits from that street every year!”
Tommy could not fathom David’s motives for selling such a game-changing pill.
If our enemies get their hands on this pill, we’re practically digging our own grave!
David explained, “I won’t be selling this enhancement pill; it costs too much money and spiritual energy. I’m thinking of preparing some revitalizing pills for sale. They can restore focus and nourish the brain, as well as extend one’s lifespan. It also improves male virility!”
He then asked, “How much revenue is that commercial street bringing in annually?”
“About two hundred million. Most of it goes toward the operations of Templar Regiment, which leaves us with about one-tenth of that sum,” came Tommy’s reply after some thought.
David shook his head and stated, “I need way more money than that. I probably need billions or even more to purchase the raw materials for these pills. We’d have to wait decades if we relied solely on your commercial street!”
“Billions!”
Tommy inhaled sharply before continuing, “My Lord, why do you need so much money?”
David explained truthfully, “I need a lot of spiritual energy to cultivate. The energy is far too weak even atop Dragon Summit, which is insufficient to raise my abilities. I need the money to procure valuable herbs and craft more enhancements pills to hasten my cultivation!”
“Ah!”
Tommy nodded in understanding.
He scrunched his brows and said, “I fear you may not have enough funds even if the Sullivan family gives you all its assets.”
That earned him a glare and a reprimand from David.
“What the heck do you mean? Do I look like a person who’ll live off his woman’s money?”
Tommy hurriedly shook his head and denied, “No, no, of course not! The overlord of Dragon Sect will never do something like that!”
“I will tell you a list of herbs now. They are all ordinary herbs and are not expensive. Please purchase them for me. Also, I’ve made some revitalizing pills. Go and sell them. You can decide the price!”
After David finished his sentence, Tommy asked his men to take a piece of paper so that he could jot the name of the herbs down.
At one shot, David named more than ten ingredients, but they were all ordinary herbs that could easily be purchased.
“Did you write them all down?” he asked.
“My Lord, yes, I did. They are all ordinary herbs. The pharmacy in Horington has them, but not in bulk. I will send some men to Yeringham. There’s a medicinal base there. It has all kinds of herbs, cheaper than other places! With that, we can also save a lot of money!”
After knowing that David needed a lot of money, Tommy had learned to be frugal.
“Yeringham?”
David suddenly recalled that city. It was located a few hundred kilometers southwest of Horington and was indeed the biggest herbs producer in the country.
Almost all the herbs in the country were sold through Yeringham. Over time, Yeringham was given another name—the City of Herbs.
“I am not sure if the City of Herbs has the herbs I need!”
The herbs that David needed were all rare and expensive. The ginseng and reishi mushrooms required for making energy condensing pills must be at least three hundred years old.
Such herbs could only be found in desolate mountains. Thus, it was tough to obtain. Moreover, to maximize the energy condensing pill’s effect, snow lotus was also needed.
It was even more challenging to obtain snow lotus, so David knew he could not rush it. He could only accumulate wealth first and then acquire those herbs at high prices.