"If you weren't acting so suspiciously, why would I have followed you?" Jin Feng said angrily. It was she who had been acting furtively, yet now she was blaming him.
"I was going to poison them. Do you expect me to just walk in and announce, 'Hey, idiots, I'm here to poison you all'?" Xiao Man looked at him as if he were an imbecile. "I'm not tired of living!"
"What were you doing in the Forging Hall?" Jin Feng clearly didn't believe Xiao Man's excuse.
"Looking for Elder Tie," Xiao Man said impatiently. "I really liked the new weapon he was developing last time and wanted to ask him for a crossbow for self-defense, but he wasn't there."
"You really just wanted a crossbow?" Jin Feng didn't believe her.
"What else?" Xiao Man retorted. "Do you think I'd go to the Forging Hall and take down everyone inside?"
Jin Feng was taken aback, seeming unsure how to refute her. After a long pause, he said calmly, "What is your purpose for entering the Jin family?"
"To learn alchemy from the Third Elder," Xiao Man said lazily. "Alchemy is difficult to master. To reach a higher level, I need to learn from a more skilled alchemist. So, I went to Lingyao City and found Elder Yao. Elder Yao, needing to accompany his family to seek a cure, recommended me to the Alchemist Association, and that's where I met Elder Jin."
"My father recommended you?" Jin Feng asked, a little surprised.
"Elder Jin is your father?" Xiao Man was very surprised. Elder Jin was such a pleasant person, yet his son had a cold expression, as if everyone owed him money and hadn't paid it back.
"My father, Jin Yi," Jin Feng looked at Xiao Man. "Is he… doing well?"
"He's fine. Much easier to get along with than you, and very dedicated to alchemy." Xiao Man stepped forward and untied Jin Feng's ropes. "Don't blame me. You were following me suspiciously, and I thought you were working with Jin Quan to ambush me, which is why I acted against you."
Jin Feng rubbed his sore wrists. "I originally just wanted to go to the Alchemy Hall to warn you. Jin Quan is vengeful. You publicly beat him and forced him to apologize; he will definitely find a way to get even. Jin Xu might just get a beating, but you, as an outsider, could be in mortal danger."
"It was indeed a misunderstanding. Please forgive me, senior brother. I thought you were working with Jin Quan. I apologize." Xiao Man quickly apologized and handed him an antidote. "Here's the antidote."
Jin Feng swallowed it without hesitation. Seeing his complete lack of caution, Xiao Man felt mischievous and said, "Senior brother, I was joking. That was a deadly poison."
Jin Feng's stoic expression almost broke. He immediately reached for his throat, trying to force out what he had swallowed.
Xiao Man burst into laughter, leaning against the wall. "Senior brother, I'm sorry, I was just kidding. It's the real antidote."
"You..." Jin Feng's face turned ashen with anger. He pushed Xiao Man away and walked out. Sudancn.com
Xiao Man leisurely followed behind him. "Senior brother, don't be angry. I was just joking. I promise I won't do it again."
"You want to do it again!" Jin Feng was furious. How could anyone be so detestable? Even more detestable than Jin Quan, and to play tricks on him repeatedly!
"There won't be a next time. Senior brother, please don't be angry, okay?"
"You should worry about how to deal with it when the disciples of the Alchemy Hall have actually poisoned so many others."
"How do we deal with it? Anyone who comes looking for trouble gets dealt with!" Xiao Man declared with great bravado. "Our Alchemy Hall isn't a place for anyone to bully!"
Jin Feng took a deep breath, unable to understand why his father would recommend such a troublemaker to the Third Elder. This person was a complete disruptor!
"Aren't you afraid the Patriarch will exterminate you!"
"If the Alchemy Hall can develop a poison that can incapacitate Nascent Soul cultivators, the Patriarch will only be pleased," Xiao Man said slowly. "Do you think I'm right, senior brother?"
Jin Feng looked at Xiao Man in surprise. "Using poison is ultimately too despicable and harms the reputation of an alchemist."
"Senior brother, alchemists inherently have low cultivation. That's why they need to rely on other forces to survive. Even a powerful sect like the Heavenly Spirit Sect needs to recruit strong martial artists as guards to survive safely. But if alchemists, even those with weak cultivation, can survive on their own, will they still be looked down upon?"
Jin Feng's eyes were filled with shock. "You… what exactly do you want to do?"
"I just want to become a powerful alchemist," Xiao Man said slowly. "Powerful enough to fear nothing."
A moment later, Jin Feng snorted. "Naive!"
"I may be naive, but is a senior brother who is taken down by someone as naive as me even more naive?" Xiao Man asked slowly.
Jin Feng was momentarily speechless, yet he couldn't refute her. Even if he had been prepared, he might not have been able to avoid Xiao Man's scheme, especially since this person had managed to incapacitate even the Third Elder!
"It seems my worries were unfounded. You are so capable that Jin Quan will only suffer if he confronts you," Jin Feng said coldly. "You'd best take care of yourself."
"Thank you for your advice, senior brother."
After knocking Jin Feng unconscious, Xiao Man took him to a remote, deserted courtyard within the Jin family estate. She had thought the place was uninhabited, but as they emerged from the courtyard, they found a crowd of people gathered outside, led by none other than Jin Quan.
Jin Feng frowned. "Jin Quan, what are you trying to do?"
"Jin Feng, I'm looking for her. It has nothing to do with you. You'd best mind your own business, or I'll beat you too!" Jin Quan waved the iron rod in his hand. This rod had a significant history; it was the disciplinary rod of the Martial Arts Hall. It looked slender and lacked power, but when used for punishment, it would cause severe injuries to bones and tendons, yet show no external signs of harm.
Jin Feng sighed and moved to the side, standing still.
Jin Quan was somewhat incredulous at Jin Feng's easy compliance. He then considered that they had more people, and Jin Feng wasn't a fool, so why get involved in such a matter? He immediately signaled for everyone to attack.
Xiao Man looked at the charging figures and swiftly retreated, disappearing back into the deserted courtyard. The others, seeing her attempt to escape, couldn't let her get away and followed her in.
Jin Feng sneered as he watched the pursuers. "Hopelessly stupid!"
Jin Feng silently counted, wondering how many breaths it would take for Xiao Man to incapacitate these people. However, when he reached five, he heard the sounds of a fierce brawl inside, which made him suspicious. Given Xiao Man's personality, she would use poison rather than fight directly. Why was there a fight?
Jin Feng peeked inside and almost fell over. The people Jin Quan had brought were fighting each other like madmen. Meanwhile, Xiao Man sat on a step nearby, eating melon seeds and watching the spectacle with great interest. Jin Quan was even worse off; not only could he not control the situation, but people from both sides were also attacking him. Within a few rounds, he was lying on the ground, groaning in pain.