Jin Feng glared at Xiao Man hatefully. "You win," he spat, then flipped over the wall and left.
Seeing him go, Xiao Man's eyes crinkled into a smile. "Little do you know, you're no match for my psychological warfare!"
"Little junior brother, where are you going?"
"Back to my room to sleep. Since it's not the earth shaking, let's just go back to sleep. There's no point in staying guard here." Xiao Man waved his hand and headed towards his own room. Tonight, some people wouldn't be able to sleep, but that didn't stop her from getting a good night's rest.
"But there are thieves in the manor!"
"If there are thieves, we have the Patriarch, the Grand Elder, and the senior brothers from the Martial Arts Hall. They are incredibly powerful. We are just a group of alchemists who can't even lift a chicken. We shouldn't get involved. Everyone, go back to sleep."
"Can't even lift a chicken?" The crowd exchanged glances. "Are we that weak?"
"Compared to the senior brothers in the Martial Arts Hall, we are indeed very weak. Little junior brother is right, we should go back to sleep."
"Senior brother, I'll sleep with you," Jin Xu grabbed onto a disciple's arm. "Let me sleep with you."
"Don't you usually like to sleep with little junior brother?"
Jin Xu shook his head like a rattle drum. He no longer dared to sleep with little junior brother. Little junior brother was too terrifying! Digging out eyes, cutting tongues, force-feeding heavy water, and skinning alive – he wouldn't be able to sleep!
"What are you afraid of? You didn't blow up the Patriarch's courtyard, so they won't skin you..."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Jin Xu raised his voice to interrupt him. "Don't mention that again."
"Junior brother, you're too cowardly. I think the title of 'little junior brother' should still belong to you. Junior brother Lan Xiao is much braver than you!"
"I'm cowardly, but I'm still a senior brother. Little junior brother is the most detestable. He actually scared me like this. I'm not being friends with her anymore!" Su Dan Novel Network
"If you're not friends with little junior brother anymore, do you want to be friends with me?"
"Hmph!" Jin Xu released the other's arm. "I... I'll go find the eldest senior brother."
"Eldest senior brother went to the front to check the situation and hasn't returned yet. If you're really scared, I'll reluctantly let you sleep with me tonight."
"Who wants to sleep with you? I'll sleep by myself!"
The Patriarch's main courtyard was blown up, and the person imprisoned in the secret dungeon was not found. Only some blood-stained scraps of cloth were discovered. The Jin family Patriarch's eyes went dizzy with anger.
"Patriarch, we've searched the entire courtyard. There are no signs of enemy invasion."
"If I remember correctly, the madam's courtyard caught fire yesterday. Could someone have taken advantage of the chaos to enter the main courtyard and plant gunpowder?" the Jin family Patriarch asked, rubbing his temples.
"Gunpowder is not something easy to obtain. I've already sent people to investigate who purchased a large amount of gunpowder. To transport such a large quantity of gunpowder and bury it in the main courtyard would take more than a day's effort. There must be an inside accomplice," the Grand Elder said calmly. "Moreover, this accomplice must be of considerable status, someone who can freely enter and exit the main courtyard."
The Jin family Patriarch's expression became somber. He remained silent for a long time. The courtyard being blown up was a minor matter. The critical issue was the person imprisoned in the secret dungeon, who was a considerable treasure. For the past two years, they had made a fortune by relying on the weapons she designed!
"Is that person truly dead?"
"The secret dungeon was blown to smithereens. The lake water poured in. Even if she wasn't killed by the explosion, she would have drowned. Furthermore, with such powerful gunpowder, let alone someone at the Qi Refining stage, even a cultivator at the Golden Core stage would have no chance of survival."
"Do you think... someone knew of her existence and infiltrated the Jin family with the sole purpose of killing her to cut off our Jin family's financial resources?"
The Grand Elder frowned slightly. "It's not impossible."
"Hand this matter over to you. You must find this traitor who infiltrated the Jin family."
"Yes, Patriarch."
The Grand Elder worked all night but found no trace, which gave him a terrible headache.
"Grand Elder, this is a good opportunity," the Fifth Elder said, seeing the Grand Elder's distressed look. "A good opportunity to avenge Jin Quan."
The Grand Elder's expression changed slightly, but he did not rush to answer. After all, they had just had a conflict with the Alchemy Hall. If he were to target the Alchemy Hall again, he feared it would attract the attention of the Grand Elder. It was not worth sacrificing himself for an outer disciple. To kill this person, they only needed to catch her when she was alone outside the manor.
"The existence of the Alchemy Hall is extremely important to the Jin family," the Grand Elder said calmly.
"Are you not going to avenge Jin Quan?"
"Revenge will naturally be sought, but we cannot have another conflict with the Alchemy Hall. The disciples in our hall all need the elixirs refined by the Alchemy Hall to assist their advancement. Without the Alchemy Hall, the Jin family's power would significantly decrease, and they might even fall out of the top three." Although the Grand Elder was cruel, he understood the importance of the Alchemy Hall.
"But the Third Elder..."
"Old Fifth, no matter what, he is our brother. Brothers fighting amongst themselves will only make outsiders laugh. Normally, your recklessness is acceptable, but when it comes to family interests, you must not be rash."
"I'm just not reconciled," the Fifth Elder said resentfully. "Our disciples from the Intelligence Hall risk their lives outside and bring back countless intelligence beneficial to the family. But the Alchemy Hall stays within the family all day, without venturing out or facing any danger. Why are they ranked ahead of us?"
"Have you forgotten why your cultivation has advanced so rapidly? When you encountered danger, who quickly restored your physical strength? Who pulled you back from the brink of death countless times? When you were severely injured, who brought you back from the King of Hell's embrace?" Although the Grand Elder was overbearing, he understood the status of the Alchemy Hall. It was just that others often overlooked the importance of the Alchemy Hall.
"Grand Elder, the Third Elder treated you with such disrespect, and his disciples even killed Jin Quan, yet you are still defending him!"
"I am not defending anyone. I am stating facts," the Grand Elder said calmly. "The existence of the Alchemy Hall is extremely necessary, and the Third Elder is a Grade Two Alchemist. Do you know what a Grade Two Alchemist is to a family?"
"But..."
"There are no 'buts'. Although I wanted to kill Lan Xiao, I never intended to kill the Third Elder." The Grand Elder turned around. "Are there any recent news from outside?"
"Yes," the Fifth Elder said, looking confused. "The eldest son of the Shui family, Shui Lu, has returned."
"That eldest son abandoned by the Shui family?" the Grand Elder asked, looking perplexed. "Isn't he suffering from a severe poison and close to death?"
"It is said he has been cured."
"Cured!" The Grand Elder was greatly shocked. "Who cured him?"
"We don't know. The Shui family has kept the news strictly under wraps, and we cannot investigate. Moreover, after Shui Lu returned to the Shui family, he deposed Shui Lin, who was originally the young master of the Shui family, and took his place as the young master."