"Drink! All of you, drink!"
In a restaurant, Du Zheng exchanged toasts with several men, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
"It's getting late, and the owner will be closing soon. Shall we call it a night?" a household guard asked with a smile.
"We haven't even finished the wine. What's this about closing?" Du Zheng turned his head and spat a thick gob of phlegm onto the floor.
The household guards exchanged looks. One quietly curled his lip. After Du Zheng injured his leg, the Tao clan had not discarded him immediately, allowing him to remain at Clearwell Clinic instead.
But with a broken leg, his life would never amount to anything more. Although he was still their head guard, his standing had diminished considerably.
A full hour passed before Du Zheng had eaten and drunk his fill. He staggered off alone, limping toward his home.
It was late, and the county seat's streets stood empty. Du Zheng felt no fear. He even hummed a few lines aloud.
He had been in a good mood for several days. Even dragging his injured leg could not dampen his spirits. These bouts of eating and drinking had been going on for days as well.
The old door creaked as he pushed it open. He entered, locked the door, and lit a candle. Just as he was about to drink some tea from the table, he caught sight of someone sitting in the corner.
The shock instantly sobered him, drenching him in cold sweat. He seized his longsword and peered closer. It was Lu Zhiyuan.
"What are you doing here?"
Du Zheng was alarmed, but he forced himself to sound calm as he challenged Lu Zhiyuan. His eyes darted from side to side, searching for a way out.
Lu Zhiyuan's unexpected appearance suggested the assassination had probably failed. But he was supposed to be only at the Skin Tempering stage. How could he be completely unharmed?
Du Zheng could not understand what had happened. For now, he needed to keep Lu Zhiyuan calm.
"Why did you send someone to kill me? When we encountered those bandits, I was the one who carried you back."
Lu Zhiyuan looked at him expressionlessly. That was what he could not understand.
Their greatest disagreement had been over Du Zheng teaching him techniques. Had he really hired someone to kill him over something so trivial?
"When did I ever send someone to kill you?"
Du Zheng stared at him in apparent bewilderment. "Who's framing me? That's an outrageous lie!"
"You're acting far too differently from usual. So it really was you."
Longsword in hand, Lu Zhiyuan approached one step at a time. If he could not get an explanation, he would stop asking. Plenty of things in this world happened without much reason anyway.
Seeing him come closer, Du Zheng shouted in panic, "I deliberately made things difficult when I was supposed to teach you the techniques. I was wrong! I can apologize. I'll even arrange several tables for a banquet at Swallowflight Restaurant tomorrow and admit my fault in public!"
He backed away as he shouted.
"No need." Lu Zhiyuan shook his head.
"If the Tao clan discovers I've been killed, they'll investigate thoroughly! There must be evidence. If you can prove I sent someone to kill you, I'll accept my death. But you've come here with a random excuse. I won't accept that!" Du Zheng cried in terror.
Lu Zhiyuan stopped. Du Zheng relaxed slightly and was about to speak when a streak of cold light flashed through the dim room.
His body abruptly stiffened. A line of blood appeared on his forehead. He stared at Lu Zhiyuan. He had thought he had talked Lu Zhiyuan down, that he could escape this disaster.
"I don't need evidence."
After watching Du Zheng die, Lu Zhiyuan searched the room, then darted outside.
A short while later, he returned to his rented courtyard.
Looking at the bright moon overhead, he sighed softly. He only wanted to cultivate in peace, but the world clearly would not give him the chance.
The following afternoon, news of Du Zheng's death spread throughout Northgate Clinic.
"Could it be those bandits again? We only had a few quiet days, and now they're back!"
"Not necessarily. Before, they only killed members of wealthy households. Du Zheng was just a household guard. He probably wouldn't have been a target."
"Who can say? Better stay at the clinic for now. It's safer with more people around."
Everyone at Northgate Clinic was talking about it. Gu Tingche even came to report it to Lu Zhiyuan.
No one connected Du Zheng's death with Lu Zhiyuan, the alchemist.
Many people believed Lu Zhiyuan had only recently broken through to the Skin Tempering stage and devoted most of his effort to brewing pills. They also thought he had no grievance against Du Zheng.
However they looked at it, there was no reason for a conflict between the two. Besides, as far as they knew, Lu Zhiyuan did not have the strength to kill Du Zheng.
Lu Zhiyuan brewed Blood Vitality Pills as usual, increasing his proficiency in brewing Herbal Restoration Pills. He planned to visit the black market that evening to collect the medicinal herbs.
Once he had them, he could brew Herbal Restoration Pills and sell them at the black market.
Although he had survived the previous night's danger unscathed, his desire for strength kept growing. There was no knowing when danger would arrive. Only by becoming strong enough could he avoid it. Get faster updates on g.com.
Toward evening, just as he was about to set up the alchemical furnace and brew his final batch of Blood Vitality Pills for the day, he was summoned to the Tao clan's estate.
He was somewhat surprised. Young Mistress Tao Yinglan might want to ask about Northgate Clinic, or perhaps Du Zheng's death.
After tidying himself up, he went to the Tao clan's estate.
Its grand buildings and spacious courtyards, gilded roofs and stone walls, made an imposing sight. This was Lu Zhiyuan's first visit. He entered through a small side gate and followed a servant to a separate courtyard.
He looked up to find Tao Yinglan talking with Jia Shiheng.
"Greetings, Young Mistress. Master Jia." He stepped forward and cupped his hands in salute.
"Have you settled in at Northgate Clinic?"
Tao Yinglan turned and looked him over. Compared with when they had distributed relief, he was considerably more robust, making him a little easier on the eyes.
His former appearance, dark-skinned and scrawny, had not been particularly appealing. Without his skill in alchemy, he would never have caught her attention.
"Thank you for your concern, Young Mistress. Everything is well."
"Have you discovered anything at Northgate Clinic?" she asked evenly.
Hearing of Du Zheng's death that day had reminded her of Lu Zhiyuan and the task she had assigned him. She had decided to summon him and find out how matters stood.
"Steward Luo handles everything at Northgate Clinic. I've had few opportunities to get involved," Lu Zhiyuan answered honestly.
"Luo Chenghou is cautious by nature. With Lu Zhiyuan arriving at Northgate Clinic so suddenly, it's only natural that he would be on his guard."
Seeing Tao Yinglan frown, Jia Shiheng spoke in Lu Zhiyuan's defense.
That was indeed the case. Luo Chenghou did not trust him at all. If Lu Zhiyuan had not quietly confined himself to brewing pills and left other matters alone, Northgate Clinic would not have remained so peaceful.
"I told you that if you found evidence of a problem, I could even give you the formula for Lightspirit Pills. But if you keep making no progress, I may have to send you back to your previous post and return your share of pill profits to thirty percent."
Tao Yinglan looked displeased, her expression cool. "Think it over. If there's nothing else, you may leave."
She was dismissing him, clearly dissatisfied with his performance.