Gu Bei took in every flicker of Li Lie’s expression. He dropped the subject and changed tack. "Leader Li, about that matter we discussed last time—ambushing the Chen Family’s shipment of Snow Ginseng Jade Marrow Ointment. Do you think it’s feasible once the situation has died down a bit?"
Hearing this, Li Lie immediately drew his Heart Spirit back from his thoughts on Chen Yue. He fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Do you people have a way to deal with that old geezer from the Chen Family?
That old bastard Chen Xuanli is a genuine peak Bone Forging Realm master, a man with one foot already in the Marrow Refining Realm! With him standing guard, ambushing the convoy would be like pulling teeth from a tiger’s mouth!"
Chen Xuanli was the Stabilizing Needle of the Youlin County Chen Family, and also the greatest pillar of support that had allowed them to stand strong for so many years.
That gentle smile returned to Gu Bei’s face as he gave a slight nod. "Rest assured, Leader Li. Since we dare to make a move, we naturally have some confidence. Besides, we aren’t the only ones with our eyes on that Snow Ginseng Jade Marrow Ointment.
As for Chen Xuanli... when the time comes, someone will make sure he’s too preoccupied to interfere. What we need from you, Leader Li, is the exact departure time, route, and guard deployment of the convoy, as well as for you to... provide some convenience at the critical moment."
Li Lie stared at Gu Bei for a long while. Finally, the gloom on his face gradually dissolved, replaced by a smile of his own.
"As long as you give me what you promised, not a single bit less, then... everything is negotiable."
Upon hearing this, Gu Bei’s smile deepened. He once again raised his teacup, toasting Li Lie from a distance as if it were wine. "In that case, I will congratulate you in advance, Li, on a swift breakthrough to the Bone Forging realm and a prosperous future in your Martial Arts!"
"I’ll take you up on those auspicious words!" Li Lie laughed heartily, much of the gloom in his heart dispersing.
He too picked up the cup of coarse tea before him, brought it to his nose for a quick sniff to confirm it was just ordinary, aged tea, and then tilted his head back and drained it in one go. The lukewarm liquid went down his throat with a rough, astringent taste.
Setting the cup down, Li Lie said no more. He gave Gu Bei a slight nod, and with a flicker of his body, he was out of the house, nimbly vaulting away just as he had arrived.
After a few leaps, he silently slipped back through the window of his own room at the pharmacy and gently closed the shutters, as if he had never left.
Back in his room, Li Lie did not rest immediately.
He once again took out the ebony box from his robes, opened it under the lamplight, and picked up the six dark-gold Elixirs one by one, inspecting, rubbing, and sniffing them with even greater care.
He had navigated the Jianghu for over twenty years, clawing his way up from the very bottom. He had seen plenty of Elixirs and had been burned before, so he had his own set of crude Techniques for telling the real from the fake.
After a long while, he repeatedly confirmed that they were indeed Spirit-Storage Pills, capable of helping a Refining Flesh Realm Martial Artist break through their bottleneck, and their quality was quite good.
Li Lie let out a long sigh of relief, a smile finally breaking across his face. He carefully put the Elixirs away, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes.
’Loyalty? Righteousness?’ In Li Lie’s eyes, such things were just laughable ropes used to bind the weak. Only tangible strength was the foundation for survival in these chaotic times.
’To obtain more precious cultivation resources, what’s a little scheming against one’s employer with the help of outsiders?’
’This world has always been about the weak being prey for the strong!’
’Once I achieve the Bone Forging realm, who in all of Youlin County will be able to pose a real threat to me, aside from a few of those old geezers?’
’Even if I’m no match for Chen Xuanli, I’ll at least have the means to contend with him and escape with my life! Status, power, wealth... it will all follow!’
「The next morning, the sky was overcast.」
The apprentices dragged their exhausted bodies through the wreckage, continuing to clean up the aftermath of the previous night.
The air was still thick with the stench of blood and burning. Almost no one had been able to sleep soundly; even if they managed to close their eyes, they were jolted awake by nightmares of flashing blades and clashing swords.
Suddenly, the somewhat urgent call of Steward Chen Lin echoed from the front hall. Everyone’s heart tightened as they forced themselves to gather their wits and head over.
There, they saw the Chen Family Patriarch, Chen Jing, striding into the front hall surrounded by a crowd of guards.
Chen Jing was about fifty years old, with a gaunt face and small eyes that nevertheless radiated the authority of one long accustomed to a high position.
The pharmacy had been attacked last night, suffering heavy losses. The kidnapping of three Alchemy Masters in particular was a major blow to the Chen Family, and he had to come inspect the situation himself.
Chen Yue stood in the crowd, his gaze sweeping over Chen Jing and the people behind him.
When Chen Yue’s gaze swept past and to the rear of Chen Jing, landing on an old man whose eyes were constantly half-closed, his heart couldn’t help but clench slightly.
The old man looked to be over sixty, with a gaunt frame and his hands tucked into his sleeves. He was utterly inconspicuous in the crowd.
But the instant Chen Yue’s gaze touched him, an indescribable sense of threat abruptly welled up from the bottom of his heart. It wasn’t killing intent, nor was it hostility, but more of a sudden, instinctual premonition.
Chen Yue immediately recalled what Lin Quan had once mentioned: the Chen Family’s Chen Xuanli, who had reached the peak of the Bone Forging Realm.
’Could that be him?’
Chen Yue swiftly averted his gaze, lowering his eyes and perfectly concealing that flicker of alarm beneath a placid expression.
Chen Jing walked a circuit through the front hall and back courtyard. Seeing the looted storeroom and the devastated Alchemy Courtyard, his expression grew uglier, but in the end, he suppressed his fury and offered a few words of encouragement to the remaining pharmacy staff.
Then, he hurriedly left with his men, clearly intending to return and discuss countermeasures and track down the culprits.
The crowd dispersed, and Chen Yue prepared to return to his own small courtyard to continue his Alchemy tasks for the day. Just as he reached the corner of the corridor connecting the front and back courtyards, a figure blocked his path.
It was Li Lie.
His chest was wrapped in fresh bandages and his face was still somewhat pale, but his eyes had regained their usual sharpness. They even held a hint of something inscrutable as he looked at Chen Yue.
"I heard from Steward Chen Lin that you were the one who fought off the intruder in Master Lin’s courtyard last night and saved him?"
Chen Yue stopped and nodded calmly. "It was just a stroke of luck."
Li Lie’s lips twitched into a smile that was hard to define as praise or something else entirely.
"Luck or not, protecting Master Lin is a great merit. For that alone..."
He paused, his gaze fixed on Chen Yue. "Didn’t you want to learn the Mountain Flipping Technique before? The pharmacy has suffered a great disaster, and now is precisely the time we need to increase our strength. If you still want to learn, I will do my best to teach you."
His words were delivered with considerable magnanimity, even carrying a tone of letting bygones be bygones for the sake of the bigger picture.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yue showed a regretful smile and shook his head. "Thank you for your kind offer, Master Li, but refining Blood Circulation Pills every day is already an overwhelming burden. I truly can’t spare the time to divide my focus on practicing Martial Arts. I appreciate the sentiment, though."
"Chen Yue has a point. Right now, he and Master Lin are the only two Pill Masters left to support the pharmacy. The work of Alchemy truly cannot be delayed."
Chen Lin, who had approached at some point and overheard their conversation, quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Li Lie, your injuries are no longer serious?"
Li Lie’s gaze swept over Chen Yue’s calm face, and the smile on his own deepened.
"It was I who was being inconsiderate."
Li Lie nodded, accepting the reasoning graciously. "A Pill Master’s priority should naturally be Alchemy. Well then, whenever Chen the Pill Master has some free time and is still interested in the Mountain Flipping Technique, you can come find me anytime."
After speaking, he nodded to Chen Lin, shot one last look at Chen Yue, and turned to leave.