"What kind of madness is this as soon as you come back!"
Grabbing Liang Kai's wrist, Liang Hongyun's face darkened as she flung him aside.
"I…"
Liang Kai opened his mouth, pointing at Lu Yuan with a look of disgust.
"Why is he here!"
"I bought some potions from Xiao Lu the day before yesterday. He came today for a follow-up visit."
"Bought potions?"
Liang Kai was taken aback, letting out a sigh of relief, then frowned again.
"Mom, don't buy potions from him."
"Hah, wasn't it you who introduced him before, saying he was your old classmate?"
"Things are different now. Anyway, he's just trash. Why let him earn this money? Mom, hurry up and cancel the order with him!"
"My affairs are none of your business."
Liang Hongyun snorted coldly, then turned to Lu Yuan.
"Xiao Lu, you should head back for today. I'll treat you to a meal another day, and then you can help me with some proper adjustments."
"Alright, Sister Hong."
Lu Yuan nodded and turned to leave without another word.
"Pah! Trash!"
Glancing at Lu Yuan's retreating figure, Liang Kai spat, then turned back to Liang Hongyun.
"Mom, give me some money."
"You disappear for days or weeks, and as soon as you come back, you ask for money. How much do you want this time?"
"One million."
"One million just like that? Do you know how hard I’ve worked to earn this money? I’ve always told you to focus on your cultivation, but all you do is waste your time partying. How many resources have I poured into you…"
"How is three hundred thousand enough!"
"That’s all you’re getting! Not a single cent more!"
…
One million?
Hearing the argument between the mother and son behind him, Lu Yuan’s heart stirred. What a coincidence—that was exactly enough to buy the latest Qi-Blood Strengthening Potion from Xingyao on the black market.
However, whether Liang Kai wanted the money to buy the strengthening potion or whether he would give it to Su Tiantian was no longer Lu Yuan’s concern, and he couldn’t be bothered to think about it.
On his way out of the neighborhood, he used the three hundred thousand he had just received to place an order for all the materials needed to make the potion.
As a top student in pharmacology, he already had some basic extraction equipment at home, so he didn’t need to spend money on that.
The next day, Lu Yuan went to work as usual.
"Xiao Lu, come to my office for a moment."
Just before the end of the workday in the afternoon, Zhao Mingcheng suddenly called him into his office again.
Since Liang Hongyun’s matter had already been resolved, what else could he want?
"Not bad, Xiao Lu. I knew I hadn’t misjudged you."
Zhao Mingcheng motioned for Lu Yuan to sit down, a sleazy smile on his face.
"They say women in their thirties are like wolves, in their forties like tigers, and in their fifties they can suck the earth dry. You managed to handle Liang Hongyun’s barren land in no time. Impressive."
"I was just doing my job. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work."
Lu Yuan had no interest in wasting time with Zhao Mingcheng and started to stand up.
"Young people are always so impatient. If it weren’t important, why would I call you in?"
Zhao Mingcheng’s expression turned serious as he motioned for Lu Yuan to sit back down.
He pulled out half a pack of cigarettes from the drawer and offered one to Lu Yuan, who ignored him. Zhao Mingcheng chuckled, took one for himself, and lit it.
After taking a few puffs, he crushed the remaining half in the ashtray before speaking.
"There’s something I need you to do."
"If it’s work-related, I’ll do my best."
"It’s not exactly work-related, but if you handle this well, it’ll be worth more than signing a hundred contracts!"
Zhao Mingcheng looked serious, glancing around cautiously before continuing.
"From now on, keep Liang Hongyun happy, find out everything about her situation, and report it back to me."
"Liang Hongyun's situation? What situation?"
Lu Yuan frowned, a faint sense of foreboding creeping in.
"For example, her cultivation progress, physical condition, and most importantly—the time, location, personnel, and equipment for her next expedition outside the city. You need to gather all this information, the more detailed, the better!"
Zhao Mingcheng leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice even further.
"Once this is done, I'll promote you to supervisor!"
"What you're asking for…"
Lu Yuan's brow furrowed, his expression turning serious.
If it were just about selling potions, knowing Liang Hongyun's preferences and catering to them would suffice. But Zhao Mingcheng wanted him to gather intelligence on her next expedition outside the city.
This had little to do with potion sales. Instead, it seemed more like someone was targeting Liang Hongyun!
With this information, they could plan accordingly.
Liang Hongyun was in danger!
At this realization, Lu Yuan's face instantly paled.
"I won't do it!"
Liang Hongyun had treated him well. How could he repay kindness with betrayal?
Most importantly, this was far too dangerous.
Scheming against a Seven-Star General—if exposed, even if Liang Hongyun didn't kill him, the law would ensure he rotted in prison for life.
"Won't do it? Hah."
Zhao Mingcheng glanced at Lu Yuan, a faint smirk curling his lips.
"You're still a young man fresh out of school, with little understanding of how this world works. Things like morality and loyalty are worthless. Let me tell you—money and power are the only real currency! Fine, if you handle this well, besides promoting you to supervisor, I'll give you an extra million as a bonus."
"I said, I won't do it!"
Lu Yuan snorted coldly, his resolve unwavering.
The higher the offer, the more important the task—and the greater the risk involved!
"Damn it! You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
Zhao Mingcheng's expression darkened instantly, his gaze turning icy.
"Do you think I'm negotiating with you? Idiot! You already know about this—whether you do it or not is no longer up to you! Either get this done, or wait for death!"
"…"
Hearing this, Lu Yuan fell silent.
Besides the million-credit bonus, Zhao Mingcheng even dared to promise a promotion to supervisor—something he couldn't possibly arrange on his own. It was obvious even to a fool: Zhao Mingcheng lacked the strength to target Liang Hongyun.
In other words, there was someone else behind Zhao Mingcheng.
A Pulse-Opening Martial Artist, a Star-Core General!
Generals were powerful beings far above ordinary Martial Artists.
Liang Hongyun was a Seven-Star General. Anyone daring to move against her would have to be at least on her level!
A mid-to-high-level General using Zhao Mingcheng as a pawn made perfect sense.
Zhao Mingcheng was right.
If Lu Yuan refused, he would become an enemy—and they would likely silence him to keep the secret.
For a mid-to-high-level General, killing Lu Yuan would be no harder than crushing an ant.
At this thought, a bone-chilling dread surged from the depths of his heart.
"…Fine."
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Yuan nodded.
Refusal meant death. He had no choice but to agree.
Fortunately, Liang Hongyun was injured and likely wouldn't leave the city anytime soon. Moreover, the timing and location of a Martial Artist's expeditions were confidential and not easy to uncover.
In other words, even after agreeing, Lu Yuan still had some buffer time.
No matter what, he had to agree now to save his life. As for what to do next, he would plan carefully later.
"That's more like it."
Seeing Lu Yuan agree, a smile appeared on Zhao Mingcheng's face, followed by a darkening expression.
"Remember, don't try any tricks or play double games, or you'll die a miserable death!"
"Understood."
Lu Yuan responded and stood up to leave directly.
Once out of the office, Lu Yuan took a deep breath, his heart still in turmoil—he had inexplicably been dragged into a huge mess.
……
……
"Finally here!"
A few days later, all the pharmaceutical materials Lu Yuan had ordered online arrived.
Using the excuse of deepening his relationship with Liang Hongyun, Lu Yuan requested leave from Zhao Mingcheng.
With the doors and windows tightly shut and the curtains drawn, he took out the already cleaned and dried equipment and began refining the potion.