62: sneak into

At the foot of the mountain, after Lin Shan returned to the attic, he headed straight for the second floor.

On the second floor of the attic, there was a long corridor with rooms of various sizes on both sides, all inhabited by Cultivators guarding the Spirit Mine.

At the end of the corridor, there was an extremely spacious room.

Lin Shi pushed the door open and entered.

The interior of the room was elegantly and luxuriously decorated, with expensive calligraphy and fine murals hanging on the walls, and a large desk in the center piled with ancient books.

Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man who looked unremarkable, yet exuded an aura of natural authority. His resolute face held a pair of sharp eyes, and his tall, upright figure, though dressed simply, radiated an indescribable pressure in every movement.

When Lin Shi saw him, he quickly lowered his head and bowed respectfully, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.

The middle-aged man put down the ancient book in his hand and looked at him indifferently, his deep voice slowly echoing in the room.

"Is that Zhou Luo not dissatisfied?"

Lin Shi felt a wave of confusion, wondering what the other party could possibly be dissatisfied about.

But on the surface, he truthfully informed the man of everything he knew.

After listening, a hint of curiosity appeared on the Fourth Elder's face as his right index finger lightly tapped the wooden table, seemingly deep in thought.

Lin Shi kept his head down, not daring to make a move.

After a long while, the Fourth Elder spoke, "If he can refine the Medicinal Pills before tonight, then tomorrow's quota will be doubled."

"Ah?" Lin Shi was stunned for a moment.

Although he didn't know how difficult it was to refine these Medicinal Pills, if the amount doubled, it would be at least over two hundred pills, which was equivalent to refining over a hundred a day.

Could one person really do that?

"Hmm?" the Fourth Elder questioned.

Lin Shi immediately realized his blunder, quickly nodded in agreement, and then left the room as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

After exiting the room, Lin Shi wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a breath.

"Will performing Alchemy like this really not work someone to death?" he muttered under his breath.

Inside the room, the Fourth Elder glanced at a letter on the desk, signed by the Family Head, Lin Tianxiong.

The letter contained only one requirement.

That was to temper Zhou Luo and test his limits.

Of course, while it was called testing limits, the Fourth Elder, as a member of the Main Family faction, understood clearly that this was to squeeze Zhou Luo's potential dry.

The Main Family had already decided to abandon this outsider who possessed talent for Alchemy.

The Fourth Elder's gaze was profound. He raised his index finger slightly, and the envelope suddenly burst into flames, turning into a pile of ashes that drifted out the window.

...

Near noon, Zhou Luo had finished refining all the required Medicinal Pills.

Now he just had to wait for Lin Shi to arrive.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but stroke the soft fur of Xiao Bai in his arms, saying to himself, "It will be your turn to play your part soon."

Meow—

Lying on his lap, Xiao Bai gave an obedient cry.

Then, Zhou Luo took out a packet of powder from his robes.

This was a specially made poison; once it entered the body, it would cause a person to fall into a deep sleep, unable to wake up for five or six hours.

He applied the powder to Xiao Bai's soft paw pads; once it extended its claws, they would be coated with the poison.

Having finished this, he placed Xiao Bai on the ground.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Lin Shi had arrived.

Zhou Luo opened the door.

"You're in luck; there's a feast today." Lin Shi held up a food box with a happy smile.

Although he had only had brief contact with Zhou Luo, he felt the other man was someone worth befriending.

Especially since he also kept a kitten.

To raise such a docile cat, his personality must be good.

After taking out the spiritual food, Lin Shi impatiently went over to Xiao Bai, who was lying on the floor.

He reached out to pick it up, preparing for his daily cat-petting session.

However, Xiao Bai's fur bristled. It raised its front paw, unsheathed its claws, and quickly scratched the back of his hand before jumping aside and hiding under the bed.

"Ouch."

Lin Shi cried out in pain.

Looking at the bleeding back of the man's hand, Zhou Luo feigned panic and said, "Are you okay? I'll teach this fellow a lesson for you."

With that, he stood up and headed toward the bed.

Lin Shi hurriedly stopped him. "It's fine, it's fine. It's normal for a kitten to have a bit of a temper. Mine at home is even more ferocious than this one."

It was just a minor injury; Lin Shi felt there was no need for such a fuss.

At this point, Zhou Luo said with an embarrassed expression, "My cat is a bit different. If you're scratched by it, you might fall unconscious."

"How is that possible?" Lin Shi didn't care at all. He smiled and said, "It's just a kitten. I am a..."

Before he could finish, Lin Shi suddenly felt the world spinning. Before he could even activate his Spiritual Qi, his vision went black, and he collapsed to the side.

Zhou Luo stepped forward quickly to catch him, then laid him on the bed.

The first step of the plan was a success.

Looking at the unconscious Lin Shi, he took out a Disguise Talisman and channeled a strand of Spiritual Qi into it.

As the Spiritual Qi flowed into the Talisman, a burst of brilliant spiritual light suddenly erupted.

Zhou Luo first pressed it against Lin Shi's chest.

Immediately, spiritual light flared up, enveloping the man's entire body.

About three minutes later, Zhou Luo took back the Talisman and placed it on his own chest.

A gentle power surged from within the Talisman, spreading throughout his body.

In an instant, the contours of Zhou Luo's face began to blur.

The Talisman light flickered as his stature and features changed one by one, eventually transforming into Lin Shi's appearance.

The entire process was silent and seamless, as magical as an illusion.

Zhou Luo went to the mirror and checked himself carefully. Finding no flaws, he nodded in satisfaction.

Then he took the Passage Token from Lin Shi's waist and walked toward the door alone.

Before leaving, he uneasily placed a spirit Talisman on the door.

This was a Rank One Low Grade spirit Talisman, similar to a door lock, specifically used to prevent others from intruding.

While refining the Disguise Talisman last night, he had conveniently made this one as well.

This way, if anyone tried to enter the room, it would create the impression that he was sleeping inside.

Having finished all this, Zhou Luo packed the dishes into the food box, took the refined Medicinal Pills, and walked out of the room.

Once outside, he headed straight for the stone gate at the entrance of the first floor.

"Shi-tou, so fast today? Not petting the cat?"

Just then, a patrolling guard saw him and greeted him with a smile.

"Zhou Luo spent too much energy on Alchemy last night and is resting now. I'll come back later," Zhou Luo replied, using Lin Shi's voice.

The guard didn't suspect anything and asked no further questions.

Arriving at the stone gate, although the guards knew him, they still asked him to produce his Passage Token.

Zhou Luo was well-prepared; he took the token from his waist and showed it to them.

After confirming it was correct, they let him pass.

Stepping out of the stone gate, Zhou Luo looked up at the azure sky and let out a long breath.

Finally out. It really wasn't easy.

After his thoughts settled, he hurried down the mountain path.