21: Chapter 21 The Miss's Secret, Your Circle is Truly Chaotic

Alchemist Chu, you have come.

Chu Sheng cupped his hands: "Since Second Miss invited me, how could I, This humble one, dare not come?"

Lin Wan Qing pursed her lips and smiled, gesturing for him to sit on the stone stool.

"Alchemist Chu, try this. These are osmanthus cakes I made myself."

She pushed the plate toward him, "Usually, it's the maidservants who serve others. It's rare that I have the opportunity to make something for someone to taste."

Chu Sheng picked up a piece and took a bite.

"Second Miss has great skills." He praised her sincerely.

Lin Wan Qing's eyes curved into crescents: "As long as Alchemist Chu likes it."

"Lin Wanqing is too kind." He lifted his teacup, masking a momentary lapse in focus, "I wonder why Second Miss invited me here tonight?"

Lin Wan Qing lifted her head, looking at him earnestly.

"I would like to ask Alchemist Chu to do me a favor."

"Please speak, Lin Wanqing."

"My mother has recently been looking for a suitor for me."

She bit her lip, "They are all sons of wealthy households in town or young masters from small surrounding families. Not one of them..."

She didn't continue, but Chu Sheng understood.

Not one of them was to her liking.

"I heard that Alchemist Chu is very skilled at alchemy."

Her eyes brightened, "I want... I want to cultivate myself. If I can succeed in Qi Induction and become a cultivator, my mother won't be able to just marry me off to anyone."

Chu Sheng's heart stirred.

This young lady has ideas.

"If Second Miss wants to cultivate, why not ask the attendants in the manor?"

"Them?"

Lin Wan Qing curled her lip, "Each one of them acts like a mouse seeing a cat when they see my mother. Who would dare teach me? Besides, those cultivation techniques and pills cost a lot of money, and my mother certainly wouldn't pay for them for me."

She looked at Chu Sheng, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"Alchemist Chu, can you help me? I don't want you to give it to me for free. I... I have private savings that I've been saving for many years."

Chu Sheng was silent for a few seconds.

Helping Lin Wan Qing cultivate is not a losing deal.

First, she is the legitimate daughter of the Lin family, so her aptitude shouldn't be bad. Second, if I really succeed in teaching her, this favor will be significant.

Most importantly, the 'Many Children, Many Blessings' trait was pulsing wildly in his mind.

"Alright." Chu Sheng nodded, "I will help you."

Lin Wan Qing's eyes instantly brightened, and she almost jumped up.

"Really?!"

"Really. But Lin Wanqing must agree to a few things for me."

"Tell me!"

"First, don't tell anyone about the cultivation, including your mother."

Chu Sheng held up a finger, "Second, I will provide the cultivation resources, but Second Miss must help me do one thing."

"What thing?"

Chu Sheng took a jade bottle from his bosom and placed it on the table.

"This is a jade beauty pill, First Grade Mid-tier, which has the effect of preserving youth and beautifying the skin. Find an opportunity to give it to your mother and say that you entrusted someone to buy it from outside."

Lin Wan Qing was stunned, then immediately understood his intention.

"Alchemist Chu wants to..."

"Over at Second Madam's side, someone needs to pass messages." Chu Sheng smiled, "You are the most suitable person to pass them."

Lin Wan Qing nodded vigorously and carefully put away the jade bottle.

"I will definitely handle it well!"

Under the moonlight, the two smiled at each other.

After some time, the jade beauty pill indeed had an effect.

"Where did you buy this pill? Buy a few more bottles!"

Following Chu Sheng's instructions, Lin Wan Qing only said it was sold by a wandering female cultivator who had already left, so it couldn't be bought.

Second Madam sighed with regret.

However, the good mood didn't last too long.

One day, when Lin Hao came to pay his respects, he mentioned inadvertently: "I heard that the Attendant Chu in the manor has been running to the library frequently lately. It seems he is quite attentive toward Lin Wanqing?"

Second Madam's smile stiffened.

"Which Attendant Chu?"

"The one who came from a servant background and knows how to refine pills." Lin Hao fanned himself, looking innocent.

"I heard his alchemy skills are decent, but his background... after all, he is just a servant. What kind of foundation could he have? The little savings he's accumulated, what do they count for in our eyes?"

Second Madam's expression changed.

That night, she sneered at her trusted nanny: "What? That attendant from a servant background? A toad wanting to eat swan meat! So what if he can refine a few pills?"

"Wan Qing's marriage must be vetted by me! How could I let a rootless, penniless boy take advantage?"

"Tell him to just focus on refining pills and not harbor any thoughts he shouldn't!"

When these words were passed to Chu Sheng's ears, he was in the courtyard counting medicinal herbs.

Xiao Huan was so angry her face turned red: "How can they say that about Big Brother Chu!"

Chu Sheng was not angry, but instead laughed.

"As expected. It would be strange if Second Madam's side were easy to deal with."

There was progress on Lin Wan Qing's side. A few days later, the two met by chance in the garden.

In the end, it was Lin Wan Qing who spoke first: "Alchemist Chu, my mother is... she speaks bluntly. Please don't take it to heart."

Chu Sheng was stunned, then immediately understood she was talking about Second Madam's remarks.

"Lin Wanqing is joking. Second Madam speaks the truth." His tone was calm, "This humble one comes from a lowly background. To have what I have today is already lucky. I dare not have any inappropriate thoughts."

Lin Wan Qing became anxious: "What inappropriate thoughts! You are not... not..."

Her face turned red instantly, she lowered her head, her voice getting quieter and quieter, "You are not a penniless boy."

Chu Sheng looked at her, his heart suddenly softening.

This young lady is truly genuine.

After saying that, with slightly flushed cheeks, she hurried away, leaving behind a faint, lingering fragrance.

Chu Sheng saw this and stroked his chin.

There's a chance!

This young lady clearly isn't interested in her mother's way of thinking. However, the difficulty coefficient is still too high. Second Madam's side is hard to deal with, and that snobbish brother of hers is also a problem.

A forced melon is not sweet, and besides... the cost might be too high.

Chu Sheng temporarily put aside Lin Wan Qing's matter and began looking for other targets.

A concubine's daughter from a branch family of the Lin manor?

He had secretly observed a few, but they were either of mediocre aptitude, timid in personality, or their families were too unbearable.

Other small families in town?

His current reputation and wealth are not enough to make those families ignore his background as a servant.

"Do I really have to take Xiao Huan first?"

Chu Sheng watched Xiao Huan in the simulation, quietly drying medicinal herbs in the courtyard.

She looks much healthier now, with lively eyes; she is a gentle and well-behaved young lady.

"But she is ultimately a mortal... The feedback from 'Many Children, Many Blessings' is limited..."

He sighed, and just as he was struggling with the decision, an unexpected turning point appeared.

Lin Bufan, that member of the First Branch Family who is devoted to seeking immortality, has returned to the manor.

Chu Sheng wanted to find a dose of Moon Grass.

This thing only grows on specific cliffs in the back mountain when the moonlight is at its strongest, and it is extremely hard to find.

But relying on his Strong Luck, Chu Sheng decided to try his luck late at night.

The moonlight was like water, and the back mountain was quiet. Chu Sheng actually found two stalks of Moon Grass with good quality in a cliff crevice.

His heart was filled with joy, and just as he was about to pick them—

A cold, deep male voice rang out, carrying a hint of tenderness: "...The risk of this matter is too great; you shouldn't have risked meeting me here."

A mature, charming female voice carried a hint of complaint: "You still know there's risk? You've been gone for over half a year without a word! Do you know how exhausted I am dealing with all those troublesome things in the manor?"

This female voice...

Chu Sheng's pupils contracted slightly.

It's Second Madam Wang!

That male voice... although he had only heard it a few times, he could not be wrong—it was Lin Bufan!

Seeing this, Chu Sheng almost choked on his own saliva.

"Wait! Lin Bufan and Second Madam?! Isn't Lin Bufan the son of the First Branch Family's master? Second Madam is his aunt!"

"Is the circle really this messy?!"

"No wonder Lin Bufan hasn't taken a wife in his thirties and is devoted to seeking immortality..."

In the forest, the conversation continued.

Madam Wang: "Can't you think of a way? Do you really want to watch the position of the family head fall into someone else's hands? Even if you don't care, what about me and Wan Qing?"

Lin Bufan was silent for a moment: "I have said before, I have no interest in the position of family head. Regarding my father, I have my own plans."

He paused: "Regarding the newly promoted alchemist attendant in the manor, do not easily offend him, but there is no need to be overly close to him either."

Madam Wang seemed somewhat dissatisfied: "He is just an alchemist from a servant background... However, the jade beauty pill he refined is not bad." Her tone softened slightly.

Lin Bufan: "Alchemists, especially young and promising alchemists, are always useful. Keep him steady; perhaps he will be useful in the future."

The voices faded, and the two figures, one after the other, carefully left the forest and disappeared into the night.

Chu Sheng remained pressed against the cliff, not moving.

His heart was in a tumult.

Good grief! No wonder Lin Bufan has no interest in the position of family head, and no wonder Second Madam sometimes acts with such confidence...

So there was this relationship behind it all!

If this were to be exposed, it would definitely be a shocking scandal for the Lin family, enough to ruin the reputation of both the First and Second Branch Families, and even trigger internal strife!

Chu Sheng took a deep breath.

"This melon... is ripe, and it's a shocking thunderbolt!"

"Strong Luck, oh Strong Luck, you let me stumble upon this secret... What do you want me to do? Use this to blackmail Lin Bufan? Blackmail Second Madam?"

"Those two, one is a genius at the Qi Induction Fourth Grade, and the other is a sharp-tongued woman with a deep background. If things go wrong, they might kill me to silence me..."

He suddenly laughed.

Perhaps... it doesn't necessarily have to be used immediately.

Knowing this secret itself is a potential, highly powerful trump card.

At the very least, when facing difficulties from the Second Branch Family in the future, or from Lin Bufan's side... he will have some assurance.

Chu Sheng carefully picked the Moon Grass and quietly returned to Listening to Bamboo Pavilion.

That night, he didn't sleep soundly.

Simulation paused.

Please choose the next plan for the host:

1. Use the secret to secretly contact Lin Bufan, try to establish an understanding, and gain support.

2. Pretend not to know, but secretly adjust the strategy for interacting with the Second Branch Family and conduct limited cooperation.

3. Stay completely out of it, strictly keep the secret, continue to make a fortune quietly, and break the situation with strength.

4. Leak the secret anonymously to the Third Branch Family or the First Branch Family, muddy the waters of the Lin family, and profit from it.

Chu Sheng looked at the four options, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up.

"This is interesting."