51: Chapter 51 Get into the pot quickly

[Chu Sheng crept down along the secret passage.]

[At the end of the secret passage, a massive cavern suddenly opened up.]

[Chu Sheng's pupils constricted sharply.]

[A Crimson Python with a single horn on its head was coiled in the center of the cavern, its body occupying most of the space.]

["So it really is you." Chu Sheng took a deep breath, pressing his hand against the scorching demon refining pot in his robes.]

[The giant python seemed to sense something.]

[Chu Sheng knew he couldn't wait any longer.]

[He took out the demon refining pot, bit his fingertip, and dripped a drop of his essence blood onto the pot's surface.]

[demon refining pot activated: Method of Capturing Demons.]

[The patterns on the pot's surface lit up instantly.]

[The giant python snapped its eyes open!]

[Its vertical pupils were filled with killing intent as it opened its bloodthirsty maw!]

["Holy crap!" Chu Sheng was almost knocked unconscious by the stench, but he fought back the nausea and channeled power into the demon refining pot.]

[A beam of cyan light erupted from the pot's mouth, colliding with the poisonous mist.]

["Little snake, come into the pot quickly."]

["Hiss, hiss, hiss—"]

[The poisonous mist was purified layer by layer by the cyan light, but the giant python's tail had already swept toward him!]

[Chu Sheng rolled away in a sorry state, dodging the strike.]

Chu Sheng wiped away a cold sweat:

Fighting a Condensing True Essence beast with Qi Induction Fourth Grade, especially after unequipping [Sword Saint], was truly courting death.

It was fortunate he had the demon refining pot; otherwise, ten lives wouldn't be enough to pay the price.

He needed to be more cautious in reality.

Strong Luck wasn't omnipotent. If his luck failed him, he would really be dead.

["Faster! Faster! Faster!" Chu Sheng gritted his teeth.]

[The demon refining pot's speed at absorbing the demonic aura increased rapidly.]

[The giant python let out a shrill hiss, then transformed into a plume of black smoke, swallowed whole by the demon refining pot!]

["Bang!"]

[The lid closed automatically, and then everything returned to calm.]

[Chu Sheng slumped to the ground, panting heavily.]

["It's... captured already?"]

[The pot's surface was slightly warm, as if responding to him.]

[Chu Sheng opened the lid a crack and peeked inside.]

[A ball of black smoke was curled at the bottom of the pot, and the shape of the giant python was vaguely discernible.]

[Chu Sheng grinned, "I'm rich, I'm rich!"]

Chu Sheng let out a long sigh of relief. This time, the Crimson Python wasn't as terrifying as it had been in the previous simulation; it was likely because he had arrived earlier than last time.

Even though it was a Condensing True Essence early-stage demonic beast and was heavily injured, its cultivation realm was still there.

If he raised it slowly, it might recover its combat strength.

But the problem was, how do you raise it?

What do you feed it?

What if he accidentally killed it?

[Suppressing the urge to laugh wildly, he stuffed the demon refining pot back into his robes and turned to run.]

["Elder Zhou could wake up at any moment; I need to get out of here fast!"]

[Running up the secret passage he had come from, he heard slight movements from above as he neared the Alchemy Room.]

[Elder Zhou turned over, still asleep.]

[Chu Sheng held his breath, pressed against the wall, and slid past the entrance of the Alchemy Room as silently as a gecko.]

[In the moonlight, the woman was still slumped beside the alchemy furnace, her sleeping expression serene.]

["Sleeping so soundly, was she drugged with a soul-bewitching powder?"]

[Chu Sheng took one more look and silently added to himself, "She certainly is good-looking, but it's a pity her heart is black."]

[He tiptoed out of Danxia Peak and sprinted all the way.]

[Running to the mountainside, he suddenly remembered something and came to a sharp halt.]

[The simulator popped up a critical choice:]

[1. Take this small path. Use the cover of night to head to the tunnel crack and stay away from this place of trouble.]

[2. Black under the lamp. Return to his own cave dwelling and pretend nothing happened.]

[3. Counterattack. Frame someone and let the Qinglan Sect fight amongst themselves. Highest risk, but also highest reward.]

Looking at these three options, Chu Sheng fell into deep thought.

Escape directly?

The mountain gates would be sealed. He had taken that small path by the crack in the last simulation; although it was hidden, if they discovered he was missing, they would definitely suspect him.

Black under the lamp?

The cave dwelling of the Sect Masters Lineage was indeed a good cover.

But a snake-hearted woman like Elder Zhou would definitely expand the search range once she couldn't find anyone.

Counterattack...

He thought of Han Li's smiling face, the letter of introduction, and the schemes of the Second Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Han Li wants to screw me over, so I'll make his uncle suffer too."

The corners of Chu Sheng's mouth curled up. "He who schemes against others will be schemed against. If he wants to scheme against me, I'll be even more cunning than him."

["Choose 3."]

...

[Chu Sheng's eyes rolled, and he rummaged through his Storage Pouch to find a worn-out spare dagger—Yellow Grade Low Rank.]

[He carved a few words onto the handle of the dagger and then stuck it in a conspicuous place at the exit of the secret passage.]

["Han Li was here."]

[Chu Sheng looked at his masterpiece, his mouth twitching.]

["This technique is so clumsy that even I don't believe it."]

But Chu Sheng laughed: Clumsy as it was, what would those people in the Qinglan Sect think?

Han Li was the nephew of the Second Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall. The Second Elder held a high and powerful position; who would dare to openly investigate him?

Even if someone suspected it was a frame-up, they would first have to consider the consequences of offending the Second Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall.

Moreover, a snake-hearted woman like Elder Zhou was deep-thinking and highly suspicious.

Seeing such a clumsy frame-up, she might instead think someone was deliberately trying to frame Han Li.

Then, following that line of reasoning, they might eventually investigate their way to the Second Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall.

This was called reverse thinking.

You think it's a frame-up, but I frame it so fake that you think I'm playing mind games.

Truth and falsehood, fake and real—let the enemy guess for themselves.

[He turned to leave, then suddenly stopped again.]

["Running is the safest option, but after running, the Qinglan Sect will definitely seal the mountain gates to search. That path by the crack is hidden, but if I'm discovered to be missing, I'll have to live the life of a vagrant again."]

["Black under the lamp..."]

[His eyes lit up.]

Chu Sheng nodded: This kid, he thinks just like me.

He wants to scheme against others while also ensuring his own survival. Both moves played together, a two-pronged approach.

[Chu Sheng did not run down the mountain, nor did he run toward the crack.]

[He quietly circled back to his own cave dwelling, a simple, crude hut.]

[After entering the house, he took out the demon refining pot and placed it in the most conspicuous spot on the table.]

[Then he poured a pot of water into it and placed it on the charcoal stove.]

[He lit the fire and boiled the water.]

[The water in the demon refining pot quickly boiled, bubbling and steaming.]

[Chu Sheng sat at the table and poured himself a cup of tea.]

["The most dangerous place is the safest place."]

[He muttered, "Who would have thought that the person who stole the Condensing True Great Demon would be sitting right under the Sect Master's nose, drinking tea?"]

Watching this scene, Chu Sheng couldn't help but exclaim:

This kid has real guts.

However, this "black under the lamp" move is indeed brilliant.

That old man, the Sect Master, was a troublemaker when he was young. Although he's more restrained now, he might still be an old troublemaker in secret.

He suddenly thought of a question:

Could the Sect Master have discovered it long ago?

That old man is at the peak of Condensing True Essence, just one step away from Spirit Sea.

Can his little tricks really deceive him?

[Outside, there were noisy footsteps.]

[Elder Zhou had woken up, discovered the Great Demon was missing, and was searching frantically.]

[Chu Sheng picked up his teacup and took a sip.]

["Refreshing."]

[Achievement completed: Divert the Disaster (Green).]

[Successfully diverted the direction of the investigation with clumsy means.]

Chu Sheng laughed: "Only green? But mosquito legs are still meat."

He continued to think about the strategy for the next simulation.

"Should I keep Strong Luck active permanently?"

This time, because he needed to capture the Great Demon, he temporarily swapped Sword Saint for Strong Luck.

The effect was immediate, but it also meant losing the combat power bonus of Sword Saint.

Perhaps he could plan the trait combinations in advance, like using Sword Saint for cultivation and switching to Strong Luck to save his life at critical moments.

The utility of the spare slot was fully demonstrated this time.

"And intelligence gathering."

The success this time relied heavily on the information accumulated in the third simulation.

[Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.]

[In a corner of the Qinglan Sect, Elder Zhou's screams were still echoing.]

[Han Li was still in Qingshi Town, facing his uncle's transmission with a bewildered expression.]

["What the heck, Uncle? You're saying that I, a mere Qi Induction cultivator, could travel hundreds of miles in less than an hour and make a Condensing True Essence Great Snake vanish without a trace right under the nose of a Foundation Establishment Elder?"]

["Uncle, I'm at Qi Induction, not Spirit Sea!"]

[Han Li made a bitter face.]

["This is obviously a frame-up."]

[On the other side, the Second Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall said with a cold face, "My nephew is not a fool; he wouldn't leave something like this behind."]

[Elder Zhou sneered, "A frame-up? Then why frame him specifically? Why use such a clumsy method? Perhaps it was deliberately done to make people think it's a frame-up!"]

["As far as I know, your nephew has also practiced evil arts before, right?"]

[The Second Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall's face turned even darker.]

[Both sides argued endlessly, neither willing to yield.]

[The Sect Master, that old man, only had one sentence passed down: "Investigate clearly; do not wrong the innocent, but do not let the guilty go."]

[Inside the Qinglan Sect, undercurrents began to surge.]