62: Chapter 62 The Bounty for the Elixir and the Opportunity for Alliance

The Alchemy competition only had the award ceremony and closing left, but for the Lin family, the real storm had perhaps just begun.

The sky lightened, and Liuyun Market slowly awakened from the silence of the night.

In the Ge Family's quarters, inside that secret room hidden behind the storeroom, the atmosphere had dropped to freezing.

Steward Yan Song's face was ashen as he stared fixedly at the original spot of the now-empty jade bottle, and at the blank talisman paper that had been neatly folded without a single word left on it.

This was more like a loud slap in the face than any vicious curse.

It silently told them: "I know your secrets, and I can come in at any time to take what I want."

"Bang!"

He slammed a palm onto the wooden table beside him, and the hard ironwood table instantly showed spiderweb-like cracks.

The jade box containing the "pulse-corroding powder" jumped from the force of his palm.

"Investigate! Investigate it for me!" Steward Yan Song's voice was suppressed with the rage of a volcano about to erupt, every word squeezed out from between his teeth. "Turn the entire residence upside down if you have to, but find that rat who snuck in last night!"

"Steward, calm down." A hoarse figure stepped out from the shadows; it was Hermit Poison-Heart, Mo San.

His eyes were gloomy. He didn't look at the provocative note but instead half-crouched to carefully examine the ground.

"Calm down? The meridian clearing pill was stolen, and the other party obviously knows about the existence of the pulse-corroding powder! If this gets to the Alchemist Association..." Steward Yan Song's chest heaved violently. Last night's plan should have been flawless, but now it had become a sharp sword hanging over their heads.

Mo San ignored his rage.

His fingers gently brushed over the ground, his fingertips stained with imperceptible dust.

He closed his eyes, seemingly sensing something with some secret technique.

A moment later, he opened his eyes. "It was... a very exquisite Formation fluctuation, like the traces left by some sort of trigger-type small Formation Plate."

"A Formation Master?" Steward Yan Song turned his head abruptly, the image of that lazy yet dangerous-looking Guest Elder of the Lin family immediately appearing in his mind.

"It's highly likely." Mo San stood up and said coldly, "Aside from a Cultivator proficient in Formations, I can't think of a second possibility for someone who could bypass our guards and sneak in here without a sound. The Lin family... hides very deep."

"It's the Lin family again!" Steward Yan Song clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from excessive force.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the impulse to take people and storm over there immediately.

There was no evidence.

The other party only took the meridian clearing pill and left a blank sheet of paper.

The pulse-corroding powder and the note recording the alchemist's information were still there.

Even if the Association came to investigate, they could fully claim it was for their own alchemist's Cultivation needs.

As for that blank paper, it was even more of a dead end for evidence.

"Destroy them." Steward Yan Song's voice returned to his usual coldness. "Dispose of the pulse-corroding powder and those notes; don't leave any traces."

"And the Lin family..."

"Keep watching them." A cold light flickered in Steward Yan Song's eyes. "Since they have a Formation Master, barging in will only alert the enemy. Keep a close eye on their every move! I don't believe they can act like turtles hiding in their shells forever!"

At his command, several Ge Family trusted guards began to redeploy under the guise of "checking residential security," and strands of hidden Divine Sense locked onto the direction of the Lin family's shed area like a spiderweb.

As the sun climbed high, the final closing ceremony of the Alchemy competition officially began.

The square was crowded, but the atmosphere was far less enthusiastic than the previous two days; instead, it held a trace of oppressive gravity.

Master Chiyang sat high on the main stage with a solemn expression.

Beside him, several judge alchemists sat upright, their expressions varied.

When the final rankings were slowly spoken by Master Chiyang, a not-insignificant commotion erupted in the crowd.

"...Third place, Su Qingyao."

"...Fourth place, Ge Yuan."

This result was like a basin of cold water poured over the hearts of the Ge Family members.

Steward Yan Song stood in the shadows of the viewing stand, his face even uglier than it had been in the morning.

Ge Yuan stood in the crowd below the stage, head bowed. No one could see his expression, but those tightly clenched fists with bulging veins exposed his inner unwillingness and resentment.

When Su Qingyao's name was called, Lin Chen could feel the body leaning against his shoulder tremble slightly.

He looked down; Su Qingyao's face was still somewhat pale, but a glimmer of light had reignited in those cold, clear eyes.

After taking that "meridian clearing pill," the insidious energy in her body had been temporarily suppressed, and coupled with a night of regulating her breath, she had finally recovered some Origin Qi.

"Go on." Lin Chen said gently, encouraging her with his eyes.

Su Qingyao nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and walked up to the high platform step by step.

She didn't look at anyone, only bowed deeply to Master Chiyang and the judging panel, then accepted the generous reward belonging to third place.

Throughout the process, she felt a cold gaze sticking to her back like a venomous snake.

She knew it was coming from the Ge Family's direction.

After the awards ended, Master Chiyang did not immediately announce the closing of the competition.

His gaze swept across the audience, and he spoke in a deep, heavy voice: "Everyone, before the competition ends, I have one more thing to announce."

The whole square went silent instantly.

"As you all know, in the past six months, alchemists in our Southern Region have occasionally gone missing, or suffered mental damage due to sneak attacks." Master Chiyang's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

In the area where the Ge Family was located, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"The Alchemist Association has investigated for months and, in an ancient ruin, accidentally obtained an ancient Pill Formula fragment called 'Spirit-Awakening Soul-Stabilizing Pill'. This pill may have miraculous effects on those whose Divine Soul has been damaged."

He paused, his gaze becoming sharp: "However, this formula is incomplete, and one of the main ingredients, the 'heart-condensing flower', has long been extinct and cannot be found anywhere. I hereby set a bounty in the name of the Vice President of the Alchemist Association —"

His voice rose sharply, like a booming bell, shaking the whole square.

"Anyone who can provide clues to the complete 'Spirit-Awakening Soul-Stabilizing Pill' formula, or find the 'heart-condensing flower', regardless of whether they are a participating alchemist this time, the Association will reward them with one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and they will receive a promise from me!"

A stone stirred up a thousand waves!

The area below the stage exploded instantly.

One thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones was a huge sum for any Cultivator at the Qi Refinement Stage!

Not to mention, there was also a promise from the Vice President of the Alchemist Association!

"heart-condensing flower? Isn't that the legendary strange flower that only grows in the center of Divine Soul storms? It's been extinct for a long time, right?"

"What does Master Chiyang mean? On the surface, it's for seeking medicine for those missing alchemists, but why do I feel... this is a warning to certain people?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Do you want to die? The Liu Ming incident hasn't even passed yet..."

Amidst the discussions, Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.

His right fingertips subconsciously rubbed the stone ring on his thumb, his brain running rapidly.

Master Chiyang played this well. It was both beating the grass to scare the snake and a wide-net probe.

heart-condensing flower...

This name stirred a faint ripple in the memories deep within his mind.

It was something he had seen years ago in a tattered book on Southern Region customs in the Qingmu Sect library. There was only a brief mention, describing it growing in a dangerous place called "Soul-Severing Cliff," accompanied by a specific type of spiritual energy environment.

At the time, he had just treated it as a curiosity and scanned over it; he hadn't expected it to become the key to breaking the deadlock today.

If he could use this matter to connect with the Alchemist Association, or even Master Chiyang himself... that would undoubtedly add a powerful external aid in countering the Ge Family.

He quickly made a plan in his heart and whispered a sound transmission to Su Qingyao beside him and Liu Yuan, who was hiding in the dark: "heart-condensing flower... we seem to have seen it in the old records of the Qingmu Sect. We can discuss this matter at length after we have rested."

Just then, the competition was officially declared closed, and the crowd began to slowly disperse.

A loud, slightly drunken voice, as if deliberately spoken for someone to hear, sounded nearby.

"Damn it! The Ge Family really covers the sky with one hand! I just asked Liu Ming one extra question, and I was almost kicked out of the top twenty! This Alchemy competition should just be renamed to Ge!"

Lin Chen looked in the direction of the voice; it was the Loose Cultivator alchemist, Wu Iron-Mouth, who had been at odds with the Ge Family during the first round of assessments.

He was swaying, reeking of alcohol, and "happily" passed by the Lin family's shed area, still cursing: "Master Chiyang's bounty for the 'heart-condensing flower'? I think it's just a drop in the bucket! Distant water cannot quench near thirst!"

Lin Chen's heart stirred.

This Wu Iron-Mouth looked boorish, but was actually meticulous. Daring to say such things on this occasion was clearly expressing an attitude, or rather, a probe.

He took a few steps forward, took a pot of ordinary spiritual tea from his Storage Pouch, handed it over, and wore a gentle smile on his face: "Fellow Daoist Wu, calm down. There are many eyes and ears here; if you don't mind, why not come inside and have a chat?"

Wu Iron-Mouth glanced at him, then at the spiritual tea in his hand, chuckled, did not decline, and strode into the shed area.

Once inside the shed, Wu Iron-Mouth seemed to change into a different person; the drunkenness on his face faded by more than half. He sat down and, although he was still cursing in a low voice, there was no longer that blustery energy in his tone.

"Clan Head Lin, you've offended the Ge Family terribly this time."

"It was unavoidable." Lin Chen poured tea for him personally, not rushing to speak, just listening quietly.

Under Lin Chen's probing guidance, Wu Iron-Mouth spilled out some of the "insider information" he knew like beans from a pod.

The Alchemist Association was not monolithic; the faction led by Master Chiyang had long had friction with the forces behind the Ge Family, but due to the prestige of the Ge Family's Late Stage Golden Core Old Ancestor, they had never found an excuse to tear off the mask.

As for Wu Iron-Mouth himself, he had had a dispute with the Ge Family over a Spirit Medicine trade years ago, suffered a huge loss, and had always been resentful. Taking the opportunity to vent this time was also a way of "submitting" to Master Chiyang's side.

Just as Lin Chen and Wu Iron-Mouth were talking, on the periphery of the shed area, Liu Yuan, who was responsible for vigilance, frowned slightly.

On the ground in front of him, under an inconspicuous stone, the micro-vigilance Formation Plate he had pre-deployed transmitted an extremely slight fluctuation.

He looked in the direction of the fluctuation and saw a man dressed in servant attire, sneaking around the shed area, his ears pricked high, seemingly trying to eavesdrop on something.

It was the same servant that Mo San had sent to poison them yesterday.

A cold smile curled on the corner of Liu Yuan's mouth.

He didn't alert anyone; he just flicked his finger imperceptibly, and an invisible spiritual energy fluctuation merged into the air.

Around the shed area, a small illusion Formation that had been laid down early was quietly activated.

In the eyes of that servant, the scene inside the Lin family's shed area instantly became blurred. Shadows were moving, and the sounds turned into a chaotic buzzing, making it impossible to hear any specific details.

After doing all this, Liu Yuan's figure merged back into the shadows, and he silently left a tracking mark on the servant that was even more secretive than "Soul-Guiding Dust."

At the same time, at the Ge Family's residence.

Steward Yan Song soon learned from his informants that Wu Iron-Mouth had openly entered the Lin family's shed area.

"Reckless thing!" His face became even gloomier, and his inner unease grew stronger.

He immediately sent people to double the surveillance on the Lin family, and at the same time wrote a letter, using an express spirit crane to send a message to the Ge Family Old Ancestor far away in the Sect, asking for instructions on the next move.

And in a quiet attic Meditation Room elsewhere in Liuyun Market, Master Chiyang was toying with an image-recording stone.

The light and shadow in the stone flickered, clearly recording the scene from the day before when Wu Iron-Mouth "accidentally" met Liu Ming, the Jade Slip rolled down, and Mo San attempted to kill him, but the teleportation array took Liu Ming away one step ahead.

"The Lin family... interesting."

He called over a trusted Disciple and whispered a few instructions in his ear.

That Disciple...

The storm was coming.

All parties had made their moves, and an invisible giant net was slowly tightening around the Lin family.

Late at night, Lin Chen sent off the still-unsatisfied Wu Iron-Mouth and returned to the empty shed area.

Liu Yuan's figure appeared silently and told him everything he had discovered today.

Lin Chen rubbed the stone ring, his gaze deep.

The Ge Family, Master Chiyang, Wu Iron-Mouth... and that servant poisoning them from the shadows.

There were more and more pieces on the chessboard.

He looked up at Su Qingyao beside him; although her aura was stable, there was still a hint of lingering fatigue between her brows.

The shadow of that "pulse-corroding powder" was always a threat hanging over their heads.

"Qingyao," his voice was low and firm, "We will return to Green Bamboo Mountain immediately. This place is already the center of the storm, and staying long is of no benefit. Your injuries, and the Pill Formula for the 'Spirit-Awakening Soul-Stabilizing Pill', all need an absolutely quiet environment."