140: Young Master

"You are a Middle Stage Martial Master and a four-star Alchemist; can't you sense the Bloodline aura coming from me?" As Long Yuan spoke, he withdrew the Breath Concealment Technique that masked his Xuanhuang Aura. This technique could only hide most of it; a small portion remained unmaskable. Those at or above the Innate stage could sense it, but since Tong Jingshan and the others were only in the Acquired Martial Disciple Realm, it was normal for them not to notice.

Once Long Yuan withdrew the Breath Concealment Technique, Tong Jingshan immediately felt a heavy, mountain-like aura wash over him. His whole body shuddered, and his eyes suddenly widened in shock. "You... you are of the Imperial direct line?!"

After reapplying the Breath Concealment Technique, Long Yuan said, "Correct! Geng County also knows my identity. Do you believe I can persuade him now?"

Upon learning Long Yuan's identity, Tong Jingshan couldn't help but feel ecstatic. Could it be that surviving this disaster would lead to great fortune?

He knew very well that his previous arrangements and efforts were nowhere near enough to compete with his cousins for the position of Family Head. Some of them had higher cultivation levels, some had higher Alchemy Ranks, and some controlled vast markets with immense wealth. To put it bluntly, he was merely making a final struggle; after all, being relegated to a third-tier base city like Fengyang basically meant he had been declared out of the race for the position of Family Head!

However, if he could curry favor with a member of the Imperial direct line, especially one who was already so outstanding at such a young age with a promising future, it would be a significant competitive asset! With such a person backing him, his standing within the Family would naturally soar. One could say that having such external support outweighed all his previous efforts combined!

Suppressing his excitement, he said firmly, "Fine! I will fully cooperate with whatever the Young Lord wishes to do!"

"Very well!" Long Yuan nodded. He wasn't surprised by Tong Jingshan's reaction. After all, the man was smart; if he couldn't even weigh the importance of these matters, there was no need for him to remain in this world. However, what was the meaning behind Tong Jingshan calling him "Young Lord"? Was he planning to defect and join him so quickly?

Tong Jingshan said with difficulty, "Young Lord, I have a healing Medicinal Pill called the 'Golden Bone Pill' in my robes. Please help me take it out and consume it so I can help them neutralize the poison!"

Hearing this, Long Yuan extended his Divine Sense to grab the pouch from his robes. Searching through it, he found a bottle of "Golden Bone Pills." He took one out, placed it in Tong Jingshan's mouth, and used Xuan Power to force it into his system.

The effects of the Golden Bone Pill were quite extraordinary. Perhaps Tong Jingshan's injuries weren't as severe as they appeared, as he soon regained his spirit and stood up, only to suddenly drop to his knees before Long Yuan. "The Young Lord is above; please accept this subordinate's bow!"

Long Yuan dodged the gesture and said, "My identity is a secret. Do not perform such formal greetings in the future!"

"Yes! This subordinate understands! This subordinate wishes to thank the Young Lord for sparing my life! I swear to follow the Young Lord from now on, through thick and thin, without hesitation!" Tong Jingshan swore an oath to the heavens and earth with such solemnity that Long Yuan was stunned. Good grief, is he for real?

This was actually the first time someone had actively offered to follow him after his identity was partially revealed—and it was an Alchemist with a bit of a bad reputation, no less. How should he handle this?

Long Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I'm not killing you for two reasons. First, I want you to neutralize the poison in Geng Yun and the others. Second, I want to use you to find opportunities to deal with the Evil Cultists. Of course, dealing with the cult is not a task for you alone; I will eventually use other means to mobilize more manpower and resources. You only need to assist. If you can complete these tasks, I will consider taking you as my subordinate."

Tong Jingshan seemed even more excited upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Rest assured, Young Lord! This subordinate will definitely complete the tasks. Even if the Young Lord orders me to go to my death, I will execute the command without hesitation!"

Long Yuan was taken aback and said, "Why would I send you to your death for no reason? There's no need for such talk; your actions will be your best proof."

"Yes! This subordinate understands!" Tong Jingshan said excitedly. He quickly took out medicine to start neutralizing the poison in Geng Yun and the others... In truth, Tong Jingshan had been around the block for many years and was a slick old fox. In his view, following an Imperial descendant like Long Yuan would definitely be beneficial. Long Yuan's combat power was already terrifying, and Tong Jingshan was no match for him, showing his great potential. Moreover, Long Yuan was sophisticated in his dealings, holding his own against a veteran like Tong Jingshan. He wasn't a fool. Most importantly, Long Yuan wasn't the type to disregard his subordinates' safety; he was upfront about using Tong Jingshan to fight cultists rather than setting a trap. This openness was convincing. Thus, he decided he was going to cling to this thick Imperial leg no matter what!

"Hmm? What's going on?"

Geng Yun was dumbstruck when he woke up and saw Tong Jingshan helping the people from the county office and the property management company neutralize the poison.

He remembered that before losing consciousness, he had been hit by Tong Jingshan's poison and a palm strike. Their side had been completely wiped out, so why was Tong Jingshan doing this?

Fortunately, his confusion didn't last long. Long Yuan approached him and explained everything via Divine Sense transmission. Geng Yun was shocked. He hadn't expected that besides the hidden exotic beast base Tong Jingshan controlled, there was an even bigger "landmine" hidden in Fengyang County!

"You're saying the Evil Cultists from the Blood Wolf Hall and Shadow Moon Hall are planning to capture people in Fengyang County to use as human test subjects for drugs?!!!" Geng Yun cried out in shock.

"Correct! Their move will likely coincide with the Inter-school Competition between Fengyang's five major high schools. Currently, they have people infiltrated into Fengyang No. 1 High School and Qianlong Middle School, and their targets are likely the students participating in the competition!" Long Yuan nodded.

"Damn it... they dare to target those students! Wait, how do you know all this? How much more do you know? We must destroy their plan in advance at all costs; we cannot let them succeed!" Geng Yun said excitedly. He felt his official position was in jeopardy. If this became a reality, he would likely be dismissed and it might even implicate the Geng Family. Although the Geng Family's overall status wouldn't drop, his specific branch would certainly be affected, which he absolutely did not want to see...