A Grand Gift

"Elder Lu, this is what this disciple accidentally overheard last night when I got up in the night and heard movement in Zhao Qiyang's room."

The next day, Yang Chan went directly to Lu Zhenghai, the Inner Refining elder who had brought Yang Chan and the others to Taiyu City.

After reasonably embellishing what he had heard the previous night, he reported it to Lu Zhenghai.

These moles from Lingyu Palace wanted to deal with him, so he would borrow the sect's strength to wipe them all out.

He did not like taking revenge personally. He only liked killing with a borrowed knife, letting them die without even knowing how they had died.

"You are not saying this because of your previous personal grudge, are you?"

Lu Zhenghai naturally knew of the conflict between Yang Chan and Zhao Qiyang. It involved two Junior Alchemists, and Yang Chan had especially advanced to Junior Alchemist in Taiyu City, so he had naturally paid attention.

"This concerns the sect's affairs. This disciple would not dare speak carelessly. At first, this disciple also did not understand why he was targeting me, which is why I paid closer attention."

"As for whether Zhao Qiyang has a problem, Elder Lu need only arrange for someone to investigate him in secret. If he wishes to investigate the movements of Elders and others, he will certainly leave traces behind. A person like this, if he is a mole from Lingyu Palace, could cause great trouble."

"However, Zhao Qiyang is highly vigilant. If ordinary people are assigned to watch him, they may be discovered."

Yang Chan was not surprised. Lu Zhenghai's reaction had been within his expectations. After all, there was a conflict between him and Zhao Qiyang, so it would be easy for others to think he was deliberately trying to cause trouble for the other man.

Thus, when Yang Chan spoke, he first mentioned that he had deliberately kept watch to make his motives clear, then brought up Zhao Qiyang's task, which was also the easiest point to verify.

"Furthermore, this disciple wishes to take on tomorrow's task of calling roll among the Steward Disciples and delivering medicine, while also delivering the Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup that the sect is rewarding these Steward Disciples with."

The Steward Disciples in Taiyu City could receive a bowl of Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup every half month. This was a reward available only in a battlefield like Taiyu City.

When this reward was delivered, none of the Steward Disciples would be absent.

Previously, Junior Alchemists had also been assigned to call roll and deliver the medicine. Now that Yang Chan was taking on this task, it was perfectly reasonable.

The difference was that others were passively assigned the task, while he had volunteered for it.

"Good. I will personally speak to Pharmacist Xu shortly and have him assign this task to you."

Lu Zhenghai gave Yang Chan a deep look. Naturally, he guessed the other man's purpose. Yang Chan wanted to find that Steward Qian among the Steward Disciples, the high-ranking mole hidden within Qinghan Prefecture of Taiyu City.

This method could be carried out without a sound, without startling the snake in the grass.

"Thank you, Elder Lu. This disciple has one more small suggestion. If it is confirmed that Zhao Qiyang has a problem, Elder may first use Zhao Qiyang and the others to send out false information, then catch them all in one net."

Yang Chan added another sentence. The reason he said it was to see whether he could earn himself some merit.

It was merely an offhand remark. If that one remark could earn him more merit, cultivation resources, silver, and other good things, then naturally it would be an excellent matter.

As Lu Zhenghai watched Yang Chan leave, a thoughtful look flashed through his eyes.

"From the look of it, Zhao Qiyang truly does have a problem. He has even concealed his cultivation. Those previous failures likely had something to do with him as well. Once Zhao Qiyang is confirmed, I will report to the Sect Master."

Seeing Yang Chan's manner, Lu Zhenghai's suspicion toward Zhao Qiyang deepened by several degrees.

The sect's previous arrangements for surprise attacks had all seemed to be discovered in advance. Although several hidden moles had been eliminated, none of them had been qualified to access the more confidential information. Zhao Qiyang, on the other hand, had every opportunity to do so.

Qingyuan Sect had naturally also grown suspicious of Zhao Qiyang and arranged for people to monitor him. But now it seemed that Zhao Qiyang's senses were quite sharp, and his cultivation was likely not weak either. Otherwise, he would not have noticed that he was under surveillance.

"Yang Chan is not as simple as he appears either. But the Law Enforcement Hall investigated him personally, so it can be confirmed that there is no problem."

Lu Zhenghai pondered silently.

After Zhao Ziqing was captured, the Law Enforcement Hall had personally investigated all information related to Yang Chan. They had even carefully checked every place Yang Chan had been.

It could be said that there was simply no possibility that he was a mole from an enemy sect. This was different from Zhao Ziqing. Once the Law Enforcement Hall conducted an investigation, it could uncover the faintest suspicious clue and thereby expose the problem.

"If Zhao Qiyang truly has a problem, we can give Lingyu Palace a major piece of false information, then turn around and set a trap."

Lingyu Palace, Taiyu Valley, and the Nanhua Sword Sect had only barely been able to contend with Qingyuan Sect by joining forces. If one of the sects could be destroyed, dealing with the remaining two would become much easier.

This let Lu Zhenghai see an opportunity to break the deadlock.

Although Qingyuan Sect currently held the upper hand, dragging things out for too long was not a good thing for Qingyuan Sect either.

It was best to end this quickly.

After Yang Chan left, he ran through what had just happened in his mind. What he had done was not overly conspicuous; it suited his identity as an alchemist perfectly.

"Zhao Qiyang, you had better accept every bit of this grand gift I have sent you!"

Yang Chan said silently in his heart.

If Zhao Qiyang accepted this grand gift in full, it would not merely take Zhao Qiyang's life. It could also drag out even more moles from the enemy sects, perhaps even inflict grievous losses upon the Three Great Sects. If all went smoothly, it might even end the deadlocked battle.

He could then return to Qingyuan Sect. The world below the mountain was far too dangerous. He had barely arrived in Taiyu City, yet so many people already wanted to kill him. Returning to Qingyuan Sect would be safer.

As for what happened next on Qingyuan Sect's side, Yang Chan only wanted to hear the news afterward. He had no desire to take the initiative and participate.

He hoped Zhao Qiyang would never again harbor killing intent toward him because of this. As for whether Zhao Qiyang could die with his eyes closed, Yang Chan considered that unimportant.

"When calling roll and delivering the Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup, I only need to act as usual tomorrow. Then, at the end, I will report the confirmed information to Lu Zhenghai."

"A Steward-level figure from Lingyu Palace should be a Bone Forging expert. I wonder what special cultivation technique that person practices to infiltrate Qingyuan Sect while appearing like an ordinary person."

In powerful sects, Stewards were all Bone Forging experts, with even more formidable combat strength. Yang Chan naturally did not want to fight such a person, so he had to behave naturally. At the same time, he was curious about the other party's cultivation-concealing technique. One of his friends also needed such a technique, so he was merely curious and wanted to ask around.

Moreover, he had a feeling that Lu Zhenghai might also observe from the scene, watching for the enemy sect expert hidden within Qingyuan Sect.

Lost in thought, Yang Chan returned to the Ding-character room and began preparing medicine. Today, he had been assigned the task of preparing Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup, which was also the medicinal soup for tomorrow's Steward Disciples.

Yang Chan had prepared Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup many times himself. With the assistance of several Alchemist Assistants, including Sun Qi Wu, his preparation speed increased considerably, and he became familiar with this kind of large-batch preparation process.

Previously, he had been an Alchemist Assistant helping others. Now, he was an alchemist being assisted by others, and he quickly adapted.