Baring His Fangs

"Forget it. What did it have to do with me?"

Lan Chang'an did not want to meddle in other people's affairs. Besides, the embezzled medicinal herbs were not his.

That old fellow's sickly face was no sign of longevity. At most, he would last another twenty or thirty years before Lan Chang'an could dance on his grave.

Lan Chang'an avoided his sharp edge and kept his dealings with him to a minimum.

Yet some matters could not be escaped simply by yielding.

Several days later, at dawn.

"Who did this?!"

Lan Chang'an was meditating when a sudden furious shout jolted him awake.

"Everyone, assemble!"

Ge Yi Alchemist's enraged voice echoed through the Medicine Garden's residential district.

No one in the Medicine Garden dared challenge Ge Yi's authority.

A sparse gathering of twenty-odd people arrived, including guardians, Spiritual Planters, and mortal servants.

Ge Yi stood before a Medicine Field, pointing at the mess of herbs beneath his feet.

He held a damaged, mushroom-shaped medicinal herb in his hand.

Judging from its condition, it appeared to have been gnawed by some animal.

"This morning, I came to collect some supplementary medicinal ingredients and found this."

Beneath Ge Yi's puffy eyelids, his gaze carried an icy, oppressive force.

His eyes swept over the crowd before finally settling on Lan Chang'an's face.

"Lan Chang'an, what were you doing last night? Explain what happened here."

"I was meditating and resting last night. I know nothing of what happened here. It still needs to be investigated."

Lan Chang'an answered truthfully.

The Medicine Field covered a considerable area. He could not guard it day and night.

However, he had not personally stood watch last night, and losses had appeared in the Medicine Field at precisely that time. As the Medicine Garden Guardian, he could not shirk responsibility.

"Hmph! Neglecting your duty!"

Ge Yi released the spiritual pressure of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. The Mu Family members present did not even dare breathe loudly.

"Fine! Then hurry and find out what happened! This old man is waiting on those herbs for his pill refinement. If anything goes wrong, I'll take you to Moon Heart Island to see the Mu Family Old Ancestor!"

Ge Yi was like a powder keg on the verge of exploding, his voice nearly a roar.

"See the Old Ancestor?"

The Mu Family cultivators present were instantly dumbfounded.

"Could it be that Senior is doing this for..."

"That's right!" Ge Yi said proudly. "Two of the ingredients in the pills this old man is refining are needed by the Old Ancestor."

Ignoring his threats, Lan Chang'an crouched down and inspected the Medicine Field at his feet.

His brow gradually furrowed.

Judging by the damage to the herbs, they seemed to have been ruined and eaten by some demon beast or Spirit Beast.

Spirit Beasts were forbidden in the Medicine Garden.

If it was a demon beast, how had it entered the Medicine Garden, which was protected by an array, without alerting anyone?

"Senior Ge, my preliminary judgment is that some rat-type demon beast, or a Spirit Beast controlled by someone, infiltrated the Medicine Garden and caused this."

Lan Chang'an voiced his speculation.

"Lan Chang'an, don't try to brush this aside with a mere claim that a demon beast infiltrated the place. You neglected your duty, so you cannot escape blame."

Ge Yi snorted coldly, dissatisfied with Lan Chang'an's answer.

Lan Chang'an fell silent. As the guardian, it was indeed difficult for him to evade responsibility.

Make the Mu Family cultivators under him take the blame?

That would only isolate him further. As an outsider to the Lineage, he already lacked authority.

"This is bad! Ge Alchemist, Guardian Lan, a four-hundred-year-old Blood Spirit Mushroom is missing!"

A cry of alarm rang out.

The speaker was a Spiritual Planter inspecting the Medicine Field.

"A four-hundred-year Blood Spirit Mushroom!"

The crowd erupted. This was an enormous loss.

A four-hundred-year Blood Spirit Mushroom was a rare spiritual herb. The entire Mu Family possessed only a few.

Lan Chang'an's expression changed slightly.

With medicinal herbs of this caliber involved, the matter had grown rather serious.

He looked at Ge Yi in confusion.

If this was a frame-up, the method was too simple and crude.

Of course, a simple method did not mean it was ineffective.

"It seems this is far more than a simple Spirit Beast infiltration, nor can it be explained by merely saying 'inadequate guarding.'"

Ge Yi's sinister gaze swept across everyone present.

"There must be someone in the Medicine Garden stealing what they were entrusted to guard!"

One stone stirred a thousand waves. The Mu Family members were shaken.

Several clan members' gazes unconsciously flicked toward Lan Chang'an.

After all, Lan Chang'an was an outsider to the Lineage. Before he came, the Medicine Garden had always been peaceful.

"From now on, no one may leave the Medicine Garden. Have the Lineage's upper ranks send people to investigate."

Ge Yi issued the order.

The Mu Family members had no objections.

Even without Ge Yi's instructions, several Mu Family cultivators watched Lan Chang'an from nearby to prevent him from fleeing.

Lan Chang'an did not run.

At a time like this, whoever ran would become suspicious and turn into the target of public criticism.

In the end, everyone nominated the old Spiritual Planter at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer to return to the Lineage and report the matter.

This old Spiritual Planter was an elder of the Mu Family. His lifespan was nearing its limit, and he had worked diligently all his life. Everyone trusted him.

To clear suspicion, before leaving, the old Spiritual Planter openly allowed everyone to search him.

"This is very strange..."

Lan Chang'an sank into thought.

Could it be that Ge Yi had framed him simply because he was an outsider with no backing?

Had Ge Yi pinned the embezzled medicinal herbs on him?

Lan Chang'an had checked himself and found no stolen goods. He had also checked the Wooden Hut, and there were no stolen goods there either.

If you framed someone, you had to have evidence, didn't you?

If the Lineage sent people to investigate and found no stolen goods or clues on Lan Chang'an... then this matter would become suspicious!

The Mu Family's upper ranks were not fools. They would inevitably suspect Ge Yi.

Of course, it was also possible that a third party had planted the evidence, intending to muddy the waters and provoke internal strife within the Mu Family.

Around noon.

The old Spiritual Planter returned.

The investigators sent by the Mu Family's upper ranks came with him.

There was one man and one woman.

One was a gentle and tranquil, graceful figure—the Mu Family's Eldest Miss, Mu Xiuyun.

The other was a lean, burly man in a cloak, followed by a Black Dog.

This man was only at the Qi Refining Third Layer. He was likely a talent within the Lineage skilled in solving cases and deduction.

"Ge Alchemist, my father is away on business. Today, I will lead the investigation. We will surely give everyone a fair result."

Mu Xiuyun gave a graceful bow, her voice soft and melodious.

"No matter! These are extraordinary times; it is understandable."

Ge Yi stroked his beard and smiled, his tone mild.

In truth, the Mu Family's high-end combat strength was currently tied down at the Mine Area.

Many matters within the Lineage had been handed over to Mu Xiuyun.

Mu Xiuyun's starry eyes turned toward Lan Chang'an, carrying a faint trace of worry as she prepared to say something.

"Woof! Woof..."

The Black Dog behind the lean, burly man barked restlessly, repeatedly trying to run out of the Medicine Garden.

"Hmm? Something's wrong!"

Lan Chang'an twitched his nose, yet he smelled only the ordinary scent of medicinal herbs.

"What's happening? My head feels so dizzy..."

At this moment, several Mu Family members with lower cultivation levels swayed unsteadily, brown spots appearing on their faces.

"Eldest Miss, this is bad! Poison—"

The lean, burly man's body trembled.

After running some distance, his Black Dog Spirit Pet suddenly vomited blood and collapsed.

"Who poisoned us?!"

Mu Xiuyun's delicate body swayed as she let out a clear cry and swept her gaze over the entire scene.

But she discovered that the clan members were already swaying and falling to the ground.

Only Ge Yi Alchemist remained unharmed, a sinister smile on his face.

"The Eldest Miss actually carries a treasure that wards off poison?"

Certain of victory, Ge Yi glanced at the small sachet hanging at Mu Xiuyun's waist. It had already turned black and was emitting wisps of black smoke.

Thud! Thud!

Other than Mu Xiuyun, the Mu Family members present fell one after another from the poison.

Those with low cultivation vomited blood and died on the spot.

Those with stronger constitutions or somewhat higher cultivation collapsed or lost consciousness.

"What poison did that old fellow release? There wasn't the slightest scent or trace."

Lan Chang'an and the Black Dog noticed the abnormality at the same time.

Just as he was about to use a secret technique to expel the poison and take a Detoxification Pill—

He discovered that as soon as the strange poison entered his body, it rapidly dissolved, swept up and devoured by his Evergreen Mana.

The Ancient Wood Evergreen Art actually possessed poison resistance?

No, it should be poison transformation.

This was an unexpected delight.

To avoid becoming Ge Yi's primary target, Lan Chang'an pretended to be poisoned and collapsed.

"Traitor! So it was you—"

Mu Xiuyun's face was icy, her silver teeth clenched.

Whoosh!

Forcing her mana into motion, she sent a streak of silver radiance shooting from her sleeve, piercing toward Ge Yi like lightning.

Within the silver radiance, a Silver Ruler could vaguely be seen.

It was a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact.

"Hehe, Eldest Miss Mu, your sachet cannot completely block the Marrow-Corroding Powder. You are merely at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. Even at your peak, you would be no match for this old man."

Ge Yi spoke lightly and flicked his sleeve.

A shield of mana traced with green patterns protected Ge Yi.

This was a mana shield only Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators could deploy.

With a bang.

The silver radiance burst apart. The ruler, a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, dimmed, its momentum spent.

It was hard to imagine that even Mu Xiuyun's artifact-driven strike could not break Ge Yi's mana shield.

"Ge Alchemist, what exactly do you want? Why have you betrayed the Mu Family?"

Mu Xiuyun gave a muffled groan, a faint brownish tint appearing on her snowy face.

She secretly lamented her plight. The poison's erosion kept her from wielding even her full mana.

"Heh! Originally, I only intended to kill everyone in the Medicine Garden and seize a batch of precious medicinal herbs. But Mu Maode recently went to the Maple Leaf Huang Family to discuss a marriage alliance, making a daughter like you an important bargaining chip."

Ge Yi spoke unhurriedly, waiting for the poison within Mu Xiuyun to flare up further.

"Tsk, tsk. Such a peerless beauty—I truly cannot bear to crush a flower with ruthless hands. If Eldest Miss submits without resistance and lets this old man take her away, she may yet preserve her life."

Looking at the elegant and devastatingly beautiful Mu Xiuyun, Ge Yi's lips curled into a teasing smile.

Whoosh! Huu!

His withered palm opened, and a cluster of black threads appeared. It rapidly expanded into a dense Black Net several yards wide, whipping up a gray whirlwind as it pounced straight at Mu Xiuyun.