The Ninth Prince's First Outpost, Take Away

"You know him?"

After entering the alchemy room with the medicinal ingredients, Leng Yueyan, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help but speak.

Lin Shuguang's attention was entirely on the medicinal ingredients, and he seemed a bit absent-minded when answering, "It's nothing, I mistook him for someone else."

Leng Yueyan looked at him suspiciously.

She didn't believe Lin Shuguang was telling the truth, but Lin Shuguang didn't seem inclined to continue the conversation.

Although Leng Yueyan hadn't interacted much with Lin Shuguang, she understood his temperament. If he didn't want to talk about something, there was no way to force it out of him.

So, Leng Yueyan stopped pressing further. "The medicinal ingredients are here. This is one portion."

She had already made it clear how precious the Nine Revolutions Golden Core was. Being able to provide one portion proved her sincerity.

Lin Shuguang understood the implications. After briefly examining the materials in his hand, he pondered for a moment.

Since it was his first time refining the Nine Revolutions Golden Core, he wasn't sure about the yield from these ingredients. So, he asked, "How many Nine Revolutions Golden Cores can be refined from this portion?"

Leng Yueyan thought for a moment after hearing his question. "Theoretically, it can refine five pills. However, based on what I've seen from those alchemy masters over the years, the average is two pills. Only a select few masters are fortunate enough to refine three. As for four pills in one furnace, that's practically a myth."

While saying this, Leng Yueyan was also observing Lin Shuguang.

People who asked such questions were usually extremely confident. She didn't pry into how confident Lin Shuguang was. She was a smart person, and seeing Lin Shuguang start rolling up his sleeves, she quietly stood aside to watch.

Meanwhile, outside the door.

The old man handed Wang Fugui a towel. "What happened just now?"

When Lin Shuguang was testing Wang Fugui, the old man was busy with the medicinal ingredients outside. When he returned, he found the young man covered in sweat and trembling uncontrollably.

Wang Fugui wiped away cold sweat, his lips turning purple, and his whole body began to shake. He looked up with a deathly pale face, "Sec, Second Master, I feel... my illness... is acting up."

"Why is your illness acting up so suddenly?" The old man's expression changed. He hurriedly took out some pills from a nearby cabinet, quickly pouring out a few tiny, purplish pills, about the size of rice grains.

Before he could hand them over, Wang Fugui grabbed his wrist. The veins on the back of his hand bulged like earthworms, and his five fingers turned as black as a vengeful spirit...

The old man held his breath, the medicine still in his hand, and stood frozen. He slowly turned his head to look.

Half of Wang Fugui's face seemed to be covered in runes, making it incredibly eerie. His face was contorted as if he was struggling to control himself. "Second Master, I... I'm fine. No need for medicine. I can endure it."

"The Young Miss and the others are inside. Your condition cannot be exposed, or they will see you as an anomaly and burn you to death," the old man whispered urgently, his face full of anxiety.

"I... I'm fine." Wang Fugui gasped for air, as if a demon had taken residence within him. He was suppressing it with all his might, not wanting the demon inside him to escape. "Kill them!"

Suddenly, Wang Fugui was filled with evil energy, but the next moment, his face returned to Wang Fugui's human appearance, contorted in pain and struggle.

The old man sighed. Before Wang Fugui could transform, he grabbed the back of his neck and forced the pills down his throat.

Within ten seconds, Wang Fugui's aura began to stabilize. He was gasping for breath.

The old man sighed deeply. "This can't go on. What did that person say back then?"

Wang Fugui collapsed on the bed, weakly rubbing his dizzy head. "That person... that person told me to wait."

"Wait for what? It's been a year, and nothing has happened. What's that person's identity? Did they tell you clearly? Why are you suffering so much for no reason?" the old man grumbled.

Wang Fugui slowly sat up, shaking his head. "He said he could help me get revenge. As long as I could get revenge, I could endure all of this."

The old man frowned. "Becoming neither human nor ghost, how is that revenge?"

Wang Fugui remained silent, not at all like the flustered act he put on in front of Lin Shuguang earlier. After a moment, he looked up. "Who is that man the Young Miss brought with her?"

The old man looked at him suspiciously. "He looks unfamiliar. I suspect the Young Miss needs these ingredients for him this time. What about him?"

Wang Fugui remained silent, recalling. "This man is unusual. The reason my condition flared up is directly related to him... Something seemed to have stimulated me at the time. I won't forget that feeling; it was exactly the same as what that mysterious person gave me back then."

The old man stroked his beard hesitantly. "Could the mysterious person you met back then be the one the Young Miss brought today?"

"I can't be sure. That person knew my name, but this man today doesn't..." Wang Fugui also frowned.

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Could this person be wary of the Young Miss being here, and deliberately provoked you?"

"Is there any need for that?" Wang Fugui asked, confused.

The old man looked like he had experience. "You're still young. That person met you in secret back then, which means he didn't want to reveal his true identity. Think about who the Young Miss is. Would she easily associate with ordinary people?"

Wang Fugui fell silent.

The old man was about to say more when a terrifying power descended from the adjacent room.

Invisible ripples spread out as if a bomb had exploded.

The entire void seemed to be affected by some kind of rule.

Tables, chairs, and cabinets all vibrated. This phenomenon wasn't limited to the old man's small shop; it even affected the surrounding two miles, as this mysterious power wreaked havoc.

"What's going on?"

"What happened?"

"Who triggered the power of the rules?"

"Has a powerful expert descended, or has a treasure appeared?"

"A treasure appeared? No way."

Many people walked out onto the street to investigate the true source.

But unfortunately, the outburst just now was only for a moment, leaving many people confused.

Inside the small shop.

The old man and Wang Fugui looked at each other, dumbfounded.

"Aren't you going to take a look?" After a long pause, Wang Fugui spoke.

The old man was silent for a moment. "You come with me."

"No, I'm afraid of dying." Wang Fugui quickly shook his head.

That strange power was extremely intimidating. He felt like his soul was about to be annihilated just from a brief contact.

He couldn't even escape, so how could he possibly go closer to investigate?

The old man glared at the brat irritably, cursed under his breath, and walked out of the room, cautiously approaching the alchemy room door.

Seeing the alchemy room door, which was clearly deformed but not broken, the old man's throat bobbed. He then cautiously raised his voice and shouted, "Young Miss, are you alright?"

As soon as he finished speaking, with a "bang," a hand directly pierced the door, easily tearing open the secret passage.

The old man was so startled that he took a step back.

If he hadn't finally seen Lin Shuguang come out with Leng Yueyan, he would have probably screamed in terror.

"I'm fine. I'll have someone clean this up for you," Leng Yueyan gestured and took a pearl from her pocket, handing it to the old man. "This is a reward for you."

The old man quickly said, "Thank you for your generosity, Young Miss."

Leng Yueyan looked at Lin Shuguang. "Let's go quickly."

Lin Shuguang calmly glanced at the room where Wang Fugui was.

During his previous investigation, he discovered that someone had planted a strange and evil power within Wang Fugui. Thinking that this young man's name was the same as one on the Nine Demon Scroll, Lin Shuguang couldn't help but suspect that this was another scheme by the Ninth Prince, Gu Changhe.

Although Wang Fugui had no cultivation and was just a mortal, his physique was very special. The evil power hidden within him seemed to be able to grow stronger.

"I wonder how much Golden Dew I can exchange for by sacrificing him..."

"What are you talking about?" Leng Yueyan, who hadn't heard clearly, turned back suspiciously and asked.

"It's nothing." Lin Shuguang left her and walked towards the door of Wang Fugui's room.

The old man had just spoken with Wang Fugui, so he was secretly paying close attention to Lin Shuguang's actions. Seeing him suddenly walk over, his expression changed slightly, and he wanted to find an excuse to stop him.

However, the vast aura emanating from Lin Shuguang directly blocked him three meters away.

"Young Miss!" the old man shouted anxiously.

Leng Yueyan didn't understand Lin Shuguang's intentions. However, their relationship was currently in a "honeymoon phase," and they had too many entanglements. She didn't want to interfere, but she still tried to comfort the old man, "With me here, nothing will happen."

The old man didn't know what to say.

He didn't dare to speak of Wang Fugui's strangeness, but with Lin Shuguang walking over now, he couldn't help but worry.

"Creak."

The door opened.

Wang Fugui opened the door himself.

Whether it was because he heard the commotion outside or by coincidence, he walked out.

His dark eyes looked at Lin Shuguang. He no longer hid his timidity as before, but he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. "Are you looking for me?"

Lin Shuguang looked at him and said calmly, "Are you willing to come with me?"

Wang Fugui's eyes lit up, but he still tried his best to suppress his excitement. "Sir, do you remember what you promised me before?"

He still mistook Lin Shuguang for the Ninth Prince, Gu Changhe.

Lin Shuguang looked at him calmly. "This is not the place to discuss these matters. Come with me first. You should know that killing you would be as easy as breathing."

"Fugui?" the old man said worriedly.

Leng Yueyan sat on a chair nearby, watching the two with her arms crossed, finding the situation increasingly interesting.

She had asked Lin Shuguang before if he knew this Wang Fugui.

But Lin Shuguang had said he didn't.

Yet, Wang Fugui's words now clearly indicated that he knew Lin Shuguang.

But what Leng Yueyan couldn't understand was, if they knew each other, why did this young man named Wang Fugui act like a stranger before?

What unknown events had transpired here?

"Interesting."

"I'll go with you."