The Situation Worsens

Over the next month, Lin Changheng's life barely changed. He simply set aside some of his time to study the Secret Notes of Taihe Alchemy.

But beyond the Xu Family's constant shadow of war, rumors began to trickle through the clan.

The apprentice who had once spent twelve years tending the fire had not only risen a whole rank in a single day, but had now defeated the well-known Master Lv and claimed the inheritance of the middle-grade Pill Dao. He was even expected to become a middle-grade alchemist!

Before long, Master Lv openly admitted that he was inferior. Lin Changheng had extraordinary talent and had simply bloomed late; he was no match for him.

He was remarkably magnanimous, nothing like the jealous, bloodshot-eyed figures who bore grudges in the novels of Lin Changheng's previous life.

But no one knew that Lv Bailian had deliberately helped spread the story. Losing to a fool would have been humiliating, but by elevating Lin Changheng to the status of a "genius," his defeat no longer tarnished his reputation. Instead, he gained a reputation for being broad-minded enough to bow before a worthy opponent.

Xu Fugui was the one who told him about the rumors.

Lin Changheng couldn't help frowning. He didn't want to be under everyone's scrutiny, with people discussing and speculating about him.

For someone like him, who followed the way of keeping a low profile and acting cautiously, too much attention was the real danger.

So he asked Xu Fugui to help him with something.

"What is it? Just say the word, Big Brother Lin. I won't even furrow my brow, and I'll do it without cutting corners."

Xu Fugui had mostly recovered from his injuries and could move around normally, though it was best for him to avoid fighting. He immediately thumped his chest and promised.

"It's simple..."

Lin Changheng didn't know how the story had leaked, but even if he knew where it started, there would be little point in tracing it. So he simply told Xu Fugui to spread some rumors.

He wanted to muddy the waters.

They could say Lin Changheng had only won by a single point, and that it had taken all sorts of coincidences and lucky breaks for him to defeat the long-established Master Lv!

As for the "lucky breaks," the more outlandish, the better.

For example, Master Lv's first batch of pills might have produced two Premium Grade pills. They were already taking shape when a cry from a mysterious bird outside startled him. Drawn by the rich pill fragrance, the bird had flown to the window, and its cry had startled Master Lv so badly that his hand seals faltered, costing him the victory by a single point.

Or they could say that Master Lv had been a paragon of virtue. While refining pills, Lin Changheng had exhausted himself and nearly suffered a backlash, so Master Lv had immediately stepped in to save him. That had ruined his own batch of pills, and so he had lost.

Stories like that—fantastical enough to catch everyone's eye!

That very day, Xu Fugui got his wife and children involved. All ten-odd members of the household spread the rumors by visiting friends and relatives and calling on neighbors. With every telling, the stories grew more and more outrageous.

As the rumors fermented, the clan members' creativity flourished too. Some even invented a tale of love and hatred between the two men, ending in a falling-out that supposedly sparked their rivalry over the middle-grade Pill Dao inheritance.

By the end, no one cared about the truth. Different versions spread far and wide, with Master Lv getting the most attention and once again becoming the central figure.

Lin Changheng, meanwhile, became a minor supporting character. With no more dramatic details to draw people in, he was naturally forgotten.

It was worth mentioning that around the middle of the month, Xu Xuheng, the head of the Xu Family, summoned him and offered the usual words of encouragement, expectation, and enticement.

Lin Changheng acted as though he were overwhelmed by the honor, then forgot all about it as soon as he left.

He understood that at meetings like these, people naturally said whatever sounded pleasant. Whoever took their words seriously, whoever let them sink in, was the one who lost.

A few days later,

Lin Changheng and Xu Fugui were taking a stroll along the Black Water River when they heard a sudden rush of hoofbeats from the opposite bank.

The two were startled and immediately looked over. A party of more than a dozen riders was approaching, kicking up clouds of dust before crossing the river.

Fortunately, they could clearly see that the man at the head of the group was Xu Qianhuan, a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining Realm. Otherwise, they would have already turned around and fled without a word.

"Greetings, Senior."

They crossed the river quickly, and the two men bowed.

"Mm."

Xu Qianhuan's stern expression relaxed slightly. It was hard to tell whether it was because of the two men or because he had reached the clan's territory.

Then he ordered, "Everyone, take a break. Send the injured back, and have a physician called to their homes."

Medicine was also one of the many arts of cultivation.

Physicians were not as sought-after as alchemists, weapon refiners, formation masters, or talisman masters, but they were still indispensable to any clan.

"Yes, sir."

The cultivators behind him immediately scattered. Only then did Lin Changheng and Xu Fugui notice that some of them were carrying the injured.

"Old Bai?"

Xu Fugui suddenly cried out.

The Old Bai Xu Fugui meant could only be Bai Fengxian. Lin Changheng was startled too and followed his gaze. He saw someone being carried on another cultivator's back, half his face a mangled mess of flesh, as though it had been seared by flames. He looked vaguely familiar.

And his build was a close match...

"Old Bai, are you all right?"

The two hurried over, unable to bear looking at him.

Hearing the two familiar voices, Bai Fengxian strained to open his eyes. His twisted face forced out a smile. "I'm not dead yet. Luckily, I'm quick on my feet. A Fire Bullet Art only grazed my face."

He said it lightly, but the danger and terror he had faced were beyond imagining.

"Come on, come on!"

Lin Changheng and Xu Fugui helped him down from the back of the unfamiliar cultivator, laid him on a board, then carried him away in a flash.

It wasn't until dusk that the physician had been seen off and Bai Fengxian's wife finally let go of her anxious fears. She wiped away her tears and went to prepare a meal.

Though the disfigurement had left Bai Fengxian in poor shape, he was doing all right as he leaned against the couch. Looking at the two men's somber faces, he still smiled and said, "What's wrong? Still mourning your brother's handsome face?"

"Tsk, looks like that Fire Bullet Art still couldn't shut you up!" Xu Fugui's expression eased, and he laughed too.

Lin Changheng smiled as well, then suddenly asked in a low voice, "Did you go after the Chen Family to get revenge?"

"How did you know, Brother Lin?"

Bai Fengxian was stunned. The scabbed wound on his face twitched, making his expression look even more fearsome.

Lin Changheng simply smiled and replied, "I guessed."

Xu Fugui scratched his head and looked at Lin Changheng as if lost in a fog, clearly unable to make heads or tails of it.

Lin Changheng had no choice but to explain. "You're in this state, so you must have been through a major battle. But the Xu Family is in such a dire position right now that it wouldn't recklessly start a war on several fronts. That leaves only one answer..."

"The Chen Family!"

Lin Changheng actually had more evidence to go on—the death of Xu Hanli, a middle-grade alchemist; the attack on Black Dragon Pond; and the release of the alchemist's secret teachings, among other things. They all pointed to the same culprit, but he couldn't say that aloud.

Sometimes, knowing more wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Big Brother Lin really is sharp and sees everything coming."

Bai Fengxian sighed, then quietly revealed a little more.

Combining that with what Lin Changheng already knew, he pieced together the basic outline.

They had retaliated against the Chen Family for attacking Black Dragon Pond and assassinating a middle-grade alchemist. They had then sent people to raid two resource sites, killed seven or eight cultivators, and seized a batch of resources.

Most importantly, they had beheaded a middle-grade talisman master in retaliation.