Ill Intentions

For the next two days, Jiang Feng spent almost every day holed up in the alchemy room with Song Huai.

Aside from meals, he poured all his energy into alchemy. As for cultivating his techniques, he could only steal a little time to practice whenever he returned to that shabby little hut.

Though the days were unbearably busy, Jiang Feng enjoyed this state of affairs immensely.

Every day, he could watch the proficiency on the panel steadily rise. That solid feeling of keeping his feet on the ground—of reaping what he sowed—left him deeply engrossed.

He had thought his days would continue in such peaceful fulfillment, but one morning, a violent pounding suddenly erupted at his door, yanking him roughly from sleep.

"Jiang Feng, get out here! There's something extremely important we need to tell you!"

Jiang Feng's eyes snapped open. With a carp leap, he sprang up from the straw mat, strode over, and pulled open the door.

A dark mass of people stood outside. At their head was someone he knew all too well: Fan Qingyang, the man who had been racking his brains to put him to death.

"Oh? You look pretty well. Seems like you've been living quite comfortably over at the Alchemy Hall."

The swelling on Fan Qingyang's face had subsided, but he was still fat-headed and big-eared, with a thoroughly sleazy look.

His gaze kept sweeping over Jiang Feng, as though he wanted to find a few signs that Jiang Feng had been mistreated.

Jiang Feng frowned and asked coldly:

"What do you want with me? It's not even time to start work yet. Besides, I've been transferred to the Alchemy Hall now. I don't have to take orders from you people, do I?"

"Don't tell me you want to carry out another surprise search and investigate me again?"

As he spoke, he directly stepped aside to clear the passage, his tone calm and open.

"Then come on. Search wherever you like. I stand upright and fear no crooked shadow."

He said it without the slightest burden. He had long since cleaned up every trace that needed handling; even if they tore the house apart, they would find nothing.

Fan Qingyang craned his neck and peered into the room.

To be honest, he truly wanted to search it again. Even now, he firmly believed that the person he had seen in the rear courtyard that day was Jiang Feng, and that Jiang Feng must be connected to the attacker.

But he had not forgotten the real purpose of this visit. He piled on a smile and waved his hand. "No need for a search. I came for something else this time."

Something else? A sharp sense of foreboding surged up in Jiang Feng's heart.

"Jiang Feng, you know the Medicine Hall's usual practice, don't you? At the end of every month, ten apprentices are chosen to go outside the city and collect medicinal herbs at designated posts. Unfortunately for you, your name is among those ten this time."

Fan Qingyang narrowed his mung-bean eyes, his smile growing ever more ill-intentioned. "And I just so happen to be leading this trip. Get ready. Gather in the front courtyard before the hour of the rabbit. Don't be late."

After saying that, he turned and led his men away, not giving Jiang Feng any chance to refuse or make excuses.

Jiang Feng stood in the doorway, his brows tightly knit as his mind raced.

Naturally, he knew about going out to collect herbs, but for Fan Qingyang to suddenly pull this at such a critical moment, he could not shake the feeling that the man was up to no good.

"A gentleman does not stand beneath a collapsing wall. If I can avoid this trip, I'd better avoid it."

Having made up his mind, and seeing that the hour of the rabbit was not far off, he locked his door and headed straight for the Medicine Hall's main hall.

There was no use seeking out Xue Zhao, the apprentice supervisor. His name being on the list had most likely been Xue Zhao's doing.

To break this deadlock, he could only have Shopkeeper Xie or Song Huai step in. Those two were the people with the greatest authority he could currently reach.

The moment Jiang Feng entered the main hall, he saw Xie Shu holding an account book and flicking his abacus with crisp clacks. Jiang Feng deliberately coughed twice to make his presence known.

Hearing him, Xie Shu looked up. He recognized Jiang Feng at once, and his usual smile appeared on his face. "Jiang Feng, is it? What brings you here so early? Is there something you need?"

Jiang Feng walked to Xie Shu's side and lowered his voice.

"Shopkeeper Xie, you know that I've been helping Alchemist Song at the Alchemy Hall lately. The work over there is no light burden either, and Alchemist Song and I work rather well together, so I'd like to continue working at the Alchemy Hall."

Xie Shu nodded as he listened.

"Ever since you went over there, Alchemist Song truly hasn't mentioned replacing you again. Since he's satisfied with you, just keep working there. What, did something unexpected happen?"

As for Jiang Feng's claim that they "worked well together," Xie Shu did not take it to heart. He merely regarded it as a young man gilding his own face while fighting for benefits.

Young people, after all, were impetuous. Saying a few empty words was perfectly normal.

Jiang Feng immediately recounted Fan Qingyang's visit that morning from beginning to end.

When Xie Shu finished listening, his brows immediately furrowed.

"What is Xue Zhao doing? I clearly told him before to avoid putting you on the list for this outing if possible. How did he still include you?"

Jiang Feng's heart sank with a thud.

Sure enough, he had guessed correctly. There was absolutely something fishy about this trip, and it was most likely aimed at him.

Otherwise, Xue Zhao and Fan Qingyang would not have dared to go against the resident shopkeeper.

He hurriedly said, "Shopkeeper Xie, can you remove me from the list? Alchemist Song truly can't do without me."

Xie Shu's frown deepened, and his gaze toward Jiang Feng gained a trace more displeasure. Some things only needed to be said once. Repeating them over and over would only annoy people.

"It's not that I don't want to help you. Young Master Wu Han has already reviewed and confirmed this list, and I have no authority to alter it. Even if you brought Song Huai into this, it would be useless. You're only temporarily assigned to the Alchemy Hall; your identity is still that of a Medicine Hall apprentice."

He paused. His tone softened slightly, but became several degrees more unquestionable. "Besides, it's only a matter of being away for a day or two. Once you return, you can continue working at the Alchemy Hall as before. So long as nothing unexpected happens, I won't let anyone else take your place."

Jiang Feng opened his mouth, still wanting to press his case, but Xie Shu had already lost patience completely.

"If you truly don't want to go, then speak to Young Master Wu Han yourself. So long as he agrees, you needn't go."

Having tossed out those words, Xie Shu lowered his head and resumed reading the account book in his hands. His posture could not have made it clearer: he did not want to deal with Jiang Feng any further.

A trace of disappointment flashed through Jiang Feng's eyes. In the end, he said nothing more and silently turned to leave the main hall.

Going to Wu Han would definitely not work.

Xue Zhao and Fan Qingyang had gone to such lengths to torment him because Wu Han had instructed them to do so. Jiang Feng even vaguely suspected that Wu Han might have caught wind of something.

I can be certain I didn't leave behind the slightest trace. Wu Han shouldn't be suspecting me. Could it be... he actually believed what Fan Qingyang said?

In truth, another possibility was hidden in Jiang Feng's heart: something had gone wrong on Li Muxue's end. But on second thought, he felt that was unlikely.

In this world, women regarded chastity as more important than life itself. As the young mistress of a martial arts school, Li Muxue would certainly keep the matter of losing her virginity sealed tight. There was no reason for word to leak out.

The path before him now had only two branches: either he honestly joined this outing, or he went to the Alchemy Hall and asked Song Huai to step in for him.

After considering it for only a moment, Jiang Feng rejected the second path.

Putting aside whether Song Huai could persuade Wu Han to change the list, it was still unknown whether he would even be willing to speak up for Jiang Feng.

He and Song Huai had indeed gotten along quite well lately, but that friendship amounted to no more than a senior showing a little care toward a junior he found agreeable.

Jiang Feng had never brought Song Huai any tangible benefit, nor was he someone irreplaceable. Asking Song Huai to clash with the Wu Family's Second Young Master on his behalf simply was not worth it.

Jiang Feng shook his head and let out a soft sigh.

"Forget it. I'll take things one step at a time."