Half a month later.
Xu Fugui came visiting late at night and knocked on the gate to Lin Changheng's courtyard.
He brought news.
Earlier, Lin Changheng had asked him to investigate discreetly why his "fame had spread far and wide," even reaching the Liu Family's ears.
He had clearly never left the lineage to show off his skills, kept a low profile even while holed up within it, and the Xu Family had no reason to publicize him.
Yet word had still spread. When Xu Fugui heard about it, he believed the problem must lie within.
Someone in the lineage might have done it deliberately.
The aim was to "kill him with praise"-first raise him up, then bring him down.
By putting him high on a pedestal, they would draw the attention of the Xu Family's potential enemies, who would then make him a priority target for elimination.
But Lin Changheng had always treated others kindly and kept an exceedingly low profile, almost never competing with anyone.
No, there was still one person: Lü Bailian.
Xu Fugui was no longer the man he once was. With his powerful wife's family backing him, he could draw on some of his father-in-law's influence.
Using the clues Lin Changheng had provided, he had quietly investigated for quite some time.
He had come this time because he had found something.
"Who?"
Lin Changheng poured Fugui some tea, then froze at the name he heard.
"Xu Hanzhou is the likely culprit."
Xu Fugui repeated it solemnly, then explained, "Pill Master Lü is all alone, with neither wife nor children, and trusts him quite deeply. To advance to mid-grade, he has focused entirely on pill refining and left everything else to him."
"And he used Pill Master Lü's past conflict with you to 'justifiably' do certain