Cold sweat broke out on Jiang Che's back.
He had to count himself lucky.
If he hadn't visited Old Yan's home the day before yesterday, hadn't seen the Stone Cauldron, hadn't obtained the Instance...
If his investigation had progressed just a little more slowly...
He would probably have died at Yan Shicheng's hands without ever knowing why.
Granted, he still couldn't be entirely certain that Yan Shicheng intended to refine the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart Pill, but the odds were overwhelmingly high!
And on that basis, Jiang Che could also be fairly sure that Old Yan had no one behind him. He had been matching wits and courage with thin air.
He had originally thought True Disciple Autumn Feather might be backing him, but now it seemed there was no way Shen Suqiu would wallow in the same mire as Yan Shicheng over the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart Pill.
Then... should I keep investigating? Confirm that Yan Shicheng is also refining the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart Pill first?
Jiang Che rejected that idea.
The main problem was his lack of avenues.
Inside the Instance, he could act without restraint; even trading his life for information was fine. But the Instance ended too early, leaving him without any subsequent information. Once the pill was completed and Dong Fan died, the Instance would end. He couldn't see what happened afterward, and therefore couldn't learn whether Yan Shicheng had obtained the recipe for the Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart Pill. Investigating in reality, however, was far too risky. Yan Shicheng might well catch him.
Besides, there was no time left.
If his investigation turned up jack shit, disaster would strike in two days.
Then that's that.
He was already fairly confident. This was a gamble he could take.
On the fifteenth day of