A Contingency Plan

As the saying goes, worry makes one grow old. Alas, my white hair, why did it appear so early?

"Those who seek immortality through elixirs often end up being misled by the medicine..."

Qi Ming knelt on the ground and murmured in a sorrowful voice.

Humans come into this world naked, bringing nothing with them. They are sustained by heaven and earth throughout their lives, only gaining a meager reputation in their lifetime. When the music ends and the crowd disperses, returning to nothingness, if they can leave behind a little fame and receive praise from others, that is enough.

Master Ye Chen's soul dissipated, a legendary figure, leaving not even a trace of ashes behind. Moved by the scene, Qi Ming suddenly realized something and involuntarily recited these words.

It was as if the will of Heavenly Dao was speaking through him, or as if his own State of Mind had naturally revealed itself at this point.

Even the most obtuse among those present could sense the sorrow and emotion in his voice, and felt even more admiration for Ye Chen; some, however, secretly rejoiced, their eyes lowered as they glanced furtively at the Supreme Emperor of Huainan atop the nine-story platform.

Only Sima Canglan, with burning eyes and muttering incantations, stared down at the scene as if possessed.

Everyone else is clear-headed, but he, the one involved, is confused.

Seeing this, everyone could only retreat, and no one dared to provoke the supreme ruler of Huainan.

The objects standing still in the arena were the Thunder Nether Ninefold Mystery Divine Edict Pill and the inheritance Jade Slip left by Ye Chen.

The Divine Core was no bigger than a longan, its surface covered with dense thunder patterns, its purple luster flowing like water ripples, and faint electric arcs jumping on its surface.

Even from several feet away, one could feel a violent and destructive power surging within the pill, as if it were not a pill, but a bolt of lightning compressed to its extreme from the heavens.

Dead silence.

After a few breaths, Sima Canglan finished his contemplation and gave the order in a deep voice:

"All Alchemist in the Pill Cloud Pavilion, today I am hosting a banquet in Azure Waves Heaven. Everyone must attend." His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable domineering air.

"This elixir is crucial to the affairs of the Thunder Nether Grotto-Heaven. You must study it day and night to ensure its absolute success."

Chief Clerk Li had already understood the Emperor's unspoken meaning. He was slightly taken aback at first, but then reacted quickly and raised his voice to give the order. Countless armored soldiers responded and surrounded the entire pavilion from all directions.

Upon hearing this, countless people's expressions changed drastically.

"Your Majesty! What does this mean?"

"We came here by invitation, why are you detaining us!"

"Ye Chen is the number one Alchemist in the Jianghuai. Could it be that the Supreme One suspects something unusual about this pill?"

A cacophony of noise erupted, some instinctively retreated, while others secretly channeled their spiritual energy, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Sima Canglan felt a surge of irritation, but he merely raised his eyelids slightly, surveying the world with disdain, and his oppressive aura spread out with a thunderous roar.

The arrogant attitude of the imperial family, which once looked down on everyone, could no longer be suppressed. It poured down from the ninth floor of the Pill Cloud Pavilion, with a pressure as heavy as a mountain pressing down on us.

Everyone felt a sudden weight on their shoulders and immediately knelt down.

"Who has doubted my word? Who dares to disobey?"

Sima Canglan's voice clearly reached everyone's ears.

Among the crowd, some voices trembled as they protested. "The Divine Core has been lost for a thousand years, and everything today is shrouded in an evil aura. The fact that this elixir was even created is a stroke of luck; even if we exhaust all our efforts, we may not be able to fully comprehend it..."

An uproar erupted again. The so-called study of Dao of Alchemy was clearly a form of house arrest and forced detention.

Under the oppressive aura of the Supreme Being of Huainan, all the Alchemist, regardless of their status or wealth, could only submit and dare not resist in the slightest, even if they were filled with resentment.

As the oppressive force dissipated, it was as if a drop of cold rain had fallen between heaven and earth, and the rivers and streams surged ceaselessly beneath the surface.

Sima Canglan suddenly felt a sense of clarity and tranquility.

Lately, his thoughts have become increasingly narrow, with only the Thunder Nether Grotto-Heaven, the ancestral temple's offering of captives, and the Heavenly Position in his eyes. His past checks and balances on the Jiangnan Aristocratic Clan and his vigilance against the Cloud Mist Ye Clan have all been suppressed by an inexplicable obsession.

A resounding boom deep within his soul crushed all distracting thoughts, leaving only the path to enlightenment in his mind.

He assumed it was due to a bottleneck in his cultivation, but he didn't know where this obsession came from, appearing and disappearing intermittently, repeatedly interfering with his thoughts.

What can be done now that things have come to this?

Did he hope that if the brothers were inseparable, Sima Huanyu wouldn't have been trapped in the Ruin Realm and met such a tragic end?

Does being a compliant and loyal subject, guarding a region, mean one is only fit to be a dog guarding a house?

Brotherly love.

In the imperial family, brotherhood always has to be repaid!

The ground floor of the pavilion.

The Law Artifact from all directions gleamed coldly, tracing along Qi Ming's body. With just a gentle push, his head would be severed from his body.

Several armored soldiers stepped forward, grabbed his shoulders, and reached out to snatch the pills from his arms.

Qi Ming suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

"You guys... be gentle..."

Before he could finish speaking, a soldier kicked him.

"Noisy."

"Wait a minute."

A clear voice came from outside the crowd, unhurried yet possessing a calming power.

The armored soldiers binding Qi Ming paused, looking in the direction of the sound.

The crowd automatically parted to form a path.

A scholar in a blue robe walked slowly towards them. He was thin and his face was not particularly outstanding, but his eyes were clear and bright like stars. A blue token hung at his waist, gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

He walked at a leisurely pace, his robes fluttering in the wind, followed by only two attendants. His aura was extremely concealed, making it difficult to fathom.

Walking up to Qi Ming, he glanced down at him briefly, then looked up at Sima Canglan on the ninth floor of the Pill Cloud Pavilion and bowed.

"Yu Liang, acting on the orders of the Ye Clan, has come to observe the ceremony and pays his respects to His Majesty."

He was courteous and respectful, neither servile nor arrogant.

On the Pill Cloud Pavilion, Sima Canglan frowned slightly, but did not speak. He simply looked down at the scholar in the blue robe.

Chief Clerk Li stepped closer and whispered, "Your Majesty, this person is a confidential scribe serving the young master of the Ye Clan."

Sima Canglan's heart stirred slightly as he thought of that name— Ye Jinyu.

If it were an ordinary Foundation Establishment junior, they would naturally not have the right to stand in front of him and speak, but behind this person stood that one.

"The Ye Clan's reach is certainly far-reaching," Sima Canglan said, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Yu Liang remained expressionless and cupped his hands again. "Your Majesty is joking. Qi Ming's teacher Ye Chen, was originally a member of the Ye Clan. Although he was expelled from the clan back then, his name was not removed from the family genealogy."

Now that Ye Chen is dead, leaving his orphaned child without support, the Ye Clan, out of consideration for their kinship, has sent me to collect his remains and provide for his orphan. This is entirely reasonable and justified."

He raised his eyes and looked directly at the majestic figure on the ninth floor. "Does Your Majesty agree?"

Chief Clerk Li leaned closer again, lowering his voice. "Your Majesty, the Ye Clan has suddenly appeared. It's not wise to add unnecessary complications now. This matter is quite thorny; perhaps we should postpone it..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

Sima Canglan's eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke calmly:

"Come up and give me your answer."

The moment Yu Liang stepped into the ninth floor of the Pill Cloud Pavilion, an invisible pressure crashed down upon him, causing him to catch his breath.

His expression remained calm as he steadily stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Yu Liang, Yu Yuangui, pay respects to the Supreme Azure Waves."

Sima Canglan looked directly at him. "What exactly does the Ye Clan mean?"

Yu Liang replied neither servilely nor arrogantly, "The clan feuds of the past have ultimately ended with death and the extinguishing of the flames. Past grievances can be wiped clean. The Ye Clan is willing to take care of Ye Chen's disciple."

Sima Canglan chuckled lightly, "Take care of? This world is inherently treacherous and ruthless; are all members of the Ye Clan family truly benevolent?"

Yu Liang remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Ye Chen was able to refine the pills needed by a Supreme Being using his remnant soul; his personal disciples may very well have inherited some of his True Disciple."

This statement is extremely clever.

This both elevates Ye Chen's value and highlights that Qi Ming still has usefulness and is worth preserving.

Sima Canglan stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled:

"Interesting. I have always been kind and generous to the Ye family, regarding them as Ye Clan."

He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and his tone suddenly became nonchalant.

"In that case, you can take the person. Leave the elixir behind."

Yu Liang remained expressionless and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, it is the rule of the alchemy gathering that once the elixir is completed, it belongs to the Alchemist."

This elixir was personally refined by Ye Chen. Now that he has passed away and his cultivation has vanished, his legacy should rightfully belong to his disciple. If the Supreme One were to forcibly seize it and spread the word, it would likely damage the prestige of the Azure Waves Heaven.

A cold glint flashed in Sima Canglan's eyes. "Are you threatening me?"

"I wouldn't dare," Yu Liang said, bowing his head. "I'm merely reminding Your Majesty that we must be wary of the gossip circulating in the world."

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

Chief Clerk Li's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

Yu Liang remained standing in place, his blue robe fluttering under the pressure of the Purple Mansion, beads of sweat already seeping from his forehead, yet he never bent over again.

After a long silence, Sima Canglan suddenly burst out laughing:

"What a fine Yu Yuangui."

He raised his hand and waved it, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"You can take the person with you. Dan must stay."

If the Ye Clan continues to pester me, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

Yu Liang understood.

Today, protecting Qi Ming is already the limit. Forcibly seizing the pill will only result in mutual destruction and would betray the plans of Jia Ru and the young master.

He said no more, and bowed deeply.

"I will obey His Majesty's will."

After speaking, Yu Liang turned and left, ordering someone to help Qi Ming up, and then departed from the Pill Cloud Pavilion.

The Thunder Nether Ninefold Mystery Divine Edict Pill remained in Sima Canglan's possession.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Nearly a hundred Alchemist gathered in the secret chamber, repeatedly examining the Divine Core pill.

The leading alchemist was an elderly man with white hair, a renowned alchemist from Huainan, who had been forcibly invited by Sima Canglan. He lowered his hand and turned to face Sima Canglan at the head of the table.

"Your Majesty, the matter has been investigated thoroughly."

Sima Canglan sat upright at the head of the secret room, his gaze calm and unwavering.

"Explain."

The old man hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "This pill... Higher Vehicle quality, with pure medicinal properties. It is indeed the Thunder Nether Ninefold Mystery Divine Edict Pill. Taking it can temper the soul, strengthen the Thunder Spirit Root, and draw upon the thunder energy of heaven and earth, resonating with the Thunder Nether Grotto-Heaven. From beginning to end, no abnormalities were found."

Sima Canglan frowned slightly.

"Nothing was found?"

The old man nodded, then gently shook his head.

"To say there's absolutely none wouldn't be entirely true. The pill contains an extremely faint wisp of divine soul energy, likely from when Ye Chen used his soul to control the fire during alchemy, with a remnant soul unintentionally merging into it. However, this remnant soul doesn't affect the medicinal properties at all; on the contrary... it actually adds a touch of spirituality to the pill."

Sima Canglan nodded slightly.

"Your Excellency, this is the finest among the superior-grade pills. In the entire world, only Ye Chen is likely capable of refining this pill. Even if others possess the Pill Formula, without his cultivation and methods, they would find it utterly impossible to refine it."

In Sima Canglan's mind, there was no problem; in his eyes, there was no problem.

But he no longer had time to wait; the opportunity in the Thunder Nether Grotto-Heaven would not be delayed for him.

Zhong Mountain.

Ye Jinyu personally engraved the two characters "Ye Chen" on the desk, then turned to the attendant beside him and asked:

Where is Mr. Jia?

"Wait in Beppu."

"Please ask him to come over."

A moment later, Jia Ru, dressed in black, arrived as if riding the wind.

He stopped at the foot of the steps and bowed to Ye Jinyu: "Young Master."

Ye Jinyu raised her eyes, her gaze lingering on Jia Ru's face for a moment, before speaking softly:

"Sir, you have excellent skills."

Jia Ru remained calm and bowed his head, saying, "I dare not accept such praise. All my plans were for the young master's sake."

Ye Jinyu chuckled and gestured for him to sit down, "Tell me, start from the beginning."

Jia Ru sat down as instructed, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke, "Does the young master know that in ancient times, when forging famous swords, swordsmiths often sacrificed themselves to the furnace in order to achieve the perfection of a divine weapon?"

Ye Jinyu nodded slightly. "Swords possess spirits and need to be nurtured by human souls. The more peerless the weapon, the more powerful its spirit must be. In the past, when Ou Yezi forged his divine sword, he threw himself into the furnace, thus imbuing the sword with a spirit."

"Indeed." Jia Ru's gaze was profound. "The same principle applies to alchemy."

He paused, then continued:

"Ye Chen was once the champion of the Huainan Alchemy Gathering, possessing the cultivation of the Purple Mansion Realm, and his alchemy skills were unparalleled in Jiangnan. Later, he was expelled by the Ye Clan and wandered in the Jianghuai, where he survived for more than ten years with a remnant soul. Such a person harbors resentment, hatred, and even more so, an attachment he cannot let go of."

"His concern is for his disciple Qi Ming, and also for his obsession with returning to the Ye Clan and restoring the family name to its proper place in the genealogy."

Ye Jinyu listened quietly without interrupting.

Jia Ru continued, "Sima Canglan's intentions are obvious. He wants the Thunder Nether Ninefold Mystery Divine Edict Pill so that Shen Zhe'an can take it and activate the Thunder Nether Grotto-Heaven."

This elixir must Higher Vehicle quality and contain pure thunder energy; otherwise, it cannot anchor itself to the Nine Heavens Thunder Origin within the grotto-heaven.

Within Huainan, there are only a handful of people capable of refining this pill, and Ye Chen is the only one who can refine a high-grade one in such a short time.

"Therefore, we must get Ye Chen to make a move."

Ye Jinyu's eyes flickered slightly. "He's willing?"

"No." Jia Ru shook his head. "Ye Chen harbors deep resentment; he would rather his remnant soul completely dissipate than refine pills for Sima Canglan."

"So?"

"Therefore, we must make him willingly face death."

Jia Ru spoke in a calm tone, as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary.

"I sent someone to find Ye Chen and told him three things."

Firstly, in order to force him to refine elixirs, Sima Canglan would inevitably treat his disciple Qi Ming as a consumable and coerce him accordingly;

Secondly, the humiliation of the Gu Clan's annulment of the engagement has ruined Qi Ming's reputation, leaving his future uncertain.

Thirdly, the Ye Clan is willing to take in Qi Ming and clear his name, on only one condition— Ye Chen must refine the elixir with his soul and sacrifice himself for the elixir.

Ye Jinyu tapped the chessboard lightly with her fingers, remaining silent.

Jia Ru said calmly, "He had no other choice. A dying man, if he can exchange a way out for his disciple, and a chance to return to his clan and clear his name, why wouldn't he do it?"

Ye Jinyu was silent for a moment before asking, "That pill... did you tamper with it?"

A very faint smile appeared on Jia Ru's lips:

What I've sown is suspicion.

Ye Jinyu raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The quality of the pill is impeccable. The thunder energy is pure, and the pill patterns are clear. It is indeed a top-grade Thunder Nether Ninefold Mystery Divine Edict Pill. Even if Sima Canglan repeatedly examines the pill, he will not be able to detect any abnormalities."

"Then where does your scheming lie?"

"The scheme lies not in the elixir, but in the man."

Jia Ru's gaze deepened:

"Ye Chen sacrificed his soul to the pill, and his body and soul perished. During the refining process, a trace of his remnant soul must have merged into the pill. This was not done intentionally, but was the inevitable result of refining the pill with his life. Alchemist use their divine soul to forge pills, and their soul will naturally merge with the pill."

Although this wisp of remnant soul had a negligible impact, it was enough for the person who consumed the pill to sense Ye Chen's lingering obsession when activating the lightning energy.

What is the source of this obsession?

"Live on."

Ye Jinyu paused, her fingertips pausing.

Jia Ru said softly:

"Shen Zhe'an was exceptionally talented and resilient, but he had a fatal weakness—he valued his family extremely. Sima Canglan used his family to blackmail him, leaving him no choice but to obey and die."

But what if, at the crucial moment of activating the Thunder Nether Grotto-Heaven, a strong will to survive suddenly surges within him?

This will to survive might not make him openly defy Sima Canglan, but it would certainly make him hesitate for a moment longer when faced with a choice.

"And in that instant, the variable will emerge."

Ye Jinyu raised her eyes and looked directly at Jia Ru: "You want to make Shen Zhe'an the variable?"

"It's not just Shen Zhe'an." Jia Ru shook his head. "I want Sima Canglan to create variables himself."

He got up and walked to the edge of the platform, gazing at Zhong Mountain shrouded in night:

"Sima Canglan is naturally suspicious. Ye Chen's sudden appearance and his willingness to refine pills at the cost of his life will surely arouse his suspicions. He will test the pills, investigate old cases, study the Pill Formula, and gather countless Alchemist to repeatedly deduce the formulas."

Ultimately, he will find that the elixir is flawless, and his doubts will not only not dissipate, but will become even more profound.

To ensure absolute safety, he would double his control over Shen Zhe'an, devise more contingency plans, and meticulously analyze every detail of the cave.

"And all of this takes time, energy, and him... to be completely distracted."

Ye Jinyu suddenly realized:

"You must use this pill to completely captivate Sima Canglan's mind, making him focus all his energy on Thunder Nether Grotto-Heaven, Shen Zhe'an, and the pill."

"Indeed." Jia Ru turned and bowed. "Sima Canglan is too eager to achieve immortality and too eager to seize the Nine Heavens Thunder Origin. This obsession will cause him to overlook many things he shouldn't have overlooked at crucial moments."

Ye Jinyu's eyes narrowed. "In that case, we can take advantage of the chaos and profit from the confusion."

Jia Ru's voice was deep, yet every word was clear.

Ye Jinyu suddenly smiled:

"Mr. Jia, you truly live up to your reputation as a ruthless strategist."

Jia Ru lowered his head, his tone calm and even:

"I will do my utmost to serve my young master."

Ye Jinyu stood up, walked to the edge of the platform, and stood side by side with Jia Ru.

The wind rustles through the night, stirring not only the darkness but also the schemes and plots hidden deep within countless hearts.