Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Situation Worsens

For the next month, Lin Changheng’s life remained largely unchanged, except that he set aside some time to comprehend the Taihe Pill Scroll Secret Manual.

But within the Xu Clan, besides the ever-present shadow of war, a rumor slowly began to spread.

It was said that the apprentice who had tended the fires for twelve years had not only achieved Entry Tier overnight, but had now even defeated the renowned Alchemist Lü, seizing the Middle Grade Alchemy Inheritance and showing the potential to become a Tier One Middle Grade Alchemist!

Before long, Alchemist Lü came forward and openly admitted that his skills were inferior. He declared that Lin Changheng possessed extraordinary talent and was a late bloomer, and that he himself was simply no match.

He was surprisingly magnanimous, not at all like the characters in the novels of his past life who would hold a grudge and seethe with rage.

But no one knew that this was all deliberately orchestrated by Lü Bailian. Losing to a fool would be humiliating, but by elevating Lin Changheng to the status of a "genius," a loss wouldn’t tarnish his own reputation. On the contrary, it would earn him a name for being magnanimous and willing to yield to superior talent.

...

It was Xu Fugui who had brought him this news.

Lin Changheng, however, couldn’t help but frown. He had no desire to be the center of attention, the subject of everyone’s gazes and discussions.

For someone like him, who followed a path of caution and stability, excessive exposure was where the real danger lay.

So, he asked Xu Fugui to help him with something.

"What is it? Just say the word, Brother Lin. I’ll get it done, no questions asked and no holding back."

Xu Fugui’s injuries were mostly healed by now. He could move and walk normally, though it was best he avoided any Magical Combat. He immediately puffed out his chest in a guarantee.

"It’s quite simple..."

Lin Changheng didn’t know where the leak had originated, but knowing the source was pointless now. Instead, he asked Xu Fugui to start spreading some stories.

To muddy the waters.

He was to say that on that day, Lin Changheng had only won by a hair’s breadth, and that it was only through a series of flukes and coincidences that he managed to defeat the long-renowned Alchemist Lü!

As for these "flukes and coincidences," the more fantastical, the better.

For instance, one story could be that when Alchemist Lü was Refining his first cauldron of pills, he was on the verge of producing two Masterpiece Pills that had already taken form. But then, a mystical bird, drawn by the rich fragrance of the pills, let out a cry from outside the window. The sound startled Alchemist Lü, throwing his Pill Formula into disarray and causing him to lose by a slim margin.

Or another tale: Alchemist Lü, being of noble character, saw that Lin Changheng was exhausted during his Alchemy and on the verge of suffering a backlash. Alchemist Lü decisively intervened to save him, but in doing so, failed his own Success Pill, and thus lost the competition.

Stories like these—fantastical enough to grab everyone’s attention!

That very day, Xu Fugui mobilized his wife and children. His entire family, over ten strong, spread the stories by visiting friends, seeing relatives, and chatting with neighbors, with the tales growing more and more outlandish.

As the rumors fermented, the clan members’ own creativity was unleashed. They even wove a dramatic saga of love and hate between the two men, which supposedly ended with them turning on each other, with the fight for the Middle Grade Alchemy Inheritance as the final catalyst.

In the end, no one cared about the truth anymore. Different versions were developed and circulated, and in most of them, Alchemist Lü was the central character, once again becoming the man in the spotlight.

Meanwhile, Lin Changheng was relegated to a minor supporting role. With no sensationalism attached to his name, he was naturally forgotten.

It’s worth mentioning that in the middle of the month, he was summoned by the Patriarch of the Xu Family, Xu Xuhe, who offered some official-sounding words centered on encouragement, expectation, and recruitment.

Lin Changheng put on a display of being overwhelmed by the honor, but he cast the whole affair from his mind the moment he left. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

’He understood that in meetings like this, people only say what sounds pleasant. Whoever takes those words seriously, whoever takes them to heart, is the one who loses.’

...

「A few days later.」

Lin Changheng and Xu Fugui were taking a leisurely stroll along the Black Water Riverfront.

Suddenly, the urgent sound of horse hooves echoed from the opposite bank of the river.

Startled, the two of them strained their eyes to see. A group of a dozen or so people was approaching, kicking up a cloud of dust as they crossed the river.

Fortunately, they could clearly see that the leader was Xu Qianhuan of the Eighth Layer Qi Cultivation; otherwise, they would have already shared a silent understanding to turn and flee.

"Greetings, Senior."

The crossing was swift. The two men bowed from the side.

"Mm."

Xu Qianhuan’s stern expression softened, though it was unclear if it was because of the two men or because he had reached the family’s garrison.

He then commanded, "Everyone, rest and regroup. Take the wounded back and summon the Physicians to their homes."

The medical arts are also one of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.

Although Physicians were not as sought-after as Pill Masters, Artifact Refiners, Array Masters, and Talisman Masters, they were nonetheless an indispensable part of any clan.

"Yes, sir."

The Cultivators behind him immediately dispersed, and only then did Lin Changheng and his companion realize that some of them were carrying the wounded.

"Old Bai?"

Xu Fugui suddenly cried out in shock.

The Old Bai Xu Fugui mentioned could only be Bai Fengxian. Lin Changheng was also startled. Following his friend’s gaze, he saw a man being carried on someone’s back. Half of the man’s face was a mangled, bloody mess, as if seared by a Flame into a single lump. He looked vaguely familiar.

Furthermore, the build was a close match...

"Old Bai, are you alright?"

The two of them immediately rushed closer, unable to bear the sight.

Hearing two familiar voices, Bai Fengxian struggled to open his eyes. A smile twisted across his distorted features as he said, "Not dead yet. Lucky I’m quick on my feet. Just got grazed in the face by a Fire Bomb Skill, that’s all."

He made it sound trivial, but the treacherous, terrifying reality of it was unimaginable.

"Go, go, go!"

Lin Changheng and Xu Fugui lent a hand, helping to lower him from the unfamiliar Cultivator’s back onto a wooden plank, and then carried him away in a hurry.

By evening, after the Physician had been seen out, Bai Fengxian’s wife finally let her anxious heart rest. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she went to prepare a meal.

Bai Fengxian, though disfigured, was in stable condition. Leaning back on his cot, he saw his two friends’ gloomy faces and still managed a laugh. "What’s wrong? Still mourning for your brother’s handsome face?"

"Tsk, tsk. Seems that Fire Bomb Skill didn’t manage to shut that mouth of yours!" Xu Fugui’s expression relaxed slightly, and he chuckled.

Lin Changheng smiled as well, then suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Don’t tell me you went to get revenge on the Chen Family?"

"How did you know, Brother Lin?"

Bai Fengxian was taken aback. The scabbed wound on his face twitched, making his expression look even more ghastly.

Lin Changheng just smiled and offered two words, "Wild guess."

Xu Fugui scratched his head, looking at Lin Changheng in a complete fog, clearly unable to make heads or tails of the situation.

Lin Changheng had no choice but to explain. "Seeing the state you’re in, you obviously just came from a major battle. But given the grave situation the Xu Family is in right now, they certainly wouldn’t be reckless enough to open a second front. That leaves only one answer..."

"The Chen Family!"

In truth, Lin Changheng had even more evidence, such as the death of the Middle Grade Alchemist Xu Hanli, the attack on Black Dragon Pond, and the opening of the Pill Master’s secret inheritance. All of it pointed to this conclusion, but it wasn’t something he could openly speak about.

’Sometimes, knowing too much isn’t necessarily a good thing.’

"Brother Lin, you’re truly astute. Your predictions are uncannily accurate."

Bai Fengxian said with a sigh, then lowered his voice and revealed a few details.

Combining this with the information Lin Changheng already knew, he was able to deduce the basic sequence of events.

It was retaliation for the Chen Family’s attack on Black Dragon Pond and their assassination of the Middle Grade Alchemist. The Xu Family had sent men to attack two of the Chen Family’s resource points in kind, killing seven or eight Cultivators and plundering a batch of resources.

Most importantly, they had beheaded a Middle Grade Talisman Master as equivalent retaliation.