Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Chain of Plots

Zhou Luo’s words caused Xu Changsheng to pause in a slight shock; he said doubtfully, "So did the Great Elder get it wrong?"

"I don’t know what on earth the Great Elder is thinking, but if I had known the secret of the spiritual mine, I would have definitely told you."

Zhou Luo picked up the white jade teacup and drank all the spirit tea in one gulp, adding, "I’ve long wanted to escape from this wretched place."

Xu Changsheng thoroughly agreed; he then asked, "So, Brother Zhou knew about the family conflict all along?"

"Hey, I had no choice in the matter," Zhou Luo said helplessly.

After that, he explained the reasons why he got involved in this conflict to him.

After listening, Xu Changsheng looked shocked, and his gaze toward him grew admiring.

"I didn’t expect Brother Zhou to be so lucky—I’ll probably need to rely on you in the future."

"It’s still unknown whether I can survive," Zhou Luo said with a shrug.

"You will—at least both sides remain friendly toward Brother Zhou," Xu Changsheng blurted out without thinking.

Zhou Luo’s eyes dimmed slightly; he understood inwardly.

As expected, besides being the Great Elder’s man, Xu Changsheng might also be connected to the main family.

Or perhaps he even sided with the main family—earlier, when he talked about the benefits of sharing the secret, those were actually just tests.

Otherwise, how did he know that the main family held goodwill toward me too?

Regarding this point, Zhou Luo had already suspected it in his heart; now it merely confirmed his thoughts.

He pretended not to notice and chuckled, "Brother Xu, now that you’ve gained entry into formations, it remains unclear who will need whom in the future."

"I only learned a bit; it was my master who maintained all the formation arrays in the spiritual mine," Xu Changsheng responded with a head shake.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Luo narrowed his eyes and tentatively asked, "There must be many formation arrays here, right?"

"Of course, and they’re far more sophisticated than any I saw before," Xu Changsheng answered quickly.

Earlier, when he was at another spiritual mine, he studied those formation arrays and even helped build them.

But after coming here, he realized he couldn’t comprehend most of the formation arrays here.

Compared to that other spiritual mine, the arrays here focused more on shielding and blocking.

Such formation arrays were much harder to construct and control than ordinary offensive or defensive ones.

Zhou Luo smoothly inquired about some knowledge related to formations.

Perhaps to prove his stance, Xu Changsheng told him everything he knew.

After listening, Zhou Luo couldn’t help but sigh—the path of formations was truly profound and intricate; he also realized that if he mastered the skill of formations, the main family couldn’t stop him from sending messages.

That would have saved him from risking so much by entering the second layer, which triggered all the subsequent events that put him in danger.

Next, they discussed their views on the family and their own predicaments.

It mainly boiled down to mutual aid and the question of which side to choose.

What caught Zhou Luo’s attention was that Xu Changsheng’s words repeatedly hinted at dissatisfaction with the Great Elder, despite verbally praising him.

This only further proved Zhou Luo’s suspicion.

This guy was definitely on the side of the main family, trying to drive a wedge between me and the Great Elder.

But he didn’t care about these things.

After Xu Changsheng left, Zhou Luo picked up Little White, stroking its smooth fur, and muttered to himself: "Indeed, how complex and unpredictable people’s hearts could be. Every step must be taken carefully."

Meanwhile, after Xu Changsheng departed, instead of returning to his room, he went straight to Lin Kai who had been watching secretly.

Lin Kai intended to question him as usual.

But when Xu Changsheng produced the token representing the family head’s authority, he froze completely on the spot.

"I wish to see Elder Si," Xu Changsheng said seriously.

Lin Kai collected himself. Without a word, he led Xu Changsheng down a different passage, arriving at the pavilion down the mountain.

On the second floor of the pavilion, Lin Tianfang was meditating in cultivation.

Hearing Lin Kai’s voice outside, he rose and moved to the table.

The door opened, and Xu Changsheng stood before him, looking somewhat nervous.

"What is it?" Lin Tianfang asked, glancing at his severed arm.

Xu Changsheng immediately recounted the conversation he’d had with Zhou Luo in full detail, including his own attempts to probe him.

After listening, Lin Tianfang nodded in satisfaction. He instructed Xu Changsheng to continue driving a wedge between Zhou Luo and the Great Elder upon his return.

When Xu Changsheng left, Lin Kai looked at Lin Tianfang with a complicated expression: "Elder Si, I never expected he was actually part of the main family."

He truly hadn’t anticipated that a formation master would side with the main family, nor that the main family would act so secretly just to probe Zhou Luo.

Lin Tianfang narrowed his eyes: "You didn’t expect it. Doubtless, Zhou Luo probably didn’t either."

Previously, he’d had Lin Xuanfeng take a letter back for him. Part of the content was to ask Family Head Lin Tian Xiong to send Lin Xi, who had had dealings with Zhou Luo, to test whether he might defect to the main family.

The other part was to dispatch his only friend within the family, Xu Changsheng, to further test whether he knew the secret of the spiritual mine.

It might have seemed like the main family had been inactive towards Zhou Luo before.

But in reality, they had investigated Zhou Luo thoroughly long ago, including all his relationships.

After these two moves, Lin Tianfang felt they had likely probed out most of the truth.

"Are you saying he doesn’t know the secret of the spiritual mine?" Lin Kai asked, surprised.

Lin Tianfang didn’t confirm it. Instead, he suddenly remarked: "He’s leaving in just over ten days."

Lin Kai didn’t grasp his meaning.

Lin Tianfang simply waved his hand, dismissing Lin Kai.

After he left, Lin Tianfang sat upright in his high-backed chair, his gaze falling on the golden envelope on the desk as he sank into thought.

He was pondering whether to let Zhou Luo leave.

Currently, regardless of whether Zhou Luo knew the spiritual mine’s secret, since he hadn’t chosen to tell Xu Changsheng earlier, it suggested that after leaving, he might not necessarily tell the Great Elder either.

But what if he had seen through the main family’s scheme, and everything was deliberate?

If it were before, Lin Tianfang, who favored erring on the side of killing rather than sparing, probably wouldn’t have allowed him to leave.

But now the situation was somewhat different.

His Master, Lin Zhi Shou, had returned.

The main family clearly underestimated Master Lin Zhi Shou’s fondness for Zhou Luo.

Upon learning of the family’s punishment meted out to Zhou Luo after his return, he expressed strong dissatisfaction and even demanded the penalty be rescinded.

In his view, experiments inherently carried risks. Since the family had chosen to let Zhou Luo conduct the trials, they should have been prepared for such outcomes.

Even if it ultimately led to the death of a formation master, that was an accident, and it shouldn’t be Zhou Luo’s burden to bear, especially since he had saved others.

Of course, in the end, he didn’t get his wish.

Not only had the punishment already begun, but the fact that the decision was jointly made by the other eight elders and the family head signified that the matter was settled and could not be altered.

However, Lin Zhi Shou’s actions this time clearly demonstrated his stance to the family.

Therefore, Lin Tianfang truly dared not kill Zhou Luo arbitrarily now, as doing so would inevitably create a rift with Lin Zhi Shou.

If Lin Zhi Shou defected to the Great Elder over this matter, the gains wouldn’t compensate for the losses.

The main family dared not gamble on it, which is why Lin Tian Xiong had sent such a letter.

Finally, he picked up his brush and began writing on a piece of white paper.

On the second level of the spiritual mine, after leaving, Xu Changsheng relayed his conclusion to Lin Guang.

He stated that Zhou Luo did not know the so-called secret of the spiritual mine.

"Are you certain?" Lin Guang demanded, fixing him with a stare.

"Master, I can confirm it."

Xu Changsheng then fabricated an explanation, describing how he had probed and uncovered this fact.

After listening, an expression of annoyance flickered across Lin Guang’s aged face.

He clearly understood: if Zhou Luo truly didn’t know the mine’s secret, then they would have to remain here and find an opportunity to contact another formation master.

"Understood. I’m going to inspect the formation on the third level. Clean up here," Lin Guang said, his expression somber, as he stood and walked out the door.

Behind him, Xu Changsheng kept his head bowed. His eyes flickered towards the pile of ruins nearby, remnants left from their formation studies, and he clenched both fists tightly.

One day, he would escape this situation.

Then, using one hand, he began cleaning.

After tidying up, he immersed himself in the meticulous study of formation knowledge with utmost focus.