Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Experiment

In the room, Zhou Luo was sitting on a chair holding Little White, his heart uneasy. He had already been somewhat anxious, and after Lin Xuanfeng appeared, he grew even more troubled.

He tried to continue transmitting a message to Lin Shi, but it remained without success.

Zhou Luo drained a cup of spirit tea in a single gulp to calm himself as much as possible and pondered a countermeasure.

In this situation, he already had no way back.

For now, since the main family had not taken action against him.

It was either that they had not discovered the truth about his poisoning, or that they feared the Great Elder and thus did not dare to move against him.

Compared to the latter, Zhou Luo leaned more toward the former.

From his perspective, the main family had long wanted to crush and eliminate him, and a major crime like poisoning was their perfect opportunity. By then, even the Great Elder would probably say nothing.

If it was the former, then all could still be remedied.

Since things had come to this, he planned to continue with the previous scheme to find out about the situation here first.

While he was thinking, three Pill Masters arrived again.

When Zhou Luo saw them, he used the opportunity while they refined the antidote to probe about what had happened at the foot of the mountain.

But the three knew nothing.

Zhou Luo asked, "And you three sirs, could you tell me what kind of person Elder Jiu is?"

"How do you know Elder Jiu has come?" one of the Pill Masters queried, puzzled.

Zhou Luo then recounted to them about how he came to ask questions.

After listening, all three nodded at the same time, and one said, "This indeed fits Elder Jiu’s style. He is that kind of person with meticulous thoughts who spares no detail."

Afterward, in the account of the three.

Zhou Luo only then learned that this Elder Jiu was highly renowned within the family.

On one hand, it was because of his sharp insight, calm judgment, and observation of all details. When faced with complex cases, he always swiftly pinpointed the key to unravel the mystery. In case-handling ability, he was undoubtedly first-rate.

On the other hand, there was his sinister and gloomy side, especially how he dealt with those who broke family rules or violated laws; his methods were ruthless and terrifying. Anyone daring to challenge his authority would be punished without mercy.

His existence was like a sharp sword hanging overhead, ready to drop at any time, leaving people unable to relax.

After understanding Lin Xuanfeng clearly, Zhou Luo was profoundly shaken. His heart, just settled, now surged with huge waves.

He had thought his poisoning act was so well-hidden that the main family must not have noticed it.

But Lin Xuanfeng’s presence made him question his judgment.

Could someone with such extraordinary case-handling ability truly fail to spot his poisoning?

Zhou Luo could not help doubting inwardly.

Coupled with Lin Shi’s "unknown" status and his prior appearance, Zhou Luo felt a weight in his chest.

Or had he already found some clues but not confirmed it yet?

In an instant, Zhou Luo only sensed an impending storm and a massive increase in pressure.

No.

Zhou Luo had to quickly grasp the situation here and make contact with the Great Elder’s people. Only then might he find a way out.

Otherwise, if he was truly found out, his life would likely be in danger.

The sense of crisis that had faded earlier surged back. Because of this, Zhou Luo even made a careless mistake in his alchemy, wasting a whole batch of herbs.

The three Pill Masters, however, paid no mind to this.

In their view, Zhou Luo had just recently advanced to become a middle first-level Pill Master, so failure in pill concoction was utterly normal.

They labored until late at night, finally completing the refining of one hundred and twenty middle first-level antidotes.

The three Pill Masters, exhausted, left to rest.

Zhou Luo sat alone on his bed. His gaze fell on Little White, curled up in the corner, while his right hand held the sound transmission talisman.

He still hadn’t managed to contact Lin Shi.

This inner turmoil only intensified his anxiety. The looming shadow of death was so heavy he couldn’t even sleep.

Since sleep was impossible, Zhou Luo simply began to meditate and cultivate.

After all, the spiritual energy here was far denser and purer than back at the clan.

…

The next morning, after breakfast, Lin Kai arrived outside the house with his men.

Stepping out, Zhou Luo saw not only were the three Pill Masters present, but Lin Xuanfeng had also, unexpectedly, appeared.

He stood to the side, projecting an air of detachment.

This immediately set Zhou Luo on high alert.

Logically, the hall master of the Law Enforcement Hall should be investigating the case right now. Why follow them to the second level?

With his status, he could enter and leave freely at will.

Unless… he was specifically here to observe him.

The more Zhou Luo thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

He even began to suspect that Lin Xuanfeng must already know about the poisoning incident.

Perhaps there were reasons preventing him from moving against Zhou Luo just yet.

"Let’s go once you’re ready," Lin Kai announced.

The group then made their way towards the second level.

Distracted by his heavy thoughts, Zhou Luo spent the journey pondering how to solve his problem, only to realize he truly had no viable options.

The immediate priority was still to gather information about the spiritual mine first.

Upon reaching the second level again, Zhou Luo found it just as heavily guarded. The poisoned men lay in their rooms. While not in mortal danger, their debilitating weakness severely restricted their daily lives.

Zhou Luo first entered the room where the initial overseer was lying.

The three Pill Masters and Lin Kai followed him inside. Lin Xuanfeng remained outside, standing with his hands behind his back, showing no intention of entering.

The Pill Masters naturally wanted to observe how Zhou Luo conducted his experiment. Lin Kai was primarily there to prevent any other actions.

Inside the room, Zhou Luo fed one of the first-level antidotes into the overseer’s mouth.

"Zhou Luo, where did you read about these ideas?"

As they waited for the drug to take effect, one Pill Master couldn’t help but ask.

Preoccupied with the urgent pill refining earlier, they hadn’t had the chance to ask. Now that they had a moment, all three were intensely curious about this so-called "human immune system theory."

Zhou Luo sat by the bedside and explained, "A long time ago, when I visited the town medic for an illness, an old physician mentioned something. He said minor illnesses could often heal without medicine because the body itself could solve these problems."

"Since ordinary people are like this, I figured cultivators shouldn’t be too different."

The Pill Masters exchanged glances.

They had grown up within the clan, identified for their talent in alchemy early on, and had almost never ventured outside. Naturally, they were unfamiliar with such concepts.

Hearing it now, they found it both surprising and peculiar.

"Honestly, I’m not even certain," Zhou Luo added. "But we had to give it a try."

The Pill Masters nodded silently.

A spirit of exploration was indispensable for any Pill Master. How else would the predecessors have left behind so many potion recipes?

For a moment, their gazes held a trace of appreciation when they looked at Zhou Luo.

Unfortunately, when the drug took effect, the man on the bed showed no improvement. He remained completely immobilized.

Zhou Luo stood up and walked out of the room. His eyes instinctively flickered toward Lin Xuanfeng, still standing nearby.

Instead of investigating, he was waiting here. It truly seemed like surveillance.

At this thought, a wave of intense urgency washed over him.