Chapter 74

Chapter 74: The Game Between Both Sides

Nobody had expected Lin Xianlong to die inside his room. Lin Kai whipped his head around to stare at Zhou Luo standing in the doorway, his face as cold as frost. "What exactly happened?" he demanded icily.

Zhou Luo, wearing an expression of profound grief, recounted the sequence of events.

After thorough examination, he claimed, he had confirmed the special constitution of the elder and intended for him to take another antidote potion he had prepared earlier.

Yet unexpectedly, the antidote had reacted with the poison already in the elder’s body, ultimately leading to the tragedy.

Dissatisfied with this answer, Lin Kai looked towards Lin Xuanfeng, waiting for him to speak.

But Lin Xuanfeng seemed utterly unfazed by all this; his shadowed face showed no expression, and he displayed no intention of saying anything.

Left with no alternative, Lin Kai could only say, "You three, come and examine him."

The three Pill Masters also hadn’t anticipated such an outcome. They looked at each other, and the eldest among them stepped forward. He placed his right hand on Lin Xianlong’s pulse and began his examination.

A faint spiritual light flickered as a stream of pale green spiritual energy flowed into the body, causing the entire corpse to emit a green glow.

A few minutes later, beads of sweat appeared on the Pill Master’s forehead. He withdrew his hand and said helplessly, "There is indeed evidence of a potion being ingested. Moreover, the cause of death… should be poisoning."

Zhou Luo sat by the door, maintaining his remorseful expression, but his inner thoughts were utterly calm.

He knew perfectly well that someone like this Pill Master couldn’t possibly detect the presence of that peak first-grade poison. Not even Lin Zhi Shou, should he show up, would be able to find it.

He had meticulously crafted this poison earlier as a life-saving trump card. Its toxicity was only slightly inferior to the Bone Corruption Powder. Only a second level Pill Master or a peak first-grade poison-making expert could possibly detect it.

Presently, that Pill Master could only determine that the cause of death was poisoning, nothing more.

Which precisely corroborated Zhou Luo’s story.

Lin Kai was very dissatisfied with this conclusion.

His gaze darkened sharply. "What do you mean by ‘should be’?" he snapped.

Looking embarrassed, the Pill Master had to admit he simply couldn’t tell either.

If he couldn’t tell, the other two Pill Masters were even less likely to succeed.

Lin Kai’s face instantly turned ashen. He fixed his glare on Zhou Luo in the doorway and roared, "You killed him! According to the family rules, you must also die!"

Zhou Luo instantly panicked. "Lord Lin, it was an accident!" he cried out hurriedly, his voice trembling. "I didn’t expect this either! We were just conducting a test; nobody could have known the outcome! I am innocent!" He adopted a pleading posture, genuine fear spreading across his face as he contemplated execution. "And I already understand the poison’s mechanism! Going forward, I can definitely refine the antidote! You must give me a chance!"

Lin Kai opened his mouth again, intending to seize this opportunity to eliminate this nuisance.

Just then, Lin Xuanfeng, who hadn’t spoken until now, uttered calmly, "This is your final chance."

"Yes, Yes! Absolutely! Thank you, Elder Jiu, for your immense generosity! Rest assured, I will succeed!" Feigning profound relief, Zhou Luo began bowing profusely in Lin Xuanfeng’s direction, adopting the most humble posture imaginable.

"But Elder Jiu…" Lin Kai tried to interject.

Yet upon meeting those cold, sharp eyes, words instantly died in his throat. He swallowed whatever objection he had and respectfully lowered his head.

"Remove the corpse," Lin Xuanfeng stated and then departed from the room.

Lin Kai’s expression was extremely ugly. He walked over to Zhou Luo and leaned in close, his voice low and threatening. "I don’t know what trick you’re playing, but know this – it’s meaningless."

Zhou Luo lowered his head, bearing a respectful posture, and did not say a word.

Soon, Lin Kai summoned his subordinates to remove Lin Xianlong’s corpse, and Zhou Luo and the three Pill Masters were escorted to his original room to begin concocting the antidote.

At the same time, his room was surrounded and heavily guarded outside.

On the way to the pavilion down the mountain, Lin Kai observed the figure’s back ahead, could not help but hasten his pace, stepped forward, and softly inquired: “Elder Jiu, I do not understand why we did not seize the chance to execute him.”

Lin Xuanfeng strolled calmly and slowly said: “Why should we execute him?”

“He killed Lin Xianlong, and he might also know that secret.” Lin Kai lowered his voice and uttered.

“So why should we kill him?” Lin Xuanfeng countered.

Lin Kai froze in place, utterly unable to discern what this hall master of the Law Enforcement Hall was thinking.

Lin Xuanfeng did not elaborate further, only ordering: “Seal the corpse properly, and I will take it back to the family.”

“Yes.” Lin Kai acknowledged the command.

They finally arrived at the pavilion down the mountain, and Lin Xuanfeng alone entered Lin Tianfang’s room.

“How was it?”

Lin Tianfang was reading an ancient book, saw him enter, looked up, and questioned.

“Lin Xianlong is dead.” Lin Xuanfeng stated calmly.

“What?” Lin Tianfang raised his voice, full of shock.

Then, Lin Xuanfeng recounted to him the events that had just occurred.

After hearing it, Lin Tianfang sank into deep contemplation.

“Was it Zhou Luo who poisoned him?”

Abruptly, he spoke it unexpectedly.

“I do not know, but I do not consider it important.” Lin Xuanfeng replied.

“Indeed, but does he know the secret of the spiritual mine?”

As he posed these words, a grave expression formed on Lin Tianfang’s face, and even lightly apparent killing intent arose in his eyes.

“I am not certain, but I lean toward him still not knowing.” Lin Xuanfeng responded.

As everyone knew, Lin Xianlong belonged to the Great Elder; now that he was dead, if Zhou Luo had genuinely pledged full allegiance to the Great Elder, it should not have been possible to permit his loss as a key supporter at the spiritual mine.

Whether Zhou Luo acted intentionally or not, Lin Xianlong’s death demonstrated that his allegiance was not as steadfast as imagined.

Since it was not unwavering, why not attempt to win him over?

After all, his talent in alchemy stood out; if not for him siding with the Great Elder, the main family would not have contemplated eliminating him.

Lin Tianfang grasped his point, yet hesitated: “But what if he knows the secret of the spiritual mine?”

With such an immense secret, naturally, it was better to kill mistakenly than let him escape.

“We still have time to watch him; for now, we must observe the Great Elder’s stance.” Lin Xuanfeng stated serenely.

Zhou Luo still remained at the spiritual mine for nearly a month; whether swaying him toward the main family or verifying he did not know that secret, there was ample time.

What needed doing now was to convey this incident back to the family, informing the Great Elder.

After all, Lin Xianlong was a man of the Great Elder. Now that Lin Xianlong was dead and killed by Zhou Luo, the Great Elder would surely feel doubtful in his heart and speculate whether Zhou Luo had already sided with the main family.

This way, it gave them an opportunity to win him over.

"What if everything was arranged by the Great Elder?" Lin Tianfang countered.

The Great Elder was cunning and experienced; probably everything was within his calculation.

"That’s why we need to see what decision he will make." Lin Xuanfeng’s deep and sharp eyes lit up with a spark of wisdom, seeming to have already thought of the subsequent plan.

To this, Lin Tianfang didn’t say anything more.

Because he recognized Lin Xuanfeng’s ability; when it came to schemes and strategies, among the main family’s side, only the family head and he himself could compete with the Great Elder.

"Then let’s put this matter to an end." Lin Tianfang finally set the tone for this poisoning incident.