As time passed, half a month went by in the blink of an eye.
This half-month period was remarkably quiet. Lei Ming worked diligently to salvage his reputation, dispel any suspicion from everyone, and secure his position as the Zhuangzhu.
During this same half-month, Ye Cangtian had a good period of rest. When he had nothing else to do, he would take Lan Yue and Yao Baoer out for excursions around the surrounding mountains and rivers.
Lei Ming was awaiting external aid. He was aware of this, so he wasn't in a hurry to make a move. He decided to see which faction this external help would come from.
In a secret chamber of the Imperial Dragon Manor.
A figure had been waiting in the secret chamber for a long time. After an unknown duration, Lei Ming's figure finally arrived.
"Qi Rong, you're back. How did things go?"
Upon hearing Lei Ming's voice, Qi Rong quickly stepped forward and said, "Zhuangzhu, the matter has been handled. The people from the Five Poisons Sect have arrived, led personally by their Grand Elder..."
Qi Rong briefly recounted his trip to the Five Poisons Sect.
In fact, he hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
After all, the Five Poisons Sect was an unorthodox and wicked sect, while the Imperial Dragon Manor was considered a reputable and righteous one. The two were like fire and water, incompatible.
Yet, this time, the Five Poisons Sect had held nothing back, sending their Grand Elder to lead the contingent, fully supporting Lei Ming in eliminating the Grim Reaper.
Upon hearing this, Lei Ming's face showed a faint smile. "This is quite normal. After all, Poison Fly and others from the Five Poisons Sect were killed by the Grim Reaper. They naturally won't let the Grim Reaper off. This is what they call bringing it upon themselves!"
He paused, then continued, "Qi Rong, you did well this time. Continue to strive for excellence in the future, and I will not mistreat you."
As he spoke, Lei Ming took out a small porcelain bottle from his Qiankun Bag and tossed it over.
"Thank you, Zhuangzhu."
Qi Rong caught the small bottle, saw the inscription "Nine Revolutions Golden Pill" on it, and quickly expressed his gratitude.
While the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill was not a rare item for him now, it represented Lei Ming's approval.
As long as Lei Ming treated him as one of his own, he could walk sideways in the Imperial Dragon Manor like Shen Kuo from now on. This was more valuable than any reward.
With this thought, he quickly stepped forward and, in turn, took out a porcelain bottle. However, this porcelain bottle was like dark jade, and he handed it to Lei Ming.
"Zhuangzhu, the Grand Elder asked me to give this to you!"
"This poison is called Heart-Devouring Poison. It was refined by the Five Poisons Sect based on a formula from an ancient poison tome, after searching for poisonous herbs for over a decade. Even a Heavenly Realm expert would die within moments of ingesting this poison..."
Listening to Qi Rong's explanation, Lei Ming's eyes immediately lit up.
Lan Yue's strength already made him very apprehensive, and the Grim Reaper would only be stronger than Lan Yue. He truly had no confidence in dealing with the Grim Reaper.
Now, with this bottle of poison, it would be much simpler.
Furthermore, he could use this poison to kill other Heavenly Realm experts.
Once that was done, the Imperial Dragon Manor would not fear any powerful individuals, even without any Heavenly Realm experts of its own.
With this in mind, Lei Ming looked at Qi Rong and asked in confusion, "Since we have this poison, why does the Grand Elder still need to come along?"
Qi Rong quickly replied, "It's like this, Zhuangzhu. Although this poison is potent, the Grim Reaper is cunning. The Five Poisons Sect is worried that the Grim Reaper will not easily take the poison. Therefore, they sent the Grand Elder to provide you with assistance!"
"Good, good, good."
Upon hearing Qi Rong's explanation, Lei Ming's face immediately broke into a smile. The Grand Elder's presence meant preparedness, and he could now deal with the Grim Reaper with peace of mind.
...
At night.
In another corner of the manor, Ye Cangtian and the other two returned slowly in a carriage.
As soon as they entered the room and before the lights could be lit, Ye Cangtian noticed a dark figure in the room.
Upon closer inspection, this person was none other than Zhan Wufeng.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian quickly lit the lamp and invited the visitor to sit down. He also instructed Yao Baoer to prepare a cup of tea.
Having done all this, Ye Cangtian finally spoke, "Wufeng, how long have you been waiting? What have you discovered this time that brought you to me?"
"Not long," Zhan Wufeng replied. He then added, "I just received news today that Qi Rong has returned to the Imperial Dragon Manor. But the strange thing is, he returned on his own."
"Perhaps," Ye Cangtian said with a slight smile.
Now that the Hidden Group had retaken Frost City, the Imperial Dragon Manor was bound to be affected. It was understandable that some factions would maintain a distance from the Imperial Dragon Manor at this time.
However, this was merely one speculation.
Perhaps Qi Rong did not return alone, but rather to avoid detection, allowing the invited external aid to come in secret.
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Zhan Wufeng frowned. "Lord Grim Reaper, what should we do now? Should I lead the guards to search the entire manor?"
"No, that would expose you!"
"You must remember, until the final moment, you absolutely must not be exposed!"
Ye Cangtian waved his hand and continued his previous topic, "Actually, it's very easy to determine if Qi Rong returned alone. It all depends on whether Lei Ming has any other means!"
"Lord Grim Reaper, what you say makes sense, but if we wait for Lei Ming to make the first move, we will be very passive!"
Upon hearing this, Zhan Wufeng's brows furrowed instantly.
In his opinion, to deal with Lei Ming, they should take the initiative and try not to give Lei Ming any chance to act. Otherwise, with Lei Ming's ruthless nature, the losses could be immeasurable.
"Heh heh, it's fine," Ye Cangtian waved his hand, a faint smile on his face. "Although Lei Ming is a bit ruthless, he still has a bottom line and won't implicate innocent people..."
Since his arrival at the Imperial Dragon Manor, he had only interacted with two people within the manor.
The first was Zhan Wufeng, and the second was Feng Jun.
Feng Jun was already dead, so there was no need to mention him. As for Zhan Wufeng, he was in contact covertly, making it difficult for Lei Ming to discover him.
Therefore, if Lei Ming wanted to deal with him, at most he would implicate Lan Yue and Yao Baoer.
However, Lan Yue and Yao Baoer were always by his side. In such a situation, how could it be easy for Lei Ming to deal with the two women!
On the other hand, seeing the extreme confidence in the Grim Reaper's eyes, Zhan Wufeng decisively swallowed all his words.
He trusted the old manor master's judgment. Since the old manor master had recognized the Grim Reaper, he believed in the Grim Reaper's abilities.
With this thought, he cupped his fists towards Ye Cangtian and said, "In that case, your subordinate will take his leave. Please be careful, sir..."
Ye Cangtian nodded and said, "Go. You be careful too. Feng Jun's incident has made me suspect everyone. Don't let him catch any fault..."
...
The sun rose again, marking a new day.
As usual, Lan Yue was tidying up the carriage in the small courtyard, preparing to go out for an excursion with Ye Cangtian and Yao Baoer.
Before Lan Yue could finish preparing the carriage, several figures walked into the small courtyard. Leading them was Chang Shan, newly promoted by Lei Ming.
Chang Shan appeared high-spirited and extremely arrogant, with an air of a petty man who had achieved success in every gesture.
"Xiao Yue, is the Grim Reaper here?"
Upon hearing the voice, Lan Yue's face turned icy. Even if Feng Jun were still alive, he wouldn't dare to address her as "Xiao Yue."
Yet, this Chang Shan dared to call her that, truly possessing the courage of a bear's heart and a leopard's gall!
With this thought, Lan Yue said coldly, "Chang Shan, have you forgotten basic respect for elders? Is 'Xiao Yue' something you can call me?"
"My apologies!"
Seeing Lan Yue's anger, Chang Shan smiled mockingly and then said, "You and the Zhuangzhu are not of the same path, and therefore, neither am I. Since that's the case, my politeness towards you is a waste!"
Chang Shan was well aware that the Grim Reaper and Xiao Yue had angered Lei Ming greatly in the main hall in front of everyone earlier.
Lei Ming had not yet vented this anger.
Therefore, he intended to use his position to give Xiao Yue and the Grim Reaper a hard time, to vent Lei Ming's anger.
By doing so, Lei Ming would surely look upon him with renewed favor.
Heh heh.
With a single sentence, Lan Yue let out a cold laugh and said, "Chang Shan, this is our residence. If you wish to cause trouble, you'd best go somewhere else, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
"Xiao Yue, if your temper is too fierce, you won't get married!"
Facing Lan Yue's icy gaze, Chang Shan was unfazed. Instead, he provocatively teased her.
Then, he put on a serious expression and said coldly, "Xiao Yue, don't think I'm easily scared. I'll spar with you another time, but not today. I'm here to find the Grim Reaper! Is he here?"