Jing Song felt a bit helpless. "Fine, there's no harm in telling you. Zhi Lan is a rogue cultivator I met while traveling. She's a martial cultivator, stronger than me, and kind. I met her by chance when she was injured, and I saved her. After spending a long time together, we fell in love."
"So, it was a case of hero saving the damsel. Senior brother, you must introduce us to sister-in-law soon. If sister-in-law is injured while traveling, we can give her a见面礼 (jiànmiàn lǐ – gift for a first meeting)." Xiao Man quickly said. "By the way, I have a bottle of Youth-Preserving Pills. Consider it my gift for sister-in-law."
"And me! My newly refined hemostatic pills are very effective. I'll give them to sister-in-law too."
The fellow disciples each took out their signature concoctions and pressed them into Jing Song's hands. "Senior brother, when you get married, don't forget to invite us junior brothers for the wedding banquet!"
"Alright."
As dawn broke, Xiao Man returned to her room, exhausted.
As soon as she lay down on the bed, Zhu Qing wriggled in through a gap in the window and onto Xiao Man's bed.
"Master, I found her."
"Found her!" Xiao Man immediately sat up. "Where?"
"There's a secret room in the Jin family head's courtyard. A woman is locked inside. I snuck in to take a look. The woman was burying her head drawing blueprints. To avoid alerting the enemy, I didn't reveal myself. I don't know if it's the person you're looking for."
"Could you see her appearance?"
"Her hair was disheveled, and her face was filthy. I really couldn't see what she looked like. Master, shall we go and test her?"
"No rush. I just caused such a scene in the Jin family. It's better to lie low for now. Otherwise, if something happens, I'll be the first one suspected." Xiao Man tapped the bed gently with her fingertips, a hint of a cold glint in her eyes. If the person locked in the secret room was Mo Mo, then the Jin family would have to pay a heavy price!
"Then what do we do now?"
"Go and call Huowu back. The Jin family has many experts. It's inevitable that someone might see through her true form. If she's discovered, it won't be good," Xiao Man said calmly. If anyone found out she had contracted a fire phoenix, they would likely not let her go. She wondered if Jin Yao had noticed her.
"Okay, Master." Zhu Qing quickly scurried away. Xiao Man, however, fell back onto the bed and slept. She had been busy for a whole day and night and was naturally tired and needed a good rest.
Cheng Ze and Cheng Le squatted outside the Jin family, staring intently at the main gate. "Cheng Ze, the Jin family's second young master hasn't come out. Are we going to wait here forever?"
"What else? Are you going to sneak into the Jin family to find him?" Cheng Ze took a bite of the wōwō tóu (steamed corn bun) in his hand. "Don't forget, the Jin family still has several Nascent Soul stage powerhouses guarding it. If we barge in rashly, we'll be looking for death."
"We can find a way to sneak into the Jin family," Cheng Le said, clenching his fists.
"Sneak in?" Cheng Ze glanced at him and stuffed the last bite of the wōwō tóu into his mouth. "Do you think the Jin family is a marketplace? You can just sneak in if you want to. Our target is to protect Xiao Qin. We just need to keep an eye on whether anything happens to the Jin family. In the vast Jin family, currently, only Jin Yao wants to kill her. We just need to keep a close watch on Jin Yao."
"But Jin Yao isn't coming out."
"The Sky Sword Sect's Grand Assembly is about to begin. Jin Yao will definitely come out then. I just don't know when Xiao Qin will emerge," Cheng Ze said unhurriedly. "What I'm worried about now is, if Xiao Qin's target isn't Jin Yao, can we really find her by following Jin Yao?"
Cheng Le's eyes darted around. "Young Master said that as long as we follow Jin Yao, we can find her. Young Master is definitely right."
"Fine. Since we can't find her now, we can only wait here and hope for the best."
The news of the disturbance in the Jin family's Medicine Refining Hall could not be kept secret. It was said that the Grand Elder and the Fifth Elder had both suffered losses. The disciples of the Medicine Refining Hall were suddenly treated much more kindly by the Jin family. After all, the fierce feared the ruthless, and the ruthless feared those who didn't fear death. And in the eyes of others, the disciples of the Medicine Refining Hall were a group of people who didn't fear death.
Jin Feng had expected Xiao Man to suffer greatly from Jin Quan's death. Instead, it was the Grand Elder who suffered a silent loss. Those who had bullied the disciples of the Medicine Refining Hall were also punished. Now, the status of the Medicine Refining Hall had risen significantly, especially after it was known that the pills refined by the disciples of the Medicine Refining Hall could even incapacitate a master like the Fifth Elder. Ordinary disciples became even friendlier towards the disciples of the Medicine Refining Hall.
Jin Feng had planned to find Xiao Man to ask what exactly had happened that night. However, he saw Jin Yao heading towards the Medicine Refining Hall and quickly hid.
"Second Young Master."
"Is the Third Elder here?"
"The Elder went to the Forging Hall. Does Second Young Master need the Third Elder for something?" Jing Song inquired.
"It's alright if the Third Elder isn't here. By the way, I heard you have a new disciple named Lan Xiao, right?" Jin Yao sat down nearby and asked lazily.
Jing Song became wary and placed his hand behind his back, signaling a disciple to notify the Third Elder to return quickly. "Yes, Second Young Master."
"I heard she's a fourth-grade alchemist and is quite skilled in refining poisons?" Jin Yao maintained the demeanor of a noble young master, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.
Jing Song's heart grew more tense. He guessed that Xiao Man might have accidentally offended someone and provoked this ruthless and cruel Second Young Master. "Second Young Master, has my junior brother done something to displease you?"
"Not at all. I just heard that there's a disciple in the Medicine Refining Hall who is skilled in using poisons, and I'm very curious, so I came to ask." Jin Yao smiled and said, "Call her over so I can meet her."
"This..."
"What, she's not here either?" The smile on Jin Yao's face gradually disappeared, and an unhappy aura emanated from him.
"To answer Second Young Master, it's not that. Junior brother has been refining pills in the alchemy room recently and hasn't shown his face for several days. I assume he's refining some crucial pill, and we dare not disturb him."
"Jing Song, what grade alchemist are you?"
"To answer Second Young Master, fourth-grade."
"Fourth-grade," Jin Yao mused. "She's also fourth-grade. What kind of pill is she refining that requires her to stay in the alchemy room for several consecutive days?"
"This..." Jing Song lowered his head, unsure whether to say it. After all, what Xiao Man was refining were not regular pills, but poisons. When refining poisons, if there was an explosion, it could easily harm innocent bystanders, so no one dared to get close.
"What, can I not know?"
"To answer Second Young Master, it's not like that. Junior brother enjoys refining poisons, and he's currently in the alchemy room refining poisons. Whether he's refining normal pills or poisons, he's more prone to explosions than others. Unless he succeeds, others dare not approach, otherwise, if there's an explosion, anyone nearby could be poisoned."