It's only natural for you to be suspicious.

Inside the medicine room.

Xu Linglong stared directly at Ah Nian, who wore an expression of absolute conviction.

The ingredients in this medicinal liquid were nothing rare, and a single glance revealed its poor efficacy.

Yet, for some reason, the name Chu Xingchen attached to it made Xu Linglong unable to simply dismiss it.

If the ingredients were utterly ordinary, then what had captivated this female physician's research was likely the alchemy technique itself.

Originally, Xu Linglong had no intention of drinking such a thing. She planned to use an illusion spell and casually pour it out.

However...

Now she felt compelled to take a taste.

To discover what secret Chu Xingchen had left here.

As a Heavenly Demon, she naturally possessed a high resistance to poisons.

Since nothing she ate could kill her, there was truly nothing to fear.

Xu Linglong brought the bowl to her lips, the slightly foul odor drilling into her nostrils.

Without hesitation, she decisively took a small sip.

It passed her throat—bitterness, stench, a nauseating sensation spreading in waves.

Xu Linglong narrowed her eyes slightly, beginning to analyze the liquid that had entered her throat.

The conclusion was the same—utterly ordinary efficacy, apart from being extremely disgusting.

If Chu Xingchen had used this thing to achieve victory, one could only speculate that drinking it served to temper one's mental fortitude. Beyond that, it was utterly useless.

To truly comment on this elixir...

One could only say it was cleaner than slop. In every other aspect, it was far inferior.

After all, there weren't many things left that could make her want to vomit.

Seeing Xu Linglong only take a sip, her expression completely unmoved, Ah Nian quickly said:

"Just a tiny sip won't let you experience its unique efficacy. You need to take a big gulp to really tell."

Drinking so little, what could you possibly understand? You have to take a hearty swig!

Xu Linglong couldn't even be bothered to glance at Ah Nian, merely letting out a soft hum.

Ah Nian's gaze became somewhat confused.

Xu Linglong directly flung the liquid from the bowl in her hand outward. The moment it left the bowl, it transformed into a wisp of smoke and dissipated completely.

This thing, worse than slop, and you still think you can trick me into drinking it twice?

What "Chu Xingchen's secret weapon for victory."

If you brew this stuff again and try to give it to me, Xu Linglong guaranteed the entire batch would be shoved right into Ah Nian's mouth.

Xu Linglong took a deep breath and placed the empty bowl back on the table.

Fortunately, she hadn't brought Bai Bo inside, or else this scene would have given him endless material for mockery.

After adjusting her mood, Xu Linglong slowly turned her gaze to Ah Nian—if she didn't get the information she wanted, she really did have some slop ready for Ah Nian to drink.

"I've finished the medicine. I came here because I have questions to ask you."

Xu Linglong spoke, her voice laced with allure.

Since this was an ambush, a setup, being too explicit might alert Chu Xingchen.

Unless absolutely necessary, it was better to avoid forcefully charming or affecting someone's consciousness.

However, some minor techniques could still be employed.

Ah Nian's gaze gradually returned to normal. She first glanced at the empty bowl, a flicker of disappointment in her heart.

It still wasn't brewed disgusting enough.

"What do you want to ask?" Ah Nian replied.

"I heard that Chu Xingchen, Lord Chu, once collaborated with our Demon Suppression Bureau. It was out of admiration for him that I joined the Yuzhou City branch. I wonder, since you were personally taught such a unique skill by Lord Chu, could you tell me what kind of person Chu Xingchen is?"

Xu Linglong gently pushed back the veil of her hat, revealing her amethyst eyes and that breathtakingly beautiful face.

Central Continent, Tianyan Sect.

Within the main hall of Tianyan Peak.

Hundreds of message jade slips continuously circulated, and from time to time, new ones flew in from outside the door.

Bai Xuanling lounged lazily to the side, sipping tea brewed by Chen Baiqing.

Chu Xingchen and Xie Lingyu each had jade slips orbiting around them.

Lv Xuan had even more swirling around him.

Since message jade slips could hold a vast amount of information and weren't exactly cheap, each one reported its news in as much detail as possible.

After all, those reading them were high-level cultivators with ample spiritual sense to handle it.

Reading them was naturally fast, but formulating appropriate responses required thought.

Of course, handling these messages wasn't the sole responsibility of the three in the Tianyan Peak hall.

Only the most critical messages came directly here.

This meant the hundreds of jade slips currently present contained key information and directives.

The rest were already being handled by subordinates.

Even Li Yingling, the head disciple, couldn't endure the constant stream of jade slips, working for two days and resting one.

However, he hadn't been at it long before Chu Xingchen urged him to go cultivate instead.

Fortunately, compared to handling these official jade slips, cultivation felt much more comfortable.

Li Yingling promptly agreed and went off to train.

Most of Chu Xingchen's disciples were currently in seclusion cultivating, occasionally emerging for a break.

"Hah..." Chu Xingchen gently set down a jade slip in his hand. "These relationships are intricate, all revolving around the word 'benefit.' Truly getting things done properly isn't so easy."

Hearing this, Lv Xuan quickly nodded:

"Naturally. The world has long since changed. The era where a sword could solve everything is over. Behind every sect, there are more sects."

As he spoke, Lv Xuan's gaze naturally shifted to Bai Xuanling.

Bai Xuanling didn't humor him at all, casually picking up a teacup from nearby and hurling it at Lv Xuan.

The cup was thrown with such speed it became a blur.

Lv Xuan raised his hand slightly, using his spiritual power to catch the teacup, which carried enough force to smash a fierce tiger's skull.

"Back in the day, without the sword in my hand, there would be no place in this world for either of us," Bai Xuanling raised an eyebrow, an unhappy expression on his face. "I observe this world hasn't changed much. If you don't have a sword in hand, who would be interested in listening to what you have to say?"

"The sharper the sword, the more people listen."

"An eternal truth."

Lv Xuan didn't argue. Firstly, there was some truth, albeit limited, in Bai Xuanling's words. Secondly, was Bai Xuanling really someone who argued with reason?

He had no desire, as the sect leader of Tianyan Sect, to get beaten up by Bai Xuanling inside his own main hall.

Especially with Chu Xingchen watching from the sidelines.

The Tianyan Sect leader had his dignity to maintain.

Chu Xingchen didn't join the conversation. Instead, he set down the jade slip and looked toward the main door.

Li Xingtian stood outside, looking at him with a slightly strange expression—one full of... nostalgia—before giving a slight bow.

"I have something to attend to. You two carry on."

Chu Xingchen decisively stood up, preparing to walk out.

He was familiar with his second disciple's temperament.

If it wasn't something important, knowing he was busy, Li Xingtian would ninety-nine times out of a hundred not come to disturb him.

As for that remaining sliver of probability, even Li Xingtian might have a moment of whimsy one day.

Xie Lingyu glanced up but didn't say much.

Bai Xuanling looked curious but didn't pry into matters between master and disciple.

Chu Xingchen strode outside the hall, directly reaching out to pull up the slightly bowing Li Xingtian, then smoothly slung an arm over his shoulder:

"Your look today is a bit strange, disciple. You know your master's preferences, right? If you really have some other interests, your fifth junior brother isn't bad looking, you know."

"Master... I don't have those interests either."

"Good, good. So, what's the matter? Encountered a problem you need your master to solve?"

Li Xingtian looked at the smile on his master's face and gently reached out to grasp Chu Xingchen's robe.

Chu Xingchen glanced at his clothes, then back at Li Xingtian, his gaze turning wary.

Unperturbed, Li Xingtian got straight to the point:

"Master, have you overturned quite a few demonic cultivator hideouts and heretical sects, yet still found no trace of Xu Linglong?"

"Hmm... What's wrong? Are you worried about this? Don't worry, your master will handle it properly."

Li Xingtian released his grip:

"Master, I have a theory."

The suspicious look that had just faded from Chu Xingchen's eyes returned once more:

"You haven't seen any of the intelligence reports, and you have a theory?"

"Don't tell me you and your senior sister have been practicing some intuition technique?"

Li Xingtian said in a serious tone:

"Master, I understand her."

"Oh... I actually forgot about that." Chu Xingchen's suspicious expression turned into pity,

"You must have tried to guess her thoughts quite often too, so it's not strange."

Li Xingtian: "..."

Master's words... why do they sound so infuriating.