Chapter 7: I Really Owe Him Thanks

The next day, at the first hour of the Xu hour.

After the autumn rain, the mist in the mountains grew thicker.

Chen Zhao returned from the Ling Tian and saw the Cave Abode lit brightly, shadows moving inside.

He immediately hid to the side and peered secretly.

Inside were the four men from yesterday.

"Have we uncovered Chen Zhao's true nature?"

"I believe this man is cautious in his actions and wholly devoted to the Dao; he's unlikely to shelter Zheng Daocai, and he lacks the capability."

Liu Chen sighed, tapping his fingers against the stone bed.

Su Wanyao lightly pressed her brow and sighed:

"Qi Refining Second Layer, Spirit Driving Technique, Spirit Rain Technique, five hours of work daily—last night Jia Hao and Liang Zai struck without mercy; there's no lie in that."

"According to Xiao Chenzi, he didn't get along well with Zheng Daocai, and with his low cultivation, he's unlikely to shelter him—and he's not a threat himself."

The other three nodded slightly.

"We only need to focus on Zheng Daocai."

Su Wanyao frowned and slammed her hand on the table:

"Last night, Jia Hao and the other were ambushed—no one saw their faces or cultivation levels, and it matches the effects of the Spirit-Avoiding Pill!"

"If this man truly has an Alchemist aiding him, given time, we will be no match for him."

She turned to look at Liu Chen, her expression complex.

To brew this pill, one must be at least a top-tier First-grade Alchemist.

If I could use Zheng Daocai to win over this Alchemist and have him brew pills for me…

What if I slight Liu Chen a little?

A Rune Master is useful—he can make several Qi Refining beginners rival those in the middle stage—but an Alchemist has limitless potential; he can directly elevate a beginner to the middle stage.

"Huh, can we make peace?"

Zhao Dehai rubbed the back of his head,

"This man appears and vanishes at will, and now he's on the mountain—even if we catch him, can we just kill him?"

The atmosphere inside the cave grew tense.

Liu Chen felt a flicker of danger rise within him.

He gritted his teeth and pulled out a brocade box.

"Actually, we don't necessarily need to kill him."

He opened the brocade box.

Inside lay a single pill of white jade hue.

"This is the Forget-Dust Pill—I acquired it by chance, and it's the only one I have; it can erase memories."

He obtained this from a previous cultivator's Cave Abode; it's priceless, beyond any market value.

Liu Chen would rather kill than use this pill.

If not for the Su Family being a Foundation Establishment clan, and if I needed their protection and investment, and if Zhao Dehai and the others were unreliable, always at risk of defecting…

Why would I risk this much?

"Rumors say his base is seven hundred meters east—let's move now!"

Chen Zhao crouched in the forest, silently bitter inside.

If this Forget-Dust Pill truly works, it would greatly benefit me too.

But the key is—

The location Liu Chen mentioned is one I made up last night.

How could they possibly find anyone?

Just then—

A figure emerged from the west side of the Cave Abode, limping, peering nervously from the opposite forest.

The man wore a head wrap and a large robe.

It was Zheng Daocai.

"This sect is truly cursed—I couldn't get any tasks, and after finally grabbing a scapegoat, he ended up getting the Rune Master's legacy and dumping me out to be fed to birds."

Zheng Daocai muttered to himself, his gaze cold.

Fortunately, the Blazing Feather Sparrow used him to feed its young.

He burned his essence-blood and barely escaped using the Yellow-Grade Upper-Tier Wind-Riding Art.

Back in the sect, a crowd came to him for Spirit-Avoiding Pills or asked him to find someone to brew pills.

He'd barely rested when Su Family disciples chased him—he had nowhere to run, so he returned to the Cave Abode.

Heaven have mercy—if I truly knew any Alchemist, why would I have to become cannon fodder?

Yet everyone firmly believed it, and he had no way to defend himself.

Zheng Daocai was stewing in anger when his eyes met Chen Zhao's.

"Brother Chen, what did Liu Chen just say? Where are you headed?"

"I just got here. What's going on?" Chen Zhao's face was innocent.

Zheng Daocai recounted his ordeal, bitterly saying:

"Luckily I had some resources and escaped alive—but after returning to the sect, people started spreading that I had Spirit-Avoiding Pills. I suspect someone's impersonating me. Brother Chen, could it be you?"

In the sect, everyone who knows him is a Registered Disciple; the only one who might possibly know an Alchemist is Chen Zhao.

But Chen Zhao's just a lowly laborer—where would he get Spirit-Avoiding Pills?

"If I could get an Alchemist to refine a Spirit-Avoiding Pill for me, would I still need to tend Ling Tian and earn a monthly wage of one Low-grade Spirit Stone?"

Chen Zhao shrugged and teased.

Immediately.

He shifted the topic:

"I happen to know a little about this matter. Could it be the work of a senior brother who once explored a predecessor's Cave Abode with you?"

The corner of Chen Zhao's mouth lifted slightly.

He was not afraid of the other party suspecting him.

He only worried that Liu Chen and the others would not find Zheng Daocai.

His strike last night had already "confirmed" that this person possessed a Spirit-Avoiding Pill—Zheng Daocai could not wash himself clean of it.

Now.

As long as he stalled for time and waited for Liu Su and the four others to find this place, everything would be fine.

"That is possible."

Zheng Daocai nodded and said:

"Still, I have to thank him. After last night, far fewer disciples have been chasing me."

He did not trust Chen Zhao, but since Chen Zhao was also lurking in the woods, he was presumably not in league with Liu Chen.

Moreover.

He was inside the sect and still had the Wind-Riding Art; a few people could not kill him.

As long as he spent a few more Spirit Stones to switch to a Cave Abode closer to the Discipline Hall, he would be perfectly safe.

Until then, he could only hide from trouble all over the place.

"Brother Chen, no more talk. When we meet again, it will be either at the Outer Disciple quarters or the Miscellaneous Affairs Room."

Zheng Daocai fished in his pocket,

stuffed a Low-grade Spirit Stone into Chen Zhao's hand,

"If those thieves from Liu Chen's side show up, help me stall a little longer."

Chen Zhao pocketed the Spirit Stone, grabbed Zheng Daocai, and asked in confusion:

"What's the rush? Why go to such lengths to come back?"

"Telling you won't hurt. I've bribed a Deacon Disciple to switch my Cave Abode for me in a day. I just came back to hide from the disaster. If things look bad, I still have one Earth Escape Talisman."

Zheng Daocai grinned broadly, speaking with full confidence:

"In their eyes, I have an Alchemist backing me. If they strike rashly again, they may draw that 'expert's' revenge. So before the lie is exposed, there's a ninety-percent chance I won't be in mortal danger."

"Thinking of this, I really want to thank that impersonator in person. Without him, Liu Chen would stop at nothing and kill me to put his mind at ease."

With that, he swaggered into his Cave Abode and began packing his belongings.

Seeing this, the corner of Chen Zhao's mouth lifted slightly.

At first he only meant to borrow a dead man's name to ward off disaster, but now a bad deed had turned into a good one.

This fellow even wanted to thank him!

He leaned sideways against the cave door, quietly blocking the entrance.

Everything was ready; he only waited for Liu Su and the four others.

Less than half an incense stick's time.

A patter of footsteps rose from outside the cave.

Zheng Daocai stiffened, but then smiled, shook his head, and kept packing his things.

I, "Zheng Daocai," have an Alchemist backing me—would anyone dare kill me in broad daylight?

At the same time, he also clutched an Earth Escape Talisman, ready for every contingency.

Suddenly.

The Talisman in his hand was snatched away by a powerful force!

Zheng Daocai turned his head in fright, only to see Su Wanyao smiling alluringly, radiating the pressure of Qi Refining Fifth Layer, with faint signs of a breakthrough!

And beside Su Wanyao.

Chen Zhao silently stepped back, making it clear he was drawing a line.

"I've been keeping watch for some time. Since everyone has arrived, I'll take my leave."

Su Wanyao gave him a deep look, then let out a tinkling laugh, enchantingly charming:

"Junior Brother Chen truly is one who knows when to bend with the times."