’...Fortunately, I’m proficient in the Qi Concealing Skill, and I was a good distance away. Plus, I was holding two Middle Grade Talismans and one Upper Grade Blast Flame Talisman. The aura they gave off when activated was overwhelming, so the thief couldn’t discern my true strength. Since he clearly valued his life, he was scared off immediately.’

He then carefully thought it through, finding that the basic logic of his story was sound, though the details still needed some work.

But instead of adding details, it was better to erase them.

After a chaotic explosion of Magical Power, everything would be concealed.

"Not bad."

Lin Changheng lowered his hands, a satisfied smile on his face. Just then, a low, alluring moan, as sorrowful as a lament, reached his ears. He instantly slapped his forehead.

’How did I forget about her?’

He immediately turned and hurried over, only to see the Female Cultivator lying on a bed of dead leaves, her body twisting gently, like a beautiful serpent.

"Mmmph..."

The veiled hat covering her face had fallen off at some point, revealing a face that was pale but undeniably beautiful. The faint white light that had once obscured her features had also dissipated.

Her true face was exposed.

’It’s her!’

It was none other than the heiress of the Xu Family, Xu Hanji.

Connecting this to the auction of the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, Lin Changheng had his suspicions, but he could never confirm them. After all, what pampered heir of a prominent family would be out doing such dangerous things?

They usually just stayed at home, spoon-fed pills and draped in fine robes.

The only exception would be if Patriarch Xu was deliberately grooming his daughter as his successor and she needed to earn merits or be tempered by trials.

...

Her delicate brows, shaped like distant peaks, were tightly knitted. An unnatural flush colored her cheeks, and her breathing was rapid and shallow. Clearly, the crimson mist’s side effects were extremely potent; she had yet to regain her senses and was still lost in a mire of illusion and desire.

’So aggressive!’

Lin Changheng knelt and immediately felt her feverish breath on his skin. As he reached out to check her condition, he mused, ’It’s not technically a poison, so I wonder if my Poison Transformation Demon Technique will have any effect.’

The moment he touched her,

Xu Hanji’s pale, soft hands unconsciously wound around his arm as if grasping a lifeline.

She clutched his sleeve with all her might, her fingertips trembling as she mumbled incoherently.

Her body leaned toward him uncontrollably, as if instinctively seeking a pillar of support. Her forehead came to rest against his arm, her scorching breath seeping through the fabric of his clothes.

Lin Changheng froze. He was no saint. He quickly steadied her by the shoulders and said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Xu, wake up!"

His quiet call seemed to stir a sliver of reason within Xu Hanji. Her beautiful, crimson-flushed eyes glanced at the man before her. "Mr. Lin..."

Eh?

Lin Changheng was startled that she knew his identity, but then it dawned on him. Since she was Xu Hanji, the caravan’s Steward would certainly not have kept his identity from her; he had most likely told her everything.

’So, all this effort at concealment was for nothing...’

Just as Lin Changheng’s mind wandered, the clarity in the Female Cultivator’s eyes was once again consumed by madness. The next moment, a body as soft as if it were boneless pressed against him without warning.

Lin Changheng was startled as she threw her arms around him, clinging to his frame like an octopus, yet he felt no weight at all.

She was as light as a swallow.

Lin Changheng instinctively started to gather his Magical Power to push her away, but Xu Hanji’s beautiful face was already drawing impossibly close. Then, her lips descended upon his like a tempest, and the little bit of Magical Power he’d mustered inexplicably dissipated.

But Lin Changheng’s hesitation was met not with reprieve, but with escalating fervor as she began to tear at his robes.

At the same time, a nimble tongue began its own bold exploration, plundering at will.

Though Xu Hanji was completely inexperienced, she acted purely on instinct.

Lin Changheng had never pretended to be a perfect gentleman and had no intention of refusing such a blessing. But he knew this was not the right time or place for what was happening.

He immediately grabbed Xu Hanji’s delicate wrist, enduring the Female Cultivator’s aggressive ravages as he drove his Poison Transformation Demon Technique into her system.

’It’s working!’

Lin Changheng was surprised to discover that when the surging crimson mist within Xu Hanji’s body encountered the Clear Spirit Qi produced by his Poison Transformation Demon Technique, it stopped spreading. Instead, it obediently froze in place, allowing itself to be completely enveloped.

At the same time, Xu Hanji also seemed to calm down. Though she was still clinging to Lin Changheng, she lacked her previous aggressive frenzy.

Time passed slowly, and more than half of the crimson mist within Xu Hanji’s body had already vanished.

Her complexion gradually returned to normal, and her body quietly detached from Lin Changheng. With her eyes closed, she fell into a deep sleep, once again becoming as tranquil and aloof as when he had first seen her.

As Lin Changheng watched, a flicker of something unreadable passed through his eyes. It was hard to say whether he was celebrating the effectiveness of his Poison Transformation Demon Technique, or lamenting something lost.

After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Lin Changheng let out a soft breath and released her wrist.

The crimson mist within her body had been entirely swept away.

As the Clear Spirit Qi withdrew, the mist followed it back into Lin Changheng’s own body.

But in the next moment, the Magical Power inside him began to stir restlessly, as if this substance were some great restorative tonic, ripe for refining.

He then discovered that he was experiencing none of the side effects that had afflicted Xu Hanji.

’Is a body tempered by the Poison Transformation Demon Technique really this resilient?’

Lin Changheng raised an eyebrow with a smirk. Seeing that Xu Hanji was stable, he executed a small Technique to erase the lingering traces of their kiss from the Female Cultivator’s face. Then, he sat down on the spot and began to meditate, attempting to refine the crimson mist.

Besides, his task was complete. There was no need to return to the Magical Combat.

As for whether her Storage Bag actually contained the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, Lin Changheng was curious, but he ultimately chose not to touch it.

There were only two courses of action:

First, he could take the Storage Bag under the guise of Chen Guqing having done it, hide it somewhere, and come back for it later.

However, he couldn’t be sure if it had a tracking mark on it, which could lead to its recovery and, worse, draw suspicion upon himself. He would lose the peaceful environment he needed to cultivate and grow stronger.

Furthermore, if this Storage Bag were lost, the Xu Family would undoubtedly turn the area upside down, investigating meticulously and repeatedly. They wouldn’t let the matter go easily.

Under that kind of scrutiny, Lin Changheng wasn’t entirely confident that his cover-up was completely flawless.

The second option was to kill the Female Cultivator, destroy the Magical Power Mark on her Storage Bag, and flee, living the life of a fugitive...

Not only did Lin Changheng have no deep-seated hatred for the Xu Family—in fact, he owed them a debt of gratitude—but he also lived by his own code of conduct. He couldn’t bring himself to do something so ruthless.

...

「About a quarter of an hour later.」

The sound of something slicing through the air at high speed came from the distance.

’They’re here.’

Although Lin Changheng was meditating to refine the crimson mist, he had kept a part of his awareness focused on his surroundings.

In the Outer World, he would never allow himself to become completely absorbed in Cultivation, forgetting everything else.

"Alchemist Lin is up ahead!"

The voice of the caravan’s Steward, Xu Xulin, carried on the wind. "He looks alright!"

Anyone could hear the note of joyful surprise in his tone.

Behind him were two Late Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators, arriving together on a Dharma Ship.

They were none other than Patriarch Xu Xuhe and Fugui’s father-in-law, Xu Qianzhan, both looking extremely anxious.

No one responded to Xu Xulin. The Dharma Ship simply whistled as it arrived. After the three men leaped down from mid-air, the unmanned vessel instantly shrank into a speck of light and flew into Patriarch Xu’s sleeve.

"Ji’Er!"