I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 291 - 289: Bait

When the morning sun rose, Li Xing returned to the Chu Family. As she turned around the corridor, a gray figure suddenly appeared before her.

"Elder Chu, sorry to trouble you."

Chu Hui bowed slightly and said respectfully, "It’s my duty, I dare not take credit."

Li Xing glanced at the window in the middle of the second floor across from her, which was Chu Yunyi’s living quarters.

"Any unusual movements?"

Chu Hui shook his head, "There’s no sign that the Indefinite Silk has been triggered."

Li Xing nodded slightly, "That’s good, Elder Chu, you should go back. Leaving the tower without permission, if Elder Ji finds out, there might be some complaints."

"No worries, I lost an eye for the Heaven-Reaching Tower, Elder Ji will give me some face. If you need me in the future, just let me know!"

"I won’t be leaving for a while. I’ll protect my brother’s safety, Elder. Just complete the task I entrusted you with before."

Chu Hui agreed and turned to leave, but after a few steps, he turned around again, his white eyes looking at Li Xing with sorrow.

"Elder, is there something else?"

"Yun Yi... really can’t be saved?"

Li Xing looked regretful and shook her head, "I am powerless."

Inside the room on the second floor, Chu Yunyi sat by the window watching Chu Hui’s departing figure, with an expression neither sad nor happy. Soon, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Li Xing entered the room and saw that there was a wine glass in front of Chu Yunyi, with a little wine left in it, which surprised her.

"Brother, you’re in good spirits, drinking so early?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Chu Yunyi looked a little embarrassed and quickly removed the wine glass, a breeze blowing away the remaining wine scent.

"I didn’t sleep well last night, had a little sip to help sleep, didn’t have time to clean up."

Li Xing used her Divine Sense to scan the bedroom inside and found the sheets were so neat there wasn’t even a wrinkle, she instantly understood. It wasn’t that he didn’t have time to tidy up; he clearly sat up all night.

Taking out some coffee from the cabinet, Li Xing familiarly brewed a cup for Chu Yunyi. The rich aroma of the hot drink added a bit of warmth to the chilly morning.

"Brother, drinking will only make your head hurt more. Coffee suits you better."

Chu Yunyi smiled, picked up the coffee, and took a sip, adding a hint of color to his pale lips.

Li Xing looked down at the corridor below, where she had talked with Chu Hui just now. "So, brother, you already know I asked Uncle Ninth to protect you secretly?"

Chu Yunyi nodded, "Uncle Ninth’s Indefinite Silk is similar to the Easing Array in the Heaven-Reaching Tower; it attacks anyone with malicious intent who approaches. You asked him to encircle this small building of mine, are you afraid Mingzhen will sneak attack?"

"Mingzhen’s Concealing Technique is top-notch, even you can’t easily catch his movements. You’re his favorite target now; I can’t leave home rest assured without ensuring your safety."

Chu Yunyi lowered his gaze, his violet eyes looking into the rising mist of the cup, speaking slowly, "Using the Indefinite Silk once expends a lot of spiritual power. Even for someone as strong as Uncle Ninth, it’s not feasible for long-term use, and I can’t keep hiding indefinitely."

Li Xing shrugged, "I only asked him for urgent help. With me here, you don’t need the Indefinite Silk. I’ll be your bodyguard."

"Are you planning to follow me around all the time? I can manage it, but can you? Being on alert 24/7, how long can you endure?"

Chu Yunyi’s violet eyes glowed, disapprovingly shaking his head, "Yun You, a thousand days of vigilance is not a good plan."

Chu Yunyi was right. They were out in the open, while the other party hid in the shadows, already at a disadvantage. Always being tense and wary of an attack could exhaust Li Xing before Mingzhen even had to lift a finger.

Li Xing’s eyes darkened, pondering for a long time before slowly speaking, "If we don’t want to be vigilant for a thousand days, then we have to lure the snake out of its hole."

Chu Yunyi eagerly asked, "How do we lure it out?"

Li Xing looked at him, her thoughts unknowingly drifting away. She recalled his delicate smile under the Moon Shadow Tree and wondered if she’d get the chance to see it again.

Li Xing closed her eyes for a moment, shaking off the cluttered thoughts, and spoke firmly, "By using you as bait."

Chu Yunyi’s face went pale for a moment, then nonchalantly nodded, "I understand. How do you intend to do it?"

Li Xing: "After returning to the Chu Family, I’ve hosted many events, aiming to identify anyone who could potentially be Mingzhen. But after so many days, I’ve met all the noble families, and yet, I didn’t sense a familiar aura from anyone."

"I believe there are two possibilities: either Mingzhen’s disguise is flawless, undetectable even by my Divine Sense, or he didn’t attend any of the events."

Chu Yunyi listened quietly, his focused and earnest gaze never leaving Li Xing.

Li Xing: "Mingzhen needs to change his body from time to time. This may serve his purposes in infiltrating the Qianyuan people, but I think primarily, it’s because his human guise develops issues after a while, forcing him to switch."

Chu Yunyi nodded, "Makes sense."

"According to Xue Han, Mingzhen has been waiting for the opportunity to inhabit you. This suggests he’s used his current body for at least twenty years. I don’t know the lifespan of a single disguise, but even if not decaying, it should have some unusual traits detectable by my current spiritual power strength."

Chu Yunyi’s violet eyes narrowed as he murmurously said, "He didn’t come."

"Yes, I think so too." Li Xing tapped her light brain, sending a brief list to Chu Yunyi.

"I asked Housekeeper Lu to compare the invitation list from the Chu Family with the actual attendees, and found sixteen people who repeatedly received invites but never attended any events."

"I’ve investigated their backgrounds; they have good relations with the Chu Family and frequent business interactions. Even if they have no direct ties to me, they would come out of respect for the Chu Family. It’s understandable to have events clash once, but constant excuses are suspicious."

"So I deduced that Mingzhen’s current identity must be among these sixteen people."

Chu Yunyi’s gaze lingered on the list, the glow from the light brain screen illuminating his violet eyes, making them appear even more bewitching:

"If they don’t come to us, we’ll go to them. Tomorrow, I’ll accompany you to visit each of them, to see if they’re human or ghost."

Li Xing clenched her fists secretly and spoke, "Brother, we definitely have to go, but you can’t appear before Mingzhen in your current state; it would be useless."

"We’re eager to unmask Mingzhen, but his strategy is the opposite. The longer he stays hidden, the better for him. He can plot against us from the shadows, hoping to exhaust our resources, making it easier for him when the time comes."

"If we launch a proactive attack, it’s fine if we discover his anomalies. But if we find nothing and alert him, we’ll never lure him out again."

"Moreover, Mingzhen’s residence is no different from a Den of Three-Eyed Bugs. Visiting might be too dangerous; it’s better if we stage a chance encounter."

Chu Yunyi: "How should I cooperate with you?"

"I want you to become a shining Spirit-Cultivating Pill!"