Chapter 68
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Chapter 68: The Great Elder’s Plan
Hearing Lin Xuanfeng’s explanation, Lin Hui felt a chill in his heart; this was something he hadn’t considered.
However, why were the people from the kitchen allowed to leave too?
Lin Hui, standing nearby, cautiously voiced the doubt in his heart: "But the people from the kitchen are major suspects. They shouldn’t be released, should they?"
He dared not provoke this ruthless Law Enforcement Hall Master.
"If it were them, would they have chosen yesterday to act?" Lin Xuanfeng’s eyes were cold as he countered.
The people in the kitchen had been carefully selected and had been at the spiritual mine for a long time.
If there really was someone planted by the Lu Family inside, they would surely have chosen to deal a fatal blow at the critical moment, not at some unimportant juncture like yesterday.
Lin Hui said no more.
With the kitchen staff gone, only seven or eight people remained in the hall now.
All were people who hadn’t gone to the front lines at the time; some were still delivering meals, while others had other urgent matters to attend to.
Lin Shi stood within the group, feeling uneasy inside.
Lin Tianfang’s gaze fell upon these few individuals, and he began interrogating them one by one.
Saying "interrogation" was perhaps too strong; it was really just asking them casually where they had been at the time and what they had been doing.
But his fame was too great, coupled with that sinister gaze, it made people shiver involuntarily.
Everyone told him the truth, with one exception: Lin Shi’s explanation differed slightly.
He stated that he had gone to collect the potion entrusted by the family.
"Why choose this particular time?" Lin Tianfang stood before him, his gaze icy.
"Lu Family incursions happen all the time. I thought this one was just a minor skirmish," Lin Shi said softly.
A wrong judgement would, at worst, earn him a rebuke from the family.
But if the family found out he had neglected his duty, not only would his wages be deducted, he’d also face family discipline.
Besides, since he believed he had nothing to do with the poisoning, he didn’t feel too much psychological pressure.
"You little rascal, couldn’t you have fetched the potion any other time? You asking to die out here?" Lin Hui stepped forward, whacked him on the head, and gave him a severe scolding.
"Uncle Hui, I was wrong," Lin Shi lowered his head.
A thoughtful look appeared on Lin Xuanfeng’s gloomy face. He suddenly asked, "Who was the Pill Master you were responsible for?"
"It was Zhou Luo," Lin Hui spoke up before Lin Shi could answer.
"Ah, so it’s him?" Lin Xuanfeng murmured to himself, his eyes gloomy.
He had heard the name Zhou Luo before and knew he was a man of the Great Elder.
"Understood. You may all go," Lin Xuanfeng waved dismissively.
The remaining few hurriedly departed.
In the blink of an eye, only Lin Hui and Lin Xuanfeng remained in the hall.
At this moment, Lin Xuanfeng suddenly said, "I was wrong."
Lin Hui said with great surprise, "Elder Jiu, what do you mean?"
"Perhaps the one who poisoned is not from the Lu Family," Lin Xuanfeng said astonishingly.
"How is that possible?" Lin Hui exclaimed in disbelief, his face incredulous.
However, Lin Xuanfeng ignored him, turned, and headed toward the second floor, eventually arriving at Lin Tianfang’s room.
"How is it?"
Inside the room, Lin Tianfang set down the ancient book in his hand and inquired.
"This matter was the Great Elder’s doing."
Closing the door, Lin Xuanfeng said with a serious expression.
Upon hearing these words, Lin Tianfang stood up abruptly, his voice trembling as he said, "Do you know what you are saying?"
Lin Xuanfeng took a deep breath and said, "Earlier, I was thinking why the poison administered by the other party only caused people to lose physical strength but posed no life-threatening danger and why it was targeted only at the second floor."
"Is it because those living on the second floor are all important figures of the family, and the Lu Family intended to paralyze the spiritual mine’s operation?" Lin Tianfang’s gaze darkened as he said this.
The residents of the second floor were all individuals who controlled powerful skills, such as formation masters, weapon refiners, etc., as well as the supervisors, all being core members of the main family.
Currently, with the people on the second floor collectively poisoned, the entire spiritual mine operation had indeed come to a halt.
"No, if that were truly the case, why wouldn’t they use a more potent poison?" Lin Xuanfeng shook his head and said.
"You mean the one who poisoned didn’t want to harm their lives."
Lin Tianfang’s pupils contracted, as if realizing why the other party had previously made that statement.
Lin Xuanfeng nodded, "If I haven’t guessed wrong, the poison should have been administered by that Zhou Luo. As for what method he used, it remains unknown to me for now."
"Zhou Luo?" Lin Tianfang sat back down on his chair, his voice slightly startled.
"He has ample reasons for poisoning," Lin Xuanfeng said coldly.
A flicker of comprehension flashed across Lin Tianfang’s aged face, "He wants to enter the second floor to uncover the secret there?"
In an instant, he suddenly thought why the other party was so insistent on entering the second floor to find the trigger: if everything was done by him, it was all groundwork for him to contact the Great Elder’s people.
"The Great Elder may have discovered clues, hence wanting to probe the secret," Lin Xuanfeng said.
As a core figure aligned with the main family, Lin Xuanfeng naturally knew what secret this spiritual mine still concealed.
Hearing this, a rare look of seriousness appeared on Lin Tianfang’s face.
The Great Elder’s choice to compromise and allow Zhou Luo into the spiritual mine this time was actually part of such a scheme.
Furthermore, Lin Tianfang knew Zhou Luo would enter the Qinyuan Sect in a month and would surely leave the spiritual mine then; if he truly uncovered that secret, he could take it away.
At this thought, a layer of murderous intent surfaced in Lin Tianfang’s eyes.
He absolutely must not be permitted to enter the second floor and learn that secret.
"I will send someone to bring him here," Lin Tianfang said.
"No, we still cannot arouse suspicion now," yet Lin Xuanfeng stopped him.
With a cold gleam in his eyes, he said, "Since this is the Great Elder’s scheme, if we act like that, it will only convince them that the spiritual mine truly has a secret. Then, the pressure we face won’t be limited to Zhou Luo alone."
Killing Zhou Luo would confirm the spiritual mine’s secret.
Presently, the Great Elder’s faction was at its peak; he could easily seize the issue to forcefully investigate the spiritual mine.
Thus, they could only prevent him, not kill Zhou Luo.
Lin Tianfang abruptly felt this affair was somewhat troublesome.
He said coldly, "If everything was indeed the Great Elder’s plan, then Zhou Luo definitely has the antidote. To restore the spiritual mine’s operation, we cannot stop him."
"Indeed, and we are unaware of what else the Great Elder has prepared."
Even Lin Xuanfeng had to admit that the Great Elder’s methods were indeed masterful.
The two prominent family figures sat there, each sunk deep in thought.
After a long while, Lin Tianfang decisively declared, "If he knows that secret, he must die! If he doesn’t know, we can still deliberate at length."
"Tomorrow I will go with him to the second floor," Lin Xuanfeng pondered and said.
…
Until nightfall, the four of them collectively refined over eighty antidotes.
The three Pill Masters sat in chairs looking utterly drained, while Zhou Luo remained full of vigor.
"Youth is fine."
An elderly man gazed at Zhou Luo, who was vibrant and energetic, and sighed involuntarily.
"Hmm, let’s go, we still have a busy night ahead," another one said.
"You seniors have worked hard," Zhou Luo said, cupping his hands.
The three of them departed and headed to the pavilion down the mountain to eat.
