Chapter 69
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 69: Zhou Luo’s Sense of Crisis
In the alchemy room, Zhou Luo sat on a chair, casually brewing a cup of spirit tea to refresh his mind, quietly waiting for Lin Shi to bring his dinner.
But after the usual time, the other party still hadn’t appeared.
"That’s strange. Did something happen?" Zhou Luo set down the white jade teacup and murmured.
Bang bang bang—
Just then, the door was knocked upon.
The doubt between Zhou Luo’s brows instantly dissipated. He rose and opened the room.
However, to his surprise, the person who came was an unfamiliar face.
Holding out a meal box, the man said: "This is your dinner for today."
"Where’s Lin Shi?" Zhou Luo asked, scrutinizing the other.
"He has some matters to handle, so I’ll be delivering your meals these past few days," the other responded.
"Matters?" Zhou Luo voiced his confusion.
"Mm. Eat your food first. I’ll come back later to clear it away." The man nodded, offered a few more instructions, and then turned and left.
Zhou Luo had no choice but to take the meal box back into the room.
After he departed, a figure emerged from the shadows near a house opposite—it was Lin Xuanfeng.
His eyes were cold, his face half-illuminated and half in darkness, revealing a complex, elusive expression.
Inside the room, seated back in his chair, Zhou Luo stared at the fine meal box. He took out the sound transmission talisman Lin Shi had previously given him to stay in contact.
Infusing it with spiritual energy, the talisman emitted a faint glow, yet after quite some time, there was no response at all.
Could it be he was truly involved in some important task, too busy to receive his transmission?
Zhou Luo tried once more, but there was still no reaction.
He put the talisman away, a sense of unease welling up within him.
At this critical moment, it would be one thing if Lin Shi truly had been sent on an important mission.
What he dreaded was the possibility that their previous scheme—where he had impersonated Lin Shi for the poisoning—had been discovered, and Lin Shi was already imprisoned.
If that were the case, the trouble would be immense.
Because Lin Shi knew nothing about the plan; he would absolutely expose Zhou Luo.
And poisoning the clan was a grave crime. If truly uncovered, even with the Great Elder’s protection, the main family would most likely seize the excuse to execute him.
However, in his view, the probability of this scenario wasn’t very high.
Though his plan had flaws, the time gap between the poisoning and the onset of symptoms was so large, his actions had been so discreet, and with the Lu Family’s invasion happening simultaneously, the main family was highly unlikely to suspect this very member of the main family line.
In his eyes, it was perfectly logical for the clan to suspect the Lu Family of the poisoning.
What Zhou Luo remained unknown to was that precisely because of the Lu Family invasion, Lin Xuanfeng had fortuitously pinpointed the critical timing of his poisoning act and easily discerned Lin Shi was lying.
Currently, it remained unknown exactly how Zhou Luo had carried out the poisoning. Therefore, with his meticulous thoughts, to prevent Lin Shi from divulging the events of the daylight hours, Lin Xuanfeng had simply used an excuse to have him replaced.
Throughout the meal, Zhou Luo remained deep in thought, endlessly pondering the matter of Lin Shi.
Here, he had to be extremely cautious.
If not for wanting to take the initiative over information about the spiritual mine, he wouldn’t even have considered the poisoning plan.
Now that it was done, he could only hope the main family wouldn’t uncover all this.
A meal quietly ended amidst his wild thoughts, and for some unknown reason, Zhou Luo couldn’t calm his mind at all.
He felt like he was walking in darkness right now; that sense of the unknown, completely unaware of what the next step would bring, weighed heavily on his heart.
At that moment, only contacting Lin Shi could put his mind at ease.
So he tried using the sound transmission talisman once more, yet there was still no response.
Bang bang— Just then, the door was knocked on again.
Zhou Luo thought it was the person coming to clear the dishes, and he intended to seize this chance to inquire properly.
He hastily stood up and opened the door.
The next second, a tall black figure came into view.
Focusing his eyes, he saw it was a man in a black robe with a shadowy face, expressionless; his sharp eyes fixed on Zhou Luo, bringing immense pressure.
Zhou Luo instinctively stepped back.
"Don’t be nervous; I’m just here to ask you some things," Lin Xuanfeng said without any emotion in his voice.
"Who are you?" Zhou Luo had never seen this person before.
"Hall master of the Law Enforcement Hall; everyone usually calls me Elder Jiu," Lin Xuanfeng stated calmly.
Upon hearing "hall master of the Law Enforcement Hall," Zhou Luo’s mind buzzed, and he froze on the spot.
How could the hall master of the Law Enforcement Hall come personally?
Could his poisoning matter have been discovered, and the other side planned to capture him back to the family?
At that instant, Zhou Luo even thought of fleeing directly.
But the other party was truly Elder Jiu; could he really escape?
Countless thoughts flooded his mind, leaving Zhou Luo momentarily unsure what to do.
However, Lin Xuanfeng calmly sat on a chair, watching him quietly, and casually said, "Where were you yesterday afternoon when the Lu Family invaded?"
These words made Zhou Luo abruptly snap back to reality.
If it was just an inquiry, did that mean the main family hadn’t uncovered his poisoning matter?
He hurriedly steadied his mind, bowed his head, and said, "In reply, Elder Jiu, I was refining pills at the time."
"Who can vouch for you?" Lin Xuanfeng asked again.
"At that time, I never left the room; the patrolling guards should know," Zhou Luo responded firmly.
"Hmm," Lin Xuanfeng nodded; his sharp gaze rested on him and he suddenly added, "You seem rather tense."
Zhou Luo grew more respectful, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "I’m of low status; it’s my first time seeing a figure like Elder Jiu. I unavoidably feel a bit nervous."
"Don’t be uneasy; the family sent me to investigate this matter, so naturally I have to question everyone," Lin Xuanfeng said slowly.
"Yes, every word I said is true; please judge fairly, Elder Jiu," Zhou Luo replied.
Lin Xuanfeng didn’t speak further.
He had come to see this person who had avoided all detection and entered the kitchen for poisoning, to uncover what uniqueness he possessed.
Evidently, this man’s mental strength was pretty solid, but unfortunately, in the end, he was merely a pawn.
Then, he stood up directly and walked out the door, without uttering another word.
Once the other had departed, Zhou Luo heaved a sigh and felt intense relief.
Truly deserving of the hall master of the Law Enforcement Hall; though the other always acted normally, that pressure was undeniably real.
Especially those sharp eyes, which made Zhou Luo feel as if all his disguises had been seen through.
This was the first time he had experienced such a sensation since arriving at the family.
What Zhou Luo hadn’t expected was how seriously the family viewed this matter.
They even dispatched an elder-level big shot, and one who was the hall master of the Law Enforcement Hall at that.
They were determined to clarify the truth fully.
Could his poisoning matter really stay hidden?
Lin Xuanfeng’s presence made Zhou Luo sense a powerful crisis.
For a moment, he even regretted being so impulsive as to devise a plan like poisoning.
But it was inevitable; he was just an ordinary person, unable to cover everything.
He hadn’t anticipated the main family blocking his access to the second layer so firmly, nor that the poisoning matter would be taken so seriously by the family that an elder had been sent.
