NOVEL WEB Chapter 331: Lurking
Chapter 331: Lurking
In order to gather more information, Xu Lian continued to interrogate Qin Feng, asking him about the power struggle among the five princes of the Qian Dynasty who were vying for the position of Crown Prince.
This made Qin Feng even more uneasy. He began to suspect that this Origin Tracing Realm expert might have been sent by either the First Prince, the Third Prince, or the Seventh Prince. However, with no other choice but to answer truthfully, Qin Feng reasoned that whether he spoke one sentence or a hundred, there was no turning back now-his survival depended on it.
After listening carefully, Xu Lian had a clearer understanding. The competition for the throne involved the first, third, fifth, and seventh princes, while the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth princesses were all legitimate children of the Empress. It seemed that the Empress was exceptionally fertile, giving birth to sons on odd-numbered births and daughters on even-numbered births. Of course, the Emperor’s contributions were not insignificant either.
Finally, Xu Lian asked Qin Feng for his alchemy techniques and various formulas. Feeling utterly drained, Qin Feng realized that this top-tier Origin Tracing expert would stop at nothing until he had squeezed every last drop of knowledge out of him. In order to save his life, Qin Feng recited all of his alchemical techniques and formulas aloud.
However, Qin Feng wasn’t too worried about this. Even if someone knew the techniques and formulas, mastering them was impossible without two or three thousand years of practice and study. What he didn’t know was… Xu Lian could directly absorb and internalize these skills. In doing so, Xu Lian instantly became an alchemist on par with Qin Feng – perhaps even surpassing him, since absorption bypassed the need for proficiency and granted instant mastery.
Of course, in this world, alchemical skills and formulas weren’t as important as rare medicinal herbs. Without those, even the highest level of alchemical expertise was useless. For example, the preparation of Metamorphosis Elixir required tens of thousands of rare herbs. No single alchemist could gather them all; only top-tier powers possessed such resources.
Xu Lian continued to squeeze every bit of value out of Qin Feng, asking detailed questions-even inquiring about who Qin Feng’s wet nurse was when he was young and the identity of his personal maid. At dawn, after being interrogated throughout the night, Qin Feng, completely despondent, was bound with spider silk threads by Cai Yi and pushed into the darkest corner of a narrow cave. His cultivation and senses were sealed by Xu Lian, leaving him no chance to escape.
Xu Lian hesitated slightly, “Are we being too cruel?”
Cai Yi sneered, “Master, don’t let your heart get soft. When he extracted the venom from our kin, he showed no mercy.”
“How did he extract the venom exactly?” Xu Lian pressed for details.
…
Xu Lian changed into Qin Feng’s clothes and activated the Divine Bone of the Supreme Divine Race. With a thought, he transformed himself into an exact replica of Qin Feng – down to his appearance, physique, cultivation aura, and every other characteristic.
Cai Yi marveled, “Master, your transformation technique is truly extraordinary! Not only do your face and body match perfectly, your cultivation energy and subtle characteristics are also identical. There’s not a single flaw to be found.”
Of course, this was expected. After all, it was the skull of the Supreme Divine Race – a relic that even Quasi-Supreme experts couldn’t see through. Xu Lian then pointed his finger, transforming Cai Yi into a medicine attendant.
“Let’s go. It’s time for me to inspect the medicinal fields,” Xu Lian said.
He didn’t dare to leave Cai Yi behind. After all, she had been subdued through force and held no loyalty to him. If she escaped through the spatial channel while he was away, all his plans would fall apart.
When they arrived at the medicinal fields, it was still dark, and the gardeners responsible for cultivating the herbs hadn’t arrived yet. Pretending to follow Qin Feng’s habits, Xu Lian pretended to inspect the growth of the medicinal plants.
Cai Yi whispered, “Master, there’s no one here right now. Why not take the opportunity to harvest some herbs? These are all rare ingredients needed for the Metamorphosis Elixir.”
Xu Lian glared at her. “As soon as the gardeners arrive, if they notice any herbs are missing, they’ll panic. I can’t risk ruining everything for a small profit. Keep quiet and act like a proper medicine attendant.”
If crafting the Metamorphosis Elixir only required dozens or hundreds of herbs, he would certainly have taken everything he could carry and fled. However, the elixir required tens of thousands of rare herbs. Even if he took all the herbs in this field, it still wouldn’t be enough to craft the elixir. Thus, taking them would serve little purpose.
After inspecting fifty-six plots, the sky had completely cleared, and the gardeners began to arrive one by one. Each one bowed deeply as they passed.
“Hail, Lord Grand Tutor.”
“Hail Lord Grand Tutor.”
It was clear that Qin Feng usually ruled the gardeners with an iron fist, instilling great fear in them. This worked in Xu Lian’s favor – he could simply ignore them, minimizing conversation to reduce the chances of exposing any flaws.
For the rest of the day, Xu Lian pretended to inspect the herbs carefully. “This one looks good… that one looks good…” He maintained Qin Feng’s image of a hardworking individual.
Occasionally, when he spotted a lazy gardener, he would sternly reprimand and scold them. Under his strict supervision, the gardeners worked with trembling hands.
The entire day passed in the medicinal fields. To say that Xu Lian was bored would be an understatement. He couldn’t stand it anymore and genuinely admired Qin Feng for enduring such monotony day after day. In a way, alchemists faced even greater challenges than cultivators.
Eventually, night fell. But Xu Lian still couldn’t leave. He continued to pretend to inspect the herbs because Qin Feng always arrived early and left late. It was only when the gardeners finished their work and returned home, nearing midnight, that Xu Lian finally left the fields and returned to Qin Feng’s residence.
Upon returning to the small courtyard where Qin Feng lived, Xu Lian noticed the candlelight flickering inside and smelled the aroma of wine and food wafting through the air. This startled him for a moment. After sensing carefully, he discovered a beautiful middle-aged woman inside – Second Senior Sister Ning Meixue.
Hearing the movement, Ning Meixue smiled and greeted him warmly as she stepped out. “Junior brother, you’re back.”
Xu Lian didn’t know what to say. Although he had gathered much information from Qin Feng, he still hadn’t absorbed his memories. It was impossible for him to mimic Qin Feng’s behavior perfectly. To avoid saying too much and revealing any inconsistencies, he simply grunted, “Mm.”
After ushering him inside, Ning Meixue naturally reached out to remove his outer robe. Xu Lian was confused. Judging by her casual demeanor, this intimate gesture clearly wasn’t unusual between them. Unable to protest, he silently raised his arms, allowing her to take off his robe.
Ning Meixue led him to the dining table and handed him a warm towel. Xu Lian accepted it and quietly wiped his face, unsure of what was happening.
Glancing at Cai Yi standing nearby, Ning Meixue asked, “Who is this medicine attendant? I’ve never seen her before.”
Xu Lian casually replied, “I leave early and return late every day. For convenience, I have hired a medicine attendant to take care of my daily needs.”
Ning Meixue chuckled, “I’ve told Junior Brother countless times to hire servants, but he stubbornly refused. Has he finally come to his senses?”
She waved her hand, signaling for Cai Yi to leave. Xu Lian gave Cai Yi a meaningful look, warning her not to wander too far. Understanding, Cai Yi retreated to the side rooms to rest.
Ning Meixue poured a cup of wine for Xu Lian and sighed, “Junior Brother works so hard every day. Why do you push yourself so hard?”
Fortunately, Xu Lian had questioned Qin Feng the night before and knew the reason. “My talent is dull compared to Elder Brother and Second Senior Sister. Hard work makes up for lack of ability. I need to make extra efforts.”
Thus, Xu Lian navigated the delicate situation, maintaining his disguise while uncovering secrets and preparing for his next move.