“I still have faith in the people I chose,” Feng Yuxin said calmly. “Even if they turn out to have brilliant futures, they won’t stoop to deal with the kind of people on the Elder Council. Those two are clear-headed—no fools there.”
“I just worry they’ll refuse and, not knowing how to do it politely, end up angering the Elders,” she added.
“That’s true.” Xiao Jin clicked his tongue. “Those old men on the Council are petty. One careless word and they’ll hold a grudge for life.”
A bright gleam suddenly lit up Xiao Jin’s face. “Master, if you think about it—my lord is in the Central Domain and surely knows everything about the Alchemy Guild. Why would he send you unless he wanted you to take the Guild into your hands?”
Feng Yuxin raised an eyebrow and glanced at Xiao Jin, still sitting nearby. “Usually it’s you—Xiao Ying—who thinks. I’d assumed your brain had rusted over. Didn’t expect you to have a lightbulb moment today.”
“You mean I’m right?” Xiao Jin practically buzzed with excitement. “I always thought thinking was too much effort when Xiao Ying was around to do it for me. But hey—using your head feels pretty good. I never imagined my lord had plans that bold.”
Feng Yuxin smiled without answering. She, too, had heard Mo Xuanye instructing her to come to the Alchemy Guild, but she hadn’t understood the full purpose until she had investigated the guild’s situation herself. It was one of those things you only realize after seeing the whole board. She wouldn’t say that aloud—she had work to do.
“My lord really is formidable,” Xiao Jin gushed. “But…he’s building the Dark Night Pavilion in Wasteland City. He can’t possibly stay at the Guild for long.”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Feng Yuxin replied. “Or you can use your newly awakened intelligence and try to guess what I’m planning.”
Xiao Jin fell silent, briefly affronted that his usual indolence had been noticed.
Elsewhere, Ke Ruxia and Sun Jian had just passed the Elder Council’s fifth-rank alchemist examination. They were heading to the herb repository to collect the materials allotted to their rank when Lin Sixue appeared, cutting off their path.
“Sun Jian, Ke Ruxia, wait a moment,” she called. Her face was carefully neutral, but there was a flicker of impatience in her eyes.
“What is it?” Ke Ruxia said coolly. He bore no fondness for Lin Sixue—if not for his luck and Elder Feng’s timely intervention, his facial injuries might never have healed.
Sun Jian’s gaze was equally flat. “If you have something to say, speak quickly. We have other matters to attend to.”
“It’s just a trivial thing—going to the herb depot to collect materials,” Lin Sixue replied with a thin smile. “If you agree to one request, I can give you a herb combination the depot doesn’t stock.”
Ke Ruxia narrowed his eyes. “What request?”
“Cut ties with Feng Yuxin,” Lin said plainly. “From now on, no contact. No alliances. If you continue associating with her, you won’t get what I can offer.”
Sun Jian’s response was instantaneous and fierce: “Impossible.”
The words left his mouth before Ke Ruxia could. It was treachery, plain and simple—after everything Feng Yuxin had done for them, he would not betray her for a bribe. Even if she hadn’t helped them, he would never bind himself to someone as hypocritical as Lin Sixue.
The offer Lin made, however, turned heads. “I can give you Nine-Spirit Herb—fifty-year strain.” Her voice carried the weight of the promise like a coin flashing in sunlight.
Nine-Spirit Herb was rare; a fifty-year specimen was extravagantly valuable. Those nearby who heard the offer murmured in astonishment, but Ke Ruxia and Sun Jian—both clever—saw the situation clearly. The Council had been quietly buying off guild alchemists to prevent anyone from joining forces with Elder Feng. Now that Ke and Sun had officially advanced, the Council wanted to cut off any possibility of them teaming up with Feng’s party.
Ke Ruxia’s first instinct was to refuse, but Sun Jian surprised him by softening. “Can you give us some time to think it over?”
Ke Ruxia stared at him in disbelief. “You’d betray Elder Feng?”
Sun Jian said nothing. Lin Sixue’s lips curved into satisfaction as she looked at him. “You should learn from him, Ke Ruxia. A sensible man seizes the moment.”
Ke’s eyes flashed with fury. He turned away and strode off; Sun Jian followed, keeping a measured distance. They collected their herb allowance at the depot, then returned to their courtyard.
Xiao Jin relayed everything to Feng Yuxin as the two of them watched from the courtyard wall. “Master, did Sun Jian get tempted by Lin Sixue’s offer?” he asked, puzzled.
“No,” Feng Yuxin answered firmly.
“But he asked for time to consider. If he was steadfast, he’d have refused on the spot, right?” Xiao Jin pressed.
“If you want the answer, keep watching,” Feng Yuxin said. “Don’t let them out of your sight.”
Xiao Jin fell silent again, though he kept his spirit sense active. He watched the two alchemists enter their yard and speak with Xia Hao, accept today’s exchanged tasks, then disperse.
Once the gate was closed, Ke Ruxia’s anger drained from his face. He turned to Sun Jian. “Do you really think Lin Sixue will believe you’re only asking for time?”
“I don’t know,” Sun Jian admitted honestly. “But buying time is better than a blunt refusal. Elder Feng never told us who the other two people would be. What if they’re alchemists in the Guild who’d be inconvenient to reveal? If we announce we’ll participate and Lin’s people mess things up, we’d be ruining Elder Feng’s plan.”
Ke Ruxia considered that and nodded. “At least we didn’t refuse outright. We kept things open.” He frowned. “But who did Elder Feng have in mind for the other two? Who in the Guild would be suitable?”
“There are plenty of fifth-rank alchemists,” Sun Jian mused. “But most are chummy with the Elder Council. The rest lack the right temperament—or simply aren’t trustworthy. I can’t think of who Elder Feng would pick.”
Ke Ruxia chewed his lip. If not from within the Guild, could the others be outsiders?
His eyes brightened. “Do you think Elder Feng might have chosen people from beyond the Guild?”
Sun Jian blinked. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“So you think that’s possible, too?” Ke Ruxia asked.
“Yes,” Sun Jian said slowly. “It’s as good a direction as any. Outsiders wouldn’t be compromised by the Council’s bribes. They’d be reliable.” He fell silent, the wheels in his head already turning through possibilities.
They had bought themselves time, but with every breath the situation grew more complicated. Outside the quiet of the courtyard, the Elder Council watched and plotted. Inside, Feng Yuxin planned without revealing her hand. And somewhere between the two, choices would have to be made—careful ones, because small words here could become grudges there.