Nighttime Intrusion into a Men's Residence

"Junior Brother Chen, that female cultivator is no ordinary person," Chu Liutang teased with a chuckle.

"We only had a brief conversation, but I already sensed that the female cultivator was extremely bloodthirsty, though she hid it very well. Junior brother, you must be extremely careful when you deal with her in the future."

"Yes, Senior Brother Chu, I will remember." Chen Lu bowed and respectfully agreed.

Tao'er didn't say what the two of them were talking about, so Chen Lu didn't want to ask any more questions to avoid adding to his troubles.

Chu Liutang did not want to stop there, and continued chatting:

"Junior Brother Chen, one must be extremely cautious about matters of the heart between men and women, and should not be hasty."

Now that you're a bit older, if you become obsessed with it, it will definitely affect your alchemy skills and betray your master's painstaking training.

Chen Lu frowned. He didn't like talking about his own affairs with others, but out of respect for his senior brother, he still agreed.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Chu. I am now focused on cultivation and have no romantic feelings for you."

Then, remembering the malice Chu Liutang had shown him before, he decided to speak out at this moment.

"Senior Brother Chu, you and Senior Brother Li have been with Master the longest and are the most trusted."

I'm still a beginner, and many things seem rushed. I'll need to rely on my two senior brothers a lot in the future.

Chu Liutang smiled and nodded in agreement, which immediately put everyone at ease.

"That's for sure, Junior Brother Chen. We'll be refining pills together for a long time to come, and there's always a chance."

"Then I won't disturb Senior Brother's alchemy any longer." Chen Lu bowed and turned to enter the alchemy room.

Chu Liutang's true thoughts were well hidden; he couldn't tell at all.

If I'm judging him by my own petty standards, and he didn't mean any harm, but just spoke that way, then what he just said can be considered a sincere apology. Anyone with a brain can tell.

If they truly harbored malicious intent, there was little he could do. After all, they were members of the powerful and influential Chu family of Chizhu Immortal City.

Not to mention himself, even the Wang family of Fenglinfang is no match for him. Killing him would be easy, but the consequences would be unbearable.

We'll see how Master Li reacts later, and then ask for instructions tomorrow to see what kind of guidance he might give.

It's best for fellow disciples to resolve their own issues. Involving the master not only makes one appear weak but also exacerbates the conflict.

"You can't find peace anywhere you go. Luckily, I have divination skills, so I can see through any of your little tricks."

Chen Lu calmed himself down and stepped into the alchemy room.

Master Li Dan was sitting cross-legged, flipping through a thick stack of ancient books.

"How's it going?"

"It's alright, it's just that the escort team accepted a job and asked me to review it."

If this trip goes smoothly, I should be able to earn a lot of spirit stones.

Li Danshi raised his head and looked at Chen Lu:

"The Chu family has done me a great favor, and I will never expel your second senior brother under any circumstances."

Your intention to maintain harmony with your senior brother is something I am very pleased about.

But you shouldn't back down either, otherwise he'll think you're weak and easy to bully.

Chen Lu was taken aback, not expecting Master Li to be so direct.

There was another hidden meaning in Li Danshi's words.

In other words, he couldn't interfere in their affairs; Chen Lu had to make the decision himself.

However, if anything were to happen, Master Li would intervene to prevent anything bad from occurring.

"Thank you for your kindness, Master. I will remember it."

Chen Lu bowed and continued to sit cross-legged, immersing himself in alchemy.

Of course, he had not forgotten about Chu Liutang.

"Disciple Chen Lu humbly beseeches the divine will to reveal how Chu Liutang will deal with me!"

[Information: Tomorrow at midnight, on the roof, on the north side, the fifth row from the left, under the third tile, a narcotic fog will be released.]

Chu Liutang infiltrated the mansion and planted a listening poison in you. There are no symptoms and no hidden dangers.

"Make our move tomorrow night?" Chen Lu was taken aback, not expecting Chu Liutang to be in such a hurry.

He thought he would only make a move when he came to study next time, but he didn't expect to make a move tomorrow night, which is the fourth night.

But upon closer reflection, things could get complicated. On the fifth night, his excuse to everyone was that he needed to return to the caravan, but in reality, he was going to spend the night with Miss Tao'er.

If the other party is prepared when they return next time, it will be too late to stop them.

Moreover, the way they acted was somewhat baffling. Normally, the first wave of crisis would fall on the caravan.

After all, with his qualifications and talent, he has a certain say in the family, and he can definitely influence the caravan.

However, Chu Liutang planted the Gu worms in order to eavesdrop.

He couldn't think of anything he could be eavesdropping on, but everything would become clear once he was caught.

"It's pouring from the roof, which is a bit troublesome. I'm only good at head-on combat."

I'm really not good at these kinds of stealth methods.

After thinking for a while, Chen Lu realized that the only thing he could use right now was the bottle of Concealing Qi Pill.

Then, an idea came to mind.

The following night, Chen Lu took a Concealing Qi Pill and left the house with minimal disturbance.

An hour later, Chu Liutang appeared behind Chen Lu's house, then suddenly leaped up and landed silently on the roof.

He carefully looked around, then squatted down and gently lifted the bricks and tiles.

He pulled a bottle of liquid from his pocket, held his breath, and with a flick of his wrist, poured it all out.

Suddenly, a light appeared behind them.

With a whoosh, it struck Chu Liutang's armor, producing a muffled thud.

Then, a pair of cold, hard hands gripped Chu Liutang's neck.

Chen Lu said in a low voice, somewhat helplessly:

"Senior Brother Chu, I only want to refine pills properly, I have no other intentions, why are you making things difficult for me?"

Chu Liutang chuckled and raised his hands:

"Master always judges people by their worst instincts, junior brother. I suppose Master was quite hostile towards you from the beginning?"

Chen Lu recalled for a while and found that it was indeed the case.

When he pointed out the error in the formula, his first reaction was to kill himself. Only after suppressing that thought did he ask if he had cheated.

But I'm in his study every day, where am I supposed to cheat?

If he truly knew the answer beforehand, why did he come here to learn alchemy? Why didn't he go to a place where he already knew the answer?

Seeing that Chen Lu was interested, Chu Liutang continued:

"I am indeed uncomfortable with the fact that you can directly refine pills."

But we're not children anymore. If I were to hold a grudge against you over something so trivial, I would have died of anger during my cultivation long ago.

Cultivation emphasizes having a clear and unobstructed mind. If you feel troubled, you must resolve it as soon as possible, otherwise it will be difficult to improve your cultivation.

Judging from Chu Liutang's current cultivation progress, he shouldn't be the kind of person who is petty.

"Senior Brother Chu, did you jump up here so late to admire the moon?"

Chen Lu suspected that Chu Liutang had planted some kind of eavesdropping Gu worm on him for no reason.

"Junior Brother Chen, could you please put me down first? Master is watching from below," Chu Liutang said awkwardly, raising his hands.

Chen Lu looked down and saw Li Danshi below. He was wearing a bathrobe, and there were still some traces of rouge on his cheeks that he hadn't wiped off.

He then let go, and the two jumped down together.

Li Danshi had a sullen face and looked very angry.

Chu Liutang lowered his head, not daring to utter a sound.

He cursed inwardly, realizing that his luck had been absolutely terrible.

I thought that my master had been working tirelessly for ten days straight, night after night, and after Chen Lu came, he still taught me diligently during the day. I thought my energy had long been exhausted.

Chen Lu was going to leave for the escort team in the morning, so he figured he would get a good night's sleep tonight, which is why he made his move tonight.

I never expected my master to be so unrestrained; he's going to play again tonight.