Chapter 150 – Plan B?

  Luo Feng paced his residence; his impatience at the wait for the results of his plan made it difficult for him to focus on anything else. Still, there was an eager smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he saw that the sun had finally risen.

  ‘A day should be more than enough time for Jun De to begin his attempt to refine Han Lian’s pill.’ Luo Feng thought to himself.

  The Onyx Exchange Slate rested on a table beside him, and he caressed its surface softly as he waited for enough time to pass so that it seemed as though he just happened to be passing by Han Lian’s residence.

  When mid-morning finally arrived, Luo Feng’s pacing stopped.

  “Jun De should have started his refinement, and if the formula I gave Sister Han is as finicky as Senior Brother Qiu said, he should be writhing in pain at this very moment! Better yet, if the Yang energy in that herb is potent enough, Jun De may be raging through the Sect at this very moment!”

  Luo Feng chuckled to himself.

  “Poor Jun De, it’s your misfortune for standing in my way.”

  He waited for a bit more, but no word came to him of Jun De’s misfortune. His self-assurance began to falter, and Luo Feng resumed his pacing. Someone should have come with news that a talented Disciple of the Tranquil Mountain Sect was in the infirmary, or had been found crippled in his residence.

  But the Sect remained calm.

  Frustrated, Luo Feng left his residence and walked the paths of the Ironvein Quarry Sect, searching for news regarding Jun De. But nothing was out of the ordinary.

  Another hour passed, and Luo Feng’s patience cracked.

  “This is impossible. Even if the pill didn’t kill him outright, Jun De should have at least suffered in some way during the pill refinement. Unless….” Luo Feng’s eyes narrowed.

  “Unless someone has interfered with my plan!”

  Luo Feng’s hands tightened into fists as his thoughts whirled.

  “Did Sister Han give him the wrong ingredients, or possibly backed out at the last moment?” Luo Feng muttered to himself.

  ‘Worse, did someone else notice what I tried to do?’

  Luo Feng snatched up the Onyx Exchange Slate, glaring at it as though the artifact itself were to blame for his failure, before slipping it back into his storage ring and striding out of his residence once again.

  The Ironvein Quarry Sect was bright with activity as Disciples walked its pathways, transporting ores or coming up from the mines. They were trading items between themselves using makeshift stalls lining some of the paths, or chatting to one another about mundane Sect gossip.

  Luo Feng ignored them all as he rushed his way to Han Lian’s residence, which was just a short walk from his own. Just as it had been earlier, there wasn’t a single mention of Jun De apart from the standard conversations about Jun De’s looks, talent, and temperament.

  Each time he heard about Jun De, Luo Feng’s expression would worsen, and his anger rose until he was practically stomping his way down the stone road.

  When Luo Feng arrived at his destination, he found Han Lian sitting inside her residence as though she were waiting for him. She looked tired, but radiant. Her aura was steadier and denser than before, with small fluctuations in Qi that signified a recent breakthrough.

  She looked up at Luo Feng when he entered and smiled widely. The wards had alerted her to his presence, and she wasn’t surprised to see him at all.

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  Luo Feng stopped short in surprise at her visible breakthrough, but he hid it well by bowing politely.

  “Senior Sister Han!” Luo Feng greeted her smoothly, clasping his hands together.

  “I was concerned for you after our last conversation, and I thought that I would check on your progress. I trust everything went well?” Luo Feng asked.

  His words may have been polite and pleasant, but his eyes searched around him for any sign of Jun De or a hint that something may have happened with his pill refinement.

  ‘Of course, there wouldn’t be anything here, fool! He would have refined his pills in his own residence.’ Luo Feng scolded himself as he forced his eyes back on Han Lian.

  Han Lian, completely unaware of the storm brewing behind Luo Feng’s polite expression, gestured for him to come join her at the table.

  “Everything went perfectly! Brother Jun De refined the pill without a problem, and it worked even better than I expected! I broke through to the next level of Body Refinement so smoothly that I barely had to put in any effort!” Han Lian gushed, and Luo Feng’s stomach dropped.

  The grinding of his teeth nearly drowned out what Han Lian said next, and it was a miracle he kept his fake smile intact.

  “Brother Jun De is truly a genius! I can’t thank you enough for recommending him. I can see why the Tranquil Mountain Sect values him so highly. Sister Bai is lucky to have him as a Dao Companion, but I could say the same about him! They are a perfect match, both heaven-blessed prodigies!”

  Luo Feng’s smile froze, and he nearly snapped.

  “Ah! Is that so? How…wonderful.”

  Han Lian didn’t notice the venom behind his words, and she was completely and utterly unaware that every time she spoke to praise Jun De, it twisted the dagger in Luo Feng’s heart a little bit more.

  “Yes! Truly wonderful! Next time I see him, I’ll have to prepare a suitable gift. Of course, Brother Jun De is so humble that he said there were no debts between friends, but how can I let him leave without repaying him in some way!? I will need to ask Sister Bai what he likes when I see her next so that I can surprise him.”

  Luo Feng’s fingers curled so tightly around his sleeve that his nails tore through the grey fabric.

  “Yes, Brother Jun De is truly remarkable.” Luo Feng replied, forcing each word out through clenched teeth.

  “Tell me, did Brother Jun De have any problems refining the pill? I feared it would be quite difficult for even someone of his skill.” Luo Feng asked.

  Han Lian shook her head immediately, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

  “Not at all! He looked at the formula for a moment and then returned the next morning with the pills prepared. He even made one of exceptional quality!” Han Lian explained.

  “Incredible. It seems as though there is nothing that Brother Jun De cannot do.” Luo Feng said, his rage growing so hot that he immediately stood up from the table.

  “My apologies, Senior Sister, I need to return to my duties. I just wanted to make sure that you were well.” Luo Feng stated with a small bow, excusing himself and turning to leave so quickly that Han Lian was startled by his abrupt exit.

  But Luo Feng couldn’t sit still anymore. His fake smile, already tenuous, shattered as soon as he was gone.

  “That bastard is more talented than I gave him credit for.” Luo Feng muttered.

  When he returned to his residence, he slammed the door so hard that the metal frame twisted. Several personal items he had stored on shelves along the far wall rattled and fell to the ground.

  “Damn it! Damn it!” Luo Feng snarled, slamming his hand onto the stone table that normally held the Onyx Exchange Slate. The table cracked in half, sending stone shards scattering in every direction.

  “I thought everything was perfect! The formula, the timing, the setup, Jun De should be writhing in pain! Instead, accolades are being heaped onto him! Bai Xuelian is probably in his arms right now, praising his skill in pill refining!”

  Luo Feng resumed his pacing in a tight circle, his breathing hard. His eyes were bloodshot, and a faint flicker of uncontrolled Qi pulsed from him with every step.

  “It was a pill that even Senior Brother Qiu said would be difficult to refine safely. How could he have done it without help? That pill requires precise control and preparation. There is no way that Jun De is that talented. He must have had help refining it or just gave Sister Han a different pill and claimed the work as his own.”

  For a long time, silence filled the room. Then, Luo Feng shook his head.

  “It doesn’t matter. Even if Sister Han tells Jun De that I gave her that recipe, I can claim I didn’t know anything about pills. There’s no way for it to come back and bite me.” Luo Feng assured himself.

  He let out a long sigh as he reigned in his emotions. With a swipe of his hand, he placed the shattered pieces of the stone table into his storage ring before sitting on his cultivation mat and retrieving the Onyx Exchange Slate.

  Luo Feng ran his hand across the surface, and he felt as though the cool stone calmed his emotions.

  “Pills will be useless against him, and so are herbs. I’ll need something different, possibly something more valuable. If I can tempt someone in the Sect to go against Jun De….But I’ll need the right items.”

  Luo Feng’s expression shifted into a frown.

  “But I don’t have anything left to offer you. It will look strange if I go back to the mines too early and collect scraps.” Luo Feng paused, considering the risks.

  He had less than a week before Bai Xuelian returned to the Tranquil Mountain Sect, and he couldn’t see her anymore. He needed her to notice him, to be with him, before she left.

  “I won’t lose her. I’ll gather everything I can, whatever it takes.” Luo Feng promised.