Chapter 561 - 311: Hearts Grow Distant, Zhou Cang Disappears!_2

"Continue with alchemy."

Despite the strange atmosphere within the Alchemy Hall caused by Zheng Qi, Su Mu appeared as if nothing had happened. After collecting the pills he refined during the day, he returned to his courtyard to cultivate.

"Hmph, Sun Li, what are you so proud of? Just you wait, I, Zheng Qi, will prove my talent surpasses yours, and that Master Cang was mistaken!"

In the evening, after leaving this remark, Zheng Qi departed from the Alchemy Hall.

That night, a figure appeared outside the courtyard.

"Brother Sun, it’s me, Shangguan Miao."

Su Mu welcomed Shangguan Miao into the courtyard. Shangguan Miao hesitated, then spoke, "Brother Sun, has anyone come looking for you recently?"

"No one has."

"How is that possible..." Shangguan Miao was incredulous. Among the three, Sun Li undoubtedly had the highest alchemical skill and talent. Someone had come for him and Zheng Qi both, so why not Sun Li?

"Did something happen?"

Shangguan Miao couldn’t hold back and told Su Mu about an Elder from the Alchemy Hall seeking him out, wanting to take him as a disciple, and even promising to help him fight for the position of Elder in the Alchemy Hall in a year, among many other rewards.

"What are your thoughts, Brother Shangguan?"

"Zheng Qi is probably being courted by an Elder in the hall... I sense that unrest might be brewing in the gang, and you’re Master Cang’s most favored. Did the Master say anything before leaving?"

Su Mu glanced at Shangguan Miao; he caught a hint of hesitation on his face, yet there was no panic, indicating he wasn’t probing but seeking direction from him.

"I, Sun Li, am just an alchemist... Other matters don’t concern me."

Hearing this, Shangguan Miao was visibly taken aback, not expecting such a response from Su Mu. He stared intently at Su Mu, trying to discern anything from his expression.

Unfortunately, Su Mu’s expression was as calm as a still pond, without any ripples. After a moment’s thought, he drained the cup of tea in one gulp.

"I’m sorry for disturbing you tonight."

Subsequent events confirmed Shangguan Miao’s words. Zheng Qi no longer frequented the Alchemy Room associated with Master Cang but instead appeared openly with an Elder from the Alchemy Hall.

"Brother Sun!"

What slightly surprised Su Mu was that Shangguan Miao didn’t choose to leave, albeit with dark circles under his eyes, as he likely had a restless night.

"Brother Shangguan."

After a simple greeting, Su Mu returned to his Alchemy Room, closed the door, and continued his alchemy.

Alchemy Skill (Small Success 61%)

"The proficiency has surpassed sixty percent... It’s time to start attempting!"

Su Mu’s eyes brightened. He had long since been able to refine Seventh Grade Qi and Blood Pills with ease. He believed it was time to take a further step and begin attempting to refine Sixth Grade Elixirs.

Without delay, Su Mu retrieved a set of ingredients for refining a Three-Turn Qi and Blood Pill from the materials he had gathered from Qinglin Pavilion. The Qi and Blood Pill was undoubtedly the elixir he was most proficient at, so he began with the Sixth Grade Three-Turn Qi and Blood Pill.

Su Mu spent the entire morning processing the ingredients.

At lunch, Su Mu sat alone in a corner to eat. The position and treatment of alchemists within the Cyan Fish Gang were quite high; there was a separate kitchen and dining area within the Alchemy Hall.

After finishing a lamb leg, Su Mu leisurely picked up another one and began eating in large bites.

"Have you heard... something seems to have happened to Master Cang. Two bodies were found in Qiuhe Town, fifty miles east of the Commandery City, said to be the attendants of Master Cang..."

"Master Cang? Isn’t he still within the gang?"

Not far away, the hushed whispers of two Alchemy Hall disciples made Su Mu pause with the lamb leg in his hand.

Su Mu was startled. Just a few days ago, he had seen Master Cang off, and the attendants by his side were not ordinary individuals; one was a Fourth-Grade Daoist Cultivator, and the other a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist.

"Has something happened to Master Cang?"

Su Mu’s eyes flickered, a hint of ferocity flashing at the bottom of his gaze, which fell upon the whispering disciples. As he stood up, he concealed the fierce gleam in his eyes, controlling his emotions.

"Who is he?"

Interrupted, one of them looked not kindly towards Su Mu.

"That guy, wasn’t he one of the three Master Cang brought back a while ago? What’s his name again?"

"Sun Li?"

"Yeah, that’s the name. Just a nobody, who does he think he is!"

Su Mu typically kept to himself, and many in the Alchemy Hall hadn’t seen him, but one of the duo recognized Su Mu, their tone tinged with ridicule.

The duo was about to speak again when an inexplicable chill ran down their spines, their breathing momentarily constricted, as if a terrifying presence was staring down at them.

"Tell me, what happened?"

Su Mu sat down directly facing them, causing their expressions to change drastically. Swallowing hard, they dared not meet Su Mu’s gaze, the earlier mockery gone, trembling as they spoke.

"I-I just heard about it today from someone else..."

"They say there was a fierce fight in the mountains outside Qiuhe Town late last night. When the constables went there, they found several bodies, and among them were believed to be the attendants of Master Cang, identified by their clothing and items. There was even a personal jade pendant of Master Cang left behind at the scene..."

"And then..."

"Then what?"

"When the news returned, Master Wu went to find Master Cang... only to discover that Master Cang had left the apothecary some time before, so I suspect something might have happened to him."

"Anything else?"

"That’s all, that’s all!"

"The attendants were killed... a personal jade pendant left behind..."

Su Mu sat calmly, while the two Alchemy Hall disciples trembled all over, seemingly having their fate’s throats clutched by an invisible hand, making it difficult for them to breathe.

Su Mu realized that Master Cang was likely in trouble. If it had been someone else, he wouldn’t have had much of an emotional reaction; people die at every moment of every day, and he wasn’t a saint.

But the uncertainty surrounding this was about Zhou Cang, the Master Cang who had once carefully taught him alchemy and had frequently looked out for him.

"Whew—!"

Taking a slight breath to calm his mind, Su Mu was convinced that Master Cang was likely still alive. If Zhou Cang were dead, why would the assailants go to the trouble of separately disposing of a body?

Moreover, Zhou Cang was such an experienced and excellent alchemist whose value was immense, someone scarcely found even in Donglai County. To have killed him outright would have been too much of a loss.

Which faction detained Zhou Cang?

Someone from the Cyan Fish Gang, or the White Whale Gang?

Or perhaps river bandits involved in the interests conflict in Donglai County, or other major forces in Donglai County?

"Sun the Alchemist, I know you studied alchemy under Master Cang, but I’ve told you all I know... my condolences!"

Their quivering voices interrupted Su Mu’s thoughts; he looked at them, causing them to tremble even more.

Yet Su Mu didn’t take further action, merely standing up calmly and walking away.

"That man, he’s terrifying!"

"Is it an illusion... why does the pressure from him feel greater than when facing elders, or even the Hall Master?"

The two behind him quivered, both resolving not to provoke Sun Li lightly in the future.

Zhou Cang’s death quickly caused a stir throughout the Cyan Fish Gang. Zhou Cang had been the former Hall Master of the Alchemy Hall and a rare Fourth-Grade Alchemist even in Donglai County.

Despite Cyan Fish Gang’s immediate attempts to suppress the news, it seemed as though an invisible hand was driving events. Within a day, the news spread beyond the Cyan Fish Gang and rapidly throughout the influential factions of the Commandery City.

First came the Demon Slayer Bureau, then the struggle between the Tao and Li families, and now Zhou Cang’s death in the Cyan Fish Gang intensified the already turbulent waters of Donglai County.

"Zhou Cang was the former Hall Master of the Alchemy Hall in the Cyan Fish Gang, who diligently dedicated most of his life to the gang, holding high regard and reverence among its members—even amidst internal power struggles between the gang’s three factions..."

"Right now, they won’t take things lightly. If the Cyan Fish Gang doesn’t avenge this, it will not only damage the gang’s honor but also chill the hearts of the elders and disciples, thereby losing public support... The gang will undoubtedly make every effort in this matter!"

"I am new here and know too little of the inner workings; it’s better to leave this matter to the gang to handle."

Returning to the Alchemy Room, Su Mu ultimately sighed softly and resumed processing the materials at hand.