The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

When faced with Han Yinyue’s questioning, Gu Hanshan maintained his composure and answered calmly: “Presumably, Elder Zhao and the others would have responded honestly. They would not withhold any information from Miss Han.”

Upon hearing this, Han Yinyue’s eyebrows slightly furrowed and she inwardly cursed the cunning deceit of the father and son from the Gu Family.

She had already interrogated Zhao Dengming, Yu Zhen, and the old man in white separately, but their accounts were consistent and did not reveal any discrepancies.

Now, Gu Hanshan’s response was watertight, identical to those of the other three men. This left Han Yinyue feeling helpless and frustrated.

Clearly, this was a well-planned murder plot. There were no witnesses, and no trace of evidence could be found to prove Gu Hanshan and the others had attacked Fang Lin. The injuries on Fang Lin’s body could provide no insight either.

Without evidence, even though Gu Hanshan was a major suspect, Han Yinyue could not prosecute him.

Gu Hanshan adamantly denied his involvement, knowing too well that without substantial evidence, accusations would be futile. Zhao Dengming, among others, understood this premise and had stuck to their story.

However, there was one unexpected outcome which disrupted Gu Hanshan’s plan—that is, Fang Lin’s survival. It was their biggest mistake.

Originally, Fang Lin was to be executed as he exited the ancient cave. In that case, no matter how much Han Yinyue suspected Gu Hanshan, nothing could be done once the victim was dead.

After all, Han Yinyue would not relentlessly pursue Gu Hanshan for the sake of a dead man.

But now, since Fang Lin was still alive, the Gu’s operation had failed. Fortunately, they had planned precisely beforehand, so they hadn’t offered Han Yinyue any material for charges.

Nevertheless, Gu Hanshan felt his heart throbbing intensely. Their plan to kill Fang Lin was extremely risky. He doubted if he would have the courage to attempt it again.

Truth be told, this operation was instructed by Gu Daofeng.

No one had expected Fang Lin’s monstrous ability. Without even challenging the Pill Forest Stone Tablet, his name had appeared on it in golden characters, equal to the Four Saints of the Pill Sect.

This ensured Fang Lin’s status as the top genius. Despite Gu Hanshan being a True Disciple, he could not compete with Fang Lin.

While Gu Hanshan was an exceptional talent, Fang Lin outshone him. This was evident from their rankings on the stele.

Because of Fang Lin’s name appearing on the stele, Gu Daofeng perceived Fang Lin as a threat that needed to be eliminated promptly.

The plan seemed foolproof and Fang Lin was almost trapped in a situation leading to certain death.

But an unexpected change in the ancient cave led to the failure of this supposedly certain death plot.

Despite the failure, Gu Daofeng would protect his son at all costs. He still had control over the situation. Even if Han Yinyue wanted to act against Gu Hanshan, she had no viable means.

Indeed, Han Yinyue had no solution. She took a deep breath and silently returned to Han Luoyun’s side.

Han Luoyun had been silent, listening quietly, and not showing any emotional response. If his eyes were not open, one might have assumed he was asleep.

“Sect Master, the strange occurrences in the ancient cave may be linked to Fang Lin. Only he knows what truly happened inside,” said Gu Daofeng.

Han Luoyun responded with a faint smile, “What are your thoughts?”

Gu Daofeng replied with a salute, “I believe that we should interrogate Fang Lin. The cave is tied to the rise and fall of our Pill Sect and is where the Four Saints began their journey. We need to investigate.”

Han Luoyun nodded, seemingly in agreement.

Yet Han Yinyue interjected, “Sect Master, at this moment, whether Fang Lin was injured by Gu Hanshan is not yet determined. If we are to interrogate someone, it should be Gu Hanshan.”

“Yinyue, haven’t you finished your questions yet? Is there still something unclear?” Gu Daofeng asked with slight dissatisfaction.

Han Yinyue calmly stated, “Fang Lin is currently severely injured, and Gu Hanshan is the prime suspect. If we don’t thoroughly investigate, who will vindicate Fang Lin?”

The furrows on Gu Daofeng’s brows deepened. “Yinyue, isn’t your suspicion of Hanshan a bit excessive?”

Han Yinyue did not react to Gu Daofeng’s disaffection. After giving Gu Hanshan a deep look, she did not say anything else.

“Enough about Fang Lin. However, since he has been seriously injured, we should send him some Sacred Medicine to aid his recovery,” Han Luoyun suggested.

After taking a pause, Han Luoyun continued: “Given the unusual happenings in the cave, we should temporarily prevent entry. If we don’t come across any other anomalies with time, we will investigate it.”

“Yes!” Everyone in the hall agreed in unison.

Han Yinyue pursed her lips. Although she felt somewhat resentful, she knew better than to persist once her father had spoken.

However, Han Luoyun promised to send some Sacred Medicine to aid Fang Lin’s recovery, so Han Yinyue planned to give him more heavenly treasures. This would facilitate his recovery and serve as compensation.

Han Yinyue arrived at Fang Lin’s residence with some extraordinary treasures. Upon learning that Gu Hanshan and the others were unscathed and unpunished, Fang Lin did not say much and seemingly did not care too much.

However, Han Yinyue could detect a hint of coldness in Fang Lin’s eyes.

“I won’t let this go easily,” Fang Lin said calmly.

Han Yinyue advised, “I know you were hurt by Gu Hanshan, but without any evidence, I can’t do anything. For now, just focus on healing. Even when you’ve fully recovered, try not to conflict with the Gu Family.”

Some of the things Han Yinyue didn’t say outright were that Fang Lin was still outnumbered and powerless. Even with her support, it was limited. The Gu Family had deep roots in the Pill Sect, making it difficult for Fang Lin to fight them.

Dugu Nian, who was standing aside, couldn’t stand it anymore. “That bastard, Gu Hanshan, injured Fang Lin like this, and nothing happened? Where is the justice? No way! I can’t take it any longer. I’ll tell my sixth uncle right now, and let him punch Gu Hanshan to death!”

This gave Han Yinyue a headache. If Dugu Nian decided to act, things could become quite troublesome. After all, Dugu Nian was a valued member of the Dugu Family. If she reported the incident to them, they might actually come and avenge Fang Lin.

Fang Lin looked at Dugu Nian, shook his head at her.

Dugu Nian pouted, grumpily took a seat to one side.

“One cannot just gain benefits without suffering losses in this world,” Fang Lin smirked.

Han Yinyue, not wanting to push it further, left some valuable resources behind for Fang Lin and left.

Fang Lin sat cross-legged on the bed, his expression dark. He had no intention of keeping a low profile—since Gu Hanshan dared to start this, he, Fang Lin, would see it through.

Three days later, Fang Lin, who had not yet fully recovered, arrived at the Pill Array, accompanied by Dugu Nian, under the surprised gazes of many.

Fang Lin raised his head, looking at the statues of the Four Saints on the Pill Array, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

“Today, I will take away the most valuable thing from this Pill Sect!” Fang Lin thought.