Han Jingkun wiped the sweat off his forehead, troubled by the thought of how terrifying the Qin family would be if his father’s suspicions were true.

“Let them fight it out. It doesn’t concern our Han family who wins or loses.

The most important thing now is to find a Broken Mirror Pill to break through to the mid Foundation Establishment stage… We don’t need to worry about anything else.”

Han Jingkun bowed, “Yes.”

It had been three days since Zhang Li’s death.

During these three days, the Zhang family had initially been in frequent negotiations with the Qin family, but now they had gone silent.

Qin Deming found it strange and discussed privately with Qin Ruching, “But what is the Zhang family plotting?”

Qin Ruqing smirked, “They’re definitely plotting something. They’re probably trying to gather support from all sides. Dad, who do you think the first person the Zhang family would think of to attack us would be?”

“It would definitely be the Han family,” Qin Deming replied without hesitation. “They’ve collaborated with the Han family before. Now, approaching the Han family again wouldn’t be surprising.”

“But I remember Han Yumen was injured by our ancestor before, right?” Qin Ruqing puzzled.

“He was injured, but it’s been several years now. Even if he’s injured, it shouldn’t be life-threatening anymore,” Qin Deming reasoned.

Qin Ruqing stroked his chin in thought for a moment before shaking his head, “The Han family might not necessarily get involved in this.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?”

Qin Ruching shrugged, “Mainly because there’s no benefit for the Han family to meddle in this.

They have no deep grudge with the Qin family, and if Zhang family doesn’t have enough incentives, and if Han Yumen is smart enough, he should stay away from this mess…

Dad, how intelligent is Han Yumen?”

The question was direct.

But Qin Deming frowned, genuinely contemplating.

“Oh, Ancestor Han… If we talk about foolishness, he’s quite foolish indeed.

He’s had a reputation for being straightforward and reckless for a long time.

People think he’s not clever, but I think he might not be as foolish as rumors say.

Remember when our Ancestor pointed a sword at him?

He promptly gave up the rights to develop the Secret Realm.

Not many people would have that kind of courage.

Maybe his apparent simplicity was just a disguise, and inside, he’s actually a cunning old fox!”

Qin Ruqing chuckled softly and lightly clapped her hands. “So, based on the Secret Realm matter alone, he’s at least not as stupid as rumored.

Now, in this situation, they’re probably not going to get involved.

Without support from the Zhang family, who else would they ask for help? Who could they possibly get?”

Qin Deming pondered, “If the Han family truly refuses, they’ll have to seek allies or family ties.

Allies, unless they’re old friends, wouldn’t go this far for the Zhangs.

That leaves family ties.

The Zhangs have ties with the Jin and Yuan families…”

Qin Ruqing thought the answer likely lay among these families.

Just as she was about to speak, a servant arrived to announce that Fifty Elder wanted to see them.

Qin Ruqing raised an eyebrow. “Aunt Dexin?”

What was she here for?

Qin Dexin hurried over, taking three steps at a time.

Without waiting for Qin Deming to ask, she handed him a note.

Qin Deming glanced at it. On plain paper were two simple lines of writing.

First line: Sacred Blood Secret Water.

Second line: Jin.

The lines were roughly written, deliberately obscured.

Qin Ruqing stood beside her father and also caught sight of the words on the paper.

Her gaze immediately fell on “Sacred Blood Secret Water.”

Wasn’t this the medicine she and the elder discussed giving to Zhang Li?

Qin Ruqing frowned and asked immediately, “Where did this note come from?”

Qin Dexin replied, “A young boy handed it to the gatekeeper. When asked, he said it was from an unfamiliar stranger. The person clearly wanted to remain unknown to us.”

Qin Deming was more focused on the content of the note. “Sacred Blood Secret Water, what is this? It sounds like the name of some medicine.”

Seeing Aunt Dexin also puzzled, Qin Ruqing explained without hesitation, “This is the secret medicine we fed to Zhang Li.”

She briefly explained the medicine’s mysterious properties.

Qin Dexin also sensed something fishy about this.

She furrowed her brow and asked, “Doesn’t that mean that until today, only you and the Ancestor knew about this? How did the person who wrote this note find out?”

Qin Ruqing took a few steps forward, her mind racing.

She muttered to herself, “This person must be within the Zhang family.

They must have had contact with Zhang Li after he was taken back home, and they know about such a rare and secretive spiritual medicine.

Their identity is probably that of an alchemist!”

Looking at the second line on the note, “[Jin],” Qin Ruqing remembered her father mentioning that the Zhang family has ties with the Jin family.

Boldly guessing and cautiously confirming, could this mean that the elder of the Zhang family is seeking help from someone related to the Jin family?

Realizing that their Qin family’s medicine had been discovered, yet Zhang Li still died, it meant that this person was in the Zhang family, knew everything but remained silent, and even passed on such a message to them…

Understanding the key points, Qin Ruqing couldn’t help but laugh.

She intentionally nudged Qin Deming’s arm. “Hey, Dad, could it be that our family has planted spy in Zhang Family?”

Qin Deming rolled his eyes on the spot. “If only there really were a traitor. The Qin family wouldn’t need to be on high alert day and night, fearing the Zhang family might attack our gates at any moment.”

Seeing the look on his daughter’s face, did she figure something out?

Her little brain sure works well.

He quickly asked, “What’s the matter with this?”

Qin Ruqing chuckled and explained in detail.

“The first line on this note says ‘Sacred Blood Secret Water.’

This person is clearly telling us: ‘I know what medicine your Qin family used on Zhang Li, but Zhang Li still died, and the Zhang family has since erupted in internal strife.

Therefore, I bear no ill will toward you, and in fact, I have secretly aided you—had I exposed this or helped Zhang Li neutralize the effects of this medicine, your plan would have failed.'”

“That’s one thing. Secondly, he wrote the word ‘Jin.’

The Jin family is related to the Zhang family through marriage.

If the Zhang’s want to provoke the Qin’s, they would likely seek help from someone related to the Jin family.”

Qin Dexin furrowed her brow and raised a critical point. “But how can we trust what’s written on a note from an unknown source?

The person behind this note could very well be from the Zhang family. How can we be sure it’s not some scheme of theirs?”

Qin Ruqing replied casually, “That’s why the person who wrote this note never intended for us to believe it.

Look at the information he revealed—’Jin.’

Even without his mention, wouldn’t we have thought of that ourselves?

He’s just saying irrelevant things because he knows no matter how much he says, we would doubt his identity and not believe him.”

“Since he knew we wouldn’t believe him, why would he go through all this trouble?” Qin Deming wondered aloud.

It seemed like making a mountain out of a molehill.

Qin Ruqing’s eyes flashed with insight as she smiled. “To show goodwill. To make his presence known to us and make us feel that he has a friendly attitude toward the Qin family.”

Qin Dexin scoffed disdainfully. “Someone who hides and deceives, how could they gain our favor? In my opinion, this person is quite bold. Isn’t he afraid that following this note would lead us to expose him and deal with him?”

Leaving aside everything else, he knew about the Sacred Blood Secret Water; no matter how you looked at it, he was a threat.

“So, you see,” Qin Ruqing rubbed her chin, sighing, “this person is audacious and arrogant, and on top of that, a bit too self-assured.

Since he wants to establish a connection with the Qin family but keeps such a stance, he must have some confidence inside, not afraid that we might reject him…

Indeed, when did the Zhang family have such a person? This person is probably not from the Zhang family!”

“Let me guess, related to the Zhang family but doesn’t act like one, knowledgeable about medicines, likely an alchemist…

Hmm, the guest the Zhang family recently brought in, the one who improved the Revitalization Pill?”

Qin Dexin gave Qin Ruqing a scrutinizing glance.

In just a short while, she had already guessed who the person was.

This brain of hers…

It wouldn’t be demeaning for her to serve as her little assistant.

With this reminder, Qin Deming also remembered, “I do recall this person. His surname is Tang, an alchemist the Zhang family brought in from outside, with a mysterious background.

Previously, we tried to get him on our side, but he didn’t respond.

Why is he turning around now and trying to make nice with our Qin family?

“Well, maybe he didn’t think much of you before, but now he wants to build a relationship with you~” Qin Ruqing remarked.

Qin Deming snorted.

As the clan leader, he disliked fence-sitters who chose sides.

He spoke sternly, “If in the past, the Qin family extended a helping hand to him and he climbed up with it, we wouldn’t have hesitated to treat him well.

But now… hmph, does he think our Qin family is a pushover, that he can come and go as he pleases!”

Qin Ruqing stayed silent but chuckled inwardly.

She thought to herself, it’s not necessarily true.

The law of Wang Jingze applies everywhere, even in the world of cultivation.

Dad, you might find him agreeable in the future.

This matter was a small episode for Qin Ruqing.

Her attitude was to ignore this person for now; his true intentions would reveal themselves in due time.

For now, the Qin family needed to remain vigilant and await the elder’s emergence.

The next day brought good news—the elder finally emerged from seclusion.

Qin Ruqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the Qin family was now in maximum defense mode, with protective arrays activated, they could withstand a direct attack from the Zhang family for a while longer.

Plus, Aunt Dexin was at the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, without the Ancestor’s emergence, there was always an underlying worry.

Now that the Ancestor had emerged, her strength must have returned to its peak.

As long as the Qin family held their ground, they would see how the Zhang family would act.

However, she couldn’t be too absolute.

If the elder’s strength had not fully recovered—after all, the poison wasn’t completely neutralized and lacked a bit of the Ice-Fire Dual Herb.

While the Ice-Fire Dual Herb restricted the elder’s breakthrough in cultivation, if it caused his strength to recover less than expected, there might not be much they could do.

Therefore, Qin Ruqing’s first task was to rush to the Ancestor’s Shadow Residence.

Arriving at the bamboo pavilion in the middle of the lake, she found a large crowd there, all paying respects to the Ancestor.

Qin Ruqing, using her height advantage, stood towards the back.

The Ancestor seemed to sense something and looked her way.

When their eyes met, the Ancestor smiled faintly and gestured towards her.

Qin Ruqing knew then that everything was settled.