At this moment, Lin Qinghen had no idea that even though he had already left the Lin family, there were still people thinking about him.

It wasn’t Lin Zhongtian, nor the furious Lin Qingshuang who hadn’t been able to make it to Su Ye Immortal Mountain. It was Lin Yunsi, the Lin family’s little alchemy prodigy, someone who’d hardly ever interacted with him.

The matter with that peculiar Red Round Wheat wasn’t over.

That particular crop turned out to be even better than anyone could have imagined. The mutation began right in its seedling stage, making Red Round Wheat the most cost-effective choice among the materials for Yellow Rank Four Star elixirs. Additionally, it had the brief growth cycle of a One-Star Spirit Plant, taking only about twenty days to mature, which required minimal ripening agents. This meant that as a primary ingredient for alchemy, it could be cultivated endlessly, with little concern for growing time.

But despite finding this batch of Red Round Wheat, the Lin family didn’t profit at all.

They had initially planned to use it to curry favor with Su Ye Immortal Mountain. However, things went awry when a sudden batch of better elixirs appeared.

Master Chu Feng was even stranger than Chu Wei, blatantly breaking agreements. If he didn’t get the best batch, he lost interest, turning instead to barter the seeds with Bai Lu in a separate deal.

There was, indeed, a gulf in power between Three Mountain and the noble families. Perhaps the Yin family at its peak could have challenged them, but after its decline, none of the other families had the clout. That’s why Lin Qingshuang, the designated next Family Head, had been so determined to find a master at Su Ye Immortal Mountain.

But none of them got what they wanted, not even the people from Three Mountain.

Ever since Lin Yunsi had seen that elixir, he’d barely practiced alchemy.

He had reviewed every bit of information that the Lin family had on this issue, including that particular Red Round Wheat he had first discovered. He’d taken a batch of seeds, planted them, and refined them into elixirs.

Moreover, there was the first elixir that had appeared at the Alchemy Conference, one of which the Lin family had kept. Additionally, Master Chu Feng of Su Ye Immortal Mountain had received an entire bottle just before his birthday feast.

To continue negotiations with the Lin family, Chu Feng had even handed Lin Zhongtian two pills to prove that the Red Round Wheat he had received was subpar.

With the three pills laid out, Lin Yunsi carefully compared them, immediately noticing that they had been made with different quality Red Round Wheat.

The Lin family’s batch was indeed the lowest grade.

Any alchemist with decent skill would notice that much.

Who on earth had created this mysterious thing?

Everyone was still searching, Lin Yunsi included.

Being a passionate alchemist, Lin Yunsi’s drive for top-notch ingredients was endless. Blessed with extraordinary talent, he had never encountered anything too difficult on his path. Now, suddenly, he discovered that an entirely unexplored field existed.

For someone like him, how could he not be curious? How could he not be captivated?

To be honest, Lin Yunsi wasn’t happy that Lin Qingshuang was trading the Red Round Wheat for favors. He regretted not keeping quiet about the hidden formation he’d found in the tree hollow. Perhaps he should have figured out a way to break it himself.

If he had kept it to himself, only he would know what he’d found, and perhaps he could have met the person cultivating this Red Round Wheat alone. Things wouldn’t have blown up like this.

That person clearly had no intention of gaining credit from the Lin family. Otherwise, they’d have come forward already. It seemed they had simply lacked other options and had stayed in the Lin family for a time to plant this crop.

From the start, Lin Yunsi had suspected Yu Yinyin. She wasn’t simple, after all, and the formation was set close to her courtyard.

But she was gone now, and even the Bee Crystal Butterflies from her plot in the Plantation were gone. From that perspective, the Lin family had gained nothing but losses.

Thus, both the Lin family and the people from Three Mountain had focused their suspicions on Yu Yinyin. However, after much thought, Lin Yunsi felt something was off.

If Yu Yinyin had intended to set up a formation, why not just do it in her own courtyard? There were trees there too. And, according to the fieldworkers, she barely ever left her yard.

The hidden area showed signs of constant cultivation, even though it had been somewhat tampered with.

What’s more, Yu Yinyin could have easily escaped at any time; she didn’t seem like someone who’d be forced to use the Lin family’s land.

And, strangely enough, she’d left without a trace, and the Lin family had only acquired the worst batch of Red Round Wheat. If she’d sent the better batch to Master Chu Feng, it would’ve made sense as a form of payback for the Lin family meddling with her things. But the puzzling part was, why would she leave only to return?

Was it for something, or for someone?

The elderly patron who had brought Yu Yinyin to the Lin family was too stubborn to share more information. Lin Yunsi, still in the dark, gradually shifted his focus to another person.

—Lin Qinghen.

In the following days, the Lin family had turned Yu Yinyin’s courtyard upside down and found nothing else.

Lin Yunsi had been there with them, and he’d found one tiny thing without telling anyone else.

It was a note, possibly blown into a crack by the wind, where it wasn’t easy to spot. He’d found it himself. The note had only a few simple words.

—Master, I have some business to attend to today and will be out.

There was no name, no date, and the handwriting wasn’t familiar. Initially, Lin Yunsi didn’t connect it to Lin Qinghen. He scoured the Plantation from top to bottom but found no answers.

It wasn’t until he overheard Chu Wei and Master Chu Feng from Su Ye Immortal Mountain talking about Lin Qinghen that something clicked.

Master Chu Feng had been puzzled over why Chu Wei was interested in Lin Qinghen.

“Because he’s the only one who found the complete Journey Through the Clouds,” Lin Yunsi heard Chu Wei explain. “No, that’s not it—he’s far more than that. Now that he’s left, I’m beginning to regret it. Uncle, what if I go to Bei Zhou to bring him back?”

“Ridiculous! Bei Zhou is no place for you.”

“…”

Journey Through the Clouds—most of that book was about rare Spirit Plants.

Lin Yunsi realized that of all the Plantation workers’ handwriting, only one person’s didn’t match up.

Lin Qinghen.

The one who wore the fieldworkers’ clothes, who had no place else to go, who…

Suddenly, everything that had confused him made sense. Lin Yunsi went to search Lin Qinghen’s courtyard. It was thoroughly cleaned, just like those two acres of fields.

But in Plum Garden, he found a note with Lin Qinghen’s handwriting.

An exact match.

Lin Yunsi told no one about it.

If he told the Lin family, he could predict the outcome. Lin Qinghen harbored nothing but hatred for them, and if he were brought back, it would only end in mutual destruction. Telling the people from Three Mountain would be even worse; it would leave no room for his own ambitions.

If Lin Qinghen was the one behind this, he absolutely couldn’t die.

Lin Yunsi had to see the best Red Round Wheat that Lin Qinghen had grown so far. He had to know how it was done.

Only Lin Qinghen could answer that.

He made up his mind in secret.

By the time Lin Qinghen had reached Lei City, he had no idea that his supposedly powerless cousin, Lin Yunsi, had stumbled upon the truth.

With the spirit of a young adventurer, Lin Yunsi left a letter without mentioning where he was going or why. Armed with life-saving artifacts, the young alchemy genius set off from Tong Tian Mansion alone, heading toward Lei City to seek answers.

Meanwhile, Lin Qinghen remained cautious.

Though he was now the young master of Die Meng, he’d only shown himself briefly at the start and hadn’t appeared since, instructing his people to keep it quiet.

After his last stall setup, Lin Qinghen had realized something about himself—some things simply weren’t his forte. He wasn’t skilled in cultivation, nor was he cut out for business.

His only request of Die Meng was simple: keep prices steady, sell at fair rates.

Red Round Wheat was rarely used directly, and Four Star Red Round Wheat had never appeared on the market before. Partnering with the Yin family, Lin Qinghen understood its primary use was pest control; many buyers scraping by could only afford the lower-grade supplies. So he offered the Yin family a discounted price.

If sold to other stores for alchemy, though, prices would soar. The base materials for Four Star elixirs could easily cost over a thousand Spirit Coins each, even in bulk.

It was also a test of Yin Hengxie’s trustworthiness, to see if he’d stay loyal in the face of profits.

After all, Lin Qinghen needed an ally to build his base in Lei City. The Yin family was much better than the Lin family in his eyes—at least here, he’d found a few reasonable people worth working with.

So far, Yin Hengxie seemed reliable.

Without even leaving his house, Yin Jiuxiao knew Lin Qinghen’s business was going well. Over the past few days, Yin Hengxie’s previously troubled demeanor had brightened considerably. He even came over to share the news.

“Die Meng’s old owner is back, with a new alchemist unaffiliated with Lei City’s alchemy guild. The shop’s stock is full again. I’d like to see what Xu Yaoyang has to threaten me with now!”

This was no surprise to Yin Jiuxiao; he was just curious how Lin Qinghen would explain the Four Star Red Round Wheat.

But it turned out, Lin Qinghen didn’t bother explaining.

“Die Meng’s people claim it’s from the Central Continent,” Yin Hengxie sighed. “Amazing how much the outside world has changed—Four Star Red Round Wheat is standard there now. We in Lei City are falling behind.”

…

No, believe me, when it comes to this, Lei City’s ahead of the entire Spirit World.

Yin Jiuxiao thought to himself.

Information from Bei Zhou barely trickled out, thanks to an impenetrable barrier of mist around it. Lin Qinghen had asked Yin Jiuxiao about this once and learned the Yin family had only left Lei City once in the last decade. Aside from the Yin family’s old ship, no other vessel could cross Bei Zhou’s fog barrier.

Though the Yin family had visited the Lin family, they had no idea what the Three Mountain people were after.

The Central Continent was huge, but they’d only spent a few days there, fully focused on the marriage arrangement. Who would’ve paid any attention to Red Round Wheat?

Lin Qinghen didn’t need to explain; by treating it as commonplace from outside, no one could question it. It eliminated unnecessary complications.

Besides, the other residents of the city couldn’t leave anyway. By the time they might have heard anything, his Red Round Wheat would already be widely accepted, and he’d have other, equally unusual products on hand.

Yin Hengxie, finally with some free time, came to visit the newlyweds. But Lin Qinghen had no time for him.

Whenever he was engrossed in his research, no one could disturb him. Right now, he was intently digging in the courtyard, pinching a bit of soil between his fingers, lost in thought.

Yin Hengxie, in a good mood, felt a bit less disappointed in Lin Qinghen. Besides, Yin Jiuxiao seemed genuinely pleased with his new wife, so Yin Hengxie felt it was best not to criticize.

In fact, Lin Qinghen wasn’t half bad. The courtyard looked far livelier, and Yin Jiuxiao, once cold and lifeless, now even had a hint of a smile.

After discussing some business, Yin Hengxie thought of making small talk, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he was the third wheel. After racking his brain, he finally blurted out, “Ahem… well, Qinghen is pretty good. The family was in turmoil, and he came in and settled it. Quite… quite the lucky charm, don’t you think?”

Yin Jiuxiao chuckled.

He thought that wasn’t far from the truth.

But only Yin Jiuxiao knew the whole story.

“He’s wonderful, indeed.”

Now that he had married him, there was no chance of escape.