Chapter Thirty: The Ruse, Ready to Make a Run for It

Lin Fan maintained a calm expression, though he was panicking on the inside.

He cursed silently to himself, "If my guess is correct, this person is clearly targeting me." The only Core Formation stage cultivator he knew was Ji Qingwan.

"Stay calm, stay calm!" he told himself. "It's over! That slap earlier when I entered the courtyard!"

"Damn it! I wondered why that slap felt softer and more supple than usual—it’s because the person was swapped!"

Reflecting on this, he felt a wave of fear: "Oh no, is this woman going to take brutal revenge on me?"

"If she finds out I can help others breakthrough, she'll definitely lock me up too!"

"I've been trapped in this courtyard for three months and I'm losing my mind. I must find a way out..." Thoughts raced through his mind like a rising tide.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck him. He remembered the plan to deal with the Liu family tomorrow. "Escaping during the chaos sounds like a decent idea."

With a plan in place, Lin Fan’s anxious heart settled.

"Since she’s impersonating Su Qian to snoop around my courtyard, she must be trying to uncover the secret of how I help people breakthrough."

A glint of cunning flashed in Lin Fan’s eyes. "Then I’ll play along..."

He feigned composure and gave a light cough. "Ahem... Little Qian, would you say your Young Master treats you well?"

"Su Qian" was slightly taken aback, then nodded, her tone flat: "The Young Master naturally treats us exceptionally well."

Lin Fan curled his lips into a mischievous grin, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "Then... Little Qian, have you ever thought about how you’d like to repay your Young Master?"

"Su Qian’s" cheeks flushed slightly, appearing shy, and she whispered, "How would the Young Master like Qianqian to repay you?"

Lin Fan rejoiced inwardly—the fish had taken the bait!

He intentionally put on a troubled look and sighed. "Well, you know, the pills I refine to help you all breakthrough are extremely taxing for me, and my spirit stones are running low."

"If I had enough spirit stones, I could refine another batch of pills to help you break through your bottlenecks. By then, I’ll take care of your advancement to Foundation Establishment and even Core Formation!"

Lin Fan’s tone was filled with temptation; he knew that Su Qian had only broken through after consuming his pills previously.

He continued using the pills as a smokescreen.

Su Qian frowned slightly. She knew the pill she had taken from Lin Fan before was useless, yet she had broken through inexplicably.

Hearing him mention the pills again, she thought, "Could it really be related to the pills? I still have plenty of spirit stones. I’ll see for myself how this pill is refined!"

With that in mind, Su Qian said, "Young Master, I have some spirit stones here. It’s not much, but I hope it helps!"

Though she spoke this way, she was skeptical. In her eyes, a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator couldn't possibly possess many spirit stones.

After a moment of hesitation, she tapped her waist, and with a flash of light, twenty spirit stones appeared in her hand.

Lin Fan blinked. A Core Formation cultivator couldn't possibly have so few; she had previously given Su Xingyue four or five thousand.

A thought occurred to him, and he coughed dryly. "Little Qian, that’s not right of you. I recall you sold some family heirlooms a while back; you should have at least five or six thousand spirit stones."

If Su Qian really had that many, she wouldn't have come to Lin Fan. This was clearly Lin Fan spouting nonsense to hoodwink Ji Qingwan.

Ji Qingwan was startled. After knocking the real Su Qian unconscious, she had placed a restriction on her and locked her away in a remote location. She hadn't bothered to look at Su Qian's storage bag.

"I didn't realize this little girl had so many spirit stones. I'll have to go back and check later..."

She thought this to herself, but her face broke into a sweet smile. "Young Master, those were from my family heirlooms. I can only give you one thousand at most; any more and I can't!"

Ji Qingwan’s heart was bleeding; that was all the spirit stones she had left.

Lin Fan took the stones, feeling delighted—this was worth a thousand years of lifespan!

"Ahem... Little Qian, I’m going with my wives to deal with the Liu family tomorrow, and I have a bad feeling about it."

"I heard you bought some good protective items. Could you lend them to me? I'll return them once we’re back from the Liu residence."

Ji Qingwan hesitated.

Lin Fan quickly added, "You don't want your Young Master to be in danger, do you? If I die, how will you all breakthrough in the future?"

"Su Qian" frowned and thought for a moment. "Young Master, I have a defensive artifact called the Profound Water Shield. It's a mid-grade artifact that most Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot break!"

"Additionally, I have an Earth-Evasion Talisman that can help you escape underground in a crisis."

As she spoke, she took a small blue shield and a yellow talisman from her storage bag and handed them to him.

Lin Fan joyfully stowed them away. "Little Qian, since you’re so thoughtful, how should I reward you? How about..."

He rubbed his hands together with a lecherous expression.

A look of disgust flickered across Ji Qingwan’s face. She quickly said, "Young Master... I’m... not feeling well these two days... perhaps in a few days..."

With that, she fled as if being chased.

Lin Fan let out a sigh of relief, planning how to slip away quietly tomorrow.

Just then, light footsteps broke the silence outside. Lin Fan looked up to see two graceful figures approaching.

Su Xingyue and Su Xingyu walked side by side, their movements light and their robes fluttering. They looked nearly identical, yet their auras were entirely different.

Su Xingyue had a fiery, curvaceous figure that was incredibly alluring.

Su Xingyu, however, had gentle features and a serene demeanor, like a pristine white lotus. Though she possessed the same alluring figure, she was reserved, naturally evoking a sense of protectiveness.

"Sisters, why are you here?" Lin Fan asked.

Su Xingyue gestured toward Su Xingyu. "Little sister has reached the peak of the tenth layer of Qi Refining. She is a key combatant tomorrow, so we’ve come to ask you to help her break through her bottleneck."

With a wave of her fair, slender fingers, twenty spirit stones appeared in her hand.

"According to your rules, this is the payment. Once we take down the Liu family tomorrow and secure their treasures, there will certainly be a share for you, husband," Su Xingyue said.

Lin Fan didn't stand on ceremony. He took the stones, tapped his waist, and produced a jade bottle, from which he poured a pitch-black pill.

"Husband... this..." Su Xingyue began to ask why he was using a pill, knowing he could help people breakthrough without one.

But a look from Lin Fan stopped her.

Lin Fan knew Ji Qingwan’s spiritual sense was still monitoring them, so he had to keep up the act.