"Chen Qingzhu?" Long Haotian rubbed his chin, smacked his lips, and said in a low voice: "So it's this little girl. I didn't expect to run into her here."

  "Huh, you're also doing a quest at Tianlong Lake?" Chen Qingzhu subconsciously linked her arm with Fang Luoyou's, smiling sweetly.

  She said with a smile, nodding at Mo Bei and Long Hao Tian.

  "Fang Luo smiled warmly and said: 'Sister Chen, I didn't expect you to be one step ahead of us.'"

  Qingzhuzi pouted, a hint of displeasure on her pretty face, and her lively big eyes gave him a white look: "I've said it before, let Brother Fang call me Qingtong. Why are you calling me Sister Chen again?"

  This glance, with a thousand charms. The lovely and charming attitude of that bean-sized girl was fully displayed by her.

  Although she wasn't looking at Long Hao Tian, that one glance made Long Hao Tian almost get infatuated to the point of being dizzy and bewildered. He thought to himself: "Wow, this little girl is really something, if it were an ordinary woman, even if she tried to pretend, she wouldn't be able to mimic such a cute and charming demeanor."

  Fang Luo You just smiled wryly and pulled out his hand, saying: "Alright, alright, Qing Zhu. It's all over now!"

  "Hehe." Chen Qingzhu's face suddenly lit up with a smile, her big eyes curved into crescent moons, and she became cheerful. She stretched out her small hand in front of Fang Luoyou: "Brother Fang, it's time to return my spirit stone!"

  "Cough!" Fang Luoyou coughed dryly, and Mo Bei and Long Haotian's expressions also became somewhat unnatural.

  Although Mo Bei and Luo You both took the top two spots, they each received 1,000 and 600 spiritual stones respectively.

  However, they spent all the spiritual stones on sword techniques, martial arts and sword spirits in just a few days.

  At this moment, the remaining spiritual stones are far from enough to repay Chen Qingzhu's usury.

  "This... Fang Luo Yu dryly chuckled twice: "Recently, Shixiong's hands are still a bit tight, Qing Zhu you see if it's possible to give some more time?"

  "Ah...... nearly two thousand spirit stones, all of you three have used them up!" Chen Qingzhu's mouth twitched and she rolled her eyes, shocked.

  "Alright, alright." Chen Qingzhu said with a bitter face: "Who made you my Fang brother? However, it can only be delayed for a hundred days. I want to buy a divine sword..."

  The maid standing by listened to the conversation of the crowd, and her heart was more and more shocked.

  "Mo Bei? I seem to have heard this person's name somewhere?" The maid furrowed her brow, secretly guessing.

  Watching Chen Qingzhu get along with the three seemingly poor new disciples in front of her, a mysterious feeling flashed through the maid's heart.

  Chen Qingzhu is the darling of the Chen family. He can be said to be one of the most promising outer sect disciples of the Tai Xu Sect!

  Suddenly a thought flashed through her mind, like lightning, and in an instant, the maid's mind went blank.

  "Mo Bei... isn't he the first place winner of this outer sect disciple competition?! It's actually him!"

  The maid has always been extremely confident in her own vision, and has never failed.

  But this time, unexpectedly, I was the one who made a mistake!

  I was just a low-ranking outer disciple with no potential, and because the 15-year cultivation time limit had passed, I should have been expelled from the Taiwu Sect due to my poor aptitude.

  It just so happened that Longhu was short of hands on that day and was recruiting workers. I was lucky enough to continue staying at Longhu.

  The maid's heart was tight with anxiety. Thinking again about her previous words and demeanor, her heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

  But before she could catch her breath and figure out how to respond.

  An idea resurfaced in his mind once again.

  The maid's complexion changed slightly, her eyes fell on Fang Luoyou, and then she took a closer look.

  "Fang Luo You, Fang Family's Fang Luo You! The first of this generation's Four Great Geniuses, Fang Luo You!"

  She had originally still had some luck in her heart: even if she had offended the outer door disciple Mo Bei, who was first in the competition, he might not necessarily be able to drive herself out of Tianlong Lake.

  But Fang Luo You was none other than the most promising disciple of the Fang family in a hundred years, and even the entire Tai Xu Sect!

  Especially Fang's family behind him.

  "This Lingge's shopkeeper is actually a disciple of the Fang family!"

  "Whether I stay or leave is still up to others' words!"

  The maid's face was as white as paper, with a million regrets in her heart, hanging her head low, and her body trembling slightly.

  Mo Bei and Fang Luoyou were too busy talking to Chen Qingzhu to notice the change in the maid's demeanor. Just a moment ago, she was still haughty and arrogant, but now she was meek and submissive, her head lowered, like a mouse that had seen a cat, not daring to make a sound, afraid of provoking the three of them.

  Long Hao Tian, however, saw this scene and chuckled to himself, rubbing his nose while staring at the maid with ill intentions: "Hey, isn't it just a piece of spirit stone? We..."

  "Boom!"

  The maid's face turned pale and she knelt down on the ground, her face filled with panic: "Slave, slave doesn't dare!"

  "I was blinded by greed for a moment, and I'm willing to beg for forgiveness... Please, Master Fang and Master Mo, have mercy on me..." She spoke in a flustered tone, her voice trembling.

  "This..."

  Mo Bei and the three of them looked at each other in silence, their faces filled with astonishment. Who would have known that the difference between the maid's front and back was so great?

  "Could it be that I look too intimidating, and my aura has scared her off?" Long Hao Tian's face was filled with confusion, subconsciously touching the stubble on his face, muttering to himself.

  Fang Luo You didn't mind and told a maid who was arguing with him: "Never mind, stand up and talk."

  Mo Bei narrowed his eyes, recalling the maid's words, and subconsciously said: "Being greedy has blinded your conscience... Who is behind you, what benefits have they given you? What do they want you to do?"

  The maid stood up, stuttering and stammering, and at this moment she didn't dare to hide anything anymore. She spoke clearly: "It was all because of someone else's instructions... just over there..."

  The maid pointed with her finger towards a certain corner of the Ling Pavilion and said: "That person is over there!"

  Everyone subconsciously looked in the direction she was pointing, but there was no one in that corner, not even half a shadow.

  "What the... Are you messing with me?" Long Hao Tian sneered: "Where did this guy come from, not even a dog is around."

  The maid was so frightened that she fell to the ground again with a thud, shaking her head and saying: "I dare not, I dare not."

  As she spoke, the maid took out a piece of spiritual stone from her bosom and stuttered: "Indeed, that person gave me a piece of spiritual stone and instructed me... But, he was clearly there just now, how could he disappear in the blink of an eye?"

  Mo Bei and Fang Luo exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

  "What does he look like? What did he ask you to do?" Mo Bei asked in a low voice.

  The maid knelt on the ground and didn't dare to get up, biting her lip and saying: "That person told me to secretly sprinkle this packet of powder in your room every day."

  As she spoke, the maid took out another package of powdered medicine from her sleeve.

  Long Haitian walked over and took it, ready to open it.

  "Hao Tian, don't be impatient. Those people didn't have good intentions, opening it like this, isn't that asking for trouble?" Mo Bei said in a low voice.

  Fang Luo You shook his head and said, "It won't be, Tianlong Lake's restrictions on its disciples are very strict! No one dares to use poison to harm people under the eyes of many Protectors in broad daylight. I think these powders should not be enough to take a life."

  While Fang Luo was talking, Long Hao Tian had already opened the outermost layer of cowhide paper, and it turned out to be a package of light gray odorless powder.

  "What is this thing?" Long Hao Tian furrowed his brow, his gaze sharp and fiercely staring at the maid.

  The maid was so frightened that she shook her head, her face as white as paper, almost crying: "I don't know, I don't know. I've already told all the masters everything I know, please forgive me and let me off!"

  Fang Luo You ignored him and stared at the powder, frowning in deep thought.

  "Huh, Brother Fang. Bring it over and let Qing Zhu take a look." Chen Qingzhu tiptoed over, brought her nose closer, took a sniff, and smiled at Fang Luoyou, saying: "Brother Fang, looks like you've offended an enemy."

  "Could it be that Miss Chen knows what this thing is?" Mo Bei raised an eyebrow and asked.

  Fang Luo You tapped his forehead, suddenly remembering something and said: "I had forgotten about Qing Zhu. Your Chen family is actually the one that specializes in researching and manufacturing spiritual pills and medicines for the Tai Xu Sect. Qing Zhu, do you know what this is?"

  "Hehe, of course I know." Chen Qingzhu puckered her small mouth, and her lively eyes sparkled with a hint of cunning: "But it's quite tiring to let others distinguish between medicines too. Fang Gege, you have to give me some benefits, so I can buy sweets to eat."

  "You're still negotiating with me? Alright, I'll give you another 0.1% interest rate. Hurry up and say it."

  "Hehe!" Chen Qingzhu suddenly became happy, pulled out the hand holding the doll, and pointed at the package of grayish-white powder with her jade finger: "This is called Scattered Spirit Powder."

  "When refining the elixir, some elixirs are unstable in nature and require sprinkling this Ling Spirit Powder before refining to expel the spiritual energy, only then can they be refined."

  "If one inhales this medicinal powder for a long time, it will hinder the cultivator's cultivation and prevent them from absorbing spiritual energy. Moreover, in the long run, even the power of swordsmanship will be greatly discounted!"

  "So, it's rare for cultivators to use San Ling Fen unless they're in a desperate situation."

  Chen Qing bamboo nodded heavily, and spoke fluently: "Moreover, even if it's the elder of our Chen family who refines the elixir, using this scattered spirit powder. After refining the elixir is completed, they will use spiritual water to bathe and drive away these scattered spirit powders."

  "Because the scattered spirit powder dissolves in water and is tasteless, it's very hard to detect." Chen Qingzhu pouted her cherry lips and concluded: "These people don't want you to cultivate, Fang Gege!"

  As soon as Chen Qingzhu finished speaking, Mo Beifang, Luo Yong and Long Haotian's faces immediately fell, looking at each other.

  "A big tree attracts wind, it seems someone has set their sights on us." Fang Luoyou said with narrowed eyes and a cold tone.

  "Damn it! Which son of a bitch is trying to play tricks on me? Once I catch him, I'll beat him until he doesn't recognize his own parents!" Long Hao Tian's anger was burning, and he fiercely spat out a mouthful of saliva, cursing loudly.