"Gu Jin that kid has arrived at the location on time! Did you help that boy?"
"I just talked with the boy, he said you were fine and that I don’t need to worry."
"When you see the messages call me."
Gu Jin’s lips twitched a little.
Master Qiao sounded as if he was about to lecture her, would it be a good choice to call him?
However what other options were left? She could only call him. As a result, Master Qiao lectured her for the next 5 minutes, before saying,
"Long Yifan has qualified for the next round and he would mostly likely have a few more matches, before making it to the international team."
Gu Jin nodded. Though she was curious as to what the competition was about, she dared not show interest.
She will first need to deal with those alchemist families.
Only she needs to find out whether they were colluding with Lamashtu or not.
With that thought, she continued to chat for a few more minutes before hanging up.
Then she dialed Long Yifan’s number.
The call was connected in just two rings, as Long Yifan’s cheerful voice sounded in her ears,
"The god must taken pity on me. Otherwise, how could my Jin’er call me on her own, two times a day."
Gu Jin rolled her eyes and said in a serious voice,
"Lamashtu has returned."
Long Yifan’s cheerful tone immediately vanished.
"What?" His voice dropped, filled with seriousness. "Did you see him or did he attack you? Where are you now? Are you injured?"
Gu Jin calmly answered,
"I am completely fine. He had attacked me, and I managed to make him flee from the battle."
Long Yifan was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was cold.
"Did he get stronger?"
Gu Jin’s eyes darkened. "Yes. He’s not just a parasite anymore... He’s evolving."
She had endured Lamashtu’s pressure once and knew how powerful he was, but...the Lamashtu she had encountered today was completely different.
Even her Dark Fire element was somewhat ineffective against it.
Logically speaking parasites like him should lose their power after being gravely injured, but within one month it not only recovered but also became more powerful and the best proof was his four pupils...
It was an indicator that he was on the verge of breaking through.
Long Yifan’s tone was grim.
"If he escaped... then he’s planning something. And if he’s alive, I’m definitely on his hit list."
Gu Jin’s jaw clenched.
"That’s why I called you. You need to be careful. Lamashtu won’t just come at you directly. He’s cunning... he’ll strike when you least expect it."
Long Yifan’s voice softened a little.
"Jin’er are you concerned about him?"
"No, I just thought of how powerful you are and thought of using you to deal with him." Gu Jin said nonchalantly.
Long Yifan wasn’t hurt at all, if he had a tail at that time, it would be wagging,
"Sure! You can use me however you want! But let me tell you, the best thing I know is warming beds, wanna try?"
Gu Jin was speechless by Long Yifan’s shamelessness.
Her expression turned icy, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Long Yifan..." she said in a low, dangerous tone.
"Hm? Yes, Jin’er?" Long Yifan’s voice was filled with playful innocence, but Gu Jin could practically feel the grin on his face.
"Do you want me to burn you alive?" she asked, her tone deceptively calm.
Long Yifan chuckled softly.
"I mean... if you’re into that, I wouldn’t mind," he teased, his voice dripping with mischief.
Gu Jin pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling slowly to control her temper.
"Do you ever take anything seriously?"
Long Yifan’s tone shifted immediately.
"Only when it comes to you, Jin’er," he said softly, his voice steady and sincere this time.
Gu Jin hung up the call and decided not to argue with the dog named Long Yifan.
She returned to her hotel and slept for the next 3 hours, before getting ready to visit the old men of the alchemy tower.
As soon as she reached the reception, the receptionist greeted her.
Gu Jin greeted back and soon reached the three old men’s location.
The moment she opened the door, a confetti popper exploded right in front of her face, showering her with glitter and colorful paper bits.
Gu Jin blinked, momentarily stunned.
A loud, enthusiastic voice echoed through the room, followed by a fit of laughter. Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed as she brushed the glitter off her shoulder.
Standing in front of her, grinning like mischievous children, were the three elders of the Alchemy Tower- Old Xiang, Old Fan, and Old Wu.
Old Xiang smiled warmly and said,
"Congratulations on ranking first in the second round too. We saw your performance, it was amazing."
Old Fan coughed and said in a forced calm voice,
"Though you didn’t make a single mistake, don’t think you are some alchemy king."
Old Wu shook his head a Old Fan’s comment and said to Gu Jin with a calm smile,
Gu Jin suppressed the rising curve of her mouth.
"Thank you, Old Xiang, Old Wu," she said politely, her tone calm but with a hint of weariness.
Then, her gaze shifted to Old Fan, who was trying — and failing — to look serious.
"And Old Fan... I wouldn’t dare think I’m an alchemy king." Her lips curved into a faint smile, but her eyes gleamed with dangerous amusement.
"After all, I still have to keep proving it in front of all of you."
Old Fan’s face twitched.
"Hmph," he muttered, crossing his arms. "You young people these days... too arrogant."
Old Wu chuckled softly, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Old Fan, stop pretending. You were the one who kept bragging about Gu Jin to the other elders. I heard you just yesterday, calling her a ’once-in-a-century genius.’"
Old Fan coughed, looking away. "Nonsense. I was merely... stating facts."
Gu Jin suppressed a smile, but the sparkle in her eyes betrayed her amusement.
"Alright, enough teasing," Old Xiang said, his tone turning more serious as he motioned for her to sit.
"Gu Jin, we called you here not just to congratulate you."
Gu Jin’s expression sobered instantly as she took her seat. "I figured as much. What’s wrong?"
Old Wu leaned forward slightly, his tone calm but laced with concern.
"Your alchemy brand has become too much of a threat for other alchemists, I fear..."
"You fear that they’ll try to sabotage me in the upcoming day," Gu Jin finished, her tone calm but her eyes sharp as a blade.
Old Wu gave a slow nod, his expression solemn.
"You have slowly captured all the marketplaces in the country. It’s no longer just about pride, Gu Jin. For some of those families... it’s survival. And desperate people do dangerous things."
Gu Jin’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, her mind racing. Survival, huh?
Old Xiang sighed heavily.
"We’ve received reports of unusual activity among several of the major alchemist families. They’re... restless."
"Restless?" Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed. "Or plotting?"
Old Xiang’s expression darkened. "Both, I fear. But that’s not the worst of it."
Gu Jin’s gaze sharpened. "What do you mean?"
Old Fan, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up, his tone unusually grim.
"Someone is trying to alter the batches of your pills."
Gu Jin suddenly remembered how she had caught managers who had sold all the high-quality pills to some other places and had replaced them with cheap quality.
At first, she thought it was a mere coincidence, but now...
Gu Jin’s eyes flashed coldly as pieces of the puzzle started clicking together.
So, it wasn’t just greed...
Her lips pressed into a thin line. If someone was tampering with her pills, it wasn’t just about sabotaging her reputation.
This was a calculated move to undermine her entire empire.
"How long has this been going on?" Gu Jin’s voice was calm, but the undercurrent of fury was impossible to miss.
Old Fan’s expression turned even grimmer.
"We’re not sure," he admitted, his gaze dark with concern.
"But based on the discrepancies we’ve found so far... at least three months."
"Do you have any suspects?" she asked, her voice low.
Old Wu exchanged a look with Old Xiang before answering.
"We’re still gathering evidence," Old Wu said carefully. "But... the Wei, the Zhao, and the Luo family have been unusually active in the market lately."
"Don’t they rank in the top alchemist families of the nation?" Gu Jin questioned.
The Wei, the Zhao, the Shen, and the Luo family were top-tier alchemist families. They had a history of having top alchemists for the past 10,000 years.
If even they were feeling threatened, then it showed how powerful Gu Jin’s pills were.
"So we fear that we won’t be able to protect you anymore." Old Xiang said with a sigh.
It was not that they didn’t want to protect Gu Jin, it was just that...they weren’t capable enough now.