"This... how is this possible?" But even the Valley Master himself acknowledged that this divine pill came from the young man before them—how could it be fake? Yet he was far too young.
"May I ask who this young master is?" Zhou Yan, the alchemist who had spoken first, squinted his eyes into a narrow slit, his expression utterly ridiculous.
"I am Shan Luo." Ye Lanshan wore a faint smile, exuding elegance and refinement. Coupled with the ethereal aura radiating from within, she seemed like an otherworldly immortal, pure and untainted.
Fortunately, there were no female alchemists among the attendees; otherwise, they would undoubtedly have been utterly captivated by him.
"So it's Brother Shan Luo. May I ask who your master is?" Zhou Yan smiled ingratiatingly, trying to subtly build a connection with her.
"My master is the former Valley Master, Situ Kuang. And you, sir, calling me 'brother' might not be quite appropriate, don't you think?" Ye Lanshan wanted nothing to do with this man, as his intentions were clearly dubious.
The man let out a few awkward chuckles before suddenly exclaiming in shock, "What? Situ Kuang?"
His astonishment and the immediate defensive posture he adopted, along with the other alchemists' loss of flattery replaced by faint hostility, made it clear. This man was not only scheming but also utterly lacking in wit and awareness—had he not noticed Situ Yanguang's face, already dark as coal?
"Enough. Drop it. All of you, go about your business."
Situ Yanguang was now deeply troubled. He had originally planned to tell Situ Cheng that this young man was his disciple, inheriting his legacy, which would make succeeding as Valley Master far smoother. But now that Ye Lanshan had blatantly revealed herself as Situ Kuang's disciple, it seemed impossible to conceal.
"How could you casually blurt out that you're Situ Kuang's disciple? Do you have any idea how much the Situ family head hates Situ Kuang?" After driving everyone else away, he shouted at Ye Lanshan.
It was a credit to Ye Lanshan that she remained composed amid such a deafening roar. She smiled faintly. "He'll find out sooner or later anyway. What difference does it make if it's now? I don't know what schemes you and Situ Cheng are plotting, but I'm determined to take the position of Valley Master of the Medical Valley."
She shot Yun Di a glance, and he nodded in understanding. In the blink of an eye, he swiftly subdued Cang Zhu, while she instantly released her divine beasts, Ying Huarong and Yan Hu, forming a triangular encirclement around Situ Yanguang.
Situ Yanguang was momentarily stunned, never expecting things to take such a turn.
"Situ Yanguang, when you betrayed my uncle and seized his position as Valley Master back then, did you ever think this day would come?"
Though Yun Di had taken the young boy hostage, he only restricted his movements and sealed his voice, causing no real harm.
"This... you've truly misunderstood me. I was forced into it back then." Every time Situ Yanguang thought of this, he was overwhelmed with guilt. They had once been fellow disciples, as close as brothers. If Situ Cheng hadn't seized his wife and child to threaten him, how could he have done something he would regret for life?
"I don't care if you were forced or not. Since the harm is done, no amount of atonement can undo it. So no matter how you defend yourself today, we won't let you go."
Though a bitter smile tugged at Situ Yanguang's lips, his eyes held a hint of relief. With a disciple like this, Situ Kuang could surely live out his remaining years in peace.
"If you want to kill me, go ahead. Ever since I did that deed, I knew this day would come. I just didn't expect it so soon. But I have one request I hope you'll grant."
Situ Yanguang showed no rage, only calm acceptance, as if he had long resigned himself to his fate.
"Tell me." Ye Lanshan's eyes sparkled with a hint of curiosity as she studied him.
"Cang Zhu is innocent. Please spare his life." Situ Yanguang looked at Cang Zhu with a tenderness in his eyes that Ye Lanshan had only ever seen in her grandfather's gaze—a bond of blood, the pull of kinship, thicker than water.
Perhaps it was this emotion that moved Ye Lanshan. Even though she knew that once she acted, she must uproot the problem entirely, she still gave a slight nod.
Seeing her nod, Situ Yanguang let out a sigh of relief. But Cang Zhu struggled violently. "No! You can't kill Grandpa Situ! Have you no conscience? When Situ Kuang escaped earlier, Grandpa Situ helped you a great deal. How can you still kill him?"
"What?" Ye Lanshan paused, the dagger in her hand halting mid-swing. She looked at Yun Di, who was equally bewildered, showing no sign of understanding.
"If Grandpa Situ hadn't shown you the way, how could you have found where Situ Kuang was imprisoned? And when you fled, Grandpa Situ repeatedly misled them, blurring your trail so you could escape safely!"
Seeing that the hand over his mouth had been removed, Cang Zhu shouted loudly, afraid that Grandpa Situ would die under the blade if he spoke too late.
Cang Zhu's eyes were sincere; whatever he thought showed plainly on his face. Seeing him like this, it didn't seem like he was lying, and Ye Lanshan began to believe him.
"Lanshan, maybe we should let them go." Yun Di's eyes were pleading. After all, Yun Di was the key figure in this matter—whether to kill them or not was ultimately his decision. Since Yun Di wanted to spare them, what harm was there in letting them go?
Ye Lanshan waved her hand, summoning Ying Huarong and Yan Hu back.
"I thought it was strange earlier—how I managed to find my uncle so easily. That little maid was your person, wasn't she?" Yun Di's gaze at Situ Yanguang was complex, neither purely hateful nor anything else.
"Yes. At the time, I only wanted to atone for my sins, so I did that. But as Shan Luo said, the harm done can never be undone. So even if you kill me now, I won't blame you."
Situ Yanguang's aged face was devoid of any light, his eyes seeming to have seen through all the darkness in the world, trapped in it with no escape.
"You don't necessarily have to die. I think we can make a deal." Ye Lanshan changed her mind in an instant. With Shangguan Xin and Wu Tengyun unable to show themselves, and the Situ family being vast and deeply rooted, she wouldn't let go of any potential ally—and Situ Yanguang was one of them.
Earlier, Ye Lanshan's plan had been simple: use her alchemy to win everyone's admiration, then leverage Yun Di's Valley Master token to become the new Valley Master. Before Situ Cheng could react, she would expose all his dark and vile deeds, then find a way to push Yun Di into the position of family head.
But if Situ Yanguang were on their side now, things would be much easier to handle.