I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 286 - 284: Message Sent by Flowers

"Ah Xing, are you leaving?"

Li Xing’s gaze flicked over the thick stack of documents on the desk as she uttered a low "Hmm." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Alright, I’ll see you off." Chu Yunyi pushed aside the half-finished paperwork and stood up to walk toward Li Xing.

The two of them left the commander’s office and headed toward the helipad, with Li Xing trailing half a step behind Chu Yunyi, her head hanging low and lost in thought.

Sensing the silence of the person next to him, Chu Yunyi spoke up.

"Ye Qingting and the others are asking non-stop when you’re leaving these days, acting like I’ve imprisoned you."

The power transition wasn’t complete, so Chu Yunyi had issued a lockdown order; without his personal approval, no one was allowed to enter or leave the second fortress.

Chu Yunyi smirked with a hint of helplessness. "If you don’t show up soon, those three might defy the lockdown order and storm the fortress."

Li Xing pressed her lips together in silence. Of course, she knew the status of Ye Qingting and the rest because her cortex was the first to get bombarded with messages.

She had been avoiding Ye Qingting and the other two, and this unprecedented coldness had left her friends baffled and uneasy.

They didn’t know what was wrong with Li Xing. They wanted to see her and ask, but Li Xing had stayed under wraps in the Second Army, which left them no choice but to bother Chu Yunyi in roundabout ways.

"Brother Chu, I don’t want to go back to school."

"Alright, where do you want to go? Back to Datang?" With everything that’s happened, the pressure on Li Xing must be intense. Going home to rest for a few days could do her good.

Li Xing gazed at Chu Yunyi’s lean and erect back, speaking softly, "Can I stay at your place for a few days?"

Chu Yunyi suddenly turned, surprise filling his purple eyes.

Li Xing tilted her head, "What, not welcome?"

"Of course not, if you want to come, I’d be thrilled."

Li Xing tried hard to suppress the guilt sprouting in her heart and forced out a smile: "Then let’s go, we’re going home."

"...Alright, home."

——————

For Li Xing’s arrival, everyone at the Chu house showed immense welcome, especially Ye Lan, who upon learning that Li Xing would be staying for some time, was so happy she babbled like a child, holding Li Xing’s hand nonstop.

Ye Lan’s condition was much better than before, but having been impaired for so long, the aftereffects were evident; she often forgot she had repeated the same thing several times. However, as long as Ye Lan wished to speak, Li Xing listened earnestly, never growing irritable.

The night Li Xing moved into the Chu house, the trio of Ye Qingting came visiting. Seeing Li Xing after so many days filled them with complex emotions.

Dark circles were evident under Ye Qingting’s eyes, showing restlessness and poor sleep recently. "Ah Xing, are you alright?"

Li Xing nodded with a smile.

Cui Tianxiao asked with a sullen face, "Xing, are you...angry with us?"

"Why would I be angry with you?"

"If not angry, why didn’t you reply to our messages? If not angry, why didn’t you return to Our Shop?"

Qi Ming’s eyes were red, "Sister Xing, living here, does that mean you don’t want to see us?"

Li Xing sighed, aware that the thing she was about to do would injure her three friends, yet the path was her choice, and no matter the challenges, she had to grit her teeth and persevere. One day, they would understand her reasons.

"You’re overthinking. I’m not angry with you, nor did I stay with the Chu family to avoid you."

After a pause, Li Xing continued, "Lin Yin’s death taught me a lesson: without a supporting force to rely on, being outstanding is an original sin. They dared to detain and interrogate me indiscriminately just because I come from a humble background, with no backing?"

The three visibly paled. Li Xing had never spoken to them with such a cynical tone before; what was going on?

"Ah Xing, you have backing, you’re the Honored Guest Elder of the Ye Family."

Li Xing sneered, "Ye Family? The Ye Family couldn’t even protect their own legitimate daughter, let alone me, an outsider as an elder?"

Ye Qingting’s face turned crimson as if he’d been slapped.

However, it seemed Li Xing did not want to stop here, her gaze sweeping slowly over the three as she said:

"I admit, you did help after I fell from grace, but it wasn’t much help. If not for Chu Yunyi, I might already be dead. Your power compared to the Chu family is lacking."

"I always thought that a hero’s ascent wasn’t about their lineage; that if I excelled, it wouldn’t matter if I had a family backing me or not, I’d reach great heights. But I overlooked a critical point: generations of effort, why should they lose to a commoner like me? No matter how smart or excellent, against a behemoth like the noble family, I am just an ant."

"Having come to terms with this, I no longer chase youthful arrogance. I’ve always known who I am but simply refused to acknowledge it. Now, it’s time for revelations."

"Thank you for visiting me. In a few days, something significant will occur at the Chu house. If you wish to know, come and see!"

Saying this, Li Xing didn’t give Ye Qingting and the other two a chance to ask further questions and left the guest room, leaving the three staring at each other, bewildered.

What did Li Xing mean by this, what did she mean by always knowing who she is? What revelations?

——————

Leaving the guest room, Li Xing felt agitated, weighed down by the hurt expressions of Ye Qingting and the others, filling her with guilt and gloom.

To dispel her guilt, Li Xing wandered aimlessly around the Chu house and inadvertently walked into Ye Lan’s little garden.

Here, a large field of vibrant seven-colored flowers swayed in the wind, beautiful indeed. Seven-colored flowers resembled Blue Star’s poppies; their large blooms were bowl-shaped, vibrant in color, and fragrant, the most common cut flowers on Qianyuan Continent.

Ye Lan especially loved the scent of the seven-colored flowers, placing a bunch of freshly picked ones on her bedside every day.

In the flower field, a petite figure with a basket was picking out the blooming seven-colored flowers for Ye Lan. Li Xing narrowed her eyes, slipped silently closer.

Wei Chen was just about to pluck a pink seven-colored flower when a cold voice came from behind her.

"Don’t turn around, pretend nothing happened, keep picking your flowers. I’ll ask you a few questions: ’yes,’ pick a red flower; ’no,’ pick a blue flower; ’don’t know,’ pick a yellow flower. I warn you, don’t pull any tricks. If I sense anything unusual, I’ll take your life! If understood, take three steps forward."

Turbulence raged within Wei Chen, but she obediently followed Li Xing’s instructions, putting a red flower into the basket and then, as if looking for the next target to pick, slowly moving forward three steps.

"Were you sent by Mingzhen to monitor the Chu family?"

Wei Chen bent down, picking a crimson flower.

"Besides you, are there any other Zhaoxian Sect spies within the Chu family?"

Wei Chen walked two steps forward, picking a blue seven-colored flower.

"Is the large mirror in your room the channel for contacting Mingzhen?"

Wei Chen unhesitatingly picked a red flower.

Li Xing’s suspicion of Wei Chen arose from her first day eating at the Chu house; she’d sensed the maid’s unfriendly gaze, thinking Wei Chen was infatuated with Chu Yunyi and irrationally jealous.

But as she learned more about Mingzhen’s tactics, Li Xing gradually changed her view of Wei Chen.

Reflecting on past instances, Li Xing became more convinced that Wei Chen was an insert by Mingzhen as a "visible line" within the Chu house, with eyes full of malice that hinted more at Mingzhen through her gaze than herself.

After arriving at the Chu house, Li Xing closely watched Wei Chen, even secretly searching her room.

After much interaction, from her hesitant behavior and unwillingness to meet gazes, Li Xing concluded that Wei Chen likely wasn’t a willing traitor, hence why Li Xing dared to directly "interrogate" her.

"Can you contact Mingzhen, lure him to the Chu house?"

Wei Chen virtually sprinted to a blue flower, picking it and placing it in the basket.

"When will he contact you next?"

A yellow flower was placed in the basket.

...

Leaving the guest room, Li Xing felt troubled. The hurt expressions of Ye Qingting and the others filled her with guilt, making her feel terrible.

To alleviate her guilt, Li Xing wandered aimlessly around the Chu house and inadvertently wandered into Ye Lan’s little flower garden.

Here, a large field of rainbow-colored poppies swayed in the breeze, stunningly beautiful. These poppies resembled the poppies commonly found on Blue Star, with large, cup-shaped blooms, vibrant colors, and fragrant scents, being the most common cut flower on Qianyuan Continent.

Ye Lan especially loved the scent of the rainbow poppies, placing a bunch of freshly picked flowers by her bedside every day.

In the flower field, a small figure was carrying a basket, selecting blooming seven-colored poppies for Ye Lan. Li Xing squinted her eyes and silently approached.

Just as Wei Chen was about to reach for a pink seven-colored poppy, a clear and cold voice suddenly sounded from behind her.

"Don’t turn around to look at me. Act like nothing happened and keep picking flowers. I’m warning you, don’t play any tricks. If you make a single suspicious move, your life is mine! If you understand, take three steps forward."

Understanding the turbulence within Wei Chen, but seeing her obediently follow instructions, picking a red flower into her basket, then seemingly searching for another target, slowly taking three steps forward.

"Are you sent by Mingzhen to spy on the Chu Family?"

Wei Chen bent down and plucked a scarlet flower.

"Besides you, is there any other Zhaoxian Sect mole in the Chu family?"

Wei Chen plucked a blue seven-colored flower.

"Is the large mirror in your room the channel for communicating with Mingzhen?"

Wei Chen unhesitatingly picked another red flower.

Li Xing had her suspicions about Wei Chen since the first time she saw the maid during a meal at the Chu house, initially thinking it was just because Wei Chen was an admirer of Chu Yunyi, giving her dirty looks.

But as she delved deeper into Mingzhen’s ways, Li Xing changed her perspective on Wei Chen.

Reflecting on those moments, Li Xing became more and more certain that Wei Chen was indeed Mingzhen’s "bright line" set inside the Chu house, with her malicious stares seemingly coming from Mingzhen rather than her own heart.

This time, after arriving at the Chu house, Li Xing paid special attention to Wei Chen, even secretly searching her room.

Li Xing realized Wei Chen probably didn’t become an informant willingly, which gave her the confidence to directly "interrogate" her like this.

"Can you contact Mingzhen and lure him to the Chu house?"

Wei Chen was almost sprinting forward to pluck another blue flower and put it into her basket.

"When will he contact you next?"

A yellow flower was placed in.

...

In a gloomy chamber filled with water mirrors, one of them reflected vast, undulating fields of beautiful flowers, occasionally interrupted by a pale hand breaking off a bloom and placing it in a basket.

Wei Chen hummed quietly, pausing to pluck another vibrant flower, allowing her mind to wander.

As he watched, Mingzhen clicked his tongue, cursing Wei Chen for picking flowers instead of keeping tabs on Chu Yunyi.

Since she’s so useless, next time, he would retrieve her through the water mirror, leaving the picturesque view to focus on scenes that mattered more.