I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 288 - 286: Night Conversation

"The reason I dared to demand a public appraisal is because Xue Han told me the truth before he died. Besides, he also exposed a lot about your dark past. Look, it’s all stored in this chip. Does the Chu Family Master want to have a look?"

A gold chip the size of a Crystal Stone suddenly appeared in Li Xing’s hand, reflecting the cold moonlight like a mirror.

Chu Yu was shocked and blurted out without thinking, "Impossible, I destroyed all the evidence. How do you still have—!"

After meeting Xue Han in the tavern, Chu Yu used all the power he could muster to find Xue Han’s two men and retrieved a chip from each of them.

Under severe torture, the men confessed that the chips contained evidence of Chu Yu’s transactions with the Cult of Immortals. According to their instructions, they were supposed to report to the Inspection Bureau once Xue Han got the money. But before they set off, Chu Yu caught them.

Chu Yu was glad that he acted first and didn’t foolishly believe that Xue Han would keep his mouth shut after receiving the money.

He decisively killed the men and destroyed the chips. Convinced that Xue Han no longer had any evidence to threaten him, he dared to reveal Xue Han’s location to the Cult of Immortals, intending to finish him off.

But now, another chip identical to the other two had surfaced, and it was in Li Xing’s possession. How could he not be nervous?

Damn, didn’t they say the Second Army thoroughly inspected her space button? How could they miss something so important! If it had been discovered earlier, he would have found a way to destroy the evidence while Li Xing was detained.

The gleaming chip, controlled by Li Xing, shifted back and forth between her fingers.

Chu Yu’s gaze lingered on the chip as he calculated if there was a possibility of subduing Li Xing and snatching the chip. However, Li Xing’s next words shattered his plans into dust.

"Chu Family Master, I advise you not to test my patience. Someone like you, I can take on ten in one breath. If you dare to touch the optical brain or try to call for help, I’ll see to it that you spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair."

Chu Yu: ...

Earlier, he feared being overheard in his secret talk with Li Xing. But now, Chu Yu’s attitude had turned 180 degrees, wishing for people to come and surround Li Xing, hacking her to pieces.

Strange enough, the two stood in the garden outside Ye Lan’s room. It was an essential patrol area, with guards supposed to pass every ten minutes, yet no one showed up all this time.

Not even a servant passed by. Such a "desolate" Chu Family site, Chu Yu had only seen once eighteen years ago.

Chu Yu squinted his eyes. "A wise man knows when to yield." He decided to hear her out first. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"What do you want?"

Li Xing smiled, "I knew the Chu Family Master was a clever man. You know I brought out the chip to negotiate terms. So, let’s lay it all out. I can destroy the chip, but you have to agree to two things."

"What two things?"

"First, withdraw the charges against Ning Yu for damaging the Heart Relic and let him leave the Heaven-Reaching Tower. Second, divorce Ye Lan."

Chu Yu was furious, shouting hysterically, "No way! The first is negotiable, but divorce is absolutely impossible!"

Li Xing said calmly, "As long as you voluntarily give Ye Lan her freedom, I won’t pursue your fraudulent marriage sins."

Chu Yu was stunned, then squinted his eyes, staring intently at the chip in Li Xing’s hand, speaking softly, "The evidence about the fraudulent marriage on the chip was fabricated by Xue Han. You’ve been duped."

The golden chips had a distinctive feature; they could only store original information. Once the data was input, they became read-only. So, Chu Yu was already surprised when he found two chips with almost identical content from Xue Han’s men, let alone another in Li Xing’s hand!

To be honest, Chu Yu had questioned the chip’s authenticity. These expensive chips were within Li Xing’s financial reach; she could certainly have used a blank one to bluff.

But on the other hand, the last person Xue Han saw before he died was indeed Li Xing. Since he managed to make two identical chips, he might have prepared another for himself.

To drag Chu Yu down, Xue Han could have entrusted Li Xing with this; Chu Yu couldn’t risk his name or the Chu Family’s reputation.

Chu Yu had seen the contents of the destroyed chips. They made no mention of the Chu Family’s secret of the purple eyes nor any fraudulent marriage evidence. If Li Xing goes along with this, then the chip must be fake. But her next words dispelled all of Chu Yu’s doubts.

"Is the Chu Family Master testing me?" Li Xing chuckled. "The chip doesn’t mention that, but as someone from the ’Chu Family,’ it’s not surprising I know insider info that outsiders don’t, right?"

Li Xing deliberately emphasized "Chu Family," her mocking tone making Chu Yu feel his head was about to explode.

It seemed her chip was indeed genuine. Damn Xue Han, not giving him peace even in death!

Li Xing’s provocation enraged Chu Yu. She twirled her wrist, retracting the chip into space, and glanced at Chu Yu with disgust, saying coldly:

"Do you think today’s negotiation stems from my fear of exposing you? Get over yourself. You and I both know I have no sense of belonging to the Chu Family. I even hope for its downfall. But since Chu Yunyi is my half-brother, out of consideration for his sake, I can give you a chance to save yourself."

"If what’s on the chip is exposed, you’ll fall from your high-road Family Head position to a criminal everyone can trample. Even though the chip has no records of your fraudulent marriage, how do you know the Chu Family won’t speak out? Have all those years led all Chu Family members to respect and fully obey you as their head?"

Chu Yu’s eyes flickered, obviously shrinking. Of course not, the larger the family, the fiercer the infighting.

The Chu Family had many members, with countless rivals eyeing the Family Head position. The current peace was entirely due to the Elder Council supporting Chu Yu’s branch, giving it authority and strength to crush any undercurrents immediately.

But if his transgressions were exposed, the Elder Council would not stand by him, and national institutions would unapologetically weaken the direct lineage’s power. Suppressing those eager to make a move would be nearly impossible.

When the wall falls, everyone pushes. He truly believed many within the Chu Family would quickly rise to testify against him.

Li Xing said, "I’m willing to bet that right after you’re found guilty, someone will expose your fake agreement tricking Ye Lan, worsening your crimes. By then, Chu Yunyi will no longer be the Chau Family heir but an illegitimate child. He might not care, but I have to consider how this affects him. Why should he bear the cost of your misdeeds?"

Chu Yu’s face twitched. There’s no denying that Chu Yunyi was the most outstanding of all his offspring. If he were stripped of his heir status, it would indeed be unfair, as cultivating another heir of equal caliber would be nearly impossible.

"I know you’re not a good father, and you don’t care about Chu Yunyi’s reputation. But as a somewhat responsible Family Head, I’ll ask you one last time: between a woman who doesn’t love you and the chu Family’s millennia-old legacy, which do you choose?"

Ye Lan was Chu Yu’s reverse scale. Even willing to drive her insane to keep her by his side, clearly, his obsession had reached a pathological level.

Yet Chu Yu knew Li Xing wasn’t bluffing. She had both the capability and the desire to see the Chu Family’s downfall. Even if he refused to free Ye Lan, when he’s finally caught, wouldn’t she still leave?

Better to comply with Li Xing’s terms than lose fame and the family’s future, accomplishing nothing in the end.

"Alright, I agree to your terms."

"Excellent. Once the Chu Family Master fulfills the conditions, I’ll destroy the chip right in front of you."