My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

Upon hearing Lin Ran's words, Xiao Xi bit her red lips and said shyly, "Mr. Cao, I'm very sorry, Sister Xin is not here right now. She is attending a banquet at the auction venue. If you want to find her, please go over there. I have something to do, so I'll have to go now!"

After saying that, Xiaoxi bowed several times and hurriedly walked downstairs.

Lin Ran listened to the hurried footsteps coming from the stairs, and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

Wen Qianyi, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but whisper, "Could it be that Boss Xin is trying to renege on his debt?"

"It shouldn't be that. I feel she wants to evacuate everyone connected to her to a safe place..."

Lin Ran shook his head. After thinking for a moment, he pulled Wen Qianyi downstairs with him: "Let's go find a place nearby to wait. We'll pay a visit to Boss Xin when he comes back tonight!"

……

22. Discuss the plan (4K)

Late at night, in the alley behind Guangming Hall, a carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the gate. The coachman called out towards the curtain, "Miss Xin, we've arrived!"

"Well, I see!"

A weary voice came from inside the curtain. Xin Zhiqin lifted the curtain, looked at the back gate of the courtyard on her left, pinched the bridge of her nose, and waved her hand, saying, "Old Li, you should go home for a while!"

"Miss... I have elderly parents and young children to support, please don't abandon me!"

Upon hearing Xin Zhiqin's words, the coachman, Old Li, whose weathered face was etched with the deep lines of time, was suddenly overcome with panic. He immediately knelt down before Xin Zhiqin, his forehead striking the carriage with a dull thud.

Xin Zhiqing shook her head helplessly and said, "Old Li, things might not be very stable in the city lately. I'm telling you to go home and lay low for a while."

"Here's some money, take it too. Remember to say hello to your kids for me!"

Xin Zhiqing helped Old Li up, took a bag of gold coins and stuffed it into his hand, showing no disgust at the calluses on his hands.

"Miss...this...this is too much!"

Old Li felt the weight of the money bag and hurriedly shook his head, making a move to stuff it back to Xin Zhiqing. However, Xin Zhiqing used her spiritual power to control Old Li, suspending him in mid-air and sending him to the back of the carriage. She then coldly shouted, "Hurry up and leave, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Thank you, miss!"

With tears streaming down his face, Old Li kowtowed several times in the direction of Xin Zhiqing before staggering away from the alley.

After seeing Old Li off, Xin Zhiqing couldn't help but sigh. She went to where Old Li had been and drove the carriage back to the stable behind Guangming Hall.

Then he opened the back door of Guangmingtang courtyard and was about to close it when suddenly a fair, well-defined hand blocked the closing door, and a voice rang out: "Boss Xin, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

……

Behind Guangming Hall, there are many small courtyards and houses. In one of the courtyards, which is particularly luxurious and exquisite, the house is lit up. Through the beautiful window, you can vaguely see two figures inside, seemingly busy with something.

Of course, it was actually Xin Zhiqing who was busy washing tea, brewing tea, and serving tea to an acquaintance who had come to visit late at night. To be honest, Xin Zhiqing actually wanted to slap this uninvited guest to death; he had almost scared her to death in the middle of the night.

She served the steaming tea to her "acquaintance," then sat down herself, crossed her legs, turned slightly to the side, and said with a smile, "Mr. Mengde, it's really an honor to have you come so late!"

Lin Ran picked up her teacup, blew on it to cool it down, took a sip, and then smiled and said, "There's a reason for this. I hope Mr. Xin won't blame me for bothering you."

Lin Ran also had some things he wanted to confirm, otherwise he wouldn't have come to her door in the middle of the night. Just now, he had told Wen Qianyi not to come with him, which made the clingy girl a little angry. He would have to go back and coax her later.

"I won't blame you, but may I ask what brings you here, Mr. Mengde? The battle for the Tree Heart Fragment hasn't even begun yet, and you haven't fulfilled your promise. Could it be that you intend to forcibly take the map of the Ghostly Resentful Face Flower from me?"

Xin Zhiqing seemed to be joking, but her body was actually tense.

She was, after all, a Spirit Pill Realm expert. Even if she couldn't defeat the man in front of her, she believed she could still escape or cause a scene in Dan City.

Seeing Xin Zhiqing's reaction, Lin Ran couldn't help but find it amusing. He said coldly, "If... I really wanted to do something to you, you would have died the moment you entered the room. You wouldn't have had any chance to react, and it might take a few days before people discover your body."

Xin Zhiqing fell silent, pondering the meaning behind Lin Ran's words. Her expression shifted between light and shadow, and her hand, resting on the table, trembled slightly.

After a long while, she took a deep breath, her eyes bloodshot, and stared at Lin Ran, sneering, "What exactly do you want? I can give you the map right now!"

"I can give you all the precious medicinal herbs from Guangming Hall, and even my body—if you don't mind my plain appearance, I can serve you right now. But my condition remains the same: help me deal with the Medicine King Sect!"

"Hehe, I'm really curious, why do you think you can overthrow the Medicine King Sect? Could you tell me your plan? Otherwise, I really don't want to participate in the chaotic battle that starts tomorrow," Lin Ran couldn't help but say.

Xin Zhiqing crossed her arms over her chest, making her fair skin stand out even more. She suddenly giggled and said, "Mr. Mengde, I'm afraid you'll have to get involved tomorrow whether you want to or not. You bought that stone slab from Xingyun Pavilion today, didn't you? Didn't you check if there were any marks left by Xingyun Pavilion on that stone slab?"

"Thank you so much for reminding me, Mr. Xin. I'll check it when I get back!" Lin Ran said, taking a sip of tea.

Seeing Lin Ran's calm demeanor, Xin Zhiqing was a little stunned and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you...aren't you flustered?"

"Why would I be flustered? I'm very happy to have a late-night chat with such a beautiful woman as Boss Xin!" Lin Ran said, looking at Xin Zhiqing.

Xin Zhiqing maintained a calm expression, but inside she was somewhat flustered, feeling as if Lin Ran's gaze could see through her clothes and into her completely exposed state.

She couldn't help but ask, "So what exactly does Mr. Mengde want?"

"Tell me your plan, and the information you've obtained at the Medicine King Sect. If you want me to take action, you need to let me know the situation!"

This was Lin Ran's purpose; there was nothing else. He simply wanted to know these things because tomorrow's battle for the Tree Heart Fragments involved the academy and the Dragon Transformation Realm. The established powers in the Danger Triangle would certainly not give the Holy Sky Academy a chance to return. If he wanted to cause trouble, it would be quite difficult.

"Hey, to put it bluntly, you're just scared!" Xin Zhiqing mocked.

"Yeah, I'm really scared. There are several Dragon Transformation Realm cultivators. I'm afraid I'll be in deep trouble!" Lin Ran readily admitted, leaving Xin Zhiqin speechless for a moment.

After they finished speaking, the two fell silent. In the end, it was Xin Zhiqing who couldn't stand the atmosphere and gave in first. She said helplessly, "I can tell you my plan, as well as the Medicine King Sect's current thoughts and plans, but you must swear a solemn oath that only you can know about it!"

When it came to making a solemn oath, Lin Ran didn't hesitate to use the name "Cao Mengde" to swear it. Of course, he silently apologized to Mr. Mengde in his heart, for making Mr. Mengde suffer!

Upon hearing Lin Ran swear a solemn oath, Xin Zhiqing then explained the plan to Lin Ran in detail, including the internal situation of the Medicine King Sect.

By the time Lin Ran came out of Xin Zhiqing's room, it was already getting light outside. Lin Ran went back to the place he and Wen Qianyi had temporarily found to stay.

Upon entering the room, they discovered Wen Qianyi sitting at the table, the candle in front of her almost completely burned out, indicating it had been burning all night.

"Why have you been waiting for me all night?"

Lin Ran came to the table, just as he was about to pick up the kettle to make a cup of tea, when Wen Qianyi leaned close to him and sniffed his scent like a puppy. After smelling only a very faint woman's fragrance, she said coldly, "What are you talking about all night? Didn't you say you were going to confirm something and would be back soon?"

Lin Ran smiled, pulled Wen Qianyi to sit down, and told Wen Qianyi all the information she had obtained from Xin Zhiqing.

Hearing this, Wen Qianyi couldn't help but cover her mouth and exclaim in surprise, "This woman is really crazy, maybe she can really make it happen!"

Lin Ran shook her head and said, "She's still too naive. Perhaps that vice sect leader, Mei Su, discovered her a long time ago. Ever since the Medicine King Sect took the tree heart fragment from Guangming Hall, the two should have been mortal enemies."

However, Mei Su still spared Xin Zhiqing's life, perhaps because of her status as a fifth-level alchemist, or perhaps because of the ability of her Guangming Hall to find medicinal herbs.

But one thing is certain: her movements will definitely be watched by the Medicine King Sect, and she probably won't succeed!

"Those people we dealt with tonight?" Wen Qianyi asked.

"Okay!" Lin Ran nodded.

Wen Qianyi glanced out the window; it was almost dawn. She couldn't help but say, "According to Xin Zhiqing, the Medicine King Sect auction usually only hands over the prizes to all the successful bidders the next day. Moreover, the Medicine King Sect deliberately delayed the time for the Holy Sky Academy to obtain the Tree Heart Fragment yesterday, but no matter how long they delayed, it would only be today!"

"That's right!"

Lin Ran's eyes flickered, and she said in a deep voice, "I estimate that the Holy Sky Academy will soon go to the Medicine King Sect to hand over the goods. Once the Holy Sky Academy gets what it needs, it will definitely leave Dan City immediately and head back to its territory. Speaking of which, will the other academies make a move?"

Wen Qianyi was taken aback and said uncertainly, "The five academies have always had an agreement. Although the five academies are closely connected, they are actually all harboring their own ulterior motives. They might hide their identities in the dangerous triangle area and make a move."

"Senior, why don't we just kill that woman? We can always find a map of the Ghostly Resentful Face by searching directly." Wen Qianyi made a throat-slitting gesture, which made Lin Ran laugh. She rubbed Wen Qianyi's head and said, "Silly girl, this woman is very useful. What do you think about bringing this woman and her network of connections in finding medicinal herbs to our Linghua Academy?"

"Win them over?"

Wen Qianyi was taken aback, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized what she meant and said with delight, "She can do so much in the dangerous triangle area, which not only requires skill, but also a very deep network of connections."

If we could recruit her to our Linghua Academy, we would not only gain a fifth-tier alchemist, but also expand our medicinal herb searching network, allowing our alchemy department to improve its strength even faster!

"If the alchemy department becomes stronger, it can also benefit the academy's cultivation department, thus improving the overall strength of the academy more quickly," Lin Ran added.

"Senior, are you sure you have no ulterior motives whatsoever?"

Wen Qianyi suddenly asked this question. After all, although that Boss Xin's face was not as pretty as hers, she had a voluptuous figure and looked quite innocent, but she always gave people the feeling of a vixen.

Lin Ran was taken aback for a moment, then quickly pulled Wen Qianyi into her arms and said, "I don't have any selfish motives. I really just want to contribute my strength to the construction of the academy, just as I told you."

"Well, I guess I'll reluctantly believe you, you perverted senior!"

Wen Qianyi snuggled closer to Lin Ran, finding a more comfortable position, then took Lin Ran's hand and drew circles in his palm, saying, "So what should we do next?"

“Since we’re going to be the ones stirring things up, we can’t be the first to make a move. Besides, our status isn’t suited for that. Everyone’s watching the Tree Heart Fragment’s movements right now. It’s a hot potato, and even if the Holy Sky Academy gets it, they might not be able to hold onto it.”

Lin Ran continued, "Therefore, we must act according to circumstances and wait for the right moment to make a move, only acting as a disruptor. After all, our goal is not the tree heart fragment, and we may also be being targeted by the Nebula Pavilion. Do you remember the fake mark I asked you to make yesterday?"

Wen Qianyi nodded. She had noticed two marks on the stone slab yesterday, one from Xingyun Pavilion and the other from Medicine King Sect.

After finding a safe place, with Fan Hua's guidance, she not only removed the two marks but also placed two fake ones on another fake stone slab.

"This thing will come in very handy later, and then Qianyi, you just do as I say next..."

Lin Ran leaned close to Wen Qianyi's ear and told her about his plan.

Upon hearing the plan, Wen Qianyi shook her head and exclaimed, "No, this is too dangerous! How can we let you go alone as bait, senior!"

"I have a way to escape, and besides, don't you believe in my strength? I can fight even someone in the Dragon Transformation Realm!" Lin Ran wasn't bragging or showing off. With his current strength, he could really compete with a powerhouse who had just entered the Dragon Transformation Realm. If the other party underestimated him, he could even kill them directly.

“I know you’re amazing, senior, but…” Wen Qianyi was still a little worried.

Seeing Wen Qianyi like this, Lin Ran gently rubbed Wen Qianyi's head and said softly, "This is a rare opportunity. If we can bring that woman Xin Zhiqing into the academy, our academy will definitely be able to make further progress in the future. Moreover, we can also find out the specific location of the Ghostly Resentful Face Flower. Perhaps... we can also covet the wealth of the Medicine King Sect."

Hearing Lin Ran say this, Wen Qianyi stopped hesitating and decided to act according to Lin Ran's plan.

……

Just after dawn, the entire city of Dan appeared calm, but in reality, turbulent waves were already surging.

As soon as the entrance to the Medicine King Sect auction house opened, a group from the Holy Sky Academy arrived. Mei Su, as if she had expected it, was already waiting at the entrance. When she saw the inner court dean of the Holy Sky Academy, Mei Su greeted him with a smile.

After lingering at the auction house for only a short time, the Holy Dome Academy left with their items. News of the academy acquiring the Tree Heart Fragment, fueled by certain individuals, quickly spread throughout Dan City…

……

23. What exactly is Shengqiong Academy planning?

Lin Ran miscalculated one thing: he didn't expect that after obtaining the Tree Heart Fragment, the Holy Sky Academy would not leave Dan City immediately, but instead continue to leisurely reside in the Falling Maple Pavilion.

Many people in Dan City went outside the city yesterday, intending to ambush the Holy Sky Academy. However, the fact that the Holy Sky Academy is still in Dan City has undoubtedly made everyone inside and outside the city who are after the Tree Heart Fragment feel extremely anxious.

But in Dan City, no one can make a move, otherwise it would be breaking the rules.

Now everyone is focused on Luofeng Pavilion. As long as Shengqiong Academy leaves, they will surely be met with an ambush from most of the dangerous triangle area.

Three days later, one morning, Lin Ran learned from Xin Zhiqing that the Holy Sky Academy had just left Luofeng Pavilion and was heading quickly toward the North Gate.

In Xin Zhiqin's room, after Lin Ran finished slurping the noodles in her bowl, she took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth with satisfaction before laughing, "These cunning fellows have finally decided to leave the city. We've been waiting for them for days, and the flowers are almost withered!"