The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

Shen Yifei was holding Qin Wan in bed, half-asleep, when he suddenly felt a ripple in his mind.

It is the fluctuation of the contract.

Liu Mengli's voice rang in his mind: "It's done."

Are you sure he's dead?

"They've all turned into dried meat, do you think they're dead or not?"

Where are you now?

"I'm right here beside you, watching over you!"

Shen Yifei released Qin Wan and sat up!

Liu Mengli chuckled and said, "Look how scared you are! Do you think I'm going to eat you?"

"You should go back inside the furnace first; it would be bad if the sect's experts found out."

Liu Mengli thought it made sense, so she transformed into a ray of green light and went into the furnace through the monster's mouth.

"What's wrong?" Qin Wan asked groggily.

"It's nothing, just a dream."

Qin Wan hummed in agreement and fell asleep again.

Shen Yifei held her close, closed his eyes, and this time he was truly asleep.

The next morning, Shen Yifei was awakened by a commotion.

Someone outside was shouting, their voice shrill and urgent, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Someone's dead! Someone's dead! Senior Brother Han is dead!"

Shen Yifei opened his eyes, and Qin Wan also woke up, sitting up groggily.

"What's wrong?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"It seems something has happened." Shen Yifei rolled out of bed, picked up his clothes from the floor, and put them on.

Qin Wan also got up, put on her nightgown, and followed him outside.

As the two stepped out of the courtyard, they saw a large crowd already gathered outside. In twos and threes, they were all running towards Han Zhengli's courtyard.

"Senior Brother Han is dead? Really?"

"It's true! The servant in his courtyard just found him. He was shriveled up, like a dried corpse."

"Has he gone mad from practicing qi cultivation?"

"Who knows? Let's go check it out first."

Shen Yifei followed behind the crowd, walking unhurriedly towards Han Zhengli's courtyard. Qin Wan walked beside him, her face a little pale.

"How could Han Zhengli have died so suddenly?" she asked softly.

"Who knows?" Shen Yifei said expressionlessly. "Maybe he's gone mad from practicing qi cultivation."

Qin Wan glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

When they arrived at Han Zhengli's courtyard, a large crowd had already gathered. The enforcement team had sealed off the courtyard, preventing anyone from entering. Shen Yifei tiptoed to peek inside and saw only a few enforcement disciples in gray robes going in and out, their faces looking rather grim.

Elder Gu emerged from the courtyard, his face ashen.

"Everyone's gone, what's there to see?"

The crowd gradually dispersed, but the chatter continued.

"Senior Brother Han was perfectly fine last night, how come he's gone today?"

"I heard he died a gruesome death; his whole body was shrunken and withered."

"Could it be that it was drained dry by a demon?"

"Don't talk nonsense, where would the Hehuan Sect get a demon?"

Shen Yifei pulled Qin Wan back. Halfway there, they ran into Su Yao.

Su Yao, dressed in a white dress, stood in the middle of the road, her phoenix eyes fixed on him.

"Junior Brother Shen, where were you last night?"

"She's with Senior Sister Qin." Shen Yifei pointed to Qin Wan beside him.

Su Yao glanced at Qin Wan, who nodded: "Yes, he was here all night."

Su Yao stared at Shen Yifei for a couple more moments, then suddenly smiled.

"Han Zhengli is dead."

"I've heard about it."

"Aren't you going to go take a look?"

"What's so interesting? We've seen dead people before." Shen Yifei smiled. "Senior Sister Su, if you're alright, I'll head back now. I didn't sleep well last night."

Su Yao didn't stop him; she just stood there and watched him walk away.

Qin Wan, standing beside him, whispered, "Su Yao seems to suspect you."

"What do you suspect?"

"I suspect that Han Zhengli's death is related to you."

Shen Yifei smiled and said, "I didn't kill him, what's there to be afraid of?"

Qin Wan glanced at him, hesitated, and ultimately said nothing.

The two returned to Qin Wan's courtyard, and Shen Yifei put on his outer robe, preparing to leave.

"Junior Brother Shen," Qin Wan called out to him.

"Um?"

"When you came to my place last night, did you already know Han Zhengli was going to die?"

Shen Yifei turned to look at her and smiled, "Senior Sister Qin, you're overthinking it. I just came here to sleep; I don't know anything else."

Qin Wan stared at him for a long while, then sighed.

"Okay, you can go now. Be careful."

Shen Yifei left Qin Wan's courtyard and headed towards his own residence.

Halfway there, Liu Mengli's voice rang in his mind: "Little guy, your Senior Sister Qin is quite smart."

"I know."

"It seems she guessed it."

"If you guessed it, you guessed it; she won't tell anyone."

"Are you so sure?"

"Hmm." Shen Yifei pushed open the courtyard gate and walked into the house. "If she wanted to say it, she would have said it in front of Su Yao just now."

Liu Mengli uttered an "oh" in his mind and then fell silent.

Shen Yifei closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to circulate his internal energy.

Last night, I cultivated with Qin Wan. Although we didn't absorb each other's essence, the spiritual energy circulated through my body several times, and the liquid spiritual energy in my dantian became even thicker.

He circulated his energy three times, feeling refreshed and invigorated, before concluding his practice.

"Liu Mengli".

"I'm here."

"Will the investigation into Han Zhengli's case lead to you?"

"I can't find anything." Liu Mengli's voice was very confident. "I did something in his dream, and there's not a trace left on the outside. Even if an elder at the Nascent Soul stage came to see it, they could only tell that he went into qi deviation and died from exhaustion of his vital energy."

Shen Yifei was relieved.

Han Zhengli's death caused a minor stir within the inner courtyard of the Hehuan Sect.

The enforcement team investigated for three days, and Elder Gu personally examined the body. The final conclusion was exactly the same as what Liu Mengli had said.

He went astray in his cultivation, his vital energy was depleted, and his dantian withered, leading to his death.

"Han Zhengli's cultivation method was inherently focused on quick results, and in recent years he has been obsessed with absorbing external energy, which has long since damaged his foundation," Elder Gu announced in the Enforcement Hall. "The pressure of the trip to the secret realm was too great, and his mind has been unstable since he returned. It was only a matter of time before he suffered a qi deviation."

After this conclusion spread among the disciples, most of them believed it.

Everyone had heard about Han Zhengli's empty-handed return from the secret realm. A mid-stage Golden Core cultivator went in and didn't get a single thing. After returning, he took his anger out on his mid-stage Foundation Establishment junior brother and even got scolded by Elder Gu. With that kind of mentality, it's no wonder he suffered a cultivation deviation.

But some people don't believe it.

Su Yao didn't believe it.

Three days after Shen Yifei returned from Qin Wan's courtyard, Su Yao sent someone to invite him.

"Junior Brother Shen," Su Yao finally spoke, "where were you the night Han Zhengli died?"

"It's with Senior Sister Qin. Didn't Senior Sister Qin tell you?"

"Qin Wan said you stayed overnight at her place, but what time did you go? She said it was at night, but didn't specify the time. Han Zhengli died in the middle of the night, what were you doing in the middle of the night?"

"Senior Sister Su, what kind of question is that? What could I be doing in the middle of the night when I'm staying at Senior Sister Qin's place? Of course, I'm cultivating with Senior Sister Qin. If you don't believe me, you can ask Senior Sister Qin; she knows best what I'm doing in the middle of the night."

Su Yao's lips twitched.

Of course, she couldn't ask Qin Wan such a question; even if she did, Qin Wan would never answer.

"Alright, I was just asking casually." Su Yao put down her teacup. "Han Zhengli is dead, which is a good thing for you. At least no one will bother you anymore."

"That's right." Shen Yifei sighed. "Senior Brother Han is such a petty person. I had no grudge against him, but just because I broke through a small realm in the secret realm, he started to dislike me. Now that he's gone, I can finally cultivate in peace."

Su Yao stared at him for a couple of seconds, then suddenly smiled.

"Junior Brother Shen, you seem honest, and your words and actions are impeccable. How come I never discovered your abilities before?"

"Senior Sister Su, you flatter me. I'm just a woodcutter; I don't have any special skills."

"Alright, stop pretending." Su Yao waved her hand. "Go back and cultivate properly. I need to talk to you in a few days."

Shen Yifei responded and turned to leave.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he left Su Yao's courtyard. This woman was too shrewd; he had to think carefully before speaking to her, afraid of letting something slip.

"Little guy, your Senior Sister Su isn't easy to fool," Liu Mengli said lazily from inside the cauldron.

"I know."

"If she really investigates, will she be able to trace it back to me?"

"I can't find anything." Shen Yifei walked to his courtyard. "Elder Gu already said it was a case of qi deviation. How could she possibly be more capable than Elder Gu in her investigation?"

After dealing with the troublemaker Han Zhengli, Shen Yifei stayed quietly in the house and didn't go anywhere.