The male supporting character was actually myself.

In any case, none of the experts the other side hired were capable enough to search my powerful soul and extract the information they wanted, so I still have some initiative.

Therefore, he could only rack his brains to delay as much as possible and slowly squeeze out the prescriptions, occasionally giving the other party a minor prescription that was not very effective, so that they could verify that it was useful and try to get a better prescription, thus keeping them hanging.

There was no sense of time in the dimly lit dungeon, and Lu Fan had no idea how long the stalemate had lasted.

Finally, one night, he could no longer endure the torture and fainted.

"Lu Fan! Wake up!" Lu Fan heard the heavenly voice again in his drowsy state and struggled to open his tired eyes.

When he recognized Liang Siyu, tears welled up in his eyes, and he pleaded in a trembling voice, "Siyu, I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have disbelieved you that day! I'm being tortured to death by the people from the Treasure Pavilion, please save me..."

"Shh!" Liang Siyu, dressed in black, made a shushing gesture, looked around warily, and whispered, "I'm here to save you! Time is of the essence, let's get out of here first!"

She deftly unlocked the iron chains and helped the tormented Lu Fan, who was unsteady on his feet, leave the underground prison secretly set up by the Treasure Pavilion.

Under the cover of night, the two escaped to a secluded courtyard that Liang Siyu had prepared in advance. Finally, they could catch their breath. He held a bowl of steaming white rice porridge, and tears immediately rolled down his cheeks.

When you're successful, even the most exquisite delicacies seem ordinary; now that you're down on your luck, even a bowl of plain rice porridge makes you feel incredibly happy.

"Siyu, you're so good to me!" Lu Fan took a sip of porridge, feeling it was the most delicious food in the world, and complained with trembling lips, "You have no idea what kind of life I had in the dungeon!"

The owner of the Treasure Pavilion is absolutely despicable. To torture me, he doesn't give me anything to eat, beats and interrogates me every day, and doesn't even let me sleep. When he thinks I can't take it anymore, he gives me some of the lowest-grade spiritual medicine to keep me alive.

Although it kept me alive, the deep-seated hunger was truly terrifying!

Thank goodness you came to save me, otherwise... I really might not have made it..."

Gently wiping the rice grains stuck to the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, Liang Siyu's beautiful face showed a hint of worry. "I don't want to lie to you, Afan. But... the reason I was able to rescue you this time was actually because the Liang family managed to get several forces to cooperate."

Otherwise, let alone rescuing you, even the underground prison of the Treasure Pavilion would be difficult for me to approach with my strength.

but……"

With tears welling in her eyes, she gazed at him affectionately. "Their original plan was to use my good relationship with you to gain your trust, rescue you from your prison, and then extract various elixir formulas and the secrets you discussed in the school affairs hall that day."

The School Affairs Department is always arrogant. Based on the investigation results, they judged you to be a charlatan abandoned by the mysterious pharmacist. Therefore, they did not believe that you could really reveal any prescriptions or secrets, which is why they did you a favor and did not pursue the matter further.

But other prominent families didn't think that way.

People are always driven by self-interest. They figured that since the Treasure Pavilion was going to such lengths to torture you, they must be getting something out of it. Otherwise, they would have killed you long ago to save manpower and resources from keeping you alive.

That's why this rescue operation was planned.

"Then you..." Lu Fan's eyes flickered slightly, and he sensed that something was wrong!

The prison in the Treasure Pavilion was full of powerful experts, at least level five or above. How could Liang Siyu have entered so easily by herself and then left without any hindrance, carrying someone who was almost unable to walk and was a burden to her?

It turns out that several forces acted together; no wonder!

"I've made a very difficult decision." Tears welled up in Liang Siyu's eyes, and her voice trembled with sobs. "They want to use me to gain your trust, but I don't want to lie to you!"

So I took advantage of their plan.

The original plan was to bring you out of the Treasure Pavilion prison, but after you came out, I took it upon myself to change my whereabouts.

Instead of taking you to the safer residence they prepared for you to recuperate, I brought you here—a small courtyard that I had my maid secretly prepare in advance.

This tactic of deceiving everyone is very risky.

Now it's not just the Treasure Pavilion that's looking for us; the Liang family and the other forces in the shadows will also be searching for us after they realize they've been scammed.

If you are caught... you have the prescription and the secret to protect you and escape death, while I, as a traitor to the family, will definitely be executed in public!

Afan, from now on, you're all I have. I don't want to be apart from you!

Her eyes sparkled as she said urgently, "I've planned everything. After dawn, we'll hide in the farmer's vegetable delivery cart and leave the capital. No matter how powerful the Treasure Pavilion, the Liang family, and all the other forces are, they can't possibly control the city gates. They can't possibly conduct a large-scale search everywhere, so we can leave safely without anyone noticing."

I have prepared enough money, and we will head south to find a place to live in seclusion.

In the future, you will make and sell elixirs;

I'll take care of the household chores, and we'll live a life of comfort and cultivate together, becoming an immortal couple!

You've suffered so much at the Treasure Pavilion; if you show your face again, you'll surely be dragged into trouble and have no peace.

I've had enough of being manipulated and used as a pawn in the Liang family to build connections, and I've had enough of the torment of frantically cultivating to compete for the family rankings so as not to be abandoned.

Let's leave this place, this ill-fated couple, and go far away to live a peaceful and quiet life, okay?

Lu Fan did not respond immediately.

He was wondering if this was another trap?

If what she said is true, the original plan for the rescue was to use Liang Siyu to gain trust, and then unknowingly put herself in a situation where she could be manipulated.

The question is, can you really gain someone's complete trust just by rescuing them from the dungeon?

Could they, just to be on the safe side, devise a scheme within a scheme to make Liang Siyu use a self-inflicted injury to gain genuine trust through shared hardship?

I must be careful.

If we can't find a way to survive in this predicament, we're afraid we'll fall into a deep pit again!

"Afan, you don't believe me?" Liang Siyu's tears finally didn't fall. She wiped the corners of her eyes, and a hint of disappointment appeared on her face. "In that case, you should rest for a while. I'll take you back to the house they prepared to stay in when it gets quiet outside."

What happens after that is entirely up to you.

Anyway, I have no say in front of those big shots. It's very likely that I'll be forced to help them devise another scheme to extract your secrets, then slaughter you and feed you to the livestock after squeezing out the last bit of value.

Lu Fan lowered his head and pondered for a moment.

If what she said is true and she did not stage a self-inflicted injury, then everything is fine.

But if she proceeds according to the original plan, trying to force herself to make a decision in a panic, she's likely falling into a trap...

The resentment of the lingering soul was stirring again, so Lu Fan decided to take the easy benefits first before considering anything else!

"Siyu, it's not that I don't trust you." After a moment, he finally spoke, his tone tinged with grievance: "You have to understand my current situation. Without enough ability to protect myself, I can only be at the mercy of others. I inevitably have to think things through and consider things more carefully."

I believe in you, and you believe in me!

Let's elope, go somewhere where nobody knows us, and live like a pair of celestial beings. But…

Hearing that the other person was willing to go with her, Liang Siyu smiled again and stepped forward to touch his lips with her slender fingers, saying softly, "No need to say more, I naturally know your concerns."

"Don't worry, whenever you're refining pills, I'll stay far away and never pry into anything. If you need anything, I'll give you money to buy the spiritual plants yourself. That way, you can believe I'm not here for the prescription, right?"

"That's all I have to rely on right now," Lu Fan shook his head and smiled wryly. "Don't worry, I'll tell you everything when the time is right. But not now. Let's rest for a bit and leave this place of trouble first thing tomorrow morning. Then we'll go find true freedom!"

As the moon rose high in the sky, even the candlelight in the secluded courtyard was quickly extinguished.

After a night of sweet whispers and intimate moments, at the crack of dawn, the two hid in an oxcart that had just finished transporting vegetables. Relying on a secret treasure that Liang Siyu had brought from the Liang family mansion to conceal their presence, they evaded layers of checks and finally left the capital to elope.

Regardless of whether it was a scheme or not, Lu Fan was still quite satisfied with the overall journey south.

After all, Liang Siyu had brought plenty of gold and silver valuables with her, and she would occasionally secretly make some spiritual medicines to sell in exchange for gold and silver. She traveled around aimlessly, enjoying the scenery.

After leaving Kyoto, everything finally went smoothly for him.

First, he gathered enough materials to make a deadly talisman and tricked Liang Siyu into using her lifespan as a price to cause Ling Qiye to die tragically in prison; then he met a stunningly beautiful woman, and the two had a heart-to-heart talk that made them feel like they had known each other for a long time.

Not long after, Lu Fan was pleasantly surprised to find that the resentment of the lingering soul after obtaining Liang Siyu and killing Ling Qiye had finally disappeared completely, and he had gained full control of his body!

At this point, Liang Siyu, who had lost her novelty, was prone to jealousy, and was very likely a bait, was completely useless.

Lu Fan found a suitable opportunity and left without saying goodbye, taking all his valuables and a beautiful woman who could play instruments, sing, and charm people. He then turned towards Da Dong Mountain and headed north, completely shaking off any possibility of being followed.

From then on, the world was vast and boundless, and no one could restrain Lu Fan's ambitions.

A year later, he settled in the enemy country of the Great Sui Dynasty with many beautiful concubines and wealth, and established the Yibao Pavilion, which could rival the Great Sui Dynasty's Treasure Pavilion. It specialized in selling all kinds of rare and precious medicines and amassed wealth by collecting all kinds of rare treasures from all over the world.

After that, Lu Fan relied on the various spiritual medicines he refined to successfully cultivate and break through to the ninth level, becoming the supreme ruler of the world. He surpassed the imperial power of various countries, broke through the gate between the two realms, and annihilated the demon race that had once opposed him, becoming the new Demon Emperor...

"Phew, so this is what the demon race is like." Even Li Changguang felt a slight pain between his eyebrows after using the Illusion Mirror for so long.

Slightly tired, he returned to the hall, picked up the pen, ink, paper and inkstone he had prepared beforehand, carefully recalled and then copied down the information such as the required amount of spiritual plants and the cooking time for all the spiritual medicines he had seen in the illusion.

"Have Xiao Hu erase his memory of last night as much as possible, so he doesn't notice anything amiss." Li Changguang instructed, looking at the slightly brightening sky, "These prescriptions need to be tested to see if they are genuine and if there are any errors in the records. Just in case, we'll need to create some illusions for him in the future."

"Yes!" the guard replied and turned to leave.

Li Changguang stretched his slightly sore neck and wrists, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

With this treasure in hand, how can we not squeeze all the secrets the other party knows?

The fallen demon king who possessed Lu Fan's body needed a better trap to make him fall for the illusion and slowly reveal all his memories of the demon race!

"Meow~"

Jiang Chen strode into the prison with an air of indifference, and seeing the dazzling aura surrounding Ling Qiye, he smiled and said, "The School Affairs Department is quite efficient; the operation over there has already succeeded."

As long as the channels are opened smoothly and the elixirs can be supplied in bulk, a new era of spiritual energy revival can be ushered in soon.

"If everyone can cultivate, it will be a great thing for the growth of the human race!"

Upon hearing his voice, Ling Qiye quickly opened his eyes. After concentrating his senses to make sure no one was eavesdropping, he lowered his voice and said, "Little cat, although you have helped the human race a lot this time, I don't think the outcome might be as good as you imagine."

He scratched his head, slightly annoyed, and said, "At first, I didn't think too much about it. I thought what you said made sense, so I just let things develop according to your plan. But last night, after thinking it over and over again, I realized..."

It's not that I don't trust the Director.

The main reason is that the treasures of your demon race are all just too overpowered!

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. The appearance of a rare treasure in the world is bound to cause bloodshed. Now that you have acknowledged your identity as the guardian of the treasure, you are safe for now as long as you need it, but what about the future..."

"I understand. 'When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are gone, the good bow is put away.' Jiang Chen scratched his ear with his hind leg and laughed. 'Are you worried that someone might covet the treasure, and that this little demon cat like me doesn't have enough ability to protect myself?'"

The fluffy dumpling followed its host's example, scratching its ear with its hind leg and laughing, "Hehe, the halo is back! The protagonist's brain seems to have returned too; it's suddenly become smarter!"

Ling Qiye nodded worriedly, “I don’t know much about the situation of your demon race, but humans… I’ve seen too much darkness in people’s hearts as a scout. Human nature cannot withstand testing.”

"What if the School Affairs Department or the Royal Family really wants to kill the cat and steal the treasure?" Jiang Chen tilted her head and looked at him, blinking her big, bright black eyes curiously.

“If someone really wants to do something treacherous, I will naturally do my best to protect you!” He sighed, looking at the kitten with his hands supporting his chin. “But I’m just a newly promoted level eight. If I really fight desperately, I definitely can’t beat the old monsters with countless tricks hidden in the various sects of the Great Sui Dynasty.”

Besides, there's a level nine expert above us. Even if I were to protect you, it would probably only give us a little more time to barely survive and escape in a sorry state. In the end, we'd still be crushed.

Jiang Chen meowed softly in a childish voice, then feigned maturity in her innocent tone, saying, "Hmm, at least you have some conscience. Since that's the case, I'll tell you, put your mind at ease and prepare for the spiritual energy revival. Even if all the old monsters in the world die, I won't die!"

I am the guardian of treasures, how could I possibly die so easily?

"Don't even mention I won't die. Even if the Ministry of Education, the Royal Family, or some big shot don't want to hand over the treasure, I have ways to handle it."

"Of course!" The little white cat puffed out its chest proudly. "With my Little Cat Scooping the Moon, who would dare to keep a treasure from me? I'd even take some interest and empty their mansion!"

The little black cat says the craziest things in the cutest voice; it's so adorable that you just want to pet it.

Ling Qiye had just reached out when Jiang Chen warily dodged him, licking his paws as he urged, "Have you absorbed all the spiritual herbs yet? You need to hurry up and cultivate. I want to help you break through to level nine as soon as possible."