"What are you looking at me for?" After leaving Elder Huang's residence, Yang Siqing stared intently at Zhong Yun, making him profoundly uncomfortable until he couldn't help but ask. "I was wondering if you'd grown a third head." Yang Siqing clicked his tongue twice, shook his head, and sighed in mock exasperation.

"..." Zhong Yun simply ignored him. The nearest transit stop was a considerable walk from here.

After taking about ten steps, Zhong Yun couldn't resist glancing around nervously. Not another assassin, please, he thought, still shaken by the earlier attempt on his life.

Once inside the taxi, he instantly worried if the driver might be one of their agents, a feeling of unease settling deep in his stomach. He glanced at Yang Siqing, who was already resting with his eyes closed, showing no sign of perturbation.

I really lack composure, Zhong Yun mused with a self-deprecating smile, then mimicked Yang Siqing, closing his eyes. He began practicing the Jialan breathing technique, and within moments, his mind grew still.

With the rhythmic cadence of his breath, his entire body relaxed. The Yuan within him began to stir, spreading and converging with each inhalation and exhalation, growing slowly stronger.

Suddenly, Yang Siqing opened his eyes. He watched Zhong Yun, deep in meditative focus, sensing the unusual movement of Yuan within him, a sharp, keen light flashing in his gaze.

"Why did you walk off by yourself? Can't handle it?" Tianhai shouted as he spotted Zhong Yun approaching from a distance.

"Can't handle it? I'll give you a five-hundred-meter head start.

Let's try it," Zhong Yun retorted dismissively. "Bring it on.

Who's afraid of who?" It was then that Tianhai noticed the scruffy, disheveled elderly man trailing closely behind Zhong Yun. He couldn't help but ask, "Who is that?" "Let me introduce you," Zhong Yun said, having already prepared his explanation.

"This is Uncle Qing. My savior." "Savior?" Tianhai and Chen Wen exchanged bewildered glances.

Zhong Yun then recounted the details of the recent assassination attempt. "Are you alright?" Tianhai's face paled with alarm upon hearing how close Zhong Yun had come to death.

"If something had happened, I'd be in the hospital by now, not standing here talking to you?" Zhong Yun attempted a small joke to lighten the atmosphere. "It was thanks to Uncle Qing this time; otherwise, you wouldn't be seeing me," Zhong Yun said, looking gratefully at Yang Siqing.

The way Tianhai looked at Yang Siqing instantly changed. He spoke with grave sincerity, "Thank you for saving Xiao Yun." Yang Siqing offered a slight smile as acknowledgment.

In Tianhai's eyes, this was the bearing of a true master; anyone capable of saving Zhong Yun from assassins had to be a master. He was deeply immersed in games and movies, always yearning for the legendary figures of fiction, dreaming of the day he might encounter an individual possessing transcendent power and become their disciple.

If it weren't for the fact that Uncle Qing was Zhong Yun's life-saver, he would have already rushed over to beg to be taken on as a student. Chen Wen, standing aside, fell into deep thought, trying to ascertain who had sent assassins after Zhong Yun.

His first suspect was Niu Shunjin; he was the most likely candidate. Zhong Yun had injured Niu Shunjin's only son, and given his vindictive nature, sending assassins after the perpetrator would be entirely logical.

However, the involvement of Liu Yunqi complicated matters completely. Zhong Yun had stepped in for Liu Yunqi and injured Niu Ben.

If Niu Shunjin was retaliating against Zhong Yun, wouldn't that imply he held dissatisfaction toward the Yang family? Challenging the Yang family?

Unless Niu Shunjin had lost his mind, he would never dare attempt such a thing. The dignity of the great families was not to be tested; if he dared, the Niu family would vanish before dawn the next day.

Niu Shunjin had risen from obscurity, building an empire with his bare hands; he was known to be a shrewd man who understood timing and restraint. Rumor had it that when he learned his son had offended the Yang family's little princess, he immediately went to the Yang residence to beg forgiveness.

He stood outside their gates for five days and nights until he received the Yang family's pardon, the condition being that his son could never appear on planet Daar again. How could such a forbearing man suddenly turn around and send killers after Zhong Yun?

To provoke the Yang family? Therefore, Niu Shunjin’s suspicion was actually the lowest.

Then who was responsible? Considering Zhong Yun’s identity, perhaps it was an enemy of his family.

That possibility seemed the greatest. Originally, the three of them planned to go out elsewhere, but after such an incident, their enthusiasm waned, and they all headed home separately.

Upon returning, Zhong Yun settled Yang Siqing into the guest room downstairs and went up to his own room. In his room, Zhong Yun connected to the virtual network.

"Xiao Ling, Xiao Ling." After calling out twice, ZER, clad entirely in black, appeared. "What do you need?" "I was assassinated today; I almost died," Zhong Yun stated directly.

For the perpetually cold ZER, pleasantries were simply a waste of energy. Unexpectedly, ZER was silent for a moment.

"It seems practical combat training needs to be moved up on the schedule." Whether it was a delusion or not, Zhong Yun sensed a flicker of weariness in ZER's frigid tone. "When does it start?" Nearly dying in such a haphazard manner had deeply stimulated Zhong Yun; he desperately wanted to increase his strength immediately so he would no longer live under the threat of death.

You want to kill me? I will make you pay a heavy price.

Zhong Yun clenched his fists tightly, as if issuing a declaration of war to the mastermind hidden in the shadows. "Tonight," ZER was always direct.

"You bought over twenty pots of Black Datura. Are you planning to make Su Xuan Pills?" ZER suddenly inquired.

"You know about that too," Zhong Yun said, slightly surprised. Then, his expression shifted.

"You're not planning to exploit that, are you? Absolutely not.

I need those Su Xuan Pills to create the 'Youth Restoring Elixir'; that's non-negotiable." Zhong Yun's tone was utterly firm, leaving no room for debate. The so-called Su Xuan Pills were, in fact, the seeds of the Black Datura.

The Black Datura has a very long lifespan, often exceeding two hundred years. Only plants over a century old can bear fruit.

The seeds naturally produced by the Black Datura possess no medicinal properties. Only the seeds produced by plants that have reached the requisite age and have been refined using a secret, special method hold great medicinal efficacy.

He had found the refining method in the Jialan database. Seeing that this ingredient appeared in almost all high-level formulas, he searched out of curiosity and learned it was derived from this peculiar plant, the Black Datura.

Later, hearing he would be taking an academic trip to Fenghua City, he searched online for information about it. He stumbled upon an interesting report detailing the top ten exotic flora and grasses in the Flower Sea.

The Black Datura was ranked second. Only then did Zhong Yun realize that such a plant existed on Daar.

His heart immediately stirred; an ingredient essential to so many advanced formulas had to be something extraordinary. That was why, when he visited the Flower Sea, Zhong Yun swept up every Black Datura over a hundred years old—he had his sights set on the Su Xuan Pills.

Of course, he had another significant reason for this focus: among the numerous formulas, one particularly captivated him—the 'Youth Restoring Elixir.' A large part of his motivation for making Su Xuan Pills was to prepare this very potion. The 'Youth Restoring Elixir,' as its name suggested, possessed the ability to restore youth, returning an aged body to its optimal state.

This was an incredibly heaven-defying medicinal agent. P: There will be another chapter when I wake up tomorrow morning.

Recommendations are welcome.