The people coming and going were all the ones she had seen at the island owner's mansion yesterday. This island was not that big, so the people she met were all familiar.
The Chen Mansion's house was truly luxurious, like a grand palace, with corridors on all sides, the floor paved with white jade, a roof of vermilion glazed tiles, and pillars carved with lifelike dragons and phoenixes, hovering in the clouds and riding on the mist.
Gradually, the sound of flowing water came from the front, and the faint sound of people playing in the water could be heard. Then they saw that behind the rockery, there was a green pool crossed by a single-plank bridge, and precious green fir trees were planted around it. Further ahead was the attic where they were having the banquet. The servant led them into the waterside attic and then withdrew.
When the alchemists passing by saw her, they snorted coldly and didn't give her a good look. Leng Qingning didn't care about these people's looks at all.
"Do you know where your sister is being held?" Leng Qingning asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
Hai Ze whispered, "My sister was imprisoned in the ancestral hall of their family by that old man."
The ancestral hall, this kind of place should be guarded by many people. She will go to the teleportation array later to take a look. It seems that she needs to think of a way to lure these people away.
"Humph, Master Shen is really so impressive. He won first place in the competition, which makes him look different. It seems that we old guys are useless. These younger generations don't take us seriously when they see us."
A sarcastic voice came from behind. Leng Qingning turned around and saw Li Peisheng's stinky old face, looking at her with his nose raised. A group of flattering people from various forces surrounded him, many of whom were alchemists she had met in the Island Lord's Mansion, or some people from wealthy families who relied on favors.
Many people from these families had never seen her, so naturally they didn't know about the competition that took place at the Island Master's Mansion yesterday.
Although the alchemists who participated in the competition wanted to curry favor with her, Li Peisheng was the president of the Alchemy Association and had considerable influence on the entire island.
No matter how capable this young man is, he will find it difficult to make any progress without the recognition of the Alchemist Association. I'm afraid his career as an alchemist will come to an end from now on.
Why would they offend a big shot like Li Peisheng for an unknown junior?
Leng Qingning seemed oblivious to the changes in their expressions. She scratched her ears and said with a cynical air, "Huh? Isn't this the opponent you lost yesterday? You look so grim. Could it be that you didn't get a good night's sleep the whole day after I defeated you in the alchemy competition at the City Lord's Mansion?"
Li Peisheng's expression froze and his eyes avoided. After returning home yesterday, he thought about how he had lost to an unknown young boy. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn't sleep the whole night.
To his left, a man dressed in rich blue silk and wearing a set of magical instruments, who must be from a wealthy family, said, "What competition? Mr. Li, this guy must be talking nonsense, don't take it to heart."
"Where is the Second Young Master? Today is your wife's birthday. How can anyone come in on such a good day?"
The louder the man's voice grew, the uglier Old Li's expression grew, and Leng Qingning's smile deepened. "So everyone doesn't know, but yesterday Old Li narrowly lost to me at the Island Master's residence. The Island Master himself awarded me first place. Could it be that Old Li is holding a grudge against me, and so..."
“Mr. Shen, it is indeed rare for you to have achieved such success at such a young age, but you must remember that a big tree attracts the wind, and being too rigid is easy to break. Being too ostentatious is not a good thing either.” After saying this, Mr. Li’s face was uglier than an eggplant.
And his words proved that what Leng Qingning said was true. He did lose to this young man yesterday.
Everyone was shocked, and their eyes looked back and forth between him and Old Li restlessly. But at this moment, no one dared to speak. Everyone involuntarily moved closer to Old Li's side, secretly excluding Leng Qingning.
Heize couldn't stand these intrigues of human beings, and whispered in her ear: "I'm going to find my sister first."
"Then you should be more careful. If you are exposed, you must escape first."
Haize curled his lips and said, "Don't worry, my strength has greatly increased now. It won't be easy for those people to catch me." Then, his figure quietly disappeared in the crowd.
Just then, Chen Shaoqian came over with Han Xuexin and a man who looked somewhat similar to him but was more muscular.
"Master Shen, you really made me wait so long. You are finally here. I thought you wouldn't come."
The burly man who looked very similar to Chen Shaoqian was none other than Chen Shaoxing, the eldest son of the Chen family.
When he saw Leng Qingning, he immediately gave her a hearty smile. "So you are the amazing alchemist that my second brother mentioned. I didn't expect you to be so young. You are truly better than your master!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Young Master. It was my luck that I won this time."
"You are so humble, but how did you recognize me?"
Leng Qingning blinked and said, "You and the Second Young Master look a lot like each other."
Chen Shaoxing suddenly realized.
When everyone saw that Mr. Chen was so polite to her, they looked at Leng Qingning with even more surprise!
How lucky did this kid get to be so appreciated by the Chen family?
Leng Qingning looked into the eyes of the young master with some surprise, and saw that he had clear features and a generous demeanor. He seemed to be a person with a very good personality and was easy to get along with.
However, in this mysterious and complicated Chen Mansion, does he really look so upright?
Human nature is complex, and Leng Qingning cannot judge anyone easily.
"The banquet will begin soon, everyone please follow me." Chen Shaoqian looked at her with a smile. Han Xuexin was not seen at the banquet. Leng Qingning followed the crowd to a huge peach tree.
The rich fragrance of peach blossoms wafted in the air. Below was a neatly arranged banquet, with everyone sitting cross-legged and drinking together.
Leng Qingning chose a secluded corner to sit down and watched everyone toasting each other. She did not drink any alcohol and was thinking about how to escape.
Peach blossoms fluttered down, dancing in the wind, butterflies fluttered on the branches and birds chirped. Looking at all this, Leng Qingning always had a feeling of unreality. It was obviously a very lively scene, why did she always have a feeling of unreality?
Leng Qingning secretly held her breath and avoided smelling the fragrance of the peach blossoms.
At this moment, Chen Shaoqian slowly walked towards her with a wine glass in hand. "Mr. Shen, is it possible that today's wine is not to your liking? How about I send someone to change another glass?"
"Mr. Chen, you are too polite. This wine is very good. It's just that I haven't been feeling well these days and am not suitable for drinking. Please don't be offended, Second Young Master." Chen Shaoqian was indeed coming for her. He urged her to drink like this. Could it be that there was something put in the wine?
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