"Although it hasn't been confirmed, everyone believes it."

Nie Xiangsi originally didn't want to badmouth people behind their backs, but since the topic had already come this far, she added, "My uncle also said that Captain Lin used quite a few methods to climb the ranks in the association. There used to be a Deacon Chen who was really close to her, and now he's sitting in prison."

Uncle Mu pondered for a moment. "I see."

Wanwan quietly said, "But I personally think Sister Wanqiu is really nice. She never discriminated against us. There was even one time at four in the morning when I saw her preparing an Alchemy Matrix for us."

Mu Qingge patted her on the head. "Alright, alright."

In the restroom, Gu Jianlin had heard everything loud and clear before stepping out.

When everyone saw him, he simply nodded in greeting and looked out at the courtyard through the window.

The people in the room stared at him, unsure of what to say.

Gu Jianlin's persona seemed to be just like that—beating up higher-ups didn't seem like a big deal to him, as long as the punishment wasn't too severe.

Ji Xiaoyu was crouching on a stone bench in the courtyard, daydreaming like a naughty monkey.

Her slender, petite figure radiated a hint of loneliness.

The Guardian beside her sighed heavily. "Oh, my little ancestor! What are you trying to do now? Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you've caused? That was Director Li from the Investigation Bureau—one of the President's trusted confidants! Now he's in the hospital, and his son is still on life support. Doesn't that look bad enough?"

With a loud thud, he knelt to the ground. "When we get to the Soul Skywell later, and the President starts pointing fingers, he'll probably end my life!"

Ji Xiaoyu continued to daydream, ignoring him entirely.

Smack!

Something was placed on the stone table forcefully.

Gu Jianlin sat down next to her and casually poured himself some tea.

"What are you doing?!"

Ji Xiaoyu was startled, and the moment she saw him, she immediately became defensive.

Gu Jianlin released his grip, and her notebook was lying unmistakably on the table.

Ji Xiaoyu froze for a moment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Gu Jianlin, sipping his tea, calmly replied, "Returning it to you."

Ji Xiaoyu reacted quickly, fearing he'd change his mind, and grabbed the notebook before stuffing it into her pocket as if protecting a treasure.

Gu Jianlin glanced at her. "Is that notebook very important to you?"

Ji Xiaoyu paused.

"Because you can't remember prescriptions?"

Gu Jianlin roughly guessed.

"Who said that?!"

Ji Xiaoyu exclaimed, panicked, her eyes wide. "I can remember them!"

From her reaction, Gu Jianlin felt fairly certain he'd guessed correctly.

"How did you and Wanwan meet?"

He asked casually.

Ji Xiaoyu glared at him. "I was bored and playing outside."

Gu Jianlin acknowledged with a hum. "Do you know her identity?"

Ji Xiaoyu scoffed and replied, "Isn't she just one of those so-called Unclean? She's been saddled with a bunch of weird charges by the Judgement Court. So what? Who I choose to hang out with needs their approval now?"

Kids are pure-hearted, after all, unaware of the complex consequences.

Gu Jianlin explained, "That area is a quarantine zone. The Unclean need medication to suppress Deformation, and normal people aren't allowed near."

"Who am I? Is there any place in this world I can't go?"

Ji Xiaoyu was furious. "You look down on me?"

Gu Jianlin shot her a glance and said coolly, "Do you have no friends?"

Ji Xiaoyu's face flushed red again.

Gu Jianlin was spot-on with his observation. The little princess fit the psychological profile perfectly: most problematic kids lacked friends and familial care, which led to warped personalities.

However, he realized that the little princess wasn't inherently bad—she was just extremely unruly.

"Mind your own business!"

Ji Xiaoyu was about to lose her temper, but she hesitated upon remembering that, despite his infuriating nature, this guy was the only one willing to stand up for her.

In the end, she threw him an annoyed glare before quickly running off.

Only the Guardian remained kneeling beside him, looking utterly defeated.

Gu Jianlin stared after the girl's figure disappearing into the distance and suddenly asked, "The little princess doesn't seem like the type who'd bully others. Why did she bring people to attack me?"

The Guardian struggled to hold back his words before finally blurting out, "That's because everyone the President brings in to discipline her forbids her from making poisons. Everything else is fine, but this poison-making thing—she's obsessed. Whoever forbids her from doing it, she goes against them."

Gu Jianlin thought, so that's the reason.

If he were tasked with managing the little princess, he'd also ban her poison-making outright—no one could tolerate that.

"That's odd."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why is Ji Xiaoyu so insistent on making poisons?"

"The little princess wants to be an Alchemist, but she has no talent for it. So she kidnapped an Alchemist to brew potions for her. Calling it potion-making is polite, but isn't it just making poisons? That said, you really can't blame her."

The Guardian complained, "The little princess's parents became Fallen long ago and were killed by the President. That incident was a huge blow to her. For years, she's been hoping that if there were a potion that could save the Fallen, her parents might still be alive."

Gu Jianlin froze.

"The problem is, where in this world is there a potion that can save the Fallen? Ji Xiaoyu claims she found a formula on Buzhou Mountain, but in the past two years, all she's managed to produce are poisons. No one takes it seriously anymore, and they just let her be." The Guardian spoke casually.

Gu Jianlin's hand, resting on the table, jolted as if struck by lightning.

Because he remembered—Old Gu's files specifically mentioned the existence of a drug that could save the Fallen.

The formula might actually exist!

He turned sharply, staring at the girl's vanishing figure, his expression deeply conflicted.