The Drunken Immortal Tavern is, without a doubt, one of the two best restaurants in Zhuyun Town.
It stood three stories tall. A solid foundation of bluestone supported a structure built primarily from aged spirit bamboo, polished to a smooth, glossy sheen. With its upturned, winged eaves, it was more than a cut above the average shop. Rows of brand-new red lanterns hung outside, illuminating the three bold, golden characters for "Drunken Immortal Tavern." In a place like Zhuyun Town, it was the very picture of extravagance.
The entrance was a flurry of activity, with a constant stream of cultivators coming and going. Some were dressed in fine, glossy robes, while others wore simple, practical outfits; all moved in small groups, laughing and chatting.
The moment the two of them stepped over the threshold, a wave of heat washed over them—a mixture of fragrant wine, savory dishes, and the aroma of various spiritual materials. The inside was even more boisterous. Shouts, laughter, and the clatter of bowls and chopsticks wove together into a lively tapestry of sound. Waiters carrying trays navigated the tightly packed tables with nimble grace.
Lin Rui's steps faltered for a moment.
Vague images surfaced from the depths of his memory. Before his father had disappeared, he would often bring him here for a special treat. Back then, his favorite dish was the "Honey-Glazed Fire Ham," while his father would order a pot of "Azure Bamboo Immortal Brew" and watch him wolf down his food, a gentle smile in his eyes. After his father vanished, the original Lin Rui had never set foot in this place again. Partly because he had no heart for it, but mainly because the prices were far too extravagant for him.
A sharp-eyed waiter in a bright short jacket spotted Wang Ting's eye-catching purple robe and immediately hurried over, his face wreathed in smiles.
"Aiyo, Young Master Wang! It's been a while! Please, come in, come in! Your usual spot?"
Wang Ting waved a hand dismissively. "Not today. I've brought a friend, looking for somewhere a little quieter." His gaze swept the room and landed on an empty table by the window. "That'll do."
"Right away!"
The two took their seats. Outside the window was the bustling street; inside, the clamor of the tavern.
Wang Ting picked up the wooden menu from the table, his eyes darting toward Lin Rui with a probing look.
"Waiter, order up!" he called out. "Bring us all your house specialties! Start with the 'Roasted Snow Rabbit Legs'—make sure they're crispy on the outside and tender on the inside! An 'Azurecreek Spirit Carp,' steamed, with extra ginger and scallions! A 'Sea of Bamboo Three Treasures Casserole,' and, hmm, that 'Flaming Drunken Immortal Chicken,' that looks festive! And a 'Jadeite Emerald Soup' to cleanse the palate. Oh, right, that new 'Dragon-Crested Crimson Prawn' dish you have, bring a plate of that too! For the main course... two bowls of 'Spirit Grain Fragrant Rice.'" He paused. "And warm up a pot of your best 'Drunken Immortal Brew'!"
Lin Rui's mouth twitched.
"I say, Young Master Wang, are you planning on buying out their whole kitchen? It's just the two of us. You think we can finish all that?"
Wang Ting tossed the menu onto the table with a soft thud. He raised an eyebrow, his flirtatious eyes seeming to dance in the lamplight as he leaned back, draping an arm casually over the back of his chair.
"Hey now, Lin Rui, that's where you're wrong," he said. "When big brother here is treating, of course, I have to make sure you eat and drink well. Besides, if I want to pry open that tight-lipped mouth of yours, I've got to spend a little capital, right? I can't be like some people—so petty that buying a single meal is like pulling teeth. Don't even get me started on their sense of style, tsk."
He drew out the last syllable of "some people" meaningfully, his eyes even flicking in a particular direction, though Lin Rui knew Wang Ruohan wasn't there.
Lin Rui chuckled to himself. Wang Ting never missed an opportunity to take a jab at his cousin. He didn't call him out on it, simply taking a sip of the tea on the table.
Soon, a parade of exquisitely prepared dishes began to arrive at their table.
Wang Ting went for a "Dragon-Crested Crimson Prawn" first. The meat was plump and springy, infused with a sense of vitality. He squinted in satisfaction, mumbling at Lin Rui through a mouthful of food.
"So, little brother Rui, what happened at the Ancestral Hall the other day? Did your old ancestor really... hmm?" He made a vague gesture. "And this cultivation of yours. Weren't you supposed to have abysmal aptitude? Unable to cultivate at all."
Lin Rui picked up a piece of snow rabbit leg and began to eat it slowly, his eyes carefully observing Wang Ting's expression. He knew this guy's genuine interest wasn't in the food.
"Ahem. That day, I guess the ancestor just took pity on me and gave me a hand," he said, his voice tinged with lingering fear. "As for the cultivation... my dad left something behind. I just messed around with it, and it turned out to be somewhat useful."
"Oh?" Wang Ting raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but he didn't press further.
He took a large gulp of the Drunken Immortal Brew. It was fragrant and rich, with a clean hint of bamboo leaf.
"Alright, fine. I won't bother asking if you don't want to tell. After all, I'm not the only spy the Wang family has," Wang Ting said with a grin, his tone shifting abruptly. "By the way, now that you've just gotten your cultivator tablet, there must be a lot you don't understand about how things work in this world, right? Don't be shy, just ask! Big brother here is, at the very least, a registered cultivator with awakened meridians. I'm experienced. I guarantee you'll get an answer for every question, and it'll be worth your while!"
He puffed out his chest.
This was the opening Lin Rui had been waiting for. He put down the half-eaten rabbit leg and wiped his hands.
"That would be great. I do have quite a few things I'd like to ask you, Brother Wang." His eyes brightened. "For instance, completing missions gives you 'Spirit Web feedback.' What exactly does that mean? And what kinds of missions are there? Are there any tricks to accepting them? I saw all sorts of missions posted on the signs outside the shops in the market."
Hearing this, Wang Ting looked as if he'd finally found a topic where he could show off. His face was full of pride.
"Heh, you've asked the right person!" he said. "This 'Spirit Web feedback' is some seriously mystical stuff! Simply put, whether you do good deeds or bad deeds, the Spirit Web of this world keeps a record of it in the great cosmic scheme of things. If you do enough good, things that benefit the Spirit Web—such as maintaining local peace or solving a major problem—the Web might reward you with a small 'sweetener.' Maybe your spiritual energy absorption becomes smoother when you cultivate, or maybe it's easier to break through a bottleneck. You might even find a spirit stone just walking down the street. That's what they call having fortune on your side!"
"And what if you do bad things?" Lin Rui asked.
Wang Ting pursed his lips. "Bad things? Then the Spirit Web will naturally give you a 'bitter pill' to swallow! On the light side, your cultivation will stagnate, and your inner demons will multiply. On the heavy side, you might get struck by lightning just walking outside, or choke on water! That's why everyone hates those heretical cultivators. A lot of what they do destabilizes the Spirit Web. They all get their comeuppance sooner or later!"
"As for missions," Wang Ting continued, after savoring a piece of tender spirit carp, "there's a huge variety. The most reliable, of course, are the official missions posted by the Celestial Law Division. They're usually about maintaining order, investigating cases, things like that. The rewards are fair, and you can build up your reputation with the Division. For a new registrant like you, you can start with the lowest 'Mortal-tier' helper missions—delivering a letter, purchasing some common items. The pay is low, but they're safe."
"What else?"
"Then there are internal missions posted by the various great families or sects, like I'm sure your Lin family has tasks for guarding medicine fields or preparing spirit tea. Those usually go to their people first. After that, you've got the private commissions and bounties posted by shops or wandering cultivators in the market. That's a real mixed bag. High risk, but potentially high reward."
At this, Wang Ting gave a mischievous wink. "But if you're short on spirit stones, big brother here can lend you some. Come on, name a price." He struck a pose of immense wealth, as if a few hundred or even a few thousand spirit stones were nothing to him.
Lin Rui, however, just chuckled and shook his head.
"I appreciate the offer, Brother Wang." He raised his teacup in a toast. "But I can handle this little matter myself. If I ever truly hit rock bottom, I promise I won't be a stranger."
Tch, borrow money? In both his past life and this one, the thing Lin Rui hated most was being indebted to others, especially when the favor came with strings attached. This Wang Ting was a schemer; no one knew what he was after. Besides, a former go-go dancer and private investigator wasn't going to be stumped by a little cash problem. He had plenty of ways to make money.
Seeing that he didn't take the bait, Wang Ting wasn't annoyed. He laughed even more heartily.
"Alright, you've got principles! Not like some people who cry poor all day long, practically wanting to tattoo 'I need resources' on their foreheads."
He popped a piece of richly flavored "Flaming Drunken Immortal Chicken" into his mouth, hissing slightly from the spice but looking utterly content. The meat made a soft sound as he chewed, spiritual energy filling the air between his lips.
"Speaking of which," Wang Ting lowered his voice and leaned closer to Lin Rui, his flirtatious eyes glinting with irrepressible gossip in the tavern's flickering light, "the commotion at your Ancestral Hall caused quite a stir. My uncle... he actually called Wang Ruohan in for a private meeting that night and gave him a serious dressing-down!"
He paused for dramatic effect. Seeing Lin Rui's eyebrow raise in a clear "Oh? Do tell" expression, he continued with satisfaction, "I don't know the specifics of what was said. But, I heard that when Ruohan came out, his face, tsk tsk, was as sour as a stone in a latrine. He's been in a foul mood for days, taking it out on anyone who crosses his path!"
Wang Ting let out a gloating chuckle, a flash of delight in his eyes. Then, as if remembering something, he patted Lin Rui's shoulder with mock sympathy, his tone dripping with sincerity.
"Ai, in the end, it's all that kid Wang Ruohan's fault for not knowing a good thing when he saw it. No vision, and so damn unreliable! If he'd just been a little more decisive back then and married you, none of this mess would have happened. He let you suffer for no reason, and he cost our Wang family a clever and... hmm, adorable little sister-in-law!"
He drew out the last two words, "adorable sister-in-law," in a long, lilting tone, his eyes roving over Lin Rui's face, full of mischievous laughter, as if he were already imagining a scandalous family drama.
"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"
The mouthful of "Jadeite Emerald Soup" Lin Rui had just swallowed nearly shot out of his nose. He choked and coughed, his handsome face flushing red.
The meal continued in this vein, a back-and-forth of conversation. Wang Ting tried to pry more secrets from Lin Rui about his "resurrection" and sudden cultivation progress, while Lin Rui, flawlessly, gave a mix of truth and fiction, occasionally turning the tables to probe Wang Ting for information about the town's various powers and local gossip.
When they were full, there was still a good amount of food left on the table, especially the "Dragon-Crested Crimson Prawn" and the "Sea of Bamboo Three Treasures Casserole," which they had barely touched. Under Wang Ting's slightly surprised gaze, Lin Rui calmly beckoned the waiter over.
"Waiter, could you please pack up the leftovers?"
"Ah? Y-yes, of course!" The waiter froze for a second before snapping into action, quickly fetching several exquisite food containers. In the cultivation world, especially for cultivators of their apparent standing, it was rare to see anyone pack up leftovers. Most were more concerned with keeping up appearances.
Wang Ting stroked his chin, watching as Lin Rui expertly directed the waiter to pack the dishes separately, his eyes glinting.
This Lin Rui... his way of doing things was becoming more and more unpredictable. The timid, wall-hugging "waste" of the Lin family seemed to have entirely vanished after the incident in the Ancestral Hall. The Lin Rui of today was calm, clear-headed, with an indescribable resilience and... a certain hard-to-define "down-to-earth" quality? Hmm, perhaps "unconventional" and "pragmatic" were better words. In any case, he was the polar opposite of his cousin, Wang Ruohan, who constantly postured like a noble young master, terrified of any breach in etiquette.
"I have to say, brother Rui, you're quite... the homemaker," Wang Ting said, half-joking, half-genuinely impressed.
Lin Rui took the packed containers, testing their weight with satisfaction, and raised an eyebrow at Wang Ting.
"Wastefulness is the greatest crime, Brother Wang. Besides, this was all bought with spirit stones, and it tastes amazing. Wouldn't it make a great late-night snack or tomorrow's lunch? Or do you treat spirit stones like dirt?"
His matter-of-fact tone and a final rhetorical question left Wang Ting speechless.
This kid, Wang Ting thought. Not only is his mind sharp now, but his skin is thick, and he spouts all this twisted logic that you can't even argue with. He suddenly wondered if breaking off the engagement had been a loss or a gain for his family. Seeing Lin Rui now, it was highly likely that Wang Ruohan had lost out, big time.
Full and satisfied, the two left the Drunken Immortal Tavern.
The night wind, carrying the scent of bamboo leaves, brushed against Lin Rui's face, clearing his head a little. He took the heavy food container in one hand, while his other unconsciously touched the three thin booklets in his robes—the Code of Conduct, the Mission Outline, and the Mutual Aid Treaty. It had been an information-heavy evening. He needed to go back and digest it all, and figure out how to stabilize that wisp of "vitality" he had worked so hard to condense in his dantian.
Wang Ting let out a drunken burp, his face flushed.
"I say, brother Rui, let big brother here escort you home. The roads in Zhuyun Town are dark at night. What if you run into some clueless mugger? With your level of cultivation..." he drew out his words, his tone full of mockery.
Lin Rui glanced at him. "Brother Wang should worry about himself first. Don't want you tripping and falling into the Azure Creek River to feed the fish."
They walked side by side, passing through the noisy market district and turning into a quiet alley that led to the old part of town. High courtyard walls flanked the alley, dappled with the shadows of bamboo. The occasional bark of a dog only amplified the deep silence.
Just then, at the mouth of the alley not far ahead, a stumbling figure burst out, shouting something unintelligible as he lunged straight toward them.
The figure was moving incredibly fast, reeking of a strange, mixed odor of medicinal herbs and something burnt. Lin Rui's eyes narrowed. He instinctively shifted the food container to his other hand, his body tensing slightly.
"E-elixir poison! Help... help..."
Less than three steps from Lin Rui, the man's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. His face was ashen, his lips black, and his limbs were still twitching faintly. In his hand, he clutched a small jade bottle.
Lin Rui acted on pure instinct, stepping forward and crouching down to examine him. The old man was dressed in plain, coarse clothes, but his wrinkled hands were better kept than those of an ordinary person, with traces of medicinal powder still in the creases of his fingernails.
Wang Ting came closer, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Well now, isn't this Old Man Li from the Thousand Crafts Pavilion? He's usually a crafty old fox, always lurking around the alchemy shops, buying up failed elixirs and medicinal dregs, claiming he can turn trash into treasure. How'd he end up in a state like this?"
He stroked his chin, his tone playful, but his eyes darted between Old Man Li and Lin Rui.
"I say, brother Rui, you just registered your cultivator tablet and haven't even officially taken a mission, and the heavens are already sending you work? Does this count as your first 'pop-up event'?"
He spoke flippantly, but deep in his flirtatious eyes, an imperceptible gravity flickered. Old Man Li had cried, "Elixir poison." While Zhuyun Town had numerous alchemy shops, cases of poisoning were relatively uncommon. Especially since Old Man Li himself was an "expert" who dealt with elixirs year-round.
Wang Ting pointed down the alley.
"Your Lin family's Bamboo Spring Hall is nearby. We should take him there first. This old geezer can't die here. It'd be bad luck."
Lin Rui ignored Wang Ting's banter. He bent down and hoisted the still-convulsing Old Man Li onto his back. The man's body was scorching hot to the touch, yet laced with a strange, deep chill.
The Bamboo Spring Hall was brightly lit, with several apprentices busy organizing medicinal herbs. Seeing Lin Rui enter carrying a person, a middle-aged physician who looked to be in charge came forward.
"What's happened here?"
"Elixir poison," Lin Rui said succinctly, placing Old Man Li on an examination bed.
The physician was experienced. After a thorough examination—observing, listening, questioning—he took a drop of blackened blood from Old Man Li's fingertip and placed it on a special jade slide to observe, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
"Strange. This is 'Withered Vine Toxin,' an extremely rare wood-type poison. Typically, only a single drop can be refined from the core of a thousand-year-old vine. It's a virulent poison that rapidly erodes life force; an ordinary person would die on contact. It's a wonder this old gentleman has held on this long..." The physician clicked his tongue in amazement, studying Old Man Li more closely. "If he hadn't spent years working with medicinal dregs and elixir ash, building up a mixed resistance in his body, and if he hadn't, by some chance, ingested a strange fruit in his youth that altered his constitution, allowing him to neutralize part of the toxin... I'm afraid he would have been beyond saving."
Wang Ting, listening on the side, was flabbergasted.
"A thousand-year-old vine? A guy like Old Man Li, where would he even go to provoke something like that?"
As he was pondering this, the beaded curtain to the hall's inner chamber was pushed aside. Lin Tiancheng, dressed in a dark green brocade robe today, walked out.
Lin Tiancheng's eyes immediately found Lin Rui standing by the examination bed, and Wang Ting beside him. His brow knitted almost imperceptibly.
"Rui'er, what are you doing here?" His voice was low, but it carried an undeniable authority.
Lin Rui briefly explained how he had found the poisoned Old Man Li.
After listening, Lin Tiancheng's gaze flickered between the unconscious old man and Lin Rui, his expression unreadable. He fell into a thoughtful silence, as if weighing his options.
After a moment, he suddenly spoke, his tone heavy with meaning.
"Since you have such an interest in the path of alchemy, and you just happened to save this Old Man Li, why don't you... Start as an apprentice in the Alchemy Division?"
Lin Rui froze, completely baffled. That escalated quickly. The Lin family's Alchemy Division?
Wang Ting's eyes went wide as well; he nearly bit his tongue. The Lin family's Alchemy Division was a vital department under the direct control of the Inner Hall. Ordinary branch disciples couldn't get a foot in the door even if they tried. And Lin Tiancheng was proactively offering to let Lin Rui in as an apprentice? Had the sun risen in the west?
Hearing this, the few Lin family apprentices busy at work in the medicine hall all stopped what they were doing, turning to look and whisper amongst themselves.
"The Alchemy Division? Did I hear that right? Lin Rui?"
"Isn't he... You know?"
"What does Foreman Tiancheng mean by this? Could that story about the ancestral manifestation be true?"
Though the discussion was quiet, the words carried clearly to everyone's ears.
Lin Rui's mind raced. What was his uncle playing at? An apprenticeship in the Alchemy Division? This felt like both a golden opportunity and a hot potato. Was his uncle using the incident with Old Man Li as a pretext to plant him in the Alchemy Division? Nominally to learn, but in reality, he was probably hoping Lin Rui would investigate something for him.
The physician at his side wiped the sweat from his brow and lowered his voice.
"Foreman Tiancheng, to be frank, this is not the only case of this kind of elixir poisoning we've seen recently. It's just that... the other victims were mostly nameless wandering cultivators. It caused a bit of gossip in the market at most, not nearly enough to get the attention of the Celestial Law Division."
Lin Tiancheng's face remained impassive, but his eyes darkened. He retrieved a jade tablet from his sleeve. It was a lustrous, brilliant green, with a complex azure serpent totem carved into its face.
An inner-hall tablet of the Lin family.
"Lin Rui, take out your cultivator tablet."
Lin Rui did as he was told, pulling out the azure jade tablet he had received that day.
Lin Tiancheng held his tablet in one hand. With the other, he formed a "sword finger" and pointed it at Lin Rui's cultivator tablet. He began to chant, his voice low but carrying a strange rhythm:
"By the Spirit Web's authority, by the Celestial Law's decree, every matter has its cause; let this order be the key."
As his voice fell, an almost imperceptible flash of azure light passed between the two tablets. Invisible wisps of spiritual energy converged in the air for an instant before quickly dissipating. The tablet in Lin Rui's hand grew slightly warm, then returned to its normal temperature. A thought struck him. So this is how you 'accept a mission' in this world. A lot more convenient than filling out forms and getting stamps.
Lin Tiancheng withdrew his tablet without a second glance at Lin Rui.
"Your mission in the Alchemy Division is to learn diligently. As for the rest, you will act as the situation demands."
With that, he flicked his sleeve, turned, and left.
Wang Ting stared after him, dumbfounded. It was a long moment before he finally clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Brother Rui, your luck... is something else."
Early the next morning.
Lin Rui, now dressed in the standard indigo-blue coarse cloth work clothes of an alchemy apprentice, appeared punctually at the entrance to the Lin family's Alchemy Division. The division was built in a quiet, secluded corner deep within the family compound. It was a large complex of several courtyards, the air thick with the rich scent of medicinal herbs and the faint, residual warmth of alchemical flames.
The foreman of the Alchemy Division was a goateed, middle-aged cultivator surnamed Liu, known as Foreman Liu. He glanced at Lin Rui, his expression flat and emotionless, and casually tossed him a rag and a wooden bucket.
"New guy? First, go wipe down all the cauldrons in the outer courtyard. Then go to a Herb Storeroom C and sort the new shipment of 'Ironthread Grass' and 'Dew-Congregating Flowers.' Organize them by year and quality. And be quick about it."
Lin Rui acknowledged the order without another word, picked up the tools, and got to work.
The cauldrons in the outer courtyard were thick with medicinal ash and took considerable effort to clean. He worked meticulously, scrubbing each cauldron until it shone. Afterwards, he went to Herb Storeroom C. The storeroom was piled high with all kinds of spirit grasses, the rich medicinal fragrance so dense it was almost tangible. He followed Foreman Liu's instructions, identifying, sorting, and neatly stacking the Ironthread Grass and Dew-Congregating Flowers.
For several days, Lin Rui did nothing but the most basic chores: cleaning cauldrons, organizing medicine cabinets, grinding herbs, and even chopping wood and stoking the fires. He was like a true apprentice—silent, diligent, and never complaining. Seeing him like this, the other apprentices in the division, who had heard he was a "special connection" brought in by Foreman Tiancheng but saw his behavior was unbelievably low-key, gradually let down their guard. They wrote him off as some lucky kid who was there to muddle through and gain some experience.
At noon, the apprentices ate their meal in a corner of the Alchemy Division's outer courtyard. Lin Rui held a bowl of spirit rice, silently listening to the chatter of the other apprentices around him.
"Hey, did you guys hear? It seems like the inner division is working on some new kind of elixir," a round-faced apprentice said in a low, secretive voice.
Another apprentice, a tall and lanky fellow, pursed his lips.
"What do the affairs of the inner division have to do with us out here in the courtyard? We can't even get in. But speaking of which, the smell drifting out of there lately has been getting weirder and weirder. Have you guys noticed? It's a... a sickly-sweet, burnt smell I can't quite describe."
"No kidding!" the round-faced apprentice immediately agreed. "I went to deliver some cleaned jade mortars the other day, and when I got to the entrance, the smell nearly knocked me over! I have no idea what kind of treasure the elders are refining to cause such a fuss. It was never like this before."
A slightly older apprentice glanced around nervously.
"Shh—keep it down! Are the inner divisions' affairs something we should be discussing? You want to get fired?"
The group immediately fell silent and focused on their food.
Lin Rui pushed the rice around in his bowl, lost in thought.
The Alchemy Division is split into an inner and outer section. The inner section is the core, off-limits to regular apprentices, and recently, there's been a strange smell coming from it... He connected this with the unusual vitality of the "waste" materials in Storeroom D.
In the afternoon, Foreman Liu assigned more herb-sorting tasks.
Lin Rui spotted an opportunity. A young cultivator who looked a bit older than the other apprentices, with a somewhat scholarly air, was standing alone in a corner, consulting a worn-out pharmacology codex to identify a few rare spirit grasses. His name was Li Qing. He was said to have some talent for the path of alchemy but was also a bit of a loner who disliked small talk, preferring to bury himself in his herbs and cauldrons.
Lin Rui carried a small basket of freshly dried "Morning Dew Grass" over to Li Qing's side.
"Senior Brother Li," he began, his voice low and tinged with a student's humility. "I'm new here and truly clueless about these herbs. This Morning Dew Grass, for instance. Why are some leaves vibrant and dripping green while others are paler yellow? Is there a difference in their medicinal properties?"
Li Qing looked up from his codex, studying Lin Rui for a moment, as if surprised that this "special connection" would proactively ask him for guidance. But seeing Lin Rui's earnest expression, which didn't seem feigned, and recalling how diligently he had worked the past few days, he set down the codex and pointed to the grass.
"Morning Dew Grass has a slightly cool nature. It is best harvested in the early morning when the dew is heaviest. The vibrant green ones are full of that dew, so their medicinal properties are naturally stronger. If they are yellow, it likely means they were harvested at the wrong time of day, or they lost too much moisture during the drying process, making their properties inferior." He paused. "As the Compendium of Spirit Grasses says, 'Proper timing yields pure nature; improper timing yields a mixed one.'"
Lin Rui's eyes lit up.
"I see! So, if one were refining a Mind-Clearing Pill, the vibrant green Morning Dew Grass would be more suitable?"
The corner of Li Qing's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, as if this "eager student" had sparked a bit of his interest.
"The Mind-Clearing Pill is meant to calm the mind and reduce inner fire. Morning Dew Grass is only one of the supplementary herbs. It must be paired with Serenity Flower to neutralize its coolness, then assisted by a small amount of powdered Hundred-Spirit Fruit core to activate its potency. This is the principle of synergy and balance among the ingredients."
Over the next few days, whenever Lin Rui had a spare moment, he would find some pretext to consult with Li Qing.
From the hot and cold natures of different herbs, to the synergistic and conflicting relationships of the five elements, to the secrets of ingredient pairings in basic elixir formulas, Li Qing gradually dropped his initial coldness and would occasionally offer more detailed explanations.
"The creation of elixir poison can have many causes," Lin Rui said, seizing an opportunity one day. "Besides improper heat control or incorrect ingredient pairing, what are some other common reasons?"
Li Qing was meticulously scraping the outer bark from a section of "Ironwood Root" with a small jade knife. His hands didn't stop as he answered.
"The properties of the herbs themselves cannot be ignored. Some herbs may seem non-toxic, but when mixed with other specific ingredients or catalyzed by the high heat of a cauldron, they can produce deadly poisons. Even worse," he set aside the black bark he had scraped off, his tone flat, "if certain spirit grasses are contaminated by foul earthly energies during their growth, or are infested by malevolent spirit insects, their medicinal properties can change in strange and hard-to-detect ways. Once used in an elixir, the consequences are unthinkable. The Essentials of the Alchemical Dao records this very principle: 'a single misstep can turn medicine into poison.'"
Lin Rui nodded, then shifted the topic, as if asking an idle question.
"Speaking of which, a few days ago when I was cleaning out the waste materials in Storeroom D, I noticed that some of the herbs, though charred, still seemed to have..."
"Storeroom D?" Li Qing's brow furrowed, interrupting him. The jade knife in his hand paused its work on the Ironwood Root. He looked up at Lin Rui, his gaze more scrutinizing than before, his tone reverting to its former distance. "That's all just dregs from failed elixirs and residual materials that have lost their potency. There's nothing to see there. You are just beginning on the path of alchemy. You should focus your mind on the proper path and not be distracted by such dregs. To identify herbs, you must use your eyes, your hands, and your mind. Especially your mind—you must be able to perceive the fundamental vitality of the herb itself..."
He skillfully steered the conversation back to basic pharmacology.
Lin Rui didn't press further, but he was now more certain than ever.
Cleaning Storeroom D became his regular, daily task.
Foreman Liu, seeing him work so diligently without slacking off, was more than happy to have the easy work taken care of.
When no one was watching, Lin Rui would secretly use a small piece of charcoal he carried to make marks, recording the main types and approximate quantities of "waste" materials in Stororom D each day.
Within three days, he had discovered a pattern.
For example, every two or three days, a large quantity of charred "Ironthread Grass" and the dregs of an herb called "Dragon's Blood Vine" would appear. According to the Essentials of the Alchemical Dao, these two herbs were the primary ingredients for a low-grade body-tempering elixir known as the "Azurevine Bone-Quenching Pill." And within a day or two after these materials appeared in the waste, the faint, sickly-sweet, burnt smell drifting from the inner division would become noticeably stronger.
His current ignorance of alchemy, which would be a massive disadvantage to anyone else, was now his best cover. No one would be suspicious of a chore boy who couldn't even correctly identify all the herbs. The secrets of the Alchemy Division were, little by little, being unveiled before him: the "waste" materials in Storeroom D that were not quite dead, the strange, persistent smell from the inner division, and Senior Brother Li Qing's deliberate evasiveness when specific topics were broached...