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Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Tavern Talk and Dark Currents

The Drunken Immortal Tavern was, without a doubt, one of the two best restaurants in Zhuyun Town.

It stood three stories tall, a structure of aged spirit bamboo polished to a glossy sheen, with upturned, winged eaves that set it a cut above the average shop. Rows of 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.

The moment they stepped inside, a wave of heat washed over them—a mixture of fragrant wine, savory dishes, and the aroma of spiritual materials. The inside was even more boisterous. Shouts, laughter, and the clatter of bowls wove together into a lively tapestry of sound.

Lin Rui's steps faltered.

Vague images surfaced from the depths of his memory. Before his father had disappeared, he would often bring him here for a special treat. His favorite dish was the "Honey-Glazed Fire Ham," while his father would order a pot of "Azure Bamboo Immortal Brew" and watch him eat, a gentle smile in his eyes. After his father vanished, he had never set foot in this place again. Partly because he had no heart for it, but mostly because the prices were far too extravagant.

A sharp-eyed waiter spotted Wang Ting's eye-catching purple robe and hurried over, his face wreathed in smiles. "Aiyo, Young Master Wang! It's been a while! Your usual spot?"

Wang Ting waved a hand. "Not today. I've brought a friend. Somewhere quieter." His gaze 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 menu, though his eyes kept darting toward Lin Rui. "Waiter, order up!" he called out. "Bring us your house specialties! The 'Roasted Snow Rabbit Legs'—crispy on the outside! An 'Azurecreek Spirit Carp,' steamed! A 'Sea of Bamboo Three Treasures Casserole,' and that 'Flaming Drunken Immortal Chicken'! Oh, and that new 'Dragon-Crested Crimson Prawn' dish. For the main course… two bowls of 'Spirit Grain Fragrant Rice.' And warm up a pot of your best 'Drunken Immortal Brew'!"

Lin Rui's mouth twitched. "Are you buying out their kitchen? It's just the two of us."

Wang Ting tossed the menu onto the table. "Hey now, that's where you're wrong," he said, draping an arm casually over the back of his chair. "When big brother here is treating, of course, I have to make sure you eat well. Besides, if I want to pry open that tight-lipped mouth of yours, I've got to spend a little capital, right? Can't be like some people—so petty that buying a single meal is like pulling teeth."

He drew out the last two words meaningfully. Lin Rui chuckled to himself. Wang Ting really never missed a chance to take a jab at his cousin.

Soon, a parade of exquisitely prepared dishes began to arrive.

Wang Ting went for a "Dragon-Crested Crimson Prawn." The meat was plump and suffused with spiritual energy. He squinted in satisfaction, mumbling at Lin Rui through a mouthful of food. "So, little brother Rui, what really happened at the Ancestral Hall? Did your old ancestor really… hmm?"

Lin Rui picked up a piece of snow rabbit leg and ate it slowly, observing Wang Ting's expression. He knew the real interest wasn't in the food. "Ahem. That day, I guess the ancestor just took pity on me," 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. He took a large gulp of the Drunken Immortal Brew. "Alright, fine. I won't bother asking. After all, I'm not the only spy the Wang family has," he said with a grin.

"By the way, now that you've just gotten your cultivator tablet, there must be a lot you don't understand, right? Don't be shy, just ask! Big brother here is, at the very least, a registered cultivator. I'm experienced. I guarantee you'll get an answer for every question!"

He puffed out his chest.

This was the opening Lin Rui had been waiting for. He put down the half-eaten rabbit leg. "That would be great. I actually do have quite a few questions, 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?"

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 or bad, the Spirit Web keeps a record. If you do enough good things that benefit the Spirit Web—like maintaining local peace or solving a big problem—the Web might give you a little 'sweetener.' Maybe your spiritual energy absorption becomes smoother, 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. 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 are the official missions from the Celestial Law Division—maintaining order, investigating cases, things like that. For a new registrant like you, you can start with the lowest 'Mortal-tier' helper missions. The pay is low, but they're safe."

"What else?"

"Then there are internal missions from the great families or sects. After that, you've got the private commissions and bounties posted by shops or wandering cultivators. That's a real mixed bag. High risk, 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.

Lin Rui just chuckled and shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, Brother Wang." He raised his teacup. "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; it was unclear what he was after. Besides, a former P.I. wasn't going to be stumped by a little cash problem.

Seeing that he didn't take the bait, Wang Ting laughed 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 "Flaming Drunken Immortal Chicken" into his mouth, hissing slightly from the spice but looking utterly content.

"Speaking of which," Wang Ting lowered his voice, leaning closer, his eyes glinting with gossip, "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. 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!"

Wang Ting let out a gloating chuckle. Then, as if remembering something, he patted Lin Rui's shoulder with mock sympathy. "Ai, in the end, it's all that kid'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 and married you, none of this mess would have happened. He cost our Wang family a clever and… hmm, adorable little sister-in-law!"

He drew out the last two words, his eyes roving over Lin Rui's face, full of mischievous laughter.

"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 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, 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.

When they were full, there was still a good amount of food left. 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 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 unpredictable. The timid "waste" of the Lin family seemed to have vanished completely. The Lin Rui of today was calm, clear-headed, and had an indescribable resilience. Unconventional and pragmatic.

"I have to say, brother Rui, you're quite… the homemaker," Wang Ting said, half-joking.

Lin Rui took the packed containers, testing their weight with satisfaction, and raised an eyebrow. "Wastefulness is the greatest crime, Brother Wang. Besides, this was all bought with spirit stones. Wouldn't it make a great late-night snack?"

His matter-of-fact tone left Wang Ting speechless. This kid, he thought. Not only is his mind sharp now, but his skin is thick. Breaking off the engagement was a big loss for Wang Ruohan.

Full and satisfied, the two left the Drunken Immortal Tavern.

The night wind brushed against Lin Rui's face, clearing his head. He carried the heavy food container in one hand, while his other hand unconsciously touched the three thin booklets in his robes. He needed to go back and digest it all.

Wang Ting let out a drunken burp. "I say, brother Rui, let me escort you home. The roads are dark at night. What if you run into some clueless mugger? With your level of cultivation…" he drew out his words mockingly.

Lin Rui glanced at him. "Brother Wang should worry about himself first. Don't want you tripping into the Azure Creek River to feed the fish."

They walked side by side, turning into a quiet alley flanked by high courtyard walls. The occasional bark of a dog only amplified the deep silence.

Just then, at the mouth of the alley ahead, a stumbling figure burst out, shouting something unintelligible as he lunged toward them. The figure was moving incredibly fast, reeking of a strange mix of medicinal herbs and something burnt. Lin Rui's eyes narrowed, his body tensing slightly.

"E-elixir poison! Help…"

Less than three steps from them, the man's legs gave out, and he collapsed. His face was ashen, his lips black, his limbs still twitching. In his hand, he clutched a small jade bottle.

Lin Rui acted on pure instinct, crouching down to examine him. The man wore coarse clothes, but his wrinkled hands were well-kept, with traces of medicinal powder in the creases of his fingernails.

Wang Ting came closer. "Well, now, isn't this Old Man Li from the Thousand Crafts Pavilion? He's a crafty old fox, always lurking around alchemy shops, buying up failed elixirs. How'd he end up like this?"

He stroked his chin, his eyes darting between Old Man Li and Lin Rui. "I say, brother Rui, you just registered your tablet and haven't even taken a mission, and the heavens are already sending you work? Does this count as your first 'pop-up event'?"

He spoke flippantly, but a flicker of gravity touched his eyes. Old Man Li had cried, "Elixir poison." While Zhuyun Town had plenty of alchemy shops, cases of poisoning were not common.

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 the banter, hoisting the still-convulsing Old Man Li onto his back. The man's body was scorching hot, yet laced with a strange, deep chill.

The Bamboo Spring Hall was brightly lit. Seeing Lin Rui enter carrying a person, a middle-aged physician 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, he took a drop of blackened blood from Old Man Li's fingertip and placed it on a special jade slide, his brow furrowing 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. "If he hadn't spent years working with medicinal dregs, 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… 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. His eyes immediately found Lin Rui and Wang Ting by the examination bed, his brow knitting almost imperceptibly.

"Rui'er, what are you doing here?" His voice was low, yet it held 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. 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, baffled. The Lin family's Alchemy Division?

Wang Ting's eyes went wide as well. The 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. And Lin Tiancheng was proactively offering to let Lin Rui in? Had the sun risen in the west?

The few Lin family apprentices 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? Could that story about the ancestral manifestation be true?"

Lin Rui's mind raced. What is my uncle playing at? An apprenticeship? This feels like both a golden opportunity and a hot potato. He's using this as a pretext to plant me in the Alchemy Division. Nominally to learn, but in reality, he's hoping I'll 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 lustrous green jade tablet from his sleeve, 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.

Lin Tiancheng held his tablet in one hand. With the other, he formed a "sword finger" and pointed it at Lin Rui's tablet, chanting in a low, rhythmic voice:

"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. The tablet in Lin Rui's hand grew slightly warm, then returned to normal. So this is how you 'accept a mission' in this world, he thought. A lot more convenient than filling out forms.

Lin Tiancheng withdrew his tablet without a second glance. "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 work clothes of an alchemy apprentice, appeared at the entrance to the Lin family's Alchemy Division. It was a large complex of courtyards deep within the family compound, the air thick with the scent of medicinal herbs and the faint warmth of alchemical flames.

The foreman of the Alchemy Division was a middle-aged cultivator with a goatee, known as Foreman Liu. He glanced at Lin Rui, his expression flat, and casually tossed him a rag and a wooden bucket.

"New guy? First, wipe down all the cauldrons in the outer courtyard. Then go to Herb Storeroom C and sort the new shipment of 'Ironthread Grass' and 'Dew-Congregating Flowers.' Organize them by year and quality. Be quick about it."

Lin Rui acknowledged the order without a word and began working.

The cauldrons were thick with medicinal ash and took considerable effort to clean. Afterwards, he went to Herb Storeroom C, a space piled high with spirit grasses, the medicinal fragrance so dense it was almost tangible. He followed the foreman's instructions, meticulously sorting and stacking the herbs.

For several days, Lin Rui did nothing but the most basic chores: cleaning cauldrons, organizing medicine cabinets, grinding herbs, even chopping wood. He was like a true apprentice—silent, diligent, never complaining. Seeing him like this, the other apprentices, who had heard he was a "special connection," gradually let down their guard. They wrote him off as some lucky kid there to muddle through.

At noon, the apprentices ate in a corner of the outer courtyard. Lin Rui held a bowl of spirit rice, silently listening to their chatter.

"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, a tall and lanky fellow, pursed his lips. "What do the affairs of the inner division have to do with us? But speaking of which, the smell drifting out of there lately has been getting weirder. Have you guys noticed? A… a sickly-sweet, burnt smell."

"No kidding!" the round-faced apprentice agreed. "I went to deliver some mortars the other day, and when I got to the entrance, the smell nearly knocked me over! I have no idea what the elders are refining."

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 fell silent.

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 off-limits, and recently, there's been a strange smell coming from it... He connected this with the unusual vitality of the "waste" materials he'd seen in another storeroom.

In the afternoon, Foreman Liu assigned more herb-sorting tasks.

Lin Rui spotted an opportunity. A young cultivator named Li Qing, who had a scholarly air and was known to be a bit of a loner, stood alone in a corner, consulting a worn-out pharmacology codex.

Lin Rui carried a small basket of "Morning Dew Grass" over to his side. "Senior Brother Li," he began, his voice low and humble. "I'm new here and clueless about these herbs. This Morning Dew Grass, for instance. Why are some leaves vibrant green while others are paler yellow?"

Li Qing looked up, surprised that this "special connection" would ask for guidance. But seeing Lin Rui's earnest expression, he set down the codex and pointed to the grass. "Morning Dew Grass has a cool nature. The vibrant green ones are full of dew, so their medicinal properties are stronger. If they are yellow, it means they were harvested at the wrong time or lost too much moisture. 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 grass would be more suitable?"

The corner of Li Qing's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, as if this "eager student" had sparked his interest. "The Mind-Clearing Pill is meant to calm the mind. Morning Dew Grass is only a supplementary herb. 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."

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 herbs to the synergistic and conflicting relationships of the five elements, 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 may seem non-toxic, but when mixed with other specific ingredients or catalyzed by high heat, 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 energies during their growth, or are infested by malevolent spirit insects, their properties can change in strange 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 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. He looked up, his gaze more scrutinizing than before, his tone reverting to its former distance. "That's all just dregs from failed elixirs. There's nothing to see there. You are just beginning. You should focus your mind on the proper path and not be distracted by such things. To identify herbs, you must use your eyes, your hands, and your mind—to perceive the fundamental vitality of the herb itself…"

He skillfully steered the conversation back to the basics of pharmacology.

Lin Rui didn't press further, but he was now more certain than ever.

Cleaning Storeroom D became his regular task. Foreman Liu, seeing him work so diligently, 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 to make marks, recording the types and quantities of "waste" materials in Storeroom D each day.

Within three days, he had discovered a pattern.

Every two or three days, a large quantity of charred "Ironthread Grass" and the dregs of "Dragon's Blood Vine" would appear. According to the Essentials of the Alchemical Dao, these two 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, 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 suspect 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…

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