Lin Rui continued his daily routine in Storeroom D, working quickly and saying little. Foreman Liu was happy to let him be, writing him off as a diligent but dull-witted chore boy.
When he was alone, however, Lin Rui would carefully examine the so-called "waste materials." His sensitivity to minute details had become second nature. His recent time in the division, combined with the faint perception of plant vitality from the [Azurewood Heart Chant], allowed him to see things others missed.
Take the Ironthread Grass, for example. It was supposed to be completely charred, yet some pieces in Storeroom D had a strange, dark purple tinge at their broken ends. Then there were the dregs of the Dragon's Blood Vine. Though scorched, if one sniffed closely, one could detect a very faint, burnt odor, similar to the incomplete combustion of certain synthetic drugs he'd handled in his past life.
Is someone behind this, or is it a coincidence? He wondered. My gut tells me something is fishy.
Today, the Alchemy Division was suddenly short-staffed to rush a batch of elixirs for the inner hall. Several young disciples were temporarily reassigned to help. Among them was a female disciple in a blue-black uniform, her face cool, her eyes holding a hint of detachment.
She walked to the entrance of Storeroom D, holding a stack of blank registration slips, her voice crisp but devoid of warmth. "You are Lin Rui?"
Lin Rui was dumping a basket of "waste" Ironthread Grass. He turned. "You know me?"
Qu Youyan's gaze lingered on him. "My name is Qu Youyan. I was a classmate of Lin Baobao and Xu Yu. I ran into Baobao earlier; he said you are now working in the Alchemy Division. I didn't quite believe it." Her tone was flat. "He seems to hold you in high regard. Said you were a decent person, worth befriending."
"Baobao exaggerates," Lin Rui replied. "It was just Second Uncle looking out for me."
Qu Youyan's fingers tapped the edge of the jade slips, her eyes sweeping over the piles of medicinal dregs. "Learn things? What can you learn in here? How to identify burnt roots?"
The words sounded like a taunt, but Lin Rui caught a flicker of curiosity in her eyes.
"At the very least, I can learn not to get tricked into buying poison grass disguised as spirit medicine," he responded, half-joking.
The corner of her mouth seemed to curve upward, but the arc was gone in an instant. "True enough. Zhuyun Town looks peaceful, but the waters run deep. Getting more exposure is a good thing."
She said no more and walked to a worn-out wooden table to organize the storeroom's logbooks. She was extremely meticulous, her slender fingers flying across the jade slips, pausing occasionally as her brow furrowed in concentration.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Qu Youyan let out a soft "Tch," startling a nearby apprentice.
"Youyan, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing." Qu Youyan put down a jade slip. "I just think the bookkeeper here has poor eyesight, and his arithmetic seems to have been taught by the old aunt who sells steamed buns on the street."
Another apprentice came over. "What's the problem? It's just waste records. Who's going to look at them closely?"
"Ordinarily, no one would," Qu Youyan said. "But if the log says thirty catties of 'Dragon's Blood Vine' were brought in, and twenty catties were used up in failed elixirs, and another fifteen catties were discarded today… did the extra five catties sprout roots and grow by themselves right here in Storeroom D?"
Her tone was even, as if telling the most ordinary of jokes. The other two apprentices were completely bewildered.
But Lin Rui's heart skipped a beat. Dragon's Blood Vine! It's the Dragon's Blood Vine again!
He nonchalantly moved closer, pretending to grab a tool. "Miss Qu, is there a problem with the accounts?"
Qu Youyan looked up, a playful glint in her cool eyes. "Not a big problem. Just some muddled accounts," she said, tossing the problematic jade slip onto the table. "Perhaps the foremen were too busy and just scribbled down a number. Or perhaps, the herbs in this storeroom aren't meant for people to look at in the first place."
Her words were pointed.
"There seems to have been a lot of discarded Ironthread Grass and Dragon's Blood Vine these past few days," Lin Rui said casually. "I wonder what kind of elixir they're trying to make."
Qu Youyan picked up a brush pen and wrote on a new sheet, "Ironthread Grass, charred, approx. 20 catties." Her calligraphy was elegant but carried an underlying strength.
"Who knows? Perhaps one of the elders has acquired some ancient elixir formula," she said. "After all, our Lin family's Alchemy Division is the best in Zhuyun Town. It's just that their disposal methods for the waste seem a bit careless. Some of these herbs clearly have residual medicinal properties, yet they're just mixed together and burned. It's truly a shame."
She said, "A shame," but Lin Rui heard another meaning. If those dregs with abnormal colors and smells were truly waste, why weren't they being disposed of more thoroughly?
The loopholes in the accounts, combined with the abnormalities he had observed in the waste materials, were beginning to connect in Lin Rui's mind. Storeroom D was far more complex than it appeared.
As evening approached, the temporary support mission ended. Qu Youyan handed the organized logbooks to Foreman Liu, who gave them a cursory glance before waving her away.
As she reached the door, she suddenly turned and looked back at Lin Rui. "Lin Rui."
He started.
"Baobao said you're very good at observing people. I wonder if it's true."
"He's just talking nonsense."
"Is he?" Qu Youyan's clear eyes seemed to see right through him. "Zhuyun Town may be small, but it's full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Sometimes, it's better to see things and not say anything. That's how you live a long life. Take care of yourself."
She turned and left, her blue-black figure quickly disappearing into the twilight.
Lin Rui stood where he was, lost in thought. This Miss Qu seems even more perceptive than I imagined. Her discovery and her warning today—was it unintentional, or a deliberate hint?
Night fell like ink. After a long day, Lin Rui returned to his courtyard.
Inside his room, he took out a plain notebook and recorded everything he had seen and heard that day, including the accounting discrepancy. He wrote in meticulous detail—the dark purple tinge on the Ironthread Grass, the strange, burnt chemical smell from the Dragon's Blood Vine, and the extra five catties of vine that had appeared out of thin air. He didn't miss a single detail, a firm believer that "the devil is in the details."
After finishing his notes, he took out the fragment of the [Azurewood Heart Chant] and the Fragmentary Records of the Lin Clan's Ancient Elixir Formulas left by his father.
Under the dim lamplight, he spread open the [Azurewood Heart Chant]. Every word was a gem, containing the secrets of the endless vitality of wood. He wanted to understand some of its key concepts on a fundamental level.
His gaze fell upon two terms: "Source Discerning" and "Flow Cleansing."
"Source Discerning" meant to identify the origin. The manual's explanation was mystical: "All things have a spirit… A cultivator must quiet their mind, observing with their heart, only then can they perceive the subtle differences."
Lin Rui rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Discerning source-qi… does this mean that at a certain level, one can perceive the most fundamental properties of a substance? For example, would the 'source-qi' of those processed Ironthread Grass pieces be different from normal ones?
He then looked at "Flow Cleansing." The manual explained: "The vitality of wood is utterly pure, capable of washing away filth… one can also use this pure qi to refine external objects, returning them to their original state, or to remove their impurities and preserve their essence."
Refining external objects, removing their impurities… Lin Rui's eyes lit up. If "Source Discerning" could help him identify the abnormalities, could "Flow Cleansing" be used to restore those "contaminated" herbs?
Putting down the Chant, he picked up the Fragmentary Records. It was less a book of formulas and more a jumbled collection of notes, containing elixir refining methods but also many strange rituals and secret lore.
A section titled "Guiding Qi to Inquire of the Spirit" caught his attention. This "Inquiry" seemed more like an ancient divination or tracking ritual. The steps were elaborate: it required the ashes of specific burnt plants, the user's own heart's blood as a catalyst, and chants at a specific time and direction.
Lin Rui considered the details. The ritual didn't emphasize the user's spiritual power, but rather the correct choice of materials and the precision of the steps. It was less about communicating with a "spirit" and more about a ritual that utilized chemical reactions or perhaps symbolism to achieve a directional goal. Plant ash, heart's blood… these things themselves contained certain kinds of "information."
He suddenly recalled that in his father's notes on the [Azurewood Heart Chant], he had mentioned a similar method. Next to it, circled in red ink, were the four characters for "Cloud and Rain Response."
Clouds are ethereal, scattering like ash. Rain falls from the heavens, nourishing like blood. Could this "Response" refer to a specific kind of… "answer" or "pointer"?
His father's notes were brief, yet they seemed to echo this "Inquiry" method.
Lin Rui's heart began to beat faster. He wasn't one to believe in ghosts or gods; his past life had taught him to trust logic and evidence. But this world was bizarre, and many things couldn't be judged by common sense.
A bold idea formed in his mind. He would try this ritual.
He wasn't expecting to truly "inquire" of any "spirit." Instead, he wanted to see what kind of "reaction" this ancient ritual, which his father had specifically marked, would produce—and whether it could truly "point" to anything.
The key was the correct materials and precise steps.
The next day, while cleaning Storeroom D, Lin Rui nonchalantly collected some dregs from the burnt Dragon's Blood Vine. It was counted as plant ash and was one of the materials he needed for the "Inquiry" ritual.
Night fell, heavy and silent. The outer courtyard of the Alchemy Division was quiet, with only the low chirp of insects.
Like a wisp of smoke, Lin Rui slipped past the sightlines of a few patrolling disciples, arriving silently at a remote corner in the back of the division. Piled here was junk, including an old, man-high cauldron covered in rust, clearly abandoned for years. This was the spot he had chosen—secluded and unlikely to be discovered.
He took a deep breath to calm himself. The moonlight, filtering through the sparse branches, dappled the old cauldron, lending it an eerie air.
Lin Rui took out the small ceramic bowl he had prepared and poured the Dragon's Blood Vine ash into it. Then, he bit his fingertip. A crimson drop of blood fell, merging with the ash. He followed the technique from the Fragmentary Records, stirring the mixture gently while silently chanting the ancient, tongue-twisting syllables. They were less like a spell and more like a vibrational frequency meant to guide some unknown change.
Some time passed. There was no fluctuation of spiritual energy, no resonance of "vitality."
Just as he thought the ritual had failed—
A figure stepped out from the shadows behind the cauldron as if from nowhere. "Kid, not sleeping in the middle of the night? Playing with mud out here?"
The voice was laced with a teasing tone that sent a jolt through Lin Rui, almost making him drop the bowl.
"S-Second Uncle?" Lin Rui's heart hammered against his ribs, his palms instantly slick with cold sweat.
It's over. I've been caught red-handed! If this kind of sneaky 'witchcraft' gets me branded as a heretical cultivator, not even the Azure Creek River will be able to wash me clean.
Lin Tiancheng strolled over, glanced down at the concoction in the bowl, then looked up at Lin Rui, a half-smile on his face.
"Not bad, kid. You actually managed to figure a few things out," he said with a click of his tongue. "You haven't even scratched the surface of the 'Guiding Qi to Inquire of the Spirit' ritual, and your technique is a million miles off, but… that courage of yours is quite interesting."
Lin Rui was stunned. He's not here to punish me?
"Second Uncle, I…"
"Alright, enough with the 'I, I, I'" Lin Tiancheng waved a hand dismissively. He took out a palm-sized, jet-black jade disc from his sleeve, carved with complex cloud patterns and glowing with a cold light. "Your method is too crude. Watch me."
Before his words had faded, his left hand formed a strange seal and tapped the old cauldron. "With Azurewood as the guide, let the spirit trace a line, back in time!"
A wisp of pure, wood-type spiritual energy flowed from his fingertips into the cauldron, which let out a soft hum. Immediately, a faint, almost invisible wisp of green smoke rose from the mixture in the bowl.
Lin Tiancheng held up the "Obsidian Spirit-Image Disc" in his right hand. The disc trembled slightly as he aimed it at the smoke.
The green smoke twisted and coiled, gradually coalescing into two blurry human figures.
Lin Rui immediately recognized one of them: Foreman Liu from the Alchemy Division! He was currently bowing and scraping, fawning over the other figure. His servile posture was a world away from the bossy air he carried during the day.
The other figure was completely shrouded in a black cloak, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female. Even the moonlight seemed to avoid them, leaving their face hidden in shadow. But Lin Rui's gaze was drawn to a peculiar ornament at the person's waist—a sachet made of some kind of dark metal, carved with a twisted vine pattern.
He was almost sure this person was not a member of the Lin clan.
The smoky image flickered, briefly revealing a blurry corner of a secret storeroom, where Foreman Liu handed a package to the black-cloaked figure.
The vision lasted only a few seconds before the green smoke dissipated. The light from the Obsidian Spirit-Image Disc dimmed. Everything returned to silence.
But Lin Rui felt a chill run down his spine. Foreman Liu! The elixir poison! The person in black! The ritual had revealed the tip of the iceberg.
"Second Uncle, that…"
Lin Tiancheng's expression was calm, as if this were not unexpected. "Hmph. A rat the family raised but could not tame," he snorted. "I was already investigating the poisonings, but there are too many eyes in the inner hall. Making a big scene would have just spooked the culprit. This Foreman Liu is most likely colluding with some shady outside power, selling off our herbs."
He paused, his gaze falling on Lin Rui with a hint of appraisal. "You're a clever one, kid, to think of starting with the dregs of that Dragon's Blood Vine. You should know, in all of Zhuyun Town, that particular vine can only be found in our Lin family's spirit garden. Yet, nine out of ten of the cultivators who were poisoned had taken elixirs that used this very ingredient. If this had been exposed by those fools at the Celestial Law Division first, and they traced the herbs back to our Alchemy Division, it would have disgraced our family."
Lin Tiancheng stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the old cauldron, his gaze distant. He murmured to himself, "Fifth Brother, oh, Fifth Brother, this son of yours… he certainly inherited some of your unconventional ways. This old cauldron… You used to love tinkering with your strange contraptions here. Could it be your spirit in the heavens, guiding him?"
Listening to his uncle, Lin Rui's mind raced. So, Second Uncle already had his suspicions, but he lacked direct evidence and was concerned about the family's reputation.
"Second Uncle… then… should I still… help out in the Alchemy Division?" he asked cautiously.
Lin Tiancheng glanced at him, a meaningful smile on his lips. "What, scared? Or do you think the water is too deep and you want to run?"
"That's not it," Lin Rui quickly shook his head. "I was just thinking, now that I know all this, if I stay, maybe… I can still be of some help."
"Oh?" Lin Tiancheng raised an eyebrow. "You've got some nerve. But with your pathetic level of cultivation, if you get involved, you might get swallowed whole. Of course, if you're happy to stay, I won't stop you. The path of alchemy is vast and profound."
"That would be great!" Lin Rui immediately agreed, a guileless smile on his face. "The chance to learn more about elixirs is something I couldn't ask for."
"Alright." Lin Tiancheng put away the disc, a look of relief on his face. "This artifact has recorded enough evidence. I'll take it to the Patriarch and see how he wants to deal with this traitor."
He turned to Lin Rui. "Take out your cultivator tablet."
Lin Rui did as he was told.
Lin Tiancheng took out his inner-hall tablet. He placed the two side by side on the old cauldron, his left hand forming a slightly different seal as he chanted, "With the Azurewood as witness, by the Spirit Web's judgment, all deeds are known to Heaven."
As the incantation ended, both jade tablets let out a soft hum.
Immediately, Lin Rui felt the air around him freeze. An invisible force gathered, enveloping him like warm water. The faint wisp of vitality in his dantian became more active. It was just like his EXP bar had shot up in a video game.
Lin Tiancheng watched the faint spiritual light flash across Lin Rui's body and nodded. "It seems the Spirit Web is quite pleased with your role in exposing this corruption. You've got good luck, kid. This 'positive feedback' came right on time."
Lin Rui felt the change within his body, secretly overjoyed. This direct "level-up" was far more satisfying than meditation. He estimated he was now not far from the bottleneck of the first stage of Mystic Art Enlightenment.
"Hey, Second Uncle, I didn't know you could get EXP—" He quickly corrected himself. "I didn't realize the Spirit Web could directly enhance one's cultivation!"
Lin Tiancheng glanced at him. "I have a reward for you as well." He patted the old, broken cauldron. "This cauldron isn't bad. I'll have Xuanming help patch it up and have it sent to you. In your spare time, you can use it to practice."
"Wow! Really?" Lin Rui's eyes lit up. "This mission was worth it!"
Lin Tiancheng's tone was flat. "Didn't I tell you? This world's Spirit Web has its own cycle of cause and effect. By exposing Foreman Liu, you have helped purify the family, which benefits the clan and the local Spirit Web. It's only natural that you would be rewarded."
He paused, tapping the rust-covered cauldron. "As for this cauldron…" A nostalgic smile touched his lips. "This was your father's—my Fifth Brother, Lin Yuntian's—favorite plaything. He used to love using it to refine all sorts of strange elixirs. Seeing you sneak around by this very cauldron earlier, performing that 'Inquiry' ritual, brought back quite a few memories."
He sighed, a complex emotion in his eyes. "You used your father's old things and, by a fortunate coincidence, helped me uncover a traitor. The Spirit Web rewards you. I see this cauldron and am reminded of old times. Seeing your interest, I decided to give it to you. All of these things are linked by cause and effect; they don't just happen out of nowhere. This world is governed by a principle called 'Yuan'—affinity and fate. You'll come to understand it slowly."
Lin Rui was dumbfounded. He had thought this world, while magical, should at least follow some basic logic. But concepts like "Spirit Web feedback" and "cycles of cause and effect" seemed even more mystical than the fantasy novels he had read.
So, I used my dad's old cauldron to perform a failed ritual, which accidentally helped my uncle catch an inside man. Then, the Spirit Web gave me 'EXP' for it. My uncle, feeling nostalgic, decided to give it to me as a reward.
No matter how he looked at it, the chain of logic was steeped in an "inexplicable" sense of destiny.
"Mystery upon mystery, the gate to all wonders…" Lin Rui snarked silently in his mind, but his face wore an expression of one who had been enlightened. "Thank you for your guidance, Second Uncle. I understand."
The next day, a crowd had gathered in front of the Lin family's Announcement Hall. A notice on white hemp paper, still wet with ink, was posted:
"Liu Cheng, Foreman of the Outer Hall's Alchemy Division, did collude with outside parties to steal and sell the family's spiritual materials, thus disgracing the clan. The evidence is conclusive. Following clan rules, his cultivation is to be crippled, and he is to be expelled from the Lin family. Furthermore, Lin Rui, a disciple of a branch family, being sharp of mind, did assist in uncovering this matter and shall be rewarded for his merit. Signed, Lin Tianhua, Patriarch of the Lin Clan."
The notice was short, but the information it contained was explosive.
Foreman Liu was finished! And Lin Rui, the "waste of space," was the hero who exposed him? A tidal wave of discussion spread through the crowd.
At that moment, Lin Rui was in his small courtyard, leisurely munching on a spirit-grain flatbread made by his attendant, Zhutao. The green bamboo in the corner rustled in the morning breeze. It was a picture of peace, sealed off from the clamor of the outside world.
A slightly high-pitched voice approached from a distance. "Young Master Lin! Great news!"
Lin Rui looked up to see a smiling, round-faced man of about forty jogging into the courtyard. It was Steward Fu from the External Affairs Hall, who excelled at treating people according to their social status.
Lin Rui put down his flatbread and stood. "Steward Fu, good morning."
"Aiyo, Young Master Lin, you are too kind!" Fu's face was wreathed in smiles. He took an exquisite brocade box from his storage pouch and presented it with both hands. "On the order of the Patriarch, I have come to deliver your reward!"
His small eyes darted around, his tone deliberately fawning. "Young Master Lin has done a great service! That Liu Cheng always acted so high and mighty, who knew he was such a backstabbing dog! It was Brother Rui's eagle eyes that rooted out this parasite! The entire outer hall is now saying you are our Lin family's 'genius detective'!"
Lin Rui accepted the box, feeling little emotion. He knew this kind of reputation came quickly, but without the strength to back it up, it would disappear just as fast. "You flatter me, Steward Fu. I was just in the right place at the right time."
"Too modest!" Fu's smile grew even wider. "Hurry and open it! This is a reward specially selected for you by the Patriarch. Others couldn't beg for such a thing!"
Lin Rui opened the box. Inside, two items lay side by side.
On the left was a palm-sized, azure jade token of fine, warm quality. On its face was the character for "Archive," carved with silver thread. On the back was the Lin family's azure serpent totem.
On the right was a beast-hide scroll, sealed with the vermilion seal of the inner hall.
Fu pointed at the jade token. "Young Master Lin, this is the 'Archive Pavilion Access Token.' With this, you may freely enter the first floor of our Archive Pavilion. While it does not contain our core cultivation methods, it is filled with books on the hundred arts of cultivation, records from various prefectures, and basic insights on alchemy and formations. It is of great benefit for broadening one's horizons!"
He then pointed to the scroll, his tone becoming more solemn. "And this is the 'Inner Hall Disciple Examination Qualification Document'! Young Master Lin, you have truly hit the jackpot! With this, within one year, you will be qualified to participate in the official inner-hall examination. If you pass, it will be like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. Your future will be limitless!"
Lin Rui listened, his face impassive, but his mind was erupting in a storm of sarcastic commentary. Access to the library? Sounds good. But the qualification has a one-year time limit? This isn't a reward, it's a death warrant! They think I'm not under enough pressure, so they have to push me onto this crowded, single-plank bridge? They want me to compete to the death within a year against candidates who've been soaking in spirit medicines since birth? I could thank you to the moon and back for this!
He took a deep breath, suppressing the inner monologue. "Thank you for the clan's generosity, and thank you, Steward Fu, for making this trip."
Seeing him accept the reward, Fu's smile grew brilliant. "Of course! Then I won't disturb Brother Rui's cultivation. If you need anything, send a note to the External Affairs Hall. I will certainly do my best!"
After seeing him off, Lin Rui sat alone in the courtyard, looking at the brocade box with a complex expression.
"If I have to compete, I'll compete. Who's afraid?" he muttered, a glint of determination in his eyes. "This is a world where the strong prey on the weak. If I want to live like a person and not get stepped on like an ant, I have to climb. This inner-hall examination… perhaps it's an opportunity."
He picked up the Archive Pavilion token, rubbing its cool, smooth surface. Knowledge is power. In any world, that is an irrefutable truth.
"First, I'll go to the Archive Pavilion and see what treasures are hidden in this world's 'encyclopedia'."
And in that moment, the sky above Zhuyun Town was a brilliant, cloudless blue.