Chapter 13: Weight of Discovery
The last embers in the brazier dimmed as Lin Tian placed the final bundle of herbs neatly on the jade table. His arms ached faintly, but the rows of roots and powders gleamed clean, each measured with precision.
Yun He's gaze lingered over the arrangement. His sleeve shifted, the cauldron humming softly as it cooled. At last, the elder gave a single nod.
"Acceptable," he said, his tone steady as stone. "Your memory has hands after all."
Lin Tian exhaled, relief softening his shoulders.
But then Yun He's eyes sharpened, his voice striking harder: "Do not grow complacent. Herb preparation is the spine of alchemy-break it, and the body collapses. You will prepare again tomorrow. And again, until your wrists are as steady as your tongue."
Lin Tian bowed deeply. "Yes, Elder."
The elder leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping the cauldron rim. "Good. Then listen well, boy. The sect has sent word-they require another batch of Body Tempering Pills. Six hundred, delivered within the month."
Lin Tian's head jerked up. "Six... hundred?"
Yun He's eyes flicked toward the stacked bundles of herbs waiting in the shadows of the hut. "A minor order," he said flatly. "For you, it means this: no more mere recitation. Today, you will prepare the herbs for true refinement."
Lin Tian's pulse quickened. His first real step into an alchemist's work.
The Map's dry chuckle threaded into his mind. "Hah. Not just cutting weeds this time, boy. Now we see if your hands can keep up with your mouth."
Lin Tian swallowed hard, nodding once. "Yes, Elder."
Yun He unfurled a thin jade slip and set it on the table between them. Its surface glowed faintly, etching rows of characters and diagrams in sharp lines of light.
"This," Yun He said, "is the sect's standard recipe for the Body Tempering Pill. Simple, common, but not forgiving of error. Every stalk, every slice, must follow this order." His gaze cut toward Lin Tian. "Read. Then begin."
Lin Tian bent over the slip. The ingredients glowed in neat succession: Scorchroot, Bitterleaf, Dewgrass, Silverdew Grass, Ironflake seed. Each marked with measures, weights, and cuts.
But even as he read, golden threads sparked faintly across the slip-Map's voice slid into his mind.
"Tch. Standard trash. Crude balancing-half the potency lost before it reaches the cauldron. Look at that Dewgrass measure: too heavy. It will choke the fire, leaving only three pills. Adjust the balance-halve Dewgrass, add Silverdew, and..."
Lin Tian's brow furrowed. He whispered inwardly: "But... that's not what the recipe says. If I change it-won't Elder notice?"
The Map chuckled low. "He'll notice. But if you follow as written, you'll watch herbs burn and pills waste. You asked before if you were different, boy-now prove it."
Lin Tian's hands trembled as he reached for the first Scorchroot. He washed it, sliced clean, set it aside. But when he measured the Dewgrass, he hesitated-then quietly halved the strands, balancing them with an extra pinch of Silverdew.
The Codex pages replayed in his mind, every diagram crisp. His fingers moved steady, confident.
By the time he set the final jade dish upon the table, the arrangement was precise-but not the same as the recipe on the slip.
Silence pressed heavy.
Yun He's eyes had not left him once. His core brushed over the table, tracing every cut, every measure. At last, his gaze hardened.
"You changed the preparation."
Lin Tian froze, bowing quickly. "Elder, I... I felt that the balance could be improved. The Dewgrass weighed too heavy. Silverdew could temper the Scorchroot's heat instead-so I..."
His voice faltered under the elder's stare.
For a long breath, Yun He said nothing. Then, slowly, he leaned back, one finger tapping the cauldron rim. His expression was unreadable.
"You felt it," he repeated flatly. "Twice now you have deviated from instruction. And twice, the balance holds. If you are wrong..." His sleeve shifted faintly, a flicker of qi sparking in the cauldron. "We will know soon enough."
The Map's sly whisper coiled through Lin Tian's skull. "Good. He sees the change. Now we wait for fire to prove you right."
The cauldron thrummed with a steady hum, its bronze walls glowing as Elder Yun He guided the flame with precise strands of qi. One by one, the herbs dissolved, their qi colliding-yet instead of lashing out, they merged in smooth, cyclical harmony.
The Map whispered slyly in Lin Tian's mind. "See? Their formula was wasteful. Your balance allows every root, every leaf, to breathe."
Minutes passed, until the bubbling within stilled. A fragrance burst forth-richer, sharper, purer than anything Lin Tian had smelled before. His heart skipped as Yun He flicked his sleeve, and five pills rose into the air.
Not the dull, uneven pills he'd seen before, but lustrous orbs glowing faint red-gold, each ringed with faint pill lines.
Lin Tian's eyes widened. "...High-grade pills?"
Yun He caught one between his fingers, his gaze narrowing as he inspected the sheen, the fragrance, the qi density swirling within. His lips pressed into a thin line. "... Indeed. High quality."
He set the pill back into the jade dish with deliberate care. "The recipe yields three low-grade pills. Four, if one performs flawlessly. Yet with your... deviation, we have five-and high quality at that."
His gaze snapped to Lin Tian, sharp as a blade. "Explain."
Lin Tian bowed low, his voice steady. "Elder, I only felt it. The Codex spoke of balances and neutralizers-so I shifted the measures. It seemed... natural."
Yun He's expression darkened, though not with anger-more like the shadow of deep calculation. "...Alchemy does not tolerate feelings. To deviate is to gamble with explosions, with poison, with wasted effort. And yet-you succeed. Twice."
He let the words hang in the air, then turned his gaze back to the shimmering pills, eyes glinting faintly.
Once may be chance. Twice... is truth.
Inside, his thoughts tightened like steel chains. This boy sees balances others cannot. If I report this, the Organization will demand him. But if they take him... will he be nurtured? Or dissected?
Once more, his hands moved-washing, slicing, grinding. His fingers were steadier now, his motions smoother, every herb falling into place with the same balance as before.
The cauldron thrummed as the flame drew them in, qi colliding, merging, harmonizing just as it had before. Minutes later, the fragrance burst forth again-rich, potent.
Five pills lifted into the air, their lustrous surfaces gleaming faint red-gold.
Yun He's eyes narrowed to slits. He said nothing, only motioned again. Another bundle. Another test.
Again, five pills. All high-grade.
By the fourth batch, Yun He's expression had darkened into something unreadable. His sleeve flicked faster, his flame sharper, as though daring the boy's balance to falter. But still- five.
Every time.
The jade dishes on the side table filled steadily, each lined with glittering red-gold pills.
At last, Yun He cut the flame with a snap of his fingers, the cauldron cooling with a faint hiss. He stood silent, his gaze heavy upon the boy kneeling at the table.
"...Consistent." His voice was low, edged with something Lin Tian could not name. "Not chance. Not luck."
the sixth batch, Yun He's sleeve snapped sharply, cutting off the flame. The cauldron stilled, releasing only a faint curl of medicinal steam.
"Enough." His eyes burned like iron coals as he regarded the row of jade dishes, each heavy with five lustrous, high-grade pills. "Too consistent. Far too consistent."
Before Lin Tian could speak, Yun He's sleeve swept, pulling a fresh set of herbs onto the table. He raised a hand, halting Lin Tian with a look.
"This time-stand aside. Watch."
Lin Tian bowed quickly, retreating a half-step, though his heart pounded.
Yun He's hands moved with a veteran's precision-washing, slicing, grinding exactly as the Codex prescribed. His motions were faster, sharper, each cut clean, each measure exact. The cauldron flared under his command, qi folding over itself in perfect rhythm.
When the fragrance peaked, Yun He snapped his fingers. Four pills leapt free, gleaming faint red. None dim, none broken-but only four, and all of them merely mid-grade.
Lin Tian's breath caught. The difference was undeniable.
Yun He said nothing for a long moment, only staring into the cauldron's cooling belly. Then slowly, his gaze lifted to the boy.
Write it."
Lin Tian blinked. "Elder?"
"Write." Yun He's tone was clipped, but not cold. "Every motion. Every deviation you made from the Codex. Every 'feeling' you followed. You will record it for me, line by line."
Lin Tian hesitated, but bowed. "... Yes, Elder."
Yun He's expression softened faintly, though his eyes were still sharp. "Do not fear. In the Organization, a new variant, if proven, is recorded as contribution. Its discoverer is always compensated. That law has never changed."
Lin Tian's throat tightened, his mind racing. Compensated? For something I barely understand myself...
The Map's chuckle slithered in his mind, sly and low. "Hah. He already places value on you, boy. Recipes are currency among alchemists-and you've minted gold without knowing it. Careful... wealth like this is both shield and shackle."
---
Lin Tian sat at the low table, brush trembling slightly in his hand. A fresh sheet of bamboo paper lay before him, its pale surface waiting to catch his thoughts. He dipped the brush into ink, then began carefully recording the preparation steps he had taken.
Scorchroot: wash in cool water, slice diagonal, discard three parts, preserve tip.
Bitterleaf: shave thin, layer with Silverdew Grass powder before grinding to reduce acrid heat.
Dewgrass: dry over mild flame for half a breath before weighing, to expel surface damp.
Yun He's eyes narrowed. He raised a hand.
"Stop. That—" he tapped the line about Bitterleaf "—is not in the Codex. The text says grind directly. Why did you deviate?"
Lin Tian swallowed but forced his voice steady. "Because… Bitterleaf's acrid qi clashes with Scorchroot's heat. Silverdew balances it, but only if mixed before powdering. Otherwise, the clash happens inside the cauldron, and some potency is lost."
The hut went very still.
Yun He's gaze sharpened further, as though weighing every syllable. Finally, he gestured. "Continue."
Lin Tian wrote again, this time the note about Dewgrass.
Again, Yun He interrupted. "Drying grass before weighing? That is wasted effort. Moisture burns off in the cauldron regardless."
Lin Tian bowed his head slightly. "If it burns inside the cauldron, Elder, it releases water qi too abruptly. The flame diverts to expel it, even for a breath. That breath is enough to weaken balance. Better to remove it beforehand."
Yun He's lips pressed into a thin line. He said nothing, but his fingers tapped once against the cauldron rim.
Lin Tian continued writing, stroke after stroke, until the sheet was filled with his deviations. He set the brush down with both hands, offering the page respectfully.
Yun He accepted it without a word, scanning every line with eyes that gleamed faintly with suppressed light. By the time he finished, he exhaled slowly, as though releasing a weight.
"…Your reasoning is untrained, but not wrong," he said at last. "Naïve words, yet consistent results. That makes it truth, whether the Codex agrees or not."
Lin Tian's heart pounded. He dared not lift his gaze.
Yun He rolled up the sheet, slipping it into his sleeve. "This will be recorded. And as I told you, the Organization compensates. That is law. For now, you will prepare as I instruct, but we will refine your method again. If it proves stable… then this recipe may one day bear your name."
The Map's laughter rippled in his skull, half-amused, half-predatory. "Hear that, boy? A name carved into the alchemists' scrolls. Fame, wealth, chains—they walk together. Be ready, for this road does not end in shadows."
---
Yun He's gaze lingered on the sheet longer than necessary, his expression calm, but behind his eyes, a storm churned.
Twice now, he thought. Twice the boy has deviated, and twice the cauldron yielded more than law should allow. This is not chance. It is not luck. This… is discovery.
His fingers curled slightly over the rolled bamboo slip, the ink still damp. The rules were clear—any recipe variant that improved yield or purity must be submitted to the Organization. To withhold it was to violate oath and order.
Yet…
His jaw tightened faintly. His master's face rose unbidden in memory—sharp-eyed, stern, a man who once led not only their branch but carried influence across the Organization itself. Yun He had knelt before him as a youth, swearing to carry the torch of pill fire with pride.
And what had he done since? He had not advanced past Core. His rank as alchemist remained middling, too many failures, too few contributions. He had grown old while his master's other disciples rose to prominence, while he remained in the shadows, brewing common pills for the sect's outer disciples.
To call his master now—to present a discovery of this magnitude, one not born of his own insight but of a servant boy—what would that be? Relief, or shame?
Would his master's eyes soften with pride… or harden with disappointment?
His hand hovered at his sleeve, where the slip was tucked, before finally lowering.
No. Not yet.
Not until he was certain this boy's "intuition" was more than borrowed luck. Not until he could place the boy's discovery in context—stable, proven, undeniable. Then, perhaps, he would have the courage to send word.
Aloud, his tone remained steady, masking all hesitation.
"Tomorrow, again. You will prepare the next batch. If your 'feeling' holds, then we will know."
The Map chuckled in Lin Tian's mind, sly and mocking. "Hah. He trembles, boy. Not at your skill, but at his own shame. He fears that what you've given him is both salvation and a wound to his pride."
Lin Tian bowed low, missing the shadow in Yun He's eyes.