Inside the Medicine Hall, after the Pharmacist's Assistants had sorted the medicinal herbs, someone would inspect them. This inspection checked the integrity of the herbs and ensured none were missing.
The day after the Pharmacist's Assistants finished their sorting, people were assigned to inspect the allocated herbs as usual.
Steward Li of the Medicine Hall arranged the inspection as he always did. Once assignments were made, he sent the inspectors on their way. It was mostly a routine check.
These inspectors were all Official Disciples of the Medicine Hall. They had all studied the relevant knowledge of medicinal herbs. Although they couldn't compare to a Pharmacist's Assistant, they generally knew the basics.
Besides, their main job was simply to cross-reference, like auditing an account; they weren't there to research the herbs.
"Steward Li, this area has Danggui, Coptis chinensis, and other herbs I'm more familiar with. Could I switch with Li Yufeng?"
Zhao Ziqing asked just before Steward Li was about to leave.
"As long as Li Yufeng has no objections, you may."
Hearing this, Steward Li paused. He glanced at Zhao Ziqing, nodded, and then turned to leave.
As he turned, a strange glint flashed in Steward Li's eyes.
A smile spread across Zhao Ziqing's face when he heard the response.
It was just as he had expected; Steward Li had no problem with it. Zhao Ziqing went directly to Li Yufeng to make the swap.
The moment he learned Li Yufeng had been assigned to inspect the Danggui and Coptis chinensis, he had proposed the trade. The price was helping Li Yufeng process his other herbs.
Zhao Ziqing first went to the Coptis chinensis. After checking each one and confirming there were no issues, he walked over to where the Danggui was stored. His heart began to beat faster and faster.
After opening the first few medicine chests and finding no problems, his gaze shifted to a specific chest whose position he had already silently memorized.
'This is the one,'
Zhao Ziqing thought, and opened the medicine cabinet.
The first thing he saw was the better-looking Danggui, and among them was that one special herb: Duhuo.
Zhao Ziqing picked it up, inspected it, and sniffed its Medicinal Qi.
For this very occasion, he had specifically studied these two herbs, Duhuo and Danggui, even consulting medical texts and the Medicine Scripture.
Now, holding it in his hand, he compared it again, even poking a small hole in the herb. After confirming that what he held was not Danggui, but Duhuo, a smile bloomed on his face.
"Steward Li, there's a problem with the herbs in this Pharmacy!"
Zhao Ziqing shouted as he walked out of the Pharmacy, holding the Duhuo that looked nearly identical to Danggui.
His voice drew the attention of the other disciples who were inspecting herbs.
"What's the problem?"
When Steward Li heard this, a strange smile flashed across his face before he looked at the approaching Zhao Ziqing.
"It's this herb. There's a problem with it."
"This herb looks a lot like Danggui, but it isn't. This is Duhuo."
Zhao Ziqing said urgently, holding up the Duhuo.
"Duhuo is highly toxic! If it's left in the Pharmacy and taken by someone who doesn't know its properties, it could cause a huge disaster."
Zhao Ziqing continued, deliberately stressing the severity of the matter to grab the attention of Steward Li and the others.
He also wanted to make sure the nearby disciples who overheard knew this was no small issue.
"Who was responsible for sorting this batch of Danggui?"
Steward Li asked.
Hearing that tone, Zhao Ziqing knew his plan had succeeded.
"The records say it was Yang Chan, Pharmacist Xu's assistant,"
Zhao Ziqing answered quickly.
"You two, go bring Pharmacist's Assistant Yang Chan here."
Steward Li looked at two of the four Guard Disciples standing nearby and gave the order.
These men were part of the security detail responsible for the Medicine Hall. The Cyan Yuan Sect had many people guarding the Medicine Hall, both openly and in secret, precisely to prevent anyone from tampering with things inside.
The herbs in the Medicine Hall were crucial to the Cultivation of the entire Cyan Yuan Sect, so naturally, they were taken very seriously.
By the time Yang Chan arrived in front of the Pharmacy, a large crowd had gathered, including the other Pharmacist's Assistants, all watching to see what was happening.
"Yang Chan, you were the one who sorted the Danggui in this Pharmacy yesterday, correct?"
After glancing at Steward Li, Zhao Ziqing walked up to Yang Chan, pointed at the Pharmacy, and demanded an answer.
At that moment, Zhao Ziqing looked like a judge, utterly pleased with himself.
"That's right."
Yang Chan's expression was unchanged as he nodded.
"If that's the case, then you should recognize this herb!"
Zhao Ziqing smiled faintly and produced the Duhuo that looked so much like Danggui.
"Of course I recognize it. I inspected this herb myself. Is there a problem?"
Yang Chan replied, his expression still showing little change.
"A big problem! Are you aware that this herb is not Danggui?"
"After your inspection, you actually placed this herb with the Danggui. That's a gross dereliction of duty."
"This herb is Duhuo, and Duhuo is highly toxic! An overdose can even be fatal. At best, it would cripple a person's Cultivation."
"As a Pharmacist's Assistant, how can you do something like this? What right do you have to remain in the Medicine Hall?"
"If someone's Martial Arts path is severed, or if they even die because of what you've done today, you will be guilty of a monstrous crime!"
Zhao Ziqing's voice grew louder and louder as he spoke, his rebukes sounding as if he were speaking for all the disciples of the Cyan Yuan Sect.
The people nearby who heard his words couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Pharmacist's Assistants, second only to Pharmacists, handled the most herbs and absolutely could not make mistakes. The consequences of their errors could be enormous.
A single oversight while sorting herbs or assisting a Pharmacist in treating the injured could lead to death.
If a disciple of the Cyan Yuan Sect died at the hands of a rival power, it was an honorable death in service to the Sect. But to die because of internal negligence was a disgrace.
"I know it's Duhuo."
Yang Chan said calmly, his tone unwavering. But his words sent a shockwave through the crowd. Many stared at Yang Chan, stunned, unable to comprehend why he would admit to it.
Even Zhao Ziqing, standing before him, was stunned. He had planned to continue his attack from the moral high ground, using it to achieve his goal.
But Yang Chan's admission left him momentarily speechless. However, Zhao Ziqing reacted swiftly and quickly recovered.
"You knew it was Duhuo, and you still put it with the Danggui? Are you trying to kill someone?"
"Or do you hold a grudge against someone in the Sect? Are you trying to get revenge on the Sect itself?"
Zhao Ziqing changed his line of attack, escalating the matter to a much larger scale and attempting to push Yang Chan to a point of no return.
This wasn't part of his original plan, but with Yang Chan's admission, it was his only move. He had to crush all of Yang Chan's hopes right then and there.
"How else would I have baited you out?"
"Isn't that right, Steward Li?"
Yang Chan smiled faintly and turned to Steward Li, who had been watching the show from the sidelines.
He had started preparing the moment he realized someone was targeting him.
Yang Chan hadn't chosen to discard the Duhuo. Instead, he chose to set a trap, because he knew that whoever was after him would certainly make another move.
He might have caught it this time, but there was no guarantee he would catch it the next.
The best solution was to deal with it once and for all.