Du Huo

The Dragon Kui Yang Chan had been longing for was delivered to the Medicine Hall, along with a great many other medicinal herbs. These were tribute herbs sent by forces under Qingyuan Sect. They were originally supposed to have arrived the previous month, but after some subordinate forces were discovered to have rebelled, those rebellious forces had to be dealt with first.

The time for tributes from all regions had been delayed by a month. The month was not yet up, yet many forces had already sent in this year's tribute resources.

There were gold, silver, jewels, precious medicinal herbs, all kinds of ores, paintings, calligraphy, classics by famous figures, rare cultivation techniques, and more, cart after cart being delivered into Qingyuan Sect.

Among them, all kinds of precious herbs were sent to the Medicine Hall. Yang Chan saw many herbs whose names he had heard before but had never seen. Most of them had been harvested only recently.

The age, efficacy, and properties of fresh herbs were the easiest to discern, and they better represented the sincerity of these subordinate forces.

Sincerity only stood out when it was laid out in the open. It was also a form of attitude.

The earlier one sent their tribute, the more clearly it showed their stance.

Qingyuan Sect was still battling Lingyu Palace, Taiyu Valley, and Nanhua Sword Sect. Although it held the upper hand, victory had yet to be decided. Showing one's stance early at such a time was also a way of protecting oneself.

Those forces that hesitated and wished to play both sides, on the other hand, would ultimately be purged. Even if their sects were not wiped out, their ends would not be pleasant.

With so many herbs delivered, Yang Chan and the other Alchemist Assistants became busy with their tasks. Aside from a small portion of extremely precious herbs that were handed to the Pharmacists for processing, the rest were handled by Alchemist Assistants like Yang Chan.

The herbs were sorted according to their age, completeness, and remaining efficacy. In short, it was a sorting task.

Previously, the workload had not been heavy, and there had been dedicated personnel to handle it. But when tribute herbs were delivered by Qingyuan Sect's subordinate forces, every Alchemist Assistant was required to take part.

When Yang Chan had first become an Alchemist Assistant, Shu Yu had mentioned this matter to him. But after the matter of the Pharmacist training slots, they had grown distant.

"Though it is tedious work, it is also a very good learning opportunity. You do not get to see so many medicinal herbs every day, of every age and every degree of completeness."

Though he was busy, Yang Chan worked very seriously. He could still learn much from these herbs and verify the memories in his mind. To Yang Chan, this was also quite a good thing.

"For the same herb, sunlight, moisture, and soil fertility all affect its final efficacy, completeness, and appearance."

The Dragon Yang Grass in Yang Chan's hands had come from various regions, and their appearance, efficacy, and completeness differed greatly.

Yet their medicinal aura remained fundamentally unchanged, and many features were still shared.

"There is quite a bit of Dragon Kui as well, especially twenty-year-old ones. I'll buy some from the steward later."

The consequences of secretly stealing herbs from the Medicine Hall were extremely severe. Naturally, Yang Chan would not do anything that would affect his plans.

He now had enough silver to purchase all the herbs he needed. While he could not buy them without limit, it was enough for his use.

After these fresh herbs delivered from various regions were sorted by Yang Chan and the others, Steward Disciples would be arranged to dry the herbs and carry out other work. During this period, the workload would increase considerably.

Even though newly recruited Steward Disciples had already joined and begun taking on Servant Tasks, they would still be extremely busy. Yang Chan had experienced such a life in his memories as well.

"Junior Brother Yang Chan, once you finish sorting this crate of Angelica Sinensis, today's task will be complete."

Xiao Tianyu had Steward Disciples carry a crate of Angelica Sinensis before Yang Chan and spoke.

"Alright, just leave it here."

Yang Chan looked up at Xiao Tianyu, nodded, and then spoke to the Steward Disciple beside him.

The workload had increased greatly these past few days. It was not only him; the other disciples were the same. He was not surprised by the increased workload.

Angelica Sinensis had many uses and was a heavily consumed material.

Yang Chan sorted them as usual, but then his brows furrowed slightly. Among the Angelica Sinensis was an uncommon herb: Du Huo.

Du Huo had different medicinal properties from Angelica Sinensis. It could dispel wind-dampness and relieve pain, but more importantly, Du Huo was highly toxic. An excessive dose could lead to poisoning.

Angelica Sinensis was used often and in considerable quantities, but if it were replaced with Du Huo, the efficacy of the prepared medicine would become the complete opposite and turn into poison. At best, it would injure the body and damage one's cultivation; at worst, it would cost one's life.

Yet in this crate of Angelica Sinensis delivered to him, there was actually a stalk of Du Huo. In particular, this Du Huo looked just like Angelica Sinensis on the surface, and even its medicinal aura was similar. It had clearly grown alongside Angelica Sinensis, making it even harder to detect.

Du Huo was an uncommon herb. If an ordinary Alchemist Assistant was not attentive, it would be very easy to overlook it. With so many layers of concealment, it was even more difficult to discover.

Someone is targeting me.

The thought surfaced in Yang Chan's mind, but he did not confirm it. This stalk of Du Huo was difficult to distinguish.

Only someone who had studied the uncommon herb Du Huo would be able to identify it.

But these herbs had been sent by forces under Qingyuan Sect. Logically, such a serious blunder should not have occurred.

Yang Chan's gaze flickered. Without revealing anything, he continued sorting the herbs, separating those of different ages according to age, completeness, and medicinal properties. He acted as if he had discovered nothing, sorting the herbs as usual and placing them into several herb baskets. Only herbs with similar age, properties, and completeness were placed together.

When Pharmacists prepared medicine, they used herbs with similar properties in this manner. This reduced the chance of conflicting medicinal properties, made the proportions easier to control, and saved a great deal of time.

Half an hour later, Angelica Sinensis had been placed in the six herb baskets beside Yang Chan. After calling over a Steward Disciple from the inner courtyard of the Prescription Courtyard, he accompanied him in delivering the herbs to the medicine room. He also signed his name, signifying that these herbs had been sorted by him.

Once everything had been put away, Yang Chan left.

After noticing Yang Chan's departure, a figure in the shadows summoned the Steward Disciple who had helped Yang Chan deliver the Angelica Sinensis into the medicine room and questioned him.

After questioning him, he pretended not to care and opened the herbs Yang Chan had sorted. When he saw something within, a triumphant smile spread across his face.

He shut the medicine cabinet and left in satisfaction.

"So it was him. Making a move at a time like this... could it be that Xu Gaocen's side has secured the slot, or is favoring me?"

Yang Chan emerged from a nearby medicine room at that moment. Watching the departing figure, his brows drew together slightly.

He did not want trouble, but trouble still came looking for him.

Yang Chan did not take the Du Huo from the medicine room. Instead, he headed toward the steward's location.