The True "Du Huo"

Trouble could only be solved once and for all by dealing with it at the source.

Otherwise, it would keep coming without end.

Yang Chan had never liked trouble, so naturally, he intended to eradicate it completely from the root.

He had seen Li Junhao among those involved, but Li Junhao, merely an Alchemist Assistant, could not have managed something like this alone. Then he would drag out everyone connected to this chain, leaving not a single one behind.

These people had used Du Huo against him, so he would return the favor in kind and achieve true "Du Huo."

After discovering the issue with the Du Huo yesterday, he had remained outwardly calm. He noticed that, after questioning the Steward Disciples, Li Junhao had gone into the storeroom to inspect things himself.

After discovering this, he separately informed both Steward Li and Steward Wang, preventing either of them from sheltering Li Junhao. At the same time, he arranged for someone to deliver a letter to Medicine Hall deacon Sikong Yan, explaining the cause of the matter within.

Since Yang Chan had decided to act, he naturally considered matters from every angle, lest something go wrong on one side. This was also a way of spreading the risk.

He was not powerful enough yet and could not bear too much on his own. It was better to leave it to people like stewards and deacons to handle.

It saved both worry and trouble.

"Most of the fresh medicinal herbs in the sect now are tribute offerings, including herbs such as Angelica Sinensis and Du Huo. Before they are sent into the sect, the forces under the sect sort these herbs out. Under normal circumstances, medicines would never get mixed together."

"Similar herbs like Angelica Sinensis and Du Huo receive especially meticulous inspections."

"Unless the force delivering the herbs harbored ulterior motives, it would be impossible for them to make such a mistake. The Angelica Sinensis was sent by Qinling Lü Family Fort, and when it arrived, they specifically mentioned that this Du Huo closely resembled Angelica Sinensis."

"So how did this herb get mixed in with the Angelica Sinensis when it was delivered to the Medicine Hall? I imagine you know very well."

A faint smile appeared on Yang Chan's face as he stared directly at Zhao Ziqing and questioned him in return.

Since he had acted, he naturally had to be absolutely certain. Anything less would not fit his cautious nature.

"Yang Chan, who are you slandering? Steward Li, I was only just assigned the task of inspecting medicinal herbs. I pointed out that there was a problem with this herb. Could it be that doing so was wrong?"

A flash of panic crossed Zhao Ziqing's face, but he quickly calmed down and spoke with reason and justification.

At a time like this, he absolutely could not admit to it. Otherwise, his end would be miserable beyond compare.

Deliberately switching herbs, specifically targeting an Alchemist Assistant, framing an Alchemist Assistant—taken together, these were no small matters.

If he admitted it, his life would be over, and he might even implicate more people.

"Why did you exchange your herb-inspection assignment with Li Yufeng?"

Yang Chan was not surprised by his reaction. He had expected it all along.

"I am more familiar with Angelica Sinensis, and I also happen to know something about herbs like Du Huo. So I exchanged assignments with Li Yufeng for one more suitable to me. Is there a problem with that?"

Zhao Ziqing retorted again.

Although exchanging assignments looked suspicious, it was actually reasonable enough.

"Do you know how many years of experience it takes to identify the Du Huo in your hand?"

Yang Chan did not answer. He simply continued questioning him.

"Three years—at least three years studying the Medicine Scripture. And that would be considered fast. Only then could one use knowledge of medicinal principles, effects, medicinal scent, and the like to determine that there was something wrong with this herb, because it is truly quite rare."

Without waiting for Zhao Ziqing to answer, Yang Chan continued.

"Qingyuan Sect is not the government, and it does not need evidence. As long as you are suspicious, the people from the Law Enforcement Hall will take you away for investigation. They will investigate starting from your identity and background, and every secret you have can be unearthed one by one."

"Oh, right. Li Junhao was arrested before you. I imagine you now know what you should say. If you want to redeem yourself through merit, you had better be quick about it."

Yang Chan looked at Zhao Ziqing and smiled faintly.

He was not an official of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and Qingyuan Sect was not a government force. He had no need for conclusive evidence; he only needed to report the matter, and Qingyuan Sect would handle the rest itself.

Switching medicinal herbs was an extremely vile matter. Once one case appeared, there was no guarantee a second would not follow. If it went undiscovered, the people who would suffer in the end would be those of Qingyuan Sect.

Especially the disciples who fought against other sects and forces that had betrayed the sect—these people would be the first to refuse to let it pass.

"Arrest Zhao Ziqing."

Steward Li directly ordered the guard disciples beside him to seize Zhao Ziqing and take him to the Law Enforcement Hall.

Switching poisonous herbs, framing an Alchemist Assistant, and all the rest were more than enough to put Qingyuan Sect on alert.

Qingyuan Sect was currently fighting the Three Great Sects. If something went wrong with the medicinal resources in the rear, the sect master's disciples participating in battle would suffer as well.

At such a critical time, Qingyuan Sect would certainly not spare someone stirring up trouble like this. It would also serve as a warning to everyone else in the sect: do not make mistakes at a time like this, or the matter would be pursued to the bitter end.

"Steward Li, listen to me, I really didn't—"

Zhao Ziqing was still trying to explain when the guards moved to his left and right, each reaching out to seize him.

Regardless of the outcome, they had to apprehend Zhao Ziqing first.

"Damn bastard. Wouldn't it have been better to wait quietly for death?"

A venomous look appeared on Zhao Ziqing's face. His skin instantly turned bronze, and he sent the two guards beside him flying with a shockwave.

He was actually someone who had achieved External Refinement: Skin and Flesh. Neither guard had expected that.

"Yang Chan, you ruined my plans! I'll make you accompany me to the grave! Die!"

After blasting away the two guards, Zhao Ziqing charged straight at Yang Chan. He intended to use his External Refinement cultivation to kill him.

His background simply could not withstand an investigation by the Law Enforcement Hall, because the methods of Qingyuan Sect's Law Enforcement Hall were exceptionally formidable and difficult to deal with.

Originally, after framing Yang Chan, he had planned to use the chance to report the matter and proactively ask Xu Gaocen to take him on as an Alchemist Assistant. That would have greatly increased his chances of success.

At first, there had been no need to go this far. But who could have expected that after Chu Mo left, Yang Chan would directly fill Chu Mo's position?

None of the other Intermediate Alchemists lacked assistants.

Zhao Ziqing had originally had several targets, but he happened to encounter someone seeking cooperation. So he chose Yang Chan, the newest Alchemist Assistant, which saved him a great deal of trouble.

Yet Zhao Ziqing had never expected Yang Chan to possess such methods.

To identify the Du Huo in his hand, one needed to damage the herb and lose some of its medicinal potency. Otherwise, relying solely on knowledge such as medicinal scent and medicinal principles would take even longer than Yang Chan had claimed.

Thus, he had never anticipated that Yang Chan would discover the problem. But after he reported it, everything had proceeded naturally. At first, everything went according to his plans, until Yang Chan spoke and said, "I know this is Du Huo." From that moment, the entire matter was no longer under his control.

Now that he was being taken away by the Law Enforcement Hall, he certainly had no chance of survival. Therefore, he would take the person who had ruined his plans with him.

In Zhao Ziqing's eyes, Yang Chan was the true culprit behind everything, and he deserved to go down and accompany him to the grave.