Drugging

When Lin Ye opened his eyes, the morning bell had just struck for the third time.

He rose from the corner, brushed the dust off his body, walked to the water vat, and cupped a handful of cold water to splash on his face.

"Lin Ye! Chen Feng! What are you still dawdling for? The herbs that need cleaning today are piled up like a mountain! Get up and get to work!"

Head Li's roar came from outside the courtyard.

Lin Ye's expression remained calm as he walked into the courtyard.

Piled in the yard were the freshly delivered Jade Dew Grass, which had to be hand-washed, dried, and cleared of impurities before they could be used for alchemy.

The work wasn't difficult, just tedious and mentally draining.

When being washed, Jade Dew Grass emitted a faint fragrance that, with prolonged exposure, would erode the meridians and slow down a martial artist's circulation of true energy.

Chen Feng walked over, looking at the mountain of Jade Dew Grass with a cold glint in his eyes.

"You two, finish washing all of these today." Head Li brandished a leather whip, pointing at the pile of herbs. "If you don't finish, you'll continue tonight until they are done."

"Understood." Lin Ye replied, walking to the herb pile and beginning to wash.

Chen Feng also crouched beside him and started working.

Neither of them spoke, simply washing in silence.

The fragrance of the Jade Dew Grass permeated the courtyard; the other miscellaneous disciples stayed far away, leaving only Lin Ye and Chen Feng to toil away.

"Lin Ye..."

A faint voice sounded from nearby.

Lin Ye looked up to see a miscellaneous disciple crouching not far away, washing another pile of herbs with a shifty gaze.

It was Zhao Xiaosi, who had been in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall for two years, his cultivation still stuck at the second level of Body Tempering, with basically no hope of getting ahead.

"Something up?" Lin Ye asked.

"You two be careful..." Zhao Xiaosi lowered his voice. "This Jade Dew Grass is poisonous; washing too much will damage your foundation. Head Li is doing this to you on purpose."

"I know." Lin Ye nodded.

"Then why are you willing to do it?" Zhao Xiaosi was puzzled.

"If we don't wash them, there will be even bigger trouble." Lin Ye said indifferently.

Zhao Xiaosi looked at him, then at Head Li supervising from afar, sighed, and said nothing more.

Time passed bit by bit.

By midday, Lin Ye and Chen Feng had only finished one-third.

Head Li walked over to inspect, and seeing the progress, his face darkened. "So slow? No lunch for you; keep washing!"

"Understood." Lin Ye didn't even lift his head.

Head Li snorted coldly and turned to leave.

The other disciples in the courtyard went to eat one after another, leaving only Lin Ye and Chen Feng behind.

"Here." Zhao Xiaosi secretly slipped them two steamed buns.

Lin Ye watched Zhao Xiaosi's retreating back, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Eat up, there's more work to do in a bit." Chen Feng took one of the buns.

"How do you plan to handle this?" Chen Feng suddenly asked.

"What?"

"The poison from the Jade Dew Grass." Chen Feng said. "With long-term exposure, our cultivation will regress within a month at most."

"Do you have a way?" Lin Ye looked at him.

Chen Feng didn't speak, instead taking a small porcelain bottle from his robes, pouring out two brown pills, and handing one to Lin Ye. "Toxin Clearing Pill. It can alleviate the poison of the Jade Dew Grass, though it can't eradicate it."

"Thanks." He swallowed the pill, and a cool sensation circulated through his body, dispersing some of the sluggishness caused by the fragrance of the Jade Dew Grass.

"How many do you have left?" Lin Ye asked.

"Ten pills, only enough for five days." Chen Feng said. "After five days, if we are still washing the Jade Dew Grass, there will be no other way."

"Five days..."

"We have to find a way to get off this job." Lin Ye said.

"Head Li won't agree." Chen Feng shook his head.

"Then we'll make Head Li agree voluntarily." A sharp glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes.

"You have a plan?"

"We'll talk tonight." Lin Ye continued washing the herbs.

Chen Feng glanced at him and didn't ask further.

The two worked until dusk, having only finished half.

Head Li returned to inspect and was furious. "Useless trash! You only washed this much in a whole day? You'll be washing all night! Don't even think about sleeping until you're finished!"

"Yes." Lin Ye remained calm.

Night fell, and torches were lit throughout the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

Lin Ye and Chen Feng continued their cleaning under the flickering firelight.

The other laborers had already returned to their rooms to rest, leaving only the two of them in the courtyard, along with Head Li, who was dozing off in the distance.

"What is your plan?" Chen Feng asked in a low voice.

Lin Ye did not answer, instead taking a paper packet from his robe and opening it.

Inside was a pale yellow powder.

"What is this?" Chen Feng frowned.

"Beast Attracting Powder," Lin Ye whispered. "It's a mixture of Soul-Stench Grass and Rotten Bone Flower, which has a powerful attraction for low-level spirit beasts."

"Are you trying to lure spirit beasts to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall?" Chen Feng's eyes narrowed.

"No," Lin Ye shook his head. "I just want there to be a problem with the Jade Dew Grass."

He sprinkled the powder evenly over the pile of unwashed Jade Dew Grass, then took out another paper packet and sprinkled a white powder over the pile that had already been cleaned.

"And what is this?"

"Toxin Neutralizing Powder. It neutralizes the toxicity of the Jade Dew Grass, but it leaves behind a distinct scent that Medicine-Eating Rats can detect," Lin Ye said.

"Medicine-Eating Rats?" Chen Feng suddenly realized.

"Tomorrow morning, the Medicine-Eating Rats will come to gnaw on the unwashed Jade Dew Grass. As for the ones we cleaned, they won't touch them because of the scent of the Toxin Neutralizing Powder," Lin Ye said, putting away the paper packets. "By then, Head Li will discover that all the unwashed herbs have been ruined, while the ones we cleaned remain perfectly intact."

"And then, he'll have to let us change tasks," Chen Feng added.

"Correct," Lin Ye nodded.

"But what if we get caught..."

"We won't be caught," Lin Ye said calmly. "Both the Beast Attracting Powder and the Toxin Neutralizing Powder are common medicinal materials; their source cannot be traced. And since Medicine-Eating Rats naturally love to gnaw on spirit herbs, their appearance is perfectly normal."

Chen Feng took a long look at Lin Ye. "You are very well prepared."

"I'm used to it," Lin Ye said, continuing to clean the herbs. "When living at the bottom, one must always have a few backup plans."

The two stopped talking and continued their work.

By midnight, they had finally finished cleaning all the Jade Dew Grass.

Seeing the work was done and finding no faults, Head Li could only wave his hand. "Get lost and go to sleep!"

"Yes."

Lin Ye and Chen Feng returned to the laborers' quarters.

"Tomorrow, everything depends on your plan," Chen Feng whispered.

"Mm." Lin Ye closed his eyes and began to cultivate.

The Azure Origin Technique circulated within his body, slowly dispelling the day's fatigue and toxins.

Before dawn the next day, a scream shattered the tranquility of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

"Oh no! The Jade Dew Grass has been gnawed!"

Head Li rushed into the courtyard to see the pile of unwashed Jade Dew Grass torn to shreds, covered in rat claw marks and droppings.

The pile that had been cleaned, however, remained completely untouched.

"What is going on?!" Head Li roared.

"It's Medicine-Eating Rats," a laborer said tremblingly. "I heard movement last night, but I didn't dare come out."

"Useless! You're all a bunch of useless trash!" Head Li was so angry his face turned blue.

This batch of Jade Dew Grass was meant to be delivered to the Alchemy Hall, and now that half of it was ruined, he would inevitably be held responsible.

"Head Li, what do we do now?" a laborer asked.

"What else can we do?!" Head Li shouted. "Quickly dry the ones that have been cleaned! Throw the unwashed ones away!"

"Then what about today's work..."

"What work? It's all ruined, what is there to wash!" Head Li waved his hand irritably. "Lin Ye, Chen Feng, you two go fetch water today! Make sure the water vats are filled!"

"Yes."

The two exchanged a glance, a hint of a smile flashing in their eyes.