"Senior Brother Lin, the steward is asking for you in the front hall," a servant said quietly from outside.
"Got it." Lin Ye answered and turned to leave.
In the front hall, Zhou Bapi sat upright. When he saw Lin Ye enter, his eyelids twitched, and he forced a smile onto his face.
"You're here."
"What can I do for you, Steward?"
"Word came down from above. For next month's Hundred Herb Banquet, our Herb Repository has to provide fifty Jade Marrow Ganoderma, thirty Blood Ginseng, and twenty Seven-Heart Lotus."
"The Hundred Herb Banquet is a major event for the Inner Sect, but in previous years they only took a token amount of low-grade mortal herbs," Lin Ye said slowly. "Why do they need so many this year?"
"That's what they want from above. How should I know..." Cold sweat beaded on Zhou Bapi's forehead. "Anyway, you'll count them out. Someone from the Inner Sect will come to collect them in three days."
Lin Ye stared straight at him.
Under Lin Ye's gaze, Zhou Bapi grew uneasy, and his voice softened. "Lin Ye, I know what you're capable of. I was in the wrong about Senior Brother Zhao. This time, you have to help me. If you get it done, I'll transfer you to the Inner Repository. The work there is easy, and the spiritual energy is abundant..."
"I can give it a try," Lin Ye finally said.
"Good, good, good!" Zhou Bapi breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'll leave it to you."
When Lin Ye came out of the hall, Chen Feng was waiting outside.
"Zhao Liang's doing?" Chen Feng asked in a low voice.
"Mm." Lin Ye nodded. "He's trying to force me into making a mistake. If the herb count is wrong, at best I'll be caned and have my cultivation crippled; at worst, I'll be expelled from the sect."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll take a look at the Inner Repository first."
The Inner Repository was the heart of the Herb Repository, where the rarest medicinal herbs were kept. Normally, only Zhou Bapi and a few of his trusted subordinates could enter. Since that night, Zhou Bapi had also granted Lin Ye access.
Lin Ye pushed open the door to the Inner Repository. Night Pearls embedded in the walls gave off a soft, cool light. Rows of jade shelves stood in neat lines, holding all kinds of jade boxes and bottles marked with labels.
"Two Seven-Heart Lotus are missing..." Lin Ye tapped a finger against the jade shelf.
"The inventory says there were twenty. Now there are only eighteen."
Who could have stolen two Seven-Heart Lotus without anyone noticing, despite the Inner Repository's many formations and watchful eyes?
"Unless there were only eighteen from the very start, when they were entered into the repository. But the ledger recorded twenty." A glimmer of understanding flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. "Someone tampered with things during the intake process. And they had to be someone with authority."
Across the entire Outer Sect, fewer than five people had the authority to oversee the entry of herbs into the Inner Repository.
The person in charge of the Herb Repository, Zhou Bapi, was one of them.
But Zhou Bapi lacked the nerve, and there was no reason for him to do it. This was the sort of thing that could cost him his head if investigated. He wouldn't dare.
"The waters run deeper than I thought." Lin Ye closed the jade box and turned to leave the Inner Repository.
When he returned to the ground floor, Chen Feng was still waiting for him.
"How did it go?"
"Two Seven-Heart Lotus are missing," Lin Ye said calmly. "Someone's playing chess. We're all just pawns."
"Who's the player?"
"I don't know." Lin Ye looked toward the distant Inner Sect peaks, shrouded in clouds and mist.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Someone from the Inner Sect arrived: a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a white robe and wearing a purple jade pendant at his waist. He was handsome, with an otherworldly air and a hint of arrogance in his eyes.
Two Inner Sect disciples followed behind him. Both were at the True Qi Realm.
"Zhao Mingxuan, from the Inner Sect Deacon Hall," the young man said coolly. His gaze swept over Zhou Bapi and the servants, who had bowed to greet him, then lingered a moment longer on Lin Ye. "Are the herbs ready?"
"They're ready!" Zhou Bapi hurriedly replied. "Lin Ye, bring the herbs up!"
Lin Ye answered and stepped forward with a tray in his hands.
Zhao Mingxuan casually opened a jade box containing a Seven-Heart Lotus, took a look, and nodded. "Good. It's in excellent condition."
He opened the second box, then the third...
When he opened the eighteenth jade box, his brows knitted together.
Inside was a Seven-Heart Lotus, but its petals were dull, and its spiritual energy had dissipated.
"This is a defective one?" Zhao Mingxuan looked at Zhou Bapi.
"That can't be!" Zhou Bapi's face went pale. "They were all top-grade. I checked them myself!"
Zhao Mingxuan ignored him and continued opening the boxes.
The nineteenth contained a defective one.
The twentieth was empty.
"Hm?" Zhao Mingxuan's expression darkened. "Zhou Fu, what's going on?"
"I..." Zhou Bapi's legs gave way, and he fell to his knees. "Please see reason, Deacon Zhao! Lin Ye counted the herbs himself. This has nothing to do with me!"
Zhao Mingxuan looked at Lin Ye, his gaze sharp. "You counted the herbs?"
"Yes," Lin Ye replied calmly.
"Where are the two missing Seven-Heart Lotus? And what's the story with these two defective ones?"
"Reporting to the Deacon, the inventory says there were twenty Seven-Heart Lotus, all top-grade. The Inner Repository has eighteen in stock, all top-grade," Lin Ye said slowly. "The twenty on this tray include eighteen top-grade ones and two imitations I made with Illusion Heart Grass and Seven-Colored Flower. They're convincing enough to pass for the real thing. As for the two that are missing..."
He paused and looked at Zhao Mingxuan. "I don't know."
A flash of surprise crossed Zhao Mingxuan's eyes. "You can imitate Seven-Heart Lotus?"
"I know a little about herbs," Lin Ye replied.
Zhao Mingxuan picked up one of the imitations and examined it closely. "The color, shape, and scent are convincing enough to pass for the real thing. But its spiritual energy is weak; an expert wouldn't be fooled. Did you make these to deceive us?"
"I wouldn't dare." Lin Ye lowered his head. "I was simply curious why the inventory listed twenty, when there were only eighteen in stock. So I made two imitations to see whether anyone would notice."
"And what was the result?"
"The Deacon has a discerning eye and saw through them at once," Lin Ye replied.
Zhao Mingxuan looked at Lin Ye and suddenly smiled.
"Zhou Fu, you may leave." He waved his hand.
Zhou Bapi looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He scrambled away.
"Lin Ye. Eighth level of Body Tempering, born a servant, half a year in the sect. You went from the third level of Body Tempering to the eighth, defeated someone two levels above you, can refine pills, understand herbs, and are meticulous in your thinking." Zhao Mingxuan slowly recited Lin Ye's record. "Zhao Liang tried to make trouble for you, and you forced him to swear an oath instead."
Lin Ye felt a slight chill in his heart.
The other man had investigated him down to the last detail.
"You flatter me, Deacon." His face remained calm.
"I'm not praising you." Zhao Mingxuan said coolly. "I'm assessing whether you're qualified to enter this game."
"Enter the game?"
"A grand performance." Zhao Mingxuan walked to the window and looked out at the clouds and mist. "Some people stumble around the chessboard, knowing nothing. Others see through the game but are powerless to fight back. And then there are those who..."
"Want to become the ones moving the pieces."
"This disciple is slow-witted. I only want to stay alive," Lin Ye said.
"Stay alive?" Zhao Mingxuan laughed. "In Qingyun Sect, if you want to stay alive, you have to pick a side. Pick the right one, and you'll soar to success. Pick the wrong one, and you'll end up a pile of bones. And right now, you're standing at a fork in the road."
Lin Ye gritted his teeth. "Please enlighten me, Deacon."
"The matter of the Seven-Heart Lotus was the work of an Inner Sect Elder," Zhao Mingxuan said frankly. "He needed two Seven-Heart Lotus for pill refining and didn't want anyone to know. So he tampered with the inventory when they were entered into the repository. The plan was flawless. Once the Hundred Herb Banquet was over, the records would be squared away without anyone noticing."
"But I exposed the flaw by making the fake flowers," Lin Ye said.
"Correct." Zhao Mingxuan nodded. "You've ruined that Elder's plans. By rights, you ought to die."
"But I think you're a useful talent." Zhao Mingxuan's tone changed. "That Elder is my enemy. By ruining his plans, you've helped me. So I'm giving you a chance."
"What chance?"
"Work for me." Zhao Mingxuan stared at Lin Ye. "I can keep you safe in the Outer Sect, and even provide you with resources so you can grow quickly. But you'll have to serve me and carry out tasks for me when the time comes."
"What would I have to do?" Lin Ye asked.
"Nothing for now," Zhao Mingxuan replied. "You're too weak. At the eighth level of Body Tempering, you're not even qualified to be a pawn."
"Then what about the Seven-Heart Lotus?"
"I'll handle it." Zhao Mingxuan waved his hand. "We'll say they were improperly stored and lost spiritual energy, so they became defective. That's the end of the matter."
"Yes."
"Here, take this." Zhao Mingxuan tossed him a small pouch.
Lin Ye caught it and looked inside. It contained ten Qi Gathering Pills and a booklet.
"The Qi Gathering Pills will help you cultivate. The notes and sword technique are a gift." Zhao Mingxuan said. "Break through to the True Qi Realm within three months. If you can't, you're of little use to me."
Zhao Mingxuan glanced at him. "One more thing: stay away from Chen Feng. Someone powerful stands behind him, and the waters are deeper than you imagine. If you get dragged into it, you won't even have a whole corpse left."
Lin Ye's heart jolted.
"Go."
Lin Ye bowed and withdrew.
Before you continue