The morning mist gradually dispersed. Sunlight pierced the thin haze that lingered year-round over Poison Miasma Ridge and spilled across the closely packed eaves of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, giving them a damp sheen.
Chen Ming returned to his quarters, changed out of his night clothes, and put on his old robe, washed pale with wear. Facing a bronze mirror, he restored his face to its sallow, haggard appearance. His gaze remained calm as he studied his reflection, but his mind raced through his plans.
Elder Qin's authorization token was usually kept in one of two places: on his person or in the secret chamber of his residence. Now that Elder Qin had traveled all the way to Bluefall Valley to seek medicine, he most likely had not taken it with him-leaving only one possibility.
Elder Qin's residence.
Chen Ming pushed open his door and stretched in the morning sunlight, looking no different from the diligent, honest herb-gathering disciple he had always appeared to be. As usual, he shouldered his herb basket and headed toward the Medicine Field, but slowed his steps as he passed the Mission Hall.
A newly posted notice hung on the board outside the Mission Hall, its ink not yet completely dry:
"Recruiting one attendant for the Inner Sect for a seven-day term, responsible for cleaning Elder Qin's residence and the surrounding courtyards. Requirements: attentive, diligent, and versed in basic medicinal theory. Payment: twenty Spirit Stones and fifty contribution points."
Chen Ming's gaze sharpened slightly.
Without betraying anything, he approached as though merely curious and read the notice from beginning to end. Several outer disciples had already gathered nearby. Some looked eager to try, while others shook their heads and sighed.
"Elder Qin's courtyard! That's a plum assignment. Shame the requirements are so high-you need Intermediate Apothecary qualifications."
"Exactly. What chance do rough fellows like us have when all we know is gathering herbs?"
Listening to the discussion around him, Chen Ming silently noted the key pieces of information, then turned away without lingering at the noticeboard.
An identity that would let him approach Elder Qin's residence openly.
That afternoon, Chen Ming appeared outside the Pill Hall. He straightened his robes and stepped inside.
The Pill Hall was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs. Several apothecaries were busy behind the counter. Seeing an outer disciple enter, one asked without looking up, "What do you need?"
Chen Ming took a prescription from inside his robe and respectfully offered it. "Senior brother, I'd like to take the Intermediate Apothecary examination."
The apothecary behind the counter raised his head and looked him up and down, surprise flickering in his eyes. "Intermediate Apothecary? How many years have you studied medicinal theory?"
"Three years," Chen Ming answered without a change in expression.
In truth, his understanding of medicinal theory went far beyond three years of study. Even before setting foot on the path of immortal cultivation, he had spent several years learning medicine from a traveling physician. After entering the cultivation world, he had also studied a considerable amount about pill refining and medicine preparation.
Although he had never formally earned any apothecary qualifications, his actual abilities were no worse than those of any qualified apothecary in the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.
The apothecary took the prescription and glanced over it, his eyebrows lifting slightly. "Did you write this prescription for the Heart-Cleansing Detoxification Pill?"
"Yes."
"There's nothing wrong with the combination, but you've been a little conservative with the amounts of several ingredients. That will likely weaken its effectiveness. Still, your foundations are fairly solid. Go to the rear courtyard and find Elder Sun. He'll arrange your examination."
Chen Ming thanked him, took the prescription, and passed through the Pill Hall's rear door into a secluded courtyard. A white-haired elder sat there, engrossed in a yellowed ancient book. Chen Ming approached, bowed, and explained why he had come.
Elder Sun put down his book and glanced at him. "The Intermediate Apothecary examination has three stages: identifying herbs, preparing prescriptions, and refining medicine. If you pass all three within two hours, I'll issue your certificate."
"Yes, Elder."
Two hours later, Chen Ming emerged from the courtyard, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He now held a dark green token engraved with the character for "intermediate," signifying that he had officially become an Intermediate Apothecary of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.
Word spread quickly. Early the next morning, the notice at the Mission Hall was taken down and replaced with a new one: "Intermediate Apothecary Chen Seven has been hired as an attendant at Elder Qin's residence for a seven-day term."
Standing before the noticeboard, Chen Ming read the new announcement, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
That afternoon, he changed into a clean blue-green robe, hung his brand-new Intermediate Apothecary token at his waist, and followed a bluestone path toward Elder Qin's residence.
Elder Qin's courtyard stood on the eastern side of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect's Inner Sect grounds. It occupied a sizable area enclosed by towering walls. Two luxuriant Poison Locust Trees grew before its entrance, their umbrella-like crowns casting a broad expanse of deep shade. The courtyard gate stood ajar. Chen Ming knocked softly three times.
A languid voice came from within. "Who is it?"
"Outer disciple Chen Seven, the newly appointed attendant, reporting for duty."
The gate creaked open, and a bleary-eyed young servant in blue-green clothes poked his head out. After looking Chen Ming over, he yawned. "Come in. Elder Qin isn't here, so there's not much work. Just sweep the grounds, water the flowers, and feed the Poison Toads in the courtyard every day. Don't touch anything you shouldn't, especially that room to the east. That's the elder's pill-refining chamber. No one is allowed inside without his authorization token."
Something stirred in Chen Ming's heart, but his expression revealed nothing. He answered respectfully, "Yes. I'll remember."
He followed the servant into the courtyard, his gaze sweeping seemingly casually over the surroundings-the main hall, the side rooms, the pill-refining chamber, and the herb garden.
Every location and arrangement matched the map he had sketched in his mind the night before.
And there, hanging conspicuously on the pill-refining chamber's door, was an exquisite white jade lock.
Chen Ming gave it only a glance before looking away. Lowering his head, he followed the servant toward the side room assigned to him.
His heartbeat remained steady, his pace unhurried.
But deep within his mind, a clear thought had already surfaced.
Where would the key to that lock be?
The evening breeze brushed through the Poison Locust Trees in the courtyard, their rustling sounding like whispers-or warnings.
And this young herb-gathering disciple who had just entered Elder Qin's courtyard was destined to be anything but an obedient attendant.
Night fell, and Elder Qin's courtyard sank into silence.
The Poison Locust Trees' branches and leaves swayed gently in the evening breeze, casting shifting shadows like countless invisible hands dancing in the darkness. A few Poison Toads in a corner occasionally gave low croaks, making the night seem all the deeper and quieter.
Chen Ming lay on the wooden bed in his side room, eyes closed and breathing even, seemingly fast asleep.
But his ears remained awake.
He waited for the servant in blue-green to let his guard down completely, for the entire courtyard to sink into its deepest sleep.
When the moon reached its zenith, steady snores came from the next room, rising and falling without interruption. Chen Ming opened his eyes. There was no trace of sleepiness in them; they were clear as water.
He sat up soundlessly and lowered his bare feet to the floor without making the slightest noise. He had examined the room carefully during the day. Though the floorboards were old, they would not creak as long as he stepped over their supporting beams.
He felt his way to a corner and retrieved a coil of fine iron wire and a silver needle about an inch long from an inconspicuous gap where he had hidden them during the day. He had prepared these tools before entering the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, specifically to deal with intricate locks.
Chen Ming held the silver needle between his lips and wound the fine wire around his fingers. Then he gently pushed open the door and slipped outside.
The hazy moonlight draped everything in the courtyard in a thin silver-gray veil. Hugging the shadows along the wall, he moved like an agile wildcat, reaching the pill-refining chamber's door in a few swift bounds.
The white jade lock gleamed softly in the moonlight. Its intricate, elaborate patterns made it clear at a glance that it was no ordinary object. Chen Ming crouched and leaned closer to examine it. After a moment, his brow eased slightly.
"A Mother-and-Child Interlocking Lock. Twelve spring plates inside the core. Get even one wrong, and it will jam and trigger an alarm."
An ordinary thief would likely have shrunk back at the sight of such a lock. But Chen Ming was different-years ago, he had spent three years studying under an independent cultivator skilled in mechanism arts, so the construction of the Mother-and-Child Interlocking Lock was familiar to him.
He did not rush to begin. Instead, he took a small piece of magnetite from inside his robe and slowly moved it above the lock without touching it. As the magnetite passed across the lock's surface, he sensed three of the spring plates quiver slightly, producing an exceedingly faint hum.
"One, two, three... Twelve spring plates. Three made of iron, the other nine of copper."
Chen Ming put away the magnetite, picked up the silver needle, and inserted it into the keyhole. Rather than manipulating the spring plates immediately, he first used the needle to probe the depths and angles inside the core. Then he bent the fine iron wire into a particular curve and slid it into the keyhole alongside the needle.
His fingers were steady and gentle, as though playing a zither, gradually sensing every change in resistance from each spring plate within the core.
Time ticked away.
Fine beads of sweat formed on Chen Ming's forehead, but his gaze remained focused and his breathing steady. At last, after the seventh adjustment of the needle's angle, an exceedingly faint click came from inside the core-the twelfth spring plate had fallen into place.
He slowly turned the silver needle, and the white jade lock opened.
Chen Ming did not push the door open immediately. Instead, he tilted his head and listened for a while. Only after confirming that nothing had stirred in the courtyard did he gently open the pill-refining chamber's door, slip inside, and pull it closed behind him.
The pill-refining chamber was pitch-black. A strong medicinal scent filled the air, mingled with faint traces of sulfur and cinnabar. Chen Ming took out a fingernail-sized Luminous Pearl and covered half of it with black cloth, allowing only a faint glow to escape, barely illuminating the scene before him.
The chamber was not particularly large, roughly twenty feet square. At its center stood a bronze Alchemy Furnace half a person's height, its body densely engraved with runes. Some grayish-white medicinal residue remained at its base. Several rows of medicine cabinets stood along the walls, each small drawer bearing a label: Century-Old Lingzhi, Millennium He Shou Wu, Poisonous Flood Dragon Core, Red-Refined Snake Gallbladder...
Chen Ming's gaze swept quickly over these ingredients without lingering. He knew they were not the reason he had come.
His eyes finally settled on a painting hanging on the wall behind the Alchemy Furnace. It was an ink-wash landscape depicting the wondrous clouds and mists of Poison Miasma Ridge, its brushwork vigorous and its grandeur imposing. The bottom of the scroll protruded slightly, looking somewhat out of place compared with other paintings.
Chen Ming approached and gently pressed the protrusion. With a soft click, the wall beneath the scroll slowly receded inward, revealing a palm-sized hidden compartment.
A jade token lay quietly inside.
The token was emerald green throughout, roughly three inches long and one inch wide. The front was engraved with the character "Qin" in ancient seal script, while the back bore a complex runic mark. A faint spiritual glow flowed across its surface; it had clearly received a special enchantment.
Chen Ming picked up the token. The instant his fingertips touched the jade, a cool sensation traveled through them into his body. He examined it carefully, confirming that it was indeed Elder Qin's authorization token, and a genuine smile finally touched his lips.
He did not linger. Carefully tucking the token inside his robe, he restored the hidden compartment, hung the painting back in place, and removed every trace of his presence. Then he silently left the pill-refining chamber and relocked the white jade lock.
He had disturbed no one throughout the entire process.
Back in his side room, Chen Ming lay down on the bed, holding the token and feeling the jade's smooth warmth and weight.
"The authorization token is mine. Next comes the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion."
But he had no intention of going tonight.
Although Elder Qin was away from the sect, the Scripture Pavilion's restrictions were no trifling matter. He needed to understand how to use the authorization token first, then find the best opportunity to act.
You could not eat piping-hot tofu in a hurry. He understood that better than anyone.
Outside the window, the moon gradually slanted westward. The Poison Locust Trees' shadows shifted slowly across the wall, like an unseen hand turning the hour hand of fate.
That night, everything in Elder Qin's courtyard was as peaceful as ever.
No one knew that the young attendant who had spent the day diligently cleaning the courtyard now lay in a side room just one wall away, holding a key capable of raising towering waves and waiting for the next dawn.