The Drunken Immortal Tavern was the grandest restaurant in Bamboo Cloud Town.
Three stories high, it stood on a broad foundation of bluestone, its main structure crafted from aged spirit bamboo polished to a glossy sheen. With its upswept eaves and ornate cornices, it stood above the surrounding shops. Strings of bright red lanterns hung outside, illuminating the three bold, gilded characters of its name.
Carriages and cultivators streamed through its doors.
The moment they stepped inside, a blast of heat and a rich mix of aromas met them: wine, fine cuisine, and the sharp scent of spiritual ingredients.
Lin Rui's steps faltered. He remembered this place. Before his father had disappeared, he would often bring him here. He remembered the Honey-Glazed Fire-Cured Ham, and his father ordering a pot of Green Bamboo Immortal's Brew, watching him eat with a gentle warmth in his eyes.
A waiter in a smart tunic spotted Wang Ting's purple robes and hurried over. "Master Wang! It's been a while! Please, come in! Your usual table?"
Wang Ting waved a hand. "Not today. I'm with a friend, so find us somewhere quieter." His eyes swept the room and landed on an empty table by the window. "That one will do."
He picked up the wooden menu, his eyes glancing at Lin Rui from time to time as he rattled off an order. "Waiter! Bring us all your house specialties. Roasted Snow Hare Legs, a steamed Green Creek Spirit Carp, the Bamboo Sea Three Treasures Hotpot, and that Flaming Drunken Immortal Chicken."
Lin Rui shifted in his seat.
Wang Ting didn't seem to notice. "Also, a bowl of the Jade and Emerald Soup. Oh, and your new dish, the Dragon-Patterned Crimson Shrimp! For the main course… just two bowls of Fragrant Spirit-Grain Rice. And a warm pot of your finest Drunken Immortal's Brew!"
Lin Rui raised an eyebrow. "Master Wang, are you planning to buy out the entire kitchen? There are only two of us."
At this, Wang Ting tossed the menu onto the table. "Come now, Lin Rui, don't be so reserved. When your big brother here treats you, of course I have to make sure you eat well. Besides, if I want to loosen that tongue of yours, I have to be willing to spend a little, right?"
Soon, a procession of fragrant, exquisitely prepared dishes arrived.
Wang Ting picked up a Dragon-Patterned Crimson Shrimp. The meat was plump and firm, rich with spiritual energy. He chewed with satisfaction.
"So, little brother Rui," he said, his mouth half-full, "what really happened at your Ancestral Hall the other day?"
Lin Rui picked up a piece of the Roasted Snow Hare Leg and began to eat, his eyes sharp on Wang Ting's expression. He knew the questions were merely a pretext.
"Well, that day," he began, his tone holding a trace of feigned fear, "I suppose the ancestors saw my pitiful state and decided to give me a hand. As for the cultivation… my father left some things behind. I just messed around with them. It helped a little."
"Oh?" Wang Ting raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, but he didn't press the issue. He took a large gulp of the Drunken Immortal's Brew.
"Fine, if you don't want to talk, I won't waste my breath. Besides, I'm not the only one in the Wang Clan with ears." He grinned, then changed the subject. "By the way, now that you've got your Cultivator Jade Token, there must be a lot you don't understand, right? Don't be shy, ask away! Your big brother here is, at the very least, a registered cultivator who has achieved Meridian Awakening. I'm experienced. Ask a question, you'll get a good answer." He puffed out his chest.
Lin Rui seized the opening. He put down the half-eaten rabbit leg and wiped his hands. "That would be great. There are a lot of things I'd like to ask you, Brother Wang." His expression brightened. "For example, I hear completing missions can trigger a 'Favorable Response from the Spirit-Web.' What exactly does that entail? And what kinds of missions are there? Are there any tricks to accepting them?"
Hearing this, Wang Ting leaned back, a smug, satisfied look on his face. He had been given his stage.
"Ah, the 'Favorable Response from the Spirit-Web' is a deep and subtle matter!" he declared. "To put it simply, whether you do good or bad, the Spirit-Web records it all. If you do enough good things that benefit the world, like maintaining peace or solving some great trouble, the Web might grant you a boon."
He paused for dramatic effect. "Maybe your spiritual energy absorption becomes smoother, or it's easier to break through a bottleneck. You might even find spirit stones just walking down the street! That's what it means to have fortune on your side."
"And what if you do bad things? Like those Demonic Cultivators?" Lin Rui asked.
Wang Ting's lip curled. "Bad things? Then the Spirit-Web will deliver a scourge. At best, your cultivation will stagnate and your inner demons will multiply. At worst, you'll get struck by lightning just for stepping outside. That's why everyone despises Demonic Cultivators. Most of what they do destabilizes the Spirit-Web. Sooner or later, the Web settles all debts."
He took another drink, warming to his topic. "As for missions, the safest bet is the official ones posted by the Celestial Law Division. For a newbie like you, start with the lowest-tier, 'Mortal-grade' helper tasks. Delivering letters, purchasing common items, that sort of thing. The pay is low, but they're safe."
He ticked a finger in the air. "Then you have the internal missions from the great clans. And finally, you have the private commissions posted by shops or wandering cultivators. That's a mixed bag. The risks are high, but so are the rewards."
Then, Wang Ting winked. "But if you're ever short on spirit stones, your big brother here can lend you some. Go on, name a number."
Lin Rui chuckled and shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, Brother Wang." He raised his teacup. "But this is a small matter I can handle. If I ever find myself truly desperate, I promise I won't be a stranger."
Seeing that he didn't take the bait, Wang Ting wasn't annoyed. He laughed. "Alright, you've got backbone! Not like some people who whine about being poor all day, begging for resources." He stuffed a piece of Flaming Drunken Immortal Chicken into his mouth.
"Speaking of which." Wang Ting leaned closer, his eyes glittering. "My uncle, the clan head, gave Wang Ruohan a vicious dressing-down that night, you know."
He paused, leaving him hanging. Seeing the unspoken question in Lin Rui's eyes, he continued with satisfaction. "I don't know the specifics. But I heard that when Ruohan came out, his face was, tsk tsk, as foul as a rock in a latrine pit! He's been in a terrible mood for days."
Wang Ting snickered, then patted Lin Rui's shoulder with mock sympathy. "Sigh, in the end, it's all Wang Ruohan's fault for not recognizing a treasure when he saw it. If he'd just been a little more decisive back then and married you, none of this mess would have happened. You were wronged, and our Wang Clan lost out on such a clever and… hmm, adorable sister-in-law!"
Lin Rui choked. The mouthful of Jade and Emerald Soup he had just swallowed threatened to come back up. He coughed hard, his face flushing red.
By the time the meal was over, Lin Rui, his expression composed, summoned the waiter. "Waiter, please pack up all the leftovers."
"Ah? Y-yes, right away!" The waiter, stunned for a moment, recovered and fetched several fine food containers. It was a rare sight for cultivators of their caliber to ask for leftovers; most were preoccupied with appearances.
Wang Ting stroked his chin, watching Lin Rui instruct the waiter on how to sort the dishes. "I must say, little brother Rui, you are quite… a model of thrift." His tone was a mixture of teasing and genuine admiration.
Lin Rui accepted the packed containers and tested their weight with a nod. He looked at Wang Ting. "Waste is a great crime, Brother Wang. Besides, this was all paid for with spirit stones, and it's delicious. Wouldn't it be perfect for a late-night meal? Or do you, Brother Wang, regard spirit stones as mere dirt?"
His reasonable tone, combined with that final, pointed question, left Wang Ting speechless.
This kid, Wang Ting thought. His mind is sharp now, and he's shameless. He argues with a strange, twisted logic that's impossible to refute.
For the first time, he wondered if his clan had lost more than it gained by annulling that engagement.
After they had eaten, they exited the Drunken Immortal Tavern. The night breeze, carrying the clean scent of bamboo, brushed against Lin Rui's face. He carried the heavy food containers, his other hand brushing against the three thin booklets in his robes. He had a great deal of information to process, and he needed to figure out how to stabilize the wisp of vital energy in his dantian.
Wang Ting let out a tipsy burp, a faint blush on his cheeks. "I say, little brother Rui, shall I escort you home? The roads are dark at this hour. If you run into some clueless bandit…" His tone was playful.
Lin Rui gave him a sidelong glance. "Brother Wang, perhaps you should worry about yourself first. Don't want you stumbling into the Green Creek River and becoming fish food."
They walked side by side, passing through the market and turning into a quiet alley. The alley was flanked by high courtyard walls, dappled with the shadows of bamboo. A distant dog barked, the sound swallowed by the quiet.
From the mouth of the alley ahead, a figure staggered out, shouting something unintellig-ible as he lunged toward them. The figure moved with surprising speed, carrying a thick, strange odor, a mixture of medicinal herbs and something scorched. Lin Rui's eyes narrowed. He switched the food containers to his other hand, his body tensing.
"Alch… Alchemical Poison! Help… help…"
Less than three paces from them, the man's legs gave out, and he crumpled to the ground. His face was a deathly cyan, his lips black, his limbs twitching. In his hand, he clutched a small jade bottle.
Lin Rui stepped forward and crouched to examine him. The old man wore plain, coarse clothes, but his wrinkled hands were better cared for than those of an ordinary mortal, with traces of medicinal powder under his fingernails.
Wang Ting came closer, his grin fading. "Well, now. Isn't this Old Man Li from the Thousand-Skill Celestial Pavilion? He's a crafty one, always lurking around alchemy shops buying up their failed pills and dregs. How did he get into such a ghastly state?" He stroked his chin, his tone light, but his eyes darted between Old Man Li and Lin Rui. "I say, little brother Rui, you just got your Cultivator Jade Token and the heavens are already sending you work? Call it a trial run."
Though he spoke lightly, a serious look crossed his face. The man had cried "Alchemical Poison." While Bamboo Cloud Town had many alchemy shops, incidents of poisoning were not common.
Wang Ting pointed deeper into the alley. "Your Lin Clan's Bamboo Spring Hall is nearby. Let's get him there. The old coot can't die here, that would be bad luck."
Lin Rui paid no mind to Wang Ting's banter. He bent down and lifted the still-twitching Old Man Li onto his back. The man's skin was scorching hot, yet it carried an unnatural cold.
The Bamboo Spring Hall was brightly lit. A middle-aged physician came forward when he saw Lin Rui carrying someone in. "What's happened here?"
"Alchemical Poison." Lin Rui laid Old Man Li on a diagnostic bed.
The physician was experienced. After a thorough examination, he drew a drop of blackened blood from Old Man Li's fingertip. Placing it on a special jade slide, a deep line formed between his brows.
"How strange. This is 'Withered Vine's Kiss,' an exceedingly rare wood-elemental toxin. This poison is incredibly potent; it corrodes one's life force. He should already be dead." The physician looked up, his expression a mix of confusion and awe. "Years of working with medicinal dregs must have built up a strange resilience in his body. That, and he must have consumed something rare in his youth to give him a constitution that can neutralize part of the toxin. Without both, he would have been beyond saving."
Wang Ting stared. "Thousand-year-old vines? A guy like Old Man Li, where would he even go to provoke something like that?"
Just as he was pondering this, the beaded curtain to the inner hall was pushed aside. Lin Tiancheng, dressed in a dark green brocade robe, emerged.
His eyes found Lin Rui standing by the diagnostic bed, and Wang Ting beside him. A line appeared between his brows. "Rui'er, what are you doing here?"
Lin Rui briefly recounted the story. After listening, Lin Tiancheng looked from the unconscious man to Lin Rui, his expression unreadable. After a moment of thought, he spoke, his tone rich with a hidden current.
"Since you have such an interest in the Way of Alchemy, and you happened to be the one to save this old gentleman… why don't you start as an apprentice in the Alchemy Chamber?"
Lin Rui froze. The Lin Clan's Alchemy Chamber?
Wang Ting's eyes went wide. The Alchemy Chamber was a vital institution under the direct authority of the inner hall. Ordinary disciples from collateral branches couldn't get a foot in the door, yet Lin Tiancheng was personally offering Lin Rui an apprenticeship?
Though the discussions were quiet, the words reached everyone in the hall.
What is Second Uncle planning? Lin Rui thought. This feels like a ladder offered over a pit of snakes. He's using this incident as a pretext to place me in the Alchemy Chamber. The official reason is to learn, but the real reason… is to have him investigate something.
The physician beside them wiped his brow and lowered his voice. "Steward Tiancheng, to be honest, this isn't the first incident of alchemical poisoning we've seen recently. It's just that… the other victims were unknown wandering cultivators. Their cases weren't significant enough to attract notice."
Lin Tiancheng's expression remained impassive, but his eyes held a new depth. He retrieved a jade token from his sleeve. It was a solid, brilliant green that glowed with a faint azure light, its surface carved with the intricate totem of a green serpent.
"Lin Rui, take out your Cultivator Jade Token."
Holding his own Inner Hall Jade Token, Lin Tiancheng formed a sword-seal with his other hand and pointed it at Lin Rui's token. He began to chant, his voice low and filled with a strange rhythm:
"With the Spirit-Web as witness, and the Celestial Law made clear, a task is given from start to finish, let this order be recorded here."
As he finished, a flicker of azure light passed between the two tokens. A few wisps of spiritual energy converged on the spot, then dissipated. The token in Lin Rui's hand grew warm for a moment.
So this is how you 'accept a mission.' Much more convenient than filling out forms.
Lin Tiancheng withdrew his token. "Your mission in the Alchemy Chamber is to study. As for the rest, you are to adapt to the circumstances."
With that, he turned and departed.
Wang Ting watched the entire exchange, his mouth agape. He finally clicked his tongue in amazement. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, little brother Rui, your luck… is one of a kind."
Early the next morning, Lin Rui changed into the indigo linen uniform of an Alchemy Chamber apprentice and reported to the entrance. The Chamber was located in a secluded corner deep within the Lin Clan estate, a complex of courtyards thick with the aroma of herbs and the residual warmth of Alchemical Fire.
The steward of the Alchemy Chamber was a middle-aged cultivator with a goatee, surnamed Liu. He glanced at Lin Rui, his expression flat, and tossed him a rag and a wooden bucket.
"The new kid? First, scrub down all the cauldrons in the outer courtyard. Then, head to Herb Warehouse C and sort the newly arrived Iron-Wire Grass and Dew-Condensing Flowers by year and quality. Be quick about it."
For several days, Lin Rui was assigned the most basic chores: scrubbing cauldrons, organizing medicine cabinets, grinding herbs, and chopping firewood. He worked without complaint, quiet and diligent.
The other apprentices saw his behavior. Despite hearing he was the one given special favor by Steward Tiancheng, his unassuming demeanor wore down their suspicions. Soon, they paid him little mind.
At noon, the apprentices ate in a corner of the outer courtyard. Lin Rui held a bowl of spirit rice, listening to the chatter nearby.
"Hey, have you heard? They're concocting some new pill in the inner chamber again," a round-faced apprentice said, his voice low.
"I know! I went to deliver a cleaned jade mortar the other day, and the smell at the entrance nearly knocked me over! It was… a kind of fishy, sweet smell, mixed with something scorched."
An older apprentice glanced around. "Hush! Keep your voices down! Are matters of the inner chamber for us to discuss? Do you want to get kicked out?"
The others fell silent.
Lin Rui ate his rice, his expression unchanged, but he noted the information. The inner chamber. A strange smell.
In the afternoon, Steward Liu assigned more herb-sorting tasks. Lin Rui saw an opening.
A young cultivator, who looked older than the other apprentices, was standing alone in a corner, cross-referencing a worn herbal codex to identify some rare spirit grasses. His name was Li Qing. He was said to be talented in the Way of Alchemy, but he was quiet and kept to himself.
Carrying a small basket of freshly dried Morning Dew Grass, Lin Rui walked over. "Senior Brother Li," he began, his voice low and humble, "I'm new here and have much to learn about these medicinal herbs. This Morning Dew Grass, for instance. Why are some specimens a vibrant green, while others are a pale yellow? Is there a difference in their properties?"
Li Qing looked up from his codex. Surprise flickered in his eyes that the "special favor" case would approach him with a serious question. Seeing that Lin Rui's expression was earnest, he set the book down.
"Morning Dew Grass has a cool nature. It is best picked when the dew is heaviest. The vibrant green ones are full of dew and have stronger medicinal properties. If they are yellowish, they were likely picked at the wrong time or lost too much moisture, which makes them inferior." He paused. "As it is written in The Compendium of Spiritual Herbs, 'When the time is right, the nature is pure; when the time is lost, the nature is mixed.'"
Lin Rui's expression brightened. "I see! In that case, for refining a Heart-Clearing Pill, would the vibrant green grass be more suitable?"
The corner of Li Qing's mouth twitched, a barely perceptible sign of interest. "The purpose of a Heart-Clearing Pill is to calm the mind and quell inner fire. Morning Dew Grass is merely a supplementary herb. It must be paired with a Spirit-Calming Flower to neutralize its cold nature, then assisted by powdered Hundred-Spirit Fruit pit to activate its power. This is the principle of 'monarch, minister, assistant, and courier,' where each component supports the others."
Over the next few days, whenever Lin Rui had a spare moment, he would approach Li Qing with another question. From the different thermal natures of herbs to the synergistic relationships of the five elements, he slowly chipped away at Li Qing's initial coldness.
"There are many reasons why Alchemical Poison might form," Lin Rui asked one day, timing his question. "Besides improper heat control or incorrect pairings, what are some other common causes?"
Li Qing scraped the outer bark of an Ironwood Root with a small jade knife. He didn't stop his work as he answered. "The condition of the herbs themselves cannot be overlooked. Some ingredients may seem harmless, but they can produce potent toxins when mixed with other specific herbs." He set aside a curl of scraped black bark. "Worse, if a spirit herb is contaminated by Earthly Fiend Miasma during its growth, or infested by Vile Spirit-Insects, its properties can change in bizarre ways. Once used in a pill, the result is disaster. It is recorded in The Essentials of the Way of Alchemy: 'A single oversight can turn medicine to poisonous sand.'"
Lin Rui nodded. He made his tone sound like an idle thought. "Speaking of which, while I was cleaning out the discarded herbs in Warehouse D the other day, I noticed that some of them, though scorched, still seemed to…"
"Warehouse D?"
Li Qing's hand stopped. The jade knife went still. He looked up at Lin Rui, his eyes sharp with scrutiny, his voice returning to its initial, distant cool.
"Those are failed dregs, remnants that have lost their properties. There is nothing to see there. You are a newcomer. You should focus your mind on the proper path, not be distracted by waste. To identify herbs, you must use your eyes, your hands, and your mind…"
Li Qing shifted the conversation back to basic pharmacology.
Lin Rui didn't press, but his suspicions were now a certainty.
Cleaning Warehouse D became his regular chore. When no one was watching, he would use his fingernail to make marks on a small piece of charcoal, recording the types and approximate quantities of the main "discarded" herbs.
Within three days, he found a pattern.
Every two or three days, a large quantity of scorched Iron-Wire Grass and the remnants of an herb called Dragon's Blood Vine would appear. According to The Essentials of the Way of Alchemy, these two were the primary ingredients for a low-level body-tempering pill known as the Verdant Vine Bone-Tempering Pill.
And within a day or two after these specific herbs appeared, the faint, fishy-sweet, scorched smell from the inner chamber would become stronger.
His ignorance of alchemy, which should have been a disadvantage, had become his greatest cover. No one would be suspicious of a menial apprentice who could barely identify all the herbs.
The supposedly useless herbs in Warehouse D.
The strange odor from the inner chamber.
Li Qing's careful deflection.
He had his picture of calculated deceit.