"Damn it all! They're back!"
Dawn had barely broken when a commotion erupted from the Fang Family Pharmacy.
The medicinal herbs in the storeroom had been safe for a few days, but after just one night, they were utterly ruined.
Xu Chang'an, now long gone, was naturally unaware of the situation at the Fang Family Pharmacy.
Visiting the Fang Family Pharmacy for several days in a row was probably no longer safe. Who knew what tricks the Fang Family would have prepared for his next visit.
With his current tiny body, he couldn't withstand any trouble.
Therefore, Xu Chang'an would not be returning to the Fang Family Pharmacy.
He had already found a more suitable location.
A few days ago, the direct grandson of the town's Mr. Chen Sr. had fallen gravely ill, and ordinary medicine was useless.
In his youth, Mr. Chen Sr. had built up quite a network of connections in the area. By calling in a few favors, he managed to acquire a Centennial Ginseng through certain channels.
The effects of the Centennial Ginseng were extraordinary.
Just a small piece of it was enough to restore Mr. Chen Sr.'s precious grandson to full health.
News of this had already spread throughout the town.
Others focused on Mr. Chen Sr.'s deep connections and the truly extraordinary efficacy of the Centennial Ginseng.
But for Xu Chang'an, the point of interest was naturally the large remaining piece of the ginseng.
"A Centennial Ginseng!"
'Even though it's just an ordinary medicinal herb, its age and the fact that it's a ginseng mean it has probably developed Spirituality.'
'If I can get this ginseng, even just the large remaining piece, I can use my panel's ability to achieve Becoming a Demon right away!'
In a crevice between the stones in the corner of a residential courtyard, Xu Chang'an's eyes darted back and forth.
「...」
The Chen Family was the foremost household in town.
Not counting the various branches of the Chen Family, there were dozens of ordinary servants, stewards, maids, and old women just to attend to the main house.
「Nightfall.」
The Chen Family's grand courtyard was still brightly lit.
Figures passed through the estate's corridors from time to time.
Suddenly, a low, gray shadow darted past.
'I've checked several places and haven't found it. It must be in a bedroom.'
'Most likely in Mr. Chen Sr.'s room. I'll go check there first.'
Xu Chang'an could sense the presence of Spiritual Items through his panel.
Limited by his current state, his detection range was extremely small—just a few feet around him.
Although the ginseng didn't quite count as a Spiritual Item, after a hundred years it still possessed Spirituality, which he could sense.
He had just scurried through many parts of the Chen Family estate but hadn't sensed any Spirituality.
The Chen Family estate was not small, but under the cover of night, Xu Chang'an was extremely fast.
In just a short while, he used the layout of the estate to locate Mr. Chen Sr.'s bedroom.
'This is a bit tricky.'
Staring at the solid, seamless door before him, Xu Chang'an felt a headache coming on.
The Chen Family was a wealthy household; of course Mr. Chen Sr.'s door wouldn't be old and decrepit.
'I'll wait for now.'
WHOOSH! Xu Chang'an darted behind a nearby flowerpot.
With his tiny size, an ordinary person walking by wouldn't notice him at all.
"Hic! I can still drink."
"Young Master, you're drunk. Let me help you back to your room to rest."
Sounds came from down the corridor.
Judging by the voices, they were heading this way.
Xu Chang'an couldn't help but shift his body slightly, pressing closer to the flowerpot.
"Drunk? I'm not drunk! I'm going to find Grandfather. Why did he give the ginseng to my little brother and not me?"
"Young Master, it's late. Mr. Chen Sr. is already resting."
The voices grew closer. A pale-faced young man dressed in green robes appeared, a maid following his every step.
After a moment, the two of them walked right up to the flowerpot where Xu Chang'an was hiding.
Xu Chang'an's little eyes could clearly see the shoes and socks they were wearing.
Xu Chang'an shrank back even further, half his fur pressing tightly against the flowerpot.
The moonlight was dim, and he was hidden beside the flowerpot. Though the pair walked past, they clearly didn't spot him.
Just as Xu Chang'an thought they were going to pass by without incident...
BLECH~
The young man in green suddenly bent over to the side, and a stream of foul-smelling vomit, thick with the stench of alcohol, spewed from his mouth.
As luck would have it, he threw up right next to the flowerpot.
A good amount of the splattering filth landed on Xu Chang'an.
'Damn it!'
His rat-like instincts made him want to bolt out of reflex.
But the memories of his past life forced him to remain perfectly still, unmoving as a mountain.
He was betting they wouldn't immediately look down to check.
"Young Master, are you alright?"
The maid stepped forward, patting the young master's back. She glanced at the mess on the ground, then quickly looked away.
BLECH~
Another wave of vomit followed.
'Oh for crying out loud, what is this mess?'
Xu Chang'an complained internally, smelling the pungent alcohol and foul odor.
CREAK!
'Hmm!?'
Xu Chang'an's little ears perked up.
"Eldest Young Master, what are you doing here? It's late, and the Old Master is already asleep. Are you trying to wake him?"
An older maid snapped coldly from the bedroom doorway.
She had taken care of Mr. Chen Sr. for many years. As his personal maid, her status in the household was not low.
"Aunt Ru, my apologies. The Young Master has had too much to drink. I'll take him back right away."
The maid apologized profusely, while the young master who had been shouting just moments ago was now completely silent.
It was clear that this maid named Aunt Ru held an unusual position.
'A perfect chance!'
Xu Chang'an's eyes lit up.
At that moment, the maid was helping the young master leave, and Aunt Ru's attention was entirely on them.
WHOOSH!
Seizing the opportunity, Xu Chang'an zipped into the bedroom in a flash.
In the moonlight, Aunt Ru remained completely oblivious.
Watching them leave, she gently closed the bedroom door.
Mr. Chen Sr.'s bedroom was sizable, divided into an antechamber and a main chamber.
The outer room was the antechamber, where Aunt Ru slept when on night duty.
Mr. Chen Sr. slept in the inner chamber.
The bedroom was cluttered and extremely dim, which was a great convenience for Xu Chang'an.
'This is it!'
Xu Chang'an's eyes gleamed. On the inner side of Mr. Chen Sr.'s bed, he sensed a trace of Spirituality.
He zipped onto the bed and found a wooden box placed neatly under the mattress pad on the far side.
'The Centennial Ginseng!'
The wooden box wasn't small, and being covered by the mattress pad, it was difficult for Xu Chang'an to pull it out with his strength.
So, he resorted to a crude method.
Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and a rat's son knows how to dig.
He planned to use his hard, large incisors to gnaw a hole in the wooden box.
The sound of SCRAPE, SCRAPE soon echoed in the room.
Xu Chang'an deliberately controlled the rhythm, and the mattress pad provided some soundproofing.
As long as Aunt Ru stayed in the outer antechamber, she wouldn't be able to hear a thing.
Although Mr. Chen Sr. was a light sleeper, this faint noise wasn't enough to wake him.
Xu Chang'an worked until midnight before he finally managed to create a hole in the wooden box.
The fragrance of ginseng filled the air around him.
Xu Chang'an eagerly scrambled into the box.
'My chance for Becoming a Demon!'
Xu Chang'an hugged the ginseng and began to gnaw on it with all his might.
With every bite, waves of heat flowed through his entire body.
'This is the feeling!'