Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

Ning Che saw through Shi Zhongyu's thoughts; she wanted to tie him to the third branch of the family.

He had a guess in his mind, but he didn't say it aloud and followed them.

The Shi family's old storehouse was located deep within the mansion and was heavily guarded.

Shi Cheng'an took out his waist token, and with Shi Zhongyu also present, the guards respectfully opened the heavy iron gate.

A musty smell of old paper wafted towards me.

"The files from thirty years ago should be in the third row of the A-level archive." Shi Cheng'an was very familiar with the place and led the two inside.

Old Curry was dimly lit, with rows of bookshelves reaching to the ceiling, arranged very densely.

They quickly found the corresponding location.

The file was wrapped in kraft paper, covered with a thick layer of dust.

Shi Cheng'an took down several scrolls, placed them on a long table covered in dust, and blew away the dust.

The leather-bound file was unfolded, its smell a mixture of musty and ink.

The handwriting is very neat, and it uses pine soot ink that is not easy to fade.

"Found it." Shi Cheng'an pointed to one of the scrolls. "All the records about Shigu are here."

Ning Che didn't look at it immediately, his gaze sweeping over Shi Cheng'an's fingertips.

The person in charge had a steady hand and a businesslike expression on his face.

Shi Zhongyu stepped forward and read aloud the record: "Shi Gu, a member of the Shi family, has an eighth-grade cultivation level. In the autumn of the 743rd year of the Great Xia calendar, he went into seclusion at his ancestral home in Feihu City to attempt to break through to the seventh-grade realm."

Due to the sudden appearance of his inner demons, his true energy reversed, causing him to fail in his breakthrough attempt, damaging the source of his lung metal, and causing his cultivation level to drop. His family felt sorry for him and bestowed upon him healing items such as blood-clotting powder and Tai Sui roots, allowing him to return to Shizhu Village to recuperate.

There's also a note: "Unexpected."

After Shi Zhongyu finished reading, he frowned and said, "That's all? A sudden appearance of an inner demon? That's too casual."

"Cultivation is inherently dangerous. When you try to break through to a higher realm, one wrong move and it's all over."

Shi Cheng'an sighed, looking regretful: "The case file clearly states that there shouldn't be any problems. It's truly a pity that this matter is unfortunate. If he had succeeded, our Shi family would have gained another capable member."

His meaning was clear: the person has been brought in, the case file has been reviewed, and this matter ends here.

Ning Che's gaze fell on the signature area at the end of the file, where there were two names: one was the clerk who recorded the events at the time, and the other was the person in charge of the pill refining room.

"Senior Ishigani told me that he suspects there's something wrong with the medicine." Ning Che's voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly heard in the empty old warehouse.

Shi Cheng'an's smile faded slightly: "Shi Gu's failure to break through might be due to his deep-seated obsession; he couldn't take it seriously. This file has been reviewed by the patriarch and elders."

Shi Cheng'an began to use the family head and elders to intimidate people.

Ning Che knew very well that the old man wanted to suppress the matter.

By using an unexpected conclusion, they saved face for the Shi family and also got away with it.

Unfortunately, that's not what Ning Che wanted.

"Since Steward Shi thinks there's nothing wrong with the files, I'd like to ask a pharmacological question," Ning Che suddenly changed the subject.

Shi Cheng'an was taken aback: "Please speak."

"The pill used to break through to the seventh rank was the Spirit-Boosting Pill, right?"

"That's right."

"The Spirit-Clearing Pill has seven main ingredients and thirteen auxiliary ingredients. One of the auxiliary ingredients is called Fire Scorpion Tail, which uses its fire poison to stimulate blood and qi and open up the meridians." Ning Che spoke calmly, as if discussing academic matters.

These were common pharmacological facts that Qian Lao often talked about, and Ning Che had heard them so many times that he had already memorized them.

Shi Cheng'an's eyes narrowed, and he nodded: "Not bad."

"But the fire poison of the Fire Scorpion's tail is very strong, and it needs to be neutralized by the cold energy of the Frost Moon Grass. If the Frost Moon Grass is not old enough, or if the dosage is too small, the fire poison will damage the lungs. The initial symptoms are very similar to the reverse flow of true qi, but the root cause is poisoning."

Ning Che raised his head and looked at Shi Cheng'an: "The case file doesn't mention poisoning at all, only saying it's a mental demon. I want to ask, did the pharmacist who refined the pills back then not even understand this?"

Shi Cheng'an's expression finally changed.

He hadn't expected Ning Che to be so knowledgeable about pharmacology, getting straight to the point.

Shi Zhongyu, who was standing next to him, suddenly brightened up.

She had thought Ning Che was just highly skilled and cunning, but she hadn't expected him to be so knowledgeable about pills.

Ning Che's direct and straightforward questioning style made her feel very satisfied.

"This...it might have been an accident on the part of the pharmacist." Shi Cheng'an's forehead was beaded with sweat as he began to explain, "After all, this happened thirty years ago, and the pharmacist back then was probably long gone..."

"He's not dead." Ning Che interrupted him. "I checked before I came. Thirty years ago, the chief pharmacist of the pill shop was named Sun Fu. He's living a good life and retired in your Shi family now."

Shi Cheng'an was unable to utter a single word.

Ning Che calculated every step very clearly.

He came here to judge.

"Investigate! Bring Sun Fu here for a confrontation right now!" Shi Zhongyu said coldly, having completely sided with Ning Che.

For such a large family of cultivators to use such methods to harm their own talented prodigy is a huge scandal if word gets out.

"No need," Ning Che waved his hand. "I'm getting old, my memory isn't what it used to be, and I won't get anything out of you anyway."

He took a step forward and pulled out another file from the pile.

This volume contains the purchasing and medication records of the alchemy clinic from that year.

He turned to the page corresponding to the year and month, pointing to the entry on it.

"In the autumn of the 743rd year of the Great Xia calendar, three hundred-year-old Frost Moon Grasses were purchased to refine the Spirit-Boosting Pill." Ning Che read aloud, then looked up with a cold smile on his lips, "That's where the problem lies."

Shi Cheng'an and Shi Zhongyu both came over, their faces full of confusion.

"The purchase records are fine; it's a hundred-year-old Frost Moon Grass," Shi Zhongyu said, somewhat puzzled.

"The Frost Moon Grass is indeed a hundred years old." Ning Che pointed his finger to the words "Frost Moon Grass," where there was also a signature.

He is the person responsible for inspecting and accepting medicinal materials.

"But after the inspector signed the document, he took a century-old Frost Moon Grass from the warehouse for the head of the family's private use," Ning Che said calmly. "And what filled the gap was a Frost Moon Grass that was only thirty years old."

This is a deceptive substitution!

Shi Cheng'an's pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat trickled down his temples.

This was done very discreetly. Unless one has a very clear understanding of pharmacology and procedures and a specific objective, it would be impossible to find this clue among so many files.

"Who? Who did this?" Shi Zhongyu's voice was filled with anger.

This wasn't an accident; it was intentional harm!

Ning Che did not answer.

His gaze passed over Shi Cheng'an and landed on Shi Zhongyu, his expression somewhat complicated.

"See for yourself."

Shi Zhongyu took a deep breath and his gaze fell on the signature next to the entry for the family head's private use.

When she saw that name, she was stunned. The vast and dark thing that had unfolded before Ning Che had also made this rather proud girl lose her composure.

Shi Cheng'an also saw the name, and his reaction was even stronger than Shi Zhongyu's. He hurriedly denied it, saying, "There must be some misunderstanding!"

On the file, there was a signature with a flamboyant, dragon-like handwriting that read three characters.

Shi Chongshan.