The Immortal of Plague begins by establishing the root of lung fire.

"I am Song You." Song You looked at the three people, his gaze lingering on the face of the one in the lead. "A disciple of the elder of the pharmacy."

The tall, dark-spotted man's eyebrows relaxed, and he grinned, "So you really are Elder Jia's esteemed disciple. My name is Mei Chong."

He pointed to the two people beside him: "We are all disciples of Elder Zhongzao. In a sense, we are all disciples of the elder. Since we will be working in the pharmacy in the future, we should help each other."

Mei Chong took two steps forward, blocking the aisle behind the counter. His tall figure cast a shadow over most of Song You's body. "Junior Brother Song, you're new here. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Song You stood still. If the other party could withstand the Dao Root and join Elder Zhongzao's sect, their aptitude should not be bad.

However, after being well-fed and tempered by the fire in his lungs last night, his senses were sharpened once again. Mei Chong spoke politely, but his hostility was palpable.

When Jia Chunfang took him as her apprentice, she didn't mention a word about the pharmacy having other close disciples, and that he was still all alone.

Ignoring the gazes of the outer disciples around him, Song You bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Mei. I was reading a book, but the contents are quite complicated. I was just looking for someone to show me the actual items in the pharmacy. Since you've asked, I would be grateful if you could show me the way."

Mei Chong was stunned, not expecting Song Youzhen to take advantage of the situation. He had made the statement himself, so he wasn't in a hurry to act.

"Alright, Junior Brother is eager to learn, Senior Brother will naturally grant your request." Mei Chong turned around and led Song You deeper into the medicine cabinet.

Song You followed behind, his gaze sweeping over the towering mahogany medicine drawers on either side. Pointing to a drawer labeled "Withered Bone Vine," he asked, "Senior Brother, according to the 'Illustrated Compendium of Herbs,' this Withered Bone Vine needs to be baked with a yin fire for three days. How does the pharmacy usually handle it?"

Mei Chong paused, turned to look at the label, and stammered, "Yin fire baking, naturally it's done in an oven. Others can do this rough work; we just need to prepare the medicine."

Song You changed direction, pointing to another label: "So, before using this rotten heart grass in medicine, should the roots be removed, or should it be crushed whole?"

"It should be crushed, crushed down completely, roots and all." Mei Chong spoke rapidly, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

Song You stopped asking questions. This person was completely unfamiliar with pharmacology, and what he said turned out to be more wrong than right.

The two walked to the middle of the inner hall, where a black iron medicine furnace, about half a person's height, was set up in the open space. A ghostly green fire burned at the bottom of the furnace, and the bubbling sound of boiling water came from the gaps in the furnace lid. A strong, fishy smell permeated the air.

Song You looked past the medicine furnace and at the medicine cabinet behind it. Most of the drawers in that area were open and empty.

"Why is that counter over there empty?" Song You asked, pointing to the empty drawer.

Mei Chong followed his gaze and said in a low voice, "The temple has been consuming a lot of resources lately, and we're going through medicinal herbs quickly."

Song You took a few steps closer and saw the label on the drawer.

The names of the human-faced mushroom, the hundred-year-old corpse ginseng, and the Yin blood vine were all printed in the latter half of the catalog of the "Illustrated Catalogue of Herbs". The first half of the catalogue contained common medicinal materials, which Song You had memorized.

The further along the catalogue goes, the more precious and rare the medicinal materials are recorded, and the more unorthodox the methods of harvesting and processing them become.

High consumption?

Song You sneered inwardly. There was a lot of room for maneuver here. If no one else dared to stop them, these people were probably stealing from their own positions.

However, Jia Chunfang seems to have been away from the pharmacy for a long time and even stood up yesterday's meeting. Moreover, Mei Chong seems to be acting with a sense of impunity, which might cause some trouble.

Song You slowed his breathing, weighing his current situation.

Having just entered the inner hall of the pharmacy, he was alone and powerless, with no benefits to be gained. With Jia Chunfang not around, if a conflict were to break out, no one would help him.

Staying in the inner hall would not only mean being wary of these people's schemes, but would also delay one's cultivation progress.

It would be better to temporarily avoid confrontation. With the Return to Light World as his logistical base, as long as he has sufficient food supplies, his cultivation speed will far exceed that of ordinary people.

As an elder's disciple, he had considerable room for maneuver. Now that Jia Chunfang had acknowledged him, she could transfer him back to the inner hall at any time.

Having made up his mind, Song You stopped in his tracks.

"Senior Brother Mei, after looking around, I realize that my knowledge of medicinal herbs is still far from sufficient." Song You turned around and looked directly at Mei Chong. "The matters in the inner hall are too intricate. I'm afraid of making a mistake. I plan to go to the outer academy to learn the basics first."

After saying that, Song You ignored Mei Chong's reaction and walked straight toward the inner hall door.

Jiang Yangge was standing by the desk checking the account books when he heard this, and his pen hovered in mid-air.

The outer disciples were desperate to get into the inner hall, but Song Youcai, after only one day, actually volunteered to do odd jobs in the outer courtyard?

Jiang Yangge turned his head and saw the ashen faces of Mei Chong and the other two. His mind raced.

Right.

Song You was Jia Chunfang's disciple. Even if he stayed in the outer courtyard for ten days or half a month, Jia Chunfang could bring him back with just a word.

The rules of the temple are practically meaningless to the elders, and it's hard to say that they can restrain these high-ranking members.

Jiang Yangge gripped his pen tightly, his long-held plan becoming increasingly firm. Thinking of the news he received last night, he knew these people were going to suffer a great loss.

Mei Chong gritted his teeth as he watched Song You's retreating figure. He had originally planned to use the opportunity of recognizing the medicine to set a trap for Song You, but he never expected that the kid would be so slippery and leave without lifting a finger.

He recalled that a few days ago, Elder Zhongzao's newly accepted junior disciple came to deliver a message.

The junior disciple, dressed in a brand-new Taoist robe, held his chin high and said that Song You's success in cultivation was definitely due to good fortune. Adding to this, their master had been distributing fewer and fewer resources to them lately, requiring them to obtain more precious medicinal herbs from the pharmacy, making their lives increasingly difficult.

We can't let Song You leave like this. If testing him doesn't work, we'll have to resort to force.

"Junior Brother Song, wait!" Mei Chong strode after him and blocked the entrance to the inner hall. The fake smile on his face was gone, and his face was taut, completely tearing away his disguise.

"Going to the outer courtyard to learn the rules is no problem, of course." Mei Chong stared at Song You, "But I just helped you, and now we brothers are too busy to handle everything. The medicine we're brewing needs to be added to the pot very quickly, so we need your help."

Song You stopped in his tracks: "I've only been learning for one day. Taking the wrong medicine could kill someone."

"It's not difficult." Mei Chong reached into his robes. "These are all common medicinal herbs from the book. Just take them according to the list. I won't let you work for nothing."

He opened his palm, and three copper coins lay in his palm.

The outer disciples around him breathed heavily when they saw the three copper coins, several pairs of eyes staring intently at Mei Chong's palm, the sound of them swallowing saliva particularly clear in the quiet inner hall.

Song You took in all these reactions; the value of this thing in the Soul Treasury Temple was by no means simple.

Through his clothes, he could feel the two copper coins he was carrying in his pocket.

What exactly is the purpose of this thing?

"Junior Brother Song, getting some medicine is a piece of cake for you." Mei Chong took a step closer and lowered his voice. "Everyone here is trying to make a living in the temple. If you don't help with this, you might not have a safe place in the outer quarters in the future."