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

The air inside was stifling, and the bubbling sound of boiling water in the medicine furnace never stopped.

Song You sat cross-legged in front of the wooden couch and recited the text without making any distinctions.

"The third page describes the withered bone vine, which grows in shady places in mass graves. It should be harvested away from the midday sun. Before being used in medicine, it needs to be roasted over a yin fire for three days to remove the outer skin and corpse poison, and then the bone marrow inside can be extracted. When combined with the roots of the rotten heart grass, its strong properties can be neutralized."

"Page seventeen: Human-faced mushroom, mostly grows on the faces of people who died violently..."

"Page 20..."

Song You spoke at a steady pace and with clear enunciation, without any pauses.

He recited word for word the names of medicinal materials, their growing environments, harvesting methods, and processing taboos recorded in the "Illustrated Catalogue of Herbs".

Jia Chunfang slowly raised her eyelids, her gaze fixed on Song You's face, her fingers tapping incessantly on the edge of the wooden couch.

As Song You recited the contents of page twenty-five, Jia Chunfang pressed down with her palm.

Stop.

Song You shut his mouth and quietly looked at Jia Chunfang on the wooden bed.

Jia Chunfang looked Song You up and down, her tone unusually unsettling: "If the Great Qian Dynasty were to come back to life, with your photographic memory, you'd be lucky to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar."

Song You was startled, but he lowered his eyelids slightly to conceal the thoughts in his eyes.

Has the Great Qian Dynasty fallen?

As Jiang Yangge mentioned before, the official copper coins issued by the Great Qian Dynasty were the hard currency among cultivators, and the elders even had their own fiefdoms.

Can the currency issued by a fallen dynasty still have a binding force on how cultivators acquire their wealth?

Who granted those elders their fiefdoms? Did they grant them themselves?

The miscellaneous books that were found on Li Bin's body are still in his pocket. When I get back, I must thoroughly read through these books and figure out what happened.

Song You remained expressionless, maintaining a respectful sitting posture.

Jia Chunfang didn't dwell on the topic. He coughed twice and casually wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Since you have such a brain," Jia Chunfang's tone became dry again, "there are still three months until the mid-year trial. Even without my method, there's barely enough time."

Song You secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Having escaped this ordeal, he now had more room to maneuver.

"Master," Song You spoke up at the right moment, scratching the back of his head and looking embarrassed, "I heard from Senior Brother Jiang that we need to prepare enough copper coins to participate in the trial. I come from a poor family and really don't have much money."

Jia Chunfang stared at Song You's actions: "That day when the stove was being built, so many people died in the main hall, how many did you collect?"

Song You's breath hitched, and the hairs on the back of his head stood on end.

That day, Elder Zhongzao and Jia Chunfang were both present, and indeed, all his actions were under the watchful eyes of these old monsters.

Lying about this kind of thing is tantamount to suicide.

Song You reached into his robes, pulled out a few copper coins, and spread them out in his palm.

"The situation in the main hall was chaotic that day, and I only managed to find about thirty copper coins like these. Adding the few we just found on Li Bin, we have less than forty in total," he reported the actual number.

Jia Chunfang glanced at the copper coins and sneered, "Not enough. In previous years, the trials were just small-scale, and each disciple needed at least a hundred copper coins as a starting point. This year is different. The temple has caught a big fish, and the scale of the trials far exceeds that of the past. To get in, you'll need at least three hundred coins."

Three hundred pieces.

Song You calculated the numbers. The threshold had tripled, which meant the benefits in the trial were absolutely enormous. High risk corresponded to high reward, and he had to get this qualification.

"This disciple wishes to go." Song You clasped his hands together, his tone earnest. "This disciple wishes to enter the trial to bring honor to Master. As for the matter of money, I beg Master to show me the way."

Jia Chunfang made a hoarse sound in her throat and gestured with her fingers: "Two roads."

Song You leaned forward: "Please enlighten me, Master."

"First condition," Jia Chunfang said slowly, "I'll lend you three hundred copper coins. It's a nine-out-of-thirteen-out loan with compound interest. Until you repay the principal and interest, you can't leave the pharmacy even for a moment. You'll be locked up and have to work for me to pay off the debt."

Song You's noodles twitched slightly, and he clenched his teeth.

In the cultivation world, there are loan sharks. Borrow 300 coins, receive only 270, and repay 390, with interest compounding. Most fatally, they restrict personal freedom.

His biggest trump card is the Return to the World of Light. If he is locked up and forced to work day and night, he will not have a chance to draw Qi into his body. If he works for too long, his cultivation will stagnate.

This road is a dead end.

"What about the second way?" Song You asked.

"Secondly, it depends on your own abilities." Jia Chunfang's eyes darted around as she stared intently at Song You. "Since you're so smart, I'm giving you a month to learn everything in the pharmacy. After you've learned it, you can do freelance work for me. For each job you complete, I'll pay you copper coins according to the rules."

That sounded fair, but Song You met Jia Chunfang's sinister gaze.

The jobs at Po Cang Temple are inherently wicked, and the private tasks personally assigned by the elders are definitely very dangerous.

But working on his own means he has room to act independently. As long as he's not under Jia Chunfang's watchful eye, he can go to the World of Returning Light at any time to replenish his supplies and use the time difference to improve his cultivation.

As long as one's cultivation level is improved, even the most dangerous side jobs can be salvaged.

Most importantly, Jia Chunfang still needs herself, so her chances of survival are very high.

Song You has finished weighing the options.

"Master," Song You lowered his head, "this disciple has not accomplished anything. If I borrow your money and fail to return alive from the trial, I will not only disgrace you, but also waste your money. This disciple chooses the second path: to work for you with my own abilities and earn the qualification for the trial."

Upon hearing this, Jia Chunfang's lips parted in a wide grin, and her laughter echoed throughout the inner hall.

"Good, very good." Jia Chunfang laughed and coughed at the same time. "I knew those good-for-nothings wouldn't come back when I lent them money before, so I just considered it a waste of money. But this year I've taken you in, and if I lend you money, maybe I can actually see a return on my investment."

Song You felt a chill in his heart. He had no hope of getting the money he lent out back; he was just using the money to buy the lives of his disciples to fill the pits in the trials.

"But if you're willing to work, then let me see what you're capable of first. If you can't learn everything about the pharmacy in a month, I'll lend you more," Jia Chunfang said, putting away her laughter and issuing the order.

Song You clasped his hands in acceptance of the order: "This disciple will do his utmost and will never disappoint Master."

"From now on, come to the inner hall every morning to report for duty. You can arrange the rest of your time as you see fit." Jia Chunfang waved her hand, indicating that Song You could leave.

Song You felt a sense of relief; this was exactly the condition he needed most. He only needed to show his face once a day, and the rest of the time he was completely free.

Song You hesitated, still wanting to ask some questions, but just as he was about to speak, he noticed that Jia Chunfang's aura had changed.

The wrinkles on Jia Chunfang's face suddenly collapsed, and her eyes became cloudy again.

"You're so outstanding, you need someone to help you," Jia Chunfang murmured to herself, her voice trembling. "Should I go outside and find you a junior brother? It would be so nice if you could all improve together, so nice."

Is he having another mental breakdown?

Song You originally wanted to take this opportunity to ask Jia Chunfang about the problem of bodily leakage, as those gaps in his body were always a hidden danger.

It seems the old monster's mind has started to go haywire again; he's once again fallen into that twisted brotherly affection.

He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. Asking a question now might provoke this madman, who might just tear him apart.

Without making a sound, Song You stood up, bent over, and backed out of the inner hall step by step.

Stepping over the threshold, the air outside carried the stench of decaying bamboo leaves, much better than the strong, fishy smell inside the room.

Just as I was discharged from the hospital, Brother Jiang was waiting at the door.

"Junior Brother Song," Jiang Yangge lowered his voice, "let's talk in private."