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

"Why are resources decreasing?" Song You asked.

Jiang Yangge spread his right hand: "I don't know either. The rules in the temple are strict. Except when we are sent out on missions or when we have a special order from an elder, no disciple is allowed to leave the temple mountain without permission. We are locked up on this mountain all day long and have no idea what the world outside has become."

Song You searched through his memories. Songjia Village hadn't changed much in the past ten years. The surrounding environment was barren, and the villagers were sallow and thin. Apart from farming and paying taxes, there was no other output. However, he didn't remember any major natural disasters or man-made calamities.

It seems the problem isn't near Songjia Village; it must be somewhere else.

Song You sighed inwardly. In his previous life, he studied medicine, but during his residency training and the cost-saving and efficiency-enhancing reforms in healthcare, he was overworked to death on the job. Now, as a cultivator, he was facing the depletion of resources and shortages of supplies at the Soul Treasury Temple.

This person is destined to always profit from the dark side of the times, and that hasn't changed even in a different world.

Fortunately, he has the World of Returning Light as a supplement. As long as that world still exists, he has more confidence. Compared to these disciples who can only compete for a little resources in the temple, his situation is much better.

"Since there's a gathering, I'll trouble you to take me there in three days, senior brother." Song You made his plan. He had some useless items that he had looted from Li Bin, which he could use to scout things out.

Jiang Yangge nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'll come find you then."

After finishing their business, Song You didn't let the conversation cool down. Jia Chunfang gave him a month to learn the classics of the pharmacy. Although he had memorized a lot by traveling through time, some of the pharmacology and processing methods in the book could not be understood by rote memorization alone.

Jiang Yangge had been in the pharmacy for so long, making him the perfect person to consult. Song You took out the "Illustrated Compendium of Herbs" from his pocket and opened the book.

"Senior brother, there are a few parts I didn't understand while reading today," Song You said, pointing to a passage on the page. "It says that the roots of the Rotten Heart Grass need to be in a three-to-one ratio to neutralize the potency of the Dead Bone Vine. But if the potency of the aged Dead Bone Vine is insufficient, how should this ratio be adjusted?"

Jiang Yangge glanced at the book and replied, "The poison of aged bone vine can seep deep into the marrow. At this time, you can't simply reduce the amount of heart-rotting grass, as reducing it too much will destroy the medicinal properties. You should add one mace of ground Yin blood vine powder as a medicinal guide when decocting it."

Song You nodded and wrote it down in the blank space.

He turned a few pages and pointed to another section: "After picking the human-faced mushrooms, the book says to wash them with rootless water. How do you get this rootless water at the temple?"

Jiang Yangge explained, "There is a stone forest on the back mountain of the temple. When it rains, we tie wooden bowls to the stone pillars to collect the water that flows down the stones. That water is perfect for washing the human-faced mushrooms."

Song Youlian asked six or seven questions, covering a wide range of medicinal materials, from the most basic herbs to rare poisons.

Jiang Yangge answered all the questions one by one. At first, I didn't pay much attention, but when Song You asked about the details of cultivating ginseng on page 40, Jiang Yangge's answer stopped.

He stared straight at Song You, his eyes wide open.

"Junior Brother Song," Jiang Yangge's voice was dry, "where are you in this book?"

"I've studied more than forty pages." Song You didn't show any boasting.

Jiang Yangge gasped, the pain pulling at his chest muscles and making him wince.

"You can ask such pointed questions just by flipping through it?" Jiang Yangge's gaze towards Song You changed. "It took me three whole months to fully grasp the basics of this 'Illustrated Compendium of Herbs.' You've only had it for a day and a night, and you've already learned almost 30%?"

Song You closed the book and put it back in his pocket.

"I've always had a good memory and can see things quickly," Song You explained. "My master gave me a month to finish learning, and I dared not delay."

Jiang Yangge shook his head and did not press further. Song You's learning ability made Jiang Yangge even more convinced that his decision to befriend him during the day was correct. This new junior brother was definitely not someone to be underestimated, and he absolutely could not confront him head-on.

"Junior Brother Song, memorizing pharmacology is one thing, but decocting medicine is another," Brother Jiang slowed his speech. "The heat, the order in which the herbs are added to the pot—you can only figure these things out by doing it yourself."

Song You nodded; he understood the reasoning.

Jiang Yangge continued, "The pharmacy has a limit on the amount of medicinal herbs disciples can use to brew medicine. Even if Elder Jia values ​​you, he won't let you waste the storeroom's resources without restraint. Once you've used up your limit, you won't be able to practice anymore."

Song You leaned forward: "According to Senior Brother, what should I do?"

Jiang Yangge pointed outside the door: "It's still the outer disciples' gathering the day after tomorrow. You can take any items you don't need and trade them for some wild herbs you've gathered. Wild herbs have poor efficacy and many impurities, but the processing methods are almost the same as for regular medicinal materials. Use these wild herbs to practice; even if you ruin them, it won't go into the pharmacy's accounts, and no one will care."

After some consideration, Song You concluded that this method was feasible, as it allowed him to practice while avoiding unnecessary checks.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior brother. I will change the wild herbs more the night after tomorrow," Song You agreed.

Jiang Yangge stood up and glanced around the room.

"Junior Brother is now Elder Jia's disciple, and this place is a bit dilapidated," Jiang Yangge suggested. "Should I find a few people to come and renovate it?"

Song You waved his hand and refused: "No need for that. As long as it can shelter me from the wind and rain, that's fine. If it's too conspicuous, it'll just attract gossip."

Jiang Yangge didn't insist, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Then junior brother, get some rest. I'll come to find you in three days."

Song You got up and saw Jiang Yangge to the door. Just as he was about to turn around and go back into the house, a faint panting sound came from the neighboring bungalow. It was Shen Lu burning her lungs.

Song You stopped in his tracks. In this Soul Treasury Temple, he had many miscellaneous tasks that needed to be done by someone. Shen Lu was all alone and had just planted her Dao root. Compared to others, the two of them were relatively familiar with each other, so it was most appropriate to train her and keep her by his side.

Song You turned around and called out to Jiang Yang, who hadn't gone far, "Senior Brother, please wait."

Jiang Yangge stopped and turned around: "Junior Brother, is there anything else?"

Song You asked in a low voice, "Senior brother, can I show these books from the pharmacy to others?"

Jiang Yangge was stunned. He glanced at the tightly closed wooden door next door, and after a moment's thought, he understood Song You's plan.

"The rules in this temple are very strict, and the martial arts manuals of each hall are strictly forbidden to be circulated outside." Jiang Yangge lowered his voice, "However, since Shen Lu has been assigned to the pharmacy, even though she is a pharmacist, she will have to come into contact with these pharmacological theories sooner or later. It is in accordance with the rules for you to give her the books to read and let her help you. As long as you don't lend the books to Elder Zhongzao or other outsiders, no one will care."

Song You nodded: "I understand, thank you, senior brother."

Jiang Yangge turned and walked into the night. After watching his figure disappear into the withered bamboo forest, Song You turned and went back into the house.

Walking to the bed, Song You pulled out "Compendium of Toxicology" from under his pillow. He had flipped through a few pages of this book before; it contained basic methods for identifying and treating poisonous plants, and was suitable for beginners.

He took the book and walked out of the room, arriving at Shen Lu's door. He raised his hand and knocked on the wooden board.

Thinking about Jiang Yangge's physique, Song You's thoughts began to wander.