My Years as a Menace in the Sect

As soon as it was light, Wei Ping'an squatted on the floor of the alchemy room, turning over medicine boxes one by one. His fingertips were covered with yellowish-brown powder, and his brows furrowed more and more tightly.

The initial excitement of refining the first batch of Qi Gathering Pills yesterday had long since worn off, and now he had two things on his mind. One was the business of the Qi Stabilizing Powder. Before, in the small testing room with its poor tools, he relied entirely on the Xuanwen Pot to slowly purify the powder, managing to produce at most ten or so packets a day. Now, with a proper alchemy room and the support of the Spirit Gathering Array, increasing production several times over was no problem. The other thing was the batch of medicinal herbs he had on hand, which was becoming increasingly outrageous.

He picked up a small pinch of the Qi-gathering herb fragments, smelled them, and then put them in his mouth and tasted them. They were astringent, thin, and had a stale, aged flavor. Even the third-grade herbs used in the large pots of broth at the Medicine Testing Hall were better than this. This was hardly the kind of medicine a direct disciple should receive! It was clearly old herbs from several years ago mixed with some scraps.

"That old bastard, Steward Sun, is really cunning." He spat, patting the sticky medicine powder off his hands. "He mixed in 30% old medicine, and it was all the worst scraps. Does he really think I, Wei Ping'an, am a fool?"

Despite the insults, his mind didn't stop. Deacon Sun wanted to use rotten medicinal herbs to cause him to frequently explode in the furnace, so that Headmaster Xie would think he was all talk and no action, and ideally, lose his position as a personal disciple. However, if he directly brought this up, there would be no solid evidence, and it would only make him seem like he was being picky right after being appointed, giving others grounds to accuse him of being arrogant.

We need to find a way to both recoup our losses and make Steward Sun suffer in silence.

Just as I was pondering this, a knocking sound came from outside the courtyard gate.

Wei Ping'an got up and opened the door, and sure enough, it was Zhang Erpang. The fat man was carrying a large sack that was half his height, standing at the door covered in sweat, his chubby face beaming like a flower: "Brother Wei! I brought over all the remaining raw materials for the Qi-stabilizing powder from the drying room! Uncle Zheng said that now that you have a proper alchemy room, the purification efficiency is high, so this place can be the main base from now on, and the testing hall can just be a distribution point."

"Quick, quick, come in." Wei Ping'an stepped aside and helped carry the sack into the alchemy room. "Didn't Senior Uncle Zheng say anything? Has Deacon Sun been causing trouble lately?"

"Uncle Zheng is doing well. He says you've made something of yourself, much better than he was back then." Zhang Erpang put the sack on the ground, wiped his sweat, and said, "Deacon Sun went there twice, wanting to check the drying room's accounts and even trying to break into your storage room, but Uncle Zheng turned him down both times. That old man has a long face and has been talking badly about you behind your back. He said you got lucky, traded your life for a hollow reputation, and that you'll be kicked out of Danfeng sooner or later."

Wei Ping'an scoffed. Luck? If he's so capable, he could jump off the Cliff of Broken Souls and snatch one himself.

The two men squatted down and unpacked the burlap sack, which was full of the ingredients for the prepared Qi-stabilizing powder. Dried Qi-gathering grass, crushed ginkgo kernels, and finely ground Xuanming powder were all neatly wrapped in oiled paper. Zhang Erpang muttered as he pulled them out, "They've been selling like hotcakes for the past two weeks. Many disciples, hearing that you made them, have gone out of their way to buy them, saying they're much more effective than the Qi-nourishing powder distributed by the sect. I raised the price by one spirit stone per packet as you suggested, and they're still scrambling for them."

As he spoke, he pulled a coarse cloth bag from his pocket and dumped it onto the table with a clatter, scattering loose silver and low-grade spirit stones everywhere. "I sold forty-two bags in total. After deducting the cost, I made a net profit of one hundred and twenty-six spirit stones. Here it is, Brother Wei, please count it."

Wei Ping'an glanced at it, then shoveled half of it aside: "Same as always, split it in half. You've been running around watching the shop and carrying the goods, so you deserve your share."

"No way!" Zhang Erpang waved his hands like a fan, his fat face flushed red. "The business is yours, the recipe is yours, the pot is yours! I'm just running errands, I can only take 20% at most! Half is not acceptable!"

"Just take it." Wei Ping'an shoved the spirit stones back into his arms, patted his arm, and said, "When the business grows bigger, we'll need you to keep an eye on the shops down the mountain. I can't be a direct disciple of Dan Peak standing on the street shouting every day, can I?"

Zhang Erpang, carrying the heavy cloth bag, immediately had tears in his eyes: "Brother Wei... back in the servants' quarters, everyone bullied me because I was fat and stole my rations, but you didn't look down on me and even helped me earn spirit stones..."

"Alright, alright, what's with the crying of a grown man?" Wei Ping'an kicked him. "There are still many good days ahead. Once we've saved enough money, we'll open a proper pharmacy at the foot of the mountain, hire two assistants, and you can be the manager, so you won't have to carry sacks every day."

Zhang Erpang nodded vigorously, wiped his eyes, and grinned with a憨厚 (honest and simple) expression.

As I was squatting down sorting medicinal herbs, there was another knock at the courtyard gate. It was three light knocks followed by a pause, showing perfect restraint.

Wei Ping'an's heart skipped a beat; he recognized the way he knocked. He quickly got up, dusted off his pants, and went to open the door.

It was indeed Shen Qingyao. She was dressed in the robes of a Danfeng disciple, her skirt stained with bits of grass, suggesting she had come directly from the herb garden. Two bamboo baskets were slung over her left arm, and she carried a food box in her right. Strands of hair at her temples fluttered slightly in the wind. When she saw him open the door, her eyes curved into a smile, as if they had caught a glimpse of the morning sunlight.

"I knew you were busy with medicinal herbs." She walked into the courtyard and placed the items on the stone table. "The basket on the left contains Qi-gathering grass and spirit root flowers that I processed myself. They're fresh from this spring's harvest, so they're highly medicinal with few impurities. You won't easily cause your furnace to explode if you use these for practice. The basket on the right contains spirit jujube cake and candied spirit jujubes. Refining pills is mentally taxing, so have some to tide you over when you're hungry."

Looking at the two full baskets, Wei Ping'an felt a warm glow in his heart. He had casually mentioned yesterday that something was wrong with the medicinal herbs in the pharmacy, and she had delivered them today.

"Senior Sister Shen, I can't accept this." He scratched the back of his head. "You've gone to so much trouble again."

"It's nothing." Shen Qingyao lowered her head and straightened the strips of cloth on the edge of the basket. "You're just starting out in alchemy, and using inferior herbs can easily dampen your spirits and damage your meridians. These are all herbs I've been saving up. Besides, your Qi-stabilizing powder helped me purify a lot of the medicinal liquid, which saved me a lot of trouble." She glanced at Wei Ping'an's sleeve, which was stained with medicinal powder, and then swept her gaze over the faint dark circles under his eyes. "You didn't stay up all night refining pills again last night, did you? I told you not to stay up too late when you first start learning, as it drains your energy."

"I...I only refined two batches, and it didn't take too long to cook." Wei Ping'an touched his nose, feeling a little guilty.

Zhang Erpang squatted on the ground, digging through the sacks, his head bowed low. He secretly glanced at the two men, his shoulders twitching as he suppressed a laugh.

Wei Ping'an glared at him, and was about to speak when a clear, cold voice came from outside the courtyard gate, carrying an official tone: "Is Wei Ping'an here? Routine patrol by the Enforcement Hall."

Wei Ping'an's heart skipped a beat. Well, Su Yin's here too. These two are together now.

He steeled himself and went to open the door. Su Yin, dressed in a black law enforcement robe with a bronze token at her waist, her long hair tied up high, looked neat and dashing. Behind her were two disciples carrying a wooden box. When she saw him open the door, she nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over Shen Qingyao in the courtyard. She paused for half a second, but quickly regained her usual expression.

"Senior Sister Su, what brings you here?" Wei Ping'an stepped aside to let them in.

"A few remnants of the Qi family's forces are still at large, hiding in the surrounding mountains and forests." Su Yin walked into the courtyard. "The Enforcement Hall is worried they might retaliate against meritorious disciples, so we've come to give you some protective talismans and warning array plates. Your courtyard is a bit remote at the foot of the mountain, so you should be extra careful." She gestured for her disciple to put down the wooden box. "It's alright during the day, but try not to go out at night. If you do encounter them, use a communication talisman, and our Enforcement Hall will be there in a quarter of an hour."

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Sister Su."

Shen Qingyao also came over, carrying two cups of freshly brewed spiritual tea. She handed one to Su Yin, saying, "Senior Sister Su, have a cup of tea and rest. Thank you for making this trip."

Su Yin took the teacup, her fingertips touching the rim. "Thank you, Junior Sister Shen."

The two stood by the stone table, one gentle and serene, the other aloof and dashing, separated by a half-foot distance, polite and courteous, yet there was an indescribable subtle tension in the air. Sunlight fell upon them, their shadows close yet distinctly separated on the bluestone slabs.

Zhang Erpang squatted on the ground, his head almost buried in the sack, barely daring to breathe, and secretly nudged Wei Ping'an with his elbow.

Wei Ping'an pretended not to see and quickly changed the subject: "Senior Sister Su, are the remnants of the Qi family highly skilled?"

"Outer-level disciples, the highest level is Qi Refining Stage Seven." Su Yin took a sip of tea and put down the cup. Her gaze fell on the pile of medicinal herbs in the corner of the medicine storeroom, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. "They are insidious and like to ambush and poison people. Be careful with what you eat and use. Make sure to check the medicinal herbs and pills you ingest carefully. There are many people working in the medicine storeroom lately, and they have a long reach."

As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at the pile of old medicinal herbs. Wei Ping'an's heart skipped a beat; Su Yin had indeed noticed.

Just as he was about to ask for more details, Su Yin said goodbye, "We have other areas to inspect, so we won't stay any longer."

"Okay, take care, Senior Sister Su."

Su Yin paused at the threshold, saying, "Be careful when you're frying the food. Don't keep throwing it over the wall; it'll be troublesome if it hits someone." Without waiting for Wei Ping'an's reaction, she turned and left, her figure quickly disappearing around the bend in the mountain path.

Wei Ping'an stood at the door and touched his nose. So the Enforcement Hall knew about the explosion last time?

After closing the door and returning to the courtyard, Shen Qingyao was squatting on the ground, rummaging through the pile of old medicinal herbs from the medicine storehouse. Her brows were furrowed: "They really are old herbs. Almost half of their medicinal properties have dissipated, and there are signs of dampness. Using this to refine pills will not only result in a low success rate, but the unstable fire could easily cause the furnace to explode." She looked up at Wei Ping'an, "Was it Steward Sun's doing? He always withheld medicinal herbs before, but I didn't expect him to dare to do it to you now."

"Who else could it be but him?" Wei Ping'an squatted down and picked up a shard of pottery. "He's holding a grudge against me, thinking I'm in his way."

Shen Qingyao bit her lip: "How about I go and talk to the sect leader? The medicine storehouse is under the management of Danfeng. I can ask the sect leader to give you a different batch of medicinal herbs."

"No, no, no." Wei Ping'an quickly waved his hand. "Without evidence, saying anything would only make me seem like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. Deacon Sun will definitely have wiped all the traces clean. He'll just turn around and say that my skills are bad and I'm blaming the herbs."

"What should we do then?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan." Wei Ping'an chuckled. "He wants me to embarrass myself by causing a furnace explosion, so I'll grant his wish. It'll just have to be a big commotion, preferably enough to attract the attention of the Enforcement Hall. Then, when they investigate the medicinal herbs, who do you think will be held responsible?"

Shen Qingyao was taken aback for a moment, then realized what she meant. A smile appeared in her eyes, mixed with a hint of worry: "Playing along is a good idea, but it's too dangerous. The explosion of the alchemy furnace is quite powerful; what if you get hurt..."

"Don't worry, I value my life." Wei Ping'an patted the Xuanwen Pot on his back. "With this treasure here, it won't blow me up. At most, a section of the courtyard wall will collapse, and some dust will fall into the alchemy room. As for the repair costs, whoever caused the trouble will pay for them."

Looking at his sly expression, Shen Qingyao couldn't help but smile and gently tapped his arm: "You're always full of clever ideas. But you have to be careful not to mess with yourself."

"Yes, Senior Sister Shen." Wei Ping'an nodded obediently.

Shen Qingyao taught him several methods for identifying stale or spoiled medicine, as well as a few techniques for stabilizing the alchemical fire. These were all lessons she learned from her own mistakes as a beginner alchemist, and were more practical than what was written on the jade slip. Seeing that it was almost noon, she got up to leave: "Don't refine any pills this afternoon, rest first. If you really want to try… wait until I get here, then you can try, at least there will be someone to look after you."

"There's no need for that..."

"Listen to me." She glanced back at him, her voice soft. "I'll come over this evening and bring you dinner." With that, she turned and walked along the mountain path, her pale figure slowly blending into the greenery of the forest.

Wei Ping'an leaned against the door frame and touched his nose. He used to think Shen Qingyao was aloof and serious, but after getting to know her better, he realized that she was warm-hearted beneath her cold exterior and had a very thoughtful mind.

Zhang Erpang poked his head out from behind the sack: "Brother Wei, Senior Sister Shen is so good to you."

"Don't talk nonsense." Wei Ping'an glared at him. "It's all about camaraderie among fellow disciples."

"Yes, yes, yes, it's the bond between fellow disciples." Zhang Erpang nodded repeatedly, suppressing a laugh.

Zhang Erpang returned to the medicine testing hall at noon. Wei Ping'an saw him off, closed the door, and began preparing for the "furnace-exploding plan." First, he moved all the valuables in the alchemy room to the quiet room—the cloud-patterned bronze furnace, the new medicinal herbs given by Shen Qingyao, and the spirit stones he had saved—locking them all in a hidden compartment. Then, he moved the alchemy furnace to the entrance of the alchemy room, directly opposite the courtyard wall, so that he could easily "accidentally" throw it out later.

Finally, he rummaged through the pile of old medicinal herbs, and after a short while, he indeed found a tiny bit of pale red powder among the crevices. Hemp seed powder. This substance itself isn't poisonous, but mixing it into medicinal herbs during alchemy will cause the alchemical fire to instantly become several times more intense, potentially causing the furnace to explode if not controlled properly. In severe cases, the alchemical fire can backfire, directly burning the meridians and destroying the foundation of one's alchemy practice.

Deacon Sun was indeed up to no good. This wasn't just about embarrassing him; he wanted to cripple him.

Wei Ping'an's eyes turned cold as he carefully put away the powder as evidence. "Well done, old devil Sun. You're pretty ruthless. Don't blame me for being impolite then."

He mixed hemp seed powder into a portion of the worst-quality old medicinal herbs, and deliberately added extra sodium sulfate, then started the furnace according to the normal procedures. Warming the furnace, adding the herbs, melting the liquid—each step was done meticulously. When it came to the crucial step of condensing the elixir, he deliberately increased the fire slightly.

"Sizzle—"

A piercing noise came from the furnace, its body glowed red-hot at a visible speed, the lid jumped erratically, and hot steam carrying a burnt smell billowed out. Here it comes! He gathered his energy in his dantian, grabbed the scorching furnace, turned, aimed at the open space outside the courtyard wall, and hurled it away.

"Boom!"

The alchemy furnace exploded in mid-air, sending fragments and black medicinal dregs flying everywhere, with dust billowing dozens of feet high. The blast wave ripped away most of the courtyard wall, sending bricks crashing down and dust billowing through the air. Wei Ping'an had already taken cover behind the mystic-patterned cauldron, crouching securely with his ears covered. He only peeked out after the dust had settled somewhat, brushing off imaginary ash from his body and deliberately smearing black ash on his face, his hair a messy tangled mess.

perfect.

He had just stood up when a flurry of footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. "Oh no, another furnace exploded?!" "The courtyard wall collapsed!" "Quick, go check on Senior Brother Wei!" The surrounding disciples all gathered around. A figure squeezed in from outside, her skirt askew and her hair disheveled as she ran. Shen Qingyao had already reached the herb garden when she heard the explosion and turned to run back.

"Wei Ping'an!" She rushed into the yard, grabbed his arm, and looked him up and down. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Let me see your hand!" Her fingertips were cold, and she gripped his arm tightly, her worry barely concealed. Seeing that he only had some dust on his face and wasn't injured, she breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned and slapped him lightly. "What's wrong with you! Didn't I tell you to wait for me to come before trying?"

"I...I just wanted to try it out." Wei Ping pretended to be scared and scratched the back of his head. "Luckily, I threw it in time."

Another figure in black rushed over; Su Yin had arrived with the enforcement team. Glancing at the mostly collapsed courtyard wall and the mess on the ground, she strode over: "What happened? How could the alchemy furnace have exploded so violently?"

Wei Ping'an had been waiting for these words. He quickly took out the oil paper packet containing hemp seed powder and the remaining half of the old medicinal herbs and handed it over: "Senior Sister Su, look at this. When I was refining pills, I felt that the taste of the herbs was wrong. After carefully examining them, I found that this was mixed in. It went out of control as soon as I started to condense the pills."

Su Yin took the package, opened it, and smelled it. Her expression instantly turned cold: "Hemp grass powder. Mixing it into medicinal herbs for alchemy will at least cause the furnace to explode and destroy everything, and at worst, the alchemical fire will backfire and cripple a person's meridians. This is premeditated murder."

The surrounding disciples erupted in uproar. "Did someone deliberately drug Senior Brother Wei?" "Aren't the medicinal herbs distributed from the medicine storehouse?" "Is it even a question? It must be Steward Sun!" Shen Qingyao also picked up the remaining medicinal herbs to examine them, her fingertips trembling: "Old herbs are inherently unstable, and with the addition of hemp seed powder, it's clearly designed to harm people."

Su Yin coldly ordered, "Men, seal up all the remaining medicinal herbs and take them back to the Enforcement Hall for inspection. Go to the medicine storehouse and bring back all the records of this batch of herbs' issuance and the responsible personnel for questioning! Investigate this matter thoroughly!"

The disciples immediately sprang into action. Wei Ping'an stood aside, watching them rush off to the medicine storehouse, secretly gloating. "Deacon Sun's attempt to steal a chicken has backfired; he'll be in for it now."

Just as he was feeling smug, the black-patterned pot on his back suddenly felt slightly hot. It wasn't the usual warm feeling; it was a subtle, trembling heat that seeped into his meridians from his back. A thought struck him. He had used the pot to shield himself from the blast wave when the stove exploded. Could the impact of the explosion have triggered something? He touched his back discreetly, and the pot quickly returned to normal temperature, as if nothing had happened.

The steward of Danfeng rushed over, his face turning green at the sight of the collapsed courtyard wall and the chaotic alchemy room. "Senior Brother Wei, this courtyard wall was newly built..." "It was purely an accident," Wei Ping'an said apologetically, "The medicinal herbs were mixed with hemp seed powder and couldn't be controlled. If you don't believe me, ask Senior Sister Su." Su Yin spoke coldly from the side: "The Enforcement Hall will conduct a thorough investigation. The person responsible will be fully compensated for the losses after the truth is found." The steward breathed a sigh of relief and nodded hurriedly.

Almost everyone had left, leaving only Wei Ping'an and Shen Qingyao in the courtyard. The setting sun slowly sank, casting golden light onto the broken walls and casting long shadows of the two. Shen Qingyao squatted down to gather the scattered medicinal herbs, muttering as she did so, "Don't be so reckless in the future. If you find the herbs are wrong, don't use them. If you really get hurt, it'll be too late to regret it." "I know, Senior Sister Shen. I won't do it again next time."

She clapped her hands and stood up after tidying up: "Don't refine pills tonight, I'll go to the dining hall to get you food. I'll also bring you a bottle of calming soup to soothe your nerves."

"Okay, thank you very much, Senior Sister Shen."

As expected, Shen Qingyao brought dinner that night: four dishes, a soup, and a bottle of calming soup. The two ate at the stone table in the courtyard as the sun set and the moon rose, the evening breeze carrying the scent of medicine. Shen Qingyao didn't say much, but she always remembered to put food on his plate. Wei Ping'an ate until his belly was round and full, feeling warm and content.

After seeing her off, Wei Ping'an lay on the bed, reviewing the day's events. Su Yin's investigation into the hemp seed powder would most likely lead back to the medicine storehouse manager; whether it would implicate Steward Sun was uncertain—that old man certainly wouldn't leave direct evidence. But even if they couldn't find him, they could at least give him a warning. Someone repaired the courtyard wall, someone compensated for the medicinal herbs, they even managed to trick Steward Sun, and incidentally discovered the new changes to the Xuanwen Pot. A huge win.

He rolled over, touched his spirit stone pouch, and felt quite pleased with himself.

Meanwhile, in the deacon's courtyard on the west side of Danfeng, Deacon Sun smashed a teacup. "Useless! A bunch of useless people!" "Uncle-Master, I didn't expect him to react so quickly! The enforcement team arrived as soon as the alchemy furnace exploded..." "Idiot!" Deacon Sun kicked him hard. "What are you keeping the record of the hemp seed powder for?" The steward was extremely aggrieved. Who would have thought that a Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator would not only emerge unscathed from the furnace explosion but also find evidence?

Deacon Sun paced back and forth in the room. Su Yin was notoriously incorruptible; once she started investigating, it was never-ending. "Go back and shift the blame to the servants below. Say they were negligent in sorting and accidentally mixed in hemp seed powder. Keep your mouth shut." After all, he still had other cards to play. The remnants of the Qi family were hiding in the Black Wind Forest. As long as the price was right, it wouldn't be difficult for them to stage an "accident of a ferocious beast injuring someone."

Wei Ping'an, who was in the quiet room, suddenly shivered, wrapped himself in the quilt and muttered, "Who's talking about me behind my back?" He turned over and fell asleep again, breathing evenly and carefree.