Chapter Fourteen: The Wei Family

Three days later, Chen Chang knocked on the door of the Yingchen Courtyard to deliver the copies.

“‘Essence of Materia Medica,’ ‘Discourse on Flesh and Blood,’ ‘Thirty-Six Powder Prescriptions’…” He placed the volumes one by one onto the table, counting them out. “Twelve in total, all here.”

“Twelve volumes…” Yingchen couldn’t help but remark, “Did Elder Gu write so many treatises on medicine?”

“There’s plenty more where that came from.” Chen Chang shrugged. “Did you think this was the first time Elder Gu compiled medical texts or gave lectures?”

Yingchen shook his head, leafing through the books on the table before asking, “How many spirit stones?”

Three days prior, since Chen Chang hadn’t lost his temper, Yingchen hadn’t pressed him too hard. He’d seen the blood rush to Chen Chang’s face and knew he’d reached the limit; any further would yield no more advantage. So he’d simply stepped back, saying he was willing to pay in spirit stones and asking Chen Chang to procure the copies for him.

Chen Chang, for his part, didn’t want to make an enemy of Yingchen. Chen Chang knew Yingchen had reached the sixth level of Qi Refinement and was almost certain to be admitted to the White Bone Society. There was no need to make an unnecessary foe.

On this Chishui Cliff, pitfalls lay everywhere—connections and talent aside, if you didn’t tread carefully, it was all too easy to fall hard.

Chen Chang held up five fingers, then thought for a moment and retracted two, smiling amiably. “Just the cost between you and me. I spent five spirit stones to get these copies; I’ll cover half for you, so three spirit stones will do.”

Yingchen didn’t believe a word, but he had no intention of bargaining. Over the past few days, he’d visited the library and found that a text like ‘Essence of Materia Medica’ alone would cost at least a hundred contribution points.

Twelve medical treatises for just three spirit stones was already a bargain.

More than that, Yingchen’s pockets had been empty until recently; the few spirit stones he now possessed had, in fact, been squeezed out of Chen Chang.

He’d originally planned to find ways to raise funds after the upcoming test for his research into medicinal formulas; now, this windfall had come for free.

When Chen Chang took the spirit stones, it dawned on him as well. His vision darkened with regret for retracting those two fingers, and the more he thought about it, the more stifled he felt. He hurried to take his leave.

But as Yingchen looked up, he said, “Wait, Brother.”

Chen Chang forced himself to sit down again. “Does Junior have another question?” He glanced at the books on the table. “I assure you, there’s not a single error in these treatises.”

“With your guarantee, I trust them completely.” Yingchen closed ‘Thirty-Six Powder Prescriptions’ with a faint smile. “I stopped you because I have another matter.”

Chen Chang had no choice but to sit back down. “What is it?”

Yingchen poured him some tea before speaking. “I know you’re well informed, Brother. I’d like to ask about someone.”

“Ahem.” Chen Chang replied, “If you don’t tell me who, how do I know if I have the right information?”

Yingchen nodded and uttered just two syllables: “Wei Yuan.”

“Wei Yuan?” Chen Chang stroked his chin, then gave Yingchen a searching look. “Junior, why are you inquiring about him? Don’t tell me you’re hoping to win his favor?”

He didn’t notice the darkening of Yingchen’s expression and chuckled. “Actually, you’re just his type—handsome and full of spirit.”

“But if you ask me, instead of getting involved with someone like Wei Yuan, you’d do better to curry favor with a senior sister who likes pretty faces. Less dirty work, and the benefits are far more tangible than empty promises…”

At last, he noticed Yingchen’s expression and coughed lightly. “Just a joke, Junior. Don’t take it to heart.”

“It’s nothing,” Yingchen replied, quirking his lips. “It seems you do know quite a bit.”

Chen Chang said, “If you spend enough time with the older disciples, you hear things… What do you want to know?”

Yingchen considered for a moment. “What’s his background? And his cultivation?”

“As for cultivation, he’s nothing remarkable.” Chen Chang replied, “But his background is considerable.”

He pointed upward and lowered his voice. “Within the inner sect, there’s a Wei clan—they’ve been rooted in our Xiantian Sect for centuries.”

“Wei Yuan is from the Wei clan.”

“The Wei clan?” Yingchen narrowed his eyes. “Even scions of great families have to train in the outer academy?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Chen Chang snorted. “Is a noble clan superior to the sect? The sect decrees that only disciples who enter the inner sect from the outer academy are officially registered, and only they have a chance of rising to high rank in the future.”

“In fact, the more prominent the family, the more they need to do so. If you’re just a distant relation or have no potential, you’re spared the trouble.”

“I see…” Yingchen furrowed his brow.

Wei Yuan’s background was even more troublesome than he’d thought.

Seeing Yingchen’s expression, Chen Chang suddenly realized, “Junior, don’t tell me Wei Yuan really has his eye on you?”

Yingchen saw no need to conceal it. “Recently, one of Wei Yuan’s lackeys came to me. Wei Yuan apparently took a liking to me and wants to ‘cultivate’ me.”

“If I agree to be his boy-toy, he’ll help me get top marks in the exam. If I ‘don’t know what’s good for me,’ he’ll make sure I can’t even pass the mid-term.”

Chen Chang drew in a sharp breath. “That depraved wretch would ruin someone’s future over such filth?”

He shook his head even more vigorously, recalling his own principles.

…If Yingchen hadn’t been deep in thought, he would have laughed. Composing himself, he asked, “Do you think Wei Yuan really has that kind of power?”

“Hmm.” Chen Chang fell silent for a while. “With your cultivation, getting top marks should be easy. But…”

“If he were to pull strings elsewhere, causing you trouble, it wouldn’t be hard.”

Yingchen nodded slightly; his own assessment was much the same.

The Chishui Cliff’s minor exam covered many areas—Daoist arts, talismans, spells, skills—but ultimately, cultivation was paramount.

His sixth-stage Qi Refinement level was undeniable; no matter how powerful Wei Yuan’s connections, he couldn’t alter that fact.

But with a few tricks, they could grade his Daoist arts or talisman skills as ‘shallow’ or ‘unrefined,’ turning what should have been a top mark into merely ‘upper-middle’ or even ‘lower-upper.’

It would still be a passing mark, with great improvement in status and benefits… But Yingchen still felt stifled.

He thought to himself: “A pity, the plan I had before is no longer suitable.”

He had considered, if possible, simply finding a chance to kill Wei Yuan—he was even prepared to risk his life and soul, to borrow a magical artifact to do it. At worst, he’d get top marks first and worry about repayment later.

But now it seemed that if he killed Wei Yuan, the entire Wei clan would be after him, and he’d have nowhere to turn on Chishui Cliff.

Moreover, after refining the Sacred Essence, his progress had exceeded expectations—he now had a solid chance at top marks, making it hardly worthwhile to take such a risk.