Wei's return from the Valley of Whispering Phantoms was marked by a profound silence. He spent three full days in his pagoda, not brewing poisons or practicing his techniques, but in deep meditation. The process of creating 'One Moment's Dream' had drained his spiritual reserves, and he needed to be at his absolute peak for the next, most delicate phase of his plan. As his spiritual sea refilled, his mind was a whirlwind of cold, calculating logic, piecing together the puzzle of Deacon Yao.
His first step was information gathering. He couldn't simply spy on a deacon; such an action would be a gross violation of sect etiquette and would draw immediate suspicion if discovered. Instead, he used the vast, indirect resources available to him as an elder. He began by visiting the sect's archives, a towering library managed by ancient, wizened scholars. His official reason was to cross-reference texts on soul-based flora, a natural follow-up to his trip to the valley. While there, he casually requested the personnel files for the Beast Hall for the last fifty years, claiming he was researching the historical handling of venomous beasts.
The files were a treasure trove. Deacon Yao, whose full name was Yao Jinshan, had been in his position for over eighty years. He was talented in his youth but had hit a bottleneck at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and had been stuck there for half a century. His record was filled with minor reprimands for arrogance and conflicts with his peers. Most telling, however, was a series of formal complaints he had lodged against Elder Mei over the years, accusing her of monopolizing resources and taking credit for his own subordinates' work. The complaints had all been dismissed, but they painted a clear picture of a bitter, resentful man trapped in the shadow of a rising star.
The files also revealed a crucial detail about his habits: Deacon Yao was a tea connoisseur. He had a particular fondness for a rare and expensive blend known as 'Cloud-Mist Jade Needle', a tea that was grown only on a handful of remote mountains and was prized for its ability to clarify the mind during cultivation. He was known to be fastidious, brewing the tea himself in his private quarters every evening before his nightly meditation. This was the opening Wei was looking for.
The next step was to create a plausible reason for interacting with the Beast Hall. Wei walked from his peak to Elder Mei's, where he found her griffin now strong enough to be preening its azure feathers in the sun.
"Mei," he began, his tone thoughtful, "my recent trip has inspired a new line of research. I am attempting to cultivate a symbiotic relationship between a specific venomous serpent and a spiritual bee colony. The serpent's venom could be altered by the bees' nectar, and the bees would be protected by the serpent. For this, I require a 'Silver-Scaled Python', a non-aggressive but highly venomous beast. The Beast Hall should have some in their inventory."
Mei's eyes lit up with academic interest. "A fascinating concept, Wei. Of course. I will send a formal request to the Beast Hall on your behalf. An elder's direct request for a live beast is a high-priority matter. Deacon Yao himself will likely have to oversee the transfer."
It was perfect. Mei's involvement provided an unassailable pretext. Yao could not refuse a request co-signed by two elders.
Two days later, a message arrived, summoning Elder Wei to the main enclosures of the Beast Hall to select his python. He arrived to find Deacon Yao waiting for him. Yao was a man who looked perpetually sour, with a thin mustache and narrow, calculating eyes. He gave Wei a perfunctory, shallow bow.
"Elder Wei," Yao said, his voice polite but lacking any real warmth. "An unusual request. The Silver-Scaled Pythons are quite docile. They are primarily bred for their venom, which is a key ingredient in the 'Spirit-Calming Pill'. I trust your research will not be a waste of a valuable specimen."
The subtle barb was not lost on Wei. Yao was implying that Wei's "research" was a frivolous excuse to take a valuable sect resource for his personal collection.
"The pursuit of knowledge is never a waste, Deacon Yao," Wei replied evenly. "Every path in the Dao, no matter how obscure, has its own value. Is that not so?"
Yao's eye twitched, but he said nothing more, turning to lead Wei into the enclosures. As they walked, Wei guided the conversation. "I must thank Elder Mei for her assistance in this matter. Her knowledge of beast compatibility is truly profound. It is no wonder her cultivation has been advancing so smoothly. She is a true asset to the sect."
He watched Yao's reaction from the corner of his eye. At the mention of Mei's name and her success, an almost imperceptible tightening of the deacon's jaw occurred, a fleeting shadow of resentment passing through his eyes before being suppressed. The hatred was real and ran deep.
They reached the python enclosure. Wei took his time, carefully examining several of the serpents before selecting a healthy, vibrant specimen. As the Beast Hall disciples prepared the python for transport in a spiritual containment cage, Wei turned to Deacon Yao as if struck by a sudden thought.
"Deacon Yao, your assistance today has been most efficient. I am not a man who enjoys leaving debts unpaid," Wei said. He retrieved a beautifully crafted wooden box from his storage ring. "On my journey to the Valley of Whispering Phantoms, I had the good fortune to pass through the Cloud-Mist Mountains. I was able to acquire a small amount of this year's first harvest of Jade Needle tea. I know you are a man of refined taste. Please, accept this as a small token of my gratitude."
Deacon Yao's eyes widened slightly as he saw the box. He recognized the master craftsman's seal on the lid. This was not just any tea; it was the highest possible grade, a batch that was usually reserved for the auction houses in the imperial capital. Its market price was astronomical.
Greed and pride warred on his face. Accepting a gift from an elder was normal, but this was an extravagant one. However, refusing it would be a direct insult. More importantly, the thought of possessing and tasting such a legendary tea was an irresistible temptation for a connoisseur like him.
"Elder Wei is too generous," Yao said, his formal tone now tinged with genuine eagerness. He accepted the box. "I am merely performing my duties."
"Nonsense. Good work should be rewarded," Wei said with a faint, unreadable smile. "I hope it aids your cultivation."
The transaction was complete. The bait had been taken. The box, of course, contained the finest Cloud-Mist Jade Needle tea. Wei had purchased it himself at great expense years ago. But nestled among the pristine, silver-tipped leaves were ten leaves that were subtly different. These ten leaves had been steeped for three days in a solution containing the single, colorless, odorless drop of 'One Moment's Dream', then dried so perfectly that they were visually and spiritually indistinguishable from the others. The poison was now a part of the tea itself.
Wei returned to Silent Bloom Peak with his new python, which he released into a specially prepared habitat in his den. Then, he waited. He did not meditate or brew poisons. He sat in his courtyard, playing a solitary game of Go, his mind as calm and clear as a mountain lake. He had constructed his plan like a master Go player, each move carefully considered, leading to an inevitable conclusion. There was nothing left to do but watch the final stones fall into place.
He waited for one day, then two. He knew Yao would not be able to resist the tea for long. On the evening of the third day, as Wei placed a black stone on the board, a familiar, mechanical voice echoed in the silence of his mind.
[Target confirmed deceased. Cause of death attributed to Host's poison.]
[System is unable to classify cause of death. Victim's soul is imprisoned in an endless dream state. Body is technically alive but consciousness is terminated. Mission objective is considered complete.]
[Calculating Rewards...]
[Target Cultivation: Nascent Soul Realm, Stage 6.]
[Host has received: 5,000 Sovereign Points.]
[Bonus reward for exceptional subtlety and execution: +1,000 Sovereign Points.]
[Host has received: Cultivation Technique - 'Soul-Nourishing Chant'.]
Wei's hand paused over the Go board. 6,000 points. The system had rewarded his meticulous planning. More valuable, however, was the new technique. The 'Soul-Nourishing Chant' was a defensive art, one that strengthened the user's soul, making it more resistant to mental and spiritual attacks. It was the perfect complement to his growing arsenal of soul-based poisons.
He felt no elation, no guilt. There was only a cold, quiet satisfaction. A threat had been eliminated, a debt had been paid, and he had profited immensely.
The next morning, news spread through the sect like a ripple in a pond. Deacon Yao Jinshan had entered a state of terminal seclusion. He had been found in his chambers, sitting in a meditative posture, a half-empty cup of fragrant tea on the table beside him. He was breathing, his heart was beating, but he could not be roused. His spiritual sea was calm, his body unharmed, but his consciousness was simply... gone.
The sect physicians were baffled. They declared it a rare and tragic form of cultivation deviation, where the soul becomes lost in the river of Dao during meditation. Elder Mei, upon hearing the news, felt a moment of pity for her old rival, but quickly dismissed it. She was saddened not by his fate, but by the fact that the one responsible for harming her griffin would never be brought to justice.
No one ever connected the reclusive Poison Elder's rare gift of tea to the strange fate of the Beast Hall's deacon. Wei remained on his peak, a silent, unseen predator, his gaze already turning towards new horizons, new targets, and the vast, untapped potential of the system store.