The Solanum nigrum that Yang Chan had been longing for was delivered to the Medicine Hall. A host of other medicinal herbs arrived with it. These were tributary offerings from the forces under the Cyan Yuan Sect. The delivery was originally scheduled for the previous month, but after the discovery of betrayal among some of the Affiliated Forces, the sect first moved to deal with the traitors.
The tribute deliveries from all regions were postponed by a month. Although a full month had not yet passed, many forces had already sent this year's tributary resources.
There were treasures of gold and silver, precious medicinal herbs, various ores, classic texts and works of famous calligraphers and painters, and even rare Cultivation Techniques, all delivered to the Cyan Yuan Sect by the cartload.
Among them, all the precious medicinal herbs were sent to the Medicine Hall. There, Yang Chan saw many herbs he had only heard of by name but never seen in person. The majority were freshly harvested.
The age, efficacy, and Medicinal Properties of fresh herbs were the easiest to discern, making them a better representation of the sincerity of these Affiliated Forces.
Sincerity was the sort of thing that only became apparent when put on display; it was a statement of one's stance.
The earlier the delivery, the clearer the statement.
The Cyan Yuan Sect was currently engaged in conflict with Lingyu Palace, Taiyu Valley, and the Nanhua Sword Sect. Although they had the upper hand, the outcome was still undecided. Declaring one's allegiance early was a method of self-preservation.
Conversely, those hesitant forces trying to play both sides would eventually face a reckoning. Even if their sects weren't completely wiped out, their fate would not be pleasant.
With the large influx of herbs, Pharmacist's Assistants like Yang Chan found themselves much busier. A few extremely precious herbs were handed over to the Pharmacists, but the rest were left for Yang Chan and the other assistants to process.
Their job was to sort the herbs by age, completeness, and remaining efficacy. Overall, it was a meticulous task of picking and choosing.
Previously, the workload had been light enough for a dedicated team to handle. But when the tributary herbs from the Cyan Yuan Sect's Affiliated Forces arrived, all Pharmacist's Assistants were required to participate.
Shu Yu had mentioned this to Yang Chan back when he first became a Pharmacist's Assistant, but they had grown distant after the issue with the pharmacist training slot arose.
'This is a tedious job, but it's also a great learning opportunity. It's not every day I get to see so many medicinal herbs of varying ages and degrees of completeness.'
Despite the heavy workload, Yang Chan was diligent. He knew he could still learn a great deal from these herbs and use them to verify the memories in his mind. For him, this was an excellent opportunity.
'For the same type of herb, factors like sunlight, moisture, and soil fertility all affect its final efficacy, completeness, and appearance.'
The batches of Dragon Sun Grass he held, sent from various regions, differed greatly in appearance, efficacy, and completeness.
However, their fundamental Medicinal Qi remained unchanged, and they still shared many common characteristics.
'There's a good amount of *Solanum nigrum*, including plenty of twenty-year-old specimens. I'll find the Steward later to buy some.'
Stealing herbs from the Medicine Hall carried severe consequences, and Yang Chan would never do anything to jeopardize his plans.
He had enough silver coins to purchase the herbs he currently needed. While his funds weren't limitless, they were sufficient for his purposes.
After Yang Chan and the others finished sorting the fresh herbs from various regions, Servant Disciples would be assigned tasks like drying them. The workload for everyone increased significantly during this time.
Even with the newly recruited Servant Disciples taking on tasks, everyone was still extremely busy. It was a life Yang Chan had experienced before, in his memories.
"Junior Brother Yang Chan, once you finish sorting this crate of Danggui, your work for today is done."
Xiao Tianyu had a Servant Disciple bring a crate of Danggui to Yang Chan as he spoke.
"Alright, just leave it here."
Yang Chan looked up at Xiao Tianyu and nodded, then spoke to the Servant Disciple at his side.
The workload had increased significantly these past few days. It wasn't just him; all the other disciples had more to do as well, so he wasn't surprised.
Danggui was an herb with many applications and was consumed in large quantities.
Yang Chan began sorting as usual, but his brows soon furrowed. Placed among the Danggui was an uncommon herb: Duhuo.
The Medicinal Properties of Duhuo were different from those of Danggui. It was effective at dispelling rheumatism and alleviating pain, but more importantly, Duhuo was highly toxic. An overdose could be poisonous.
Danggui was used frequently and in large amounts. If it were swapped with Duhuo, the resulting concoction would have the opposite effect, becoming a poison. A mild case would result in physical injury and damage to one's Cultivation; a severe case would be fatal.
And now, in this crate of Danggui delivered to him, someone had placed a stalk of Duhuo. This particular stalk looked identical to Danggui, and even its Medicinal Qi was nearly the same. It had clearly been grown together with Danggui to make it even harder to distinguish.
Duhuo was an uncommon herb. A typical Pharmacist's Assistant, if not paying close attention, could easily overlook it—especially one that had been so carefully disguised.
'Someone is targeting me.'
The thought surfaced in Yang Chan's mind, but he couldn't be certain. This stalk of Duhuo was indeed difficult to identify.
Only someone who had specifically studied an uncommon herb like Duhuo would be able to distinguish it.
However, these herbs were all delivered by the Affiliated Forces of the Cyan Yuan Sect. Logically, such a major blunder shouldn't have happened.
A glint flashed in Yang Chan's eyes, but he remained outwardly calm and continued sorting. He acted as if he had discovered nothing, portioning out the herbs as usual and placing them into several baskets. He sorted them by age, completeness, and Medicinal Properties, grouping together only those with similar characteristics.
When concocting medicines, Pharmacists preferred to use herbs with similar Medicinal Properties, as this minimized clashes between them. It also made it easier to control the ratios, which saved a considerable amount of time.
Half an hour later, the six baskets beside Yang Chan were filled with sorted Danggui. He called over a Servant Disciple from the inner court of the Medicine Preparation Institute and accompanied him to deliver the herbs to the Pharmacy. He then signed his name, indicating that he was the one who had sorted them.
Once everything was put away, Yang Chan left.
From the shadows, a figure watched Yang Chan leave, then summoned the Servant Disciple who had helped deliver the Danggui to the Pharmacy and began to question him.
After the questioning, the figure feigned a casual air and opened the cabinet where Yang Chan had stored the herbs. Upon seeing something inside, a triumphant, scheming smile spread across his face.
He closed the medicine cabinet and departed, satisfied.
'I didn't expect it to be him. Making a move like this now... could it be that Xu Gaocen has already decided on the slot? Or that he's leaning in my favor?'
Just then, Yang Chan emerged from an adjacent Pharmacy. He watched the departing figure, his brow slightly furrowed.
He didn't want to look for trouble, but trouble still insisted on finding him.
Yang Chan didn't remove the Duhuo from the Pharmacy. Instead, he headed for the Steward's office.