Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Sending a Grand Gift

“Elder Lü, this is what I accidentally overheard last night. I woke up in the middle of the night and heard a commotion from Zhao Qiyang’s room.”

The next day, Yang Chan went straight to Lü Zhenghai, the Inner Refining Elder who had brought him and the others to Taiyu City.

After carefully doctoring the story, he reported what he’d heard last night to Lü Zhenghai.

Since these Lingyu Palace spies were trying to deal with him, he would simply use the Sect’s power to eliminate them all.

He didn’t like taking revenge personally. He much preferred to borrow a blade to do the killing, ensuring his targets wouldn’t even know what hit them.

“You’re not just saying this because of your previous feud, are you?”

Lü Zhenghai was well aware of the conflict between Yang Chan and Zhao Qiyang. It involved two Basic Level Pharmacists, and he’d paid particular attention to Yang Chan, who had just been promoted to that rank right here in Taiyu City.

“This is a matter of Sect importance; I wouldn’t dare speak carelessly. At first, I couldn’t understand why he was targeting me, which is why I decided to observe him more closely.”

“As for whether Zhao Qiyang is truly a problem, Elder Lü can simply arrange for a discreet investigation. If he’s trying to track the movements of the Elders, he’s bound to leave a trail. A man like that, a spy for Lingyu Palace, could cause immense trouble.”

“However, Zhao Qiyang is extremely vigilant. If you send just anyone, he’ll likely spot them.”

Yang Chan wasn’t surprised. He had fully expected this reaction from Lü Zhenghai. After all, given his conflict with Zhao Qiyang, it was natural for someone to assume he was just trying to cause trouble for him.

That was why Yang Chan had been upfront about his reasons for watching Zhao Qiyang, before pointing to the man’s mission as the best way to verify his claims.

“Additionally, I would like to take on tomorrow’s task of calling roll and distributing medicine to the Servant Disciples. I can also deliver the Qi Nourishing Soup the Sect rewards them with at the same time.”

Servant Disciples in Taiyu City could receive a bowl of Qi Nourishing Soup every half a month—a reward only available in a conflict zone like this.

No Servant Disciple would ever miss the distribution of this reward.

This task was typically assigned to Basic Level Pharmacists, so it was perfectly reasonable for Yang Chan to take it on.

The only difference was that others were assigned the task, while he was volunteering for it.

“Good. I’ll speak to Pharmacist Xu about this personally and have him assign the task to you.”

Lü Zhenghai gave Yang Chan a long, searching look. He naturally guessed the young man’s objective: to find the so-called Steward Qian—the high-level spy hidden among the Servant Disciples of Qinghan Mansion here in Taiyu City.

It was a subtle approach that wouldn’t alert the enemy.

“Thank you, Elder Lü. I have one small suggestion. If Zhao Qiyang is confirmed to be a spy, you could first use him and his people to deliver false intelligence, and then capture them all in one fell swoop.”

Yang Chan added this last bit on the off chance he could earn some extra credit for it.

It was just an offhand remark, but if that single sentence could earn him more credit, Cultivation Resources, silver coins, or other such rewards, all the better.

Lü Zhenghai watched Yang Chan leave, a contemplative look flashing in his eyes.

’From the looks of it, Zhao Qiyang really is a problem. He’s even hiding his Cultivation. Our previous failures were likely related to him as well. Once I have confirmation, I’ll report this to the Sect Leader.’

Seeing Yang Chan’s demeanor, Lü Zhenghai’s suspicion of Zhao Qiyang grew.

The ambushes the Sect had arranged in the past had all seemed to be discovered ahead of time. And while they had rooted out a few hidden spies, none of them had access to sensitive information. Zhao Qiyang, on the other hand, had plenty of opportunity.

The Cyan Yuan Sect had, of course, grown suspicious of Zhao Qiyang and had people monitoring him. But it now seemed the man’s senses were sharp and his Cultivation was likely impressive; otherwise, he would never have discovered he was being watched.

’This Yang Chan isn’t as simple as he seems, either. But the Law Enforcement Hall investigated him personally, so I can be sure he’s clean.’

Lü Zhenghai thought to himself.

After Zhao Ziqing’s capture, the Law Enforcement Hall had personally investigated Yang Chan’s background, even carefully verifying his every move.

In other words, there was no way he was a spy for a rival Sect. Unlike with Zhao Ziqing, where the Law Enforcement Hall’s investigation eventually uncovered subtle discrepancies and exposed the truth, Yang Chan’s record was spotless.

’If Zhao Qiyang really is a problem, I could feed Lingyu Palace some major false intelligence. Then, we can turn around and set a trap for them.’

The Three Major Sects—Lingyu Palace, Taiyu Valley, and the Nanhua Sword Sect—were only barely able to stand against the Cyan Yuan Sect because they were united. If one of those Sects could be destroyed, dealing with the remaining two would be much easier.

This gave Lü Zhenghai an opportunity to break the stalemate.

Although the Cyan Yuan Sect currently had the upper hand, dragging things out for too long was not in their best interest either.

A swift and decisive victory was best.

…

After leaving, Yang Chan replayed the encounter in his mind. What he had done wasn’t too conspicuous; for someone with his status as a Pharmacist, it was just right.

’Zhao Qiyang, I’m sending you a grand gift. You’d better be ready to receive it in full!’

Yang Chan thought to himself.

If Zhao Qiyang were to “receive” this gift in full, it wouldn’t just cost him his life. It would also expose more enemy spies and could even inflict heavy losses on the Three Major Sects. If things went smoothly, it might even end the current military stalemate.

Then he could return to the Cyan Yuan Sect. The world outside was too dangerous; he had only just arrived in Taiyu City, and already so many people wanted him dead. It would be much safer back at the Sect.

As for what happened next with the Cyan Yuan Sect, Yang Chan only wanted to hear about it later; he had no desire to participate directly.

He hoped this would ensure Zhao Qiyang could never harbor killing intent toward him again. As for whether Zhao Qiyang could rest in peace, Yang Chan didn’t particularly care.

’During the roll call and distribution of the Qi Nourishing Soup, I just need to act normally. Afterward, I can pass the confirmed information to Lü Zhenghai.’

’A Steward Level figure from Lingyu Palace should be a Bone Cultivation Level expert. I wonder what kind of special Cultivation Technique he’s practicing to be able to blend in with the Cyan Yuan Sect like a commoner.’

Stewards in a Major Sect were all Bone Cultivation Level experts with formidable Combat Power. Yang Chan certainly had no desire to confront someone like that, so he had to act natural. He was also very curious about the technique the man used to hide his Cultivation. A friend of his could really use a technique like that; he was just asking out of curiosity, of course.

Besides, he had a hunch that Elder Lü might be watching from the sidelines, hoping to spot the hidden enemy expert within the Cyan Yuan Sect.

Lost in thought, Yang Chan returned to his T-shaped Room and began preparing medicine. He had been assigned the task of concocting the Qi Nourishing Soup for the Servant Disciples’ delivery tomorrow.

Yang Chan had prepared Qi Nourishing Soup many times himself. With the help of Sun Qi Wu and several other Pharmacist’s Assistants, his concoction speed increased significantly, and he quickly grew accustomed to the large-batch production process.

Before, he had been the Pharmacist’s Assistant helping someone else; now, he was the Pharmacist being assisted. He adapted to the new role quickly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep