24: Chapter 24 Testing

On the third day after Zhou Ran left, Lu Chen discovered that an ingredient was missing from the Pharmacy.

It wasn't an ordinary medicinal herb, but the core ingredient for the small foundation establishment pill—polygonatum.

There had originally been twenty stalks of five-year-old polygonatum stored in the storeroom, which were still there when he took inventory the day before yesterday.

Checking again today, only eighteen remained.

The two missing stalks were not recorded in the ledger, nor had anyone signed the register at the entrance of the storeroom.

He flipped through the ledger from beginning to end three times, confirming that he hadn't made a mistake.

"Old Zhou," he called out.

The old man walked over from the next room, holding a cattail leaf fan, moving slowly as if he knew nothing of the matter.

Lu Chen handed him the ledger. "Two stalks of polygonatum are missing. They weren't recorded in the ledger."

Old Zhou took the ledger, flipped through it, and looked up at him. There was no surprise in his eyes, only a heavy look that said, "It has come, as expected."

"It's not just that two are missing," Old Zhou said. "It's that someone took two stalks without recording it."

"There are only three keys to the storeroom—one is with me, one is with Vice Steward Wang, and one is with the storeroom manager."

"Vice Steward Wang has been transferred, and his key was handed over."

"The storeroom manager hasn't been in the School for the past few days."

"The only one who could enter the storeroom is me."

"Did you take them?"

"No," Old Zhou said. "But the key is with me, and since the items are missing, the responsibility lies with me."

Lu Chen was silent for a few seconds. "Someone stole the key or had a copy made."

Old Zhou nodded. "I think so too."

He put down the ledger and walked to the window to look outside.

There was no one in the courtyard, only the large vat and the red fish inside, swimming slowly in the murky water.

"Don't make a scene about this."

"Two stalks of polygonatum aren't worth much, but this is someone probing."

"Watching your reaction, watching Old Zhou's reaction, and seeing how big the loophole in the storeroom is."

"And after the probe?"

"After that, they will make their real move." Old Zhou turned to look at him, his gaze heavier than usual. "Framing, setting traps—making you bear the crime of stealing School medicinal herbs, revoking your status as a successor, and driving you out of the Danding Sect."

"You have no Foundation in the School; it would be too easy for them to deal with you."

Lu Chen closed the ledger and put it back on the shelf. "Then let them make their move."

Old Zhou looked at him, his lips moving as if to say something, but in the end, he just sighed. "With that temper of yours, you'll suffer sooner or later."

"I'll deal with it if I suffer."

Lu Chen walked out of the storeroom, crossed the courtyard, and headed toward the small hut behind the Pharmacy.

Halfway there, he stopped, crouched down, and pretended to tie his shoelaces.

His gaze swept across the surroundings of the courtyard—in the shadows of the wall corner stood a person in gray robes, head lowered, face indistinguishable.

But Lu Chen recognized that gray robe. It was Sun Qian's.

He didn't look any further, stood up, and continued walking.

Back in the small hut, he closed the door and took that finger bone fragment from his bosom.

It was the one from Wang Qishan, with the character [Repay] carved on it.

After the characters on the bone fragment disappeared, this finger bone became his only physical evidence from the Inverted Tower.

He placed it on the table, stared at it for a long time, then put it away and began Alchemy.

In the evening, Su Qing arrived.

She was wearing a dark gray robe today, her hair tied up with a black ribbon, her face unadorned, looking more haggard than usual.

"Zhou Ran went to find Sun Qian," she said as soon as she entered, without pleasantries or preamble. "This afternoon, in the Inner Sect practice room. The two of them talked for about an hour. I couldn't get in, so I don't know what was said. But when Sun Qian came out, there was a smile on his face."

"What was he smiling about?"

"A smile of success." Su Qing sat down opposite him and tapped her fingers lightly on the tabletop. "They must have agreed on a strategy. Be careful these next few days."

"How should I be careful?"

"First, don't go to deserted places alone. Second, don't eat Medicinal Pills given by others. Third—" she paused, "don't trust Old Zhou."

Lu Chen looked at her. "What's wrong with Old Zhou?"

"It's not what's wrong with Old Zhou. It's that if someone impersonates Old Zhou to bring you things, you won't be able to tell the difference," Su Qing said. "Sun Qian can disguise himself. This is his specialty. He can disguise himself as anyone—he can mimic their voice, walking posture, and tone of speech."

"Have you seen it?"

"I've seen it once. He disguised himself as an Outer Sect steward to search a Disciple's residence. That Disciple died without ever knowing who searched his room."

Lu Chen took note of this. "Anything else?"

"Yes. Zhou Ran has a Senior Brother named Chen Xuan. He is at Level 6 Qi Refining, an elite Inner Sect Disciple, and belongs to Elder Sun's faction. If Sun Qian and Zhou Ran can't handle you, Chen Xuan will make a move. He is three levels higher than you; you can't beat him."

"Even if I could beat him, I wouldn't. Fighting within the Danding Sect, regardless of winning or losing, I would be the one to suffer."

Su Qing nodded. "As long as you are aware of it." She stood up, walked to the door, and looked back at him. "That black line. The color has faded again."

Lu Chen looked down at his left wrist. The black line had changed from light gray to a very faint gray, almost approaching white.

"It's almost time."

Su Qing didn't ask what "almost time" meant. She pushed the door open and walked out.

On the fourth day, Lu Chen found a cloth parcel at the Pharmacy entrance. It was gray, the size of a palm, tied with twine, and placed on the threshold.

He crouched down, didn't pick it up immediately, and first looked around.

There was no one in the courtyard; the fish in the large vat were still swimming, the water surface rippling from the wind.

He kicked the parcel with his toe. The parcel moved, emitting a slight clinking sound from inside, like porcelain bottles colliding. No explosion, no smoke.

He bent down, picked it up, and opened it.

Inside were two Medicinal Pills. They were red and had a bloody smell. blood essence pill. The kind Qin Wu had given him.

Underneath the Medicinal Pills was a note with a line of text written on it— "What I owed you. Repaid." The handwriting was very scrawled, making it impossible to identify who wrote it.

Lu Chen held the Medicinal Pills under his nose and sniffed. blood essence pill, real. Not poison.

He put the parcel away, walked into the Pharmacy, and handed the Medicinal Pills to Old Zhou. "Help me check these. Can they be consumed?"

Old Zhou took the Medicinal Pills, looked at them, smelled them, and then scraped a little powder with his fingernail and tasted it in his mouth. "blood essence pill. Real. Medium-high quality. Where did you get them?"

"Found them at the entrance."

Old Zhou glanced at him, didn't press for more, and returned the Medicinal Pills to him. "They can be eaten. But be careful. If someone uses real Medicinal Pills as a cover, the next one might be poison."

Lu Chen put the Medicinal Pills into his bosom and didn't eat them immediately.

Regardless of who sent them, and regardless of the purpose, he needed resources now.

He was still four-tenths of Spiritual Qi away from Qi Refining Level 3 to Level 4. Two blood essence pills could increase it by about three-tenths.

Plus the small foundation establishment pill he refined himself, he could fill his Dantian within a month.

He picked up one, bit it open, and swallowed it.

His Dantian exploded. Spiritual Qi surged in, like a flood rushing into a dry riverbed.

The walls of his Dantian were stretched very thin, but they didn't crack.

After the Spiritual Qi finished surging, he opened his eyes. The Spiritual Qi in his Dantian had risen from six-tenths to seven-and-a-half-tenths.

"One pill increases it by one-and-a-half-tenths." The same as what Qin Wu gave.

He ate the other one too. Seven-and-a-half-tenths rose to nine-tenths.

He was still one-tenth away from Level 4 Qi Refining.

Lu Chen stood up and walked a few steps in the room.

His body felt very light; every step felt like stepping on cotton.

It wasn't weakness, but too much spiritual power; his body hadn't adapted yet.

He clenched his fist, and a deep golden light shone from beneath his skin, brighter than before.

"It's about to crack."

He sat down and began Qi Channeling. He stabilized the newly surged Spiritual Qi, letting them slowly sink deep into his Dantian.

On the fifth day, trouble came.

In the morning, while Lu Chen was grinding medicinal herbs in the Pharmacy, two Inner Sect Disciples dressed in dark blue robes walked in.

They wore "Law Enforcement Hall" jade badges at their waists, and their faces were unfamiliar; he hadn't seen them before.

One was tall, one was short. The tall one held a booklet, and the short one held an iron chain.

"Lu Chen?" the tall one asked.

"Yes."

"Someone reported you for stealing School medicinal herbs. Two stalks of five-year-old polygonatum. Come with us."

Lu Chen put down the stone pestle in his hand and stood up.

Old Zhou walked out from the next room and blocked the doorway. "Do you have evidence?"

"Yes." The tall one opened the booklet, flipped to a certain page, and turned it around for Old Zhou to see.

On it was written a line of text— "October 17th, Lu Chen, entered the storeroom, took two stalks of polygonatum, unrecorded."

Below it was a signature— "Lu Chen".

Old Zhou's expression changed. "This is not his handwriting."

He had seen Lu Chen's handwriting. He had helped submit the assessment registration form, and he remembered Lu Chen's handwriting—thin and firm, every stroke careful and not sloppy.

The signature in the booklet was round and soft, as if someone had deliberately imitated it but failed to do so accurately.

"Whether it is his handwriting or not, someone at the Law Enforcement Hall will naturally discern it." The tall one closed the booklet and looked at Lu Chen. "Let's go. Don't make us use force."

Lu Chen didn't move. He was thinking about a question—who signed it? There were people of his in the Law Enforcement Hall. No, someone had written it in advance, waiting for this day.

He looked at Old Zhou. Old Zhou's eyes were telling him—don't resist, go and deal with it later.

He nodded and followed those two Disciples out of the Pharmacy.

Crossing the courtyard, walking past the water channel, walking past the stone steps of the Outer Sect, and heading upwards.

Not to the Inner Sect, but to the other side of the mountainside.

The Law Enforcement Hall's courtyard was larger than the Alchemy Hall's, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and two sword-wielding Disciples standing at the entrance.

The courtyard was paved with bluestone slabs, with moss growing in the cracks, looking as if it hadn't been swept for a long time.

The tall one brought him into a room.

It wasn't big, with a table, two chairs, and a plaque hanging on the wall that read "Law Enforcement is Like a Mountain".

Sitting behind the table was a person—about fifty years old, thin, long face, small eyes, with a mole on his chin, and a white hair growing out of the mole.

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

"Vice Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, surnamed Liu." After the tall man finished the introduction, he stepped out and closed the door. Only Lu Chen and Vice Hall Master Liu remained in the room.

"Sit." Vice Hall Master Liu pointed to the chair opposite him. Lu Chen sat down.

"Do you know what crime you've committed?"

"I didn't steal anything."

Vice Hall Master Liu didn't respond. He took a ledger from a drawer, opened it, and pushed it in front of him. "Is this signature yours?"

Lu Chen looked down. It wasn't. But he couldn't just say "it's not," because he had no evidence. If he said "it's not," the other man would just say, "You say it's not, so it's not?" He needed another way.

"Can I write a line of text? To compare with this signature."

Vice Hall Master Liu glanced at him, took paper and a pen from the drawer, and pushed them over. Lu Chen picked up the pen and wrote his own name on the paper—Lu Chen. It was thin, sharp, and written stroke by stroke.

Vice Hall Master Liu picked up the paper and placed it alongside the signature in the ledger to compare them. After looking for a few seconds, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly recovered. "Handwriting can be faked. Just because you wrote like this today doesn't mean you wrote like this that day."

Lu Chen didn't say a word. He was waiting. He was waiting for Vice Hall Master Liu's next move.

"There are only three keys to the warehouse. Old Zhou has one, the Warehouse Steward has one, and Vice Steward Wang has one. Vice Steward Wang was transferred and handed in his key. The Warehouse Steward is not currently in the sect. The only one who could enter the warehouse is Old Zhou. But Old Zhou said she was the one who took it, not you." Vice Hall Master Liu looked at him. "Do you believe that?"

"I do."

"Why?"

"Because Old Zhou wouldn't steal just two stalks of polygonatum. If she were to steal, she wouldn't steal just two."

The corner of Vice Hall Master Liu's mouth twitched, as if he wanted to smile but couldn't quite manage it. "You're right. Old Zhou wouldn't steal. Therefore, the one who stole the items is you."

"Evidence?"

"The signature."

"That signature isn't mine."

"You say it's not, so it's not?"

"Compare them and you'll know."

"I already have. The handwriting is similar."

Lu Chen remained silent for a few seconds. He understood. This wasn't an interrogation at all. It was just going through the motions. No matter what he said, Vice Hall Master Liu would find him guilty. This was because Vice Hall Master Liu was one of Elder Sun's people.

"I request to see Elder Zhou."

"Elder Zhou is not in the sect. She went out to gather herbs and won't be back for three days."

Three days. Lu Chen calculated in his mind. Three days was enough time for them to lock him up, search his residence, and find "more evidence."

"Then wait for Elder Zhou to return before the trial."

Vice Hall Master Liu looked at him, his gaze turning cold. "Who do you think you are? An unofficial inner sect disciple has no formal status and no right to request a delay in the trial. The case must be closed today."

He stood up, walked to the door, and pulled it open. "Lock him up first. Tomorrow, he will be transferred to the Law Enforcement Hall for a formal trial."

The tall man and the short man walked in. The short man shook out the iron chains in his hand, making a clattering sound.

Lu Chen stood up and didn't resist. He glanced at Vice Hall Master Liu—the single white hair on the mole was trembling slightly, as if it were alive. "I will remember you."

Vice Hall Master Liu's fingers twitched slightly. Lu Chen was taken to a room behind the Law Enforcement Hall. It wasn't large, had no windows, and only a single iron door. Hay was spread on the floor, and a wooden bucket sat in the corner. The iron door closed, the key turned, and with a click, it was locked.

He stood in the darkness, unmoving. His eyes slowly adjusted. There was a sliver of light in the corner, leaking through a crack in the wall; it was very thin, like a needle. He walked over and pressed his eye to the crack to look outside. Outside was a cliff, with trees far below. If he jumped, he would die. If he didn't jump, he would be tried tomorrow; if found guilty, he would be expelled from the Danding Sect at best, or have his cultivation crippled at worst.

No matter the outcome, his path would be cut. His cultivation would be over, the bone fragment would be useless, and the price he had paid would be for nothing. His family ties were gone, and his friendships were nearly gone. In the end, he would have gained nothing.

"It can't end like this."

He stood in the darkness for a long time. Then he sat down, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and began Qi Channeling. Spiritual Qi flooded into his Dantian. Ninety percent, ninety-one percent, ninety-two percent. No matter what happened outside, he would fill his Dantian first. Once filled, it would crack open, reaching Level 4 Qi Refining. Perhaps that would provide another path.

He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps an hour or two. He heard sounds outside. It wasn't the sound of the iron door, but a sound from further away. People were shouting and running, the footsteps of many mixing together like a herd of horses galloping from afar. Then came the light of torches. It filtered through the crack in the wall, causing the dark room to flicker between light and shadow.

The key turned. Click. The iron door opened. Light flooded in, making his eyes sting. A woman stood at the door, wearing deep blue robes with a jade plaque engraved with "Elder" hanging from her waist. It wasn't Elder Zhou, but another one. Her face was round and she looked quite kind, but her eyes were hard.

"Who are you?" Lu Chen asked.

"Head of the Law Enforcement Hall, surnamed Sun." The woman’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was deep. "Elder Sun."

Lu Chen’s fingers curled slightly. Elder Sun. Sun Qian's aunt. The highest authority in the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Have you come to judge me personally?"

"No," Elder Sun said. "I am here to release you."

"Why?"

Elder Sun stepped aside. Another person stood at the door. Su Qing.

Su Qing's expression was grim, her lips were pale, and her hair was messy, with a few strands hanging in front of her face. But she stood very straight. "I found this in the Sect Head's study." She held a ledger in her hand, identical to the one the tall man had held earlier. She opened it to a certain page and turned it for Lu Chen to see. October 17th, entered warehouse, took two stalks of polygonatum—that page had been torn out. It wasn't the whole ledger, just that one page. The remaining pages were still there, but the binding thread was new; someone had resewn it.

"The account book was tampered with. The handwriting of the 'Lu Chen' who originally signed it is identical to Vice Hall Master Liu's." Su Qing looked at Elder Sun. "He signed it himself. It was a frame-up."

Elder Sun's face remained expressionless. But her eyes were fixed on Vice Hall Master Liu. Vice Hall Master Liu stood at the end of the corridor with his head bowed; his expression was hidden, but his shoulders could be seen shaking.

"Vice Hall Master Liu, do you have anything to say?" Elder Sun's voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.

"I—"

"Enough. Tomorrow, this will be transferred to the Sect Head for judgment. For now, you are suspended." Elder Sun turned around and looked at Lu Chen. "You may go."

Lu Chen stood up, walked out of the room, and passed through the corridor. As he walked past Vice Hall Master Liu, he stopped and glanced at him. Vice Hall Master Liu's head was bowed even deeper, his chin almost touching his chest. That white hair was still there, shimmering with a silver-white light in the firelight.

He walked out of the Law Enforcement Hall's courtyard. The moon was very bright, making the ground look bright and white. He stood in the courtyard, looking up at the moon. Su Qing walked over and stood beside him.

"Why did the Sect Head help me?" Lu Chen asked.

"Because Elder Zhou went to the Sect Head," Su Qing said. "She isn't in the sect, but she left a letter. The letter said that if anything happened to you, it meant someone was framing you. After the Sect Head read the letter, he had me check the ledgers."

"Elder Zhou knew something would happen?"

"She didn't know. She was just taking precautions," Su Qing said. "She said that for someone like you, no matter where you go, there will always be someone trying to harm you. It’s not because you’re an easy target; it’s because you have something they want."

The bone fragment. The ten-finger bone. The secret of the Inverted Tower.

"What will happen to Vice Hall Master Liu?" Lu Chen asked.

"At best, he'll be demoted to an outer sect deacon; at worst, he'll be expelled from the Danding Sect." Su Qing looked at him. "Do you hate him?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment. "I don't. Hating him is useless. He is just a knife. I am looking for the one holding the knife."

Su Qing remained silent for a few seconds. "The one holding the knife is someone you cannot move against."

"I know. Elder Sun. Sun Qian's aunt. Head of the Law Enforcement Hall. I can't move against her." Lu Chen thrust his hands into his sleeves and felt the segment of the ten-finger bone. "But just because I can't move against her now doesn't mean I won't be able to in the future."

Su Qing looked at him with a complex gaze. "Are you really not afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of offending people you shouldn't offend and dying here. Dying in this dilapidated room, dying on this mountain, dying before you even reach the fifth floor of the Inverted Tower."

Lu Chen didn't answer. He turned and began walking down the mountain. Halfway there, he stopped, crouched down, and pulled the gray-white jade from his robes. It was the spirit-testing jade Mo Wen had given him. Its color had darkened significantly, becoming nearly black. There were also more cracks, dense and numerous, as if it might shatter at any moment.

"The Spiritual Root is still growing."

It was still absorbing. Kinship was gone. Friendship was almost gone. compassion hadn't moved yet. He didn't know what would happen after compassion was lost, but he would keep going. Because stopping was more painful than death.

He stood up and continued down the mountain. He crossed the stone steps of the outer sect, passed the Pharmacy's courtyard, and pushed open the door to his small hut. A Medicinal Pill sat on the table; it was white and smelled of herbs. Beneath it was a note—"To settle your nerves. Su Qing."

Lu Chen put the Medicinal Pill into his mouth and swallowed it. Spiritual Qi flooded into his Dantian. It was at ninety-five percent now. Still half a percent short. He sat down, closed his eyes, and began Qi Channeling. Tomorrow. Level 4 Qi Refining. Friendship. The thread still exists. The person is almost forgotten.