Complete one practice method every day

In the afternoon, Chen Yue found Chen Lin, who was checking the accounts.

"Manager Chen."

Chen Lin looked up and saw it was Chen Yue. His expression softened slightly: "Are you settled in? What's the matter?"

Chen Yue organized his thoughts and said, "Steward Chen, when I was an apprentice, I was quite interested in the art of alchemy. Now that I'm a guard, that interest hasn't diminished."

"I was thinking, could I temporarily refrain from being a guard and instead go help out with some of the alchemists, learning some basic alchemy practices?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Lin frowned almost imperceptibly. He put down his pen, looked at Chen Yue, and tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the ledger.

The pharmacy currently has enough guards, and the shift schedule is flexible. There shouldn't be any problem if Chen Yue doesn't work as a guard.

On the contrary, Lin Quan's side kept urging for manpower, and the requirements were extremely high. Several apprentices had already been driven away after only one or two days.

This matter is even about to reach the master's house.

"It's a good thing that you want to learn more."

Chen Lin said slowly, "However, guards have their duties and pay, and apprentices have their tasks and wages. If you really go to the alchemy room to do apprentice work, you will only be paid according to the apprentice's share. Are you willing to do that?"

"I'm willing," Chen Yue replied without hesitation.

Money is important, but compared to the opportunity to learn alchemy, this loss is insignificant. Besides, if one can truly succeed in alchemy, the gains will far exceed this monthly salary.

Chen Lin looked at Chen Yue and nodded, "Since you're willing, that's fine. Tomorrow I'll take you to Master Lin Quan's place. He happens to need a quick and efficient helper. However..."

His tone was slightly stern. "Master Lin is a bit eccentric and extremely serious and meticulous when it comes to alchemy. When you go, observe more, listen more, speak less, and be diligent with your hands and feet. If he doesn't like you, you can be fired at any time."

"Yes, I understand. Thank you for your help, Steward Chen!" Chen Yue replied firmly and bowed respectfully.

……

The next morning, Chen Lin led Chen Yue, who had changed into a clean old outfit, through the front hall, down a quiet corridor, and into a secluded courtyard further in the backyard.

The environment here is serene, and the air is filled with a peculiar aroma that blends various medicinal scents, sometimes fragrant and sometimes slightly astringent.

Chen Lin straightened his clothes outside the courtyard gate before gently knocking on the door.

A moment later, the courtyard gate opened a crack, and a taciturn-looking apprentice peeked out. Upon seeing Chen Lin, he quickly opened the gate.

"Manager Chen."

"Is Master Lin here? I've brought someone over," Chen Lin said, leading Chen Yue into the courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was extremely tidy. In one corner, neatly stacked piles of dry firewood stood, and in another corner, several water vats about half a person's height were placed. In front were three interconnected rooms, the door of the middle one open, revealing a huge stove and faint smoke inside.

A thin old man was standing with his back to the door, sorting dried root and rhizome herbs on a stone platform. He moved slowly but with extreme focus, carefully examining each herb before placing it into a different bamboo tray.

Hearing footsteps, he didn't turn around, but simply asked, "Manager Chen? What is it?"

It was the alchemist, Lin Quan.

Chen Lin smiled, stepped forward, and said, "Master Lin, I'm sorry to bother you. This is Chen Yue, a Skin Refining Realm cultivator who knows all the herbs and is very quick. I was thinking you've been short of an assistant lately, so I had him come and give it a try. If you have any rough or heavy work to do, feel free to ask him to do it."

Lin Quan stopped what he was doing, slowly turned around, and looked at Chen Yue with a scrutinizing gaze, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Guards?"

Lin Quan's voice was somewhat dry, tinged with obvious displeasure. "Manager Chen, what I need here is a specialized apprentice—someone meticulous, patient, and knowledgeable about the basics of medicinal properties and cooking techniques. Why did you bring a guard? How can he possibly handle this!"

Chen Lin was prepared and quickly explained, "Master Lin, please don't worry, listen to me. Recently, there really aren't any clever apprentices in the backyard who know all the herbs. The few who are slightly better are a bit impetuous, and I'm afraid that if they come, they'll only delay your business."

He pointed at Chen Yue: "This kid is different. Although he is a guard, he is strong and can handle physical tasks such as carrying firewood, fetching water, and tending the stove. Most importantly, he recognizes almost all the medicinal herbs in the shop and can handle tasks such as processing and sorting them without any problems."

Lin Quan listened to Chen Lin's explanation, his brows relaxed slightly, but the critical look in his eyes did not diminish.

"Do you recognize all the herbs?" Lin Quan asked, his tone still indifferent.

"Master Lin, I can identify all the medicines listed in the shop's cabinet," Chen Yue replied respectfully, without boasting or feeling intimidated.

Lin Quan gave a noncommittal "hmm," then glanced at Chen Lin, who had a smile on his face.

Lin Quan was silent for a moment, then said, "Fine, since Manager Chen says so, let him stay here for today. I'll use it and see if it suits me."

He turned to Chen Yue, his gaze suddenly sharpening: "Here, there's only one rule: you do what I tell you to do. Don't touch what I don't want you to touch, understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Chen Yue replied immediately.

"Um."

Lin Quan said no more, and pointed to the pile of firewood in the corner of the yard, "Go and sort that pile of firewood by coarseness and dryness, and stack it neatly. Move the damp ones to the eaves over there to air them out. Separate the fine and coarse firewood so it's convenient for me to use when I need to start a fire."

"Yes." Chen Yue replied without saying anything more, and immediately turned to walk towards the pile of firewood to start working.

Seeing this, Chen Lin knew that Lin Quan had agreed to give it a try, so he smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Lin Quan: "Then, Master Lin, please go ahead with your work. If you need anything, just have someone come to the front to find me."

He then gave Chen Yue a wink, signaling him to do a good job, before turning and leaving.

In the small courtyard, only the rustling sound of Lin Quan continuing to sort medicinal herbs and the rubbing sound of Chen Yue carrying firewood remained.

For Chen Yue, Lin Quan's alchemy room was a completely new place.

Here, there is no smell of sweat or noise from the herb grinders in the backyard, only an almost frozen focus. Various processed and unprocessed medicinal materials are neatly categorized and placed in specific jade boxes, pottery jars, or bamboo trays, without a single mishap.

Chen Yue transformed himself into the most silent element in this place.

When Lin Quan was refining pills, he would never get within three steps of the furnace, but would choose an angle that would not block the light and would allow him to clearly observe Lin Quan's every move, and stand quietly there.

His eyes recorded the order, timing, and dosage of the medicine Lin Quan added. He also recorded the rhythm of Lin Quan adjusting the bellows and the way he manipulated the charcoal fire.

Lin Quan didn't give any instructions, so Chen Yue simply memorized them, imprinting every detail in his mind, waiting for the magical calculations and insights from the midnight panel.

When Lin Quan finished refining a batch of pills, Chen Yue would quietly retreat to a corner of the courtyard, assume a stance, and practice Iron Mountain Fist in a small area.

As the day ended and the sun set in the west, the fire in the alchemy room grew dim.

Lin Quan washed his hands and wiped several commonly used jade medicine spoons with a clean soft cloth, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Chen Yue, who was gathering firewood and cleaning the table.

The slight displeasure and pickiness he felt had long since vanished.

Chen Lin's words were true; this kid's familiarity with medicinal herbs far surpassed that of ordinary apprentices.

Whether he wanted three qian of dried June snow or five-year-old ginseng rootlets, Chen Yue could always quickly and accurately find them from the seemingly messy pile of medicinal herbs, and by simply weighing them in his hand, he could tell the exact amount.

This level of skill is impossible without years of immersion and an exceptional memory.

What pleased Lin Quan even more was Chen Yue's quietness; he didn't talk much, didn't ask unnecessary questions, and had a clean look in his eyes.

In the alchemy room, sometimes it is more difficult to remain silent than to speak.

As night fell, Chen Yue returned to his small room in the west wing of the front yard. The room was small, but he lived alone. It had a bed, a table, a cabinet, and was clean and bright.

This is a world of difference compared to the previous communal sleeping quarters.

He lay in bed, overwhelmed by exhaustion, but his spirits were high from the day's achievements.

Daily Settlement

[Practice Iron Mountain Fist diligently; Iron Mountain Fist experience +50, cultivation +5]

[Striving to learn alchemy, Blood Activation Pill experience +30]

[Skill: Iron Mountain Fist (Perfect 110/400)]

[Skill: Blood-Activating Pill (Beginner 30/100)]

[Realm Level: Skin Refining Realm (6/300)]

A completely new understanding surged into my mind. It wasn't just a simple memory of which medicinal herbs were needed for the Blood Activating Pill, but included the key to the pre-treatment of the herbs, the appropriate color and temperature of the furnace fire when adding the herbs, and the subtle sounds that represented the stages when the liquid was being mixed...

It was as if Chen Yue had personally operated the system, and the experience he had accumulated through hundreds of failures and restarts was instantly absorbed by him, turning into an almost instinctive understanding.

Today, Lin Quan only refined the most basic Blood Activating Pill, and Chen Yue thus entered the beginner level.