Qiu Zu: From an apprentice in a medicine shop to an immortal ancestor.

“Does cultivating immortality and Taoism lead to becoming demons and evil spirits?”

“Are cultivators the greatest and most troublesome demons and evil spirits in the world?”

“The methods and elixirs within the golden silk are even more extremely dangerous.”

Qiu Zhen's eyes, faintly glowing with golden light, fell upon the white mist, as horrifying information flooded his mind.

If he wasn't mistaken, the steaming white mist above the basin was left by the "golden silk's" previous owner, used to warn future inheritors.

Moreover, there was more than one "previous owner."

Qiu Zhen's cultivation was shallow, but he could still sense several different auras within the white mist. They each left "messages," describing the dangers of practicing this method.

Their words also revealed another shocking piece of information.

Immortals are not detached experts, but rather detested beings, living in the shadows, and easily transformed into evil spirits and anomalies, walking corpses, muddle-headed and unaware.

This horrifying revelation greatly shocked him, instantly refreshing his understanding.

“No wonder when I went to Taoist temples and monasteries to seek immortality and ask about the Tao, those Taoist priests and monks were all tight-lipped, afraid of getting into trouble.”

Qiu Zhen suddenly understood, and couldn't help but sigh quietly, feeling somewhat dejected.

The fact that the golden silk ended up in his hands meant that the predecessors either died or transformed into demons and evil spirits, muddle-headed and hated by all.

Obtaining the "mysterious golden silk," he thought he had gained a great opportunity to defy fate.

Who knew that behind the opportunity lurked such great danger and terror.

“This method…”

The initial joy and excitement of nearly completing the [Hundred-Day Foundation Building] method, about to take a crucial step, vanished in an instant.

He tossed and turned all night.

The next day, Qiu Zhen performed his morning exercises as usual, practicing [Medicine King's Five Animal Play] stance training in the back mountain of the small courtyard, facing the morning sun.

He temporarily put aside the immortal methods from the golden silk, not acting rashly.

After finishing his exercises, Qiu Zhen ate four mixed-grain pancakes he had made himself and went straight to the town's pharmacy.

Medicine King Valley was a major medical sect with a very prominent reputation. Relying on this strong backing, Qingmu Pharmacy developed rapidly and was quite large.

The pharmacy apprentices alone were divided into front and back courtyards, classes A and B.

Qiu Zhen belonged to class B, in the back courtyard, responsible for chores, planting herbs in the medicinal fields, processing medicinal materials, assisting pharmacists in preparing medicines and refining pills, and so on.

In reality, he mostly did odd jobs and processed medicinal materials.

The apprentices around the pharmacists were either true disciples or relatives, so it was never their turn.

Qiu Zhen went straight into the pharmacy's back courtyard, bringing the medicinal materials he had processed the day before to hand over for storage.

In fact, he should have handed them over for storage yesterday, but Manager Kang was "busy with myriad affairs at night," and had no time to inspect them, always delaying it until the next morning.

As soon as he entered the back courtyard, the atmosphere felt strange and heavy.

“You pig brain, more water is needed to rinse the aconite, how many times have you rinsed it? You're slacking off and being lazy, I'm fining you three mu of weeding in the medicinal fields.”

“Yes, yes, yes, Manager, you're right to scold me.”

“You kid is even more capable, you were told to peel the good quality cassia bark, what kind of appearance did you make it? Can this ugly thing even be sold? Half of yesterday's wages are deducted!”

“Ah~ Manager, please don't deduct my wages, I have an eighty-year-old mother above and a young brother below.”

“Eighty your mother, can your seventy or eighty-year-old mother still give birth to you? If you talk nonsense again, you'll have to compensate for this batch of top-quality cassia bark at the original price.”

Outside the medicinal material warehouse courtyard, a group of apprentices hung their heads, dejected, lining up like prisoners going to the execution ground.

As soon as Qiu Zhen entered the courtyard, the apprentices were very happy, and one by one, they let Qiu Zhen cut in line.

“Brother Zhen, you go first.”

“Brother Zhen, please~”

“Brother Zhen, here!”

It wasn't that Qiu Zhen's status was so high that everyone respected him and let him go first, but that no one wanted to go up and "listen to the reprimand and accept the punishment." They wanted to delay it as long as possible.

Only Qiu Zhen was different. His processing skills were superb, and even Manager Kang couldn't find any faults, so he was rarely reprimanded, let alone punished with hard labor or wage deductions.

Qiu Zhen shook his head and accepted everyone's "modesty," entering the medicinal material warehouse.

“Brother Zhen.”

Big Head Zhao Dou and Thin Monkey Shen Liang looked at Qiu Zhen with wronged expressions.

Qiu Zhen was speechless. So, the unlucky guys who were being scolded in the room were them.

“Manager Kang!”

Inside the room, Kang Zhuangyuan, who was somewhat overweight, sat on a stool. His face was uneven, his features were asymmetrical, the distance between his eyebrows and eyes was narrow, and his cheekbones were extremely prominent, giving him an impatient, easily angered, and extreme appearance.

Among the apprentices, he also had a bad reputation.

At this moment, Manager Kang's face was full of displeasure and irritability, as if everyone owed him money. Seeing Qiu Zhen put the medicinal materials in front of him, he casually flipped through them with a stern face, checking the quality.

Yesterday, Qiu Zhen was thinking that "good things" were about to happen, so he worked particularly hard, and the five large bamboo baskets of herbs were processed to excellent quality.

Manager Kang flipped through them for a long time but couldn't find any faults.

If it were in the past, he would have waved his hand and let it go, but today, the pent-up anger in his chest was too strong, and he had nowhere to vent it, feeling very uncomfortable. With anger rising to his head, he couldn't extinguish the nameless fire in his heart. Immediately, his face darkened, and he pointed to a batch of angelica dahurica in the basket and shouted:

“Qiu Zhen, you're becoming less and less serious about your work lately. Look, these angelica dahurica are all burnt, a black charred mess. How did you do this!”

Qiu Zhen was stunned and looked over.

The angelica dahurica that Manager Kang was pointing at clearly had no trace of charring but was a yellow-red color, the purest color.

“Manager Kang, take another look, this quality…”

“Am I blind? It's burnt!”

Manager Kang said with a dark face, looking around at the apprentices:

“Look, is it burnt?”

The apprentices were silent, and many nodded in agreement, flattering the manager.

“Good fellow! Calling red black.”

Qiu Zhen was speechless and understood that this manager was on a rampage and was no longer being reasonable.

In fact, it was normal to have some slight mistakes and losses in processing medicinal materials, and the pharmacy wasn't so harsh. Otherwise, the apprentices would be working to pay off debts, not earning wages, and still owing a lot of money.

He usually did his job well, and occasionally having some mistakes, damaging the medicinal materials, was harmless.

Immediately, Qiu Zhen didn't argue with Manager Kang and cupped his hands:

“Manager Kang, I will be more careful next time I work and ensure the quality.”

“Hmph~”

Manager Kang was only impulsive just now. Seeing Qiu Zhen immediately submit, he had nowhere to vent his anger. After a cold snort, his expression softened:

“You usually work diligently, and I see it in my eyes. Forget it, the punishment is waived, you can go.”

Soon, Qiu Zhen came out of the medicinal material warehouse and arrived at the courtyard where everyone usually spent their time.

As the saying goes, good things don't spread, but bad things travel a thousand miles.

The scene of "calling red black" in the medicinal material warehouse immediately spread among the apprentices.

Zhao Dou and Shen Liang, who were on good terms with Qiu Zhen, were even more indignant.

“Kang Bangchui is getting more and more excessive. He can call it charred black even if it's clearly charred red. It's too dark.”

“Brother Zhen processed it so well, and he can still find fault in it, making something out of nothing. We are even more at his mercy, bullied to death. Damn it, he deducted half a day's wages!”

An apprentice in the courtyard shook his head and sighed:

“Actually, there's a reason for this.”

Qiu Zhen raised his eyebrows and asked: “Did Manager Kang lose money again? Did he lose a lot this time?”

“He lost a lot.”

As he spoke, an apprentice in the courtyard glanced in the direction of the medicinal material warehouse before continuing:

“I heard that Manager Kang lost most of his wages and private money playing dice last night, that's why he's so furious and angry.”

“No wonder.”

Qiu Zhen suddenly understood. Although Manager Kang was irritable, he usually had some restraint. Today, he was overwhelmed by anger and had completely lost his temper, making no sense.

Damn it!

Qiu Zhen, who had been cultivating his composure, couldn't help but feel aggrieved and depressed. Who did he offend?

“Pa!”

Just as Qiu Zhen was in a daze, the thin monkey Shen Liang, who was drinking porridge, suddenly stood up and stomped on a group of ants on the ground, crushing them to death to relieve the depression in his heart.

“Let you deduct my wages, let you deduct!”

An apprentice who was still angry kicked a big tree to vent his unhappiness.

These scenes seemed ordinary and unremarkable in the courtyard.

However, Qiu Zhen, who had not spoken, was stunned by the scene of the ants' tragic death.

Manager Kang lost money, took his anger out on everyone, and everyone took their anger out on ants and trees.

To some extent, what was the difference between these apprentices and these ants and trees?

Today, Manager Kang can "call red black," what about the future?

“Let's go, let's go, let's go to work.”

After chatting for a while, everyone didn't stay long, afraid of offending the manager, and went to work.

Seeing that everyone was about to leave, but Qiu Zhen was still standing there in a daze, Thin Monkey and Big Head quickly stepped forward and asked with concern:

“Brother Zhen, what's wrong?”

Qiu Zhen woke up as if from a dream. Seeing the familiar faces of Thin Monkey and Big Head, after a moment of trance, the depression on his face disappeared without a trace, and he smiled clearly:

“Thin Monkey, Big Head, help me ask for two days off.”

After speaking, Qiu Zhen stepped out of the pharmacy, without looking back.

In his steps, there was a sense of detachment and freedom.

Last night, he tossed and turned, thinking about whether to continue practicing the immortal methods of the golden silk in the future, whether to take the final step. He was caught in entanglement and distress, but now, he had witnessed "calling red black," and he had witnessed "life like ants."

At this moment, his thoughts were clear.

Having heard the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening!