Chapter 14: Acting Steward of the Medicine Hall!

His first day on duty and he was already given the position of Deacon?

Though it was only an acting deacon, a deacon was not the same as an ordinary disciple.

This was a position with real authority. In the Chaotian Sect, the post of deacon already counted as having risen above the rank of basic disciple.

If he did well, it was not as if he had no chance of becoming a high-ranking figure one day.

And the Spirit Field he should have been assigned upon entering the Spirit Field Bureau had been swapped for two mu of Spirit Orchard land in the Medicine Hall.

Every single one of these things seemed like wonderful news for him!

Yet even after arriving at the Medicine Hall, Lu Qingyang still had not processed everything that had happened today.

He could only stand blankly outside the Medicine Hall, trying to sort out his thoughts.

First of all, this acting deacon position looked like it had granted me an enormous advantage, but whether it would ultimately bear good fruit was still very much up in the air.

And even if I do well, it seems I won't be the one who benefits most.

Lu Qingyang recalled Zhang Luanfeng's earnest exhortations when he had left the Director's room.

He had clearly sensed a hint of something off…

At the same time, now it seemed the Spirit Field Bureau was not necessarily all that stable either.

If I botch this acting deacon position, my ending probably won't be much better!

But… if I succeed, then it's equivalent to gaining another path upward!

In that case, I'll give it a try!

Lu Qingyang gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and decided to take a gamble.

Thinking of this, he raised his head and sized up the Medicine Hall before him.

The Medicine Hall occupied roughly dozens of mu, enclosed by bluestone walls.

Within the courtyard, dozens of neatly arranged Spirit Herb Fields were faintly visible.

Overall, it looked somewhat presentable.

Except that in such a vast Medicine Hall, Lu Qingyang had actually not seen a single menial worker come to tend the fields.

This left him quite puzzled.

After all, this was the Medicine Hall. The Medicine Hall's manpower should have been busier than anywhere else.

Just as Lu Qingyang was puzzling over this, a hunched middle-aged man in tattered clothes walked up to him.

"Might I ask what brings Senior Brother to my Medicine Hall?"

That middle-aged cultivator was clearly already at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, yet when he saw Lu Qingyang, there was not even a trace of arrogance. He even carried a note of respect.

"Oh, hello! My surname is Lu, my name is Qingyang. I've come to report to the Medicine Hall. Might I ask how to address you, Senior Brother?"

Seeing this, Lu Qingyang did not put on airs, and still bowed respectfully with cupped hands.

"Heh heh! Brother Qingyang, I'm the Duty Disciple of our Medicine Hall. Just call me Old Huang."

That middle-aged cultivator seemed to have weathered many hardships. His face was crisscrossed with wrinkles, making him look quite aged.

"Brother Qingyang, did you also offend someone in the bureau? How did you end up assigned to the Medicine Hall?"

"Ever since our Medicine Hall's deacon left, almost no one comes to manage the place."

"The courtyard is mostly abandoned now. Who knows which unlucky bastard of a deacon will come run himself ragged here next."

Old Huang had probably not seen anyone in a long time, so the floodgates of his words opened.

Except Lu Qingyang's next sentence made him immediately shut his mouth again.

"That's not quite it, it's just… Director Sun told me to take over as deacon of the Medicine Hall."

The moment Lu Qingyang said this, Old Huang, who had just been about to step up and pat his shoulder, froze.

That large hand full of gullies stiffened in midair…

"Gre… greetings, Deacon Lu!"

A long while later, Old Huang lowered his head, his face flushed red, and hurriedly bowed in salute.

"No need for formalities. If you truly feel embarrassed, then just give me a detailed account of the Medicine Hall's current situation."

"This…"

Old Huang hesitated for a moment, but did not dare disobey Lu Qingyang's order.

He drew a deep breath, then carefully and thoroughly told Lu Qingyang about the Medicine Hall's situation over the past few years.

"Though the Medicine Hall has been in decline these past few years, because we cultivate Spirit Herbs, we've still managed to preserve some resources."

"However, ever since the previous deacon became obsessed with pill refining, the courtyard has been running a deficit."

"Though the Medicine Hall belongs to the sect, that deacon used the pretext of researching pill formulas for the Spirit Pill Bureau, and with the Spirit Pill Bureau backing him, the sect said nothing."

"By the time the bureau discovered the Medicine Hall's yearly deficits, that deacon had already swaggered off to take up a post in the Spirit Pill Bureau…"

Listening to Old Huang's account, Lu Qingyang's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

This deacon was nothing but a spendthrift!

"And that wasn't all. That deacon even took a pile of seedlings away using a handwritten order from the Spirit Pill Bureau…"

"Because of that, there's not much left in the fields, so no one comes to work the Medicine Hall."

"These days, the Medicine Hall can't even pay out contributions. A lot of Duty Disciples have transferred to the Spirit Rice Fields and the Spirit Orchard."

Old Huang's tone carried deep resentment and indignation.

Hearing this, a surge of anger rose in Lu Qingyang's heart.

That deacon was simply shameless!

"Does no one in the bureau manage him? They just let him run wild like that?"

Old Huang sighed. "Of course the bureau wanted to stop him, but that deacon had the Three Peaks backing him. Who would dare provoke him?"

"I even heard that deacon might soon be promoted to Director of the Spirit Pill Bureau!"

"The Three Peaks?"

At these words, Lu Qingyang fell silent.

If one asked where the Chaotian Sect's pinnacle of power came from, it was undoubtedly the Inner Gate's Three Peaks.

And the relationship between the Three Peaks and the Nine Bureaus was extremely complicated.

It was possible that the person backing that deacon might even be the Spirit Field Bureau's own direct superior!

"Enough, enough, let's not speak of these things. From today onward, I am the deacon of the Medicine Hall."

"You need only tell me: how many herb seedlings does the Medicine Hall have now? And how many mature Spirit Herbs?"

Lu Qingyang drew a deep breath, suppressed the irritation in his heart, and spoke as calmly as he could.

"There are currently one hundred and eight seedlings. As for mature Spirit Herbs… zero…"

Old Huang held up two fingers and gestured.

As if afraid Lu Qingyang would be too disappointed, he hurriedly added, "But by my estimate, in at most another year, about two or three Spirit Herbs should be about ripe."

"Hoo…"

Lu Qingyang suddenly felt a little dizzy. Once again, he recalled the words of that Vice Bureau Chief of the Menial Bureau…

"There are only five years until the next harvest. How could I possibly raise the Spirit Herb yield!"

"Besides, Spirit Herbs aren't Spirit Rice. If they haven't reached the right age, they simply won't mature!"

Listening to Old Huang's words, Lu Qingyang's mood grew worse and worse.

But thinking of his own responsibilities, he forcibly endured the anxiety in his heart and continued to press.

"How many spirit stones does the Medicine Hall have in reserve now?"

"This, well…"

Old Huang scratched his head. "The Medicine Hall right now has only about two thousand spirit stones left, and they're low-grade."

"As for contributions, there's not a single one left."

Saying this, he looked somewhat sheepishly at Lu Qingyang.

"Deacon Lu, if you have a way to scrape together more contributions to exchange for some Age-Ripening Spirit Liquid from the sect…"

"Perhaps… we could revive the Medicine Hall, restore it to how it once was…"

A glimmer of hope shone in Old Huang's eyes.

Hearing this, Lu Qingyang's eyes also lit up. Age-Ripening Spirit Liquid… the legendary item that can force Spirit Herbs to mature!