Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi-Chapter 84: Injurious to Body and Self

"Elder Lü, Pharmacist Yang ran into a problem while testing some medicine. He needs about half a month to recuperate, so the Pharmacist accompanying you down the mountain to Tan City will have to be replaced."

"From the Medicine Hall, three Pharmacists have volunteered for the Tan City mission: Zhang Yiqian, Duan He’an, and Xu Jingye."

"Do you have a preference, Elder Lü?"

A Steward from the Foreign Affairs Hall found Elder Lü Zhenghai to inform him of the unexpected situation with Yang Chan. Such mishaps were actually quite common for Pharmacists.

The best way to improve one’s alchemical skills was to test the concoctions personally. Every year, a few would invariably end up poisoned during these tests and need time to recuperate.

"Then have Pharmacist Duan He’an accompany me down the mountain."

Lü Zhenghai paused for a moment after hearing the Foreign Affairs Steward’s words before directly picking a replacement.

They were set to depart in less than five days, so he certainly wasn’t going to wait for Yang Chan to recover. He would head directly to Tan City to deal with the Evil Cult.

"Yes, I’ll make the arrangements at once."

The Foreign Affairs Steward replied hurriedly.

He had made a special trip because Yang Chan was someone Lü Zhenghai had personally requested. Normally, he would have just arranged for a replacement himself.

"Ah, and one more thing. If Tan City needs further reinforcements, add Yang Chan to the list of those going down the mountain."

Lü Zhenghai added casually just before the Foreign Affairs Steward departed.

Although he didn’t really expect any trouble, he mentioned it instinctively.

He even shook his head after saying it.

The reason for this was that Yang Chan gave him a strange feeling. After Yang Chan’s return to the Cyan Yuan Sect, Lü Zhenghai had even specially arranged for an investigation into him, but it had turned up nothing. Even so, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Yang Chan was hiding something.

That was why he had wanted to take Yang Chan down the mountain, to keep a personal eye on him and see what he was really hiding.

This suspicion stemmed from the incidents with the Three Major Sects. On two occasions, the trouble had started with Yang Chan. It seemed like a coincidence, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

However, Yang Chan was conscientious and very low-key within the Sect, and investigations had turned up nothing. That was why he had wanted to take him down the mountain to probe him further.

In Lü Zhenghai’s mind, the Cyan Yuan Sect was paramount. He would not allow anything to endanger the Cyan Yuan Sect. If such a threat existed, he would be the first to eliminate it with his own hands.

"Very well, Elder Lü."

Although the Foreign Affairs Steward didn’t understand why, he readily agreed.

Participating in missions off the mountain had both its pros and cons. Some people fought for the chance to go, while others actively avoided it.

The Foreign Affairs Hall had the most experience with such matters.

’Yang Chan, I hope you’re not a mole from another sect. Otherwise, I’ll personally see you on your way.’

Lü Zhenghai watched the Foreign Affairs Steward’s retreating figure, then turned his gaze toward the Medicine Hall, his eyes turning frigid.

With Yang Chan’s "accident," he proceeded according to plan, arranging for the Law Enforcement Hall to conduct periodic investigations—not only of Yang Chan, but of others within the Sect as well.

The moles left behind by the Three Major Sects had made a deep impression on the Cyan Yuan Sect’s upper echelons. They would not allow such a thing to happen again.

...

"Pharmacist Yang, you’re finally awake! You were unconscious for a whole day. It’s a good thing the residue from the Lantian Jade Refining Pill you were refining wasn’t highly toxic, or you wouldn’t have been out for just a single day."

"Just focus on recuperating for the next half-month. Don’t worry about matters at the Medicine Hall."

Zhao Yi said heartily when he saw Yang Chan awaken.

He hadn’t expected Yang Chan to finally take his advice—to ingest the medicine to study problems during the refining process. The method was effective, but its side effects were also glaringly obvious.

Just look at Yang Chan: here he was, laid up with a pale face, his body still quite weak.

The toxicity in the residue from a failed refining of a Lantian Jade Refining Pill wasn’t lethal, but it still took a bit of time to recover from completely.

Furthermore, Yang Chan had taken a common Antidote, which had reduced the toxicity even more.

"Thank you for your trouble, Pharmacist Zhao. My head is still a little dizzy. I’d like to sleep a bit more."

Hearing Zhao Yi’s words, Yang Chan knew his plan had succeeded. He put on a pained expression, however, and acted extremely tired, his eyelids drooping as if in a fight to stay open.

"Of course, Pharmacist Yang, get some more sleep. It will help you recover sooner. I’ll be on my way. I’ve already arranged for a Pharmacist’s Assistant to bring you your meals."

Zhao Yi replied quickly and promptly left.

In an instant, the room was quiet once more.

Yang Chan was currently in the Medicine Hall and Pharmacy, in a room usually reserved for injured disciples.

Now, it was Pharmacist Yang Chan’s turn.

After Zhao Yi left, Yang Chan checked his body. It seemed they had given him another common Antidote. Otherwise, there were no other changes.

The residue from a failed refining of a Lantian Jade Refining Pill was only partially toxic; it wasn’t lethal. Even without an Antidote, it would only cause weakness for a while before one made a full recovery.

Yang Chan silently circulated the Static Skill of his Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill. As he did, a bit of color slowly returned to his face, and his body no longer felt so weak.

This was a measure he had prepared. His body was already much stronger than others from practicing the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill, and the skill could also accelerate his recovery. However, Yang Chan only circulated his energy long enough to feel a little less awful before stopping.

He calculated the time. Lü Zhenghai and the others hadn’t left yet. If he recovered completely now, he’d still have to go down the mountain. In that case, passing out for a day would have been a complete waste.

It was better to remain weak for now. He could recover after Lü Zhenghai and the others had descended the mountain.

His current physical state prevented him from cultivating diligently, but it didn’t affect him much otherwise. He had already prepared the medicines he would need to take during this time, so it wouldn’t be too time-consuming.

As Yang Chan’s thoughts drifted, his eyelids began to grow heavy again. This time, it was for real.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep again.

The poison had affected him after all.

As Yang Chan drifted into a deep sleep, a disciple from the Law Enforcement Hall slipped away.

When Yang Chan awoke again, the sky had already grown dark. On the table beside him was a spread of relatively light food, along with Qi Nourishing Soup and Strengthening and Nourishing Porridge.

It was placed right beside him, obviously to make it easy for him to reach.

Though he didn’t have much of an appetite, he ate all of it.

’I can’t do this again,’ Yang Chan thought as he ate. ’It’s too harmful.’

He didn’t like this feeling of weakness at all. It was only the second time he had felt so physically frail since coming to this world.

He hated this feeling. The only solution was to continue increasing his strength. If he could raise his Cultivation to the level of an Inner Master as soon as possible, he would finally have the power to protect himself and wouldn’t have to resort to such measures again.

Although the food tasted bland, he finished every last bite. Afterward, he took out and consumed a Void Spirit Pill and applied Bear Gallbladder Skin-Toughening Ointment to his body.

He couldn’t afford to miss out on any Potential Points.