"Haven’t you always been so secretive?"

"Why’d you suddenly tell that kid everything today?"

In Mingxin Hall, the man in green robes, who hadn’t been seen for over half a month, had reappeared. He watched with great interest as Elder Li processed medicinal herbs.

"His Spirit Root Talent is too poor, yet his comprehension is Extraordinary. It’s such an extreme combination. If he is to walk the Immortal Path, the most important thing for him is to be patient."

"If he can’t be patient, then no matter how good his comprehension is, it’s meaningless."

Elder Li kept himself busy, replying without even looking up.

"That’s true."

The man in green robes nodded thoughtfully. "I’ve also been keeping an eye on him for the past half-month. The kid’s comprehension is truly impressive."

"Although his talent is only a Pseudo Spirit Root, as long as he can maintain this level of comprehension, his future path in the Cultivation Immortal Realm will be much smoother than ours."

At this, the man in green robes seemed to have a thought. He suddenly looked at Elder Li with suspicion. "Old Li, you’re not planning to have that kid inherit your legacy, are you?"

Elder Li said nothing, still minding his own work.

Seeing this, the man in green robes took a medical book from his robes. He flipped through it pretentiously while muttering to himself, "No matter how I look at it, this medical book doesn’t seem like some ordinary worldly text."

"’Understanding people, understanding medicine’... this is learning Alchemy, isn’t it?"

With that, the man in green robes looked at Elder Li with great interest. "Old Li, you sure know how to hide your secrets!"

"An Alchemist! Old Li, how could you be content staying in this dump for so many years?"

Elder Li put down the herbs, his expression nonchalant. "If I were an Alchemist, would I have ended up in this state?"

"It’s just some ordinary medical books, plus a bit of basic knowledge I’ve picked up over the years. I’ve only managed to figure out a few things on my own."

"You could call it Alchemy, I suppose. Based on my years of study, the introduction to Alchemy should be more or less the same as what I’ve researched."

"After all, the very foundation of Alchemy is surely the understanding of medicinal herbs and Cultivation..."

"If one had the opportunity to come into contact with the path of Alchemy, my methods would probably serve as a decent foundation."

The man in green robes still looked suspicious, but he couldn’t find any reason to refute him.

Elder Li looked at the man in green robes with a faint smile. "If you want to learn, I can teach you too. For enough Spirit Stones, that is."

The man’s suspicion vanished, and he waved his hands repeatedly. "If it were real Alchemy Skill, I’d agree in a heartbeat. But this self-taught stuff of yours... I’m not so blessed as to dabble in that..."

"But you’re passing this self-taught stuff on to that kid. Aren’t you afraid of leading him astray?"

Elder Li scoffed but ignored the man in green robes, returning to his work.

The man in green robes glanced down at the medical book in his hand, then back at the busy Elder Li. He tossed the book onto the table and headed toward a side room.

Elder Li glanced at the medical book on the table, the corner of his mouth curving up slightly. He shook his head, his focus seemingly returning to the herbs before him...

「...」

"A book is missing?"

In his bedroom, Chu Mu stared at his bookshelf, his brow deeply furrowed.

The bookshelf held all the various books he had read since coming to this world.

There were one hundred and three volumes in total: thirty-eight on medicine and sixty-five on other various subjects.

One missing book wouldn’t normally be noticeable, but the medical books were arranged separately on their own shelf. He consulted them often, and it was safe to say he knew the position of every single volume by heart.

A single missing volume was glaringly obvious!

’Someone was here...’

Chu Mu pulled out another medical book, a new conclusion forming in his mind.

Its title was *On Medicine*, a book he’d gotten from Elder Li. It was supposed to be in the middle, the twelfth volume from the left, but now it was in the fourteenth position.

Chu Mu was certain he wasn’t mistaken. The placement of each book was deliberate, allowing him to grab whichever one he wanted to read at a moment’s notice.

Chu Mu scanned the room. Nothing else was out of place. Even his wardrobe showed no signs of being disturbed.

’Someone snuck into my room, went through... my bookshelf, and then... stole a medical book?’

Chu Mu’s expression grew grim. In the past, he might not have cared too much about a single medical book.

But today, Elder Li had personally spoken of the Cultivation Immortal Realm and of "understanding people, understanding medicine"... which seemed to connect to the legendary practice of Alchemy.

In that case, the medical books before him were no longer just texts on worldly Medical Skill.

Even though he had never truly come into contact with the Cultivation Immortal Realm, he didn’t need to think twice to know how precious such a legacy was.

After all, even here in Nanshan Town, literacy was a luxury, and the prices of ordinary books in the shops were exorbitant...

This clearly wasn’t just an isolated phenomenon; it had to be the norm for the entire era.

But... these were just his own deductions. He had never breathed a word of it to anyone...

And besides... hadn’t he just returned from Mingxin Hall?

That meant the book was stolen *before* he even knew about the Cultivation Immortal Realm!

Chu Mu inspected his room one more time, then walked out and checked every other room, one by one. He found nothing else out of the ordinary.

Finally, Chu Mu stood in the courtyard, a worried frown settling on his face.

Ignorance is bliss. The more he knew, the more he worried.

Without hesitation, Chu Mu decisively left his house and headed straight for Mingxin Hall.

’Even if there’s the slightest possibility, it’s something I’m absolutely not equipped to handle right now.’

He had no intention of being a hero and investigating on his own.

’When the sky falls, you let the tall guys hold it up.’

He hurried into Mingxin Hall, and just moments later, he reappeared outside.

Chu Mu looked a bit dazed. In his hand, he was now holding a medical book.

And this book was the very one he thought had been stolen...

The strangest part was, Elder Li had actually said he’d left the book behind.

His confusion lasted only a moment. Chu Mu tightened his grip on the medical book and stopped dwelling on it.

Whether he had left it behind or it had been stolen, if Elder Li said he’d left it, then that’s what happened.

’After all, Elder Li couldn’t possibly be so bored that he’d steal back a book he’d already given me, only to claim I’d left it behind, right? If I don’t know what’s good for me and press the issue, I’d just be asking for trouble.’

’I wonder if the Cultivation Immortal Realm has things like Storage Bags...’ Chu Mu mused to himself. ’If I ever set foot on the Immortal Path, the first thing I need to do is get some kind of storage item. I have to carry all my belongings with me!’

His things, useful or not, were his own business. For someone else to have their eyes on them was another matter entirely.

Especially when they were snooping around his own home...

"This bolt of cloth is poor quality. Look, this whole section is frayed..."

As he was lost in thought, a voice caught Chu Mu’s attention.

Looking over, he saw a middle-aged Shopkeeper in a fabric shop on the side of the street, holding a bolt of cloth as he spoke. A woman stood beside him, looking helpless.

The woman was none other than the young widow from next door.

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow and took a longer look.

If he remembered correctly, this young widow was not having an easy time.

Ever since the incident with the dried-up corpse, the He Family had branded her a jinx who brought misfortune to her father and husband, and they had kicked her out.

In this era, for a lonely woman to bear the reputation of bringing misfortune to her father and husband, life was bound to be unbearably difficult.

After being thrown out by the He Family, the young widow had apparently moved back into her original home, making a living by doing needlework every day...

After watching for a moment, Chu Mu decided not to linger.

Although a few thoughts crossed his mind, things were different now.

How could matters of the heart possibly compare to the wonderful prospect of Cultivation and seeking eternal life!

「...」