Only then did everyone realize that the ever-indifferent Steward Tu had not been seen for several days.
"The main family has arranged other important matters for him, so he’s been temporarily reassigned. There’s no need to be alarmed. Just focus on the work at hand," Chen Lin explained with a smile.
Everyone exchanged glances, their minds racing with speculation, but they dared not ask any questions.
Afterward, Chen Yue heard some of the inside story from Lin Quan.
"That girl, Chen Yuqing,"
Lin Quan said nonchalantly, wiping several medicinal spoons with a special cloth, "is a distant relative of the main family. The rebels have been causing chaos, and her branch of the family suffered a disaster. I heard their losses were considerable. After a long journey as refugees, they came here seeking shelter. The main family placed her here to manage the affairs of the backyard."
"And Steward Tu...?" Chen Yue pressed.
"Tushan?"
Lin Quan gave a dry laugh and shook his head. "He was sent outside the city, to one of the Chen Family’s old medicinal herb farms. The previous steward there was old and lacked the energy for the job. So, what a perfect solution—they transferred Tushan straight there. That place is way out in the sticks."
Chen Yue fell silent. ’Steward of a medicinal herb farm?’
On the surface, it sounded like a lateral transfer. But to go from being the second steward of a pharmacy in the county seat to managing a remote, hardship post at an herb farm... the implication was clear to anyone with eyes to see.
He wondered if it was purely a matter of making way for Chen Yuqing, or if Tushan had made some kind of blunder himself.
Chen Yuqing’s arrival, however, meant far more than just a change in stewards.
Just days after taking her post, she gathered the backyard apprentices, a roster in hand. She wore the same simple, moon-white dress, her dark hair fastened with a wooden pin, and her calm gaze swept over the crowd.
"The pharmacy does not support idlers, nor does it keep the useless."
Her voice was cold and clear, ringing through the silent backyard. "Affairs at the herb farm outside the city have grown complicated, and we are in urgent need of help. The people on this list are to pack their belongings and report to the farm tomorrow morning to assist. The term... is tentatively set for six months."
She began to read out the names. With every name she called, an apprentice’s face fell.
The herb farm outside the city was remote, arduous, and mind-numbingly dull, far from the safety of the county seat. With refugees wandering the lands and the general populace in a state of panic over the rebels, even staying inside the city walls felt precarious. To be sent to the farm was tantamount to being banished into exile.
A low murmur of discussion arose, but Chen Yuqing merely glanced over. Her eyes held no anger, yet they carried an indifference that sent a chill to the bone.
"The pharmacy has its reasons for this arrangement. If you don’t wish to go, that’s fine too. Settle your wages immediately and leave Huichun Hall."
A single, casually delivered sentence cut off all their options. In these chaotic times of war, leaving the pharmacy could be a far worse fate.
The atmosphere in the backyard instantly dropped to freezing. The apprentices who were allowed to stay felt no sense of relief, because Chen Yuqing then announced that with the others gone, the amount of work in the backyard would remain the same. This meant everyone’s workload would nearly double.
Complaints and laments were choked back; no one dared to utter a sound.
Not long after the assembly dispersed, Liu Jing found Chen Yue sorting medicinal ingredients outside the Alchemy Room.
"Chen, I’m being sent to the herb farm outside the city."
Chen Yue stopped his work and looked at him. He understood Liu Jing’s fear. It was true that it wasn’t safe outside the city right now.
"Chen, you... you’re an Alchemy Master now. Can you talk to the steward and ask them to let me stay? I can help you in the Alchemy Room. You know me, I can learn anything, and I promise I won’t cause you any trouble!"
Chen Yue considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I’ll go and try, but the new steward is in charge of the backyard now. I can’t make any guarantees."
A quarter of an hour later, Chen Yue found Chen Lin, the steward of the front hall, and explained the situation.
"You want Liu Jing to be assigned to the Alchemy Room?"
After listening, Chen Lin’s expression grew troubled, and he unconsciously tapped his fingers on the desk. "Chen Yue, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. But Miss Yuqing is now fully in charge of the backyard. If I were to interfere with her decision to transfer someone, it wouldn’t be right, and it would put her in an awkward position."
Chen Lin thought for a moment before continuing, "How about this: I’ll find a chance to mention it to Miss Yuqing in private later, but don’t get your hopes up."
Chen Yue thanked him and left, though he wasn’t optimistic. Chen Lin’s hesitation already said it all.
The next day, Chen Yuqing came to the small courtyard of the Alchemy Room herself. She was not alone; by her side was a pretty maid in an aqua-green dress.
"Master Lin."
Chen Yuqing first gave Master Lin a slight nod, her etiquette impeccable. She then stepped out of the small courtyard with Chen Yue and got straight to the point. "Chen the Pill Master, I heard you proposed to Steward Chen Lin yesterday that you wanted to transfer the apprentice Liu Jing to the Alchemy Room to help?"
"Yes," Chen Yue nodded.
"After the recent adjustments, the staff in the backyard has been properly reassigned. The apprentices are stretched thin, and each has their own specific duties."
Chen Yuqing’s tone was placid, betraying no emotion. "You currently specialize in refining Blood Circulation Pills, and Master Lin is also here to supervise. For now, your staffing is sufficient. Since Liu Jing is on the transfer list, arrangements have already been made for him. Do not bring this matter up again."
Just as Chen Yue was about to argue that the Alchemy Room did indeed need someone for miscellaneous tasks like processing ingredients, Chen Yuqing gently raised her hand.
The maid in the aqua-green dress immediately took half a step forward and said in a crisp voice, "Chen the Pill Master, my lady is managing the overall situation and has her own considerations. Everyone in the pharmacy needs to pull together right now. Please focus on the bigger picture, and concentrate on your alchemy."
This was practically a direct interruption and a warning. Chen Yue’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
As if she hadn’t noticed, Chen Yuqing watched him quietly with her almond-shaped eyes, then abruptly changed the subject. "Also, I heard... that you had a bit of a run-in with Master Li Lie some time ago?"
A thought flashed through Chen Yue’s mind, but his expression remained impassive. "Steward Chen, I’m afraid you’ve heard some baseless rumors. I was merely inquiring about a Cultivation Technique; there was no disagreement."
"Is that so?"
Chen Yuqing’s response was noncommittal. "In times like these, being able to perform alchemy is a fine skill to make a living and stay safe. But a lot of the time, skill alone isn’t enough to ensure your own protection."
Her gaze lowered, as if she were reminiscing. "In my family’s home, there used to be several Alchemy Masters with remarkable talent. They were about your age, perhaps even more skilled. But when the chaos began and the rebels broke down our doors, they could only stand helplessly by their Pill Furnaces. They all fell into the hands of those villains, and their whereabouts are now unknown."
The maid in the aqua-green dress chimed in at the perfect moment, her tone persuasive. "My lady means well. Master Li Lie is a veteran of the pharmacy, an expert in the Refining Flesh Realm. With how unsafe it is outside, the pharmacy’s security depends heavily on them.
My lady figures it’s better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. She intends to host a banquet at the Drunken Moon Pavilion tonight and would like to invite both you and Master Li, so you can bury the hatchet over a glass of wine."
Chen Yue looked at Chen Yuqing’s placid, unreadable face, then at the scrutinizing gaze in her maid’s eyes. ’They want me to bow my head and admit fault to Li Lie!’
"Steward Chen, you’ve misunderstood. There is truly no conflict between Mr. Li and me. My request for guidance was unsuccessful that day, so I simply took the Secret Manual to study on my own. That’s all. The so-called run-in is probably just a distorted rumor. A reconciliation banquet is therefore out of the question."
An almost imperceptible frown touched Chen Yuqing’s brow.
She looked at Chen Yue, a flash of displeasure crossing her almond-shaped eyes. She had not expected him to refuse so decisively.
"You don’t want to reconcile?" Chen Yuqing asked.
"It’s not a matter of not wanting to. There was no animosity to begin with, so what is there to reconcile?"
Chen Yue’s smile never wavered, and his tone was frank. "As you are new here, Steward Chen, you have probably heard some baseless rumors. We both work at the pharmacy, merely fulfilling our respective duties."