Vol. 1 - Ch. 9 - Bookworm Immortal

Rushing to the Cangling Pavilion, Ji Yaoge bumped into the people delivering the items.

"Open the pavilion. Senior Sister Yue Xiao and I are here on Madame's orders to deliver some of the treasures she brought back to the inner pavilion." Ye Long smiled as she greeted Ji Yaoge.

Ji Yaoge looked over and saw several disciples holding trays standing outside the pavilion. Ye Long and another female cultivator stood on the stone steps awaiting her. Ji Yaoge returned their greeting with a bow. "Greetings, Senior Sister Ye Long, Senior Sister Yue Xiao."

Yue Xiao was also one of Madame Ying Shuang’s three disciples, ranked second under Ye Long. Observing her appearance, Ji Yaoge thought she embodied the word ‘charming,’ looking like she was born and raised in Chi Xiu Palace. With her snake-like waist, full hips, fair skin, and ample chest, her appearance was captivating. Her subtle movements were naturally alluring, making one feel that even being scolded by her would be pleasing.

These two standing together were like two extremes.

"Little short-lived ghost." Ye Long followed Ji Yaoge up the steps, looking her up and down from behind. "What happened to you?"

Ji Yaoge’s cultivation wasn’t high enough, and her clothes were still damp—Jiao Tao had only helped dry them partially. Her hair was still damp, and her clothes weren’t fully dry, something Ye Long noticed immediately.

"I was just at the South Pool... fishing," Ji Yaoge made up an excuse. As soon as she finished, she was enveloped in warmth, the moisture quickly turning into white mist and dissipating.

"Your body is weak, almost like a mortal. Falling into water during this season can make you sick. Don’t play around too much," Ye Long said, dispersing the golden light from her fingers. "Or did someone bully you in the sect?"

"No..."

Ji Yaoge was about to deny it when a cold snort interrupted them.

"Stop dawdling. Are you done yet?" Yue Xiao said, brushing past them into the Cangling Pavilion and glaring at Ji Yaoge as she passed.

Her eyes, usually filled with spring charm, now held anger and hatred, making Ji Yaoge pause. But a gentle pat from Ye Long on her shoulder and a somewhat resigned voice in her ear reassured her, "It’s good that no one is bullying you. If anyone does, let me know. Let’s go."

Ji Yaoge quickly followed.

————

Besides Ji Yaoge, no other disciples could enter the inner pavilion. Ye Long and Yue Xiao watched as Ji Yaoge stored all the items inside and checked them against the inventory list before preparing to leave.

"Besides these new treasures, Madame wants you to inventory all the items in the inner pavilion and present the list to her in three days," Yue Xiao said coldly. Seeing Ji Yaoge nod, she added sternly, "Make sure every item is accounted for. If there’s even the slightest mistake, you’ll pay with your life!"

"Alright, don’t scare her." Ye Long, already at the door, frowned, looking back.

"Hmph!" Yue Xiao scoffed with a half-mocking, half-charming smile, and left, her sleeves fluttering.

Ye Long stroked the engraved handle of her curved blade at her waist, silent for a moment, then left without another word. This small episode didn’t trouble Ji Yaoge. She wasn’t a magical artifact meant to be loved by everyone; it was normal to have people who disliked her. After they left, the heavy doors of the Cangling Pavilion closed, leaving Ji Yaoge alone to sort the items.

The inner pavilion was smaller than the outer one but much more refined, divided into several compartments by carved screens. Each compartment stored treasures accumulated over the years, though none were particularly precious. The most valuable items were kept in Madame Ying Shuang’s storage bag.

Ji Yaoge had cleaned the inner pavilion before, so she was familiar with its layout. The compartments were divided into six categories: pills, weapons, magical artifacts, books, and so on. Each compartment had tall dragonwood cabinets storing various items, totaling over a thousand items. However, compared to a small sub-hall treasury on Wan Ren Mountain, the collection here was meager, though still cherished.

This was the stark difference between small sects and large ones.

Sorting the new items into their respective compartments, she recorded each entry on a jade slip. With Madame Ying Shuang expecting a full inventory in three days, Ji Yaoge needed to be thorough. With over a thousand items to check, it was a tedious task. Fortunately, the previous Ji Yaoge had been meticulous, documenting every entry and exit in detail, making the verification process easier.

After locking herself in the inner pavilion for two days, she had checked eighty percent of the items, leaving only the pill room.

The room was filled with a fragrant medicinal scent. Neatly arranged on the cabinets were porcelain bottles, brocade boxes, and various herbs not yet processed into medicine. Ji Yaoge checked the jade slip—most of the pills were basic, useless to her due to her unique constitution.

Following the jade slip, she checked each item, slowly making her way to the end. The last cabinet held more valuable pills, though there weren’t many varieties. After verifying the quantity, she marked it on the jade slip. Finishing the last entry, she breathed a sigh of relief and stretched, accidentally knocking a brocade box off the cabinet.

Plop—

The box fell, and the pill inside rolled out.

She quickly set down the jade slip and picked up the pill. The longan-sized pill emitted a faint fragrance, refreshing her spirit. Ji Yaoge couldn’t resist taking a deep breath before placing the box back on the cabinet. As she was about to return the pill, a doubt crossed her mind. She sniffed the pill again and inspected it closely, her expression changing as she read the label.

Bì Suǐ Wán.

Bì Suǐ Wán was a pill used by cultivators in the late Qi Refinement and early Foundation Establishment stages to cleanse the body and enhance spiritual energy absorption. She had started using it at the fifth level of Qi Refinement. It was a valuable pill for small sects but common in Wu Xiang Sword Sect. As a disciple favored by the sect, she had never lacked such pills.

Ji Yaoge quickly returned the pill to the brocade box and opened the other boxes containing Bì Suǐ Wán. There were five in total, each holding a pill. The pills were green and translucent, emitting a fragrant scent.

No doubt they were Bì Suǐ Wán.

But... something was off.

These five pills seemed slightly smaller than the ones she had used before, and their scent was fainter, with a hint of sweetness. Rubbing the pill with her fingertip, she placed it to her lips and tasted it—alongside the usual cool and sweet taste was a subtle sweetness.

Ji Yaoge concluded that the pills had been tampered with.

Whoever did it was skilled, grinding down one pill’s worth from five pills and mixing it with green pine honey and celestial lemon grass, then reforming and baking the pills. This way, the quantity appeared unchanged, but the dosage of each pill was reduced. The size and weight differed from the original due to the added ingredients.

"Who tampered with the pills?" Ji Yaoge frowned.

Besides Madame Ying Shuang, only she had access to the inner pavilion. But why would she steal pills? Given her poor constitution, these pills were useless to her. Even if she needed them, she had to reach the fifth level of Qi Refinement to use them, so they weren’t for personal use. Selling them for spirit jade? But her storage bag held barely anything of value, not even close to the worth of one Bì Suǐ Wán.

Why did the previous Ji Yaoge steal the pills?

Rubbing her temples, Ji Yaoge stared at the full cabinet of pills. A more terrifying thought crossed her mind—could all the pills have been tampered with like this? If discovered, she’d be the first to fall.

Quickly replacing the five boxes, she moved to open the nearby porcelain bottles.

Whoosh—

A flash of golden light zipped past the carved screen divider, disappearing in an instant.

Rubbing her eyes, she saw no light. Suspicious, she placed her items down, clutching a spirit talisman, and cautiously approached the next room.

The next room was the book archive, where she had already checked without finding anything abnormal. The source of the golden light was unknown.

Peering inside from the doorway, Ji Yaoge saw only the faint light of the phoenix-headed nightstone, shining like daylight. The golden light seemed like an illusion. Slowly entering, she looked towards where the light had vanished.

New jade slips sent by Madame Ying Shuang earlier still sat in place, untouched.

Everything was quiet.

"Hic!" In the silence, a low burp came from the jade slips.

"Haven’t had fresh stuff in ages," a raspy voice followed.

Ji Yaoge’s frown deepened.

A flash of golden light darted from under the jade slip into another one.

Stepping closer, Ji Yaoge squinted at the source.

Another burp sounded, followed by silence, then a sudden flash of golden light. Ji Yaoge, seeing her chance, swiftly reached for it.

The golden light flickered, followed by a startled cry. Ji Yaoge slowly retracted her hand, the light dimming at her fingertips.

A flat, red-gold bug the size of a baby’s palm wriggled between her pale fingers.

"A bookworm?"

Ji Yaoge stared in disbelief at the bug.

She had never seen such a large bookworm before.

It looked... quite disgusting.

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