Chapter 2: Back to the Mountain for Punishment—Arrogance

The wind howling through the Cloud Ridge Mountains carried the pungent stench of mud and rotting leaves, slipping down the collar of Lin Ye’s robe. He didn’t falter in his stride. The deep, guttural roar behind him was already fading into the distance. At his feet, Black Charcoal was frantically clawing at the earth, its nose pressed flat against the soil, as if trying to sniff out the lingering toxic fumes.

"Stay close." Lin Ye issued the command in a low voice, barely loud enough for Black Charcoal to hear.

Black Charcoal immediately tucked its tail and wagged it, trotting up to rejoin the group. Though the dog couldn’t understand human speech, it was hyper-sensitive to the low-frequency vibrations emanating from Lin Ye’s body. That was the frequency that kept it calm.

The two and the dog climbed the winding mountain path. The Heavenly Medical Pavilion’s main gate stood looming in the mists, the vermillion signboard above the entrance weathered and peeling. The guard disciples, dressed in azure robes, were yawning listlessly until they spotted Lin Ye. In an instant, their eyes sharpened, brimming with hostility.

"Halt." One of them barked, drawing his long sword three inches from its sheath. "Lin Ye, the expelled disciple. Do you dare trespass? The Elder Council issued a decree yesterday: no one without a legitimate invitation may enter. Get lost!"

Black Charcoal startled, barking wildly, its claws screeching against the stone.

Lin Ye stopped. He didn’t draw his own sword; he simply stood there, his gaze calm and still as a deep pool, devoid of fear or anger.

"I’m here to collect my punishment," Lin Ye’s voice was quiet, yet it cut through the tension. "Three days ago, Master sent a message ordering me to report to the medicine hut this morning at the hour of the Dragon. If you’re blocking me, are you planning to defy the order?"

The disciple’s face went rigid, his confidence wavering. He glanced left and right, spotting no backup, and suspicion clouded his mind.

"I… haven’t received the specific warrant." The disciple tried to maintain his posture, but his voice cracked.

Just then, a voice—old but resonant with hidden strength—echoed from the depths of the mountain. "Who is blocking the way?"

Everyone turned to see an old man in a gray cloth robe, leaning on a cane, approaching from the shadows. His face was gaunt and his eyes cloudy, yet the aura surrounding him was as steadfast as an ancient pine. It was Sun Dehai, an Elder of the Heavenly Medical Pavilion.

The guard hurriedly sheathed his sword and bowed. "Elder Sun."

Sun Dehai ignored the greeting and walked straight up to Lin Ye. His cloudy eyes scanned Lin Ye from top to bottom, then lingered on Black Charcoal. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Black Charcoal is with you too? Looks like even your dog refuses to die."

A warmth flickered in Lin Ye’s heart, but his expression remained indifferent. "Black Charcoal protects its master."

Sun Dehai nodded and stepped aside to let him pass. "Go in. The medicine hut is on the east side. Remember, you’re an expelled disciple. Every step you take is going to be a struggle."

Lin Ye led the dog through the gate. The moment he crossed the threshold, a subtle, high-frequency vibration rushed into his mind.

The Ten Thousand Phenomena Listening technique activated on its own.

He heard it. Inside the spirit beast statue at the gate, a sealed low-tier Thunder Pattern Bee emitted an anxious buzz: "Bzzz… danger… smell… massive…"

The bee wasn’t afraid of Lin Ye. It was terrified of the residual aura of the poison dragon left behind in his wake. Even just the remnants were enough to make this low-tier creature tremble.

Lin Ye opened his eyes, his expression unchanged, and quickened his pace. He needed to get inside quickly to prevent Black Charcoal from getting too worked up and losing control.

He passed through the front courtyard, where the scent of medicinal herbs hung heavy in the air. The core of the Heavenly Medical Pavilion—the Pill Peak—towered in the high clouds. This was Su Wan’s domain.

The moment he set foot on the stone steps, a cold gaze pierced his back like an ice shard.

Su Wan stood beside a thousand-year old lingzhi mushroom, her white gauze dress fluttering gently in the wind, looking just like a celestial maiden descending from the heavens. She held a bamboo scroll in her hand, her brows carrying an innate air of arrogance.

"Lin Ye." She spoke, her voice as crisp and cold as jade beads striking a plate. "You’re two hours late."

Lin Ye stopped ten paces away. He could feel the spiritual energy flowing within her body was stable and pure, but the repulsion she emitted was more intense than the winter wind.

"The road was long, and I ran into obstacles," Lin Ye said flatly.

Su Wan gave a contemptuous smirk. There was no warmth in it, only a superior, scrutinizing gaze. "Obstacles? Or did you pick up some bad luck wandering in the wilderness?" Her eyes swept over Black Charcoal, flashing with disgust. "Lead that beast away. This is a restricted area of the Heavenly Medical Pavilion. No animals are allowed on the Pill Peak."

Black Charcoal whimpered in distress, tucking its tail and snuggling against Lin Ye’s legs.

Lin Ye stopped moving and gently patted Black Charcoal’s head. "It’s my life, and my eyes. If you’re disgusted by it, you can walk around. I don’t mind waiting on the steps below."

Su Wan’s face darkened instantly. As the holy maiden, she was used to being the center of attention; she had never been spoken to like that before.

"How dare you!" Su Wan shouted. Her spiritual energy fluctuated wildly, and the temperature in the air dropped sharply. "You’re nothing but a cast-off waste. Do you think you can threaten me? I can have you kneel here right now until you learn your place!"

The standoff hung in the air, until a boisterous laugh broke the tension.

"Oh, my, the holy maiden is so upset. It’s really killing me."

A figure emerged from the shadows. He was dressed in luxurious brocade, wearing a purple-gold crown, and fiddling with a jade pendant in his hand. It was Wang Ba, the Young Pavilion Master.

He walked up to Lin Ye, his eyes filled with envy and disdain. Ever since Lin Ye had displayed his talent and gained the elders’ attention, Wang Ba had viewed him as a splinter in his eye.

"Lin Ye. So it was you. I thought it was someone important, but it’s just this stray dog." Wang Ba sneered. "I hear you’ve been doing well outside? You can’t even be rid of a stray dog? It seems like you’re not doing so well at the Heavenly Medical Pavilion after all."

Lin Ye looked down, adjusting his sleeves, his attention fully fixed on an abnormal pulse in Wang Ba’s body.

The pulse was faint, hidden deep in the dantian, like a mass of black sludge spreading out.

The Ten Thousand Phenomena Listening activated again, performing a deep analysis.

*Zing—* A sharp spiritual pain struck.

Lin Ye heard it. It wasn’t spiritual energy; it was an extremely vicious, corrosive anomaly. It was the roar of a Poison Toad Spirit Core, gnawing on Wang Ba’s meridians. With every breath, the toxin was spreading faster.

Wang Ba had been hoarding forbidden medicines. This was an ancient lingering poison, used to forcibly stimulate his potential. The toxicity was intense; one small mistake would lead to spiritual deviation.

Lin Ye sneered internally.

"Young Master Wang." Lin Ye suddenly spoke. His voice was calm, but carried a thread of coldness. "Have you been eating something you shouldn’t have lately?"

Wang Ba froze, then flared with embarrassment and rage. "What’s it to you? What the Young Master eats, you have no right to lecture me on, you expelled scum."

To show off in front of Su Wan, Wang Ba forcibly circulated his cultivation technique. "Today, I’ll show you what true genius looks like!"

He raised his arms high, his spiritual energy surging wildly. But at that critical moment, his face turned pale.

*Puff!*

He coughed up a mouthful of black blood, spitting it onto the pristine white stone steps. Wang Ba’s eyes turned blood-red, black spots spreading across his body. He curled up in pain, letting out a beastly low growl.

"Save me… save me quickly…"

The surrounding disciples panicked and stepped back. Su Wan’s expression became serious. She prepared a spirit talisman in her hand but hesitated to act. She could see that Wang Ba’s spiritual energy was in complete disarray; any forced intervention would only make it worse.

Blood seeped from Wang Ba’s seven orifices, and his convulsions intensified. Black Charcoal, terrified, hid behind Lin Ye, not daring to make a sound.

Lin Ye watched coldly. He was waiting. The eruption of the Poison Toad Spirit Core was a process. Saving him now would only relieve the pain temporarily; it wouldn’t root out the hidden danger, and might even cause the poison to spread faster due to conflicting spiritual energies.

He had to wait until the power reached its peak, then deliver the fatal blow.

Three breaths.

Two breaths.

One breath.

Wang Ba’s convulsions hit their climax; his consciousness was on the verge of collapse. Now was the time.

Lin Ye took a single step forward, his movement as fast as lightning. He gripped Wang Ba’s wrist with one hand.

"Don’t move."

He didn’t use needles. Instead, he pressed two fingers together, a faint blue glow appearing at the tips, and aimed them at Wang Ba’s dantian.

*Zing—* A specific frequency of sonic wave poured directly into him. This wasn’t spiritual energy; it was a vibration specifically targeted at the weak point of the Poison Toad Spirit Core. With the aid of the Ten Thousand Phenomena Listening, Lin Ye precisely locked onto the core of that black sludge.

The sonic wave vibrated, and the black sludge churned violently.

"Ah—!" Wang Ba let out a shrill scream. The pores on his entire body opened, and black toxic fog gushed out.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Ye used his other hand to swiftly pull out silver needles, driving three of them in to seal the Ren and Du meridians, preventing the toxin from spreading further.

"Pull them out."

The silver needles were removed, and a black crystal core the size of a thumb was pinched between his fingers. The core was pitch black, radiating a nauseating, fishy stench.

"This is… the Poison Toad Spirit Core?" Su Wan’s eyes widened in disbelief. This was a forbidden medicine explicitly banned by the Heavenly Medical Pavilion!

Wang Ba slumped to the ground, gasping for air, his face twisted with terror and despair.

"It was you…" Wang Ba trembled, pointing at Lin Ye with a raspy voice. "You framed me! You’ve been monitoring me the whole time!"

"Shut up." Lin Ye cut him off coldly. He tossed the crystal core carelessly onto the ground. "Hoarding forbidden medicines, intending to gain wealth through illicit means. The evidence is clear. Since Elder Sun is here, I assume he heard everything."

By then, Sun Dehai had already made his way to the peak of the Pill Peak without anyone noticing. His cloudy gaze fell on Lin Ye, a complex light flickering in his eyes.

"Not a bad technique." Sun Dehai slowly descended the steps, each step landing in the hearts of the onlookers. "Especially that final blow. Sonic resonance, precise separation. When did you learn that skill?"

Lin Ye cupped his fists in a salute. "I learned it from ancient texts and gained a slight insight."

In the face of absolute strength, honesty was the most efficient form of communication.

Sun Dehai nodded and did not press further. He turned his gaze to Wang Ba, his eyes full of disappointment and anger. "Wang Ba, do you know your crime?"

Wang Ba shivered, too weak and terrified to speak.

Sun Dehai shifted his focus back to Lin Ye. "Lin Ye. Although you are an expelled disciple, what you did today not only saved Wang Ba but also exposed a scandal within the Pavilion. I cannot ignore this merit."

He paused for a moment, his gaze deep. "Tomorrow at the hour of the Dragon, report to the Hundred Medicines Repository. I need you to test the poison levels in a batch of newly arrived medicinal herbs. This is an order, and also a test."

Lin Ye’s expression didn’t change. "Disciple accepts the order."

Sun Dehai nodded in satisfaction, turned, and left. His figure vanished into the mist, but his profound, unfathomable aura still lingered over the Pill Peak.

Su Wan looked at Lin Ye, her heart a mixture of conflicting emotions. The waste she had expected had just displayed techniques of unfathomable depth.

"Lin Ye." She spoke suddenly. Her voice was no longer cold, tinged with a hint of curiosity. "How many more secrets do you have?"

Lin Ye didn’t answer. He simply led Black Charcoal and kept walking forward.

Black Charcoal wagged its tail, stepping lightly, seemingly indifferent to the terrifying incident that had just occurred.

Lin Ye walked down from the Pill Peak, his gaze sweeping over the crowd to lock onto a humble medicine hut in the distance.

He heard it.

From the depths of that hut came a very faint, yet malice-filled chuckle. It wasn’t a human sound, but an ancient, cold sigh. It seemed to come from the roots of plants deep underground, or from some slumbering ancient mineral spirit.

"Young man… your ears are a truly wonderful thing."

Lin Ye paused for a split second, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold arc.

It seemed this play had only just begun.