One Pill, Countless Secrets

The second month in Lac Van passed faster than Hao Nhien had expected.

The green was no longer confined to a few small trial plots around the oasis. From the nursery near the water’s edge, rows of Sa Diep had begun spreading outward. Xich Can was planted lower and divided into narrow strips, while Kho Diep, though still more difficult to cultivate than the other two, now had a much more stable survival rate.

From a distance, Lac Van was still only a small tribe on the edge of the Western Wastes. There were no towering walls, no grand formations, no spiritual radiance covering the sky. Yet around the small lake, patches of green had begun connecting with one another, enough to make the place look completely different from when Hao Nhien first arrived.

More people were returning as well.

Some had worked in Heavenly Eye City, some at mining stations, and others had followed merchant caravans for years. Not everyone who returned immediately decided to stay, but the fact that they were willing to come back simply to see how Lac Van was changing was already a great difference from before.

From time to time, people from neighboring small tribes also came.

Some asked for paid work. Some wanted to learn how to conserve water or build nurseries. Others were simply curious how medicinal plants that had once grown scattered across the wasteland could now be cultivated together while still using so little water.

Lac Thua did not accept everyone.

Anyone who wanted to stay for long had to register their name, background, former occupation, where their family lived, and whether they had caused trouble in the past. Most of that work was handled by Lac Loi.

He was neither the strongest cultivator nor as knowledgeable about medicinal plants as Lac Lam, but he knew the city, knew prices, knew the roads, and knew how to speak with merchants. More importantly, he was beginning to distinguish between those genuinely looking for work and those who had only come to probe what Lac Van now possessed that might be worth taking.

After nearly a month of observation, Hao Nhien had come to understand his value clearly.

One morning, he summoned Lac Loi to the small house behind the nursery.

There was only a sealed letter on the table.

Lac Loi looked at it and asked,

“Where does Apothecary Giai want me to go?”

“Hoa Van.”

Lac Loi paused.

Hao Nhien had mentioned that name several times before, but had never explained it clearly.

“Is it far?”

“Very far.”

Hao Nhien answered.

“If you travel quickly and do not stop for long, the round trip should take about three months.”

Lac Loi sat straighter.

“Three months?”

“Yes. But I do not want you to simply run there and come straight back.”

Hao Nhien pushed the letter across the table.

“Give this to Luu Thanh. Then stay for a few days and observe how they work.”

Lac Loi frowned slightly.

“What should I look at?”

“How they divide responsibilities, manage warehouses, accept newcomers, and coordinate food, medicinal supplies, and manpower. Watch how they settle disputes, who takes responsibility when something goes wrong, and who checks goods when they enter storage.”

Hao Nhien paused.

“You do not need to learn everything, and you certainly do not need to bring their entire system back here. Just see what Lac Van can actually use.”

Lac Loi’s expression gradually became more serious.

“Anything else?”

“Yes.”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“Meet Lanh Hoa. Tell him to choose around ten people with experience—people who can travel quickly, take care of themselves, and avoid drawing attention—then bring them back here with you.”

“To Lac Van?”

“Yes.”

Lac Loi picked up the letter.

“I understand.”

Hao Nhien watched him for a moment longer before saying,

“Bringing people back is only half of this journey. The other half is opening your eyes.”

Lac Loi nodded slightly.

“I’ll pay close attention.”

Two days later, he left Lac Van.

There was no farewell ceremony.

Only one good Sa Beast, a bag of dry provisions, a sealed letter, and a journey expected to last three months.

At the end of the second month, Hao Nhien and Quan Nha entered Heavenly Eye City again.

Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion had already grown accustomed to the two of them appearing on schedule. The moment the attendant reported their arrival, Dai Ninh came down personally.

“Brother Giai.”

Hao Nhien smiled.

“Chief Steward Dai is starting to remember the dates?”

“I remember the pills.”

Dai Ninh answered bluntly.

Quan Nha laughed softly.

The three went upstairs, and this time there was little need for courtesy. Hao Nhien placed five jade boxes on the table.

Dai Ninh recognized immediately that the quantities were uneven.

“Fewer Meridian Nourishing Pills and Body Stabilizing Pills?”

“Just over half of what we expected.”

Hao Nhien replied.

“The other three are nearly complete.”

Dai Ninh did not look surprised. He opened each box himself, checking the Qi-Vitality Pills, Body Strengthening Pills, and Qi Recovery Pills first before turning to the remaining two.

The quality was still stable.

There were fewer Meridian Nourishing Pills than expected, and slightly fewer Body Stabilizing Pills still.

After finishing his inspection, Dai Ninh asked,

“How is the new ingredient supply?”

“Moving in the right direction.”

Hao Nhien replied.

“Sa Diep, Xich Can, and Kho Diep in Lac Van have begun stabilizing in output, but the first harvest is still not large enough to replace all supplementary ingredients from the Pavilion’s stores.”

Dai Ninh nodded.

“I did not expect it to happen that quickly.”

“We still need to rely on the Pavilion for the primary ingredients and the other supplementary materials, but once those three begin supplying a stable portion on their own, the ingredient chain will be less dependent than before.”

Hao Nhien continued,

“Meridian Nourishing Pills and Body Stabilizing Pills can gradually increase later, but I do not want to raise the quantity before seeing an actual harvest.”

Dai Ninh smiled.

“I prefer hearing that to empty guarantees.”

NovelPhoenix is where the author publishes this chapter, and this copy was made without their consent.

“I do not guarantee crops that have not been harvested.”

“Exactly.”

Dai Ninh nodded, then pointed at the three fuller boxes.

“These are the main quota anyway. The military supply office already knows the other two depend more heavily on ingredients, so the smaller quantities this month are not a problem.”

Hao Nhien raised an eyebrow slightly.

“They’re satisfied?”

“More than satisfied.”

Dai Ninh poured tea.

“Not long after the first batch was delivered, the military supply office was already asking when the next one would arrive. Several clans in the city have also begun placing advance orders, and two merchant associations even asked me directly where the pills were coming from.”

Hao Nhien slowly turned his teacup in his hand.

“You didn’t tell them, did you?”

Dai Ninh laughed.

“I am not an idiot.”

Quan Nha nodded lightly.

After a moment, Hao Nhien set down his cup.

“Chief Steward Dai, I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“Last time, someone came to Lac Van and tried to force us to sell medicinal herbs to them. That matter has already been settled, and I have no intention of pursuing small people like that. But it reminded me of something.”

The smile on Dai Ninh’s face faded.

Hao Nhien looked directly at him.

“Lac Van has a contract with the Medicine Pavilion, mechanisms through the commercial division, and perhaps more protections in the future. But I am not naive enough to believe that a single document will make everyone in Heavenly Eye City step aside.”

Dai Ninh did not interrupt.

“Where there is profit, people compete. Some want pills. Some want medicinal herbs. Some want supply routes. And some may want none of those things themselves, but simply do not want another faction to have them.”

Dai Ninh slowly narrowed his eyes.

“How deep does Brother Giai want to know?”

“Nothing you should not say.”

Hao Nhien answered.

“I only want to know that if someone comes to Lac Van in the future, I can at least understand which side they stand on. Some people can be driven away. Some should be invited to sit down and talk. And with some, one wrong response can turn a small matter into a large one.”

Dai Ninh studied him for several breaths before nodding.

“That is indeed something you should know.”

He set down his cup.

“From the outside, Heavenly Eye City looks like a single body. In reality, the inside is much more complicated.”

Hao Nhien remained silent.

“At the very top is the City Lord. Outsiders rarely have any direct contact with that person. Even I know little beyond what everyone in the city knows.”

Dai Ninh lowered his voice slightly.

“Below the City Lord are four Deputy City Lords. You can think of them as the four great pillars supporting Heavenly Eye.”

Hao Nhien’s eyes shifted slightly.

“Four?”

“Yes.”

Dai Ninh raised one hand.

“Ta Minh holds the northern district of Heavenly Eye City, with his influence extending along the Ta Thanh route. Huu Liet controls the south, with deep influence over Huu Thanh and the routes beyond it. Tien Phong holds the eastern district and the Tien Thanh network. Trung Vu controls the west and also dominates most of the Trung Thanh route.”

Hao Nhien asked,

“Those are their real names?”

Dai Ninh smiled.

“Titles taken after assuming office. Once someone sits in that position long enough, even the city gradually begins calling them by that name.”

Hao Nhien nodded lightly.

That made more sense.

Dai Ninh continued,

“All four remain in Heavenly Eye City. Each controls a district of the central city while extending a network of power outward. Troops, trade routes, clans, labor, and dependent forces all form separate webs around them.”

Only then did Hao Nhien appear to remember something.

“On the road to Heavenly Eye City, I heard quite a few merchant caravans saying that Tien Thanh has been unstable recently. Something happened to the City Lord there?”

Dai Ninh showed no suspicion. The news had already spread along the merchant routes, so it was perfectly natural for someone like Giai Nhien, who traveled frequently, to have heard it.

“You mean Duong Quang?”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“I only heard that the City Lord of Tien Thanh died. I do not know what happened afterward. If each Deputy City Lord controls an outer route, then which side does Tien Thanh belong to?”

“It is still under Tien Phong’s network.”

Dai Ninh answered.

“Duong Quang directly managed Tien Thanh, but one level higher, he still belonged beneath the authority of Deputy City Lord Tien Phong. His death has made that side rather unsettled recently. Several positions and interests are being rearranged, but it has not reached the point where the entire Tien Thanh system is out of control.”

Hao Nhien nodded lightly, showing only the mild curiosity of a merchant who had finally found an explanation for rumors heard along the road.

“No wonder merchant caravans heading that way keep saying prices and transport schedules are changing.”

Dai Ninh smiled faintly.

“When the people below change positions, the goods naturally change routes as well. But Tien Phong is still there, so nothing major has descended into chaos.”

Hao Nhien asked no further.

One name had died, but the thread behind him clearly remained.

Dai Ninh did not notice that small reaction and continued,

“Huu Thanh is the same. Hoang Lap is the City Lord of Huu Thanh, but Huu Thanh is not a completely separate entity from the center. Deputy City Lord Huu Liet is the higher level of power above him.”

Hao Nhien did not turn his head, but beneath the table he felt Quan Nha’s hand tighten briefly around his.

Only for a moment.

Then she let go.

Dai Ninh continued,

“The four factions are not entirely harmonious. They compete for trade routes, positions, people, and for who receives more favor from the City Lord.”

“Not enough to openly fight?”

“Not easily.”

Dai Ninh shook his head.

“At least not to the point of shaking Heavenly Eye’s foundation.”

Hao Nhien asked,

“Who sets the boundary?”

“The City Lord.”

Dai Ninh answered naturally.

“The four factions can pressure one another, seize trade routes, cause the other side to lose people or territory, but there are two things they cannot touch: they cannot betray the City Lord, and they cannot damage the foundation of Heavenly Eye.”

Hao Nhien thought for a moment.

“So competition is tacitly permitted?”

“More than permitted.”

Dai Ninh smiled.

“To a certain extent, it is useful. The weak are pressed down, the strong take more, but in the end, whatever they gain still remains inside Heavenly Eye.”

Hao Nhien fell silent.

This system did not try to erase conflict.

It merely kept all conflict beneath the same roof.

After a while, Dai Ninh continued,

“As for the City Lord… I truly do not know how to explain it.”

Hao Nhien raised his eyes.

“The four factions compete over many things, but I have never felt that any of them truly wanted to step over that person.”

“Because they fear him?”

Dai Ninh frowned.

“Not exactly.”

“Then why?”

“I do not know.”

He shook his head.

“Stay here long enough, Brother Giai, and perhaps you will understand for yourself.”

Hao Nhien did not press further.

A thought had already flashed through his mind, but there was no need to chase it yet.

Dai Ninh looked at him.

“That is why it matters which route someone comes from. They may all be people of Heavenly Eye, but someone from the Ta Thanh network and someone from the Huu Thanh network will not necessarily handle the same matter in the same way.”

Hao Nhien asked,

“Which side does Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion belong to?”

Dai Ninh paused slightly.

“At present, we lean toward the Huu Thanh network.”

Hao Nhien was silent for a moment before asking,

“And if both sides want the same thing?”

Dai Ninh laughed.

“Then we see who is willing to pay more.”

“Not only spirit stones?”

“Of course not.”

He looked at Hao Nhien.

“In a place like Heavenly Eye City, the most expensive things rarely have a price written on them.”

Hao Nhien smiled faintly.

What Dai Ninh had told him was incomplete, but it was already enough for him to see the outline of something larger.

People standing in different positions could look at the same commodity for entirely different reasons.

He slowly turned his teacup.

“Chief Steward Dai.”

“Yes?”

“If there were a pill good enough, could it make people from several of these factions appear in the same place?”

Dai Ninh blinked, then laughed.

“Brother Giai wants to expand his clientele?”

Hao Nhien smiled as well.

“Since I have already come to Heavenly Eye City, I would like to know how far my goods can sell.”

The answer sounded perfectly natural.

Dai Ninh leaned back.

“Your pills sell well. The military supply office likes them, and the clans have begun asking about them too. But Heavenly Eye City is larger than you think.”

He continued,

“Mid-grade pills can bring managers or deacons. High-grade pills will attract more attention, but they may still not be enough to make the people with real weight appear personally.”

“Then what would be enough?”

“At minimum, something they cannot easily obtain.”

Hao Nhien nodded lightly.

After a brief silence, he waved his hand.

A small jade vial appeared on the table.

From the outside, there was nothing unusual about it.

Dai Ninh looked at the vial, then at him.

“What is this?”

“Chief Steward Dai should inspect it first.”

Dai Ninh picked it up and opened the stopper only slightly.

Just a narrow gap.

A faint medicinal fragrance escaped.

The smile on his face immediately froze.

Not because the fragrance was overwhelmingly strong, but because it was extraordinarily clean. The medicinal power within carried almost no sense of disorder or impurity. It was so pure that a single breath was enough for someone who had worked with medicine for many years to recognize the difference.

Quan Nha also glanced toward Hao Nhien. The hand resting on her knee tightened slightly before relaxing again.

Dai Ninh closed the vial, thought for a moment, then opened it again.

This time, he used spiritual qi to inspect it very slowly.

A moment later, his head snapped up.

“Extreme-grade?”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“Body Stabilizing Pill?”

“Yes.”

Dai Ninh fell silent.

At last, he placed the jade vial down with extreme care, even more gently than when he had inspected the five boxes of mid-grade pills earlier.

“Brother Giai… you refined this one as well?”

Hao Nhien raised an eyebrow.

“Did you think I found it lying beside the road?”

This time, Dai Ninh did not laugh.

He stared at Hao Nhien for a long while before saying,

“I have worked with medicine for many years. Of course I have heard of extreme-grade pills, and I have read records describing them. But to personally inspect one…”

He exhaled slowly.

“This is the first time.”

Hao Nhien asked,

“Then is it enough?”

“Enough for what?”

“Enough to make the people Chief Steward Dai just mentioned willing to appear.”

Dai Ninh did not answer immediately.

This time, he truly thought about it.

After a while, he said,

“I cannot guarantee who will personally come. Some factions will send representatives, some may observe from private rooms, and others may not reveal even their names.”

He rested a hand on the jade vial.

“But if the news is spread properly, everyone worth noticing will certainly hear about it.”

Hao Nhien nodded lightly.

That was enough.

Dai Ninh suddenly seemed to remember something.

“There is a regular auction in the city tomorrow evening.”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“It is not the largest auction of the year, and the item list is already nearly finalized, but an extreme-grade pill is enough to justify an exception.”

Dai Ninh’s gaze fell again on the jade vial.

“If you truly intend to sell this pill, tomorrow’s auction would be the best opportunity.”

“Is one day enough?”

“For an ordinary item, no.”

Dai Ninh replied.

“But an extreme-grade pill is not meant for ordinary buyers. As long as the Medicine Pavilion sends invitations to the right people, one day is enough.”

Hao Nhien smiled.

“Can Chief Steward Dai arrange it?”

“With something like this, the organizers will make room themselves.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“Then the Medicine Pavilion can consign it for me.”

Dai Ninh looked slightly surprised.

“You do not want to put your own name on it?”

“No need.”

Hao Nhien answered naturally.

“I already work with the Medicine Pavilion, and the pills pass through your hands. You understand this market better than I do.”

He looked at Dai Ninh.

“If it is inconvenient, I can arrange it myself.”

“No.”

Dai Ninh immediately waved a hand.

“There is nothing inconvenient about it.”

He reached toward the jade vial, then stopped.

“It is only that… Brother Giai truly trusts me?”

Hao Nhien looked at him for a moment, then pushed the vial across the table.

“Chief Steward Dai, there is one thing I want to make clear first.”

Dai Ninh’s hand stopped completely.

“Go ahead.”

Hao Nhien spoke calmly.

“I am entrusting this pill to the Medicine Pavilion for consignment, but I want it to actually appear in tomorrow’s auction.”

Dai Ninh paused.

“You mean?”

“No private sale. No separate exchange. And no one comes to ask a price and takes it away before it reaches the auction floor.”

Hao Nhien looked directly at him.

“No matter who that person is.”

The room fell silent for a beat.