Chapter 84: Heavenly Dog Eats the Sun

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Heavenly Dog Eats the Sun

Scattered across the desk were several handwritten papers, mostly notes on alchemy and records of medicinal herbs.

Meanwhile, the bookshelf held numerous books organized by category. Quickly searching through them, Chen Yue soon found several Pill Formulas recorded on silk and brocade.

Without a closer look, Chen Yue rolled them all up and tucked them inside his robes.

With that done, Chen Yue wasted no more time.

He turned, helped the unconscious Lin Quan up, and hoisted him onto his back. In a flash, he silently departed the courtyard of the Alchemy Room.

Chen Yue first took Lin Quan back to his residence, Lanzhi Courtyard. He took a small stick of Awakening Incense from his robes, known for its restorative effects, and held it under Lin Quan’s nose.

Lin Quan’s brow furrowed, and his breathing seemed to ease, but he didn’t wake up immediately. Clearly, the drug’s Medicinal Power was potent and would take time to wear off.

Chen Yue did not wait. With another flicker of movement, he sped toward another heavily guarded location deep within the Chen Mansion: the family treasury.

The commotion at the Alchemy Room just now had not been minor—there had been explosions and the clash of swords. But throughout the inner courtyard of the Chen Mansion, there was no sign of guards rushing to investigate.

In preparation for today’s events, Chen Xuanli, Chen Jing, and the others had already given orders: no matter what disturbance came from the Alchemy Room, no one was to approach.

They believed they had everything under control and never imagined such a disastrous outcome. As a result, though guards were present in the treasury area, they were completely unaware of the dramatic events that had just transpired in the Alchemy Room.

Chen Yue arrived outside the self-contained courtyard that housed the treasury. Two strong-looking guards stood watch at the gate, while a middle-aged man, who appeared to be the steward, was flipping through a ledger beside them.

The three of them were taken aback to see Chen Yue arrive alone. ’At this hour, what would a new Pill Master like Chen Yue be doing at the treasury?’

The steward was the quickest to react. He set down his ledger, plastered a smile on his face, and stepped forward, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Pill Master Chen, what brings you to the treasury? If you require anything, you need only give the word and we’ll have it sent to you. There’s no need for you to make the trip yourself."

Chen Yue remained calm. He pulled the Patriarch Token he had taken from Chen Jing from within his robes, flashed it before the steward’s eyes, and said flatly:

"That won’t be necessary. A moment ago, the Patriarch and I were discussing the Alchemy Dao. He mentioned a few ancient formulas in the mansion’s collection that he’d like me to peruse, and specifically instructed me to come to the treasury to find and examine them myself. This is the Patriarch Token."

The steward’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the token.

The token was made of a smooth, lustrous material, its patterns clear and distinct. The character for "Chen" in the center pulsed with a faint light. It was, without a doubt, authentic.

The steward was riddled with doubt. ’Letting an outsider, a Pill Master, enter the family treasury alone to peruse ancient formulas?’

’This was completely out of character for the normally cautious Chen Jing.’

But the Token was genuine, and Chen Yue’s expression was calm and open, not at all like he was lying. More importantly, Chen Jing was the Patriarch. His orders—especially one delivered with the Patriarch Token in hand—were not something a lowly treasury steward like himself could ever question or obstruct.

The expression on the steward’s face shifted, but he finally managed to force a smile. Stepping aside, he waved at the guards. "Since it’s the Patriarch’s command, what are you waiting for? Open the door for Pill Master Chen!"

"Yes!" The two guards didn’t dare to delay. They hurried forward, produced their keys, and worked together to push open the treasury’s heavy, iron-bound wooden door.

"After you, Pill Master Chen," the steward asked solicitously. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"No, I can look around by myself. No need to trouble yourself, Steward."

Chen Yue put the Token away and walked straight into the treasury. The steward hesitated but ultimately didn’t dare to follow. He merely gestured for the guards to leave the door ajar as he retreated to his original position.

One of the guards sniffed the air, then walked over and whispered something to the steward. The steward’s expression instantly stiffened.

The treasury was more spacious than he had imagined. Several rows of tall, solid-wood shelves divided the space into different sections.

The air was filled with the faint, mixed aroma of camphor wood, medicinal herbs, and old paper. The light was dim, provided only by the ever-burning lamps hung near the entrance and in a few corners.

Chen Yue’s eyes swept across the room. The shelves nearest the door were neatly stacked with silver ingots and copper coins. The amount wasn’t staggering; there had to be other places where they stored the bulk of their silver taels.

Chen Yue’s gaze swept past these precious metals and moved toward the deeper recesses of the treasury.

There, he saw a greater variety of items: sealed Jade Boxes and porcelain jars, which clearly held valuable medicinal herbs.

There were scrolls of ancient Pill Formulas and texts stored in brocade or wooden boxes. And on a few separate, specially displayed shelves, were none other than Martial Arts Manuals.

Chen Yue’s spirits lifted, and he strode quickly to those shelves.

There weren’t many Secret Manuals, only about twenty or thirty, of varying quality.

Chen Yue then went to the section with Pill Formulas and found a dozen more, which he also collected.

As for the precious medicinal herbs, he selected a few that were easy to carry and wrapped them in the oiled paper provided in the treasury.

Chen Yue stood in the spacious center of the treasury, his gaze sweeping over the dazzling array of medicinal herbs, silver taels, and the many other miscellaneous books and artifacts on the shelves that he had no time to examine.

’In terms of value, the collection here was enough to make any minor family green with envy.’

’If I wanted to empty the place, I could have spared Chen Jing’s life and used his authority as Patriarch to slowly and thoroughly transfer everything.’

But the thought had barely formed before he crushed it.

The fact that the Chen Mansion’s core leadership had been wiped out in a single day was impossible to hide. News would spread like wildfire throughout Youlin County, drawing countless inquiries, suspicions, and—worst of all—the covetous eyes of the Divine Flame Cult and Youquan Prefecture.

’A mysterious expert capable of silently annihilating the Chen Family’s core leadership!’

Once that label was attached to him, Chen Yue would be dragged from the shadows and thrust into the eye of the storm.

’To bring endless trouble and unpredictable danger upon myself just for this money... it wasn’t worth it!’

Chen Yue found a sturdy, dark cloth sack in a corner of the treasury. He carefully placed the Secret Manuals and Pill Formulas he had just selected at the bottom.

Next, he stuffed the precious medicinal herbs into the remaining space.

Finally, Chen Yue went to the area where the currency was stored. He wasn’t greedy, taking only some gold leaves and Broken Silver, which he wrapped in a cloth before placing them in the sack.

It was enough for his travel expenses without being too heavy.

As Chen Yue was about to tie the sack shut, his gaze happened to fall upon the corner of a Weapon Rack.

Several swords and sabers lay in a pile there, most of them common stock. But one sheathed longsword, of a simple and ancient design, caught his eye. With the keen perception afforded by his Heart Nourishing Technique, he could faintly sense an extremely subtle sharpness and a baleful aura contained within the blade.

Intrigued, he stepped forward and picked it up.

SHING. With a soft ring, he drew the blade a few inches from its scabbard.

The blade was long and narrow with a slight curve, its surface as dark and clear as autumn waters. In the dim light of the treasury, a line of cold light shimmered along its edge. It was clearly no ordinary steel.

Flicking his wrist, Chen Yue tested the blade’s weight and balance and found himself quite satisfied. He sheathed the longsword, tied it directly to his waist with a cord, then slung the bulging sack onto his back and turned to leave the treasury.

When he pushed open the treasury door, the waiting steward and the two guards saw not only the large sack on his back but also the longsword now hanging from his waist. They froze on the spot, mouths slightly agape, their eyes filled with shock and suspicion.

’Browsing Pill Formulas and Secret Manuals in the treasury was one thing, but packing up a whole sack of goods and even arming himself with a weapon... This wasn’t just "perusing," this was clearly moving out!’

The smile on the steward’s face froze. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he started to ask a question, but his gaze fell upon the cold-looking longsword at Chen Yue’s waist. When he met the young man’s placid, unwavering eyes, the words died in his throat.

Then he saw the jade Patriarch Token still clutched in Chen Yue’s other hand. All his unease and suspicion dissolved into a flicker of terror, the implications of which he dared not consider. He could only step stiffly aside, lower his head, and bow in a gesture of deferential farewell.

The two guards were frozen in fear, not even daring to lift their heads.

Without a single glance at them, Chen Yue, with the sack on his back and the longsword at his hip, crossed the courtyard and quickly vanished into the shadows of an alley leading to the inner court.

Chen Yue returned to Lanzhi Courtyard, where Lin Quan resided. He found Lin Quan already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed. He was massaging his still-throbbing temples, his face a mask of bewilderment and confusion.

When Lin Quan saw Chen Yue enter, and especially when he noticed the sack on his back and the longsword at his waist, he jumped in surprise. He scrambled to his feet and asked urgently:

"Chen Yue? You... what’s with your attire? What happened back at Duke Zhige’s Alchemy Room? How... how did I get back here?"

Chen Yue looked at Lin Quan, his voice grave.

"Master Lin, Chen Zhige and his men secretly released an extremely potent Seductive Fragrance in the Alchemy Room, intending to knock us both unconscious. Their motives are unclear, but their intentions were anything but good.

The Chen Mansion is now a treacherous and dangerous place. I’ve decided to leave Youlin County at once. Out of respect for our acquaintance, I’ve come to ask you: will you stay here, or will you come with me?"

The sheer volume of information in those words was like a thunderclap exploding next to Lin Quan’s ear.

He froze where he stood, eyes wide. The color drained from his face and his lips trembled, but for a long moment, he couldn’t form a single coherent sentence.

’Chen Zhige’s invitation to discuss the Dao was a trap? The Patriarch and Chen Xuanli were in on it?’

’And now Chen Yue is leaving Youlin County immediately?’

This rapid series of events was utterly beyond anything he had experienced in his decades of peaceful existence.

The fact that Chen Xuanli, Chen Jing, and the others hadn’t appeared to stop Chen Yue... as soon as he thought about the deeper implications, a chill shot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, leaving him cold all over.

"L-Leave Youlin County?"

Lin Quan’s voice was hoarse as he repeated the words. His eyes darted involuntarily toward the door, as if he expected guards from the Chen Family to burst in at any moment.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask for details, to ask why Chen Xuanli and the others would do such a thing. But seeing Chen Yue fully packed and ready to leave, he felt that any question would be pointless.

Seeing Lin Quan’s wavering expression and indecision, Chen Yue frowned. He was about to speak again when his expression suddenly froze. He snapped his head up, his gaze fixed on the sky outside the window.

Startled by his sudden movement, Lin Quan instinctively looked up as well.

The blazing sun, which should have been hanging high in the sky and radiating intense heat, had at some point grown dim, as if covered by a thin, gray veil.

And next to the now-eerie solar disc, the moon—which had no business being in the sky at this hour—was slowly approaching, moving to overlap the sun at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The sun and moon hung together, their light seeming to bleed into one another. A distinct notch appeared at the edge of the sun’s disc, and darkness, like a drop of ink, began to rapidly consume the light.

’A celestial dog devouring the sun?’