The air in the underground laboratory was thick with the smell of antiseptic and rusted metal — a scent that failed to conceal the deeper, sweeter rot of blood.
The silence inside was filled with restrained breathing…the slow drip of fluid…the faint rattle of chains.
At the center of the room, a man was strapped to a stone experiment bench. His limbs were locked in place by engraved restraints. A gag muffled his screams into desperate, animalistic sounds. His eyes bulged, veins spiderwebbing across them as he watched the figure standing beside him.
The researcher did not even have a trace of emotion on his face.
Shen Zimo adjusted a crystalline needle above the subject's exposed chest. His movements were unhurried and precise.
Whenever the needle descended, the man convulsed violently. A strangled howl trembled in his throat.
Whenever Shen Zimo discovered any new details, he immediately noted them in a book. He even ensured that no bloodstains fell on his meticulously maintained book.
Suddenly, the door opened. A woman entered, her plain ash grey robe tied neatly at the waist. She paused at the threshold, breathing in as if appreciating the scent of suffering.
"Master," she said softly, her voice was gentle and respectful.
Shen Zimo did not turn immediately. He finished noting his conclusions, adjusting his book as if it were a treasure, and only then spoke.
"You are late."
"I was preparing the next batch of poisons."
Stepping back, his gaze swept over her briefly — not as one looks at a person, but as one verifies the condition of a tool.
"Continue."
Without another word, he walked to the stone basin in the corner and began washing his hands. The sound of running water was soft, almost tranquil, completely at odds with the muffled sobbing behind him.
The woman stepped forward. Her presence changed the atmosphere.
Where Shen Zimo had been cold and distant, she was warm — almost tender.
"It's alright," she whispered near the patient, her voice like a lullaby. "Don't be afraid. Breathe slowly... you'll only make it hurt more if you struggle."
Her fingers were gentle as they adjusted the restraints.
At the same time, she pushed a thinner needle into a meridian point in his hand that caused the man's entire body to arch in silent agony.
"Good," she murmured soothingly. "We are only testing poison, as long as you are lucky and useful, nothing will happen."
At the basin, Shen Zimo spoke calmly.
"The Mu family Patriarch's condition — how is it? How much longer will he live?"
"He is still fine master, maybe he bought those rank 4 pills which seem to have stabilized his condition." she replied, her voice still soft as her fingers traced the patient's pulse as though comforting him. "He couldn't eliminate the poison, but maybe he will live for another 2 years ."
Water ran across Shen Zimo's pale fingers. He watched the diluted red swirl away.
"Any changes on the surface?" he asked.
"No master, the great Shen Zimo is still being praised as a miracle healer," she said with a faint smile. A pause. "They are begging you to find the cure… for the poison you created."
Shen Zimo dried his hand slowly, methodically, as though the conversation concerned nothing more than the weather.
"Their desperation funds our progress," he said.
Shen Zimo returned to the desk and opened his book with a little reverence, ensuring the corners aligned perfectly before writing.
"The meridian collapse is stable. But his organs are failing rapidly; it's still the last step. I need more subtle poisons to maintain the organs. Even if they decay, I should still be able to maintain them, but I need more experiments now."
He paused, calculating.
"Two years huh?? It should be enough, but I should increase my speed. Terminate him and bring that other guy to the table and inject him with the 76th dose."
The patient's eyes widened in absolute terror. His muffled screams turned into frantic, broken sounds.
The woman leaned closer, her expression filled with pity.
"Don't move," she whispered. "It will be over soon. I'll take care of everything."
Her hand slid gently over his throat — almost like a lover's touch.
A thin blade flashed.
Silence.
She held him as his body went still, lowering him with care as though putting a child to sleep.
Behind her, pages turned.
...
Lost in thought, Tianwen walked slowly along the stone path, as calculations rose and fell within his mind.
In just two months, the tiny stream he had opened inside that shabby tavern had quietly swelled into a silent river of wealth, bringing him a total of 1,500 spirit stones.
After handing Zhang Yan and Chen Tao their combined share of 450 spirit stones and setting aside another hundred for expenses, he was left with 950 spirit stones in pure savings.
The more important part was not the money.
What pleased him even more was how smoothly the entire operation had run, far beyond their expectations. In the beginning, a few customers did complain that the wine's quality had dropped, but Chen Tao either brushed them off or scolded them outright, and the matter never grew into any real disturbance.
Later, he and Chen Tao researched and added other herbs to make the taste and smell similar to the original; after that, almost no problems occurred.
But after thinking and seeing more he also started getting afraid. He know that owner of the tavern won't question him, but what if he tried to kill me and shift the blame to someone else??
This is a threat, a threat to his life.
As for the owner not noticing?? Please, we should never underestimate our enemies. And someone who can manage business of this scale is definitely not a fool.
So for this reason he decided to stop doing this after another six or so months, by that time he can understand the family more and start something else.
By the time Tianwen arrived at Zhang Lin Yuan's residence, the look on his face changed, replaced with the proper calm of a disciple.
Inside the courtyard, Zhang Qingshan was already waiting.
Not long after, Zhang Lin Yuan walked out.
His gaze swept over the two of them and gave a small nod.
"The one-year training period has ended, as of today," he said plainly. "You will now be assigned to an external post."
"After discussing with the 2nd and 6th elder, we decided to send you both to the seventh district. As we talked earlier you 2 will form a team after reporting there." Lin Yuan continued. "You need to report Zhang Meiying of the 7th district in 2 days."