Lin Qinghen was being dragged forward by him. The moment he heard the name “Lin Fei,” he knew things weren’t looking good.

Before long, a familiar, shrill, and annoying voice pierced his ears.

“These past few days, the elixirs I’ve been refining have all failed! I bet it’s because the materials from your plantation are bad! You bunch of dog slaves, how dare you look down on this young master? I won’t let this slide without teaching you a lesson!”

“And where is Lin Qinghen? I’ve seen him sneaking around here every day; maybe this useless waste is the one messing with my herbs, deliberately trying to make trouble for me! Come here, beat him to death!”

The Lin family had a few obnoxious and rude kids, and right in front of him stood one of them. Just hearing that voice made Lin Qinghen frown.

This person, Lin Fei, was a side branch of the Lin family, a year younger than Lin Qinghen. At just sixteen, he had developed a spoiled nature, bullying the weak while being afraid of the strong. The original owner had been severely bullied by him, and the whip scar on his arm was a souvenir from one of their encounters.

After coming back, Lin Qinghen had become much more agile than before; he had learned to evade Lin Fei’s bullying. However, Lin Fei hadn’t given up on targeting him over the years; perhaps Lin Qinghen was one of the few soft persimmons he could squeeze in the Lin family.

Being able to overpower the family head’s own son probably brought him a sense of satisfaction, especially since his own side branch wasn’t particularly powerful.

Lin Qinghen followed Shi Qi as they walked a few steps forward. He moved quietly, without making a sound, and didn’t rush in. Instead, he hid behind a tree to watch the situation unfold.

Lin Fei was somewhat plump, jumping up and down in anger. From a distance, he looked like a moving gourd. Behind him were two guards holding long sticks, and they were preparing to vent their frustrations on a few ordinary workers from the plantation.

According to the rules of the plantation, they couldn’t casually use combat-related Spirit Power, as it could damage the formations set up around the area. But judging by the looks of it, even if they were only relying on brute strength, the workers wouldn’t be able to take too many hits.

Shi Qi was anxious, but he also knew about Lin Qinghen’s situation. This young master wasn’t valued; he didn’t even have a guard by his side, let alone a servant to attend to him. Usually, he avoided trouble, so rushing in today would just get them both beaten up. But at that moment, he didn’t know who to call for help.

“Where’s the head of the plantation?” Lin Qinghen whispered to him.

“The plantation head was called to the inner circle for some business today and won’t be back for a while,” Shi Qi explained, his hands clenched in worry. “What do we do now?”

Lin Qinghen looked around, frowned, and then motioned for Shi Qi to come closer. He whispered a few instructions.

Shi Qi hesitated. “Will this really work?”

“Just do as I say,” Lin Qinghen patted his shoulder. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll come up with another plan.”

Upon hearing this, Shi Qi gritted his teeth and walked towards Lin Fei.

Lin Fei was still fuming when he saw a worker approach. He initially wanted to drag him over to join in the beating, intending to interrogate him about where Lin Qinghen was hiding. But then he saw Shi Qi step forward, head down, and say a few words to Lin Fei. Lin Fei’s expression changed.

“…Are you serious?”

Shi Qi continued to respond according to Lin Qinghen’s instructions, his voice trembling, “How could I dare to lie to you?”

Lin Fei walked in circles, visibly agitated, as if he had thought of something. He then waved his hand to his two guards. “Go back for now!”

“…Young master?”

“Stop the nonsense,” Lin Fei was already running out, “Hurry! There’s something urgent. I’ll come back in a few days to settle the score with Lin Qinghen and you bunch of lowly slaves!”

That disaster of a person left in a hurry.

Lin Qinghen waited behind the tree for a while. Once Lin Fei was gone, he stepped out, and Shi Qi had already helped the two unfortunate workers back up. Fortunately, they had arrived quickly, and their injuries weren’t serious.

People in this area recovered quickly, and with a bit of medicine, they would be fine by the next day.

“Thank you, Young Master Qinghen,” the workers expressed their gratitude, looking around to ensure no one was listening before quietly complaining, “Lin Fei can’t even refine elixirs properly and always takes it out on us.”

Lin Qinghen had lived in the plantation long enough that many of the workers recognized him. Although the Lin family didn’t care for this so-called useless child, he was the most approachable and kind-hearted young master for the lower-class servants. He treated them like friends and had a good temper. Most of the workers had a decent relationship with him, aside from a few who liked to show off.

“Just what did Shi Qi say to Young Master Lin Fei?” After Lin Fei left, their curiosity got the better of them. “Why did he leave so quickly?”

Shi Qi explained, “It was Young Master Qinghen’s idea. He said that the Ninth Elder is coming back today.”

The Ninth Elder, Lin Shushu, mentioned by him, was Lin Fei’s mother and the half-sister of the Lin family head, Lin Zhongtian. In terms of family relations, she was Lin Qinghen’s aunt.

She had considerable talent and had recently broken through to the five-star Heaven Stage, giving her a solid standing in the family.

In this place, as long as you had status, polygamy was common. Lin Fei’s father was one of the favored consorts of Lin Shushu, but he had a rather flamboyant romantic life, with a household of wives and concubines that numbered in the double digits and numerous children.

Every day, a group of men in the courtyard engaged in drama over rivalry and jealousy. Now that he was back after several months, it was likely to spark yet another round of competition.

But hearing this, the workers were even more puzzled. The movements of the elders were usually kept private, and even Lin Fei, the biological son, didn’t know. How did Lin Qinghen know?

“I guessed,” Lin Qinghen replied.

“Ah?”

Lin Qinghen smiled slightly. A guess was different from a blind guess; he felt he had a reasonable basis for it.

Not long ago, across the stream where he had been setting fish traps, he noticed the Qiang Qiang flowers growing on the opposite side. This one-star plant had low spirit power but emitted a strong and unusual fragrance, which could be used as a cooking seasoning.

However, not everyone could tolerate that smell. To put it bluntly, it was akin to the cilantro or fish mint from a past life, but with a more potent flavor.

In Lin Shushu’s courtyard, aside from her who loved that flavor, no one else could stand it. The Lin family didn’t have many who enjoyed it either, but that morning, a servant from her kitchen had carefully picked a large bunch in the fields.

The fresh Qiang Qiang flowers were the best; their scent faded over time. Lin Qinghen guessed that Lin Shushu was returning, and this was food prepared for her.

“If my guess is correct, Lin Fei and his father must not know about this. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to the plantation to cause trouble today. He would have to discuss it with his father and prepare to present themselves well in front of Lin Shushu.

It seems that the servant from the Ninth Elder’s courtyard was intentionally keeping the news under wraps. He didn’t want anyone else interfering with this rare welcome banquet and wanted to get ahead of everyone else, so the rest of the Ninth Elder’s household was still in the dark.”

Lin Qinghen paused for a moment before continuing, “Moreover, everyone knows that the Ninth Elder went out on a mission… Ah, I mean, was sent to resolve the magic energy rift issue in Runshui City, which was expected to take three months. Now, he’s back in two months without asking for additional assistance from the Lin family, which means things must have gone smoothly.

If the magic energy rift is resolved successfully, all kinds of resources will surely flow in, and with Lin Shushu returning in triumph and in a good mood, any spiritual treasures she hands out will likely be precious items. Such opportunities are rare. Hearing this news, Lin Fei will definitely return to his courtyard to prepare for rewards. Who would have time to be angry about small matters then?”

No wonder that disaster left in a hurry.

Shi Qi was still worried. “What if this guess is wrong? What if he gets angrier and comes back?”

“Don’t worry,” Lin Qinghen said without a hint of concern. “This news is better kept under wraps. The servant in the Ninth Elder’s courtyard is still hiding it. Lin Fei wouldn’t casually ask others to verify it.

Besides, if I’m wrong and the Ninth Elder hasn’t returned today, your plantation head will be back. He usually bullies the weak and wouldn’t make a scene in front of your plantation head.”

Having lived here for so long, Lin Qinghen understood his situation well. He wasn’t suited to confront anyone head-on, but if trouble came knocking, he always found a way to avoid it. He had become quite experienced at this.

The workers felt much more relieved after hearing this.

Lin Qinghen’s logic wasn’t complicated, but it took some thought to grasp.

The various kitchens in the inner courtyard of the Lin family all needed to come to the plantation to harvest. The main and side branches of the family added up to quite a few, and their personalities and thoughts were all different. With so many servants in this large area, the workers, who had been working here for many years, didn’t dare claim to understand these matters thoroughly.

But Lin Qinghen seemed to know everything about his family—what each person liked, what they thought, and even how the servants in each courtyard looked. He was exceptionally quick to respond, unlike an ordinary person.

At that moment, there was no time to ponder further. The situation was settled for now, so Shi Qi hurried to help the workers apply medicine, while Lin Qinghen followed his plan and started cooking his shrimp porridge, also offering to lend a hand.

One of the injured workers was supposed to feed the Luo Luo Beast (which, in Lin Qinghen’s eyes, looked like a giant pig). This spirit beast had a huge appetite and needed to be fed at specific times each day. Missing a feeding could lead to trouble.

To help out thoroughly, Lin Qinghen kept track of the time. Once the worker finished feeding the pig and returned, the porridge was just about ready. He effortlessly took it over.

The Lin family plantation was vast, and naturally, there were vehicles for transportation. These vehicles ran on a few spirit stones as fuel and resembled small tricycles. The model that seated people in the front and carried goods in the back was indeed universal across every world.

Lin Qinghen was quite efficient at his work. It didn’t take long to finish pouring the feed. He was thinking about the fresh shrimp porridge in his small pot when an accident occurred on his way back.

Whether it was due to an uneven road or a vehicle malfunction, just as he was about to arrive, he suddenly felt a jolt, and the vehicle lost balance, tipping to one side.

It was a small slope, and with the vehicle being heavy, the accident came too suddenly. Lin Qinghen, with his Yellow Stage Two-Star strength, couldn’t manage the situation and could only focus on avoiding a head-first fall.

As he fell off the overturned vehicle, only one thought flashed through his mind.

—Why does it feel like he still has a grudge against tricycles after switching to a different world?!

Then, Lin Qinghen felt a sharp pain and darkness clouded his vision. Strangely enough, he didn’t completely lose consciousness.

At that moment, a “ding dong” sounded in his head, followed by a mechanical voice.

[Ding… Time point confirmed… The Alchemist System is beginning to identify the host.]

[Scanning complete. Binding is starting, three, two, one…]

[Binding successful. We wish you a pleasant experience.]

The voice was not entirely clear to him; he felt as though his head was filled with a thick fog, and he had a vague sensation of dizziness. He tried to open his eyes but felt as if his eyelids were heavy. Struggling through this state, Lin Qinghen finally began to see what was in front of him.

This was no longer the plantation.

He found himself in a small, egg-shaped space surrounded by black mist. The ground felt as soft as cotton. In this space, only the area directly in front of him was illuminated—a rectangular electronic screen.

It had been a while since he had seen anything electronic, and he felt a bit nostalgic.

He thought he must have been knocked silly and was now dreaming. He even pinched his arm, but felt no pain, so he didn’t think much of it. Driven by curiosity, he reached out to touch the screen.

To his surprise, the screen had a physical presence. The moment his finger made contact, text began to appear on it.

[The Alchemist System is at your service. Initialization complete. You are currently entering the novice trial phase, and task one has been automatically accepted.]

[Task One: Raw Materials, the Foundation of Elixirs.]

[Requirements: Improve the primary raw materials for alchemy, research and increase the mutation rate of Round Wheat to 10%, and personally plant and harvest ten mutated Round Wheat plants.]

[Reward: One formula for Hemostasis Powder, and 1 point of natural affinity for the host.]

[Wishing you success in your tasks.]