During this time, the power struggle between the elders and the patriarch in the Yin family continued, causing enough chaos outside that nobody paid much attention to Yin Jiuxiao.

Lin Qinghen occasionally kept in touch with Yu Yinyin to get updates on Die Meng Medicine Hall. He wasn’t much of a businessman, but since everything was running smoothly, he felt at ease. The medicine was selling well, just as he expected, and Die Meng’s decision not to raise prices during this crisis—even lowering them slightly—was unique in the city. It won the goodwill of many ordinary people.

More importantly, Die Meng’s medicine was of excellent quality. For the same price, their Yellow-grade Four-Star elixirs were significantly better, showing fast and effective results. Even after the rat plague, Lin Qinghen was certain they’d have plenty of loyal customers coming back. In his mind, he called this “brand recognition and customer loyalty.” Die Meng had taken its first real step in establishing a reputable name.

Lin Qinghen handled the store’s supply chain. Yu Yinyin would discreetly come to the Lin residence to pick him up. He would pass her the medicines he’d already prepared in the system and supply her with Red Round Wheat and the base ingredients from his plantation. The entire process didn’t take much time. Yu Yinyin had long suspected he had some kind of spatial artifact, and Lin Qinghen didn’t bother denying it.

At first, Yu Yinyin had worried about him working on this while returning to the Yin residence. She’d even suggested he just stay at Die Meng Medicine Hall. But Lin Qinghen reassured her that his alchemy method wasn’t like conventional alchemy; it didn’t make a fuss, and with the “spatial artifact” he possessed, Yin Jiuxiao wouldn’t notice. There was nothing to worry about.

He didn’t need a big plot for his research; Yin Jiuxiao’s courtyard was enough. Whenever he needed to conduct critical experiments, he used a small inner room that Yin Jiuxiao didn’t use, making it a perfect hideaway. After clearing it a bit and digging in some soil, he created a makeshift lab. No one from the Yin family paid attention, being caught up in other “major affairs,” and even if they noticed, they wouldn’t understand.

On that, Yin Jiuxiao could testify. Although he wasn’t entirely oblivious, he didn’t fully grasp what Lin Qinghen was doing—just that he seemed deeply into studying soil, constantly digging. Despite being covered in dirt, Lin Qinghen always washed his hands before taking Yin Jiuxiao’s hand or helping him around.

Yin Jiuxiao had initially thought that as Die Meng’s young master and the one responsible for turning the tide during the rat plague, Lin Qinghen might step into the spotlight. But no, he still spent quiet days with him in the courtyard as if the outside world had nothing to do with him.

Were it not for his shadows, Yin Jiuxiao might have truly believed Lin Qinghen was as simple and compliant as he seemed.

Of course, Lin Qinghen had a reason for staying low-profile. Tying himself openly to Die Meng Medicine Hall would only attract unwanted attention. After all, marrying into the Yin family bound him to them to some extent. Most in the Yin family still saw him as a useless character, much like Yin Jiuxiao. Being overlooked meant fewer complications, giving him the peace he needed to conduct his research.

Should he reveal himself as Die Meng’s owner now, Xu Yaoyang wouldn’t let it slide. He had no intention of throwing himself into the fray; the timing just wasn’t right. Yin Hengxie might have a tenuous hold even on Yin Jiuxiao, so there was no point in relying on him either.

For now, Die Meng Medicine Hall publicly presented Yu Yinyin as the owner. Yesterday, a few troublemakers tried to disrupt business, but she swiftly threw them out. Her status as a Heaven-grade Spirit Master had drawn significant attention across Lei City. Yin Hengxie and his subordinates, aware of Die Meng’s importance at this critical juncture and seeing her Heaven-grade standing, naturally tried to support and recruit her.

Word quickly spread throughout the city that Die Meng had a powerful backing and honest business practices, building trust among the locals. Even the two alchemists who had once disrespected Lin Qinghen had no grounds to seek revenge. Since he’d worn a mask when they saw him, they couldn’t even recognize him now. Ironically, Yu Yinyin told him what happened to those two.

“Those two weren’t very skilled to begin with. After switching to a different medicine hall, they quickly realized it wasn’t as good as Die Meng. A few days ago, they even tried to come back, but I chased them away. Oddly enough, when they came to me, they were both injured. I overheard something about their hands being broken and some force left in the wounds that prevented healing. They’ll be suffering for a long while,” she explained.

Lin Qinghen frowned, “Who did that?”

“Not anyone from Die Meng. We’ve been too busy to bother with them,” she replied. “But well, it’s just karma.”

Lin Qinghen thought about it briefly and dropped the matter.

Later that day, when he returned home, he found Yin Jiuxiao lying on the couch alone, just as he had left him. It was a habit for Yin Jiuxiao to take an afternoon nap—a good habit, Lin Qinghen thought, as it allowed him to go out during that time. After waking up, Yin Jiuxiao, with a sleepy expression, immediately looked for him, only settling down once they were holding hands.

“Jiuxiao,” Lin Qinghen said softly, his heart unexpectedly warming, “Things are chaotic outside right now. Lei City is crawling with thugs. Please, listen to me and don’t go out. Stay safe, alright?”

Yin Jiuxiao lowered his eyes and nodded, “Understood.”

Lin Qinghen felt satisfied, thinking he was being so obedient.

Aside from all the outside turmoil, he had more pressing matters to handle. For his soil research, he gave Yu Yinyin a list of supplies he needed. By now, Yu Yinyin’s trust in him had grown immensely. She understood that her disciple wasn’t an ordinary person; even if she asked questions, she wouldn’t understand. So she just went along with his requests without probing.

Most of what Lin Qinghen asked for wasn’t particularly rare, just some Yellow-grade spirit plant seeds and random materials. His experiments showed that starting from the soil was indeed a foundational approach. But it was a vast project, one he couldn’t complete overnight. To meet the system’s task requirements, he’d have to take it step by step.

He noticed that each Yellow-grade spirit plant behaved differently in Bei Zhou’s soil. The system only required five types, so he gathered the most common Yellow-grade spirit plants used in alchemy around Bei Zhou. After testing over a hundred types, he picked five with the strongest, most resilient veins.

The five he selected weren’t the most popular in alchemy. Each had its own drawbacks, like long growth periods or limited production. But if they were pushed past these limitations, they’d become entirely different.

Right now, he couldn’t remove the Demonic Qi from the soil. That scale of work was beyond him, and if he did accomplish it, he’d be worshipped by all of Bei Zhou. He needed to take small steps, being well aware of his current limitations. By carefully mixing different soils to maintain a specific concentration of Demonic Qi, he found he could prompt a temporary “excited” state in the plants. Any less, and this state wouldn’t occur. The spirit plants still died, but they lasted longer than before.

Just a bit more, and he might succeed.

However, after adjusting the soil, Lin Qinghen hit a bottleneck. The missing piece was still that “little bit.” His initial approach involved adding protective elements at critical times to help the plants survive. He tried injecting concentrated spirit liquid to offset the Demonic Qi, but it didn’t work; the sudden influx overwhelmed the weakened plants, killing them even faster.

Yin Jiuxiao, sensing his frustration, thoughtfully suggested, “If you’re asking for my perspective, I’d say don’t fight against the Demonic Qi. Guide it, or rather, use it. Don’t treat it as an enemy; that’s the only way to survive.”

Lin Qinghen felt a hazy insight from his words, though not quite clear. They continued discussing it, and he found that Yin Jiuxiao seemed rather experienced in this area.

“Don’t fight it,” he mulled over the phrase all the way until late at night.

Since Yin Jiuxiao was blind and needed assistance, Lin Qinghen naturally shared the bed with him. The bed was large, so it didn’t feel crowded, and Lin Qinghen had grown used to it.

Yin Jiuxiao, able to smell the calming herbal scent on him, found himself more at ease around him, even able to focus better on cultivation and sleep more soundly. After all these years, only Lin Qinghen could lie next to him without making him uncomfortable; since their marriage, he had readily accepted it.

However, Lin Qinghen’s frustration was even more apparent at night. Even if Yin Jiuxiao were truly blind, Lin Qinghen’s muttering would reach his ears. Just like the first time they met, whenever things didn’t go smoothly, he’d start talking to himself, as if repeating it enough would clear his doubts.

“Don’t fight it, don’t fight it… this Demonic Qi…” he murmured to himself, eyes slightly furrowed in thought.

Amused, Yin Jiuxiao reached out, pulling him closer. “Still thinking about it? I should’ve kept quiet.”

The words were true; using Demonic Qi wasn’t something achievable overnight. Yet, Lin Qinghen didn’t shy away from the closeness, even putting an arm around Yin Jiuxiao’s waist as if it were the most natural thing.