Is It Wrong to Bully the Novice Village for System Rewards?

Chapter 182: Spirit Grass Lives Matter

“It’s simple logic,” Qi Yuan began slowly, his tone measured. “Senior Ancestor is a Pill Saint; his alchemy techniques are peerless. Even a basic Qi Gathering Pill refined by his hand would possess a quality far superior to anything else on the market.”

“Any knowledgeable alchemist would recognize such distinctive pills at a glance.”

He paced slightly, adopting the air of a seasoned investigator. “Under normal circumstances, a thief who steals such a massive quantity of priceless pills can’t possibly consume them all. They would inevitably try to fence the goods, exchanging them for Spirit Stones or other cultivation resources.”

“The Pill Saint Immortal Market happens to be the world’s largest distribution hub for medicinal pills. Even if the thief were cautious enough to sell the goods in a different region, the circulation of commerce ensures that those high-quality pills would eventually flow back here.”

“If you can identify these suspicious pills in the market, you can use them as a breadcrumb trail to track down the seller and uncover the thief’s true identity.”

Qi Yuan wasn’t actually an expert detective, but he had watched enough episodes of Detective Conan in his past life to understand the tropes. He hadn’t eaten pork, but he’d seen a pig run. With a little common sense, guessing Zu Xianxian’s plan was child’s play.

Though, he mused silently, while the girl’s logic is sound, if she runs into one of those unconventional ‘old six’ campers who don’t play by the rules, she’s doomed to fail.

“Exactly!” Zu Xianxian’s eyes sparkled. She looked at Qi Yuan with newfound respect. “You really are an expert investigator. No wonder you have the confidence to get involved.”

Then, her expression shifted to one of suspicion. She squinted at him. “You’re being awfully helpful. You’re just trying to curry favor with my Great-Grandfather, aren’t you?”

The corner of Qi Yuan’s mouth twitched.

This little girl is sharp, but her emotional intelligence is tragic. Is this how you conduct a conversation?

He cleared his throat, masking his awkwardness, and decided to simply lay his cards on the table. “To be honest, this humble one does have a request for Senior Ancestor. However, that is a matter for after the case is resolved.”

“For now, Miss Zu, please describe the specific details of the crime. I need to sift through the clues.”

Hearing this, Zu Xianxian nodded with satisfaction. A sweet, endearing smile appeared on her small face. “At least you’re honest. You’re much better than those hypocritical, pretentious guys who claim they just want to ‘help’.”

Then, her shoulders slumped, and she wrinkled her nose in frustration. “I’ve been patrolling the Immortal Market for over 10 days. Aside from catching a bunch of shady merchants selling counterfeit pills, I haven’t found a single lead. It seems the ‘follow the money’ strategy is a dead end.”

She sighed dejectedly before forcing herself to perk up and brief him on the case.

“A month ago, the thief first visited the Spirit Medicine Garden and abducted the four most precious Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Herbs.”

“Next, they looted the Sect’s treasury, sweeping away a massive fortune. We lost tens of thousands of Top Grade Spirit Stones alone.”

Zu Xianxian clenched her small fists, her face flushing with indignation. “That was bad enough, but the most hateful part is that he targeted Great-Grandfather’s private pill refining chamber! Not only did he steal every single pill Great-Grandfather had refined over the years, but he also left a provocative message on the furnace! It’s simply outrageous!”

Qi Yuan listened quietly. He waited for her breathing to steady before asking the question that piqued his interest.

“That… if I may ask, what exactly did the thief write to make you this angry?”

Zu Xianxian’s expression turned bizarre. She hesitated, looking as if the words were physically painful to speak.

“Miss Zu,” Qi Yuan pressed gently, playing the professional. “The message is crucial for profiling the suspect. It reflects their mental state at the time of the crime. Please, do not hold back.”

On the side, the two bystanders—Liu Qi and Piao Genshuo—pricked up their ears, their curiosity peaked.

“Well…” Zu Xianxian hemmed and hawed for a moment before gritting her teeth and spitting it out.

“The thief wrote: ‘Spirit Grass Lives Matter! Anyone who uses Spirit Grass to refine pills is a demon!'”

She took a breath, her voice trembling with rage. “And what’s more infuriating is the handwriting! It was crooked and sloppy, and half the words were misspelled! We had to call in several knowledgeable Sect Elders just to decipher the gibberish! If that isn’t a provocation, what is?”

Zu Xianxian’s fair face turned beet red. “We are alchemists! We deal with Spirit Grass all day long! Spirit Grass exists to be made into pills! If we don’t use Spirit Grass, what are we supposed to use? Mud?”

“That thief wrote that dog-fart nonsense just to slander alchemists everywhere! It is malicious, despicable, and shameless! I’m going to die of anger!”

Liu Qi and Piao Genshuo stood dumbfounded. Qi Yuan was equally speechless.

He considered himself a man of the world. He had seen cat lovers, dog lovers, and people who treated pets like children. But a grass rights activist? That was a new one.

At this moment, Qi Yuan was absolutely certain: this disaster was the work of a certain mischievous little grass spirit.

The only lingering doubt was the scale of the crime. Given that little herbal spirit’s limited abilities, it was unlikely it could pull off such a major heist alone.

The Pill Saint Sect was a first-rate power, second only to the Seven Great Holy Lands. While they didn’t have a Great Ascension cultivator, they were infinitely stronger than small-fry sects like Falling Cloud Valley. Furthermore, alchemists were notoriously wealthy; their defensive arrays and security measures would be top-tier, fueled by endless Spirit Stones.

To wreak havoc inside the heavily guarded Pill Saint Sect without leaving a trace… relying solely on a Ten-Thousand-Year Phantom Star Herb spirit seemed impossible.

Qi Yuan rubbed his brow thoughtfully as a hypothesis formed in his mind.

Does the little grass spirit have an accomplice?

Just as Qi Yuan was lost in thought, Liu Qi grabbed his arm urgently. “Fellow Daoist Qi, well? Have you discovered anything new from this?”

Piao Genshuo joined the excitement. “Hurry up and tell us, my brain is spinning!”

Zu Xianxian stared at him with wide, expectant eyes, clearly hoping for a breakthrough.

Qi Yuan pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. “Based on Miss Zu’s description, I can infer that the thief possesses an extremely sophisticated method of concealment. They were able to bypass your Sect’s guards and infiltrate key restricted areas—the herb garden, the treasury, and the refining chamber—with ease.”

Zu Xianxian looked disappointed. She pouted, muttering, “I didn’t need you to tell me that. Our defenses are ironclad; we’ve never had a breach before. If this thief didn’t have some special trick, they would have been caught instantly.”

Qi Yuan offered a faint, confident smile.

“I know your Sect is heavily guarded, with layer upon layer of restrictions. Under normal circumstances, not even a fly could buzz in unnoticed.”

“But, Miss Zu, have you considered that even the most meticulous defense might have a blind spot?”

Zu Xianxian’s eyes widened in astonishment. “You mean…?”

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes, his tone calm and final.

“For instance… the one place most formation arrays fail to cover… the underground.”