Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 2 Red Beans

Li Shiming strolled down the garden path at a leisurely pace. Although he felt the urge to hurry, he remained uncertain if Chief Escort Wang was tracking his movements from the shadows. To put the man's mind at ease, he had to maintain an air of perfect tranquility.

It was only after he cleared the garden and caught sight of his own courtyard that he felt the weight of his anxiety begin to lift.

He was currently torn between two paths. The first involved reporting the situation to his father, Li Wenyuan. As the Magistrate of Nanling Prefecture, his father was a fourth-rank official and held the highest authority in the region.

Given the influence Li Wenyuan wielded, it would be a simple matter to mobilize experts to wipe out Chief Escort Wang.

The alternative was to follow Chief Escort Wang’s instructions and prepare the medicine as the prescription dictated.

"I'll play along for the time being. If I find no other way to settle this mess, I'll have my father intervene!" he mused.

Because Chief Escort Wang required his assistance for a specific task, his life was safe for the moment. Furthermore, with the Three-day Soul-breaking Pills securing his compliance, the Chief Escort likely wouldn't be overly suspicious of him.

As he stepped into the courtyard with these thoughts, his personal maid, Si Qin, noticed him and hurriedly hid something behind her back. She then approached with a smile and offered a respectful curtsy.

Si Qin served as his primary attendant. Under her, five other maids handled the heavier chores, while two nannies were tasked with looking after his needs.

However, Li Shiming preferred a quiet environment. Consequently, except for Si Qin, the other servants remained in their quarters and only appeared when summoned.

"What are you concealing there?" Li Shiming asked, feeling a spark of curiosity at Si Qin’s bashful expression.

"Just some trinkets from Nanny Wang. I thought they looked lovely, so I asked for a few!" Si Qin replied, opening her palms to reveal several red beans.

Li Shiming could only shake his head in amusement. It was no wonder she was blushing; these were love beans. It appeared Si Qin was reaching an age where her heart was beginning to stir with thoughts of romance.

He was about to send her on an errand when he took a closer look at the beans.

The tips of these particular love beans were tinged with black. He recognized them as 'Mother Hen Beads,' a variety of love bean that was extremely poisonous. Consuming even two or three could prove fatal.

Naturally, very few people were aware of the lethal toxin hidden inside. Since love beans originated from the far south, most locals remained ignorant of their danger and couldn't tell the difference between a standard love bean and a Mother Hen Bead.

"Si Qin, go find Nanny Wang and ask how many more of these black-tipped beans she has. Collect all of them, including any she gave to others. Tell them I want them, and hand over the ones you have as well!" Li Shiming commanded with a sudden gravity.

"Yes, Young Master!" Si Qin pouted slightly, clearly disappointed, but she didn't dare disobey. She handed him her beans and prepared to leave.

"Also, have Mo Yan come see me!" Li Shiming called out before she could depart.

Once inside his study, Li Shiming began copying the prescription provided by Chief Escort Wang, though he only noted the specific quantities of the medicinal ingredients.

Thanks to the memories he inherited from the original owner of this body, his brushwork and calligraphy were quite respectable.

The world he now inhabited shared many traits with his previous life, yet it was distinct. He lived in the Country of Xia, where the written language utilized Chinese characters and the Confucian classics were studied. These similarities suggested a deep connection to his former world.

Li Shiming knew the classics were identical because he had studied them in both lives.

In his past life, he had been a frequent visitor to the university library, where he developed a fondness for ancient literature. While he hadn't been an expert on Confucianism, he was well-acquainted with the texts.

In this life, he had been immersed in these studies since childhood, and he had already attained the rank of a Scholar.

This title wasn't something he gained through his father's status; he had earned it through his own academic merit and passing the examinations.

Achieving the rank of Scholar by fifteen was a rare feat for most, but for someone from a family with such a strong academic background, it had been a relatively smooth process.

Even though he hadn't relied on his father’s position as Magistrate, the educational resources and environment he enjoyed were far beyond what commoners could imagine.

As long as one wasn't a fool and was willing to apply themselves, becoming a Scholar through the official exams was an inevitable outcome under such privileged conditions.

The geography of this realm, however, differed from his old world. For instance, no record of a place as vast as Nanling Prefecture existed in the history he knew.

Situated in the southern reaches of the Xia Country, Nanling Prefecture was linked to the Central Capital and the northern Guanhai Prefecture via the Immortal Cutting Canal. Along with four other major regions, it stood as one of the seven pillars of the Xia Country.

As Li Shiming was lost in thought, the voices of Si Qin and the servant Mo Yan drifted in from outside.

Mo Yan entered the room, struggling under the weight of a wooden crate, which he set down carefully before his master.

"Young Master, I've had everything constructed according to your designs. Please see if these meet your requirements, and I will have any errors fixed immediately!" Mo Yan said, his face full of eager anticipation.

A surge of excitement hit Li Shiming, but he kept his composure as he pried open the crate.

Inside lay the components for a generator, all manufactured according to the blueprints he had drawn.

Only three days after his transmigration, he had realized he needed a constant source of power. Drawing on his knowledge of electrical engineering and his understanding of this world's resources, he had drafted the plans and tasked Mo Yan with their creation. Now, Mo Yan had delivered right on time.

He had prepared himself for a subpar result, figuring he could manually fix any minor discrepancies.

However, when he inspected the parts, he was stunned.

Ignoring the wooden frame for a moment, he examined the iron gears. It was hard to believe these intricate pieces had been crafted by an ancient society. Their precision was so high they looked as if they had been turned on a modern lathe.

Those weren't even the most difficult items to produce. The real challenge lay in the magnets and the copper wiring.

He picked up a magnet, noting its flawless shape.

"Young Master, that magnet was produced by the local compass shop. We made sure to select their finest specimen for you!" Mo Yan explained, noticing his interest.

Since compass makers already had the expertise to shape magnets, adapting their methods to Li Shiming’s specifications hadn't been too difficult.

Li Shiming smiled and nodded, then turned his attention to the copper wire.

In truth, the wire had been his biggest worry, as it required the highest level of craftsmanship to pull off.

The wire he held was thin, flexible, and coated in a protective layer of lacquer. Even by the standards of his modern past, it was a high-quality product.

"I placed the order for the wire with the Wu family's jewelry shop. Once they heard it was for you, they put their master craftsmen on it overnight!" Mo Yan added, eager to claim credit for the smooth process.

"You've done excellent work. Si Qin, give Mo Yan two taels of silver," Li Shiming said with a grin, pleased by the servant's efficiency.

Si Qin obediently produced the silver and handed it to the beaming Mo Yan.

"Mo Yan, don't go spreading word of this. Keep the Young Master's business to yourself!" Si Qin warned softly.

She didn't know what Li Shiming planned to do with these gadgets, but with the Imperial Examinations looming, any distraction from his studies would cause trouble if the Magistrate found out.

"Mo Yan, I have another task. Take this prescription and buy these medicines immediately. Also, bring me the case files regarding the incident at Tianxiang Building!" Li Shiming said, his tone turning serious as he remembered his more pressing concerns.

With a fresh assignment and silver in his pocket, Mo Yan departed in high spirits.