Chapter 12 (2/2)

On the second day, Fang Lin headed to the alchemy altar early in the morning. He did not wish to arrive late just to draw mockery from the others. Even though he did not mind the taunting from the junior alchemy disciples, it was a bore to listen to them anyhow.

Lu Xiaoqing and the rest of the newly-initiated disciples arrived in succession. When she noticed that Fang Lin had already arrived, Lu Xiaoqing had a joyous expression on her face. She made her way to his side.

“I hope you are well, little Junior Disciple Sister Xiaoqing. It feels like absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Fang Lin greeted her while smiling.

Lu Xiaoqing rolled her eyes at Fang Lin and said in an unpleasant tone, “It’s only been half a month. Do you miss me that much?”

He chuckled. “Of course. You’re the closest friend I have in the alchemy sect. How can I not miss you?”

She scoffed softly upon listening to his words. She said, “That’s better.”

In the distance, Sun Hao noticed Fang Lin and Lu Xiaoqing being very close. There was a dash of jealousy in his gaze.

Kang Lu behaved just as he did in the past. He arrived accompanied by a retinue of junior alchemy disciples and took a seat in his old place.

The entire alchemy altar quieted down as soon as Kang Lu arrived. Some junior alchemy disciples were peeking at Fang Lin with a flash of pity and schadenfreude in their eyes.

Lu Xiaoqing leaned by Fang Lin’s side and whispered into his ear, “I heard from the others that the elder who is lecturing today is close to Kang Lu. I heard that he is going to deliberately create trouble for you during the lesson. Be careful.” Her breath smelled sweet while her voice was as soft as silk.

Fang Lin was not paying attention to Lu Xiaoqing’s words because his mind was thinking about something else. He asked subconsciously, “What did you say again?”

Infuriated, she smacked Fang Lin softly, but she was worried that Fang Lin would be at a disadvantage, so she got even closer to him. She was so near him that her lips were almost touching his ear.

“I was saying that the elder who is lecturing today has a close relationship with Kang Lu. I heard that he’s going to deliberately create trouble for you during the lesson. Be careful. Don’t blame me for not reminding you then. Can you hear me clearly now?” Lu Xiaoqing repeated in an irritated tone.

Fang Lin nodded. Then, he placed an Energizing Pill into Lu Xiaoqing’s palm. She lowered her head and took a look. Then, she looked at Fang Lin once again with a tinge of delight in her heart.

‘Sigh, I still have three more pills. I wonder if it’s enough,’ lamented Fang Lin in his heart, ‘I need more of these pills.’

Kang Lu sat in front of the alchemy altar. He turned around and cast a gloomy glance at Fang Lin.

“Senior Brother Disciple Kang, let’s wait and watch him embarrass himself,” someone said from the side.

Kang Lu nodded but did not speak. He found that he was feeling rather eager about the event that was about to take place soon.

It was late in the morning when the sun was high in the sky. A skinny old man dressed in gray robes walked to the stone platform slowly.

“I’m Zhao Dengming. It will be my turn to give today’s lecture.” The skinny old man Zhao Dengming’s eyes were burning like a torch as his gaze swept across the faces of all the junior alchemy disciples under the platform.

Fang Lin discovered that Zhao Dengming’s gaze held still for a moment when he noticed him. This made him realize that this old man was most probably going to make things difficult for himself today.

After worshipping the four statues, the lecture began. Zhao Dengming’s voice sounded slightly hoarse while his tone was stern and hurried. Only his voice was heard echoing through the entire alchemy altar, so the three thousand disciples under the platform dared not breathe too loudly.

Fang Lin did not fall asleep during the lesson this time. Lu Xiaoqing was very concerned at first. She was fearful that he would fall asleep just like the previous lesson, so she kept her eye on him.

In reality, there was a reason why Fang Lin had fallen asleep during the previous lesson. His body was weak and his spirit was very fragile, so he got tired very easily. On the other hand, Fang Lin’s meridians were fully opened now. He was full of vitality, so he would not fall asleep as long as he stayed focused.

All of a sudden, Zhao Dengming’s voice paused for a moment from the stone altar. Soon afterward, he continued to speak, “Alright, I’m about to begin asking questions next. The questions are directly related to my lecture earlier. If anyone fails to answer the questions, that means the person hasn’t been paying attention, and in turn, I shall punish him or her!”

Fang Lin squinted as he said to himself in secret, ‘Here it comes.’ On the other hand, Lu Xiaoqing was looking at him in concern.

Kang Lu sneered in his heart. He had already waited a long time for this moment.

As expected, the old Zhao Dengming immediately looked at Fang Lin in the crowd of people. He said, “You, stand up.”

Upon listening to him, Fang Lin stood up obediently. His expression was calm and composed without the slightest anxiety.

Zhao Dengming paused for a moment and asked, “What’s your name?”

Fang Lin answered, “I’m called Fang Lin. It’s an honor to meet you, Elder Zhao.”

Zhao Dengming nodded. There was utterly no way one could tell that he was targeting Fang Lin. “Here’s my question. There is a species of herb that’s all yellow in color and can be found in the Herb Garden. It has a pungent scent and feels warm to the touch. It blooms during the dawn and wilts by dusk, repeating the cycle every day until it matures in ten years. What is it?” he asked.

As soon as the question was posed, the numerous junior alchemy disciples began racking their brains for ideas under the stone platform. Even Kang Lu was frowning because he could not think of the answer at once.

Lu Xiaoqing had an anxious expression. The question was rather difficult. She had no idea what the answer was at all despite her frequent visits to the Herb Garden to learn more about herbology.

Elder Zhao has gone too far. There are countless medicinal herbs in the Herb Garden. How can one possibly know what that is when the description is so ambiguous? Lu Xiaoqing complained in her heart while she felt anxious on Fang Lin’s behalf.

Many junior alchemy disciples were shaking their heads in secret. Zhao Dengming’s intention to make things difficult for Fang Lin was too obvious. Fang Lin was likely going to end up being punished this time.