“Huh? You’re awake?”
Chu Fan walked over and sat by the bed, handing a cup of hot tea to Chen Qianchi.
Looking at the cup of hot tea, Chen Qianchi didn’t take it.
Instead, her eyes filled with tears as she reached out to hug Chu Fan, wailing loudly.
“Master! Waaaahhhh!!!”
Chu Fan blinked in confusion.
He didn’t know what had happened, but he knew asking at a time like this was pointless, so he gently patted Chen Qianchi’s back.
“There, there, it’s alright now.”
It took a long while for Chen Qianchi to calm down.
Looking at her master so close to her, she was filled with a mix of emotions.
On one hand, she desperately wanted to tell Chu Fan about Shen Yuying’s nonsense right now.
According to Chu Fan’s rules, Shen Yuying should be expelled from the sect.
However, Chen Qianchi also knew that with Chu Fan’s sharp tongue but soft heart, there was a high probability things would turn out exactly as Shen Yuying planned.
Then she would be ruined!
But if she didn’t say anything, Shen Yuying would definitely get worse in the future.
Who knew what other outrageous things she might do?
Even though Chen Qianchi believed Shen Yuying would never do anything to hurt Chu Fan, the distance between them would only continue to grow.
She feared she would forever be left looking at her back from afar.
She was unwilling.
Yet, she was powerless to change the current situation.
Thinking of this, her tears fell again.
Seeing Chen Qianchi start to cry again, Chu Fan didn’t worry but laughed instead.
“Master, what are you laughing at…” Chen Qianchi asked aggrievedly.
“I’m laughing at you. You were the biggest crybaby when you were little, and now that you’re grown, you still cry the moment something happens.”
“I do not… Xiaotang was clearly the biggest crybaby…”
Chen Qianchi wiped her tears and said stubbornly.
“That’s not true. Xiaotang is much stronger than you. She only looks silly. Do you really think she’s a fool?”
“Anyway, it’s not me! It’s not me! I’m not a crybaby!”
“Alright, alright, you’re the strongest. You’re the strongest, okay?”
“Hmph…”
Chu Fan reached out and rubbed her head.
“What happened? Tell me.”
“Master… I… I want to ask you a question…”
“Go ahead.”
“What… what are your thoughts regarding the three of us… as your disciples…”
Hearing this, Chu Fan’s eyes widened.
He blinked a few times and gave a helpless smile.
He stood up from the bed, walked to the window, and opened it.
The wind blew Chu Fan’s bangs, revealing his exquisite profile.
Looking at the scenery outside, Chu Fan said calmly, “I know all three of you have some special feelings for me. But that’s because you’re still too young and don’t understand anything. Once you grow up a bit more, you’ll thank the current me.”
“Oh…”
Not getting the answer she wanted but not wanting to defy her master, Chen Qianchi could only nod reluctantly.
“Alright, if nothing else is wrong, come to class with me.”
“Together?”
“Yes. Starting today, I am also a Teaching Elder.”
“Really!?”
Chen Qianchi’s miserable mood vanished instantly.
“Yes, let’s go.”
“Okay!”
Chen Qianchi leapt from the bed and jumped onto Chu Fan’s back.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, making it impossible for him to shake her off.
“Don’t play around, get down,” Chu Fan scolded playfully.
“I won’t. Whenever I was hurt in the past, Master would carry me.”
“Are you hurt today too?”
“Mhm.”
“Where?”
“Right here.”
Chen Qianchi pointed to her chest.
“Internal injuries?”
“A broken heart. I was clearly rejected by Master — it’s a very serious heartbreak.”
“…Get down.”
“No.”
“…”
Chu Fan was speechless.
He had no choice but to cup Chen Qianchi’s toned thighs with both hands and lift her up a bit.
“Hehe~ Master is the best~”
Chen Qianchi wrapped her arms around Chu Fan’s neck and pressed her cheek against his back, smiling with pure happiness.
“Just this once.”
“Mhm, mhm.”
‘I’ll just beg him again next time,’ Chen Qianchi thought, though she readily agreed out loud.
When Chu Fan appeared in the alchemy room carrying Chen Qianchi on his back, Shen Yuying visibly frowned.
The overflowing atmosphere of happiness vanished instantly.
Meeting Shen Yuying’s gaze, Chen Qianchi unceremoniously made a face at her, sticking out her pink tongue and waving it back and forth.
“Eh? Is Senior Sister injured? Why did Master carry her here?”
“…” Shen Yuying was speechless.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Chu Lingshuang sat alone in a corner.
Seeing the silhouettes of Chen Qianchi and Chu Fan overlapping, her dried-up tear ducts became moist once more.
Looking at that back, it was as if she were seeing a time from many years ago.
Back then, she was also the child on Chu Fan’s back.
It was just a cruel twist of fate.
No, it was her.
She was the one who had personally killed the life she missed the most.
Now, as she watched what used to belong to her being given to someone else, she couldn’t say a single word of complaint.
In front of everyone, Chu Fan set Chen Qianchi down and let her return to the crowd.
“Junior Sister truly has some tricks up her sleeve,” Shen Yuying said with a fake smile.
“I wonder what you’re referring to, Senior Sister?”
Chen Qianchi smiled back in the same manner.
The atmosphere between the two instantly became tense.
Su Xiaotang scratched the back of her head, looking utterly confused.
“Senior Sisters, you two seem to be in high spirits.”
“…”
Both of them fell silent at the same time.
On the other side, standing before the crowd, Chu Fan noticed Chu Lingshuang out of the corner of his eye.
He frowned and walked over to her.
Chu Lingshuang noticed a shadow slowly appearing on the ground in front of her.
She looked up and met Chu Fan’s gaze.
“Mas—”
“Aren’t you the Sect Saintess? Why would you show up at an Outer Disciple’s class?”
“I came here of my own accord… As long as I hold the title of Saintess… I can enter and leave any place in the sect as I please…”
“Oh.”
“Besides… since it’s Master’s class… how could I possibly…”
Before she could finish, Chu Fan tilted his head, gesturing for her to return to the group.
Chu Lingshuang nodded slightly, stood up, and walked to the very back of the crowd.
“Does anyone here know how to refine pills, or has anyone studied alchemy?”
Shen Yuying, Chen Qianchi, and Su Xiaotang raised their hands simultaneously.
“Master, I do.”
“Master, I do!”
“Master, I’ve studied it, I think…”
“…You three don’t count. Does anyone else know alchemy?”
At the back of the crowd, a slender, delicate hand slowly rose.
Chu Fan was silent for a moment before saying softly, “You don’t count either. Anyone else?”
The crowd was silent.
Chu Fan fell silent as well.
He thought to himself that it was no wonder Jun Lin wanted him to come.
These Outer Disciples were simply a disorganized rabble.
How on earth had this sect managed to persist until now?
Even if it was just the Outer Sect, it shouldn’t be like this.
The Inner Sect probably wasn’t much better.
“Um… Teacher… I… I’ve studied a bit…”
In the middle of the crowd, a slender hand slowly rose.
The crowd parted, and Chu Fan looked closely.
It was a short-haired girl holding a parchment book and wearing glasses, looking somewhat timid.
“Oh? There actually is someone. Come over here.”
The girl walked to Chu Fan’s side submissively.
Seeing an unfamiliar girl — especially a good-looking one — standing next to Chu Fan, the three girls in the back almost all wore identical expressions.
It was a look of hostility toward an intruder stepping into their territory.
‘That damn thieving cat, how dare she get close to Master.’
‘She looks timid, but people like her are actually the most cunning!’
‘Master is so biased! Why didn’t the three of us count? But it’s a good thing he didn’t pick me. Wait, what was the mantra for alchemy again?’
Everyone had their own thoughts.
“What’s your name?”
Chu Fan asked gently.
“Lin… Lin Anlan…”
“Anlan. Good. Can you tell us what the three most important elements of alchemy are?”
“Okay…”
Lin Anlan stood before the group, pushed up her glasses, and said softly, “The three elements of alchemy are the formula, the ingredients, and the heat control.”
“Good. Go on. Why these three?”
Chu Fan said, satisfied.
“An incorrect formula not only makes it impossible to refine a pill, but it also wastes high-quality ingredients. One might even face the risk of the cauldron exploding, which could backfire and injure the alchemist.”
“Mhm, go on.”
The more Chu Fan listened, the more satisfied he became.
This was a textbook answer.
Looking at the glasses the girl wore, they seemed like a magical tool made of glazed jade.
If she had forged them herself, that would be even better.
Chu Fan even felt the urge to poach her for himself.
“The quality of the ingredients fundamentally determines the upper limit of the pill. With low-level ingredients, even the most powerful alchemist with the best cauldron and flame cannot improve the result by more than two grades.”
After speaking, Lin Anlan turned her head to look at Chu Fan again, as if seeking his permission.
“Don’t look at me, continue.”
Receiving affirmation, the corners of Lin Anlan’s mouth curved slightly.
It was as if she had gained confidence; her voice became a bit louder.
“As for the heat control, it is the part that tests an alchemist the most. Even if one possesses top-notch formulas and ingredients, if the heat control isn’t handled well, it will still result in the waste of good materials and formulas.”
“Great! Excellent!”
Chu Fan clapped his hands as he spoke.
“What she said is absolutely correct. Did you all hear that clearly?”
“Yes!” everyone shouted in unison.
In the crowd, only a small group of three or four people remained silent.
Instead, they looked at Lin Anlan with disdain, causing her to lower her head and fall silent once more.
Chu Fan keenly noticed this.
He patted Lin Anlan’s shoulder and told her to go back.
“Next, I will ask another student to refine a sub-par pill on the spot.”
“A sub-par pill?”
The crowd buzzed with confusion.
“A so-called sub-par pill is the lowest grade of pill, lower than Grade 1. In fact, it’s not even considered a spirit pill, but a mortal medicine. As for the Grade 10 immortal medicines, you aren’t yet at the level to touch them.”
“A few talented individuals might be taught separately by me later, but otherwise, none of you are allowed to touch immortal medicines. If you want to live, let me hear you say ‘Understood’!”
“Understood!”
The crowd’s emotions were instantly ignited.
Among them, the three girls once again wore the same expression.
It was the expression of a proud wife watching her man do something incredible.
‘As expected of Master. He truly is the best teacher in the world.’
‘Master taught us the same way back then. How nostalgic.’
‘As expected of Master, his voice is so loud!’
Everyone had their own thoughts.