Adam smirked, eyes sparkling at the sweet sensation of teaching those insolent misters I know everything about their places.
Then, he shrugged the man’s question and outstretched his palm.
"Did I pass your cooking test, or do you want to refine a tier two pill with beasts’ poop next?" His eyes narrowed into determined slits. "Of course, I’ll report the matter to elder Shen Wu and Xu Fei after leaving. I’m sure they’ll laugh and co to see the two distinguished alchemists who bullied an innocent seven-year-old kid with dead materials and almost scamd his sect points."
Zhong Fei’s eyes enlarged at the not-so-veiled threat of facing two inner elders, especially those two headstrong and uncompromising n.
His neck tensed, each fiber visible as he imagined them storming the alchemy association to seek an answer. Even worse! With their temper, he knew they would make it a public affair to force the branch director out.
Icy sweat dripped from his forehead as he turned and pointed an accusing finger at his colleague, anger and unfairness flashing red in his eyes.
"You almost dood our career to save an hour! As your direct superior, I strip you of two of your stars and the status accompanying them." He hissed, and his fingers cracked into fists. "You’ll restart from the lowest level and find another alchemist to put up with your extre ideas."
Confronted with the harsh punishnt, the man’s face turned as livid as that of a ghost. His knees buckled, and his eyes lost their light for a second before his lips trembled to let out pleading stuttering.
"Y-You had nothing to do with my actions. I-I’m willing to compensate him for my mistake." Tears rolled down his cheeks as his stuttering turned into sobbing. "Please. Please, big brother Zhong Fei. You’ve seen how diligently I worked under you."
Zhong Fei closed his eyes, the lines around them tightening, yet he shook his head.
"You were a promising seedling, but you lost sothing on the way. You beca full of yourself and looked down on those beneath you. But didn’t you also start sowhere, or did you forget the ti you struggled with your first pills?"
He bit his lips, the punishnt weighing on his heart, but a steely glint flashed in his eyes despite his crying colleague.
"Even if I did nothing, you made a silent accomplice and portrayed as soone I’m not. You must recover your drive to pursue alchemy instead of fa and recognition." He outstretched his palm, his voice lowering. "Restart, not as a punishnt, but as a way to fix your mind and improve."
They gazed at each other, their eyes brightening and their trust for each other seeping through the tense atmosphere.
As the man nodded and left, Adam cleared his throat loud enough to draw Zhong Fei’s attention.
Then, he whistled an innocent tune and cupped his hands behind his head.
"I like the compensation offer you made. Return my test fee, and I’ll forget anything happened."
Surprised, Zhong Fei’s brows raised and scratched his cheek.
"That’s... not possible." Before Adam could answer, he raised his palm and continued. "It won’t count as compensation, at least not in my heart. We’ll give you fifty each to support such a talented disciple."
Contrary to his expectations, Adam shrugged and extended his jade card to him.
"I’ll earn points by myself. Recovering my ten points to buy materials and refine piles to sell is enough." His lips curled into a playful grin as his eyes darted to the furnace’s content. "Or do you doubt my skills?"
Eyes enlarging and heart hastening, Zhong Fei gawked at the kid’s desire for self-sufficiency and pride despite his tender age.
His head uncontrollably lowered in recognition. After all, even adults would jump on a hundred free sect points. Yet, shadows that made his lips twist still lood over his martial soul.
Points weren’t the problem here. Instead, his principles roared that compensation had to be offered. Therefore, he tucked his fingers around his chin as his mind raced.
Two seconds later, his eyes lit up.
The wind whistled and whipped against his immaculate robes as he blurred out of the room, leaving Adam frowning and grumbling in confusion.
A minute later, his dark hair fluttered and his tight fist rose before Adam.
"You had three sets of material to produce a pile."
A bright smile stretched across his lips, and his fingers unclenched to reveal a ring of diocre quality.
"I retrieved the freshest materials and placed them in this spatial ring. It’s yours."
With a loud exhale and a trembling hand, Adam took the ring. He felt its uneven edges through his fingers, but more importantly, its engraved cultivators’ symbols. Yet, he shook his head.
But before he dropped it back in Zhong Fei’s palm, the latter closed his fingers on it and smiled.
"It’s the first spacial ring I bought after becoming an alchemist. It’s old and only has an inner space of a thousand cubic ters..." His voice trailed off before he made the description more accessible. "The sa size as a bag. It has collected dust for decades anyway, and I want it to have a second life with you."
Adam observed the alchemist’s genuine smile before his chest ward. Even if he didn’t know the ring’s specific price, he knew that anything related to a rare elent like space wasn’t cheap. But what made his heart sing was the man’s emotions, not the price. After all, Zhong Fei had kept this ring as a nto for decades, yet let it go to support his growth.
"Thank you. I’ll use it well and return it once I collect enough money to buy my own."
Then, unwilling to continue on this topic, he pointed at the furnace.
"What about these pills?"
Zhong Fei showed him the answer by taking one for himself and giving him the other two.
"I’ll keep one as proof of your success in the test. You can consu or sell the other two." He turned to the exit. "Follow . I’ll complete your registration and give you your one-star robes."
Before he took his first step, a sheepish smile broadened across Adam’s face as he tugged on his sleeve.
"What’s the price to take the two-star test? No, tell the price for the third, too. It’ll be a pity not to take them if I have enough points since I’m already here."
Zhong Fei frowned but didn’t dismiss him this ti.
"We rarely make our alchemists pay. Instead, we work with a contribution system. It’s a little boring, but to sum it up: you can take the two-star test for free if you produce ten tier-one pills for the association."
Reviews
All reviews (0)