Chapter 160: Madness
’I only want to do it with her,’ Liam thought, staring at the closed boulder in confusion, half-dismissing that feeling since he had accepted that lissa was an incomprehensible creature.
The Alchemy Elder wasn’t there, but Liam knew where to find him, so he descended the path, turning to head for his cave.
’But what is it that I’m doing with her?’ Liam wondered. ’And what is all this embarrassnt about?’
Liam had set out to clear his doubts, only for them to increase. He had no idea what he was feeling, and his inexplicable desires had multiplied, joined by equally unexpected actions.
’Though she truly is soft,’ Liam admitted to himself. ’Is that why I want to kiss her more?’
Liam felt he was getting close to making the connection that would explain everything. He was almost certain the answer was sowhere in his brain, but dots didn’t click.
There was a missing piece of the puzzle, a tiny gap in Liam’s life experiences that prevented him from placing lissa under any specific category.
lissa wasn’t just a friend. Liam had never touched Adrian or Lucy like that. He had never wanted to, either.
Liam also couldn’t see lissa as more important than Adrian. They both held a special place in his heart, albeit a clearly different one.
As for the touching part, it was closer to what Liam had experienced with his family, but that wasn’t it, either. It was similar, at least in terms of affection, only to feature sothing physical that had been absent with his parents and sister.
mories of boars snuggling flashed in Liam’s vision, putting a frown on his face. That felt eerily on point with the hugs, but humans were no animals. Besides, sothing else hindered that train of thought.
’Why do I feel bad comparing lissa to a boar?’ Liam cursed, putting the matter aside since he had arrived at his boulder. ’I’ll make sure to ask her properly next ti.’
A wave of the wooden tablet opened the cave, and Liam felt no surprise in finding the Alchemy Elder standing at its center, showing his back.
"Master, I’m back," Liam declared, cupping his fist, before closing the entrance and addressing other matters.
Updating the Alchemy Elder was important. Liam actually had many things he wanted to discuss with him, but those talks could happen while he handled his belongings and condition.
"Welco back, disciple!" The Alchemy Elder declared, half-scoffing as he peeked past his shoulder to inspect Liam.
Liam removed his remaining rags, sorting out his belongings. He only had three rank 1 elixirs, a small amount of poisonous powder, and the wooden knife left. The Mutated Battlefield had taken much from him, but rewards promised to be on the horizon.
"You did well," The Alchemy Elder praised as Liam crossed him to enter the pool in the cave’s corner. "Killing a rooting expert as a foundation expert is a feat worthy of my na!"
Despite the Elder making the feat about himself, Liam felt so pride as he focused on the bath and the pipe he had brought with him. If there was an opinion he cared about, it was his Master’s.
"Of course," The Alchemy Elder continued, reaching inside his robe, "I expected nothing else from my disciple. The great Horace Rauret wouldn’t have taught anyone remotely ordinary."
The Elder suddenly threw sothing at Liam, startling him. Liam still caught the item mid-air despite his hands’ poor and busy state, only for an intense herbal scent to fill his nostrils.
Liam imdiately recognized the rank 1 Healing pill in his hands, but other details stood out. The pale-blue item looked freshly concocted, as if it had just co out of a cauldron.
’Did he make it just for ?’ Liam wondered, affection flaring in his chest, not hesitating to gulp down the pill and remove his bandages and splints.
As the soothing, cozy energy spread inside Liam, he closed his eyes, wanting to focus on his recovery during that warm bath. Yet, his Master wasn’t done speaking.
"Fool, stop smiling like an idiot," The Elder scolded. "How are you supposed to learn anything when your mind is filled with Disciple lissa?!"
Liam’s eyes snapped open, the back of his hands going to his face. He was indeed smiling from ear to ear without noticing it.
The Alchemy Elder was about to throw another rebuke, only to hold it back and divert his gaze in annoyance. Liam should have visited him first, but it was normal to seek recreation after life-death experiences, especially at such a young age.
"Disciple," The Elder coughed, "You learned the technique to avoid conception, right?"
"I did, Master," Liam confird, about to ask why, only for the previous train of thought to resurface. He had connected both topics to animals, and his reasoning assaulted the missing piece in his brain from two sides now.
"Master," Liam called, frowning, "Sister lissa isn’t a boar ... Is she?"
At those words, the Alchemy Elder regretted the absence of his cane, but the topic did feature a positive occurrence worth discussing.
"As I predicted," The Elder ntioned, "That core disciple failed the breakthrough, injuring his cultivation in the attempt. You won’t have to worry about him for a while."
The Elder confird Liam’s guess about Simon, but he had already reached a conclusion about the matter.
"Master, I’ll kill Senior Brother Simon," Liam directly revealed.
The Elder threw a serious look at Liam. It wasn’t that he disagreed, but the dangers were plenty, both political and when it ca to sheer power difference.
However, the Elder knew that his disciple wasn’t a reckless idiot. Liam might have hit puberty, but his face only featured the cold, calculating tones of a smart predator.
"There are other ways," The Elder suggested. "It might be ti you learn to use your status."
"No, Master," Liam refused. "Senior Brother Simon made Sister lissa’s hands shake, so I’ll kill him."
At once, the Elder knew that nothing could change Liam’s mind. He shouldn’t, either. Enemies had to be dealt with. The Elder only wanted to argue about the thod, but that was set now, so he moved to exploring it.
"Disciple Simon is a core disciple," The Alchemy Elder warned. "He isn’t like the rooting experts you t in the Mutated Battlefield, and look what killing one did to you."
The Elder didn’t need to nod at Liam’s hands for him to inspect them. Liam’s injuries had actually been far worse than that, but he hadn’t ignored the issue. He also knew how to solve it.
"I’m aware of the power gap, Master," Liam reassured. "That’s why it’s ti I beca a rooting expert."
The plan was solid. The Elder completely agreed with it, and that talk had already happened, too. Liam had yet to master all the basics, but he had amassed the right experience to start working toward his bottleneck.
That wasn’t always ideal, especially in alchemy. A rooting expert’s Qi could cause problems when learning rank 1 concoctions, but the Elder was ready to agree with that concession to prioritize Liam’s safety.
The additional difficulties and incomplete knowledge could be dealt with as long as Liam stayed alive.
"Disciple, tell
about the mission now," The Alchemy Elder switched topic, turning to wander around the cave. "And why haven’t you ntioned my na before getting in a fight with a rooting expert?"
News had spread, but that specific point was unclear. Everyone had learned that Liam was Horace Rauret’s disciple, but the rumors had never featured the specific timing.
Of course, that was due to politics. No one wanted to reveal the truth and risk insulting Horace due to his crucial role in the six Sects’ alchemical market.
As for the Elder, he had assud his disciple had been too dumb to announce that when it truly mattered. Liam’s social shortcomings were deep enough to make that possibility a certainty.
Yet, Liam tilted his head in confusion as he corrected that misconception.
"But, Master, I did that," Liam revealed. "Senior Cecilia said that your injury drove you mad and that you were stupid enough to believe she would have let soone succeed you."
That insult still annoyed Liam, but he had killed its source, easing his feelings on the matter. However, his nape suddenly tingled in danger, abruptly straightening his back, splashing water everywhere.
"Disciple," The Elder called, halting his steps, slowly turning to point a chilling look at Liam. "A rooting expert called
mad and stupid?"
Liam gulped. He had gotten used to his Master’s grumpiness. Even his chilling glares had eased up over ti, but that fearso expression was sothing Liam had never seen, limiting his reply to a nod.
"Which Sect was she from?" The Elder asked.
"The Crimson Warrior Sect," Liam revealed.
"It seems the Crimson Warrior Sect needs a reminder of the definition of madness," The Alchemy Elder snorted. "Disciple, dress up! It’s ti you saw how the great Horace Rauret declares he isn’t to be ssed with!"
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