Settling Down in Qingshan Town

"Not at all, not at all."

Hearing Gu He agree to her request, Xiao Yi Xian was instantly delighted and hurriedly replied in a sweet voice.

To her, simply having the chance to get close to the alchemist before her was already more than satisfying.

If he was willing to offer her a little guidance, she would truly strike it rich.

Little did she know that Gu He was thinking the very same thing.

The reason he had not directly asked Xiao Yi Xian to become his disciple was that he wanted to get acquainted with her first.

After all, they had been complete strangers before this. Abruptly proposing to take her as a disciple would be rather presumptuous.

What if Xiao Yi Xian refused him? Wouldn't that be utterly humiliating?

In order to successfully take Xiao Yi Xian under his wing, Gu He did not mind getting to know her more deeply.

At the very least, he needed to make Xiao Yi Xian lower her guard and accept him from the bottom of her heart.

Once they had built some rapport and she had gained a certain understanding of him,

then taking her as his disciple would naturally fall into place.

Seeing how easygoing Gu He was, Xiao Yi Xian gradually grew bolder and asked him several more questions.

Gu He did not find her troublesome. Still smiling, he answered each of the young girl's questions one by one.

Tap, tap, tap!

Just then, a series of footsteps sounded outside the door.

Gu He looked over and saw a middle-aged man in blue robes slowly walk into the room.

When Xiao Yi Xian saw the middle-aged man, her delicate brows furrowed slightly. She seemed somewhat displeased that he had interrupted her time alone with Gu He.

"This must be... the esteemed alchemist, sir."

As soon as the middle-aged man entered, his gaze settled on Gu He. He immediately spoke with a respectful expression.

"And you are?"

Gu He was somewhat surprised by the middle-aged man's arrival, and a little displeased.

Who was this guy?

Xiao Yi Xian and I were having a perfectly good conversation. What was he barging in here for?

"Hehe, this lowly one is surnamed Yao and is the owner of Myriad Medicine Pavilion. Upon learning that an alchemist of your stature had arrived at Myriad Medicine Pavilion, I came especially to pay my respects."

Before Gu He, the middle-aged man humbled himself to the extreme. Calling it groveling would not have been an exaggeration.

The owner of Myriad Medicine Pavilion?

Gu He's heart stirred. There seemed to have been such a character in the original story.

"Mr. Yao, what are you here for?"

Afraid that the middle-aged man might upset Gu He, Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly spoke up.

"Xiao Yi Xian, such an honored alchemist has come to our Myriad Medicine Pavilion. Why didn't you notify me?"

Mr. Yao cast Xiao Yi Xian a mildly reproachful glance, then turned to Gu He with a fawning smile.

"Alchemist sir, you must be tired after coming to Qingshan Town. This lowly one has prepared a banquet and hopes you will honor me with your presence at my residence for a few drinks."

Gu He felt somewhat repulsed by Mr. Yao's flattery, but one did not slap a smiling face. It was not appropriate for him to reject the man's goodwill outright.

"There is no need for a banquet. I will be staying in Qingshan Town for some time, so trouble yourself to find me a quiet place to stay."

"Also, my surname is Gu. You may address me as Mr. Gu."

Hearing the man call him "Alchemist sir" over and over, Gu He felt rather awkward and hurriedly corrected him.

Before Mr. Yao could respond, Xiao Yi Xian's eyes lit up and she suggested, "Mr. Yao, don't you still have several fine rooms in your courtyard? Why not tidy one up and let Mr. Gu stay there?"

"Uh..."

Mr. Yao froze for a moment, then quickly caught on and said, "Indeed. Mr. Gu, why not stay in this lowly one's courtyard? The surroundings are exceptionally quiet. I guarantee no one will disturb you."

Mr. Yao was no fool. If the alchemist before him moved into his residence,

then once word got out, who in all of Qingshan Town would dare provoke him?

After all, in Qingshan Town, no one could bear the wrath of a Second-Grade Alchemist.

Even the strongest Wolf Head Mercenary Group would not dare offend an alchemist.

"Very well. Then I shall stay in your courtyard for a few days." After hearing this, Gu He hesitated briefly before nodding in agreement.

After hesitating for a moment, Gu He finally nodded and agreed.

He remembered that, in the original story, Xiao Yi Xian seemed to live in the backyard of this Mr. Yao as well.

If he and Xiao Yi Xian lived under the same roof, it would be quite beneficial to his plans going forward.

Xiao Yi Xian was equally excited when she heard Gu He agree.

If she lived in the same courtyard as Mr. Gu, would she still have to worry about lacking opportunities to interact with him?

A short while later, Gu He followed Mr. Yao and Xiao Yi Xian through several streets before slowly arriving at an estate.

The estate was rather elegant, with more than a dozen guards standing watch at its entrance.

It seemed that Myriad Medicine Pavilion held no small amount of power in Qingshan Town.

After entering the estate, Mr. Yao led Gu He to a rather secluded room.

"Sir, please take a look. Does this room suit your liking?" Mr. Yao asked with a smile as he brought Gu He before one of the fine rooms.

"Not bad. This one will do." Gu He glanced inside, then nodded.

Following behind them, Xiao Yi Xian looked around, a trace of delight flashing through her beautiful eyes.

Gu He's room was not far from hers. Moreover, her own room lay along the only path to and from his room. It seemed even Heaven was helping her.

"Then this lowly one shall go prepare some daily necessities for you first." Seeing Gu He agree, Mr. Yao beamed as he slowly took his leave.

"Mr. Gu, my room is quite close to yours. If you plan to go up the mountain to gather herbs, you can call for me anytime."

After Mr. Yao left, Xiao Yi Xian's beautiful eyes flickered as she hurriedly stepped forward to ingratiate herself.

"Mm." Gu He smiled and nodded.

"Then I'll be going now."

Xiao Yi Xian hesitated for a moment. She felt it would be better to wait until they had become acquainted before asking him about the Art of Alchemy.

After all, they had only met on their first day. Asking questions so abruptly might arouse his displeasure.

Watching Xiao Yi Xian's departing figure, the corners of Gu He's lips rose slightly.

From Xiao Yi Xian's demeanor, she seemed to have a fairly good impression of him.

Perhaps once they had become more familiar, she would not refuse if he proposed taking her as his disciple.

And so, Gu He officially settled down in Qingshan Town.