043 Pharmacist Association President

043 Pharmacist Association President

In the Pharmacist Association in Luowang Prefecture, a room radiated scorching heat. An old man with snow-white hair sat cross-legged in midair, wearing a loose, moon-white robe, without relying on any external support.

Faint streaks of green light flickered around his body. He seemed to be struggling to stabilize them, but the green light remained unsteady.

The most eye-catching thing was the gleaming golden badge on his chest. A Gold-Rank Pharmacist! Across the entire Pharmacist Association, only a handful of pharmacists owned a gold badge. You could count them on two hands!

A clear chime suddenly rang outside, and the green light around the old man instantly spiraled out of control. He grunted and fell from a height of three feet, landing on the floor.

"Damn it! Don't you know I can't be disturbed while I'm cultivating?" The old man got to his feet, huffing in anger. Though he had fallen, he wasn't hurt. He quickly straightened his clothes and strode outside.

"Lu Tiao, what's the matter with you?" The old man saw Lu Tiao waiting outside and snapped, "Didn't I tell you? Don't disturb my cultivation unless it's something important."

"President, if I've come to see you, it's certainly important. This matter concerns the future development of the Pharmacist Association in Luowang Prefecture. We can't manage it without you at the helm." Lu Tiao quickly offered him a fawning smile. He knew the president's temperament. Though the old man looked angry, he wasn't truly annoyed.

This old man was actually the president of the Pharmacist Association in Luowang Prefecture!

"Oh? What is it?" The old president raised an eyebrow. He knew Lu Tiao was cautious and measured in all he did. If he said it was important, then it really was.

"First, I'd like you to personally assess the effects of this Body-Tempering Potion." Lu Tiao took out the bottle Zhang He had given him and carefully handed it to the old man.

"Body-Tempering Potion?" The old man furrowed his brows slightly as he accepted the small bottle. "What's so special about this stuff?"

Ordinary body-tempering liquids were only so-so in effect, yet extremely expensive. Making them was quite difficult and required many rare medicinal ingredients. Few people bothered with them because the cost far outweighed the returns. It was practically hard work for no reward.

"This Body-Tempering Potion was made by one of our Iron-Rank Pharmacists. The formula he uses may be very different from ours. So I need you to assess it personally. If it really is valuable, the Pharmacist Association in Luowang Prefecture will distribute it."

The old man looked at Lu Tiao in surprise. "You mean he plans to make this potion himself?" He couldn't help but feel astonished. Body-Tempering Potions weren't exactly a hot commodity. What kind of fool would go out of his way to make them? His gaze returned to the bottle in his hand. If the man was desperate for money or trying to earn contribution points, this was the wrong way to go about it!

Seeing Lu Tiao's expectant expression, the old man put aside his initial desire to refuse. In his eyes, making body-tempering liquids had no future. Many skilled pharmacists had studied Body-Tempering Potions, but none had achieved particularly good results. Some were effective, but their costs were frighteningly high. Others were cheap to make, but their effects were mediocre.

"Fine, I'll have a look," the old man said mildly. Though he had little faith in the potion, he was meticulous in his assessment.

He opened the small white porcelain bottle, and a faint, pungent smell drifted out.

"Hmm? This scent is quite distinctive. It's very different from ordinary body-tempering liquids." The old man was puzzled. Using a special transparent needle, he drew out some of the potion. When he saw the murky liquid inside the needle, he frowned slightly.

"Murkiness affects a liquid's purity and, in turn, its efficacy. How could an Iron-Rank Pharmacist make such a basic mistake?"

The murky color immediately made him think little of the Body-Tempering Potion.

Lu Tiao, standing nearby, felt on edge. Because of the Five Poison Beads, he had trusted Zhang He, but when he saw the president's furrowed brow, his heart sank.

The president's frown meant he didn't have much faith in the potion. He was an old hand at this. If he didn't think something was worthwhile, then it really wasn't. Lu Tiao suddenly realized how rash he had been to come to the president and ask him to assess this body-tempering liquid.

He had heard the confidence in Zhang He's voice and immediately assumed that the Body-Tempering Potion he spoke of was incredible. He hadn't even put it through the ordinary inspection process first. That had been far too rash.

Lu Tiao couldn't help feeling ashamed. How could he have made such a mistake?

The old man gently rested the transparent needle against the back of his hand. With a light flick of his finger, the potion in the needle flowed out and dripped onto his skin.

In an instant, the old man's eyes flew wide open. He stared at the slightly murky droplet on his hand in disbelief!

The droplet seemed to squirm ceaselessly against the back of his hand.

"This is incredible! It can produce such a powerful body-tempering effect!" the old man cried, unable to believe it.

Lu Tiao's eyes widened. What? He instantly burst with joy. The president had said the potion's effects were extremely powerful! That meant he hadn't made a mistake!

"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent! It's far beyond my expectations. Among all the body-tempering liquids I've ever seen, it could easily rank in the top three!" The old man was so excited he looked as though he'd discovered a rare treasure. And to a pharmacist obsessed with alchemy, discovering a novel potion always felt like finding a priceless gem!

"Lu Tiao, what did you say earlier? The Pharmacist Association was planning to distribute this Body-Tempering Potion?" The old man looked at him excitedly. "Have you settled the deal?"

"Not yet. I told him we had to finish the assessment and determine its true value before deciding whether to work with him," Lu Tiao replied, hesitating.

"We absolutely must work with him! This deal has to be settled. If we can reach an agreement, the Pharmacist Association in Luowang Prefecture will become famous across the entire Canglan Continent! This is an enormous opportunity. We must seize it!" The old man's eyes shone, and his face flushed red.

"By the way, what's his name? With skills like that, how is he still an Iron-Rank Pharmacist in our association? He's more than qualified to become a Silver-Rank Pharmacist!" The old man suddenly asked, puzzled.

Become a Silver-Rank Pharmacist? Lu Tiao was startled. The president had actually said that! Becoming a Silver-Rank Pharmacist in the Pharmacist Association wasn't easy. His own ability to reach his current rank was partly thanks to his contributions as a pharmacist, but a large part was due to his position as an association official. The association's headquarters had rewarded him with many contribution points, and that was how he had become a Silver-Rank Pharmacist at his age!

If Zhang He became a Silver-Rank Pharmacist at such a young age, outsiders would be astonished!

He answered honestly, "His name is Zhang He. He's from Mengyin City and used to be a martial apprentice. He studied under a mysterious pharmacist. He wasn't part of our Pharmacist Association before. When Corpse Poison Beetles broke out in Mengyin City, he brought out a pill called the Five Poison Beads, which caught my attention. That's when I brought him into the association. He hasn't been an Iron-Rank Pharmacist for long."

"What kind of pharmacist?" The old man looked puzzled. "How mysterious is he? Was the formula also from that mysterious pharmacist?"

"Yes. Zhang He said his teacher passed the formula on to him," Lu Tiao replied.

"True masters never show themselves!" The old man frowned, giving it serious thought. "Just the value of that one formula is enough to rival a nation's wealth. That mysterious pharmacist simply passed it on to his disciple. Sigh, I can't make sense of it."

The old man furrowed his brow and racked his brains, but he still couldn't think of any pharmacist in Western Chu Kingdom or the Northwest Empire who fit the bill.

Could the man have come from Medicine King Valley? That couldn't be right. Medicine King Valley guarded its formulas jealously. How would one have gotten out so easily?

Though the old man couldn't figure it out, he knew this was an extraordinary opportunity!

"You did well in this matter! Talented people like him must be discovered early and brought into our Pharmacist Association. This Body-Tempering Potion is extremely valuable. Hurry and settle the deal with him."

Lu Tiao nodded. "I'll do my best. But, President, Zhang He has some conditions."

"Conditions are good. I'd be worried if he had none. What are they?" The old man raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

Lu Tiao took the drawings Zhang He had made and handed them to the old man. "Zhang He wants to use the Pharmacist Association to find these medicinal ingredients so he can make pills."

"Oh?" The old man took the drawings. When he saw the lifelike illustrations, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help praising them. "Excellent drawing!"

The old man flipped through the pages, and his expression quickly turned strange.

"These ingredients are rather obscure, but not particularly valuable. Hm, isn't this the Qushen Red Fruit Wood belonging to our Pharmacist Association?" When the old man reached the second-to-last drawing, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise. "What kind of pill is he making that requires Qushen Red Fruit Wood?"

To a pharmacist, the leaves of the Qushen Red Fruit Wood were indeed useful for enhancing perception. But in truth, the Qushen Red Fruit Wood was a poisonous plant. Even its leaves contained some toxins. Prolonged use would make a person mentally agitated and eventually highly dependent on it.

Lu Tiao shook his head. He was just as curious.

The old man saw the last drawing and his expression turned even stranger. "Six-Petal Soul-Melting Flower?"

The old man had actually recognized the Six-Leaf Heart-Extinguishing Flower in the final drawing!