Immediately afterward, a gaunt middle-aged alchemist in an alchemist's robe emerged from the back hall and walked over.
"Li Jun?" Su Chen narrowed his eyes when he saw the middle-aged man. He remembered this man, whose name was Li Jun. In his previous life, Li Jun had been an apprentice alchemist at Five Treasures Hall.
In his previous life, Su Chen had happened to deal with Li Jun once. Even then, Li Jun had held his head high in arrogance and mocked Su Chen as trash.
He had not expected to run into Li Jun again so soon after being reborn.
"Alchemist Li is here!"
"Alchemist Li is an Intermediate Apprentice Alchemist of Five Treasures Hall. He rarely shows himself, yet he actually appeared today."
The crowd buzzed with discussion. Even the old man and the young woman could not help taking another look at Li Jun upon hearing that he was an apprentice alchemist.
One had to know that in a small city like Clear River City, apprentice alchemists were an exceptionally rare sight.
"Was it you who said that this old gentleman's injuries cannot be treated with a Century Sunlight Herb?" Li Jun walked straight up to Su Chen, looked him up and down, and asked.
"What does it have to do with you?" Su Chen countered.
"You ignorant brat!"
Li Jun's brows shot up as he berated him. "For injuries caused by an Ice-Scale Python, one should naturally use Extreme Yang medicinal herbs as the main ingredient for treatment. A Century Sunlight Herb would work even better. This is common knowledge that every alchemist knows. You are an outsider who knows nothing, yet you spout wild nonsense. As an Intermediate Apprentice Alchemist, it is only natural for me to stop you."
As Li Jun spoke, his gaze secretly flicked toward the old man and young woman nearby. Naturally, he had his own little scheme. Judging from their attire and bearing, they were no ordinary people. If he could treat the old man's injuries, they would surely remember his favor, which would be immensely beneficial to his future.
While Li Jun was busy calculating his little scheme, Su Chen gave him no face at all and sneered, "You are the one talking utter nonsense."
Li Jun flew into a rage at once and shouted, "Who do you think you are? I am an Intermediate Apprentice Alchemist, and you dare question me?"
Su Chen ignored Li Jun. Turning to the young woman, he said, "I can treat your grandfather's injuries. There is no need for a Century Sunlight Herb; an ordinary Yang-Origin Stone will suffice. I am willing to treat him on the condition that you give the Century Sunlight Herb to me."
The moment Su Chen said this, an uproar erupted throughout Five Treasures Hall.
"Did I hear that right? This boy actually questioned an Intermediate Apprentice Alchemist?"
"He even claimed he could treat an Ice-Scale Python bite? I doubt he is even an alchemy apprentice. Isn't he boasting a little too outrageously?"
Even Li Jun burst out laughing in disdain. "I wondered what you were going to say. A little brat whose feathers have not even grown in yet dares claim he can treat injuries from an Ice-Scale Python? And without a Century Sunlight Herb? Have you lost your mind, or did you take the wrong medicine?"
Su Chen ignored Li Jun and looked at the young woman calmly. "If you trust me today, I can heal the old gentleman's injuries. If you do not, by the time I walk out the doors of Five Treasures Hall, it will be too late for regrets."
Li Jun said loudly, "Honored miss, you need not listen to this brat's wild babble. I guarantee on the honor of an Intermediate Apprentice Alchemist that every word he said is utter nonsense. An Ice-Scale Python bite is a complicated and difficult injury. It must be treated with a Century Sunlight Herb, and in all of Five Treasures Hall today, I alone am capable of treating it."
With both sides holding to their own claims, every gaze in the hall converged on the young woman, eager to see whom she would choose to trust.
The young woman pondered for a moment, clearly finding it difficult to decide.
After a while, she lightly bit her rosy lip and looked at Su Chen. "Sir, I also know a little about alchemy. I would like to know why you say my grandfather's injuries cannot be treated with a Century Sunlight Herb, and would instead become worse?"
Su Chen glanced at the bandages wrapped around the old man's arm and said, "It is very simple. Your grandfather's wound was not caused by an Ice-Scale Python bite at all. It was caused by a Coldheart Python bite!"
"A Coldheart Python?"
The young woman's expression changed drastically. The Coldheart Python was an extremely rare demonic beast, and its venom was ten times more poisonous than that of an Ice-Scale Python!
"How is that possible?" the young woman immediately said. "Sir, could you be mistaken? The demonic beast that attacked my grandfather should have been an Ice-Scale Python. I could not have seen it wrong!"
"Ice-Scale Pythons and Coldheart Pythons are difficult to distinguish by appearance in the first place!"
Su Chen spoke indifferently, pointing at the bloodstained bandages on the old man's arm. "But the blood on these bandages is enough to determine that it was a Coldheart Python bite."
"From the time you were attacked in the mountains until you entered Clear River City and arrived at Five Treasures Hall, at least six hours should have passed. Yet blood is still constantly seeping through these bandages, which means the wound has not closed."
"That is not normal. These bandages carry the scent of wound medicine. If it were an ordinary wound, it should have healed somewhat after applying wound medicine."
"Only a Coldheart Python is different. Its venomous fangs contain a substance that destroys blood clotting functions, so wounds from its bite have great difficulty healing."
Su Chen remained unhurried, his calm voice drifting through the great hall.
Li Jun's expression changed several times. He looked at the old man's bandages and had to admit that he had indeed overlooked the blood that had been continuously seeping through them!
Li Jun's face immediately turned livid. Still unwilling to concede, he said, "Fine, even if it is as you say, and this is a Coldheart Python bite, so what? Could a Coldheart Python bite not be treated with a Century Sunlight Herb?"
Su Chen smiled and looked at Li Jun as though he were an idiot. "Of course not. The path of alchemy emphasizes prescribing medicine to suit the illness. The venom of a Coldheart Python is completely different from that of an Ice-Scale Python, so naturally they cannot be treated with the same medicine."
As he spoke, the corners of Su Chen's lips lifted faintly. "Alchemist Li, the words coming from your mouth are so unprofessional that I cannot help wondering whether you swindled and cheated your way into that title of Intermediate Apprentice Alchemist."
Li Jun's expression instantly became incomparably ugly. He wished he could slap himself twice. He had been so angered that he had blurted out something so unprofessional.
He immediately looked toward the young woman. "Miss, I..."
But before Li Jun could finish, the young woman interrupted apologetically, "Alchemist Li, I would like to try this young master's treatment plan first."
As soon as the young woman spoke, extreme anger flashed through Li Jun's eyes. He had not expected that between himself, an Intermediate Apprentice Alchemist, and an unknown brat, she would choose to believe the latter.
However, Li Jun could not turn hostile toward the young woman on the spot. Judging from her and the old man's clothing and bearing, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance that they were distinguished guests from elsewhere. He did not dare offend them, nor could he afford to take that risk.
"Fine, fine. Then treat him right here. Let me broaden my horizons as well!" Li Jun stood off to the side with a dark expression. He refused to believe that this unknown brat could truly treat a Coldheart Python bite.
The Coldheart Python was an exceedingly rare demonic beast. Even Li Jun had only heard of it and had never personally seen an injury caused by one of its bites.
Li Jun believed that Su Chen was one hundred percent putting on a show. Faced with a rare injury like a Coldheart Python bite, Su Chen would definitely fail to treat it. He might even worsen the old man's condition.
When that time came, he, an Intermediate Apprentice Alchemist, would step in and turn the tide before everyone's eyes, bringing the patient back to life with miraculous hands. His reputation would surely rise to another level.
With that thought, Li Jun simply folded his arms, stood to one side with a cold smile, and waited to see Su Chen make a fool of himself.
By then, more and more people had gathered in the main hall.
Before you continue