A Master Alarmed

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Su Chen remained exceedingly calm. He held out his hand to the girl. "Bring me Yang-Origin Stones."

Many people knew that Yang-Origin Stones were the most ordinary low-grade material. They contained a trace amount of yang energy and were widely used as auxiliary materials in alchemy. Ten taels of silver could buy a huge pile of them.

Yet no one had ever heard of cheap Yang-Origin Stones being used as the main ingredient to treat an injury. It was simply the greatest joke under heaven.

The girl did not hesitate. She directly bought a jin of Yang-Origin Stones from the nearby counter, then handed them to Su Chen.

Li Jun sneered from the side. "Kid, messing around like this will never cure him. If you succeed, I, Li Jun, will cut off my own head on the spot for you."

Li Jun said this because he had enough confidence that Su Chen's reckless nonsense could never succeed.

Li Jun's gaze remained fixed on Su Chen's movements. He discovered that after Su Chen took the Yang-Origin Stones, he performed no complicated procedure. He merely placed them on the nearby counter and ground them into powder with a mortar.

Then, Su Chen unwrapped the bandages around the old man's arm and applied the Yang-Origin Stone powder to the wound.

Seeing this, Li Jun could not stop sneering inwardly. Applying the cheapest medicine to a wound was something only three-year-old children playing house would do. If that could heal injuries, what would alchemists even be needed for?

Li Jun was one hundred percent certain that this laughable treatment would have no effect whatsoever. It might even worsen the old man's injury!

However, just as Li Jun was thinking this, Su Chen took another most ordinary Blood-Staunching Herb, ground it into paste as well, and applied it to the old man's wound, mixing it with the Yang-Origin Stone powder.

Then, something miraculous happened.

Under Li Jun's dumbstruck gaze, the old man's savage, winding wound actually began to heal slowly at a rate visible to the naked eye!

"How is this possible?" Li Jun practically suspected that his eyes were deceiving him. What he was seeing utterly overturned everything he knew!

The most ordinary Yang-Origin Stones and Blood-Staunching Herb, when mixed together, could actually treat a Coldheart Python bite?

The girl's beautiful eyes shifted, filled with astonishment. She hurried forward to support the old man and asked softly, "Grandfather, how do you feel?"

The old man's eyes were likewise full of surprise. He slowly said, "Much better."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.

Li Jun stood rooted to the spot as though petrified. Just moments ago, he had sworn with utter certainty that if Su Chen succeeded, he would cut off his own head on the spot!

Li Jun's face now burned hot. The gazes around him felt like countless resounding slaps cracking across his face.

"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible!" Li Jun muttered repeatedly, yet the facts before his eyes left him no choice but to believe.

"Thank you!" The girl finally relaxed and smiled at Su Chen. When that face, cold as an iceberg, suddenly smiled, it was like spring waters beginning to thaw—beautiful enough to topple kingdoms and cities.

However, Su Chen felt nothing about it. He said blandly, "It was merely a small effort."

Remembering something, the girl hurriedly took the Century Sunlight Herb from the Five Treasures Hall steward and handed it to Su Chen. "Young master, I can never repay the debt of saving my grandfather's life. I will consider this Century Sunlight Herb purchased by me and give it to you as thanks. In addition, I will pay your consultation fee in full."

Su Chen shook his head and took out his own banknote. "There is no need. I already said it was merely a small effort."

As he spoke, Su Chen paid for the Century Sunlight Herb with his own banknote. Then, carrying the herb, he swiftly left.

The girl stood there in a daze. She had never expected that this plainly dressed youth would so casually refuse her reward, nor that he would leave so decisively, without the slightest intention of clinging to power and wealth.

After all, because of her noble attire and bearing, people flocked after her like ducks. Even Li Jun, that intermediate apprentice alchemist, had surely been so attentive because he wished to curry favor with her.

Yet this youth had turned and left with such indifference that he could not even spare her another word.

In a flash of lightning and spark, the girl could only shout toward Su Chen's departing back, "May I ask your name, young master?!"

Su Chen did not stop walking or turn around. He merely uttered two words blandly, "Su Chen!"

"Su Chen?" the girl softly repeated, seemingly deep in thought. A strange glimmer flashed through her beautiful eyes.

From this day onward, she would remember that name.

Meanwhile, Li Jun was nearly mad with rage. He should have been the one to heal the old man, yet that youth had completely stolen the limelight from him!

The looks in the eyes of those around him now clearly carried mockery. He, a dignified intermediate apprentice alchemist, had actually been outdone by an unknown brat.

"They must be in league!" Li Jun glared resentfully at the departing old man and girl. "They are definitely swindlers wandering the martial world, deliberately putting on a show in my Five Treasures Hall just to make that boy famous!"

This explanation was obviously riddled with holes and could not stand on its own, but Li Jun's mind had already been blinded by rage. The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. "That's right, they must have colluded to put on an act. Yang-Origin Stones and Blood-Staunching Herb treating a Coldheart Python bite is simply absurd..."

Just as Li Jun found his thoughts increasingly convincing, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of a white-haired, white-bearded old man with the air of an immortal hurrying out from the back hall.

Li Jun immediately gathered his thoughts and stepped forward respectfully. "Master Mo!"

He had no choice but to be respectful. This old man was the chief alchemist of the Qinghe City Alchemy Guild and also its president. He was completely different from apprentice alchemists like them—a true alchemist with an official rank!

Moreover, Master Mo had always enjoyed tremendous prestige and respect in Clear River City. Five Treasures Hall had spent great effort to invite him as a guest alchemist, and even then, he only came one day each month!

Today happened to be the day Master Mo came to oversee Five Treasures Hall once a month. However, Master Mo disliked crowded and noisy places. Whenever he came before, he stayed in the back hall, so no one knew why he had come to the front hall today.

Li Jun noticed that Master Mo looked somewhat anxious, having lost his usual composure. The instant he saw Li Jun, he hurriedly asked, "Where is that young man?"

Li Jun did not react at first. "Which young man?"

"The young man who just used Yang-Origin Stones and Blood-Staunching Herb to cure a Coldheart Python bite!" Fine beads of sweat covered Master Mo's forehead from having walked too quickly. He had originally been in the alchemy room in the back hall, guiding Five Treasures Hall's apprentices, when he suddenly heard that a youth in the front hall had used Yang-Origin Stones and Blood-Staunching Herb to cure a Coldheart Python bite. Shocked, he had rushed over at once, only to discover that he had still missed the other party by a hair's breadth.

"Master Mo means that young man? He... he has already left!" Li Jun was puzzled. Why was Master Mo, who had always seemed detached from worldly matters, so concerned about that youth's whereabouts?

"He left?" Amid his disappointment, Master Mo could not help but slump in dejection. He muttered, "Why did he leave so soon?"

"Master, he was only a swindler wandering the martial world. Let him go. Why should you concern yourself with him?" Li Jun shook his head, feeling that Master Mo was making far too much fuss over nothing.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Master Mo abandoned his usual calm and nearly jumped up. With his beard bristling and eyes glaring, he pointed at Li Jun. "What swindler? If you do not understand, do not speak nonsense!"

Li Jun froze, immediately feeling greatly wronged. "Where was this junior wrong? How could cheap materials like Yang-Origin Stones and Blood-Staunching Herb possibly cure a Coldheart Python bite? They sang the same tune in Five Treasures Hall, clearly colluding to put on a grand show and deceive people. What is wrong with calling them swindlers?"