A slap in the face (1)

Pharmacists received excellent treatment in the Medicine Department. Junior pharmacists had workspaces reserved exclusively for them, and Pharmacist Xu enjoyed far better treatment than most. Not only did she have her own office, she also had a small Medicinal Herb Garden. It was not large, but two or three Medicine Slaves still stood watch over it.

Dongfang Minghui grumbled inwardly the whole way. No wonder Pharmacist Xu was always putting on airs around herb attendants like them. She actually had something to back it up.

"We're here." The herb attendant stopped outside the door without going farther. "Pharmacist Xu should be waiting for you inside."

"Thank you." Dongfang Minghui thanked her, took a few steps, then hurried after her again. "Could I trouble you with something? Yesterday, the senior brother in charge and I agreed to visit the eldest senior brother together. If he can't find me today, could you tell him I'm here with Pharmacist Xu?"

"Of course. I'll tell him when he gets back." The other girl agreed without a second thought.

Only after watching her leave did Dongfang Minghui slowly enter Pharmacist Xu's office. The room was a mess, littered with leftover roots and branches, along with prepared medicinal extracts.

"Pharmacist Xu?"

She stood in the doorway and called into the room twice. When no one answered, she prepared to leave.

"In such a hurry to leave? Are you worried the findings of the investigation will work against you?" A faintly mocking voice suddenly rang out.

So this was her true face. Usually, she put on a show of fairness and impartiality, but behind the scenes, she was all sneers and sarcasm.

Dongfang Minghui smiled good-naturedly. "Why would you think that, Pharmacist Xu?"

Pharmacist Xu tossed her gloves aside and propped herself up to look at her. "I actually have a good suggestion regarding this matter. Why don't you hear me out?"

She stood to one side, looking ready to listen attentively. "I'm rather slow-witted. Please enlighten me, Pharmacist Xu."

Pharmacist Xu pointed at her own domain. "What do you think of this place?"

Dongfang Minghui had already inspected the courtyard on her way in. For a junior pharmacist, these benefits were excellent, especially since the arrangement was exactly what she had once envisioned. She, too, wanted her own Medicinal Herb Garden, where she could plant all the herbs she liked that liked her in return.

"To have achieved so much at such a young age, Pharmacist Xu—you're truly enviable."

Pharmacist Xu smiled smugly and raised her chin, signaling for her to sit somewhere before continuing. "My suggestion will resolve the matter of your destroying the Beauty Bamboo and provide you with an excellent guarantee for your future."

"What opportunity?"

The more she listened, the more something felt off.

Completely oblivious to her impatience, the woman continued, "My courtyard may be small, but it offers freedom. If you manage my Medicinal Herb Garden for me, I'll certainly promote you once I become a senior pharmacist. You know perfectly well that as an herb attendant in White Angelica Garden, you might not advance even after ten or a hundred years. With your abilities, staying there would be a waste of your talent."

Now she understood. The woman had dug a pit for her to fall into just to recruit her as a gardener? How full of herself did she have to be to come up with such an outrageous idea?

After listening for a while, Dongfang Minghui could not help yawning. "Did you call me here today just to tell me that, Pharmacist Xu?"

Xu Lian had not expected her to remain unmoved. She was a junior pharmacist of some standing, after all. Countless people in the General Department rushed to curry favor with her and take their cues from her expression. Yet this insignificant herb attendant did not take her seriously. She had refused the easy way, so she would have to suffer the hard way.

"Do you really think I can't do anything to you?" Xu Lian's face darkened with anger, looking several degrees sterner than usual.

Dongfang Minghui wore a professional smile. "You exaggerate, Pharmacist Xu. I'm only a lowly herb attendant. How would I dare oppose you?"

A confident smile curled Xu Lian's lips. She had known the girl would agree. But the next sentence nearly infuriated her to death.

"However, Pharmacist Xu, we both know whether I actually destroyed that Beauty Bamboo. If you have evidence, bring it out for everyone to see. If you don't, as the saying goes, you can eat carelessly, but you can't speak carelessly." Dongfang Minghui smiled at her, though Xu Lian saw nothing pleasant in that smile.

"I still have work to finish today. If you have no other instructions, Pharmacist Xu, I'll be leaving."

Xu Lian said nothing more, even as she left. Her eyes were grim, and her fingers nearly gouged a hole in the wooden chair. Never in her life had she met such an ungrateful little girl who refused to appreciate a favor.

In that case, she could not be blamed for showing no mercy.

The moment Dongfang Minghui left Pharmacist Xu's courtyard, the senior brother in charge pulled her aside. "Junior sister, did Pharmacist Xu deliberately make things difficult for you?"

"Thank you for your concern, senior brother. She can't bully me."

Seeing how optimistic she looked gave him a headache. He lowered his voice. "Let's talk as we walk."

They quickly left Xu Lian's courtyard. Along the way, Dongfang Minghui heard plenty of gossip about her, including that she had an older brother named Xu Jin, who ranked among the top fifty on the Wind and Cloud Rankings. The Medicine Department had originally refused to admit her, but her brother had used his connections to secure her a position as an herb attendant. Afterward, she had found a good master who devoted herself to teaching her. Somehow, however, Xu Lian had forced her master out and taken her place managing White Angelica Garden.

"So there's a story like that, too." Dongfang Minghui almost wanted to applaud the woman. These days, people could betray their masters without so much as blinking.

"Senior brother, how do you know everything?" she asked curiously.

The senior brother in charge shook his head and sighed. "I shouldn't be telling you these things, but honestly, junior sister, sometimes you don't have the slightest wariness of others. I already told you we needed to inform the eldest senior brother about this, or you wouldn't even know what killed you. Over the years, Pharmacist Xu has ruined at least seven or eight talented herb attendants, if not ten."

Dongfang Minghui bared her teeth in feigned fear. "What a terrifying woman."

"As long as you know to be afraid." The senior brother in charge returned after escorting her to the garden. The more he thought about it, the more he felt they could not let this continue unchecked. Remembering Senior Brother Situ's attitude toward Qian Minghui, he hurried out again.

Dongfang Minghui did her daily work impeccably, leaving no room for criticism. Even so, she could still discern something in Xu Lian's expression.

She was close to pushing the woman past the limits of her patience.

Before the storm arrived, however, The Female Lead came to White Angelica Garden.

When the senior brother in charge told Dongfang Minghui, she could hardly believe it. The Female Lead had actually come looking for her in person! Clearly, her earlier efforts to gain favor had worked. Oh, yeah!

"Seventh Sister, what brings you here?"

Dongfang Wanyu had finished arranging all the miscellaneous matters involved in entering the academy before coming to the Medicine Department to find her. Remembering what Qing Mo had said, she still could not help worrying.

Dongfang Minghui brought The Female Lead into her little courtyard, and they sat on stone stools. "Seventh Sister, this is the Blue Star Dream I just told you about. It lives with me now."

Hearing her call, Blue Star Dream extended a tender branch in greeting.

Dongfang Minghui waved back. Watching the interaction between girl and tree, Dongfang Wanyu asked, "Why does it seem smaller?"

"Yes, the one at the Situ residence wasn't its original form. That was how it looked after its growth had been forcibly accelerated."

The little courtyard was very empty. Having been abandoned for years, it had become overgrown with weeds and home to snakes, insects, rats, and ants. The senior brother in charge had since thoroughly cleaned it up and disposed of all the rubbish. It looked much cleaner now, though it lacked a little warmth.

"Ninth Sister, this place is very quiet. It's suitable for cultivation." Dongfang Wanyu vaguely sensed something unusual about the place, but she could not put her finger on it.

Dongfang Minghui blinked playfully and cautiously suggested, "Why don't you come keep me company, Seventh Sister? There are several empty rooms here anyway. I'm often away during the day. If you moved in, I wouldn't be so lonely."

Nothing mattered more than spending every day with The Female Lead and building up her affection.

Their thoughts had to be said to align perfectly. Before coming, Dongfang Wanyu had also considered suggesting that Dongfang Minghui move in with her. She feared that if Dongfang Minghui lived among many people, she would unwittingly reveal things through her actions. Her exchange with the tree just now, for instance, had looked like a simple greeting. But as far as Dongfang Wanyu knew, even people with exceptional wood affinity and a strong rapport with plants might not be able to make plants obey them, unless they were contracted demon plants.

Yet her ninth sister made no attempt to conceal her closeness to these plants, which worried her even more.

"I considered it." Dongfang Wanyu nodded. "I wanted you to move out and live with me. Thunder Hall treats students with dual affinities very well. They assigned me a two-person room, and I intended to give you the other bed." That was also why she had come today. After arriving, however, she discovered that her Little Nine was taking very good care of herself and had even obtained a private courtyard. Clearly, her earlier worries had been unnecessary.

Dongfang Minghui's eyes lit up as she listened. The Female Lead seemed not to dislike her anymore!

"Now, though, it seems you can't leave this Blue Star Dream, and it can't leave you."

That rejection struck like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky. Dongfang Minghui looked crestfallen and kept calling herself an idiot inwardly. Why did I have to meddle? Great, now I've pushed The Female Lead away myself. Boo-hoo!

Utterly stupid.

Seeing her dejected expression and her little face scrunched up, Dongfang Wanyu could not help smiling. "Little Nine, didn't you say you wanted to become a pharmacist? Once you have the authority to make your own decisions, I'll come keep you company."

Ding!

Dongfang Minghui's eyes immediately brightened again. She had thought of a brilliant plan.

"Seventh Sister—"

"Qian Minghui, the dean wants you to come to his office building," an herb attendant called loudly from outside.

Before she could speak, someone had interrupted her. "Understood. I'll be right there."

"Seventh Sister, I have something to do now, so I can't stay with you."

Dongfang Wanyu rose and gave her a doubtful look, her thoughts running deeper. Why would the dean want to see a mere herb attendant? Situ Hao had arranged everything when her ninth sister entered the Medicine Department. They had never even met the dean.

What matter was important enough for the dean to see her personally?

"What happened?"

Dongfang Minghui quickly covered her mouth and shook her head. "Nothing."

She had only made herself more suspicious.

The layout of the Medicine Department was complicated, and newcomers could easily lose their way. Dongfang Minghui asked the guileless herb attendant from earlier to escort her seventh sister out, then turned and ran to the dean's office.

She knew the summons was most likely about the Beauty Bamboo.

Dongfang Wanyu's brow tightened. Smiling at the herb attendant beside her, she said, "Thank you for today. Without you leading the way, I might have gotten lost in your Medicine Department."

Seeing how courteous she was, the herb attendant naturally did not dare put on airs. "You're too kind. Even if I hadn't guided you today, the senior brother in charge would have arranged for someone else to escort you out. I just happen to know Minghui better and took the opportunity to slack off a little."

"Our Minghui can be a little willful. If she does anything wrong in the future, please give her some guidance so she doesn't make mistakes."

She watched the herb attendant's face as she spoke with a smile, and, just as she had hoped, the girl's expression froze briefly. "What is it? Have I put you in a difficult position?"

Seeing her disappointed expression, the girl frowned anxiously, unsure whether to speak. In fact, lately, the herb attendants had all been discussing Qian Minghui's destruction of the medicinal plant in private. Most had already begun betting on whether she could remain in the Medicine Department.

"Actually, something did happen."

The girl told Dongfang Wanyu everything that had happened recently, then said awkwardly, "Destroying a medicinal plant is a serious matter. No one is exempt. It's the highest directive the Dean issued upon taking office. This summons is probably to expel her from White Angelica Garden..."

East Wanyu's expression turned cold, and she snorted inwardly. East Little Nine has grown bold. She actually wanted to hide something this serious from me.

To put it in Little Color's words, her foolish partner was a coward who would never stop until she had brought the sky crashing down on them.

Dongfang Minghui walked briskly to the dean's office, then rubbed her face to make herself look pitiful and helpless.

"Is the dean here? I'm Qian Minghui," Dongfang Minghui called softly from outside, sounding apprehensive.

"Come in." The voice was exceptionally warm and kindly.

She pushed open the door and first saw Chubby Old Man seated inside. He was so fat he could have occupied two seats. His hair and eyebrows were white, but his face was rosy and fresh, and he looked full of vigor.

Xu Lian and a tall man sat on the left. Neither spared her so much as a glance when she entered.

On the fat old man's desk sat a pot of Beauty Bamboo that was close to withering. It was barely alive, struggling on the brink of death. Dongfang Minghui could feel the helplessness and despair it radiated.

Since it had survived all these days, perhaps it was not destined to die yet.

"You're Qian Minghui?" When the fat old man smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits. He was the dean of the Medicine Department and the Situ family's patriarch, Situ Hongying.

Dongfang Minghui smiled back, revealing two dimples.

The fat old man took a liking to the girl at first sight. He had met countless people, and one look into her bright, lively eyes told him roughly what sort of person she was. She was nothing like the girl Xu Lian and the others had described.

"Xu Lian said you destroyed this Beauty Bamboo. Do you have a different account?"

Dongfang Minghui pursed her lips and toyed with her fingers. "I'd like to confront Pharmacist Xu Lian in person. Would you permit that, Dean?"

Situ Hongying could not help praising her inwardly. This little girl had courage.

"Of course. As the head of this department, it is my duty to uphold justice. I judge the matter, not the person. Anyone who violates the rules I set must be punished, whoever she may be."

The Dean's small eyes swept lightly over Xu Lian, sending an inexplicable chill through her. She felt as though his words had been aimed specifically at her. But when she looked again, he was smiling at Qian Minghui.

"Pharmacist Xu, you've repeatedly insisted that I destroyed the Beauty Bamboo. Apart from the fact that it passed through your hands, mine, and one other person's, do you have any concrete evidence?"

Xu Lian also stood and walked over to the Beauty Bamboo. "Of course. Someone can testify that you tampered with it on your way to the examination area. We've already completely ruled out the other person as a suspect."

A blatant conspiracy.

East Minghui nodded and addressed Chubby Old Man. "Dean, since there's a witness who can prove I personally tampered with the Beauty Bamboo, I request that she appear and confront me."

Xu Lian scoffed. "How could we allow that? If she confronts you in person, wouldn't she have to fear your retaliation afterward?"

"If I really did it, I'd be expelled from White Angelica Garden and the Royal Academy. How would I retaliate? I have no one to rely on and no powerful backer. What could I possibly do? You don't dare let her confront me—are you feeling guilty? Or are you afraid she'll ruin your plans?"

"Qian Minghui!"

Xu Lian had never known that the girl who always kept her head bowed could be so articulate. "Fine. Since you want a confrontation, I'll grant you one."

She went outside and gave an instruction. Soon, another person dressed as an herb attendant was led through the door.

Dongfang Minghui recognized her. When they had selected their medicinal plants, someone had shoved her to the edge of the crowd. The others had swarmed forward and snatched the other nine pots, leaving only a pitiful Beauty Bamboo for her. So this girl had played a part in that, too.

Looking back, could she assume that this had been a trap Xu Lian laid for her all along?

"You said you saw me tamper with the Beauty Bamboo. Could you repeat exactly what happened?" Dongfang Minghui asked gently.

As though reciting a memorized passage, the girl immediately described how Dongfang Minghui had fiddled with the Beauty Bamboo's flower along the way.

"Is that what you believe as well, Pharmacist Xu? That I administered some sort of drug to make the Beauty Bamboo wither in the shortest possible time?"

Dongfang Minghui rubbed her chin. She had indeed touched the Beauty Bamboo's flower on her way to the examination area. So someone had witnessed even that unthinking gesture.

Xu Lian nodded.

"Dean, I admit that I touched the Beauty Bamboo's flower on the way to the examination area." Dongfang Minghui was quite frank and readily admitted it.

Xu Lian's lips curled upward, and she could not help smiling.

"But that doesn't mean I destroyed the Beauty Bamboo." East Minghui blinked at Chubby Old Man.

The Dean smiled back, growing more satisfied the longer he watched her. Inwardly, he could not help dragging that brat Situ Hao out for a thorough scolding. Someone like this had entered the Medicine Department, and he had nearly missed her. Judging by her confident manner, she clearly had more to say.

"Go on."

Dongfang Minghui walked over and pointed at the Beauty Bamboo's once-glorious flower. The blossom, once as lovely as a beautiful woman, had withered until it resembled the face of an elderly woman in her seventies or eighties. Its severe depletion was obvious.

"Any pharmacist with a little basic knowledge knows that the Beauty Bamboo concentrates its spiritual energy in its flower. But touching its flower doesn't mean I caused its spiritual energy to leak." Dongfang Minghui did not dare touch it again, lest someone use that against her.

"The real reason it's so weak is that someone accidentally damaged its roots. That caused its spiritual energy to leak and brought it to the verge of withering."

Xu Lian and the man beside her looked stunned, with a trace of panic.

The room fell silent. For once, no one contradicted her.

"You're certain the problem lies in the Beauty Bamboo's roots?" the Dean asked.

Dongfang Minghui nodded. "Yes."

"That still doesn't prove you weren't the one who destroyed it. Since you know something is wrong with its roots, perhaps you damaged them yourself." Xu Lian once again tried to pin the blame on Dongfang Minghui.

"It couldn't have been her." This time, Dongfang Minghui did not need to defend herself. The dean spoke up for her, casting a casual glance at Xu Lian and the man beside her. "A junior pharmacist and an Intermediate Potion Master, yet neither of you knows as much as an herb attendant. The Beauty Bamboo's distinguishing feature isn't merely its face-shaped flower. It is also a plant propagated through cuttings."

Propagation through cuttings meant that a Beauty Bamboo was separated from a branch of another Beauty Bamboo. A single branch was enough for it to survive. Once planted in the soil, that branch began extending other branches. Only after all of them had penetrated deep into the soil would the Beauty Bamboo sprout, grow, form buds, and flower.

If someone then wanted to tamper with its roots, it would be practically impossible.

"Xu Lian, what else do you have to say?" The Dean gave her a penetrating look. "Medicinal plants like the Beauty Bamboo are kept on the Back Mountain. An ordinary herb attendant from White Angelica Garden could never gain access to them."

Xu Lian had no answer, but she remained stubborn. "Dean, she says there's something wrong with the Beauty Bamboo's roots, but we haven't examined them. How can we know whether she's telling the truth?"

"Since you still refuse to give up, examine them yourself."

Dongfang Minghui stepped forward, then hesitated. To inspect its roots, they would have to uproot the Beauty Bamboo. Already barely alive, it would likely have no chance of survival.

"What? Afraid we'll discover you made all this up?" Seeing her nervous expression, Xu Lian immediately became aggressive again.

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, Pharmacist Xu."

"Such a sharp tongue."

With both parties in agreement, the Dean shattered the Beauty Bamboo's pot. The soil enclosed thin, damaged rootlets. As they separated the roots from the soil, they found that the rootlets had already withered inside it. Some were oozing thick green fluid and giving off a foul smell. As for the main stem, half of it had already rotted, then attracted boring insects that had gnawed incessantly until the entire stem was hollow.

This was the source of the Beauty Bamboo's agony.

"Dean, that should settle my involvement, shouldn't it?" Dongfang Minghui spread her hands.

Watching her hide a smile like a little fox, the Dean could not help rubbing his smooth forehead. "We were indeed at fault in this matter. We misunderstood you without knowing the facts. As compensation, you may make any request you wish, and I will grant it."

Oh, there was compensation, too.

"The Medicine Department takes even a single medicinal plant so seriously. You'll certainly investigate who actually damaged this Beauty Bamboo, won't you, Dean?" Dongfang Minghui asked with a smile.

The dean nodded. "As I said before, we will certainly get to the bottom of it. What compensation would you like? Whatever you ask for, I'll grant it."

He deliberately emphasized the words "whatever you ask for."

"Oh, in that case, Dean, if I ask for this Beauty Bamboo, you'll give it to me, won't you?" Dongfang Minghui pointed at the plant lying on the desk. Without the nourishment of the soil, its spiritual energy was dispersing even faster. It was almost completely spent.

"You want it?" The dean looked incredulous, his tiny eyes widening considerably.

The promise he had just made was worth a fortune. Yet instead of being tempted, she had made a request like this. It was truly astonishing. The more he looked at her, the more satisfied he became. Excellent, excellent. Her character passes muster.

Xu Lian and the person beside her sneered. Hearing her request, they both thought she was hopelessly stupid.

Dongfang Minghui, whom everyone was calling stupid, saw that the dean had no objection and happily gathered the Beauty Bamboo into her arms. Secretly, she transferred a little spiritual energy to it, hoping it could hold on until she brought it home.

"I'm leaving."

Someone rushed back in a hurry, never noticing Dongfang Wanyu watching her leave with a smile.

"I never expected your Ninth Sister to have such a sharp tongue. Looks like you worried for nothing."

Dongfang Wanyu had been worried that she was being bullied, so she had questioned a medicine apprentice and come to the dean's office, only to discover another side of Dongfang Minghui.

"This trip wasn't wasted."

It was the first time she had seen her Ninth Sister so radiant and spirited.

Once Dongfang Minghui returned to her courtyard, she set the Beauty Bamboo on the stone table and murmured, "To save your life, I'll have to sacrifice everything else."

Beauty Bamboo was a tenacious plant. As long as even a little living tissue remained, it could survive.

She noticed a small bump on the stem beneath the Beauty Bamboo's flowers. It was a little offshoot. Though it was only the size of her thumb, Dongfang Minghui decided to give it a try.

She planted the thumb-sized offshoot a meter away from Blue Star Dream. "Blue Star Dream, you'll have a little friend soon."

Blue Star Dream swayed its branches, delighted.

Afterward, she dealt with the rest of the Beauty Bamboo, cutting away its rotted roots and burying all the remaining parts beneath the little offshoot.

"I hope you'll grow better and better."

The next day, just after she finished gathering morning dew, the senior apprentice in charge took her to see the dean.

The sight of the plump Dean made Dongfang Minghui want to laugh. Smiling, she asked, "Dean, what did you want to see me about?"

"I called you here to give you some good news. We've found the person who damaged the Beauty Bamboo. He admitted that when he transplanted it, he wanted to make a potion, so he cut off half its stem for an experiment. He hadn't expected the consequences to be so serious."

"I see." Everything matched what the Beauty Bamboo had told her. Dongfang Minghui felt reassured, though she suspected that after this failed scheme, Xu Lian would devise another.

Seeing her indifferent expression, the dean added, "He's an Intermediate Potion Master. I expelled him from the Medicine Department yesterday. Are you satisfied with that punishment?"

Dongfang Minghui didn't really understand the Medicine Department's rules, but that particular rule of the Dean's was overly harsh. Given how much he treasured spiritual herbs, perhaps there was a reason behind it.

"I'll leave the decision to you, Dean."

Why ask whether she was satisfied? That man was merely a casualty of her conflict with Xu Lian. He might even have been a scapegoat Xu Lian and the others had brought forward.

The dean smiled at her. "Would you be interested in helping me here?"

Dongfang Minghui thought she must have misheard. She blinked, then blinked again. The wind was strong; she couldn't have heard him clearly.

"I'm often busy making potions, and I happen to need a potion assistant. I asked Yong Xing, and he told me about your recent performance. I think you've done very well."

Apply to be the dean's assistant?

She couldn't help laughing. "You must be joking, Dean. Actually, let me tell you a secret. I'm a junior pharmacist."

Startled by this secret, the Dean's flesh quivered twice. "That explains it."

Seeing how composed he remained, Dongfang Minghui spoke frankly. "Dean, why don't you arrange for me to take the junior pharmacist qualification test tomorrow?"

That would solve a lot of problems, and she was eager to see the priceless expression on Pharmacist Xu Lian's face.

"Even if you're a junior pharmacist, you can still come help me." The dean looked at her with narrowed eyes, his expression kindly.

"Dean, could you let me think about it?"

Instead, the dean laid out his terms. "If you're my assistant, you'll be entitled to enter both the White Angelica Garden and the vast herb fields on the Back Mountain whenever you like."

Deal. Dongfang Minghui immediately replied, "Dean, how about I become your assistant once I earn my junior pharmacist qualification?"

The dean smiled too, and like a pair of foxes that had stolen a tasty treat, they happily reached an agreement.

The Medicine Department offered an opportunity to advance to pharmacist only once every six months, whether for medicine apprentices or pharmacists. However, the standards for Advancement were extremely strict, and few people ordinarily passed.

"Didn't the semiannual pharmacist advancement just take place three months ago?" one pharmacist asked.

"I'm not sure. I just got back from outside, and I don't even know why the dean summoned us."

Everyone present was a pharmacist from the Medicine Department, ranging from junior to senior. Many others were in seclusion brewing potions, though those who hadn't made it were in the minority.

The Dean immediately drew everyone's attention when he appeared, mainly because his enormous bulk resembled a small mountain. It was impossible to ignore him.

Dongfang Minghui quietly followed behind him, completely hidden by the dean's mountain-like body. Yesterday, she had asked Yong Xing many questions about the strict junior pharmacist assessment, so she now had some understanding of it.

Over a hundred people had come to observe a junior pharmacist assessment. Honestly, she didn't know whether to call the pharmacists united or say they were starved for novelty.

"All right, I'm sure you all know why I've summoned you. An exceptionally talented medicine apprentice has emerged from the White Angelica Garden, and she intends to challenge the junior pharmacist qualification." The Dean's voice was loud enough to reach every corner of the Medicine Department.

The Medicine Department soon erupted with excitement. Advancement was one thing; there was always a chance every six months. But a medicine apprentice challenging the junior pharmacist qualification was a first in ten years.

Who had been the last one again?

How could Xu Lian not know who it was after hearing that? It had to be that person.

Dongfang Minghui scanned the crowd. Sigh, she had even made a point of telling The Female Lead about her challenge for the junior pharmacist qualification. Was she really not coming?

"Here she is." The dean pushed her forward, instantly placing her before everyone. She deliberately glanced at Xu Lian and successfully caught the drastic change in her expression.

Dongfang Minghui suddenly felt much better about The Female Lead's absence.

"Everyone, get ready." Satisfied that she had successfully captured everyone's attention, the Dean pulled her aside. "Yong Xing explained all three stages of the junior pharmacist assessment clearly to you, didn't he?"

"He did."

The first stage of the junior assessment was to identify ten spiritual herbs, their medicinal properties, and their grades.

Ten junior pharmacists set their ten favorite spiritual herbs before her for identification.

There were tens of millions of kinds of spiritual herbs. Without a certain familiarity with them, one probably couldn't pass even the first stage with ten selected at random.

As Dongfang Minghui examined them, she explained to everyone, "This is a junior-grade Fire Pearl Herb. It dispels heat and counteracts cold, and can be used as a supporting ingredient. Compatible neutral herbs include Seven Stars Herb, White Angelica, and astragalus. The second is junior-grade White Roc Grass, a living grass that grows along the borders of the White Roc Tribe. It releases a stench strong enough to knock out members of the fox tribe with their sensitive noses. The third is a junior-grade demon plant. Its uses are too..."

"I have a feeling your Ninth Sister will grow strong very quickly. By then, even the Royal Academy may not be able to keep her." Qing Mo pondered Wanyu's thoughts. "Are you sure she won't harm you?"

Dongfang Wanyu stood in a corner, watching Dongfang Minghui calmly and effortlessly identify each spiritual herb at the center of the gathering. The herbs seemed extraordinarily obedient in her hands, giving Wanyu the inexplicable impression that they were bowing down to her.

"Don't worry."

Qing Mo couldn't stop worrying. He felt that Dongfang Minghui was a Firebolt that could go off at any moment. If Wanyu kept her close, who knew when she might drag Wanyu down with her?

Years later, the facts would prove his premonition right.

The dean watched the entire assessment from the sidelines. When Dongfang Minghui easily identified all ten spiritual herbs in the first stage without a single error, he was glad he had secured her beforehand.

Her performance in the first stage caught everyone's attention. They had expected another hopeful arrival ending in disappointment, but who would have thought this little medicine apprentice would be so extraordinary? She hadn't made a single mistake.

None of those present dared claim they could identify different spiritual herbs with perfect accuracy themselves.

Xu Lian recalled the time she had also asked her to identify spiritual herbs before everyone. Qian Minghui had been the first to rush forward and had determined the grades of three medicinal herbs with near-perfect certainty. Just like today, she had shone so brilliantly that it hurt to look at her. Although she had lied about not recognizing the last herb, she had actually been trying to hide her abilities. Yet Xu Lian had been foolish enough to announce her excellence to everyone.

Xu Lian truly trembled with anger. She could foresee that once the other woman became a junior pharmacist, she would be the first person she dealt with.

Dongfang Minghui rested for the time it took an incense stick to burn, then proceeded to the second stage of the junior pharmacist assessment: potion brewing.

One of the junior pharmacists gave her a formula. Dongfang Minghui quickly read it over. It was a fast-acting potion that required six specific medicinal herbs.

The junior pharmacist was rather gentle. Seeing her staring blankly at the formula, he couldn't help reminding her, "The assessment rules allow us to provide three medicinal herbs. You'll need to supply the other three yourself."

Dongfang Minghui was dumbfounded. Where was she supposed to get medicinal herbs? Little Color, that gluttonous demon plant, had devoured all her spiritual herbs. Only a few scraps of roots and dregs remained in her storage space.

"I haven't prepared any," Dongfang Minghui told him bluntly. She was poor.

Her words immediately brought a roar of laughter.

Even the dean couldn't help tugging at his eyebrows. This little girl was really something. He had just asked whether she understood the rules.

The junior pharmacist who had given her the formula grew anxious and kindly reminded her, "You still have four hours before the test. Why don't you hurry and find the herbs?"

"No need." Dongfang Wanyu suddenly appeared and pulled the dumbfounded Dongfang Minghui to her feet. "Which medicinal herbs are you missing?"

Dongfang Minghui checked the formula again. "Seventh Sister, I still need a Soulprint Grass, a White Whiskers, and a Bamboo Root."

Dongfang Wanyu checked her storage space and quickly took out the medicinal herbs.

"Wanyu, have you gone mad? That Soulprint Grass was meant for the Divine Soul Pill to steady your mind during your Thunder Tribulation! If you give it to her, where are we supposed to find another?" Qing Mo stamped his feet in her Soul Sea and shouted at length, but Dongfang Wanyu handed it to Dongfang Minghui without even blinking.

"Seventh Sister, you're wonderful!" Dongfang Minghui hugged The Female Lead excitedly. At the moment she most needed someone, The Female Lead had appeared like an immortal descending from the heavens. She couldn't have been happier.