From behind, the person looked rather short and wore the clothes of a medicine attendant from their Pharmacy Institute. But Senior Brother Yong Xing had always cleaned her courtyard. Why would he let someone else wander in?
The person was probably badly startled by her, and the watering can fell to the ground.
Dongfang Minghui's sharp ears caught the spirit medicines' complaints. Holding Toothless under one arm, she picked up the watering can, which was still leaking water, with her other hand. She eyed the person suspiciously. "Who are you? Why are you in my courtyard?"
She was something of an old hand at the Pharmacy Institute now and had seen all its medicine attendants. This person looked unfamiliar, though, so he had to be one of this year's new recruits.
He was a delicate-featured boy of about fifteen or sixteen. His face was unnaturally pale, and even his lips were purple. From how frail he looked, he clearly had a typical heart condition. His watery eyes looked at her pitifully, with a trace of timidity.
"I, I, I'm the-"
He stammered for ages without getting anywhere. Seeing him nervously clutch and rub the hem of his clothes, she said, "Forget it. This courtyard isn't somewhere you should be. Leave."
"B-but Senior Brother told me to look after these spirit medicines here."
So Senior Brother Yong Xing had sent him to help tend her courtyard. Dongfang Minghui crouched and spoke to her spirit medicines one by one before learning that he was indeed a newly recruited medicine attendant. He had apparently applied to become a Potion Master, but after failing the selection, he had wanted to stay at the Royal Academy. Somehow, Senior Brother Yong Xing had taken a liking to him and dropped him into her courtyard.
A Potion