Chemistry Class

That Zhou fellow looks like nothing more than a brainless, good-for-nothing young master. Is his act really that convincing?

Not necessarily an act. Being a good-for-nothing young master doesn't mean he's brainless. He made good use of a good-for-nothing young master's methods: stirring up trouble, exploiting his connections, and torturing a confession out of someone. He tried to take me down in one fell swoop.

And there would be little fallout from doing it that way. The Capital Evaluation might be approaching, but could killing an insignificant clerk and county yamen constable really shake the vice minister of revenue, a dignified official of the Principal Third Rank?

But that Zhou fellow never expected that I'd not only establish a connection with the Bureau of Astronomy, but even get a great scholar from Cloud Deer Academy to step forward in person. At that thought, Xu Qi'an felt the danger of walking a tightrope.

From the day I solved the tax silver case, I had already offended the vice minister of revenue and been unwillingly drawn into this.

And here I was, thinking I could stay away from imperial power and become a wealthy gentleman with a flock of wives and concubines, living a dull, plain, unadorned life.

If Erlang hadn't happened to be taking a poem to an elder at the academy, and if I hadn't suddenly felt inspired a few days ago to write down some chemistry knowledge from memory, I might already be done for.

I wouldn't even have understood the real reason I was killed. I'd have thought I'd just provoked a good-for-nothing second-generation heir.

A string of coincidences piled up and got me through this crisis. It was luck!! Xu Qi'an sucked in a breath. A thought suddenly struck him. "Miss Caiwei, can you watch Qi?"

"Mm." Chu Caiwei swallowed the food in her mouth. "Eighth-rank sorcerers are called Qi-Watching Masters. The Qi-Watching Technique is the most basic ability we sorcerers have. All the wondrous abilities that come after it are built on its foundation."

Talking about her cultivation system made her talkative and excited, and she chattered on. "But do you know why ninth-rank sorcerers are called Healers instead of Qi-Watching Masters?"

Xu Qi'an shook his head and played along, asking, "Surely it's not because all you sorcerers have hearts set on saving lives and healing the wounded?"

Chu Caiwei straightened her slender back and put on a solemn expression, seemingly enjoying the feeling of being a teacher. She said:

"All things in the world have fate, and humans most of all. The eight sufferings of human life and the seven emotions and six desires are all part of fate. Healers save lives and heal the wounded, so they inevitably come into contact with birth, aging, sickness, and death. Over time, they develop a pair of clear pupils that can see through fate."

I like girls who tell you everything they know and hold nothing back. Xu Qi'an said, "Then can you take a look at my fate?"

Chu Caiwei wiped her little mouth with a handkerchief and fixed her gaze on him. Clear Qi burst from her dark, bright eyes, gradually filling her pupils.

Under the gaze of those eyes wreathed in clear light, Xu Qi'an's spiritual awareness was stirred. It felt like thorns pricking his back, and he was very uncomfortable.

After a while, the clear light faded from Chu Caiwei's eyes. Her expression was unchanged. "Your fate is pale red, mixed with black Qi."

"What does that mean?"

"Red means you earn your living in government service. But the color is pale, which means you're a low-ranking clerk. Black Qi symbolizes misfortune. I imagine you know that all too well."

Xu Qi'an frowned and ventured, "Are there no other colors? Like a color that symbolizes a child of destiny?"

"You'd better only say that sort of thing in front of me. If someone with ulterior motives heard it, you'd be guilty of gross disrespect. Aside from the emperor, no one dares call themselves a child of destiny." Chu Caiwei was startled. Gross disrespect aside, where did this man get the confidence to think he was a child of destiny?

Dragon, oh dragon, polish your eyes and take another good look!!

She can't see it. Maybe her rank isn't high enough, or maybe my luck-god constitution has nothing to do with fate. Xu Qi'an's expression remained composed, though thoughts churned in his mind.

Slap!

Chu Caiwei slapped away Xu Qi'an's hand as he reached for food again. She puffed out her cheeks to show her displeasure. "Wait until I'm full. I'll let you eat after I've had enough."

Xu Qi'an glanced at the lavish spread, half of which had already been demolished, and privately wondered how many months pregnant her belly looked now.

"By the way, how is the vice minister of revenue faring now?" Xu Qi'an straightened in his seat and looked away from the food.

"A supervising secretary from the Ministry of Revenue impeached Vice Minister Zhou a few days ago, but His Majesty set the memorial aside," Chu Caiwei said. After a pause, she added:

"Those two killed themselves out of fear of punishment."

So there's no evidence? But these days, if the emperor really wants someone dead, he doesn't actually need evidence. Everyone can draw their own conclusions. It might also involve factional strife, or the emperor might have other ideas. Uh, I don't understand court affairs; I haven't had any contact with them, after all. I need to sound out an old hand in officialdom.

So Xu Qi'an began probing indirectly, but Chu Caiwei had no interest in court affairs and offered no valuable information.

"Oh, you're so annoying! We at the Bureau of Astronomy don't concern ourselves with court affairs." Pressed by his questions, she raised her slender brows and looked displeased.

I think I've wounded her pride as a teacher. Xu Qi'an took the hint and asked no more.

"How much silver did this whole table cost?" Xu Qi'an was enjoying his meal immensely.

Having eaten and drunk her fill, Chu Caiwei spent a long time counting on her fingers, and then nothing more came of it.

"Hm?" Xu Qi'an looked up.

"I gave the shopkeeper four taels of silver, and he gave me one tael, three qian, and sixty copper coins in change." Chu Caiwei looked troubled. "So how much did I spend?"

Her frowning face was adorable, reminding Xu Qi'an of a seven-year-old girl working on a math problem.

"..." Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment. "I don't know either."

One tael of silver equaled eight qian, and one qian equaled a hundred copper coins. Since the ratio wasn't ten to one, it made the calculation much harder.

Judging by her reaction, she could probably read, but had never learned arithmetic.

So Xu Qi'an decided not to play the hero.

Hearing that, Chu Caiwei's eyes curved into crescents. She felt that Xu Qi'an was a kindred spirit.

"Then how did you calculate so well when you were solving the case?"

"I thought about it for a long time."

"Oh." Chu Caiwei stared at him. "You don't seem to be enjoying the food?"

"No, it's just that the taste is average."

"Nonsense. The Heart-Intoxicating Residence is the best restaurant in the southern part of the city."

"I've had better."

Chu Caiwei's eyes lit up in an instant.

Xu Qi'an went on, "Come to my house when you have time. I'll make you something delicious."

The pill-refining chamber.

A group of white-robed figures gathered around the experimental apparatus, watching Song Qing work.

A porcelain cup, thin as an eggshell, was set over a candle to heat. Steam curled upward as the water in the cup evaporated completely, leaving crystals behind.

Song Qing flicked his fingers, and a cluster of bright flames enveloped the crystals, slowly melting them.

If I'd had that skill in my last life, I could've lit cigarettes with a flick of my fingers. It would've been a surefire tool for picking up girls. Xu Qi'an somewhat envied the sorcerers and their flashy tricks.

The sodium chloride crystals melted, and Song Qing's expression turned grave. He had been stumped at the next step countless times before:

Lightning strike!

Song Qing instinctively looked at Xu Qi'an beside him.

The other white-robed figures, including the adorable, big-eyed Chu Caiwei, all turned their gazes toward Xu Dalang.

Xu Dalang nodded expressionlessly.

He isn't giving me any instructions. That means all my steps have been correct so far. Greatly reassured, Song Qing snapped his fingers.

A faintly glowing arc of electricity suddenly flashed through the air, flowing steadily into the porcelain cup.

"Hold your breath."

Suddenly, everyone heard Xu Qi'an's voice. Without hesitation, they immediately held their breath.

Actually, even if you bunch of nonhumans breathed the poisonous gas in directly, you'd be fine. Xu Qi'an had only told everyone to hold their breath out of habitual thinking.

The next moment, a scene that stunned the Bureau of Astronomy's white-robed figures unfolded.

Irregular, silvery-white lumps formed in the porcelain cup, indistinguishable from silver. Fine salt that had not been fully converted clung to their edges.

"S-success..."

"Senior Brother Song Qing, how did you do it?"

The white-robed figures were astonished. They had failed every time before, yet this time they had actually refined fake silver on the first attempt.

Just as I expected. When Miss Caiwei refined fake silver that day and succeeded on her first try, it wasn't just shit luck. No, it was shit luck, because I was beside her. It involved me. Xu Qi'an watched in silence, confirming his suspicion.

Song Qing glanced at the fake silver, then at his excited junior brothers, looking somewhat bewildered.

I didn't do anything differently. It was always like this before. At that thought, he instinctively glanced at Xu Qi'an and found that the young constable showed no surprise at all. His gaze was dark, as though he had expected it.

A thought struck Song Qing. "Xu Ningyan, do you know why?"

Chu Caiwei, who had been deep in thought, immediately looked at Xu Qi'an.

The other white-robed figures all turned their heads.

Xu Qi'an stood with his hands clasped behind his back and smiled. "You shouldn't be asking me that question. A mature Alchemist should learn to think through problems independently."

"I think you should be able to recognize where the key to the problem lies."