Young Master Xu Gives a Lecture

Xu Qi'an returned to the courtyard to change out of his official uniform, took a shower, and had just put on his regular clothes when he saw the gatekeeper, Old Zhang, push the door open and come in.

"Dalang, a guest has arrived. The master wants you to come over," Old Zhang, with his goatee, said loudly.

"Okay, close the gate and come in," Xu Qi'an replied.

Old Zhang was taken aback at first, then a look of wariness appeared on his face.

Weren't we supposed to go to the main house? Why aren't we leaving? They've even closed the door and are trying to force me to come inside.

what you up to?

Old Zhang ignored him and quietly left the courtyard.

Old Zhang still remembered the incident where a servant was summoned to the bathhouse and inexplicably fainted.

Xu Qi'an walked out of the house and found that Old Zhang was no longer there.

He even wanted to help Old Zhang climb over the wall, so he wouldn't have to take a detour back.

He leaped over the high wall and walked towards the front hall. His second uncle sent someone to call him, indicating that the guest who came to the mansion was most likely related to him.

Upon entering the front hall, a woman in a yellow dress came into view; it was Chu Caiwei I hadn't seen in a long time.

A pale yellow dress, and fluffy hair.

She had a small deerskin pouch tied around her waist, with an octagonal feng shui plate hanging from it, and her almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright.

"How did you end up in my house?" Xu Qi'an asked in surprise.

Chu Caiwei sat in the main seat, her second uncle beside her. She was eating a large bag of Cassia Moon Tower's finest pastries, slowly taking a sip of tea, swallowing the food, and saying:

"If you don't go to the Bureau of Astronomy soon, Senior Brother Song will be coming next."

Xu Qi'an suddenly realized that he had indeed not yet fulfilled his promise.

Zhou Li's matter has been resolved, but the promised periodic table of elements has still not been sent to the Bureau of Astronomy.

The main concern was whether Vice Minister Zhou had fallen from power, but later he was summoned by the Nightwatchers to the yamen for public execution.

He then became a proud gong, beginning his rebellious, overworked life as a corporate slave.

As for the matter with the Bureau of Astronomy, Xu Qi'an swore to the heavens that it was definitely not something he did out of habit.

"Let's do it another day, I'll go another day," Xu Qi'an said.

"You didn't come up with anything, did you?" Chu Caiwei questioned.

"Of course I'm prepared."

Chu Caiwei's large, bright eyes flashed with a clear light. "You're lying."

"."

"Senior Brother Song said that since you've been in arrears for so long, you have to pay it back with interest. Some of the alchemical knowledge you wrote in the Blue Book is quite profound; the Alchemist at the Bureau of Astronomy can't quite grasp it yet." Chu Caiwei ate a piece of pastry.

"It's almost the end of the year, and Senior Brother Song hopes you can go to the Bureau of Astronomy to give lectures to sixth-rank Alchemist and Warlock below the sixth rank."

"Alright!" Xu Qi'an nodded. Paying back debts is a matter of course. "But I need half an hour to prepare."

Chu Caiwei beamed, "I'll keep an eye on you."

Having said that, in a great mood, she turned to Xu Lingyin, who was standing to the side with longing in her big eyes, and said, "Little sister, would you like to eat some of my pastries?"

Xu Lingyin tapped her head.

"Then I'll give you some." Chu Caiwei skipped and hopped, her skirt fluttering as she followed Xu Qi'an.

This child had been eyeing her pastries, harboring ulterior motives. Chu Caiwei originally didn't want to give them to her, but Xu Qi'an agreed so readily, which put her in a good mood. Anyway, he was just a little kid and couldn't eat much.

The two arrived at Xu Qi'an's courtyard. Chu Caiwei leaned against the door, crossed one leg, and peeked into the kitchen.

"You said that day that you would cook something delicious for me."

"Next time," Xu Qi'an thought to himself, "You actually still remember?"

Chu Caiwei was unhappy. She puffed out her cheeks, making her already sweet and lovely oval face look like a little steamed bun, which was very cute.

Whether she's a disciple of the Imperial Censor or not doesn't matter. I'm interested in this girl. Xu Qi'an was somewhat amazed.

Among the beauties he had seen, each had her own unique characteristics: the voluptuous and beautiful aunt, the elegant and refined young lady, the courtesan who appeared to be a lady from a prominent family but was actually charming and passionate, and Chu Caiwei was the most adorable and sweetest girl.

"Once I make a cheaper version of chicken bouillon, I'll make you some noodles," Xu Qi'an said.

Half an hour later, Xu Qi'an finished writing the manuscript and returned to the main hall of the house with the big-eyed beauty.

Xu Lingyin sat in the chair that Chu Caiwei had just sat in, her two short legs dangling listlessly in the air, her little belly round and plump.

Chu Caiwei's mouth slowly opened as she stared at the empty table.

Where are my pastries? Where are the pastries I bought for two taels of silver?

Such a big bag of pastries!

Tears welled up in Chu Caiwei's eyes.

"Thank you, sister, the pastries are delicious." Xu Lingyin burped and thanked them politely.

The big-eyed beauty, feeling utterly helpless, glared resentfully at the little belly and left with Xu Qi'an, looking aggrieved.

The horses' hooves clattered, Xu Qi'an turned his head to look at Chu Caiwei, who was bouncing on her horse with her rosy cheeks puffed out.

"Aren't you ashamed? My sister got so angry just because she ate some of your pastries," Xu Qi'an mocked.

Chu Caiwei twisted her waist. "I was planning to save it to eat while listening to your lecture."

Xu Qi'an thought for a moment and said, "It's just pastries, I'll buy them for you, how much does it cost?"

Chu Caiwei smiled, "Two taels of silver."

"Don't keep Senior Brother Song waiting, giddy up, giddy up!"

Horse, you fucking run faster!

Chu Caiwei rolled her eyes, then spurred her horse forward with a grin.

Bureau of Astronomy.

As soon as Xu Qi'an stepped into the Star-Gazing Tower, he was warmly welcomed by the people in white. He went straight up to the seventh floor and met the Alchemist, led by Song Qing.

"You've finally arrived! If you hadn't come, I would have come to your residence myself." Song Qing stared at his dark circles and looked like he had indulged in excessive pleasure.

He was very dissatisfied with Xu Qi'an's delay.

He violated the principle of "being upright and honest" by doing something bad for him, and as a result, he waited and waited, but the person never came.

"I've been quite busy lately." Xu Qi'an pulled out the manuscript from his pocket. "Well, here I am. Senior Brother Song has been researching grafting techniques lately."

"Plant grafting will have to wait until next spring. My main research area is animals. Wait a minute." Song Qing got excited when she said this, and hurriedly ran off. A moment later, she returned with a manuscript.

"This is my latest grafting idea. I heard you joined the Nightwatchers. Help me find a death row inmate."

Xu Qi'an took a look and saw that it was a centaur; the drawing was quite good.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Song Qing: "We'll talk about that later; I need to fulfill my promise now."

Xu Qi'an didn't want to be slapped to death by the supervisor.

"Senior Brother Song Qing's Alchemy has clearly gone astray. I need to use my profound knowledge of chemistry to straighten him out."

The teaching location was chosen to be the lobby on the seventh floor.

The white-robed Warlock brought over their desks and sat upright like students. There were forty-six of them, Subordinate Ninth Rank to the sixth rank, not including the white-robed individuals who were currently out of town.

Xu Qi'an knew that what they really coveted was his theoretical knowledge of chemistry. As for practical skills, every sixth-grade Alchemist could easily surpass him.

"I have a feeling that after this lecture, my status in the Bureau of Astronomy will rise again. Once I've copied poems to please the great scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy and secured a good relationship with Father Wei, will I be able to walk around the capital with my head held high in the near future?"

Xu Qi'an's heart suddenly burned with excitement.

With these three forces backing him up, as long as he doesn't do anything outrageous, he'll be as safe as a rock.

Erlang, your elder brother still loves you and has already paved the way for your future as Grand Secretary.

But you're so stingy that you won't even give your older brother a single promise.

Xu Qi'an glanced at the white-robed Warlock: "Gentlemen, what do you know about Alchemy? Before we begin the lesson, let's talk about Alchemy."

Two luxurious carriages arrived and stopped Star-Gazing Tower.

Yang Yan, acting as the coachman, jumped off the carriage, took out a small wooden stool, and greeted Wei Yuan as he stepped down from the carriage.

The gentle and feminine-looking Nangong Qianrou stepped out of the carriage.

From another carriage made of Phoebe zhennan wood, a woman in a gorgeous long dress stepped out. She was tall and slender, with stunning beauty, clear and cold eyes, and a fair complexion, like a peerless beauty who stood apart from the world.

A gentle breeze blows, and the figure moving about is something that can only be felt, not described.

"Princess!" Wei Yuan bowed respectfully.

The two adopted sons also bowed.

"Is Duke Wei also here to see the Supervisor?" the Princess asked with a light laugh, her noble bearing unmistakable.

"Yes." Wei Yuan sighed, "A saltpeter mine has been discovered within the territory of Taikang County, but it has been completely mined out, suspected to be the work of remnants of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. I suspect that there are still Demon Race lurking in the capital, and I would like to request the Imperial Censor to use his Heavenly Eye to search out these demons and monsters."

As for the information about the Earth Sect and the fragments of the Earth Book, Wei Yuan had no intention of telling the Princess.

A shrewd strategist will leave subtle clues and will not reveal their plans to the public beforehand.

But even the mere news of the remnants of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons made the Princess's expression serious, and thus, amidst her cool and beautiful demeanor, a sense of majesty was revealed.

"Where is the eldest princess?" Wei Yuan asked.

"I've come to see Caiwei," the princess replied, then casually asked, "Does Duke Wei think the death of the Earl of Pingyuan is related to the Demon Race?"

Wei Yuan shook his head. "The Earl of Pingyuan has no connection with the Demon Race; he's not of any value."

The two entered the Star-Gazing Tower together, only to be astonished to find it completely empty, with no one there to greet them.

The same applies to the second and third floors.

The eldest princess frowned and asked, "What has happened at the Bureau of Astronomy?"

Wei Yuan remained silent, lost in thought.

Continuing up the stairs, on the fifth floor, I finally saw a busy man in white.

Upon seeing Wei Yuan and the Princess, the man in white leisurely approached and bowed.

The eldest princess asked, "Since I entered this building, I have only seen you. What has happened at the Bureau of Astronomy?"

Upon hearing this, Baiyi angrily said, "I don't want to see the Princess either. Oh no, I want to go to the seventh floor too, but I still have things to finish. My senior brothers won't let me go. I'm so angry! They're acting like they're not human!"

After venting his frustrations, he explained, "Young Master Xu is giving a lecture on Alchemy on the seventh floor, and all the senior disciples have gone to listen."