Frank and Otto's Little Schemes

In the sky, the group bantered and jostled as they cheerfully tried to introduce the girls around them to Xiao Yan.

Each of them had his own pitch. At times, they argued until their faces were red, neither side willing to give an inch, and even came to blows...

Xiao Yan couldn't help laughing as he watched the lively scene before him. "Sure enough, human cities have that bustle of everyday life, especially when people are arguing!"

With that, the young man looked into the distance and directed the ten magical beasts to fly in a grand procession toward the tallest building ahead.

A short while later, the magical beasts landed one after another on a street to the east.

Their enormous bodies slammed heavily into the ground, instantly whipping up a fierce wind and a cloud of dust that blew away the obstacles along the street.

Stones, roof tiles, leaves, and odds and ends from the stalls all went flying through the air, smashing against nearby houses with a crackling clatter.

The Crimson Feather Bird crouched and respectfully lowered its head, waiting for Xiao Yan to stroll down from its back.

Off to the side, He Qian and the other two saw the Fifth-Order Magical Beast behaving as obediently as a pet.

Their hearts trembled, and they became even more certain of their guess.

This Yan Xiao really is the Nether Snake King, or a young master raised by some other top-tier power. Otherwise, he would never receive such treatment!

That was what they thought, but on the surface they acted as if nothing were amiss and followed Xiao Yan onto the street with utmost respect.

The young man nodded slightly and used his soul power to step into the air, walking steadily down from above the Crimson Feather Bird's head until he stood on the ground.

He looked up and saw an enormous, ancient-looking building.

A plaque hanging above the first floor gave off specks of golden light.

On it were the prominent words "Alchemist Guild."

"What a nostalgic place..."

Xiao Yan spoke with emotion, a trace of reminiscence flashing through his eyes.

In his previous life, he had taken the Second-Rank Alchemist examination here, obtained the Ice Spirit Cold Spring from Gute in a trade, and made quite a few friends.

Master Frank, Master Otto, Xue Mei, Lin Fei...

Familiar figures appeared before his eyes once more. A smile curved Xiao Yan's lips, and he clasped his hands behind his back and strolled inside.

As he walked, he urged the others along:

"Hey, hurry up and follow. Don't hold up my alchemist examination."

As soon as he spoke, Frank and Otto put away their quarrelsome expressions and hurriedly replied:

"Young friend Yan Xiao, please wait a moment. We'll lead the way for you!"

The two exchanged a glance and immediately quickened their pace, arriving at the top of the steps first.

They hastily pushed aside the guards beside the entrance, each braced a palm against one of the door panels, and slowly pushed open the heavy bronze doors.

Creak-!

The bronze doors slowly opened, revealing the scene inside as a wave of heat rushed into their faces.

A rich medicinal fragrance wafted out, refreshing the senses and endlessly intoxicating.

Clearly, someone in the Alchemist Guild was always refining pills, without ever stopping.

No wonder the medicinal fragrance was so strong here.

"Young friend Yan Xiao, please come in!"

Frank and Otto each extended a hand toward the hall, inviting him in politely.

"Haha, many thanks!"

Xiao Yan gave an awkward laugh and stepped forward, passing the startled guards beside him and walking through the entrance without looking back.

To be honest, Frank and Otto's behavior just now had been far too fawning. They had none of the imposing bearing expected of Fourth-Rank Alchemists and Dou Ling experts.

But on second thought, he saw nothing wrong with it.

After all, he had brought so many Fifth-Order Magical Beasts to make an impression. It was only natural for the two of them to curry favor with him.

He Qian, however, had not followed them. He stayed where he was, waiting for Xiao Yan to come out.

He knew very well that he was only a layman.

If he rashly barged into an alchemist's domain and then started pointing things out with his superficial knowledge of medicinal ingredients, he could easily say something wrong and make himself a laughingstock before the experts.

Xiao Yan paid no attention to He Qian's actions, however, and walked straight into the first reception hall.

The hall was enormous, large enough to hold a gathering of ten thousand people.

Many of Black Rock City's important figures were scattered throughout it.

They chatted and laughed in every corner, some discussing pill prices, others talking about training alchemists.

Clearly, the Alchemist Guild was well soundproofed. The commotion just now had not disturbed them, much less dampened their spirits.

After pushing open the doors, Frank and Otto strode up to two guards, grabbed them roughly by the collars, and urgently instructed them:

"Quickly, go to pill-refining room two and tell Xue Mei and Lin Fei that an honored guest has arrived. Have them come out at once."

In their eyes, since Yan Xiao dared to come for an alchemist examination, he had to have some real skills. Add to that the ten magical beasts beside him... and the picture became even more complete.

Young, outstanding, well-connected, and not bad-looking either... Yan Xiao was a perfect candidate for a first-rate son-in-law!

Frank and Otto stared at Xiao Yan's back, thinking to themselves:

Even if we don't think of ourselves, we have to consider those girls!

If they can win this young master's favor, even becoming a concubine would be an excellent match for Lin Fei and Xue Mei.

At that moment, the guards saw the anxious looks in Frank and Otto's eyes and felt their hearts tighten as they weighed the situation.

These two masters were usually extremely mild-tempered and rarely grew angry over trivial matters.

That left only one possibility.

The young man who had just gone inside was an important figure whom even they feared.

"Yes, guild leader, vice guild leader!"

After a moment's thought, the guards freed themselves from the two men's grips, put away their weapons, and hurried off to carry out their orders.

The guards moved quickly. Following the numbers on the room signs, they soon found room two and notified Xue Mei and Lin Fei...

Meanwhile, Frank and Otto paced back and forth, their faces full of nervous anticipation.

Clearly, both were hoping their female disciples would arrive quickly.

After roughly a quarter of an hour, the crisp sound of two sets of footsteps reached their ears.

They turned around and were overjoyed, hurrying to greet a girl in a white dress and another in red.

The former wore snow-white robes and had a tall figure, a cool, aloof bearing, and delicate features. Her white hair cascaded down like a waterfall, making her a striking sight.

The latter's red clothes were like fire. She was full-bosomed and shapely, with a pretty face and a lively look in her eyes and brows, making her charming and adorable.

They were the beloved disciples Frank and Otto had spoken of: Xue Mei and Lin Fei.

"Master, Mei'er is late. I was just exchanging alchemy knowledge with Lin Fei, and it took some time. Please forgive me."

Xue Mei smiled apologetically and bowed to Frank in greeting as she spoke softly.

Lin Fei, on the other hand, gave a cold snort and curled her lip at Otto, saying displeasedly:

"Stupid master, why did you interrupt my contest with Xue Mei? I almost won!"

She glared fiercely at Otto after speaking, seemingly somewhat reproachful.

Her indignant expression made Xue Mei smile. Covering her mouth, she giggled to herself and thought:

Luckily, the guards arrived in time to stop that friendly exchange between Lin Fei and me...

Otherwise, I would definitely have lost to Lin Fei, and that would have been embarrassing.

Otto sighed helplessly and coaxed her softly:

"All right, precious Fei'er, don't be angry. I called you here this time because I have a great opportunity to tell you about."

Only after her master spoke did Lin Fei calm down, though she still pouted and said unhappily:

"What is it? You're being so mysterious that you even ruined my contest with Xue Mei!"

Hearing this, Xue Mei turned to Frank, some interest appearing on her face as well. "Yes, what is so important?" she asked curiously.

Frank chuckled, then pointed at Xiao Yan, who was registering up ahead. Leaning in and narrowing his eyes, he said with a smile:

"Do you see that young man? His name is Yan Xiao. He suddenly arrived in Black Rock City with ten Fifth-Order Magical Beasts just now and caused quite a stir."

"And he's come to take an alchemist examination at such a young age. His abilities are probably considerable."

Frank paused there, then repeated the conclusion he had reached earlier:

"We're certain he's a heaven-blessed genius raised by some superpower."

"Isn't someone like that exactly what you're looking for in a partner?"

Hearing this, Otto also said cheerfully, "That's right. That's what I mean too."

Lin Fei and Xue Mei exchanged a glance and followed Frank's gesture, soon spotting Xiao Yan up ahead.

But when they saw how young he looked, both wore doubtful expressions. Clearly, they did not believe what their masters had said.

Xiao Yan looked only fourteen or fifteen. How could he possibly be an alchemist?

After all, having fire with a touch of wood in one's Dou Qi attributes was not the only prerequisite for becoming an alchemist.

Before that, one first had to become a Dou Zhe to be qualified to attempt pill refinement.

The two of them were already eighteen, yet they were still only at the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi.

Moreover, they had not fully mastered all the knowledge concerning first-rank pills, much less that Yan Xiao.

But on second thought, Frank and Otto were both Fourth-Rank Alchemists.

And both were seniors who handled people and affairs extremely well, so their judgment might not be wrong.

After turning it over several times, the two women reluctantly accepted the fact, though they remained skeptical.

Lin Fei said arrogantly, "All right, I'll believe you this once, for now."

"If he doesn't pass the alchemist examination later, I'll mock your judgment mercilessly and embarrass you for the rest of your lives."

Xue Mei was not so blunt. She merely said indifferently:

"I hope so..."

"If he really does become a First-Rank Alchemist, I, Xue Mei, will certainly be willing to pursue him."

"After all, a man that outstanding is truly hard to find."

Just then, a clear, lovely female voice came from the front desk, interrupting their conversation.

"Guest, your information has been registered. Please go upstairs and wait. We'll notify an examiner to come and interview you."

Everyone looked toward the voice and heard Xiao Yan give a quiet acknowledgment:

"I understand. Thank you for your help!"

Xiao Yan smiled politely and left the counter. Looking at a guard nearby, he nodded to him and said:

"Could you take me to the place where the examination is being held..."

The guard hastily returned his smile, then put away his weapon and answered Xiao Yan:

"Of course. Please follow me!"

With that, he walked over to Xiao Yan.

They watched Xiao Yan follow his assigned guide along the corridor and up the stairs, disappearing from sight.

Frank and Otto immediately revealed smiles like old foxes.

Rubbing their hands, the two walked over and asked the woman at the counter for Xiao Yan's registration information, speaking in low voices:

"Miss, sorry for the trouble, but please let us check that young master's information and see if there are any errors or omissions!"

The woman at the counter froze. Then she recognized Frank and Otto and was immediately startled. She hurriedly waved her hands and said:

"Of course, Master Frank, Master Otto. Please wait a moment..."

She immediately searched through the documents on the desk and soon handed the two a sheet of letter paper.

Frank and Otto took the paper and examined it closely.

Xue Mei and Lin Fei also leaned in for a look, their eyes full of shock.

"Yan Xiao, male, fourteen years old, Seven-Star Dou Zhe. Master: Yao Lao. Examinations: First-Rank Alchemist, Second-Rank Alchemist, and Third-Tier Alchemist..."

"Whew-! A fourteen-year-old Seven-Star Dou Zhe? Is he serious?"

Lin Fei cried out in disbelief.

Xue Mei also looked horrified as she said:

"If I remember correctly, Nalan Yanran, the young sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, is already seventeen."

"And she's only a Three-Star Dou Zhe..."

"But I heard she seems to have concealed her cultivation and may already have reached the Dou Shi realm."