41: Chapter 41: A Stunning Performance by Little Fan Girl Li Zhiyi

Early the next morning, Chu Sheng had Lin Fu spread the word: he would be performing a public alchemy session at the Listening to Bamboo Pavilion in the afternoon, and everyone was welcome to observe.

As soon as the news broke, the entire Lin Manor was in an uproar.

"Public alchemy? Isn't he afraid of others stealing his techniques?"

"An attendant who started as a servant, what kind of good pills can he refine?"

"I heard he refined yesterday's Marrow Cleansing Pill; maybe it was just luck..."

All sorts of discussions were flying around.

But by the afternoon, the small courtyard of the Listening to Bamboo Pavilion was still packed with people.

Great Steward Lin Yuanshan arrived in person and sat in the front row.

Lin Hao stood to the side, fanning himself with a folding fan.

Han Li stood in a corner, and Deacon Qian and Deacon Sun had also arrived.

The two of them whispered to each other, their eyes filled with scrutiny.

"Want to see me make a fool of myself? Fine, I'll give you plenty to look at."

He cleared his throat.

"Everyone, today This humble one will perform public alchemy, refining the most basic Foundation Consolidation Pill. If you are interested, feel free to watch."

Having said that, he didn't wait for a reaction and immediately opened the furnace.

Lighting the fire, warming the furnace, adding the herbs, controlling the flames...

It was as smooth as flowing water.

Deacon Sun's eyes widened.

"Isn't he only at the Qi Induction stage? This fire control skill can't be mastered without ten years of practice!"

Li Zhiyi stood in the crowd, staring at Chu Sheng without blinking, the smile at the corners of her mouth growing wider.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the alchemy furnace let out a soft "buzz," the lid flew off, and six round pills rolled into the tray.

The fragrance of the medicine wafted through the air, refreshing the soul.

Chu Sheng picked one up, tilted it against the sunlight, and smiled.

"Three are standard, two are superior, and one is top-grade. Everyone, please excuse my humble skills."

The entire place went silent for a breath, then erupted in amazement.

"Top-grade?!"

"Six pills in one batch, and one is top-grade?!"

"This... even the Li Family Head couldn't do this, right?"

Li Zhiyi was the first to start clapping.

Deacon Qian and Deacon Sun exchanged a glance; the disdain on their faces had completely vanished, replaced by complex expressions.

Lin Yuanshan laughed heartily. "Good! Attendant Chu truly is a hidden master! You've certainly opened our eyes today!"

Lin Hao finally snapped out of it.

Chu Sheng said modestly, "Chief Steward, you flatter me. This humble one only knows the basics."

Lin Yuanshan patted his shoulder.

"Only the basics? If this is just the basics, then all the alchemists in our manor might as well go home and farm!"

Deacon Qian and Deacon Sun's faces stiffened, and they didn't dare to speak up.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Li Zhiyi was the last to leave, whispering.

"Attendant Chu, you're amazing! If my dad saw you refining pills, he'd definitely want to become sworn brothers with you!"

Chu Sheng chuckled. "Miss Li, you must be joking."

Li Zhiyi winked and lowered her voice. "I'm serious. If you have time in the future, you must come visit the Li family; my dad will definitely like you."

After saying that, her face flushed slightly, and she turned and ran off.

Chu Sheng watched her back, lost in thought.

"This girl... has she really become a little fangirl?"

...

These pills were useless to Chu Sheng, except for the top-grade one.

Since the First Branch Family wasn't around, he distributed the pills to the Second Branch Family and the Third Branch Family.

After seeing everyone off, Chu Sheng sat in the courtyard drinking tea.

"Big Brother Chu, you were so impressive today!"

Xiao Huan's face was flushed with excitement.

Whether it was impressive or not didn't matter; the key was that he didn't want to play out those old cliches.

"What right do you have to call yourself an alchemist?"

"Fine, I'll refine it right here for you to see!"

Proving himself over and over again.

Solving it all at once was much easier.

Just as he was thinking, there was another knock on the courtyard door.

Xiao Huan went to open the door, and it was Lin Yuanshan who entered.

"Attendant Chu, sorry to disturb you."

Lin Yuanshan sat down with a smile. "I've already reported today's events to the Master. He is very pleased and said he wants to meet you in person once he comes out of seclusion."

Chu Sheng nodded. "Thank you, Chief Steward."

Lin Yuanshan lowered his voice. "There's one more thing. Regarding the Lin Wanqing... she asked me to bring you a message."

Chu Sheng was taken aback. "The Lin Wanqing?"

"Yes."

Lin Yuanshan gave an ambiguous smile. "She said, thank you for the pills, and asked if you are free; she wants to thank you in person."

Chu Sheng's heart stirred.

Lin Wan Qing?

Since he transmigrated, he hadn't had much contact with Lin Wan Qing.

The entanglements from the simulation hadn't happened in reality yet.

But now...

"I'm free," he nodded. "Please ask the Lin Wanqing to set a time."

Lin Yuanshan left, satisfied.

Chu Sheng leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the sky.

Lin Wan Qing... Lady Wang... Lin Bufan...

He remembered the shocking secret from the simulation—the affair between Lin Bufan and the Second Madam, Lady Wang.

"The Family Head is in seclusion trying to reach the Condensing True Essence stage, while his head is turning bright green..."

His mouth twitched. "This kind of high-society secret is truly more exciting than pills."

But then again, at this point in time, Lin Bufan should still be traveling abroad and hasn't returned yet.

As for Lady Wang...

"I'm meeting the Lin Wanqing tomorrow; I have to watch out for Lady Wang."

He thought to himself, "That woman is no saint."

The next afternoon, Chu Sheng arrived at Lin Wan Qing's courtyard as scheduled.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was arranged very elegantly.

Lin Wan Qing was wearing a pale purple dress, sitting in a pavilion reading a book. Seeing him arrive, she stood up and bowed.

"Attendant Chu."

"You are too polite, Second Miss," Chu Sheng returned the gesture.

Lin Wan Qing lowered her eyes, appearing somewhat nervous, and didn't speak for a long time.

Chu Sheng took the initiative to break the silence. "Is the Lin Wanqing in good health?"

Lin Wan Qing nodded. "Much better. The pills... thank you, Attendant Chu."

"It was nothing."

The two of them were silent for a while longer.

Lin Wan Qing suddenly looked up, glanced at him, then quickly lowered her eyes again, whispering, "Attendant Chu... I heard about what happened yesterday. Your alchemy is really amazing."

Chu Sheng chuckled. "You flatter me, Lin Wanqing."

"It's not flattery."

Lin Wan Qing said seriously, "My mother said... that alchemists are all very difficult to get along with, but you are different."

Chu Sheng's heart stirred. "What did... the Madam say?"

Lin Wan Qing hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice.

"My mother said that although you come from a low background, you have some talent, so she... she told me not to get too close to you."

Chu Sheng: "..."

Boy, Lady Wang is drawing a red line for her daughter.

He remained calm on the surface, but laughed inwardly.

"Your mother is having an affair with your brother, and yet she looks down on my low background? That's quite the double standard."

But he couldn't say that out loud.

He nodded. "The Madam is right. The Lin Wanqing indeed shouldn't get too close to outsiders."

Lin Wan Qing grew anxious. "That's not what I meant! I mean..."

She paused, her face flushing as she said, "I mean, I think Attendant Chu is a good person."

Chu Sheng looked at her, and his heart suddenly softened.

This girl is certainly different from her mother.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Chu Sheng stood up to take his leave.

Before leaving, he left behind a bottle of pills—meant for nourishing the meridians, suitable for someone like Lin Wan Qing who hadn't been practicing for long.

Lin Wan Qing took them, a hint of gratitude flashing in her eyes.

"Thank you, Attendant Chu."

Chu Sheng waved his hand and left the courtyard.

As he reached the courtyard gate, he happened to run into Lady Wang.

She was walking toward him with several maids; when she saw Chu Sheng, her expression immediately darkened.

"Attendant Chu, what are you doing here?"

Chu Sheng replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "The Second Miss summoned me, so This humble one came to deliver some pills."

Lady Wang snorted coldly.

"Wan Qing is young and naive. Attendant Chu is a smart man; you should know what to do and what not to do."

Chu Sheng smiled slightly. "Rest assured, Madam, This humble one knows his place."

Having said that, he cupped his hands and turned to leave.

"This woman, Lady Wang..."

He shook his head. "I'll have to face off against her sooner or later."

...

Back at the Listening to Bamboo Pavilion.

Generally speaking, the alchemy session had gone quite smoothly.

He had showcased his talent, and he had established some initial goodwill with Lin Wan Qing—though Lady Wang was a nuisance.

But the biggest problem wasn't Lady Wang.

It was the Qinglan Sect.

In the simulation, it was because he exposed his talent as a Rank 2 alchemist that he was targeted by the Qinglan Sect and eventually press-ganged into service.

Although he hadn't shown Rank 2 skills in reality yet, Rank 1 was already enough to attract attention.

"That guy Han Li must be keeping an eye on me."

He thought to himself, "In the simulation, he might have been the one who tipped them off."

Remembering Han Li's state while they were drinking, he became even more certain.

"I need to find a way to thoroughly deal with Han Li's lead."

Just as he was thinking, there was another knock on the courtyard door.

Xiao Huan went to open the door, and the person who came back was actually Li Zhiyi.

She had changed into a pink dress and walked in with a beaming smile, carrying a food box in her hand.

In front of someone they like, girls always dress up to show their best side, never wearing the same outfit twice.

"Attendant Chu, my mother made some snacks and asked me to bring you some to try."

Chu Sheng: "...Miss Li, you are too kind."

Li Zhiyi set the food box down and didn't seem in a hurry to leave, looking around the place.

"Attendant Chu, your courtyard is really small. It's even smaller than the side courtyards at my house."

Chu Sheng chuckled. "As a lowly attendant, having a private courtyard is already quite good."

Li Zhiyi winked. "Then do you want to come see my house? It's huge! Our spiritual cat can even do somersaults!"

Chu Sheng: "..."

What exactly is this girl trying to do?

Just as he was about to politely decline, Li Zhiyi suddenly lowered her voice. "Attendant Chu, let me tell you something."

"Hmm?"

"My dad has been looking for an alchemist lately; he wants to partner up to refine a Rank 2 pill."

Her eyes were sparkling. "Do you want to give it a try?"

Chu Sheng's heart stirred.

A Rank 2 pill?

Li Qingshan is only a High-Grade Rank 1 alchemist; he wants to refine a Rank 2 pill?

He pondered for a moment. "Miss Li, what kind of pill is your father looking to refine?"

Li Zhiyi stepped closer and whispered, "The longevity elixir."

Chu Sheng's pupils constricted.

The longevity elixir?

Isn't that... the one being refined for the Lin Family Head?