Chapter 176: The Alchemist Association

Zhou Lihua managed to refine roughly three hundred pills. Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu came by on the fourth day to discover the woman sitting before her cauldron, black bags under her eyes as she stared dazedly into the distance. It looked like she hadn’t slept a wink.

She wasn’t alone. Standing beside her was a middle-aged man with graying sideburns and dark eyes. He wore a silver alchemist robe with blue accents. Wu Jian recognized him from the time when he, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu accompanied Zhou Lihua to Dahua City.

“Master Wong,” Hou Jingshu greeted, placing the fist of her right hand into the palm of her left. “I did not realize you would be here. I heard you were busy.”

Master Wong glanced at the masked Wu Jian, who had also bowed, then slid his gaze to Hou Jingshu. “Your Highness, I see you have returned from your trip. The Alchemist Association has been keeping me quite busy, but I heard through the grapevine that my apprentice has regained her enthusiasm and overcome the mental barriers that kept her from being great. I had to see it for myself.”

“She looks tired,” Wu Jian muttered.

Zhou Lihua blinked, then smiled up at them. “That is because I was up all night. I wanted to make sure I had enough pills to sell for our purpose.”

Their purpose was to sell these pills to the Alchemist Association, which was an independent body that did not answer to any sect. If they wanted to reap the most profits, selling it to them was their surest bet.

“So we’re going to the Alchemist Association then?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“Mmm.” Zhou Lihua nodded as she tried to stand up. She wobbled and would have fallen over had Wu Jian not rushed forward to catch her.

“Don’t push yourself,” Wu Jian said softly.

“Don’t worry. I won’t. Also, thank you for catching me… my hero,” Zhou Lihua added that last part as a whisper in his ear.

Wu Jian’s ears burned as he helped Zhou Lihua stand, then stepped back. He was perfectly aware of the old alchemy master’s eyes on him. Wong Jiu stared hard at Wu Jian like he was trying to peer through his mask. It made him nervous. He was trying hard not to let anyone find out his identity, but he could not help but interact like himself whenever he was around these two.

“I have also heard about your situation,” Wong Jiu said. He coughed into his hand. “While I am not allowed to offer my help overtly, aiding my apprentice with selling her alchemy pills should not be a problem.”

“Thank you, Master,” Zhou Lihua offered a traditional bow.

Wong Jiu waved a hand through the air as though to dismiss her words. “Think nothing of it.”

The group left after Zhou Lihua informed the panda-haired Zhou Wen that they would be leaving. Wu Jian had expected the woman to question where they were going, but she did not, instead smiling as she wished them a good day.

Something about that woman bothers me… I wonder why? What is it about Zhou Wen that bothers me so much?

Wu Jian could not put his finger on it, but she gave him the same bad vibes as Zhou Xie’e. There was something mysterious about them both that put him on edge.

“Is something troubling you?” asked Hou Jingshu, snapping Wu Jian out of his thoughts.

“I’m not sure,” he confessed. “I was just thinking about how I don’t really like Zhou Wen for some reason.”

“You too?” asked Zhou Lihua.

“Me too? You mean, you also don’t like her?” asked Wu Jian.

Zhou Lihua leaned back, crossed her left leg over her right, and twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. “It is not that I dislike her so much as I can’t bring myself to trust her. She just seems… odd. And she has this strange habit of showing up at the most inopportune times.”

Wu Jian smiled dryly behind his mask. “I understand that.”

They were sitting inside of Hou Jingshu’s carriage. Wu Jian found himself sandwiched between Zhou Lihua and Hou Jingshu. Wong Jiu sat on the other seat with his arms crossed, a baleful glare on his face as he stared hard at Wu Jian’s mask. It was such an intense stare that Wu Jian couldn’t stand it before too long.

“Is something troubling you, Master Wong?” he asked politely.

“Tell me, boy, why do you wear a mask?” asked Wong Jiu.

“Is that something you need to know?” Wu Jian asked back. He maintained a polite attitude, even as he denied the man his answer.

“Tch. It is when you seem to be close to my apprentice. I have to know that you’re trustworthy.”

Wu Jian didn’t answer right away. “You bring up a good point. You do need to make sure Lihua is not maintaining contact with anyone shady. I appreciate how you look out for her. It shows how much you care.”

Wong Jiu turned his head to hide his blush. “I’m just doing my duty as her master.”

Zhou Lihua giggled into her hand as Hou Jingshu tried to hide her smile. This embarrassed the old alchemy master more. His cheeks turned a darker shade of scarlet as he glared at the pair.

Wu Jian was grateful no one could see his smile. “Would you say that Zhou Lihua has good judgment?”

“What kind of question is that? Zhou Lihua is obviously an incredibly intelligent young woman with keen observational skills,” Wong Jiu answered.

“Then please trust her judgment here.”

“… You are quite slick. Very well. I won’t ask about this anymore. We’ve arrived at our destination anyway.”

Their destination was not the Alchemist Association Imperial Shang Branch Headquarters, but a bazaar owned by them. The bustling marketplace was located inside of a building several stories tall. Wu Jian counted at least ten stories. Dozens if not hundreds of people were coming and going through several sets of large double doors, which were currently open and guarded by cultivators at the Asura Realm.

“Follow me,” Wong Jiu ordered the trio as he marched up several steps.

The three followed Zhou Lihua’s master as he walked to the entrance. The guards recognized his robes and bowed to him, but he ignored them as he strode through the door. Like her master, Zhou Lihua was wearing her apprentice alchemist robes, which were red instead of silver.

If the exterior was bustling, then the interior was chaos incarnate. There were so many people walking through that Wu Jian couldn’t go a single step without bumping shoulders with someone. Hou Jingshu and Zhou Lihua were in the same boat. He grabbed both of their hands so they wouldn’t get lost in the crowd and pulled them along behind him.

Wong Jiu was already near a reception desk. He leaned over the table and spoke to a man with a goatee and long black hair.

“I would like to procure a spot on the fourth floor for my apprentice to sell her alchemy pills,” he was saying.

“Master Wong… forgive my saying so, but while your apprentice did show promise at the start, I am afraid she’s not qualified to sell pills on the fourth floor,” the man said apologetically.

Zhou Lihua clenched her fists but said nothing. Her lips were a thin line as she clamped down on them.

Everyone in the Alchemist Association knew of the young woman who’s skills had not grown in several months. It seemed like, just as she had lost her standing within the Zhou Clan, so too had she lost respect among members of the Alchemist Association.

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Wu Jian reached up and gently placed a hand on her lower back, which caused Zhou Lihua’s body to straighten. She glanced at him, but he kept his eyes on the man behind the desk. Zhou Lihua scooted closer to him several seconds later.

Wong Jiu remained calm despite the man mocking his apprentice. He summoned a jar from his storage ring and set it on the desk. The pills inside rolled around as though begging to be admired.

“You might change your mind once you see what my apprentice has made,” he said confidently.

“Haaaah. Master Wong, it is like I said. Nothing your apprentice can refine is good enough for the… third… floor…”

The man trailed off as he finally caught sight of the pills within the jar. His eyes widened as he leaned down and stared hard at the silvery pills without a single blemish. Seconds ticked by. The man finally looked up from the jar, his gaze first going to Zhou Lihua, then to Wong Jiu.

“Are these… Meridian Opening Pills?” he asked.

“They are,” Wong Jiu confirmed.

The man licked his lips. “Such fine quality pills. And you said your apprentice refined these?”

“She did.” The conflicted look on the man’s face was funny, but Wong Jiu did not laugh as he summoned another jar and set it on the table as well. “She also refined these.”

“Middle-Grade Chi Gathering Pills?!”

The pills within the jar were light pink and roughly the size of a person’s thumbnail. While they looked innocuous enough, when the man popped open the lid, a strong medicinal fragrance emitted from it and caused everyone nearby to stop walking.

“It-it is! These are Middle-Grade Chi Gathering Pills!”

Middle-Grade Chi Gathering Pills were low-grade tier 4 alchemy pills. They would have been considered tier 3 if not for the fact that one of the ingredients used in their creation was very hard to refine. Unlike the Low-Grade Chi Gathering Pills that Wu Jian had used during his journey to White Tiger City, these pills were meant to be used by Asura Realm Cultivators. They had a lot more chi. When used in conjunction with the Meridian Opening Pills, even someone at his and Hou Jingshu’s cultivation would see a noticeable boost in their power.

“My apprentice also made these. Is she qualified to sell on the fourth floor now?” asked Wong Jiu.

“Yes! Yes, of course! My apologies, Master Wong. It seems I had eyes but was unable to see. I could see the trees, but could not distinguish their individual leaves. Please, take this token and head up to the fourth floor.”

The man was practically bowing and scraping as he handed Wong Jiu a gold medallion. Wong Jiu did not respond with words as he took the token and turned around. Wu Jian, Hou Jingshu, and Zhou Lihua all followed the much older man as he led them to the stairs, which had far less foot traffic.

“We’re going up to the fourth floor,” Wong Jiu said to the guards as he showed them the medallion in his hand.

“Of course, Master Alchemist! Please, head on up!” the guards said, snapping to attention.

Wong Jiu marched past the guards, forcing the three young people to follow.

The Alchemist Association Bazaar had a total of ten levels. Items on the lowest level were the cheapest, stuff even non-alchemists could buy. The higher up one went, the more powerful--and more expensive--the items for sale became. Wu Jian took a peek at the other floors they passed and saw all kinds of items. Most of them were related to alchemy, but there were also armor and weapons too.

They reached the fourth floor, which did not have nearly as many people or stalls. It might not have been as busy, but far more money was being passed around and in much larger quantities. Everything from the third floor down cost simple bronze, copper, silver, and gold coins, but everything up here could only be bought with spirit coins.

“This will be your stall. I sadly cannot watch over you since it goes against our rules. Make sure you are careful not to let yourself be ripped off. And you--” he pointed at Wu Jian. “--it will be your job to protect my apprentice in my absence. I expect you to do your job properly.”

“Of course. Please rest assured, I will die before I let anything happen to Lihua.”

“Grrr. I don’t like how you refer to her so informally.”

“I asked him to speak without formalities,” Zhou Lihua said.

Wong Jiu could say nothing to that, so all he did was click his tongue and leave in a huff.

Zhou Lihua turned to their stall. It looked the same as all the other stalls. There was a table with an awning over it, and a small room behind it for sellers to store their excess items or get changed. They wouldn’t need to worry about storing their items since they all possessed storage rings. However, Zhou Lihua did drag Hou Jingshu into the room so they could get changed.

“Come. We need to look more presentable if we want to attract a crowd.”

“We do? Why?”

“Don’t you know that a beautiful flower is more likely to attract attention than an ugly one?”

“I’m not sure I appreciate that metaphor.”

“It’s fine. Just come on.”

“All right. All right. Quit tugging on me.”

Wu Jian was left to wait outside. He watched the small crowds walk down the aisle in search of good deals.

“We’re done,” came a voice from inside. “W… Jian Wu, come inside and tell us how we look.”

“Coming,” Wu Jian said.

He ducked behind the counter and walked into the room, where he was promptly stunned into silence.

Hou Jingshu and Zhou Lihua had changed clothes. And what a change it was.

Both wore hanfu that didn’t quite border on indecent but was getting close. Zhou Lihua’s deep scarlet dress had slits running up the sides to reveal the bare skin of her long, magnificent legs. The sight of her shapely calves and thighs would have caused any man to drown in drool. What really stood out to him was how the center was only loosely tied together with a sash, revealing quite a bit more cleavage than he was used to seeing.

Her hair was done up most extravagantly. A good portion had been styled into a bow-shape near the crown, and a long golden hairpin held it in place. On one end was a bright red flower made of jade. The deep green served to offset her red dress. Strands of hair highlighted her gorgeous blue eyes. Perhaps it was because she wore a veil, but her narrowed eyes looked even more seductive than normal.

A white and pink dress, Hou Jingshu’s hanfu was a little more modest, but it still didn’t cover nearly as much as what she normally wore. White stockings covered her legs. Her tiny feet were clad in sandals instead of shoes. The sandals were of a unique design with golden tassels trailing down her ankles.

Unlike Zhou Lihua’s cleavage revealing garment, this did not show off her chest. It did, however, appear very thin and almost see through. That somehow added a hint of innocent seductiveness that the other woman’s outfit lacked. It was like, by denying someone the ability to see but making it appear like they could if they tried hard enough, it invoked the imagination into conjuring images on its own.

Her hair had also been done up into a bun, though hers was shaped like a flower. The hairpin going through it was silver instead of gold. Its color further served to bring out the more innocent nature of her clothing. The rest of her hair flowed freely down her back. She, too, wore a veil that covered her face.

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