Lin Shanhai said to Li Hao,
Li Hao blushed slightly. Becoming a top scholar wasn’t an easy feat, not something that could be fudged with just a line or two of poetry.
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. We have guests arriving, and this bunch…”
Lin Shanhai suddenly put down his tea cup, flicked the dust off his sleeve, and was about to stand up to greet them when suddenly, he remembered something. He glanced at the teapot and motioned to Li Hao with his lips,
“Hurry and put this away. Also, hide that packet of Dragon Ginseng Tea in the drawer under my table in the stove, and cover it up with the scent of the medicine. Those guys have very keen noses…”
While speaking, he put on simple cloth shoes and walked toward the courtyard.
Li Hao was startled, but his actions were swift. He gathered up the Dragon Ginseng Tea from the teapot, then tucked away another packet from the drawer into the Heaven and Earth Space. He then gathered several slices of fragrantly-scented herbs and threw them into the teapot, pouring a cup each for himself and the other.
Palm slightly warmed, he hastened the herb’s release of medicinal power, with the herbal fragrance wafting between the cups.
At this moment, bursts of laughter came from outside as several elders walked in led by Lin Shanhai. Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire
“Why didn’t you guys tell me in advance that you were coming?”
“Why would we need to notify for such a short trip? We just came over together to check out your new apprentice and see what kind of genius he really is.”
Four figures entered the courtyard—three elderly men and a glamorous-looking middle-aged woman. Except for one elder who was dressed extravagantly in gold and jewels, the others were dressed quite plainly with wooden hairpins.
Yet without exception, all four bore a scent of medicinal herbs.
“Is this the young man?”
Once they entered the yard, their eyes quickly noticed Li Hao.
Since they were guests, they didn’t rashly use Divine Thought to probe; they just glanced around a bit.
Li Hao also stood up swiftly.
Lin Shanhai noticed the teapot still on the side and was briefly stunned, but he quickly noticed the medicinal fragrance drifting from the cups. He could not help but smile wryly, giving Li Hao a glance, thinking how this young man was even sneakier than himself.
“Please, have a seat.”
Lin Shanhai greeted them with a smile, asking Li Hao to fetch some more tea sets and pastries.
Lin Shanhai’s old friend remarked while rolling a jade slab in his hand, “Lin, that batch of pills you recently made, this young man helped you concoct them, right?”
Lin Shanhai seemed to read the other’s mind and hummed, “Don’t get any ideas about him, I have already planned to pass on my mantle to him.”
“Look at you, getting all worked up with a single comment; who said we’re here to take him?” The middle-aged female Alchemist covered her mouth and laughed.
“That’s still Lin for you. But I must say, those pills you have been concocting lately are truly remarkable. Such purity is not something you could achieve on your own,” another elder stated.
Lin Shanhai, hearing this, did not intend to hide the facts. In fact, he had anticipated these old friends’ visit today and wanted to introduce Li Hao to them to help expand his network of contacts. He intended to keep Li Hao close by, recognizing the rare alchemy talent in him. This skill alone was enough for him to enter the ranks of senior Alchemist.
Should he keep studying the Alchemy Dao intently for another several decades, becoming a Grandmaster was within reach.
“Indeed, Qingfeng was a great help. He had fallen off a cliff early in life and obtained a fortunate encounter. Later, he was pursued and nearly killed on account of being spied on, but was saved by Qing Ying. Now he has finally settled down,” Lin Shanhai said.
Qingfeng was the alias Li Hao had told him to use. Although they were not in the Cloud Realm, Li Hao was unaware of the extents of a Saint’s methods and worried about being traced by his name.
Moreover, many people knew his real name. If his whereabouts were revealed through those people’s mouths, trouble might arise again.
Hearing Lin Shanhai’s explanation, Li Hao was somewhat speechless. The old man had really gone through the effort of fabricating a background for him to prevent others from investigating.
“Is that so…”
The four exchanged glances, not probing further. After all, everyone had their secrets.
“Could you give us a demonstration? Don’t worry, we won’t divulge anything; we just want to learn,” one of the elders proposed.
Lin Shanhai replied unhappily, “This is his signature specialty. You think you can just learn it because you say so? Aren’t you supposed to offer a couple of your high-level Pill Formulas in exchange?”
“Lin, he hasn’t even opened his mouth yet, and you’re already worked up,” the elder replied agitated, “And two high-level Pill Formulas? I think you’re the one who covets them. If you’re capable, why don’t we exchange, or how about a competition in alchemy, each of us stakes a Pill Formula, how about that?”
“Who wants to compete with you, I’m not that keen,” Lin Shanhai hummed.
“Enough, that one Pill Contest at that time didn’t even calm you two down, you still want the younger generation to laugh at us?” the well-dressed woman said in resignation.
Lin Shanhai stopped bickering with them and turned to introduce the four people to Li Hao.
All four were senior Alchemists from Sword Ancestor Holy Land and were old friends of Lin Shanhai.
Li Hao memorized their names one by one and greeted them accordingly.
“Young man, would you mind giving us a demonstration? Whatever conditions Lin has given you, I can match them,” Zhao Yingzhen, who was playing with the jade slab, said.
“That’s right, if it’s an exchange, I can offer a high-level Alchemy Formula in exchange,” offered the elegantly dressed woman named Shi Huajin, her eyes earnest as she gazed at Li Hao.
As senior Alchemists, they had all analyzed the pills Lin Shanhai recently concocted, which had caused quite a stir of positive reviews within the Holy Land.