Only a plume of black smoke could be seen rising above a certain courtyard, accompanied by a pungent burning smell spreading through the air, causing everyone to become highly alarmed.
“That seems to be the courtyard that the Eldest Miss got people to empty out!”
” The Eldest Miss went in there early this morning and she still has not come out from there ever since!”
“Heavens! Could something have happened to her?”
Once that thought came into their mind, the servant girls and guards all went running towards the courtyard, deeply afraid that something had really happened to their Eldest Miss.
“What’s going on? Did something happen?”
When Old Patriarch Feng heard the noise, he came running out as well and peered all around. When he saw that smoke was spewing up from one of the courtyards, he was rather alarmed as he asked: “What is going on over there?”
“Old Grand Master, that is the courtyard that the Eldest Miss asked people to empty out. The Eldest Miss went in there this morning and she has not come out from there since. The loud noise earlier came from that courtyard and it sounded like something exploded in there.”
The steward who came running in said hurriedly, and his voice had just fallen when the Old Patriarch lifted up his robes and went shooting forward like an arrow towards the courtyard. Seeing that, the steward rushed forward to follow after being stunned in his spot for a moment.
When everyone came rushing over to the courtyard in a hurry and saw the scene inside through the doors, they could not help but stared completely flabbergasted.
They only saw their peerlessly beautiful Eldest Miss fallen onto the ground in a sitting position, her entire body black with soot and in a complete mess. It was impossible to tell the original colour of the casual clothes upon her body that she wore within the manor, her dark hair sprayed full of bits and pieces of remnant herbs, looking slightly curled seemingly from having been exposed high temperature. Her face was botched black and white in places, her entire person looking rather wretched as she sat on the ground coughing, while the room in front of her continued to spew out puffs of burning smoke.
[What….. What kind of a situation is this?]
Everyone stood there staring, stunned with shock. Someone then snapped back to his senses and shouted: “Eldest Miss, are you alright?”
“Cough cough, cough cough cough…..”
Feng Jiu who had been thrown back from the blast to fall sitting on the ground waved her hand before her to disperse the charred smoke spewing out of the room before her as she covered her hand over her nose and mouth while still coughing. She then slowly stood up and turned her head to see that many people were gathered outside the courtyard, before she waved her hand at them.
“I’m fine. You all do not need to crowd around here. Just go carry on with whatever you have you do.”
Upon finishing those words, she then walked herself towards the Alchemy Room that was still spewing out charred smoke. Her first try at alchemy, had the furnace exploding. The blast from the furnace had spurted out all of the spirit herbs she used, which had been more than ten kinds. Even she had not been able to avoid the blast where she had then been sent flying out, turning her into a complete mess.
She opened the windows to let the charred smoke disperse and when she saw the remnant herbs scattered all over the floor, the expression on her face was one of pain from all of that being wasted.
“What a waste. It would cost a lot money to go buy them.”
“Little Feng? Are you alright Little Feng?”
Rushing in from outside, Old Patriarch Feng immediately went into the Elixir Room upon stepping into the courtyard while the steward stood dutifully just outside the doors as the other people dispersed.
Turning her head back and seeing that it was her Grandfather, Feng Jiu rubbed at her nose and said with a smile: “Grandfather, I’m fine, but I just wasted a whole stove full of good herbs.”
“As long as your person is fine. I heard that loud blast and saw he spewing smoke. I had thought something serious happened.”
The Old Patriarch saw that she was fine, but looking just rather dirty and messy, and he was finally relieved. As he looked over the big mess throughout the entire place and saw the Pill Furnace, he became slightly startled before he asked: “You….. You are refining pills?”
“I’m just learning how to! And I have….. destroyed one whole furnace full here.” Feng Jiu said with a helpless shrug. “It was easier while reading about it on paper, and I only realized that there are endless obstacles after I put it into practice.”
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Old Patriarch Feng then said lovingly: “Don’t be discouraged. Grandfather believes that you will definitely succeed.”