Chapter 101: STRAIGHTEN YOUR BACK A LITTLE

Li Yan strolled toward his master’s residence after leaving the alchemy room, taking his time as he passed through the Apothecary Department.

Classes had finally begun throughout the sect, and the once-quiet department had become much livelier with disciples moving between the different buildings. Some carried books and jade slips, while others gathered around their teachers to ask questions about the lessons they had just received.

The change was rather amusing to Li Yan, especially since everyone had suddenly become interested in the Apothecary Department after finding out that Fu Hanzheng was the sect master.

Before the revelation, many disciples had treated the department like any other place of study, with some barely giving it a second glance.

Now, however, disciples who had previously shown no interest in remedy making or pill formation were suddenly looking for opportunities to join.

Li Yan could understand why they wanted to learn from the sect master, but he still found it strange that Fu Hanzheng’s identity had changed their attitude so quickly.

While walking, Li Yan wondered what his master intended to teach him that afternoon.

He had already spent the morning learning apothecary, so perhaps his master wanted to begin his battle arts training instead.

His master had mentioned that he needed to learn enough battle arts to defend himself, and the lessons were supposed to happen every third day.

Li Yan did not mind learning, especially since he knew that being able to protect himself was important, but he hoped the training would not be too vigorous. His waist was still hurting, and the pain had become more noticeable whenever he moved too quickly.

By the time he reached the residence, Li Yan pushed open the door and stepped inside before calling out, "I’m here, Master."

He expected his Master to answer from somewhere inside, yet the first person he noticed was Anyu. Li Yan stopped after taking a few steps into the room, seeing that Anyu was in such an absurd position.

He could not understand what his senior brother was doing, not in the slightest.

Anyu had both arms raised while holding his body in a posture that looked extremely uncomfortable, and sweat had already soaked through parts of his clothing.

His expression showed that he was struggling to maintain the position; his master stood nearby as though there was nothing unusual about what was happening.

Li Yan stared at Anyu for several seconds before looking around the room again. He genuinely did not know whether he should run outside to call for help or ask his master what had happened.

Anyu was his master’s gardener and disciple, so Li Yan knew his senior brother had undergone training before, but he had never seen anyone forced into such a strange position.

"Brother Anyu, are you—"

"Ah! There you are, Yan Yan, just in time. If you were any later, I would have had to come get you. Don’t worry about Anyu, he’s okay. You should worry about yourself."

Li Yan slowly turned toward Fu Hanzheng after hearing those words. His master’s casual tone did nothing to settle his concern about Anyu, and the last part of the sentence only made him more suspicious.

If Fu Hanzheng was telling him not to worry about Anyu while telling him to worry about himself, then there was obviously a reason for the warning.

Li Yan glanced back at Anyu, whose arms were still raised, before looking at his master again. Whatever his master planned for him could not possibly be worse than what he had just seen, or at least that was what Li Yan wanted to believe.

Unfortunately, his confidence did not last long once Fu Hanzheng began giving him instructions.

"Raise your arms higher. This is just the beginning of your fire attribute training, and you’re already failing."

Li Yan followed the instruction and lifted his arms further while trying to keep his breathing steady. He wanted to give the training his best effort, especially since his fire attribute was something he needed to understand properly.

His master had already taught him enough to make him aware that controlling an attribute was not simply a matter of releasing spiritual energy. His body had to respond correctly as well, which meant he needed patience and concentration.

Unfortunately, concentrating was much harder when his waist hurt every time he shifted his weight. Li Yan kept his expression under control and continued holding the position, refusing to complain about the pain.

He forced himself to endure the discomfort rather than give his master a reason to think he was unwilling to train.

"Straighten your back a little."

Li Yan adjusted his posture as instructed, carefully moving his back without putting too much pressure on his waist. Fu Hanzheng stepped closer to inspect the position and reached toward him, apparently intending to correct the problem himself. Li Yan did not think much of it until Fu Hanzheng’s hand pressed directly against the sore area.

Pain immediately shot through Li Yan’s waist, causing his body to jerk before he could stop himself. He grimaced and let out a sharp cry, his arms dropping slightly despite his attempt to maintain the posture.

"Are you okay? I swear I did not use any force. Let me see."

Fu Hanzheng sounded concerned as he moved closer, while Li Yan quickly tried to pull his robe back into place. He knew exactly what his master was going to see if he examined the area, and he had no intention of explaining how he had ended up injured.

"Master, it really isn’t serious. I can still train, so there is no need to—"

Fu Hanzheng had already loosened Li Yan’s robe before he could finish speaking. Li Yan tried to stop him, but his master had moved too quickly, leaving the injured area exposed. Anyu also turned his attention toward them, although he remained in the position Fu Hanzheng had ordered him to hold.

The moment Fu Hanzheng saw Li Yan’s waist, his expression changed. The skin around the injured area had developed a blackish discoloration that spread across his waist.

Seeing Fu Hanzheng’s reaction made him realize that whatever had happened had left more damage than he had allowed himself to acknowledge.

Fu Hanzheng did not immediately speak. He examined the affected area closely, his earlier concern becoming more serious as he studied the discoloration.

Li Yan remained still while trying to think of an explanation that would not make the situation worse. He had originally intended to endure the pain and continue training, but now that his master had seen the injury, there was no way to hide it.

Fu Hanzheng finally stepped back and crossed his arms, his attention remaining fixed on Li Yan. The relaxed expression he had worn when welcoming his disciple had disappeared completely; Li Yan could tell from his master’s face that he was no longer thinking about the fire attribute training.

Li Yan swallowed and tried to speak before Fu Hanzheng could question him.

"Master, I can explain what happened."

The words did little to improve the situation. Fu Hanzheng continued staring at him, clearly waiting for the explanation.

Li Yan knew he could not simply pretend the injury was nothing after his master had seen the discoloration himself, but explaining how he had received it would require him to admit that he had deliberately destroyed sect property.

Fu Hanzheng’s gaze hardened as he finally demanded an answer. "What did you do, Yan Yan? What kind of trouble did you get yourself into?"