Chapter 66: TIME TO COLLECT A DEBT OWED

Fu Hanzheng accepted the container from Anyu and examined the remedy for a moment before doing something that immediately caught Li Yan off guard. Rather than asking Anyu to test it or inspecting it with spiritual sense, he opened the container and drank the remedy himself.

Li Yan’s eyes widened as he watched his master swallow the entire preparation. He had expected Fu Hanzheng to examine its colour, smell, and consistency first, but he had not expected him to consume something made by a beginner without hesitation. His master clearly had considerable faith in his abilities.

Fu Hanzheng remained silent for several breaths as he allowed the taste to settle. He seemed more interested in judging the flavour than anything else, and Li Yan waited patiently for his verdict.

"You did well. It is a tad bitter, but I am sure you will get better with practice. For your first and second attempts, this is already quite good."

Fu Hanzheng reached over and gently patted Li Yan’s head. His gaze lingered on the hairpin securing Li Yan’s hair, and his expression gradually became curious as he examined its delicate design.

"Is my young disciple already taken? Why do you have a bridal hairpin in your hair?"

Li Yan froze.

He stared at his master for several breaths, wondering whether he had somehow misunderstood the question. He had always thought the hairpin was simply a beautiful gift from Hu Bai, and he had never considered that it might have another meaning.

Xiaoxiao’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind, carrying obvious amusement.

"It seems Hu Bai has played you for a fool! You were practically announcing that you are engaged."

Li Yan’s expression immediately darkened. He had worn the hairpin all this time without realizing what it represented, and now he had to wonder how many people at the sect had already noticed it.

Fu Hanzheng laughed gently at his reaction before reaching over and carefully removing the ornament from Li Yan’s hair. He retrieved another hairpin from his storage ring, one with a simpler design that was far more suitable for someone his age.

"This one is suitable for your age. Take it as a gift from your new master."

Fu Hanzheng placed the new hairpin securely in Li Yan’s hair before handing the old one back to him. Li Yan looked down at the bridal hairpin resting in his palm, feeling increasingly speechless about Hu Bai’s choice of gift.

"This one is for when you are of age. You have no use for it now."

Li Yan quietly stored the old hairpin away. He decided that there was no reason to think about it any further, especially when doing so would only remind him that he had unknowingly been wearing a bridal ornament around the sect.

And he would make sure to settle the score with Hu Bai the next time they saw each other.

Fu Hanzheng then looked toward Anyu, who had remained nearby throughout the lesson. His expression softened as he considered the work his servant had put into teaching Li Yan.

"You did well, Anyu. You have worked hard."

Anyu bowed with a smile, accepting the simple praise from his master.

Fu Hanzheng turned back toward Li Yan and nodded toward the door.

"We will stop here for today. You have learned enough for your first practical lesson, so return to your quarters and rest. You should also begin reading the manuals I gave you because I will be asking you questions when we meet again."

Li Yan nodded and gathered his things, preparing to leave the manor. Anyu remained nearby, waiting for his master’s final instruction.

Fu Hanzheng glanced toward him before giving a small smile.

"Anyu, see my disciple off properly and send him back with some rice cakes."

Anyu returned to the alchemy room after seeing Li Yan off. He found Fu Hanzheng still standing near the workstation, calmly examining the remaining ingredients from the lesson.

Anyu hesitated for a moment before finally asking the question that had been bothering him since the incident in the herb garden.

"Master, why did you deliberately let him consume that herb?"

Fu Hanzheng glanced at him before placing the ingredient back on the table. There was no guilt in his expression, only the calmness of someone who had already considered the consequences of his decision.

"It was part of his training. I wanted to see how he would react when something went wrong unexpectedly."

Anyu frowned slightly as he remembered Li Yan collapsing in the garden. Although the antidote had been administered quickly, watching the young disciple struggle to breathe had still been unpleasant to watch.

Fu Hanzheng continued speaking before Anyu could respond.

"His resistance needs to be tested, and so does his ability to adapt. An Apothecary will eventually encounter situations that cannot be controlled. If he only knows how to prepare remedies under ideal conditions, that knowledge will not be enough to save anyone when something goes wrong. There are times where he would be forced to eat poison..."

Anyu nodded slowly. He understood the reasoning behind his master’s actions, even if he still thought the method had been rather harsh.

"Still, you certainly chose an effective way to test him."

Fu Hanzheng laughed quietly. "He is a very intelligent child. Did you notice what he did after his symptoms became severe?"

Anyu recalled the scene and nodded.

"He stopped struggling..."

"Exactly. Once he realized that struggling was making his breathing worse, he calmed himself down and began thinking instead. He even started observing his symptoms rather than simply panicking. I am sure he did not notice he was saying them aloud."

A faint smile appeared on Fu Hanzheng’s face as he remembered Li Yan lying on the ground while mentally recording everything he was experiencing or so he thought.

"That kind of adaptability is valuable. Once his knowledge catches up with his intelligence, I am certain he will be able to create antidotes for all kinds of situations."

Anyu nodded again. He could understand where his master was coming from, but understanding the reasoning did not make the approach any less alarming.

"Perhaps, Master, but I still think there are gentler ways to teach someone."

Fu Hanzheng merely smiled and did not argue.

Meanwhile, Li Yan had not returned to his quarters as instructed. He had another matter to settle first, and after everything he had experienced today, he had no intention of forgetting it.

He made his way through the sect with a determined expression, heading toward Elder Shen’s residence. The elder still owed him compensation for the examination, and Li Yan had waited long enough to collect what he was promised.

His thoughts then returned to Fu Hanzheng’s mention of a test. Since his master had said that he would be tested on what he had learned, it would be wiser to find out what kind of test awaited him before walking into it unprepared.

That, however, was not the compensation he was interested in collecting from Elder Shen.

The high-grade mana stones were.

Li Yan intended to take every high-grade mana stone Elder Shen owed him and put them to good use. His cultivation still required considerable resources, and with his mythical space providing him with an advantage that ordinary disciples could only dream of, there was no reason to waste such an opportunity.

He also had no intention of keeping everything for himself.

Gu Jun had helped him considerably since he entered the sect, and Li Yan felt that his friend deserved a share of the resources as well. Besides, having someone he trusted improve alongside him would only benefit them both.

A faint smile appeared on Li Yan’s face as he approached Elder Shen’s residence.

"It is time to collect my compensation."