Chapter 98: THE CUTIE NAME WAS BAOZI

As Li Yan led the girl away from the group, Su Lianhua stood where she was for a moment with her teeth clenched. The girl’s departure with Li Yan had clearly irritated her, and she let out an angry hiss before turning around and stomping away with the other disciples following behind her.

Li Yan glanced over his shoulder to make sure they had actually left before slowing his pace and continuing toward the Alchemy room with the girl beside him.

After they had walked far enough from the other disciples, Li Yan reached into his space and retrieved a sheet of paper and a brush. He quickly wrote a short message before flipping the paper around and holding it out for the girl to read.

{You walked so fast, I still had some notes to give you.}

The girl read the message before shaking her head and raising her hands. She used a series of signs as she explained, "I cannot hear, but I can read your lips. You do not need to waste your paper."

Li Yan looked at her hands for a moment before nodding. He folded the paper and put it back into his space. Since she could read his lips, communicating with her would not be as difficult as he had first assumed, although he still needed to figure out how to understand the signs she used.

She already knew his name from the classroom, so there was no need for him to introduce himself again. However, Li Yan did not know anything about her beyond what he had learned during their brief interaction, so he turned toward her and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss. My name is Li Yan. What should I call you?"

"My name is Baozi, but you can call me Baobao," she replied before looking at him with a curious expression. "Are you really going to be my big brother?"

Her voice was still louder than most people’s when she spoke, and several disciples passing along the path turned to look in their direction. Li Yan did not mind the attention, but they were walking through the department rather than in a private space, so it would be better if she did not attract more attention than necessary.

"Sure, I do not mind," Li Yan replied. "Let us head inside the alchemy room first. I will think of an easier way for us to communicate later."

Baozi nodded and continued walking beside him. Li Yan kept pace with her as they made their way toward the alchemy room, wondering what method would work best.

He could continue writing when necessary, but doing so every time they needed to speak would become troublesome, especially when they were in the middle of a lesson.

When they entered the alchemy room, Li Yan noticed that a different teacher was waiting for them. She was a woman with dark eyes and brown hair arranged in an updo. She waited until the students had settled before stepping forward and introducing herself.

"Good day, students. You can call me Madam Nalan. I am a teacher here at the Apothecary Department, and I teach remedy making on the first and fifth day. Since this is a beginner class, we will be making beginner remedies today. To ensure we have enough resources for everyone, you will be divided into teams of five so there will be enough ingredients to go around."

The disciples began moving between the tables as they searched for their assigned groups. There were one hundred students in the beginner class, which meant there were twenty teams with five students each.

Some students already knew one another and quickly gathered together, while others looked around to find the names assigned to their tables.

Li Yan followed the instructions and found his table before taking a seat. Baozi was assigned to the same group, which saved him from having to search for her again. The other three disciples joined them shortly after, Li Yan looked over the table to see what materials had been placed there.

Madam Nalan waited until everyone had found their groups before continuing.

"Now that everyone is seated, look carefully at the table in front of you. You will find the ingredients and materials needed for today’s lesson. Each team will be making three different beginner remedies. The first will be a Cold Relief Remedy. The second will be a Stomach Relief Remedy, which is used for simple stomach pain and discomfort. The third will be a Fever Relief Remedy."

The room became quieter as the students looked over their tables. Several of them picked up the small containers and inspected the herbs inside, while others leaned closer to read the labels placed beside them.

Li Yan glanced over the ingredients without touching anything. The names of the remedies were simple enough, and he had already encountered most of the herbs during his earlier lessons with his master and Anyu. Still, this was a practical class, so knowing the ingredients was not the same as actually preparing the remedies.

Madam Nalan walked between the tables while continuing her explanation.

"You will not be making all three remedies at once. We will begin with the Cold Relief Remedy. Once your team finishes it and I have checked your work, you will move on to the second remedy. I will explain the ingredients and their quantities before you begin, so pay attention. If you use too much or too little of an ingredient, the remedy may not work as intended."

A few disciples immediately began looking at their notes, while others turned their attention toward Madam Nalan.

"The Cold Relief Remedy is used for simple symptoms such as a blocked nose, sneezing, a sore throat, and a mild cough. It is not meant for serious illnesses, so do not assume you can use it to treat every type of sickness. The recipe is simple, but you still need to follow the correct steps."

Li Yan rested his chin against his hand and listened. He had already learned several beginner remedies from Anyu, including a cold remedy, but he had no intention of showing off. If Madam Nalan wanted them to treat the lesson seriously, he would simply follow along with the rest of the class.

Madam Nalan returned to the front of the room and picked up a small herb from the demonstration table.

"We will begin with the first ingredient. Everyone, look at the herb in my hand."