Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 187 What is your relationship with King Yama?

Today's class was taught personally by Qin Zhiyu. It was a practical class on alchemy, and it was also the most important class for alchemists.

For the other classmates, Qin Zhiyu's classes were the most worthwhile to attend, because he was the only first-grade alchemist in the Alchemy Academy—Madam Ye was supposedly a first-grade alchemist, but no one was quite sure, and no one had ever heard of Madam Ye's deeds. Not to mention the Alchemy Academy, very few people in the entire capital had ever heard of her; it was as if she had entered through the back door.

When it comes to choosing a mentor, Qin Zhiyu is undoubtedly the most sought-after, with his application practically overflowing. There aren't nearly as many who want to be with Madam Ye, and most of them are probably more interested in her beauty than her academic achievements…

Of course, Lu Xingzhou would never admit to being the latter; he admired Madam Ye because of her high level of skill. As for her beauty, no one would know without a veil.

Qin Zhiyu's side has a lot of buzz, but few are lucky enough to be selected, and the selection process tends to be more political.

Even without Madam Ye, Qin Zhiyu probably wouldn't have chosen the Lu family master and apprentice; it would have been too troublesome... Besides, there weren't enough people trained by the various princes and nobles for him to go around.

Actually, if Chen Yu hadn't gotten into that incident during the trial, he would most likely have ended up with Qin Zhiyu, but now Qin Zhiyu is very resistant.

It's understandable that the Prince of Jin has a long reach, but you can't break the rules.

What kind of behavior is it to directly order the killing of students? If you're so capable, go ahead and kill them outside!
However, Chen Yu's qualities are truly remarkable. Even knowing that he had a great deal of resentment towards him, he still remained so calm and composed while watching Chen Yu practice alchemy, without showing any sign of panic.

Qin Zhiyu watched for a while, then shook his head: "What a pity."

Chen Yu remained expressionless: "Please enlighten me, Your Excellency."

"Internal alchemy and external alchemy may seem very different, but in reality they are one. The elixir originates from within and manifests externally; it is born externally and is nurtured internally. If the fire of the heart is not settled, how can the fire of the elixir be at peace?"

Chen Yu remained silent.

Qin Zhiyu patted him on the shoulder: "Your heart is not yet settled, how can you soar to the clouds? Be careful."

After finishing speaking, he left Chen Yu's alchemy furnace and walked to Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice.

Ah Nu is roasting sweet potatoes.

Qin Zhiyu: "..."

Although today's practical lesson on fourth-grade pills is useful for most students, it's really not very meaningful for you and your apprentice... But if you two are so capable, why don't you skip a grade? What's the point of roasting sweet potatoes in my class?
"Ah, sir," Ah Nuo said with a forced smile, "My breakfast was stolen, I'm a little hungry. Would you mind if I had a sweet potato first? I'll finish my pill-making assignment on time..."

"...Who stole your breakfast?"

"It's those bad guys from the Imperial Academy who came to provoke us at the Alchemy Academy! Dean, you must stand up for our Alchemy Academy!"

Qin Zhiyu wore a "Are you kidding me?" expression, the upright old man completely at a loss for how to deal with this mess.

Just like his little granddaughter causing him trouble, he was filled with a mix of anger and amusement, and in the end, he could only blurt out, "If you mess with me again, I'll go beat up your dad."

So he actually went to scold Anuo's father: "What kind of master are you, letting your apprentice go to school hungry?"

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Ah Nuo needs to take pills; she can't fill her stomach with food at all, she's just craving something sweet...

Forget it.

Qin Zhiyu sniffed: "What kind of pills have you refined this time?"

The practical course is supposed to involve refining the same pills, so why is it that yours is the only one that doesn't taste right?

Lu Xingzhou smiled apologetically: "It was just... just something I messed around with."

Qin Zhiyu looked at it with a stern face: "This effect...promotes hair growth?"

"Yes, yes, so many people are troubled by their receding hairlines. We alchemists should help people solve their problems. You agree, Your Excellency, don't you?"

Qin Zhiyu's lips moved, but he ultimately remained silent.

Hairline? Your hairline looks pretty bad.
However, on the other hand, this thing can be refined to the point of promoting hair growth in specific areas, so of course it can be refined to the head. This is truly a boon for the vast majority of people troubled by their hairlines. Qin Zhiyu looked at it with a stern face for a while, and finally said, "The materials can be made even cheaper and more universal. Keep thinking about it."

Lu Xingzhou quickly replied, "Definitely."

Qin Zhiyu said, "The marrow-changing method you proposed has been under research at the Alchemy Academy for some time now, and the first trial has already begun. Would you like to go and see it for yourself?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "I only have some theoretical knowledge, and my practical skills are far inferior to those of you gentlemen, so there's no need for me to read it... If it really becomes the first case, just let me know."

Qin Zhiyu stared at Lu Xingzhou: "If that's the case, you might not get a chance to be credited for this."

Lu Xingzhou laughed nonchalantly: "I didn't do anything to begin with. The credit goes to everyone who has been working on it. I just talked a bit, what's the big deal?"

Qin Zhiyu's eyes became somewhat complicated: "I hope you really are not interested in fame or fortune."

“I still need a reputation…” Lu Xingzhou smiled: “A reputation in the heart of the Dean is also a reputation.”

Qin Zhiyu remained silent for a moment, then switched to telepathy: "Your mentor has been decided as Madam Ye, not me."

"That's not important. The headmaster is still our teacher."

Qin Zhiyu nodded: "Madam Ye is also observing the bone marrow transplant experiment at the academy today. She wants you to go see her after class."

"Understood, thank you, Your Excellency."

…………

After school, I arrived at Mrs. Ye's office, where she was leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed, resting.

Lu Xingzhou hesitated. She looked very tired... If this were a male gentleman, he could go up and flatter him, perhaps offering to give him a massage or something, but this was a female gentleman...

Lu Xingzhou gave A Nuo a wink, and A Nuo reluctantly stepped forward, lightly tapping Madam Ye's shoulder with her little fist.

Ye Tinglan didn't open her eyes, her tone a half-smile: "What, so unwilling... Lu Nuonuo, aren't you my disciple?"

Ah Nuo said, "I'm very strong! I'm afraid it will hurt you if I hit you too hard." "Heh." Ye Tinglan was very annoyed: "Fine, you don't need to hit me."

Ah Nuo immediately gave up and said, "My master's technique is very good, should we have him come?"

Ye Tinglan: "?"

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Ah Nuo gave Lu Xingzhou a disdainful look. What was that expression on his face? He's so cowardly and incompetent. Ah Nuo is really worried sick about you.

But then Ye Tinglan said, "Today's marrow-changing method was very successful. I wonder what His Majesty will think when it is passed on to him."

Lu Xingzhou asked cautiously, "Does the gentleman mean that he doesn't want His Majesty to try this?"

“His condition is useless. I’m afraid he’ll just be wasting his time and order the people to adapt to his condition, which would be a waste of resources and manpower.” Ye Tinglan paused here, “But if that really happens, you don’t need to blame yourself. This matter has nothing to do with you. Your method is good and can save many people.”

Lu Xingzhou roughly understood why Madam Ye, despite her strong cultivation, looked so tired; it was actually mental exhaustion. The Emperor was a source of worry for many insightful people, and she wasn't the only one.

"So why bother, sir? You're just a teacher in an academy... and even if you belong to a sect, it's a reclusive one. What do worldly affairs have to do with you, sir?"

"Since I have become involved in the academy, I naturally have the idea of ​​paving the way for the sect's comeback."

"So, are you examining the current emperor to see if it's suitable for the sect to make a comeback?"

"More or less." Ye Tinglan opened her eyes and smiled. "Do you think it's suitable?"

Lu Xingzhou said directly, "It's not the right time. We can continue to observe."

Ye Tinglan asked with great interest, "You dare to slander the Emperor like this right in front of me?"

"The master is important. Since the master asked, we don't care who it is, we should just give whatever answer is appropriate."

"So honest?"

"That's natural."

"Then can you tell me why your vital energy is gone after just two days?"

Lu Xingzhou's eyes widened: "You can even see that?"

“I am a pill refiner, and a top-tier one at that.” Ye Tinglan said with exasperation, “You are a pill refiner yourself, you should know very well that preserving one’s primordial yang is of great benefit to many types of cultivation! If you can’t even preserve it at such a young age, do you have any future left?”

"But hasn't my cultivation level increased now...?"

Ye Tinglan scoffed, "It's nothing more than the heretical practice of 'sexual cultivation,' what's there to be proud of? How is it any different from those who practice alchemy and cultivation?"

"But this is orthodox dual cultivation."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

What kind of orthodox dual cultivation could increase one's stats so much overnight?! Even if Ye Tinglan has never eaten pork, surely she knows this much.
“Um…” Lu Xingzhou hesitated for a long time before saying, “What you learn from books is never enough; you must put it into practice to truly understand…”

Anuo's eyes widened.

Master, Ah Nuo misunderstood you. I just said you were a coward, but it turns out you weren't. You've grown some fear!
"Bang!" An invisible hand slapped Lu Xingzhou to the ground, where he twitched a few times and then lay still.

Ye Tinglan seemed to have done nothing, leisurely picking up the cup on the table and taking a sip of spiritual tea: "The poetry is not bad, but the strength is lacking. I wonder what kind of nonsense he learned in the Yama Palace."

"Cough cough." Lu Xingzhou struggled to his feet. "Are you acquainted with the Yama Palace, sir?"

“Not familiar with them, I only know two or three.” Ye Tinglan glanced at him: “Since you said that you should answer whatever the master asks you… what if I ask you something related to the Yama Palace?”

Lu Xingzhou has arrived through the secret passage.

The reason why Madam Ye treated him differently and wanted to take him as a disciple was at least half due to her intention to keep a close watch on the "Judge of the Underworld." It's rare that she held back until now to ask about it.

Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment and chuckled, "Aside from the possibility of endangering the privacy of the Yama Palace, there's nothing else that can't be said."

Ye Tinglan nodded and asked, "Then what is your relationship with King Yama?"

"As we all know, there is the relationship between superiors and subordinates."

Ye Tinglan was clearly not satisfied with this answer. Looking at Lu Xingzhou's calm eyes, she finally didn't press further, but simply said, "As you know, is Yama's cultivation really only at the first rank?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed: "The first question has stumped me, because I really don't know the specifics of Yama's cultivation... if she intends to hide it."

"You even kept it from me? Even if you're just a subordinate, you're still her right-hand man."

"Yan Jun is a first-rank official, renowned throughout the Great Qian Dynasty, yet he refuses to treat even a mere broken leg wound for his subordinates... Is this the treatment one would expect from a trusted right-hand man?"

Ye Tinglan remained silent.

In fact, it is precisely for this reason that many outsiders believe the judge has become a marginal figure in the underworld. If he truly had power, he could order his subordinates to find medicine to treat his leg; why would he need the King of Hell?

Therefore, some people who guessed Lu Xingzhou's identity might think that capturing him would be of no value to the Yama Palace, but Ye Tinglan instinctively disagreed.

But Lu Xingzhou continued, "She's hiding a lot from me... I still don't know what her background is. Does Master think she trusts me, a former judge, very much? Actually, the intimacy between us isn't as great as that between Master and his disciple... If Master wouldn't tell me his secrets, then she certainly wouldn't."

Ye Tinglan smiled. Lu Xingzhou's words were also a rebuttal to the general, as if he were asking whether Yuan Muyu's background was related to her "Yunyin Immortal Sect".

She finally spoke slowly: "Alright, I'll ask another question... Yama's strength is unparalleled in the world, and he has many plans to establish his own sect. Why did he choose to become an assassin organization? What are the reasons behind this? — You assisted in the establishment of the Yama Palace from beginning to end. You should know the whole story. Is it convenient for you to tell me?"

Lu Xingzhou, who was originally standing in front of him, casually pulled up a chair and sat down upon hearing this: "That's a long story. I need some water."

Ah Nuo glanced cautiously at Madam Ye.

There's only one water glass on the table, which Mrs. Ye just drank from. Where else is there water?
(End of this chapter)