Chapter 42
I'm On My Way
Huang Zihuan watched the situation unfolding with a dry smile. After breakfast finished, Grandmaster Bai picked up the laptop and opened it like yesterday. At first he thought she would go smash someone to pieces in the cultivators' community forum again. She clicked into an online novel reading website instead, though.
Maybe this was a good thing. If Grandmaster Bai went into that forum every day, someday someone really might die of anger.
"...What do you want?"
Bai Fanxian closed the laptop screen and turned to ask Tang Tianjie. Uncle Huang was surprised she was willing to take her eyes away from the book on screen.
Thinking about it carefully, though, she was always like this, wasn't she?
For matters concerning people close to her, she was always ready to prioritize them first.
Whether the two little children or himself.
"Grandmaster Bai... I have questions..." Tang Tianjie, seeing that Bai Fanxian was interested, didn't wait and quickly took out the thick stack of papers he'd brought for her to see.
These were questions he'd been stuck on his whole life and couldn't find answers for. Today he gathered them all with hope that Bai Fanxian would help him solve these problems.
Bai Fanxian looked at that pile of papers with weariness and consideration.
"Let me see..."
Bai Fanxian took those papers and opened them page by page. When she encountered a mistaken point, she'd furrow her brow and explain point by point. Tang Tianjie, who wasn't young anymore, right now looked no different from a tiny student sitting attentively listening to a teacher without blinking.
The old man noted down every word and every point that Bai Fanxian explained in meticulous detail. When he reached parts he didn't understand, he quickly asked. Bai Fanxian's knowledge and understanding were gradually opening Tang Tianjie's world bit by bit. He felt like he was being spellbound. His consciousness sank into Bai Fanxian's explanations without realizing it.
Bai Fanxian felt indescribably familiar with moments like this. In that past era, she often helped explain and clear doubts for the disciples of the Alchemy Residence. The image of her sitting in the wide flower garden, surrounded by children and disciples listening quietly. Though she held the position of residence master or Alchemy Empress, she never once disliked helping her people.
She'd decided that the Tang Clan was her people too.
Outsiders might see her as detached from the world, but did she need to care about people she didn't know?
The answer was "no."
Growing up in a different era, she had no father or mother to care for her. If you weren't strong, you died. If you weren't tough, for a woman like her, you'd be taken advantage of. Therefore, her personality and character traits were molded to become like this.
Never protected, so she had to be stronger than anyone.
Never receiving love and warmth in youth, so she felt deeply attached to her own people.
She was her own self like this. What she was ten thousand years ago, she still was now. Her identity might be a bit different from people in this era.
Uncle Huang watched the scene before him with a smile. The more Tang Tianjie heard Bai Fanxian's explanations, the more stunned the old man became. Before he knew it, he'd gone down to kneel on the floor near Bai Fanxian while his hand was scribbling on paper without realizing it. His eyes grew clearer and clearer, as if someone was blowing away the fog in his head.
Tang Yeye, who'd finished part of her training and ran back into the house, looked confused when she saw her grandfather kneeling on the floor while nodding his head continuously with delight.
"...He's just really happy right now."
Uncle Huang spoke with a dry smile, making the little child tilt her head in wonder at this situation.
The lunch meal passed quickly. Tang Tianjie took the opportunity to share lunch here too. He asked questions he was curious about to Bai Fanxian non-stop.
"Grandmaster Bai, there's one more thing..."
"What else are you curious about?" Bai Fanxian sighed.
"No, I've bothered you enough today already. It's something else." Tang Tianjie waved his hands shyly. Today he'd really bothered Grandmaster Bai too much. Earlier he'd even fallen into a trance without realizing it. He needed Huang Zihuan to nudge him before he could get up from the floor.
"Hmm?"
"About the Vitality Restoration Elixir. Before this, thanks to your help, we found its side effects. The Alchemists' Association's very interested in this matter. So they want to invite the person who solved the mystery to join the seminar."
"You go then."
Bai Fanxian brushed it off without care.
Tang Tianjie smiled dryly. He knew before even asking that Grandmaster Bai would refuse. The point was actually the date, though.
"I know about Hui'er," the old man glanced at the little child.
"But the Alchemists' Association location isn't far from the Divine Doctor's mountain village. Plus it's at the end of this week too. So I thought I'd ask if maybe Grandmaster Bai would want to go tour around a bit."
Bai Fanxian turned back to look.
"What's there worth seeing?"
Seeing that Bai Fanxian was starting to show interest, Tang Tianjie quickly explained. "The Alchemists' Association was founded almost a thousand years ago. It's also been passed down and developed continuously. A vast amount of alchemy knowledge and science is recorded there."
Bai Fanxian was surprised.
Before this, she'd also asked Huang Zihuan about alchemy books in this era. The elderly butler was at a loss, though. Knowledge related to cultivators mostly wasn't revealed to outsiders. Previously Uncle Huang tried using connections and was able to bring out some less important books for Bai Fanxian to read too.
Like the book "Fire and Medicine" by Master Sun was one of those.
Seeing there was a chance to read books on the science of alchemy in this era, it wasn't strange that Bai Fanxian would be interested.
The books she had in her dimension were all books from the era ten thousand years ago.
"Can I read the books at the Association?"
Tang Tianjie nodded.
"If you go with me, you should be able to read most of the books there." Though he might not look it, Tang Tianjie's status wasn't low either. Plus recently he'd achieved success in figuring out the imperfect Vitality Restoration Elixir refining method and discovering its side effects.
"In that case..."
"...It'd be good for me to go broaden my horizons a bit."
The week passed quickly. After that, Bai Fanxian went in to read and answer comments on the cultivators' community discussion forum occasionally. She found that besides the Q&A thread, many threads had been created mentioning Alchemy Empress's name.
Some wanted her to answer their doubts.
Some wanted to know her true identity.
The most eye-catching one, though, was "Alchemy Empress Fan Club Gathering Place," which stood out and was fullest with the most comments.
"The Alchemy Empress is truly amazing. Did you guys see how she smacked down that troublemaker yesterday? So cool!"
"Seriously dumb. Putting in incomplete ingredients then complaining that my method's wrong, is that it?"
"Exactly! That thread creator deleted their comment super fast!"
"What do you guys think she looks like? Is she a woman?"
"Comment above: She must be a woman! And she must be beautiful, elegant, and noble for sure!"
"You guys are daydreaming way too much. But do you think Alchemy Empress will show up at the Association seminar?"
"Not sure. But this is the biggest event of the year. Alchemists from across the country all want to come. If you can attract attention, you'll become famous and rich overnight."
"But the event's during the same time the Divine Doctor comes out from seclusion."
"Right. I heard the Divine Doctor will lecture on medical knowledge and cultivation he achieved too. Won't both events clash like this?"
"Honestly, I kinda want to hear the Divine Doctor's lecture too."
"Same here. Wonder how far his cultivation power's gotten. But I heard once he helped guide one Martial Artist who'd been stuck at that level for ten years. Just listening to the Divine Doctor for one day, he broke through to Martial Master."
"I heard that rumor too."
"So this year at Kienga it's got two interesting things happening."
"Yeah. The Alchemists' Association's biggest seminar, and the Divine Doctor coming out from seclusion to lecture. People in this world will gather there thicker than when two Grandmasters fought."
"If Alchemy Empress went there too, that'd be great, right?"
"You dreaming or something... But I'm dreaming the same thing."
Bai Fanxian scanned through reading the comments in that thread on her laptop. Right now she was sitting in the Tang Clan's wide and extremely comfortable black car. On her left and right were Hui'er and Tang Yeye, excited about going on a trip. They each clung to a window and looked at the scenery outside with sparkling eyes.
On the other side was the good-mood Tang Tianjie, and Huang Zihuan sitting beside him, serving water and snacks to all four people with a smile.
Bai Fanxian read to the last comment.
Her slender fingers typed on the keyboard skillfully. When finished, she folded down the screen and turned to look outside the window.
At that moment, though, the online world burst into flames! In the thread "Alchemy Empress Fan Club Gathering Place," a comment appeared that could shake the entire thread!
Comment #1256 (Alchemy Empress)
On my way
Just 3 words.
But it was three words that made those who read them scream out excitedly!