The Legend of Fangren

Chapter 175 Teacher is also student, student is also teacher

"Well—it hasn't been that long."

Having made a fool of herself in front of her apprentice, Zhu Huan'e, who had clearly said it for several years before, has now changed her tune and is stubbornly refusing to admit it.

To cover her embarrassment, she quickly adopted the airs of a master, instructing Fang Shi to sit in his seat, ostensibly to teach him how to grind medicine.

Fang Shi was happy to start learning as soon as possible. He obediently sat down on the bunk and pretended to grind medicine like Zhu Huan'e had done earlier. He did a pretty good job of imitating her, which made Zhu Huan'e nod in approval.

"Your movement is very standard—but you don't need to stick your little finger up; that's my habit."

"oh----"

Fang Shi chuckled to himself, retracting his fingers. That's why he said Fang Shi was putting on an act; Fang Shi must have known this too.

Oh no, I've embarrassed myself in front of this kid. I'll never be able to regain my composure again.

But who could blame Zhu Huan'e for taking on a disciple for the first time? In comparison, Fang Shi had already become a disciple twice, making him a seasoned pro. Managing these uncles and aunts was a piece of cake for him.

Zhu Huan'e was good-natured; after agonizing over it, she stopped thinking about it and sat down to chat with Fang Shi, like an older sister and younger brother.

The problem is, isn't it a little too easy for you, the older sister, to boss your younger brother around?

Fang Shi spent the whole morning grinding all the medicinal herbs into powder. At first, his master's teachings were quite practical, but later they turned into idle chatter. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he just made him do all the hard work.

"Oh, Xiao Fang, don't take it so personally. When you're learning a craft, everyone has to work as an apprentice for a couple of years first. Only when you have a solid foundation can I teach you anything good."

"But Master, you've been reciting the words from the book all morning without any of your own understanding."

Zhu Huan'e knew she was in the wrong, and wondered what she could do. She was teaching her first apprentice, and there were many things she didn't know.

Alright, Fang Shi finally understood why his master had been stuck in a bottleneck for so many years. With this level of expression, she could only read from the book, and Fang Shi had to help her polish it occasionally, otherwise no one could understand her. Although she had many achievements in alchemy, she could only keep these achievements in her mind. No matter how profound her ideas were, she would not discuss them with others. It was inevitable that she would become stuck in a rut and get stuck in a rut.

It must be because of the intensity of his education in his previous life. He could read through a whole book of content compiled by the Xuan Realm in one night, and it wasn't difficult for him to understand. The only problem was that he lacked proficiency and was a bit rusty in terms of practical application.

"Alright, alright, Xiao Fang! Shut up and give your teacher some face."

Zhu Huan'e slapped the book on Fang Shi's face, silencing his complaints, just like an older sister who couldn't control her younger brother. She then changed the subject: "It's almost noon, let's have lunch first."

He summoned Xiaoyu and served her the lunch that had been prepared, including Fang Shi's portion as usual.

But Fang Shi shook his head as he looked at the lunch, which was as bland as breakfast.

"Master, we're just refining pills, not becoming monks. Why eat so simply?"

Leaving aside the lack of even a little bit of vegetable soup, why isn't there any meat at all? Does the Xuan Realm also have this kind of body management thing? Looking at Master's good figure, she must really be disciplined usually. So the question is, how does she manage to stay slim in the thin parts and full in the plump parts?

Fang Shi scrutinized his master's entire body with a serious, researching gaze, only to be slapped on the head in return.

"We're eating, what are you looking at?"

Fang Shi said, feeling wronged, "Didn't you tell me to get used to it sooner, Master?"

"Did I tell you to get used to this? No respect for elders—" Zhu Huan'e rolled her eyes.

"Oh." Fang Shi had no choice but to refocus his attention on the food. The problem was that the food was bland, and he wasn't allowed to look at the other ingredients, making it extremely difficult for him to swallow.

I've had enough! Back in Qiao Village, the mushy rice we ate still had a few shrimp in it! If I eat this for two more days, I might as well become a monk.

"So what do you want? How about I have Xiaoyu go across the street and buy you some braised pork?" Zhu Huan'e knew that her diet was bland, so she didn't blame Fang Shi for being picky.

Children of this age are growing rapidly, so it's understandable that they might crave stronger flavors.

But Fang Shi shook his head and said, "No need, I brought my own ingredients."

He dared not touch the alchemy furnace that his master used, but he had already set his sights on the alchemy furnace in the corner. He ran over, took it, and set it up on the table, making it look like a small boiler.

"Master, light a fire."

"Are you really treating the alchemy furnace like a soup pot?"

Although Zhu Huan'e complained, she still did as she was told.

If her family members knew about this behavior, they would definitely be furious.

Fortunately, Fang Shi was sensible and brought a mere ordinary alchemy furnace for decoration. Once lit, it had no effect other than ordinary heating.

Then Fang Shi took out a cutting board and placed it across the table. This time, the master couldn't help but exclaim, "You really think this is the kitchen?"

""

Fang Shi then offered his twisted logic: "They're all places for burning things, so there's not much difference. Don't worry about it!"

Take out the seasonings to season the soup in the alchemy furnace, then take out a cleaned large intestine, chop it into small pieces, and take out some sliced ​​pig liver and kidneys, and throw them all into the furnace.

This is, of course, hot pot. However, this boiling method is not uncommon in the Xuan Realm. The only difference is that Fang Shi uses seasonings to make it more flavorful. The aroma emanating from the soup makes Zhu Huan'e take a few sips.

"Your method of adding fine ingredients to this soup coincides with alchemy and is also one of the alchemical techniques."

"6

One is simply adjusting the aroma, and the other is adjusting the flavor.

But hot pot can't just be about broth. Everything you throw in will taste the same, so how can you have it without dipping sauce?

He then took out a jar of jam and poured it into a wooden bowl.

"You have quite a few tricks up your sleeve. With such skills, why waste them on indulging your appetite?"

"This is just about living life to the fullest, not just going through the motions."

As Fang Shi stirred the ingredients in the pot, a casual remark struck a chord with his master, who said, "Little Fang, I suddenly feel like I don't have much left to teach you. After all, you can understand and learn things from books very quickly."

Fang Shi then looked up, puzzled, and asked, "Since Master is so quick to back down, why were you so determined to accept me as your disciple in the first place?"

"Well, to be honest—"

With a sigh, Zhu Huan'e revealed her true thoughts, finally admitting her little scheme.

After listening to the whole story, Fang Shi realized that he really did have a special constitution, but it wasn't related to his five senses, but rather to the entire body.

The master wanted to take him as a disciple for two reasons. First, he genuinely wanted to teach him skills for self-defense. Second, he had ulterior motives and wanted to use legitimate reasons to get to know him better and explore the Dao of alchemy from him.

The key point is that this is not based on harm or possession.

This is what distinguishes my master from other alchemists: though passionate, he remains true to his principles.

This won Fang Shi's understanding. In fact, after listening, he felt nothing at all and even wanted to complain, "That's it?"

"Master, you don't need to belittle yourself like that. The principles of alchemy are complex, and there is still much for me to learn. The insights I just shared are merely small reflections from my life. If you can learn from me, I would be very honored. However, as the saying goes, 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.' A teacher is also a student, and a student is also a teacher. Mutual learning is the essence of a teacher-student relationship."

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