The Legend of Fangren

Chapter 176 People from the Pill Sect

"What a wonderful saying, 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.' In that case, we are more like alchemy partners."

"Master, you're taking advantage of me," Fang Shi accused first.

"Dream on, don't you even know how much older I am than you?"

"So, Master, how old are you exactly?"

*Slap!* This time, Zhu Huan'e wasn't angry, but she still gave him a slap with a smile.

This was roughly how Fang Shi spent his days at the alchemy shop. Besides helping his master, he would go downstairs to find work to earn some pocket money.

What? You're asking me why I don't go out and make money? Well, that's because my master is one of the richest women in the entire Jade City. As long as I help out at the pill shop and say a few nice words, the money will come pouring in.

Now the rumors are spreading everywhere that the usually aloof Boss Zhu finally couldn't bear the loneliness and started keeping a gigolo. The young men working downstairs are asked about this gossip every day, and they've tried to explain it all to no avail.

How could Fang Shi possibly leave? Who knows, the moment he steps out, seven or eight trouble-finding scenarios will automatically trigger. His master jokingly calls him a shield, and that's absolutely true.

However, trouble was inevitable. That morning, Fang Shi was helping out with chores downstairs as usual when a well-dressed woman ran in. She looked around with a hint of anger, and her gaze fell on him.

"You're Sister Zhu's new apprentice?"

Fang Shi thought for a moment and said, "If you mean the proprietress of the pill shop, then I am."

The woman immediately became angry, "Why should Sister Zhu take you as her apprentice? It should clearly be mine!"

"Who are you?"

Could it be that Master still has some "debts" left behind by his disciples? But looking at this woman's eyebrows, she does resemble Master quite a bit, and she's also a pretty girl. Could she really be her younger sister?

The woman said, "I am Zhu Zhu, and the proprietress here is my cousin."

It's a rather controversial name, but it's best not to provoke them for now.

"Oh my, so it's my cousin, Auntie!" Fang Shi was adept at flattery, something he had already mastered when he was with Qu Mei.

"Hmm."

This title sounds pretty good.

Zhu Zhu was taken aback by this overly familiar address. Having always been a junior in her family, this was the first time she had been addressed as an elder.

Instantly, most of the worries in my heart dissipated.

Fang Shi was ashamed; this guy was far too easily fooled, even though he looked several years older than him.

Soon, Zhu Huan'e came downstairs upon hearing the news. She was dressed in a simple coat and hadn't had time to do her makeup, so she wasn't very formal. But because she was so good-looking, she was still very beautiful even in her casual style.

"Sister Zhu!"

As soon as Zhu Zhu saw her, she immediately jumped into her arms like a different person. Zhu Huan'e quickly caught her and, after confirming that it was really her, hurriedly asked, "Xiao Zhu, why did you come all this way? Your home is so far away. Did you come alone? That's so dangerous. What if something happened to you?"

"Sister, don't underestimate me. I'm all grown up now, and we're on the main road, so there won't be any danger~" Zhu Zhu, trying to sound tough, buried her head in a certain enviable spot and kept rubbing against it. She acted more like a daughter, spoiled than a sister.

In the Xuan Realm, most people with cultivation live a long time, so some people who are of different generations in the mortal world are considered to be of the same generation in the cultivation world. The two people in front of us are a typical example. The saying that an elder sister is like a mother is very apt.

After lingering for a while, Zhu Huan'e took Fang Shi and Zhu Zhu upstairs.

"Xiaozhu, what brings you here?"

"It's all because you broke your promise, sister! You clearly said you'd come to take me as your apprentice after my coming-of-age ceremony, but instead you've taken this guy as your eldest apprentice!"

At the mention of this, Zhu Zhu, who was about to sit down, jumped up again before her bottom even touched the ground. It seemed that she cared a lot about the title of eldest disciple, and her slender fingertips were almost poking Fang Shi's nose.

Fang Shi, who had been silent, raised an eyebrow.

What do you mean by "a guy like me"? Am I not handsome enough, or am I not badass enough?

"Ugh."

Zhu Huan'e sighed helplessly, never expecting that this girl would still remember a sentence she had said to her when she was five or six years old.

The question is, how did Xiaozhu find out about taking on apprentices? Could it be that word has already reached her family?

"hiss----"

Zhu Huan'e immediately sensed something was wrong. She hadn't expected that being away from home for so many years would make her forget the rules of her family.

Zhu Zhu then said, "I heard it from my father and uncle when they were having tea."

"And who did they hear this from? How did they look when they told them?"

Zhu Zhu shook her head and said, "I don't remember. Anyway, I was very angry at the time. My father and uncle were probably also angry. In the end, the three of us agreed that we shouldn't have taken on apprentices so casually."

The focus of the firepower was still on Fang Shi, and it was finally his turn to speak: "Master, are there any rules for accepting apprentices in your family?"

77

Zhu Huan'e then said, "My family is both a clan and a sect, called the Xuan Dan Sect, which is a major alchemy sect in the Middle Realm."

For a sect, skills should not be passed on without permission. Taking on a disciple means joining the sect and passing on the tradition. However, Zhu Huan'e's taking Fang Shi as her disciple was purely a personal act and constituted unauthorized transmission, which was not tolerated by the sect.

From the family's perspective, Zhu Huan'e's unauthorized acceptance of Fang Shi, a handsome young man, as her apprentice was detrimental to her reputation as a young lady. If there were any marriage alliances or attempts to curry favor between families, she would inevitably be outshone.

It's just like haggling over prices when buying vegetables at the market.

Zhu Huan'e had been away from home for many years, but she had kept track of her family's situation. Although the Xuan Dan Sect was still a renowned alchemy sect among the human race, its actual prestige had declined significantly. The ancestral Heart Elixir had long since been dissolved, and in recent years, it must have reached a point where it needed to curry favor with others.

In recent years, I have heard that a certain Dan Sect has risen to prominence with great momentum. Many weaker families are eager to curry favor with them. Not to mention a beauty like Zhu Huan'e, even if it were a handsome young man from a family, the elders would not let him go as long as he could be used as a bargaining chip.

"Alas, with such worldly thoughts clouding the mind, how can one transcend the world?"

Zhu Huan'e sighed deeply, and Zhu Zhu quickly comforted her, "Sister Zhu, don't worry. If my father and uncle were to make you marry some ugly monster, I would be the first to stop them!"

You just don't understand.

Zhu Huan'e gently patted Xiao Zhu's head, then looked at Fang Shi, only to find that he was picking his nose.

Fang Shi wasn't complaining, but why do Miss Huang from before, and now his master Miss Zhu, both seem to be forced into marriage by their families? Moreover, these two have something in common: they both made their own way in the world.

The problem is, can't we come up with something new? They all call themselves a big family, but when their family is in decline and they need someone to turn the tide, they all hope to marry their daughters off to others to curry favor.

Is this what you call a large family?

Although in the history of his previous life, there were some imperial families who had to rely on marriage to consolidate their position, Fang Shi thought it was very low and really low.

Perhaps it's because he's a cube-shaped person that he feels confident.

Moreover, this matter has already become uncertain because of his becoming an apprentice.