She shook her head subconsciously, and with that movement, there was truly no sound from within.
Empty?
Raising her eyes in suspicion, she met the old man's evasive gaze. Feng Yinwan's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her slender fingers had already opened the brocade box.
In the silence, a note slowly drifted down, on which two large characters were brightly written—
IOU.
Feng Yinwan felt she needed a reasonable explanation.
The old man hadn't expected her to open it in public. Seeing this, he coughed awkwardly and quickly pulled her aside.
"Disciple, it's like this, your master is a bit short on cash right now..."
Feng Yinwan glanced at the exquisite and grand courtyard around them, then thought of the opulent hall yesterday. Her brow twitched, and she slowly formed a question mark.
"Master, you're joking, right?"
Fearing she would go back on her word the next second, the old man's forehead twitched, and he quickly spoke.
"You little girl! It's just one treasure, would I lie to you?"
"When you inherit my mantle in the future, let alone this one, aren't all my treasures yours!"
Here we go again!
Feng Yinwan shook her head, righteously rejecting the pie she had just drawn in the sky.
"Master, we are not the greedy type, so we can't ask for too many treasures. I only want what I deserve."
"If... if I'm saying if, and our sect doesn't have any treasures right now, you... you wouldn't mind, would you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a slight chill in his gaze. The old man's eyelids twitched, and he quickly added.
"It's like this, the quality of the students in recent years has been inconsistent, and not many usable elixirs have been refined. Our general association has spent a lot of money on renovations and repairs. I had no choice but to pawn the treasure!"
He looked at her again.
"But it's okay, disciple, you have extremely high talent. With your master's guidance, you will surely be able to refine rare elixirs and sell them at a good price at the secret auction!"
"One must look forward. The past is dark and cannot be pursued, but the future is promising and bright!"
Feng Yinwan smiled gently, performing a Sichuan Opera face-changing act for him.
Sanshi, standing nearby, was calm, indicating that he was already accustomed to his master's "professional disciple recruitment for twenty years, relying solely on deception."
Without giving her a chance to speak, the old man directly announced the end of the ceremony.
"Alright, Sanqing is very satisfied with the treasure my old man gave her. The disciple recruitment ceremony ends here. Everyone get ready, we will have a meal together at the Medicine King Hall later."
"Sanqing" was the medicine name the old man gave her, following the three-character generation of Sanshi and Sanmu.
Feng Yinwan's hand, clutching the IOU, tightened for a moment, indicating her utter exasperation.
Feng Wuxi was right, she had been tricked, losing both person and fortune, completely!
Among the crowd in the Medicine King Hall, everyone except Feng Yinwan was sad, while the others were genuinely happy!
This "others" included, but was not limited to, the old man, Sanshi, and Sanmu, who had just rushed back from outside.
Seeing that she was forcing a smile, the old man winked and sent Sanshi away.
"Sanqing, this is your second senior brother. He is a few years older than you, loyal and honest, and very easy to get along with."
"If you need anything in the future, don't hesitate to ask your two senior brothers. With your master here, they dare not disobey!"
Feng Yinwan nodded perfunctorily, but her mind was elsewhere.
According to the old man and Sanshi, recruiting a disciple was a major event, and disciples of the general association would gather here for a meal. However, after looking around twice, she still hadn't found any trace of the person in black, which made her feel strange.
While she was still lost in thought, Sanshi returned with a tray. Feng Yinwan turned her gaze to it—it was a medicine robe.
"Since you have officially become my disciple, from now on, you will wear medicine robes and cloud boots within the general association, just like them, for a more unified appearance."
The medicine robes for ordinary cultivators were white with red trim, while the one the old man gave her was white with blue trim. It was a loose-fitting long robe adorned with cloud patterns, identical to those of Sanshi and Sanmu.
Feng Yinwan looked at it, her beautiful eyes moving slightly.
"Master, do all the disciples in our general association wear medicine robes of this style? Besides white, are there any other colors?"
Thinking she disliked white, the old man was slightly taken aback by her question and immediately replied.
"All disciples in the general association wear uniforms. Only the disciples of the Xuanmen wear black robes, but they are usually not in the general association; they have their own sect."
"Xuanmen?"
It was indeed them!
Her voice couldn't help but reveal a hint of surprise at the end of her sentence. The old man was a bit annoyed.
"What's wrong, disciple? Are you interested in Xuanmen?"
Those people are very reclusive. How can they compare to the atmosphere of our general association!
Feng Yinwan dared not reveal herself and immediately shook her head, "Master misunderstands. I just heard that Xuanmen is very skilled at refining elixirs, so I was a little curious."
The old man snorted upon hearing this.
"Skilled at what! Their fame is overshadowing our general association!"
Then he looked at her again, his pride returning in an instant, "But now that you are here, our general association will surely flourish and stand tall!"
He had great confidence in Feng Yinwan!
"Sanqing, after you've eaten your fill, go back and rest well. In the afternoon, go to the alchemy room, and your master will begin teaching you about elixirs today!"
Feng Yinwan: Thank you, I'm already exhausted.
When the old man said he would teach her alchemy, he really had Sanshi and Sanmu drag her there that afternoon.
At that time, Feng Yinwan was still trying to hide her pregnancy. Hearing the call, she immediately put on the medicine robe.
"Junior Sister, are you ready?"
As she walked out, she saw them standing by the door like two auspicious mascots, one on each side.
Feng Yinwan nervously adjusted the front of her robe and stepped out, "Let's go."
Upon entering the alchemy room, she realized the sheer variety of elixirs and the complexity of their use.
For the entire afternoon, the old man lectured her on various poisons and their antidotes, treating her like a promising student in an accelerated class.
Feng Yinwan's head was spinning. She remembered only a few medicinal properties but many medicinal names.
After the lecture, the old man's gaze swept across the rows of workstations behind them, feeling as if something was missing.
"Disciple, do you feel..."
Feng Yinwan (smiling faintly), "Master, I don't feel anything!"
Finally emerging from the alchemy room, the sky outside had already darkened.
The old man had intended to ask her to join them for dinner, but fearing he would give her extra lessons after dinner, Feng Yinwan decisively refused.
"No need to trouble yourself. I still have leftovers from lunch, and I can heat them up to eat."
The old man was greatly pleased, "My disciple truly knows how to manage the household!"
"..."
Feng Yinwan fled as if flying.
At this hour, everyone was in the dining hall. The path to her residence was deserted. Feng Yinwan's beautiful eyes flashed subtly, and she turned into a side path.
This was a good opportunity to investigate the person in black!
Her brow was furrowed as she pondered where to start.
Unexpectedly, two dark figures approached silently from behind her. At the same time, a faint medicinal fragrance quickly spread through the air...