The Apothecary God's Disciple
The tent was wide open, and a middle-aged man in his forties strode into it. From his appearance, it was obvious that he did not belong to the Flame Imp Race. He was taller, and his skin was fairer, looking about seventy to eighty percent human.
He had a wide, upturned nose, which was so high that it almost reached the sky. His ears were round and small, as if there were bicycle bells hanging on the sides of his head.
He only took one look at Xia Fei from outside the tent before he flew into a rage. He pointed at Xia Fei and yelled at the guards at the entrance, "This man is a liar! Arrest him! "
Xia Fei was slightly taken aback as he looked at him coldly.
It was true that Xia Fei did not have the qualifications to be an Apothecary, but he had learned quite a bit of pharmacology from Phantom over the years. Even a genuine Apothecary might not be Xia Fei's match, yet this man had determined that he was an impostor with just one look. Xia Fei could not help but suspect that this man was up to no good.
The guards were somewhat hesitant. Xia Fei and Seth had just been invited into the tent, and they had not even warmed their seats yet, so how could they possibly be arrested?
"Hmph!" The middle-aged man coldly harrumphed, his hands behind his back as he stared coldly at the guards at the entrance. "Why aren't you guys making a move? I never repeat myself. If the king blames you later, be careful of your heads! "
The guards shuddered and braced themselves as they entered the tent, pulling out ropes from their waists to tie Xia Fei up. Seth cautiously stood up, one hand tucked into his cloak, ready to draw his weapon at any moment. It was true that this man was afraid of Quinn, but he did not care about these short Flame Imps.
Xia Fei smiled. He picked up the teacup with one hand and took a sip of the sour plum juice while his other hand pressed down on Seth. He coldly laughed. "You actually dare to capture a noble Apothecary? I'm afraid it'll be very troublesome if your leader finds out."
He did not speak loudly, but Xia Fei had deliberately emphasized the word 'Apothecary' so that everyone present could hear him clearly.
Apothecaries were very precious in the Exiled Grounds, so the guards naturally did not dare to make a move on them. They stood rooted to the ground, caught between a rock and a hard place. They looked at Xia Fei and then at the middle-aged man.
"I said arrest him! Are you guys deaf!? "
Xia Fei chuckled, not even bothering to raise his head to look at him. He put on airs, pride written all over his face.
The more disdainful he was, the more troubled the guards were. His composure and confidence could not be faked. If not for his confidence, there was no way Xia Fei could remain so calm at this juncture.
The middle-aged man kept forcing the guards to make a move, but Xia Fei's insufferably arrogant attitude made it impossible for them to make a move. In just a few seconds, the guards' foreheads were already drenched in sweat. That uncomfortable feeling made them feel like roasted ducks on a stove, burning on fire.
Just as the four guards were about to collapse from the suffocation, their savior finally arrived.
A fat, big-eared Balrog with silver rings all over his body walked into the tent with the help of a few ugly maids. He asked excitedly, "Which one of you is the noble Lord Pharmacist?"
Seth had already explained to Xia Fei that the king of the Balrog race liked to wear silver rings all over his body to show his nobility, and this man before him was most likely the tribe's chieftain.
The average Balrog was no taller than 1.5 meters and weighed no more than seventy kilograms. This tribe's chieftain was not taller than his own kind, but he had a large body, and his fat looked like bunches of grapes. The ground shook when he walked, and Xia Fei estimated that this man weighed at least three hundred kilograms!
A height of 1.5 meters and a weight of three hundred kilograms? How was this human? He was a mountain of flesh! Furthermore, he was burdened by the silver rings all over his body, making every step he took extremely difficult, needing someone to support him. It was clear how pampered and domineering this chieftain was.
Xia Fei smiled and stood up, cupping his hands in greeting to this chieftain, his attitude neither servile nor overbearing.
"Apothecary Ah Fei. I'm passing by here today, so I'd like to pay a visit to the chieftain."
The chieftain was slightly taken aback, most likely not expecting Xia Fei to be so young. He hurriedly pushed aside the maids beside him and took two steps forward, arriving at Xia Fei's side.
"Oh, Master Ah Fei, it must have been hard on you. Welcome to our Balrog race. I'm the chieftain here, Juen."
"Greetings, Chieftain Juen." Xia Fei cupped his hands in greeting.
"It's our honor to have someone as important as you visit our Balrog race. You can just call me Juen. Master, please don't stand on ceremony." Juen said with a wide smile. Because he was so fat, the fat on his face almost blocked his eyes, causing them to narrow into slits.
The middle-aged man standing to the side saw Juen treating Xia Fei so respectfully, and his nose nearly went crooked from anger. He crossed his arms and coldly snorted.
Juen turned around and saw the middle-aged man's ashen face, seemingly angry. Thus, he had no choice but to take two steps forward and say in a low voice, "Master Lu, so you're here too. Look, I was so busy greeting the guests that I didn't even see you. Please, have a seat."
…
Inside the large tent of the Balrog race, the guests and the host were seated. Chieftain Juen was naturally seated at the head of the table. Beside him were a few maids and the tribe's inept military advisor, a Balrog called Joey.
Joey was slightly older and looked very shrewd. When Xia Fei had gotten into a conflict with the middle-aged man called Master Lu, Joey had only glanced at him before leaving in a hurry. It did not take long for Chieftain Juen to arrive, most likely because Joey had called him over. It was evident that this man was shrewd and cautious, not listening to Master Lu's words and beating Xia Fei to death.
Master Lu had a cold expression on his face, and his attitude was arrogant. Not only did he look down on Xia Fei, he did not even pay much attention to Chieftain Juen. Juen seemed to be in awe of Master Lu, constantly putting his warm face on the other party's cold buttocks.
"Master Ah Fei, I didn't think that you'd already become a master apothecary at such a young age. May I know why you've come to our Balrog race?" Juen asked with a smile.
"I'm afraid that while it's true that you're young, it's not true that you're an apothecary," Master Lu said nonchalantly.
Juen appeared to be quite embarrassed, and the smile on his face instantly froze. However, Xia Fei did not mind, treating Master Lu like air. He simply said, "I heard that your tribe specializes in producing fire plums. I happen to need a batch of fire plums to concoct medicine, which is why I'm here."
Juen laughed heartily. "That's right. Fire plums are a specialty of our tribe. The iced plum juice in front of you is brewed from fire plums, specially used to entertain the esteemed guests of the Balrog race. Unfortunately, though fire plums are good, they're produced in small quantities."
Xia Fei's eyebrows relaxed as he smiled. "Rest assured, Chieftain Juen. Since I'm here to collect fire plums, I naturally won't be doing it for free. If your tribe has any patients that need treatment, feel free to come. The consultation fee will be paid in fire plums."
Speaking of which, fire plums were truly good stuff. Just from the name, one would think that they were a fruit with a heat attribute, but it was actually a cold and mild fruit that had the effect of detoxifying and reducing internal heat. After drinking that bowl of plum juice, Xia Fei and Seth felt a lot more refreshed.
Leader Juen and Strategist Joey exchanged glances and whispered to each other for a while, as though they were discussing something. Judging from their expressions, they seemed to be in a difficult position.
That was when Master Lu, who had been silent all this while, suddenly asked, "Since you claim to be an apothecary, may I know which sect you're from and what rank are you?"
Apothecaries all had their own lineage and ranks. Master Lu's question made Juen and Joey look at Xia Fei at the same time, their eyes filled with questions.
Xia Fei smiled. "There's no need to mention my master. I don't have a rank, either."
The moment he said that, Juen immediately felt a little annoyed. It turned out that he was a quack doctor who did not even have a rank. There could only be one reason why he did not want to mention his master's name: Xia Fei's master was basically a nobody.
* Clap clap clap! *
Master Lu laughed as he clapped his hands. He turned to Juen and said, "I've already said that this man is a liar! He doesn't have any skills, yet he purposely came to this remote place to swindle people. Surely the chieftain will believe me after this, right? "
Though Juen did not say anything, it was clear that his eyes were filled with anger.
Xia Fei nonchalantly asked, "Master Lu, why do you keep saying that I'm a liar? What proof do you have?"
"Hmph! An apothecary needs at least a decade of hard work. You're only an apothecary boy at your age. Who gave you the guts to pretend to be an apothecary?! "Master Lu slammed the table.
Xia Fei nonchalantly laughed. "Fools might not even be able to become an apothecary after decades of hard work, let alone decades of hard work. Master Lu, how can you judge based on age? Based on what you're saying, older people are experts? Then why do some people never get the qualification to become an apothecary their entire lives? "
"Age only proves how long a person has lived. It doesn't prove anything."
Everyone was slightly taken aback. What Xia Fei said made sense. To judge whether someone was a qualified apothecary or not, of course, one had to look at pharmacology and not judge a book by its cover.
Xia Fei did not plan to stop there. He paused for a moment before continuing. "Master Lu, since you keep saying that I'm a liar, then who are you from? What's your rank? "
Master Lu had a proud look on his face. He raised his hands high and said, "My master is Qin Ziqiang, the apothecary god of the Exiled Grounds! I'm not as knowledgeable as my master, so I'm only a rank 2 apothecary. "
Right after he said that, he saw Xia Fei extend his hand with a mocking expression. "Give it to me."
"Give what to me?"
"A rank 2 apothecary's certificate." Xia Fei's lips curled up as he said this with a smile.
* Zing! *
Master Lu's face turned purple on the spot as he defended himself. "This is the Exiled Grounds, and there's no Apothecary Association here. How can I have a certificate?"
Xia Fei chuckled. "How can you claim to be a rank 2 apothecary without a certificate? I think you're the liar here, aren't you? "
* Bang! *
Master Lu was furious. He kicked over the table in front of him, spilling the juice all over the floor. The guards could not help but feel sorry for him.
Xia Fei ignored the exasperated Master Lu and turned to Juen. "Chieftain, we're in the Exiled Grounds. Unless you're an apothecary from the two races, no one has a certificate, so naturally, no one has a rank. It's obvious that Master Lu is lying when he claims to be a rank 2 apothecary."
Master Lu was even more upset when he heard that. The veins on his forehead bulged. "My rank was personally assessed by my master, the apothecary god, Chen Ziqiang! You're disrespecting him by saying that! "
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