3188: Young and Frivolous

Young and Frivolous

Because the nineteen alchemists were too embarrassed to ask her again after hearing her answer so frankly and honestly that she was an alchemist, they talked among themselves again.1

"Since she is young, I believe the number of years she has been practising alchemy should be comparable. So, even if she is an alchemist, an extraordinarily talented at that, she should be at the Ancestor rank."

"Mm, I agree that it should be this way as well. Anyway, she can't be higher than Ancestor rank alchemist, so the prescription we give her should be at a level that will stump her."

"Since that is the case, how about we use the Muscle Regeneration Jasper Ointment's prescription? This prescription might look easy, but it actually involves a number of tricky steps, and you can't skip any of the necessary steps in concocting the medicine. If too many herbs are used in one step or not enough medicine is made, the product is deemed unusable. Even a Saint rank Alchemist might struggle to make that prescription. I believe that putting her to the test with that prescription will certainly cause her to withdraw when faced with difficulties."

Hearing this, the nineteen people exchanged glances and nodded. "Well, then, use this prescription!"

So, they took the prescription to Feng Jiu and said, "You will be considered to have passed this test if you can concoct this prescription before the sun reaches the top of the mountain at noon. You must, of course, follow the rules listed above. If you don't do the steps right, your test will be considered a fail."

Feng Jiu looked at the prescription and asked, "Does this prescription really have a miraculous effect on removing decays, relieving pain, generating muscle, and healing wounds, as it says in the notes?"

"Of course! Nineteen of us have been studying this prescription for several years." One of the alchemists voiced displeasure at being questioned.

"Then I'll try," Feng Jiu nodded with a smile. 

She took a look at the time and said, "Since the time is set at noon, I will start now. Please take a moment to rest first." She called for two medicine boys to help her clear a space, chose the thousand-year-old spirit herbs from the list, and then followed the steps on the prescription to concoct the medicine.

It was a prescription for an ointment which must be decocted, adding significant time to the process. This prescription was almost like trying out a new medicine for her because while she had made similar plasters before, the ingredients listed here were different.

Because it was her first time making this medicine, she had to follow the directions exactly. After the time it took for a column of incense to burn through several times, the amount of medicine she put into the ointment caused it to spark. This was followed right away by a burning smell.

When they saw this scene and smelled the burning smell, the nineteen alchemists found themselves unable to contain their laughter.

"I knew for sure that she wouldn't be able to make the Muscle Regeneration Jasper Ointment."

"Can that ointment be made by decocting it? As I told her before, even a small difference in dosage will ruin the whole batch of medicine, so she should be fully prepared. Isn't she at the end of her rope now?"

A nearby alchemist smiled and said, "I can't say she's wrong. Who hasn't been young and frivolous at some point? It's good that she's willing to let us test her with this Muscle Regeneration Jasper Ointment."

"Haha, anyway, it looks like she'll have to give up after the second test. Now I can rest easy this time." An elderly man said this with a clear sign of relief on his face.

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