Chapter 134 Chapter 135 People Need to Have Confidence in Their Own Medicine
Marinburg, in the alchemy workshop.
Xinji adjusted his monocle and said:
“I only provide each person with alchemy materials once. Some students from less affluent families need to cherish this opportunity…”
A few apprentices who were helping in exchange for tuition nervously twisted their hands, holding several small bags of materials.
Those from wealthy families brought their own materials, enough for three to four tries.
Even wealthier, the noble female apprentice, surrounded by two female attendants, was handing two bags of purple silk to her attendants, saying, “Make good use of this.”
“Thank you!” the attendant said with a bright smile, feeling more and more like she had made the right choice.
“If it weren’t for the rule against bringing servants, I’d give more,” the noble female apprentice said. “The place is small, and the rules are many.”
Seeing the noble female apprentice holding only one silk bag with her gem-ringed hand, the attendant asked, “Miss, do you have enough?”
The noble female apprentice shot her a sideways glance and said, “I can succeed with this simple trick after just one attempt.”
Having said that, she looked at Jima, who was simply dressed in a brown hooded cloak, wearing long boots and loose mid-length pants, carrying a brown backpack. She was nowhere near as glamorous as she was in her black dress on the first day.
The noble female apprentice remembered feeling a sense of inferiority when she first saw her. Thinking she came from a noble background, she approached her hoping to make a friend, only to be met with a cold shoulder.
Now it seemed she at most came from a small merchant family. That black dress was probably the only decent outfit she had.
What a vain girl who cares about appearances.
The noble female apprentice snorted softly.
There were only three alchemy tables in the classroom, and one person at a time approached, lighting a Blessed Green Candle one by one. Under the eager gazes of the apprentices, the green smoke of sage wafted over the spices.
Jima gazed steadily at the magical changes in the herbs, deep in thought.
“Xiao Qiao? Xiao Qiao?”
“Mm?”
Jima looked up to find Xinji quietly calling her, “What were you thinking just now?”
“I had an idea; perhaps I can improve something.”
Xinji shook his head, “Beginners shouldn’t overthink; just follow the steps.”
“I already made one this morning.”
As Jima spoke, she walked to the vacant alchemy table and placed her backpack on it, which was nearly full of materials, enough for dozens of attempts.
“Do you have that little confidence in yourself?” the noble female apprentice mocked as she sat down and began her own preparation.
Xinji’s gaze swept over the noble female apprentice with disapproval.
Ignoring her, Jima started to magically transform the herbs. She could clearly see the magical fluctuations, easily adjusting their frequencies with her will, preparing them for fusion after mixing the materials.
She did not use sage, as she found it useless earlier; instead, she stacked small charcoal piles, lit them with kindling, and pumped air with a bellows to make the charcoal glow red. Then she boiled the materials with water, sprinkling a circle of salt around to prevent contamination.
Bubbles began to rise in the flask, and nutmeg floated up and down with the bubbles, filling the room with a fragrant aroma.
With his hands behind his back, Xinji sniffed and looked towards Jima, only to realize she had started boiling materials. He hurried over, about to stop Jima’s creative idea.
The noble female apprentice looked over and said, “Are you cooking? Please do not casually desecrate alchemy, thank you.”
Xinji was dissatisfied with her, slowing his pace, and saw Jima focused intently on the flask, hoping she would achieve something, and said to the noble female apprentice, “Different paths lead to the same goal; others have the spirit of innovation, don’t disturb her.”
“Innovation is built on a profound foundation; she’s just a rookie, don’t demean the word ‘innovation.'”
While manipulating the magical power in the herbs with her will, Jima raised her middle finger at the noble female apprentice.
The noble female apprentice raised her voice, asking, “What do you mean by that?”
Unable to speak because she was concentrating, Jima simply gave her a thumbs-up.
“Heh, you’re quick to change.”
Jima’s thumb pointed downward and shook a bit.
The noble female apprentice shot up, saying loudly, “Apologize to me!”
“Sit down,” Xinji said, “Don’t disturb your classmates.”
“She insulted me!”
“I know who started it. Others have their work to do; what does it have to do with you?”
Seeing things calming down, Jima withdrew her gesture.
In the flask, most of the magical power from the cinnamon, dried ginger slices, and other materials transferred to the water. The pale golden magic began to evaporate along with the steam, nearing the end of the process.
Jima glanced at the hourglass, noted the time in the system, and wrote a line: “It seems boiling the double portion of materials is effective and hasn’t gone wrong otherwise. Some magical power has evaporated, but the magical power in the materials isn’t drained, indicating room for improvement.”
She used iron tongs to lift the flask, pouring it into the test tube fitted with a funnel, which had a filter mesh; the test tube filled three-quarters full, the pale golden magic still evaporating.
Jima swiftly extinguished the Blessed Green Candle, scraped the candle wax with a small knife, dropped it on the cork, and sealed the test tube.
The pale golden magic stopped evaporating as she picked up the test tube, gazing at her creation. The liquid was pale golden, glimmering with star-like points of golden light.
She felt a sense of accomplishment; Jima had had many experiences making “potions” before, but those were all by the book. This was her first time improving the formula based on what she had learned.
The voice of the noble female apprentice reached her, as she tied a bow on her money-pouch: “Feeling quite proud, aren’t you?”
Jima raised her pinky finger at her.
“You! Do you have any manners?”
“Quiet!” Xinji said at that moment. “Is everyone finished?”
“Finished!”
“Xiao Qiao, what about you? Want to redo it?” Xinji looked at Jima, noticing her somewhat youthful face, feeling a bit worried.
To him, it was normal for a student like Jima, who respected her teacher and was eager to learn, to conflict with a noble female apprentice who had no regard for her teacher.
Xiao Qiao openly expressed her disdain towards her, making him feel guilty. He didn’t even dare to kick the noble female apprentice out for trying to make trouble. How pitiful…
Xinji sighed, watching Jima, secretly hoping she could show the noble female apprentice a thing or two.
Jima replied, “No need; it barely counts as a success.”
“Once everyone is done, stand up,” Xinji clapped his hands and said, “Now, everyone take your money pouches and stroll around the most bustling part of the city, returning by evening. If by evening there’s still no income, that means failure, but don’t worry; it’s just a small failure.”
Someone asked, “What about a big failure?”
“Everyone remember yesterday? He got hit by a money pouch,” Xinji pointed to the lucky apprentice from yesterday, “Big failure is when you get hit on the head by a rock kicked by a horse; the perpetrator runs away, and no one can catch them—only costs without any gains.”
The apprentices began to chatter excitedly, filling the room with noise.
Jima scanned the other apprentices. Xiao Li was absent; she planned to find an experimental subject.
Although her work seemed quite successful, who knows if the side effects would be amplified? Others got paid four gold coins for a hit on the head. This vial of potion, if drunk, could result in a vegetative state, with the other party compensating a hundred gold coins.
Jima was confident in handling the side effects; after all, she had three “stand-ins” tucked in her waistband, but trouble was trouble. It would be better to find a scapegoat.
Xinji at that moment said seriously, “One more thing, hold on.”
Everyone quieted down.
Xinji’s monocle glinted; he spoke deliberately, “Everyone must use their own work and bear its magical effects; that is how one shows respect for magic.”
I’ve already drunk several bottles of my own potions; it’d be better to just find someone unfortunate to take the fall.
As Jima was thinking about how to evade responsibility.
The noble female apprentice next to her lifted her chin arrogantly and shot a sidelong glance at Jima, revealing her fair neck, wrapping herself in the “money pouch” she personally made, with the purple silk pouch pressed against her skin.
“What’s wrong? Dare to have a comparison with me?”
Jima didn’t even look at her and said, “Teacher, do you have water? My potion is too hot.”
“Come with me.”
Jima left with Xinji, their figures disappearing behind the door.
The apprentices started discussing excitedly:
“Why is Xiao Qiao’s potion? ”
“It must be a secret formula she bought,” said a male apprentice. “Xiao Qiao is pretty and cute, has money, and seems talented; if she would notice me—”
“Dream on. She hasn’t even looked at you once.”
“She has looked at me once! I guarantee.”
“Tsk, last time you approached her, how could she not notice you?”
Once again discussing Xiao Qiao, this group of men were lowly, blinded by infatuation.
The noble female apprentice crossed her arms, coldly watching those boys with the help of her attendants.
One attendant said, “All day long, Xiao Qiao, Xiao Qiao, these boys are really grating on my nerves.”
The second attendant said, “Miss, just wait until you crush Xiao Qiao and see what those boys say.”
“And that teacher, definitely has a crush on her, biased towards her.”
The noble female apprentice’s mood improved considerably.
Soon, Jima and Teacher Xinji returned. She pulled the cork and drank the warm potion cleanly in front of everyone. She turned to the noble female apprentice and said, “Want some?”
The noble female apprentice snorted and said, “I thought you were afraid.”
With that, she walked over to Jima, her two attendants following behind.
As soon as they left the room, the noble female apprentice kept her distance from Jima, showing her disdain to not walk alongside her, saying, “Didn’t expect you to主动找上门 (take the initiative).”
“Better than having a swarm of pesky boys asking to walk with me, saving me the trouble of rejecting them one by one.”
“That’s all you can brag about.”
Jima couldn’t be bothered to talk to her and slipped on her “lucky ring.”
The four women walked down the road; the noblewoman walked by the wall while the other three girls walked by the roadside, keeping a distance.
On the road, a girl with a patched dress was carrying a bamboo basket full of flowers, shouting, “Flowers for sale! Flowers for sale! Freshly picked chrysanthemums and wild lilies this morning.”
The noble female apprentice took out a silver coin and handed it to the girl, saying, “I’ll take them all, no need for change.”
The flower-selling girl widened her eyes and said, “Thank you!”
The noble female apprentice took the flowers, distributing them to her two attendants, deliberately stating loudly, “Money doesn’t just fall from the sky; you have to create opportunities for it to come your way.”
“Miss is so smart.”
“Knows so much.”
The attendants held the flowers, smiling happily, saying, “Someone already knows it’s too late.”
