Chapter 32: The Worries of Murong Yiwen

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One day last month, Murong Yiwen went to Shushan Academy with Qiao Chuya and Hua Qiandu to attend to some business. From a distance, they saw four young women walking toward them.

At the head of the group was a girl with a slender, graceful figure, bright eyes, and pearly teeth. She was as pure and lovely as glistening morning dew. Most striking of all were her large eyes, black as polished jewels, with a clear distinction between black and white and a lively radiance in their depths, as though they had gathered the very essence of heaven and earth.

When the girl saw the three men, she seemed to pause for a moment. She turned and said something to the other three girls, then approached with a delighted expression and bowed.

“Greetings, Senior Brother Qiao and Senior Brother Hua. And this must be… Senior Brother Murong.”

Mingyue gave Murong Yiwen an embarrassed smile. He was so stunned by that beautiful smile that he froze on the spot. His heart began pounding wildly, and he could not help thinking, She smiled at me so sweetly. She must have feelings for me, surely?

The other three girls also approached with shy, flushed faces and bowed. All four were among Shushan’s famed Five Immortals, so naturally everyone knew who they were.

Nangong Yurou cast repeated, bashful glances at Qiao Chuya, her eyes practically bubbling with pink hearts. Qiao Chuya was so flattered by the beautiful girl’s admiring gaze that his face turned red.

Murong Yiwen gazed at the beautiful and radiant Mingyue, whose smile was so sweet and captivating. In that moment, the sunlight itself seemed to lose all its vivid colors. His eyes were filled with astonishment, and his mind buzzed as though he were beholding a celestial being.

From then on, he could never put her out of his mind. Her charming, lively figure filled his thoughts and occupied his heart.

Seeing Murong Yiwen’s flushed face and dazed expression, Hua Qiandu gave him a mischievous smile.

“Brother Murong, this is Junior Sister Mingyue, a newly promoted disciple of this term. Among the students of Shushan Academy, she is known as the Little Medical Immortal. She is quite the formidable rival for you.”

Murong Yiwen blushed and smiled with extreme humility.

“The younger generation is indeed formidable. I am impressed, truly impressed.”

After they returned that day, Mingyue and the other three girls talked for a long time. Nangong Yurou was especially lavish in her praise of Qiao Chuya, earning the unanimous disdain of the other three.

Everyone agreed that Senior Brother Murong was quite impressive as well, but Mingyue did not take him to heart. How could she have known that a mere polite smile had led Murong Yiwen to believe she had fallen for him?

Now that Murong Yiwen could see her every day, he was more satisfied than ever. Given enough time, he was certain he would make this junior sister fall in love with him. He had complete confidence in himself.

Nangong Yurou opened her eyes and glanced from side to side. Only after confirming that Murong Yiwen had not followed them did she burst into laughter and say coquettishly, “How was my performance this time? Wasn’t it wonderful?”

Mingyue remembered how Nangong Yurou had pretended to faint while coming to her rescue during their last outdoor medicinal-herb class. She could not help scolding her.

“Big Sister, could you think of a different idea next time? You cannot pretend to faint every time. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if someone saw through it?”

Nangong Yurou covered her mouth as she laughed.

“Senior Brother Murong clearly has feelings for you. Why not just accept him? I hear he comes from the Murong Clan, has powerful immortal force, a handsome face, and a gentle temperament. He really is an excellent choice.”

An image suddenly appeared in Mingyue’s mind: Feng Qingcheng carrying her through the skies on his sword. That day, he had taken her flying and fought with her like a child over food, leaving her with an especially deep impression.

Mingyue’s face reddened, and she shook her head.

“Senior Brother Murong is indeed a fine person, but unfortunately, I do not feel that way about him.”

Nangong Yurou nodded.

“Then so be it. If you do not feel that way, there is no need to force yourself.”

Mingyue spoke with solemn seriousness.

“I am wholly devoted to seeking immortality and pursuing the Dao. For now, I have no interest in such worldly matters.”

Nangong Yurou looked at her disdainfully.

“Oh, stop right there. Don’t tell me someone has fallen for that so-called Senior Brother Feng…”

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“What are you talking about, you little brat? You are the one who has fallen for that so-called Senior Brother Qiao.”

The two girls laughed and teased each other as they walked toward another medicinal-herb garden.

From a distance, Murong Yiwen watched the two lively young women bantering. He gave a helpless, bitter smile, and an inexplicable melancholy welled up within him.

The girl’s lovely figure had already been engraved deeply in his heart. He could not forget her, no matter how hard he tried. He stared fixedly at her departing silhouette, feeling empty and lost, then gave a light shake of his head and walked toward the group of disciples gathering medicinal herbs.

As Murong Yiwen made his way over, female disciples repeatedly greeted him with a mixture of shyness and nervousness. He acknowledged each of them with a smile and a nod, thoroughly enjoying the admiring and worshipful gazes directed at him.

But a beautiful shadow had already taken up residence in his heart. There was no room in his eyes for anyone else.

A woman suddenly cut across his path and blocked him, seizing his sleeve excitedly.

“Senior Brother Murong, I do not really understand this herb. Could you teach me?”

She had a narrow face, thin lips, and a pale, bland appearance. Her features were utterly ordinary. She was Jiang Yiyi, who had been observing him from the side for quite some time.

The Jiang Clan and the Murong Clan were family friends, and the two of them had often met as children, so they were not strangers. But ever since Murong Yiwen had come to the Shushan Immortal Sect more than ten years earlier, they had rarely seen each other.

After all those years, Jiang Yiyi had grown up, but her forceful and spoiled temperament had not changed. Nor was she the sort of woman he liked. Murong Yiwen had never been particularly fond of her.

Frowning, he looked at her and was about to refuse when Jiang Yiyi rolled her eyes upward and, taking advantage of the movement, tried to fall into his arms.

Murong Yiwen turned aside in disgust. Jiang Yiyi crashed heavily into the medicinal-herb plot beside them. Fortunately, the herbs were growing thickly; otherwise, she would likely have been badly hurt.

Murong Yiwen summoned an assistant instructor to deal with the matter, then turned away with a dark expression and left without sparing Jiang Yiyi another glance.

Jiang Yiyi lay on the ground, grimacing in pain and seething with hatred. She had seen Nangong Yurou pretend to faint many times, and on several occasions Murong Yiwen had personally taken care of her. She had assumed that if she pretended to faint, Murong Yiwen would look after her and perhaps they could develop some affection.

She had never expected him not even to spare her a proper glance.

That seductive vixen Nangong Yurou was just as hateful as Mingyue. When Jiang Yiyi saw the assistant instructor approaching to help her—a rough-looking, rustic-faced middle-aged man—she immediately sprang to her feet and hurried away.

The man shook his head and muttered, “Why are the female disciples of this generation all so frail? Someone faints every few days. They really need to work harder at their cultivation.”

Jiang Yiyi rolled her eyes and moved to the side, pulling at the herbs half-heartedly. The assistant instructor came over and said, “Hey, why are you breaking them off at the middle? These need to be pulled up by the roots.”

Jiang Yiyi shot to her feet, flung the herb aside, and snorted.

“I want to break them off at the middle. What of it? If you have the courage, go report me to the Punishment Hall!”

Everyone knew that Jiang Yiyi was the grandniece of Jiang Lingshan, an elder of the Punishment Hall. The assistant instructor certainly had no intention of seeking trouble for himself. He muttered under his breath and walked away.

Jiang Yiyi watched Murong Yiwen’s retreating back and sneered.

“Hmph. The man this young lady has set her sights on will never escape my grasp.”

The following afternoon, it was medical studies class as usual. Throughout the lesson, Murong Yiwen kept his eyes fixed intently on Mingyue.

At last, Mingyue managed to endure until class ended. She hurried to the place where the Alchemy Sect was holding its entrance examination. When she arrived, she found a long line already stretching outside the gate.

Quite a number of people had come to register. Whether or not they understood herbs or alchemy, the academy disciples all wanted to try their luck and see whether they might gain a chance to enter the mysterious Alchemy Sect. As a result, nearly all the male disciples had come to join in the excitement, along with a very small number of female disciples.

“Mingyue, over here! What took you so long?”

The call came from near the front of the line. Nangong Yurou, Dou Ruhua, and Mo Yao had arrived early to hold a place for Mingyue. She hurried over and took their spot.

“Little Sister Mingyue, I hope you pass the examination,” Nangong Yurou said with a bright smile, patting her on the shoulder. “We herbal illiterates and alchemy illiterates will not get involved. I hear that an alchemy apprentice can enjoy the advantage of proximity… Once you are accepted, you will be able to… Well, you know.”

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Mingyue nodded.

“I will do my best. Whether I am accepted is secondary. I mainly want to see how the examination is conducted.”

A male disciple nearby laughed and said to Mingyue and the others, “The Alchemy Sect has never accepted female disciples. Women should stop coming here just to make up the numbers.”

Mo Yao thrust out her chest and retorted, “We came here precisely to make up the numbers. What business is it of yours?”

The male disciple stepped backward, his face reddening as he stared at Mo Yao in speechless embarrassment. Mo Yao snorted and turned away, leaving him looking utterly awkward.

Mingyue remembered that the disciple was named Long Yicheng, a rather shy young man.

At that moment, Niu Zhuangzhuang emerged from the examination gate, drenched in sweat. Seeing Mingyue and the others, he drooped his head and bellowed in his booming voice, “If you don’t know anything about herbs or elixirs, don’t go in there just to make a fool of yourselves. The first round is herb identification—thousands of different herbs! The examiners randomly picked out a few and told me to identify them, then give their names and ages… I couldn’t recognize a single one!”

“Hahaha…”

Han Ruge and Mu Xiaotian happened to be standing ahead of Mingyue in the line, and Han Ruge burst into laughter when he heard this.

Dou Ruhua mocked Niu Zhuangzhuang. “Of course you couldn’t recognize them. You only know grass and vegetables.”

Niu Zhuangzhuang stammered for quite a while, his face turning crimson.

“As if you know anything about medicinal herbs. How much better are you than me?”

Dou Ruhua sneered.

“At least I know my own limitations. That is why I did not take the examination.”

Niu Zhuangzhuang stamped his foot angrily and stormed away. Han Ruge left with him, while only Mu Xiaotian remained behind.

After hearing Niu Zhuangzhuang’s words, someone lost heart and said, “What is the point of taking this examination? Let’s go. We have never even taken a course in pharmacology, and we know nothing about alchemy. We only came here for the excitement.”

“I thought being an alchemy-apprentice assistant would be a matter of physical labor. I never imagined it would require brains too.”

“Come on, let’s leave. I hear the Alchemy Sect only accepts male disciples and never takes women. There is no point in your staying.”

Two female disciples also withdrew from the line.

Nangong Yurou asked, “Mingyue, are you still going to take the examination? The Alchemy Sect only accepts male disciples, not female ones.”

“There is nothing else for me to do anyway. Surely I can at least stay and see how the examination works?” Mingyue considered this, then said, “Besides, they never explicitly stated that they do not accept female alchemy apprentices.”

She had always been interested in alchemy, believing that it shared some mysterious connection with medicine. She was also intensely curious about the true nature of the mysterious knowledge of elixir refinement and very much wanted to see it for herself.

“Then we will be going. Do your best on the examination.”

Nangong Yurou, Dou Ruhua, and Mo Yao left as well.

The people waiting in line began discussing the matter among themselves, and more than half of them soon departed. The area outside the classroom became spacious in an instant. Mingyue remained in the crowd, waiting for the alchemy-apprentice examination to begin.

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