Chapter 4843 — The Visit
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
"Didn't see that coming, did you, Qing Xuanzi? Wei Zhao is the senior fellow disciple of my own pupil—they were both disciples of the Threefold Pavilion of the North Island in their day. WwW.XsHuotXT.com" The Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea could not help laughing. "Qing Xuanzi, oh, Qing Xuanzi. All these years you've been itching to get one over on me, but now there's no point thinking about it at all—he's come out a generation below me."
Ling Yuanqing and Wei Hebei could not help but smile at that. In any academy of the Eastern Continent, a chief alchemist ranked among the highest of the high; and where the chief alchemist was as formidable as the one at Xiangyun Academy, it was quite normal for him to be reckoned the academy's second most powerful figure.
At the Morning Star Academy, however, the standing of the three titans was unshakable, secured by sheer strength. Yet Qing Xuanzi was not the sort to resign himself to standing in anyone's shadow. He could never eclipse Academy Head Ling Yuanqing, nor was he likely to eclipse Vice-Academy Head Wei Hebei, who commanded a great multitude of disciples. That left only one target: the Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea, who stood all but alone.
She bore the title of Vice-Academy Head, yet rarely concerned herself with the Academy's affairs, and her only personal disciples were Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao. Apart from her formidable strength, the Holy Nun was, one might say, the easiest of the Academy's titans to surpass—and in truth Qing Xuanzi had long had every chance of eclipsing her. Popular opinion had already quietly begun to cast him as the Academy's number three.
But now—well, after this little turn of events, that was hardly likely anymore. Qing Xuanzi shook his head with a bitter smile. "Ah? How did it come to this?"
"Such is the way of the world, Qing Xuanzi. Best just accept your fate, hahahaha!" Wei Hebei laughed heartily from the side.
"Er... fine, fine. But what does any of that matter now? For me, refining pills is what counts." Qing Xuanzi laughed at himself too. Compared with rank and reputation in the Academy, his only concern was pill refinement; if he could make even an inch of progress in the Way of pill refinement, he would gladly give up all the rest.
Ling Yuanqing and the others exchanged smiles. A chief alchemist utterly absorbed in his craft was a blessing any academy would pray for.
"Heh, let me introduce you properly." Wei Zhao smiled and nodded to the two young women. "This is my junior fellow disciple from the North Island, Huang Xiaotao. And this one—well, she's my deskmate, Wang Xinyan."
"What? What's a 'deskmate' supposed to mean?" Qing Xuanzi was struck dumb once again—and not only he; Ling Yuanqing and the others all wore looks of blank bewilderment.
The Holy Nun of the Eastern Sea was the most astonished of all. She had always assumed that only Huang Xiaotao among her disciples had any tie to Wei Zhao; never had she imagined that even Wang Xinyan shared such a bond with him. Only—what on earth did "deskmate" mean?
"Master Qing Xuanzi, don't listen to his nonsense..." Wang Xinyan's face flushed as she hurried to protest, at the same time shooting Wei Zhao a reproachful glance—which only warmed his heart. However many times he saw that endearing look of hers, he never tired of it, just as on the day they first met aboard the train.
"No, no—how could I be worthy of the title 'Master'!" Qing Xuanzi waved his hands again and again, then hastened to correct himself. "Since you are my master's... deskmate, that makes you my elder. This disciple pays his respects to Uncle-Master Deskmate..."