Chapter 2172 — Trying to Fool Me?

"So it really exists!" Wei Zhao was astonished by Chief Bai's words. Han Jingyi seemed to have no wood-attribute perception at all—but then, she did not need any perception. Everything was derived through scientific formulas, and her results were even more accurate than perception itself!

"It does exist. It is only that the formulas for refining multiple pills at once were never passed down. After all, the time, temperature, and heat required to refine two pills, three pills, four pills, and so on all differ, so if you set them down as a formula, it would become endlessly variable," Chief Bai explained. "Besides, only grandmaster alchemists could refine multiple pills at once. In those days, alchemists of Mystic rank and above were everywhere—nothing like the scarcity now. Even Zhang Lifeng, the peerless physician of his generation and my own grandmaster, never reached that level!"

"Thank you for clearing that up, Elder Bai," Wei Zhao said. "Then I will take my leave for now..."

"Go back and study it carefully. When you are finished, return the materials to me," Chief Bai said.

"Yes, Elder Bai." With that, Wei Zhao left the office with a respectful bow. Opening the door, he saw Right-Pan Hu hastily ducking off to one side, and he gave a cold laugh. "So someone really was eavesdropping. But how did that kick just now feel, Right-Pan? Was it enjoyable?"

"Wei Zhao, what nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean, enjoyable? I just got here—I have no idea what you mean," Right-Pan Hu said, feigning ignorance. "Huh? Wei Zhao, what's that in your hand? Is it some good material?"

"Oh, nothing good. Didn't I already trade it with you to look at last time?" Wei Zhao said with studied indifference. "You even said you got cheated, that I swindled you."

"So it's the material from last time..." Right-Pan Hu sneered inwardly, though his face betrayed nothing. "I didn't get a clear look last time. Let me see it again?"

"See what? Chief Bai is waiting for you inside his office—you had better hurry. Don't blame me for not warning you: Chief Bai's exam is very hard," Wei Zhao said.

"Don't change the subject. Chief Bai told me to come after school. Dismissal at noon is still dismissal, and dismissal at night is still dismissal. I can come back tonight. Seeing the material matters more," Right-Pan Hu said. The more calmly Wei Zhao spoke, the more certain Right-Pan Hu became that what Wei Zhao had gotten this time was the good stuff!

Because Wei Zhao did not put on airs, did not posture, and did not even try to trade anything with him—on the contrary, he claimed it was the same material as last time—Right-Pan Hu's interest was instantly piqued.

"Dream on!" This time Wei Zhao's face went cold, and he pulled the material behind his back. "I let you look last time and you didn't. There is no second chance! When you rent a book from a rental shop and return it, do you expect to borrow it again for free? Do you think that is possible?"

"That..." Right-Pan Hu wanted to say, How is that the same? But thinking it over, it really was about the same, and he could not refute it.

"All right, I am off. I still need to eat. Goodbye." Wei Zhao turned and strode away.

"Hmph. Think you can fool me, Right-Pan Hu? Not so easy. I heard it all—it is clearly an alchemist's notes on insights. Who do you take me for, deaf?" Right-Pan Hu frowned, scheming inwardly about how to swindle the material out of Wei Zhao's hands!

He had also heard Chief Bai say earlier that the material was extremely precious and best not shown to anyone else, which only made Right-Pan Hu all the more certain that what Chief Bai had given Wei Zhao this time was his life's essence—an alchemist's notes on insights.

"Right-Pan Hu, what are you standing in the doorway for? Get in here!" Chief Bai's authoritative voice rang out. Right-Pan Hu turned and only then realized the office door was still open, and he was instantly annoyed. Wei Zhao had surely done that on purpose, making him look foolish in front of Chief Bai.

"Teacher Bai, I... I am a little afraid to come in... Yes, a little timid!" Right-Pan Hu thought for a moment and said, "Just now Wei Zhao threatened me, saying Teacher Bai's exam is very hard, so I am a bit inclined to back out..."

"If you want to back out, then just drop out. I will go process the paperwork for you," Chief Bai said flatly.

"Uh... well, no need for that. I will take the exam—right now!" Right-Pan Hu said hastily.

"Good. Since it is an exam, two questions. First question: separate out all the medicinal herbs in here and write down their names, categorized by type!" Chief Bai casually took a small box from the office cabinet and set it on the table.

Right-Pan Hu glanced inside the box and broke out in cold sweat on the spot. There were at least twenty or thirty kinds of herbs in that box. If it were a matter of sorting these herbs by type, Right-Pan Hu reckoned he could manage it, but identifying every one of them was beyond him—at a single glance, there were at least three or four kinds he did not recognize.

"This... and the other question?" Right-Pan Hu asked with a wry smile.

"Analyze the ingredients in this medicine." Chief Bai casually pulled a box of "Divine Physician Kang's Hundred-Pain Relief" from the office drawer and tossed it to Right-Pan Hu.

At the sight of the words "Divine Physician Kang's Hundred-Pain Relief," Right-Pan Hu's eyes lit up. This one he knew well—the formula had been supplied by the hidden Right-Pan family to the Kang family, and he had even handled the matter himself at the time. He knew its ingredients inside and out...

"Teacher Bai, what if I only complete one of the two questions?" Right-Pan Hu asked cautiously.

"Complete only one, and you lose the privilege of taking leave or skipping class at will, and you must sit the final exam—but this matter will be let go," Chief Bai said. In truth, he only meant to give Right-Pan Hu a warning, not to truly expel him. Right-Pan Hu had gotten in on someone's recommendation, after all. Chief Bai did not bow to anyone's influence, but this had been arranged personally by the principal, and even he could not be utterly inflexible.

"Yes, yes!" Right-Pan Hu was already delighted with this outcome. He hastily picked up the "Divine Physician Kang's Hundred-Pain Relief," opened it, and pretended to study it intently for a long while before saying, "Inside there is notoginseng, notopterygium, white peony root, clematis root... but the main ingredients are aminophenazone and caffeine..."

"Not bad, you got them all right," Chief Bai said with a nod. "It is just that I do not know who came up with this formula—so unscrupulous. It clearly says herbal preparation, yet they added chemical ingredients and claim there are no side effects—though aminophenazone and caffeine do have side effects..."

Chief Bai was referring to the Kang family, but the speaker had no ulterior motive while the listener took it to heart. Right-Pan Hu flushed slightly, though he knew Chief Bai could not possibly guess at the ties between the hidden Right-Pan family and the Kang family.