Chapter 4845 — The Deaf Old Maid

"And so I stayed on the Middle Island for three full years without catching so much as a glimpse of Master Zhang. In the end I simply could not afford to wait any longer and had to come back here to the academy, or I would likely have lost even my seat as a pill refiner." Qing Xuanzi sighed, his face steeped in gloom.

"Heh. Men of such stature go about things in ways that leave no trace—like a divine dragon that shows neither head nor tail." Wei Zhao smiled in full sympathy. He recalled how he too had lingered on the Middle Island solely for the chance to meet Zhang Lifeng, and had likewise come away empty-handed—only his wait had not stretched to the absurd length of three years as Qing Xuanzi's had.

"To have missed the chance of seeing Grandmaster Zhang Lifeng is my lifelong regret. But it is better now—with you here, Master, I need only consult you, and it comes to the same thing," Qing Xuanzi said eagerly.

Wei Zhao smiled a touch awkwardly. How could he possibly compare himself to Zhang Lifeng, that master he had acquired at such a bargain? The childish problems Zhang Lifeng could spot at a glance, Wei Zhao might well fail to trace to their root—for when it came to experience in pill refining, to say nothing of Zhang Lifeng, the Pill God himself, even Qing Xuanzi had far more of it than he did.

"How about this—tell me the problem you have run into once more, carefully, and I will go back and think it over for you," Wei Zhao had no choice but to say.

"Yes, yes—thank you, Master." Qing Xuanzi was overjoyed at once and immediately recounted his problem to Wei Zhao from beginning to end in careful detail. When he had finished, afraid that Wei Zhao might not remember it all at once, he wrote it out again on paper and handed it to Wei Zhao for safekeeping. Only then did the stone in his heart finally settle.

"Mm. I will head back first, then. The moment I work out a solution I will let you know at once. In the way of pill refining there is no room for haste—take it slowly," Wei Zhao said with a nod.

"Yes. Your disciple will keep your teachings firmly in mind." Before Wei Zhao, Qing Xuanzi showed not the slightest air of a pill refiner; he was even more respectful than a raw novice disciple—after all, in his heart Wei Zhao was the legendary first-grade Mystic Rank.

As the saying goes, the one who has mastered the way comes first. The craft of pill refining pays no heed to seniority; age, more often than not, is no advantage at all but rather a disadvantage that cannot be made up for.

For pill refiners who have reached a certain age tend to have grown rigid in their thinking and seldom achieve any great breakthrough again. Those truly capable of contending for the rank of Mystic Rank pill refiner are without exception heaven-sent geniuses who burst upon the scene—just like the Pill God Zhang Lifeng. As for the so-called late bloomers, in this craft one cannot say there are none, but there are assuredly very few.

After a few words of encouragement, Wei Zhao took his leave of Qing Xuanzi's dwelling under a stream of grateful farewells. By now the sky was gradually darkening, yet Morning Star Academy was still brightly lit; precious glowstones abounded, scattered along both sides of the paths—truly streetlamps, Cloud Rank Island style!

Qing Xuanzi's residence was called the Qing Dan Pavilion, while the East Sea Divine Nun's was called the East Sea Pavilion. Since the two were academy grandees of comparable standing, their dwellings were not far apart. Cutting through a small grove-side path, Wei Zhao reached the gates of the East Sea Pavilion in less than the time it took to burn half an incense stick.

Under ordinary circumstances, masters and disciples in the academy did not live together; each had their own dwelling, and even personal disciples seldom enjoyed the privilege of entering the master's inner chambers.

But the East Sea Divine Nun had only two personal disciples, Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao. She normally doted on them as if she feared they would slip from her hands or melt in her mouth, and being girls whose beauty was apt to draw covetous eyes, she was naturally reluctant to let the two live outside on their own. Thus master and disciples had always lived together.

Before Wei Zhao could even trigger the defensive formation, the gate suddenly opened and out came a stern-faced old woman. "Young Hero Lin, is it? The two young ladies have been waiting for you a long while. Please follow me."

Wei Zhao was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded. "Yes—thank you for your trouble."

He did not know who this old woman was. Though she appeared dressed as the most ordinary of servants, her aura was utterly concealed and yet the pressure she brought to bear on Wei Zhao, faint and vague as it was, surpassed even that of the great experts of the Western Mountain he had encountered along the way. How could a mere servant possibly be a master of such caliber?

The old woman said nothing. After leading Wei Zhao through several turns, she brought him to a courtyard where glowstones of every hue paved the ground, setting off the already elegant night scene to still more exquisite effect. At the center stood a rustic pavilion, and there Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao sat talking.

"Wei Zhao, you're finally here!" The two women's eyes lit up the moment they saw him. Here, unlike the crowded and prying daylight world outside, they no longer troubled themselves about maidenly reserve, and both flew into Wei Zhao's arms like fledgling doves.

One arm around Wang Xinyan, one around Huang Xiaotao—if outsiders could see the treatment Wei Zhao was enjoying, it would surely have driven every man under heaven green with envy. This was what it meant to be a winner in life, a dream made real.

"Heh, why do I get the feeling you two are both trending toward plumpness?" Wei Zhao teased, in excellent spirits. Though the two looked no different than before and were still slender and trim, the moment he held them in his arms he felt the difference at once—there was decidedly more flesh than before.

"What?!" Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao flushed at the same moment and each gave Wei Zhao a playful swat, coquettishly scolding him. Whatever sort of girl she may be, weight is always one of the topics she cares about most.

Wei Zhao laughed heartily. He did not think for a moment that the two putting on a little weight was a bad thing—on the contrary, if they had grown thin the way Wang Xinyan had been when he first met her, then he would have had good reason to worry that something was wrong! A little more flesh was in fact rather nice: still pleasing to the eye, and more comfortable to hold.

"By the way, is it only you two and Senior East Sea who live here?" Wei Zhao asked instead. Apart from the old maid just now, he had not seen another soul the whole way in.

"That's right. Apart from us and our master, there is only Deaf Maid, who brought you in just now," Wang Xinyan said with a nod.

"Rong Maid?" Wei Zhao was startled and stared in stunned silence. "What is going on? Have I come to the wrong place? Since when did you two turn into Princess Pearl?"

Huang Xiaotao did not catch the reference, but Wang Xinyan could not help laughing. "Not the rong of easygoing—the long of deafness! Did you not notice just now that Deaf Maid cannot hear what others say?"

"Er—so it is." Wei Zhao pinched the bridge of his nose, speechless. Apart from that first sentence at the gate, the old woman had indeed paid him no further heed at all; he had taken her for a dour sort by nature, when in truth she was simply a deaf old maid...