Chapter 2555 — The Third-Rank Cauldron
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
You Panhu felt rather put out. To draw Han Jingyi's attention, he began playing with the second-rank cauldron in his hand—three turns to the left, three turns to the right... For an alchemist of You Panhu's caliber, this was child's play, smoother even than the acrobats performing in a circus.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
The second-rank cauldron spun furiously in You Panhu's hands, performing all manner of high-difficulty tricks.
Yet after all that showing off, it was the classmates whose eyes he had drawn—most of them envious and astonished that You Panhu could work such a fine... cauldron! Only Han Jingyi remained oblivious, quietly reading the textbook before her.
You Panhu had only wanted to catch Han Jingyi's eye, but she did not so much as glance at him. What did it matter to You Panhu if the others were astonished to death? Somewhat helpless, he set the cauldron down on the desk, coughed twice, and said to Han Jingyi, "Jingjing, that second-rank cauldron I traded you last time—you've used it, haven't you?"
"Oh, I have. It's quite good, thank you," Han Jingyi answered lukewarmly.
"Uh... ha, well, this second-rank cauldron, you see, for a beginner it breaks very easily. If you don't control the temperature and the flame properly while you practice, it might just blow up mid-refinement!" You Panhu paused there, then asked, "Your cauldron hasn't broken, has it?"
"No, it's holding up well," Han Jingyi said without raising her head.
"Oh... well, since it hasn't broken, you really ought to keep a spare cauldron on hand, just in case. If it blows up, you'll have a backup," You Panhu said.
"You mean you're going to give me another one?" Han Jingyi finally raised her head and looked at the second-rank cauldron You Panhu had set on the desk.
"Well... of course I can't just give it away, but we could trade," You Panhu said, overjoyed that he had finally steered Han Jingyi onto the real subject.
"Oh, then never mind. Mine hasn't broken yet, so I won't trade for now." Han Jingyi lowered her head again, leaving You Panhu on the verge of tears, utterly without recourse.
"This... actually, you wouldn't have to give up anything at all. How about this: make me a copy of that material you were reading just now, and this second-rank cauldron is yours. What do you say?" You Panhu held the cauldron up and wheedled, "This is a second-rank cauldron, you know!"
"I won't copy it for you," Han Jingyi said outright.
"..." You Panhu realized that everything he had just said had been wasted, and all his expressive faces wasted too—Han Jingyi had no designs on the second-rank cauldron whatsoever! After some thought, he asked, "How about this, then: tell me what you need. What is it you want?"
"What do I want?" Han Jingyi thought it over. "I already have a second-rank cauldron, so giving me another isn't much use—it would just be a spare. But if you had a third-rank cauldron, I wouldn't mind one of those."