I Tame Beasts by Feeding

"Gongsun Alchemist, what brings you to the Alchemy Room?"

Seeing Gongsun Yang arrive with an Outer Disciple, the Blue-robed Steward rushed to greet him in astonishment.

A Tier Three Alchemist like Gongsun Yang had a dedicated Alchemy Room in the Inner Hall; he would almost never come to the Outer Hall.

Gongsun Yang squinted his eyes and said lazily, "I just finished a lecture and didn’t want to walk too far, so I brought my disciple here to teach him some Alchemy."

"Oh?" The Blue-robed Steward looked with surprise at the Outer Disciple behind him.

He knew that Gongsun Yang had been searching for a Direct Disciple to inherit his Alchemy for years, but he had yet to choose one.

There had been some who caught his eye, but those disciples usually couldn’t endure his sluggish lectures for more than a month or two. They would lose interest in the Three-coin Fire Refining Technique and eventually switch to studying under other Alchemists.

’So, has he finally made a choice?’

’A Direct Disciple of a Tier Three Alchemist... their status in the sect is no less than that of an Inner Sect Disciple!’

With that one look, the Blue-robed Steward instantly recognized the disciple. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he almost blurted out, ’So it’s you, you brat!’

Tang Xing, however, wore an amiable smile and greeted him, "Greetings, Steward."

The two had known each other for a few months. It was the Blue-robed Steward who had first introduced him to the practice and brought him to Gongsun Yang.

’But the Blue-robed Steward never would have imagined this kid was such a piece of work. Every time a new student chose Gongsun Yang, he would coax them into dropping the class, costing the steward a considerable amount of income!’

"Hmph. Just focus on learning Alchemy from Gongsun Alchemist from now on," the Blue-robed Steward said, his face devoid of expression.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Steward," Tang Xing replied with a smile.

The Blue-robed Steward sighed inwardly.

Just then, Gongsun Yang, who had just stepped into the Alchemy Room, suddenly stopped. He frowned and took a careful sniff of the faint medicinal aroma lingering in the air.

"This is..."

His gaze fell upon the ashes beneath the Pill Furnace, and his heart skipped a beat.

’Having practiced the Three-coin Fire Refining Technique for nearly a century, how could I not recognize it? This Alchemy technique is of the same lineage as my own. But within the sect, aside from myself and my late master, no one should have been able to cultivate it to this level!’

’Those ashes and that aroma... a pill was undoubtedly formed. And the technique wasn’t that of a mere beginner; it was more like someone who had studied it for several years.’

"Who was using this Alchemy Room just now?"

Gongsun Yang immediately turned his head and asked urgently, his eyes blazing as if he had just seen some rare and Exotic Treasure.

"Huh?" The Blue-robed Steward was taken aback. He didn’t understand why Gongsun Alchemist would care about such a trivial matter. ’Could there be a problem with the Pill Furnace?’

So, he answered cautiously and truthfully, "It was that servant disciple who once studied under you, Yu Changsheng."

"He started yesterday and worked for more than twenty hours straight. In the end, he failed every attempt and wasted a lot of Spirit Stones, it seems."

The Blue-robed Steward peeked his head in and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Pill Furnace was undamaged.

There’s a bit of common knowledge among Alchemists: you always clean the Pill Furnace after refining Elixirs. This serves two purposes: first, to ensure the next person’s Elixirs aren’t contaminated, and second, to keep others from knowing what you’ve refined.

But Yu Changsheng was new to Alchemy, and Gongsun Yang would never have mentioned such a basic piece of common sense, so he had overlooked this detail.

And that was precisely how Gongsun Yang had spotted the clues.

"It was him!"

Gongsun Yang had a rather deep impression of Yu Changsheng. After all, he had been the most dedicated and proper-looking student in his class. It was just a pity he couldn’t persevere, leaving after only a month.

’But I never would have imagined that the reason he left wasn’t because it was too difficult, but because he had already learned everything I taught!’

’But how is that possible? It was only a month! Just one single month!’

Gongsun Yang stood at the entrance of the Alchemy Room, his thoughts in a jumble.

Behind him, the Blue-robed Steward and Tang Xing watched him strangely, not daring to interrupt. ’What if Gongsun Alchemist is having a sudden epiphany on the spot?’

With their own clumsy Alchemy skills, they naturally couldn’t discern as many details as Gongsun Yang from just the Pill Furnace and its ashes.

’A genius! A once-in-a-century—no, a once-in-a-millennium Alchemy prodigy!’

’Not even that renowned prodigy of the Alchemy Dao from the Purple Rainbow Sect could compare!’

Gongsun Yang muttered to himself, his mind reeling in shock.

He knew just how difficult his Three-coin Fire Refining Technique was. The principle of "slowness" alone was a stumbling block for countless people!

And now, he had encountered a disciple who could grasp the basics in a single month!

What was even more outrageous was that this person was a mere servant from the Outer Peak! 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

’No, I have to act first, before the other Alchemists notice him! As long as I take him as my Direct Disciple, the others won’t be able to snatch him away, even if they want to!’

’But the sect has so many Outer Peaks, who knows which one he’s on? I can’t possibly, as a dignified Tier Three Alchemist, search for him peak by peak. I’d work myself to the bone!’

’Wait. If he’s done Alchemy once, he’ll surely do it a second time. I just have to wait for him at the Alchemy Hall, and I’ll naturally run into him.’

Gongsun Yang laughed inwardly, proud of his own cleverness.

Then, Gongsun Yang regained his composure and said to the Blue-robed Steward, "The next time you see Yu Changsheng, bring him to me. And from now on, he no longer needs to pay to attend my lectures."

The Blue-robed Steward was a little confused, but he agreed nonetheless, pondering to himself.

’Could it be that Gongsun Alchemist saw the servant failing at Alchemy but still studying so hard, and took pity on him?’

’What damn good luck.’

Beside them, Tang Xing was getting a bit antsy. He whispered, "Teacher, shouldn’t we go in now?"

Gongsun Yang glanced at him, feeling a sudden lack of interest.

’In my eyes, the young man’s talent is merely average. He does have great perseverance and is teachable, but unfortunately, he’s also prone to overthinking and scheming.’

’I had only chosen him from my current disciples because there was truly no one else to pick.’

’But now that a better candidate has appeared, I no longer feel like teaching this one.’

’Still, to accept him one moment and cast him aside the next... that would be rather damaging to my reputation...’

So Gongsun Yang said, "I’m tired today. I’ll teach you Alchemy another day."

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and slowly ambled away, leaving Tang Xing standing there, dumbfounded.

"What did I do wrong?" Tang Xing stared wide-eyed at Gongsun Yang’s retreating figure, at a complete loss.

The Blue-robed Steward, however, felt an inexplicable joy welling up inside him. He smiled at Tang Xing and said, "I’ll be taking my leave as well. If you need to rent an Alchemy Room, you can come find me."

"There’s a fee, of course."

That final jab made Tang Xing’s face turn livid.

With Gongsun Alchemist present, the Blue-robed Steward wouldn’t dare charge a fee. But with Gongsun Alchemist gone, Tang Xing?

An Outer Disciple who hadn’t even been formally accepted as Gongsun Alchemist’s Direct Disciple? What did he amount to? At most, he deserved a bit of courtesy!

After they both left, Tang Xing stood there with a frown, replaying the recent events in his mind. His thoughts eventually settled on a certain name.

"Yu Changsheng?"

Tang Xing muttered in disbelief, "The change... it was because of him?"