Lu Qing’s hand paused mid-air, a flicker of displeasure in his eyes. He disliked playing chess with Zhu Qing the most, as Zhu Qing would always choose to forfeit upon seeing the end, never even attempting a struggle.
Xiao Man shuffled over, glanced at the chessboard, picked up a black piece, and placed it in a corner. "Play here."
Zhu Qing glanced at it and shook his head. "Kid, you're walking into a dead end."
Lu Qing placed his piece, immediately capturing several white ones. Xiao Man smiled and placed another black piece. "Who said I was walking into a dead end? I'm putting myself in mortal peril to seek life."
Zhu Qing looked at the suddenly lively game and his eyes lit up. "Kid, not bad."
"I don't have many virtues, the only one I have is that I never admit defeat," Xiao Man chuckled. "Even in a dead end, heaven will give me a sliver of hope."
Zhu Qing snorted at this. "I think you're fearless, kid! You've just recovered from your wounds and forgotten the pain, forgotten how you almost lost your life?"
"When facing demons, one cannot retreat, even if it means death," Lu Qing chimed in. "Newly initiated disciples know they can't surrender easily. As the sect leader, where would you put your face if you gave up so readily?"
The sect leader blushed. "Martial Uncle, this is just a game of chess."
"Playing chess is like living life; until the end, who wins and who loses is yet to be decided," Lu Qing glanced at Zhu Qing, speaking unhurriedly. "If you give up easily, you'll never have a chance to win."
Zhu Qing lowered his gaze. "Martial Uncle’s teachings are duly noted."
"The Hundred Medicine Hall recruited two disciples this time, and both are direct disciples, which is quite a harvest." Lu Qing saw Xiao Man place a piece, blocking all his escape routes. He had no way out and put his piece back into the jar. "I lost."
"Great Martial Uncle, aren't you going to struggle? Giving up so easily means you won't have a chance to win."
Zhu Qing’s lips curved into a smile, which he quickly suppressed. He cast an appreciative look at Xiao Man. Daring to talk back to his Great Martial Uncle to his face – he truly was a little rascal who’d dare to pull a tiger’s whiskers. No wonder he could make Martial Uncle agree to take him away.
"Kid, how are you speaking to your Great Martial Uncle?" Zhu Qing was pleased inwardly but still put on a stern tone.
"When facing an obvious outcome, admitting defeat is also a form of courage," Lu Qing said coolly. "To knowingly rush down a dead end is either foolishness or stupidity."
Hmph, he was calling her stupid. She wouldn't admit to such a thing!
"Who would want to rush into a dead end? If there was even a tiny chance of survival, no one would choose this path," Xiao Man said as he helped tidy the pieces. "When there's no way out, one can only face death to seek a sliver of life."
Lu Qing seemed to want to say something but stopped. After a long pause, he got up and returned to his room, clearly upset.
Xiao Man looked at Zhu Qing. "Sect Leader, did I say something wrong? Why is Great Martial Uncle angry again?"
Zhu Qing shook his head, his face beaming with joy, but he still lectured Xiao Man with a straight face. "When your Great Martial Uncle is speaking, do not contradict him."
"If he's wrong, he shouldn't be allowed to speak," Xiao Man put all the pieces back into the jar. "He’s moody all day, like a young lady, throwing tantrums at the drop of a hat. My master can't keep up with his mood swings."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qing quickly vanished out the door. A pillow was flung from the inner room, hitting Xiao Man and sending him tumbling out of the room, landing awkwardly on the ground.
Zhu Qing grinned. Xiao Man picked up the pillow from the ground. "What a temper! Still throwing pillows like a young lady. I'll call you Miss Lu from now on!"
The sect leader gasped and disappeared in an instant. He only stopped when he was sure he was safe, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"This brat, he dares to say such outrageous things, actually calling Martial Uncle 'Miss Lu'..." the sect leader shivered. No wonder Martial Uncle wanted him gone; he was truly disrespectful!
Lu Qing was also quite exasperated. "What did you just say?"
"Great Martial Uncle, I bought some osmanthus cakes. Do you want some?" Xiao Man took out a box of osmanthus cakes and offered them to Lu Qing with a fawning expression.
"Too sweet and cloying. Women like that."
"It's sweet, but not cloying. It melts in your mouth, it's delicious. Try it." Xiao Man opened the box and held it towards Lu Qing.
The sweet aroma of the pastry mixed with the subtle fragrance of osmanthus was appetizing. Lu Qing turned his face away, not wanting to engage with Xiao Man.
"Great Martial Uncle, just try one bite, it's really good." Xiao Man picked up a piece and offered it to Lu Qing's lips. Lu Qing hesitantly took a bite. It indeed melted in his mouth, sweet but not greasy. He then took the pastry from Xiao Man’s hand and ate elegantly.
"Don't think a single cake can make up for you destroying my residence."
"It's my fault, all my fault. Please don't be angry anymore. Have another cup of Peach Blossom Wine; it's the perfect accompaniment to osmanthus cake." Xiao Man poured a cup of Peach Blossom Wine and handed it to Lu Qing.
Lu Qing took it and took a sip. His expression immediately softened. "It's added with medicinal ingredients like red ginseng, notoginseng, and moon petals, and also..."
Lu Qing took another sip, savoring it carefully. His eyes lit up. "It's also added with Xuan Ling Fruit!"
"As expected of the number one person in our sect, you can even taste this!"
"You brat, you're truly wasting precious resources, brewing wine with Xuan Ling Fruit. Aren't you afraid your master will beat you to death?"
"My master loves my Peach Blossom Wine the most; he'd never beat me to death." Xiao Man refilled Lu Qing's cup. "Great Martial Uncle, if you like it, I'll give you a few jars."
Lu Qing snorted haughtily. "As cultivators, how can we be greedy for the contents of a cup?"
"My Peach Blossom Wine is beneficial for cultivation," Xiao Man added.
Lu Qing choked slightly. "But you can't drink too much."
"Great Martial Uncle is right. So, do you want some?"
"Yes!"
Xiao Man's lips curved into a brilliant smile. He took out several jars of Peach Blossom Wine and placed them on the table. Lu Qing immediately put them into his storage bag.
"Are we still learning alchemy today?"
"Yes."
"Then today we will learn the Heart Protection Pill," Lu Qing said gently. "You were injured by a Nascent Soul expert that day, and it was thanks to the Heart Protection Pill that you saved your life..."
"I want to learn the Purple Spirit Pill."
"Aiming too high!" Lu Qing lightly tapped Xiao Man’s head. "The Purple Spirit Pill is a second-grade spirit pill. How can it be easily refined? Even if you can refine fourth-grade spirit pills now, you are still far from second-grade. Refining pills is not something that can be achieved overnight; it must be done step by step. The explosion of a second-grade pill can be as powerful as an attack from a late-stage Golden Core expert. A first-grade pill is equivalent to the Nascent Soul level. If you want to live well, you must lay a solid foundation!"
Xiao Man nodded repeatedly. She wasn't afraid of pill explosions; she was afraid Lu Qing wouldn't teach her anymore. Being the number one alchemist in the Hundred Medicine Hall, Lu Qing's skills were indeed impressive.