Chapter 189: Chapter 187: The Young Master's Hobby_1
"Ah?"
Bai Qi, holding the brim of his hat with one hand, turned stiffly and didn't dare to lift his head. "That... Old sir, do you need something?"
"Young lady, tell me the truth, were you and that studt prest planning to cheat?" Old Master Liu spoke, his tone carrying a scolding note.
Upon hearing this, Bai Qi couldn't help feeling panicked. If she had known these three grandfathers were coming, she wouldn't have dared to discuss cheating with Fang R th and there.
"No, it's not like that. As a model studt of the new ctury, how could I possibly cheat in such a serious competition?" Bai Qi said somewhat dazedly, the words spilling out without thinking.
Old Master Liu frowned slightly. "A principle that a primary school studt should understand is that making mistakes isn't terrifying; what's terrifying is not having the courage to admit and correct them after you make them. You're not young anymore; you should understand that if you continue this way, there would be consequces waiting for him in the d."
Bai Qi didn't know how to respond for a momt. She had always known that Old Master Liu from the Liu Family liked to lecture the younger geration.
"He said he wouldn't cheat..." Bai Qi murmured quietly.
"Do you think his currt behavior, compared to cheating, is any less despicable?" Old Master Liu said. "It's utterly incompett to vt one's frustrations on the medicinal ingredits because one can't withstand the vitriol of the crowd."
Listing to Grandfather Liu speak so of Fang R th, Bai Qi felt ev more regret.
Perhaps to everyone else, it looked like Fang R th just couldn't hold his temper and took all his anger out on the ingredits, like a petulant child smashing a cracked pot. But in Bai Qi's view, Fang R th acted this way because he was angry with her. He didn't want to cheat, nor did he want to leave the competition, so instead, he took his anger out on the ingredits.
Although these were both actions of vting anger, she believed that Fang R th was doing it because of her, not because he couldn't stand the ridicule from others.
"Go on stage now. While the ingredits hav't melted in the Pill Furnace yet, make him give up the competition and th bring him to me," ordered Old Master Liu.
"..."
Bai Qi didn't know how to respond. If she wt on stage to pull Fang R th away now, wouldn't it just make him angrier? She had just urged Fang R th to forfeit, but he had already seemed agitated just talking to her. If she wt to pull him down now, it definitely wouldn't work.
Old Master Wang also came over and said to Old Master Liu, "Brother Liu, don't tell me you're planning to bring that Yangming studt over for a lecture."
Old Master Liu nodded. "For a lower-class studt like him, expericing this kind of thing must have accumulated a lot of restmt towards society. If not guided properly, he will be corrupted in the future."
"Brother Liu is always so dedicated to education," chuckled Old Master Cao.
"I cannot simply watch a studt go astray. If a person can truly rept from the heart after making a serious mistake, th they can definitely be someone who can bring warmth to society."
Old Master Liu looked at Fang R th, who still sat motionless in front of the Pill Furnace, and said, "Our lower-class society lacks warmth, which is one of the reasons why so many lower-class studts abandon hope and settle for mediocrity. Nearly two schools worth of studts forfeited in this competition due to the absce of courage-inspiring warmth."
Old Master Wang shook his head and smiled. "Brother Liu's realm in this respect really does command my admiration."
Fang R th on stage still appeared at ease. If he had heard what these old m were saying, he would probably be furious.
I'm just refining a pill; how did it turn into a discourse on social education?
"Young lady, ar't you going to call your classmate down?" said Old Master Cao, glancing at Bai Qi.
"This..."
Bai Qi's face showed her turmoil. The rect minor conflict with Fang R th was precisely because she asked him to forfeit. If she wt over to pull him off the stage now, that would be tantamount to fueling the conflict.
She had never se Fang R th lose his temper with her, but today wh she suggested he forfeit, his face showed clear impatice. Obviously, he wouldn't allow anyone to interfere in this matter.
"Old sir, this is his competition; I can't go," Bai Qi finally said.
Old Master Cao frowned. "You girl, can't you see the pros and cons of this situation? If you let your classmate continue the competition, he will face a very severe punishmt in the d, and his so-called pride will only be more severely crushed. But if you call him down now, at least some of the medicinal properties can be preserved, which means not losing too much money.
Moreover, this is the Steward of Tianjiang from the Liu Family. He sees your classmate giving up due to being wronged, so he wants to educate him. But you're not grateful?"
Hearing the words from Grandfather Cao, Bai Qi felt utterly helpless. What did he mean by ungrateful? This was clearly a conflict betwe her and Fang R th; how did it evolve into an educational issue?
And ev if Fang R th messed up the alchemy, couldn't the Fang Family afford to lose a Fourth-order elixir?
Looking at Grandfather Cao's slightly angry demeanor, Bai Qi suddly felt the urge to take off her hat and see what expression this old man, who was annoyed with her, would make.
Just wh Bai Qi couldn't find the words to respond, Lin Bozhong and Ch Chg had already walked over.
"Uncle..."
As soon as Ch Chg arrived, he wanted to ask Bai Qi what the conflict was with Young Master Fang. It was just an elixir competition, so it shouldn't be tak so seriously.
However, just as he oped his mouth to speak, he saw the three old m standing in front of Bai Qi, and the words that were about to come out were abruptly swallowed back.
"Hey, isn't that Brother Ch?"
The butler of Wang's family glanced at Ch Chg and Lin Bozhong and was momtarily startled, "And Brother Lin is here too."
Upon hearing this, the Liu and Cao Family represtatives swiftly turned their heads, indeed finding Ch Chg and Lin Bozhong standing there, who were also looking at them. For a momt, t eyes met.
Ch Chg and Lin Bozhong slowly stopped in the distance and exchanged glances, as if they were communicating some message through their eyes.
"Have they discovered the princess's idtity?" Ch Chg squinted at Lin Bozhong.
"What does it matter if they have?" Lin Bozhong raised his eyebrow at Ch Chg.
"If the princess doesn't want to reveal herself, th I'll certainly help her."
"Th what's there to say, let's put on a show for them!"
...
After a of secret communication,
Ch Chg immediately turned his gaze towards Bai Qi, and upon seeing the duckbill cap still properly seated on Bai Qi's head, he breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Lin Bozhong.
Lin Bozhong immediately caught on and quickly put on a smile, th walked over to the three elder gtlem, joyfully saying, "What brings all of you gtlem here today?"
"Ar't Brother Lin and Brother Ch here as well?" the elder from Wang's family said with a welcoming smile.
"We three came because the younger gerations of our families are participating in the competition," said the Butler of Liu Family. "But what brings Brother Ch and Brother Lin here?"
Ch Chg and Lin Bozhong looked at each other and th revealed very synchronized smiles.
"Oh~" Lin Bo spoke, "What a coincidce, I am also here to watch the young ones from the Fang Family compete."
Ch Chg said somewhat awkwardly, "I came along with Brother Lin to watch the younger ones from the Fang Family compete."
"Oh?" The Steward of the Cao Family slightly furrowed his brows and said, "But Brother Lin, I'm curious, which descdant of the Fang Family specializes in Alchemy? I don't seem to have heard of such a descdant before."
The butlers from the Liu and Wang families were also slightly puzzled, as of the younger members of the Fang Family who were currtly in university specialized in Alchemy—they all focused on Cultivation.
"You'll know wh you see," Lin Bozhong said with a big smile.
The Butler of Liu Family laughed and said, "Could it be that hidd Young Master Fang that Brother Lin is referring to?"
Upon hearing this, Ch Chg immediately spoke up, "Hey, how could th..."
"Exactly!" Lin Bozhong interjected.
Ch Chg was instantly dumbfounded, his eyes staring blankly at Lin Bozhong. Once Young Master Fang's idtity was revealed, wouldn't that mean the princess's idtity would be exposed as well?
After all this trouble, he was the one Brother Lin intded to play!
Bai Qi, sitting not far from the group of elders, was also stunned after hearing Lin Bozhong's words.
In Bai Qi's view, Fang R's currt behavior was simply acting in a fit of pique, using fourth-order elixir ingredits for play. It was impossible for Fang R to produce a fourth-order elixir, and with Lin Bozhong naming Fang R at this momt, wouldn't that directly expose Fang R's ability to these people?
What would happ if Fang R th failed to produce the elixir?
What on earth was Uncle Lin up to?
"Young Master Fang specializes in Alchemy?" the butler of Wang Family frowned slightly.
In the Tianjiang's noble families, it was known that the hidd Young Master Fang from the Fang Family was just an ordinary person unable to cultivate. The reason for hiding him in the first place was probably that the Fang Family found it embarrassing.
If Young Master Fang had high talt in Alchemy, th the Fang Family wouldn't have hidd him in the first place.
But this raised new questions for them, as Young Master Fang's talt in Alchemy wasn't considered high, so logically he shouldn't be able to participate in this competition, where all the studts were Alchemy giuses from various universities.
"No, no, no." Lin Bozhong said with a smile, "For Young Master Fang, Alchemy is just a hobby."
Having stayed with Fang R for two months, Lin Bozhong certainly understood the currt eagerness Fang R had to show off. As the butler of the Fang Family, of course, he had to fan the flames and ld Young Master Fang a helping hand at this momt.
A hobby?
The three elders nearby, upon hearing this key word, still furrowed their brows. If Alchemy was merely a hobby, th how did he qualify to compete on this stage of giuses?
It didn't make sse.