Chapter 155: A Boring Tea Party

Chen Mu, of course, had no idea what they were thinking, and found the hostility of certain young masters utterly baffling.

The young noblemen pursuing Yao Juanjuan were plainly displeased with Chen Mu, but, wary of provoking the Brightworld Merchant Association, none of them chose to make trouble for him just then.

That did not mean they would hold back forever. The tea gathering was meant to encourage exchange, after all—both the sharing of experience and friendly bouts. When the time came, these young talents of Kunan City would make sure Chen Mu learned just how formidable they were.

Yao Juanjuan’s expression was dark with anger. She knew why the young scions of the great families were hostile toward Chen Mu: they must have assumed she and he had some sort of improper relationship.

She enjoyed keeping these young masters dangling, making them fall at her feet, but being mistaken for having a liaison with a country bumpkin like Chen Mu still infuriated and humiliated her. When some of them began looking at her strangely, she could barely resist killing Chen Mu on the spot.

But she knew her master and Elder Mo Shouchen would certainly protect him, so she reluctantly abandoned the idea.

Even if she had attacked Chen Mu, though, she would only have brought disaster upon herself. She thought him a wandering cultivator from the countryside, surely weaker than she was. In truth, Chen Mu was more than a match for her; he could kill Yao Juanjuan in a matter of seconds.

So long as Yao Juanjuan did not go looking for trouble, all would be well. But if she did, no one could save her—not at this tea gathering, at any rate. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be unable to stop Chen Mu from killing someone.

Chen Mu might not be able to defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator, but if he killed someone, he could use his Windstep Boots to stay or leave as he pleased. What could they do about it?

Still, Chen Mu was no fool. Kunan City forbade killing, but if Yao Juanjuan was foolish enough to try to kill him, he would have every reason to strike back and take her life.

Under the crowd’s curious stares, Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming led their two juniors, Chen Mu and Yao Juanjuan, into Young Master Wanyan’s private residence.

The arrival of Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming drew many eyes. Alchemists held a lofty status, and everyone present naturally treated them with respect.

Moreover, Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming belonged to the Brightworld Merchant Association, the largest supplier of pills in Kunan City. With Fairy Huang Ruxian at its helm, even the Alchemist Association had to avoid competing directly with it and settle for standing as its equal.

If only the Alchemist Association’s certification could qualify someone as an alchemist, the association might well have been knocked from its pedestal by the Brightworld Merchant Association, relegated to second place among Kunan City’s alchemical powers.

That was why so many people regarded the Brightworld Merchant Association with both respect and wariness. Its members were mostly alchemists, more skilled at refining pills than fighting, so the association was not respected for its martial strength. Rather, it controlled the supply and distribution of pills to nearly every great family in Kunan City.

The rules had been established jointly by the Brightworld Merchant Association and the Alchemist Association. Anyone who displeased the former might find their allocation of pills reduced in the future.

When Young Master Wanyan saw Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming arrive, he came out to greet them in person. He clasped his hands and said with elegant warmth, “It is truly an honor to have you both attend my tea gathering, Masters. And the two behind you must be your esteemed pupils? This young lady must be the celebrated Little Alchemist of Kunan. Very good. To have reached the Core Formation Realm at twenty-five or twenty-six is certainly a sign of talent. Considering how much time you have devoted to the Way of Alchemy, it is no small thing to have laid such a solid foundation.”

Wanyan Shen offered Yao Juanjuan a string of empty compliments. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she lowered her gaze in bashful delight. After all, Wanyan Shen’s refined, handsome bearing was the very image of the dream lover countless young women longed for. How could she not be captivated?

But after praising her, Wanyan Shen did not linger over her. Instead, he turned to Chen Mu with a puzzled look. “And is this young gentleman also Master Xiang’s disciple?”

Chen Mu paid him no mind, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Many of those present felt the young man was outrageously rude to treat the future young lord of the city with such disrespect.

Wanyan Shen was taken aback. It was the first time anyone had treated him this way, and he did not know how to continue the conversation.

Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming could only smile wryly. They had come to understand Chen Mu’s temperament. He had already grumbled at being dragged to this so-called tea gathering, and clearly had no interest in it.

At a loss, Xiang Ming hurriedly broke the awkward silence with a laugh. “Young Master Wanyan, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not fortunate enough to be this boy’s teacher. If I could call him my pupil, I’d wake up laughing every morning.”

Wanyan Shen stared in surprise. Xiang Ming was a low-ranking intermediate alchemist, yet he claimed he was unqualified to teach such an unremarkable-looking young man? Either the boy’s alchemical rank surpassed Xiang Ming’s, or his potential was so boundless that Xiang Ming felt unworthy of guiding him.

The first possibility was surely out of the question. How could a young man in the Core Formation Realm be an alchemist of intermediate rank or higher? There was only one explanation: Chen Mu possessed an exceptionally rare talent for alchemy.

Wanyan Shen immediately took a greater interest in him. “May I ask your name, young friend, and where you studied? I’ve never seen anyone so young reach the Core Formation Realm. Your aura is keen, so I imagine you’re also skilled in combat. Cultivators who excel both in fighting and in alchemy are exceedingly rare.”

Though Wanyan Shen called Chen Mu young, the others took it as mere courtesy. Without knowing his bone age, who could say how old he really was? They simply could not believe that someone so young had reached the Core Formation Realm. They assumed he merely looked youthful for his age.

Since Wanyan Shen had asked so earnestly about his name and background, it would have been truly discourteous for Chen Mu not to answer.

With no choice, Chen Mu set aside some of his indifference and clasped his hands. “I’m Chen Mu, a wandering cultivator from the countryside. Please carry on with whatever you were discussing. There’s no need to concern yourselves with me.”

His words made many people sputter. A wandering cultivator? Was he making fun of them? Was he really a lone cultivator? At first they had doubted it, but after taking in his clothes, they were almost convinced.

His robe was plain and plainly secondhand. How could anyone dressed like that be a disciple of some powerful family or sect? Contempt showed at once in the eyes of the young noblemen and ladies around them.

Yao Juanjuan was mortified. She wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the ground, crawl inside, and shut herself away.

She had entered with Chen Mu, so she felt his introduction had disgraced her. The idea that a wandering cultivator could stand on equal footing with someone like her, a heaven-blessed prodigy, left her deeply uncomfortable.

Wanyan Shen was disappointed to learn that Chen Mu was a wandering cultivator, yet something about it still seemed odd. Few junior cultivators were held in such high regard by both Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming.

Besides, Mo Shouchen had never paid much attention to young cultivators. Chen Mu must have something exceptional about him. Wanyan Shen did not slight him on account of his background; his powers of observation and his manners were both excellent.

After exchanging a few more courtesies with Mo Shouchen, Wanyan Shen led the four members of the Brightworld Merchant Association to seats at a particularly prominent table. Clearly, he attached great importance to the association’s standing.

Once seated, Chen Mu attracted no one seeking to make conversation. That suited him just fine. He helped himself to the rare spirit fruit and tea on the table and ate and drank at his leisure.

The fruit and tea were clearly high-end fare, and Chen Mu enjoyed them immensely. Those nearby could not help smiling with disdain, convinced the country bumpkin had never seen anything like them.

Several young men from the great families soon gathered around Yao Juanjuan. One handsome youth, unable to hide his resentment, asked, “Alchemist Yao, what’s that fellow’s background? Why are you with him? There must be some reason you haven’t told us. We’ve pursued you for so long, yet you’ve never given us an answer. That boy must have resorted to some underhanded trick to come here with you, hasn’t he?”

Another young man rebuked him. “Lu Ming, what do you mean, ‘Why is Alchemist Yao with him?’ That poor wretch was brought here by Master Mo and Master Xiang to broaden his horizons. One look at him tells you he’s a country bumpkin who’s never seen the world. How could Alchemist Yao possibly take an interest in him?”

A third youth sneered. “So you’re saying Masters Mo and Xiang have poor judgment, and brought along some ignorant country bumpkin? I think there’s something unusual about this fellow. Otherwise, why would the two masters bring him to this tea gathering?”

The young man who had been mocked was displeased. He gave a cold snort. “I never said Masters Mo and Xiang had poor judgment. But the fact remains that he’s a country bumpkin. Just look at him stuffing himself without a care. He’s an embarrassment to every cultivator here.”

Watching Chen Mu eat with such abandon, Yao Juanjuan snapped, “Enough! I have nothing to do with that poor wretch, so stop talking nonsense. He went to the association himself a while ago to learn alchemy. He has a little talent, so Master Mo let him stay and study there.”

With a few casual words, Yao Juanjuan reduced Chen Mu to a Core Formation cultivator with a modest knack for alchemy, omitting the fact that his monstrous gift for controlling fire had won over both Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming at the association.

The others concluded that Chen Mu was nothing special and looked down on him all the more.

They were also delighted to hear Yao Juanjuan so emphatically distance herself from him. Clearly, she had no significant connection with the young man.

Still, even if Chen Mu had no relationship with the fairy-like alchemist they admired, the fact that he had attended Young Master Wanyan’s tea gathering alongside Yao Juanjuan was enough to make them green with envy. Many of the young masters turned hostile looks on him.