Chapter 133: Master Apothecary Xuanyi

Even the slightest improvement made Ye Chen overjoyed. Throughout this process of learning alchemy, he felt that he had gained more mastery over his Fire-type Celestial Chi and had understood the characteristics of Fire-type Celestial Chi better.

Ye Chen stayed in the cabin for a few days and nights, and kept on experimenting. His clan members would deliver his meals while he remained completely immersed in learning the art of alchemy.

Ye Chen's repeated failures did not make him feel dejected. For the sake of removing the poison in the bodies of his second uncle and Ye Meng, he had to succeed no matter what it took. He was determined to create an antidote for them within the next two to three years!

'I have to become a master apothecary!'

To become a master apothecary, Ye Chen needed to not only be adept at alchemy but to also have a Venerable Rank cultivation base! While Ye Chen was confident that he would be able to break through into the Venerable Rank in his cultivation base, he was worried that it might be quite a challenge for him to master alchemy on his own without any guidance from a good teacher.

Nonetheless, Ye Chen had made up his mind to rise to this challenge!

The clan members did not know that Ye Chen was learning alchemy since none of them had noticed any refining furnace in his room. Therefore, they were all under the impression that he was concentrating fully on his isolated cultivation.

In a corner of the valley, the Zhan cohort of the Ye Clan was cultivating beside a Chi-amassing Formation. The rich Celestial Chi here had enabled them to improve their cultivation at an amazing speed.

"What has Little Chen been up to these days?" Ye Changxuan asked as he opened his eyes.

"He's been staying in his residence every single day. It seems like he's cultivating," Ye Zhantian replied.

"If that's the case, why didn't he come to the Chi-amassing Formation to cultivate?" Ye Changxuan was puzzled.

"I'm not sure either. I heard he has also led tens of our clansmen to a forest in the valley and fenced it up to plant Lingzhi," Ye Zhantian said.

"Plant Lingzhi?" Ye Changxuan burst out laughing. "Little Chen is being unreasonable. How is it possible to plant Lingzhi? Lingzhi mushrooms are natural treasures that are born of the World Celestial Chi around us, so it's impossible to grow them as crops."

"Many clan members said so too but Little Chen refused to believe it. In any case, I can't bring myself to interfere with what he wants to do," Ye Zhantian replied while laughing in resignation. Ye Chen's cultivation base had far surpassed his. Although he was proud of his son, Ye Zhantian could not help feeling like he had failed as a father. Instead of keeping his son safe from harm, he had to rely on his son for shelter and protection.

"Just let Little Chen do what he wants. In any case, our clan members are the ones managing these affairs on his behalf. It won't take up too much of his time." Ye Changxuan thought about how Ye Chen had already attained such an astounding level in his cultivation base and figured that Ye Chen would not be able to continue advancing to a higher level simply by cultivating diligently. They should let nature take its own course.

Time passed by day after day. A month later, the news of the deaths of the Second-rank Prince of Donglin Liu Xun and the Minister of War Liu Kan, reached Capital City and caused Great Emperor Mingwu to fly into a rage.

West Jade City was a prosperous metropolis in Capital City and was at least twenty times larger than Donglin City. It had a population of more than fifty million people and was divided into five districts namely the eastern, southern, western, northern, and central districts. The eastern, southern, western, and northern districts flourished independently and were like county cities. The central district was the imperial family's inner court and was vast and boundless while the outer city walls stood tall and were heavily guarded. In the inner court, one would be able to find just about everything one could imagine including a mountain range, lakes, rivers, pavilions, and pagodas as well as buildings with painted pillars and carved beams. All the riches of the world could be found in this place.

On the northern side of the inner court, a small island stood in the middle of a vast open lake. A few buildings stood tall and upright on the island and were surrounded by the natural beauty of the lake and mountains. The centermost building was called Xuan Pavilion and was Master Apothecary Xuanyi's residence.

In the rear courtyard, there was a roaring fire under a refining furnace while a group of young disciples were moving around busily and attending to their duties. In the meantime, a white-haired elderly man dressed in a white robe was quietly sitting in meditation while cultivating beside them. As the fire's glow shone on his face, his skin had a healthy rosy complexion, so he seemed full of spirit and energy just like a young man. This elderly man was Master Apothecary Xuanyi. Indeed, Master Apothecary Xuanyi was just a kind elder and most people who met him could never imagine how powerful and capable he truly was.

"Master." Li Xu walked into the main hall and stood before him respectfully.

"What's the matter?" Master Apothecary Xuanyi asked as he opened his eyes a few moments later.

"Fifth and Sixth Juniors have found the medicinal herbs you've requested for and I've put the herbs away in the medicine cabinet." Li Xu was polite and modest in front of Master Apothecary Xuanyi although it was not out of fear that he carried himself in such a manner. Rather, he felt a sense of respect and admiration for Master Apothecary Xuanyi, so Li Xu would treat the elderly man as his own father.

Likewise, Master Apothecary Xuanyi had always treated his disciples as though they were his children.

"Okay," Master Apothecary Xuanyi replied and closed his eyes again. Since he was still cultivating at the moment, he could not stand up.

Li Xu hesitated for a moment as he was not sure if he should bring up the other matter that was on his mind.

"Just say it. What else would you like to tell me?" Master Apothecary asked.

"Well, it's about that talented young man I previously met in Donglin County when I went there to find an apprentice. Initially, I wanted to recommend him to you, Master, but that young man has caused some trouble and provoked the anger of Great Emperor Mingwu."

"What kind of trouble?" Master Apothecary Xuanyi asked with a slight frown. Previously, when Li Xu told him about Ye Chen, he had found Li Xu's words rather difficult to believe since he had never encountered a genius with such impressive control over their Celestial Chi. Thus, he became somewhat interested in Ye Chen. Of course, it was also not without reason that Master Apothecary Xuanyi had been urgently trying to find a genius alchemist to inherit his legacy.

"He killed the Second-rank Prince of Donglin and the Minister of War."

"He killed them with his own hands?" Master Apothecary Xuanyi was stunned as he recalled that the Minister of War, Liu Kan, was supposed to be a mid-Tenth Level combatant.

"Based on the news I heard, he killed them himself," Li Xu replied and felt a little bewildered too. The last time they met, Ye Chen was still a top Eighth Level combatant. Could Ye Chen have achieved a breakthrough and attained the Tenth Level within just two to three months?

"Have you managed to look into the cause of this incident? If Liu Xun and Liu Kan were the ones at fault, I'll certainly defend him. If he's using my name to go around provoking others, then it'd be better not to take him in as an apprentice," Master Apothecary Xuanyi said. He was still pretty clear-headed when it came to matters like this.

"I've already gotten to the bottom of this matter. The Second-Prince's Palace and the House of Ye have been enemies for a long time. When the Second-rank Prince saw that we've chosen Ye Chen, he dispatched his troops to lay siege to the Ye Castle out of desperation and wanted to annihilate the House of Ye. Ye Chen flew into a rage and ended up killing Liu Xun and Liu Kan," Li Xu briefly explained the entire incident.

"In that case, it seems like he's not to be blamed." Master Apothecary Xuanyi placed quite a lot of trust in Li Xu. Then, he said, "Go to Mingwu and convey my message to him. Tell him that I'm going to defend this Ye Chen. Since he's an apprentice of the Master Apothecary Xuanyi, it should be no big deal for him to kill a Minister of War anyway."

Indeed, Master Apothecary Xuanyi was famously known for shielding the faults of his apprentices.

"Ye Chen hasn't formally become your apprentice after all, so Great Emperor Mingwu might..." Li Xu felt his scalp going numb. Great Emperor Mingwu was a Heavenly Venerable Rank powerhouse who had a reputation for being decisive and merciless. Would it be okay to beard the lion in his den? The situation might have been manageable if Ye Chen had killed only the Second-rank Prince. However, he had killed the Minister of War too. On second thought, Li Xu figured that Liu Xun and Liu Kan had probably pushed Ye Chen to his limits.

"Since I've said that he's my apprentice, no one can argue otherwise. I'll write a letter later for you to deliver to Mingwu," Master Apothecary Xuanyi replied while waving his hand dismissively. In any case, if he wished to defend a person, Great Emperor Mingwu could hardly oppose his will. After all, Great Emperor Mingwu should be aware of how important a master apothecary was to the Xiwu Empire. If the emperor had a falling-out with the Master Apothecary over this matter, Master Apothecary Xuanyi could easily leave the country in a rage. Such an outcome would be even more severe than losing a hundred Ministers of War.