Before dawn had broken, Yang Kai's door was kicked open. Dong Qingyan burst in, practically vibrating with excitement, and darted straight up to him. "Cous—"
"Cousin what?" Yang Kai shot her a glare, cutting her off.
Dong Qingyan stuck out her tongue and quickly corrected herself, putting on an air of authority as she declared imperiously: "Guard Yang, accompany this young lady on an outing!"
She was, after all, a young miss of the Dong family, and the Dong and Yang families were connected by marriage. If someone with sharp ears caught the way Dong Qingyan addressed Yang Kai, they might start piecing together his true identity.
So the two had agreed: Yang Kai would play the role of Dong Qingyan's bodyguard.
Young masters and misses of great families always had a few attendants trailing behind them, so the title was perfectly natural.
Yang Kai glanced at the sky outside and said flatly, "Go have fun by yourself. I'm not keeping you company today."
Dong Qingyan wasn't annoyed in the least. She just giggled softly. "Guard Yang, don't you want to get into that place anymore?"
Yang Kai's expression sharpened.
"Today's the day?"
For the past several days he had been pressing her about what method she had to get him close to Pill Sage Peak. Dong Qingyan had never gone into detail, only saying the time wasn't right. Now that she brought it up again, a sliver of hope naturally kindled in Yang Kai's eyes.
"So are you coming with this young lady, or not?" Dong Qingyan gazed at him triumphantly.
Yang Kai was out of bed in an instant.
In the town surrounding Medicine King Valley, Dong Qingyan wove through the crowd like a fish darting through water. Yang Kai, dressed in a fitted martial outfit with his hands clasped behind his back and an expression of perfect seriousness, followed a half-step behind her without once losing pace.
One look and anyone would take him for her attendant.
When they reached the eastern end of town, Dong Qingyan's cheeks flushed a bright, excited red. Yang Kai could even hear her heartbeat thumping through her chest. She took a deep breath, pressed a hand to her breast, and it took a good long moment before she calmed herself.
Yang Kai looked around and saw that a large crowd had gathered here. Every person among them had an embroidered flower on their chest—some with one petal, some with two, shimmering in gold, silver, and white.
Every last one of them was an alchemist.
Most were mid- or low-level earth-grade alchemists, with a fair number of mortal-grade ones as well. At least two hundred people had congregated here, buzzing with chatter and energy.
Dong Qingyan produced a small badge from somewhere—a single silver petal—and pinned it to her chest. She puffed out her bosom as though she wanted the whole world to know: she was a mid-level mortal-grade alchemist.
"What are you up to?" A vague sense of unease crept over Yang Kai, and he asked in a low voice.
"Just wait. Whether you can get in or not depends on today." Dong Qingyan's reply was equally quiet, her small face set with seriousness.
Yang Kai frowned, closed his eyes, and slowly released his Divine Sense, picking up the murmured conversations of the surrounding alchemists.
Before long, his expression turned peculiar.
These people had come from all over, and they had all gathered here to become disciples under Xiao Fusheng, an elder of Cloud Seclusion Peak in Medicine King Valley—none other than a master alchemist.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked at Dong Qingyan. "You're here to take the disciple selection?"
Dong Qingyan laughed sweetly. "Of course! Master Xiao is taking disciples—it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I ran away from home specifically for today!"
Then she looked at Yang Kai with a pitiful expression. "Guard Yang, you're not going to go snitch to my brother, are you?"
"I just want to know—what does this have to do with my goal?"
"Cloud Seclusion Peak—it's not far from the place you want to reach. If you can get in…" Dong Qingyan let the implication hang.
Something stirred in Yang Kai's chest. Indeed, if he could enter Cloud Seclusion Peak, it wouldn't necessarily be impossible to find a way into Pill Sage Peak. The two peaks were separated by only two hills.
"But I don't know anything about alchemy."
Dong Qingyan chuckled. "When Master Xiao takes disciples, there's bound to be some hidden mechanism. Even if you don't know alchemy, you still have a chance—it all depends on whether you've got the aptitude."
"Guard Yang…" She tugged lightly on his arm. "Look at everything I've done for you—just don't snitch to my brother, okay? Besides, if I become Master Xiao's disciple, it'll bring honor to our family. Even if Father finds out later, he'll only praise me. So don't go doing something thankless."
Yang Kai said mildly, "We'll see if you can get in first."
"I'll definitely make it." Dong Qingyan was brimming with confidence. "I've been preparing for this day for ages. Hmph, just watch—I just don't know if you can get in."
Yang Kai secretly shook his head.
He truly hadn't expected this to be her plan. It was a good one, but he had no confidence at all. He'd never so much as touched alchemy—how was he supposed to pass Master Xiao's test?
Well, there was nothing for it now but to grit his teeth and try. It wasn't like he'd lose a piece of himself.
As time passed, more and more alchemists streamed in. Every one of them was as eager as Dong Qingyan—nervous, yet filled with anticipation. Some even wore expressions of devout reverence.
It was clear how much these people revered and worshipped Xiao Fusheng of Cloud Seclusion Peak.
Yang Kai listened in on their conversations and learned a good deal.
Xiao Fusheng ranked among the very top of Medicine King Valley's Ten Great Elders. His alchemy surpassed even that of the Valley Master himself. He was one of the rare few alchemists in the entire world to have reached upper-grade mysterious level.
Above mysterious grade lay spirit grade—a height that no one had ever achieved.