Pill King Lü Feng's sudden declaration left Third Young Master Ji completely stunned.
"Take you as a disciple?" Third Young Master Ji's face was filled with suspicion.
"That's right! What's with that look? Can't old Lü here take a master?" Pill King Lü Feng said, a little displeased.
Third Young Master Ji smiled wryly. "It's not that you can't take a master, it's just…"
He trailed off, then shifted his gaze toward Jiang Chen. "Pill King Zhen, Pill King Lü Feng is, by nature, a fairly straightforward man. He's always come and gone alone in the Glazed Royal City, running his own business. He's not a vassal of any other faction."
Though Third Young Master Ji hadn't openly pleaded on Pill King Lü Feng's behalf, he had effectively spoken up for him.
Upon hearing this, Pill King Lü Feng's eyes brightened, and he cast an approving look at Third Young Master Ji. "Third Young Master Ji can vouch for me — old Lü here has absolutely no ill intentions. Besides, your Taiyuan Pavilion was just established and needs manpower. I'm an alchemy fanatic, so even if I just help out my master and serve as an alchemy tool, that works perfectly fine! If you're worried, you can put old Lü to work for free for ten or eight years first. Once you've finished evaluating me, master, I can perform the formal disciple-ceremony then."
To take this man as his master, the old man was really throwing all caution to the wind.
If word of this spread, half the people in the Glazed Royal City would drop their jaws.
An illustrious eighth-rank Pill King — one of the top fifty alchemists in all of the Glazed Royal City — willing to serve as someone's unpaid apprentice?
Remember, an eighth-rank Pill King was absolutely a figure of tremendous influence in the Glazed Royal City. Such a person couldn't necessarily be enticed to join even a ninth-rank noble house.
Only the great clan factions were qualified to have an eighth-rank Pill King pledge allegiance. And even then, the arrangement was predominantly cooperative in nature — under normal circumstances, the great clan factions wouldn't order an eighth-rank Pill King around like a subordinate.
An eighth-rank Pill King was unquestionably a titan in the alchemy world, wielding immense status and prestige.
And Pill King Lü Feng was among the more outstanding members of that rank.
"Master, I also have a shop on Shennong Street. The location isn't as prime as this one, but business has always been booming. All you need to do is nod, master, and that shop will belong to you from now on. Consider it a disciple's gift upon formally accepting me."
The old man was truly going all in to become this man's disciple.
Even Third Young Master Ji clicked his tongue in astonishment upon hearing this. He knew about Pill King Lü Feng's shop — it was an incredibly popular establishment. Even if it couldn't be called top-tier in the Glazed Royal City, it was at least a major store sitting somewhere between first-rank and second-rank.
It wasn't that the shop lacked the caliber to compete at the top level. Rather, Pill King Lü Feng's temperament was wild and untamed — he rarely submitted to anyone and had never pledged himself to any powerful faction.
Without a strong backer, relying solely on his own talent, it was naturally extremely difficult to reach the very pinnacle in the Glazed Royal City.
This was why Pill King Lü Feng, despite his great fame, had never been able to break into the absolute highest echelon.
In fact, the Panlong Great Clan had once tried to recruit Pill King Lü Feng, but he had turned them down.
"Pill King Zhen, ordinarily, this is not something Ji should interfere with. However, in all my time in the Glazed Royal City, you are the first person I've ever seen for whom Pill King Lü Feng would willingly and wholeheartedly submit. In my view, Pill King Lü Feng is entirely sincere, and it's worth considering. Of course, this is merely a suggestion from a friend's perspective. Whether you accept Pill King Lü Feng as a disciple or not — that's entirely your decision."
Third Young Master Ji spoke up once more on Pill King Lü Feng's behalf. By now, he had already classified Jiang Chen as part of the Panlong Great Clan's camp.
If Pill King Lü Feng became this man's disciple, he would automatically fall under the Panlong Great Clan's sphere as well. That would certainly be no bad thing for the clan.
Jiang Chen let out a soft sigh. Seeing Pill King Lü Feng's wholehearted determination, he knew that refusing was probably no longer an option.
It wasn't that Jiang Chen felt unworthy of taking him as a disciple. What gave him pause was the question of loyalty and reliability.
If this Pill King Lü Feng truly proved dependable, then why not accept him?
With the Taiyuan Pavilion freshly established, having a strong practitioner join would naturally be welcome.
With that thought, Jiang Chen nodded slightly. "Pill King Lü Feng, taking on a disciple in this manner is, admittedly, rather irregular. However, given how sincere you've shown yourself to be, let's start by having you register as a nominal disciple. We'll observe each other for a while. If, after some time, you want to renege, you're free to say so. And if I feel it isn't working out, then we simply drop the matter. How does that sound?"
Jiang Chen deliberately left himself room, ensuring that if things didn't work out down the road, there would be a graceful exit for both sides.
Pill King Lü Feng was overjoyed. "Good! That's settled then. I absolutely won't go back on my word. Old Lü here has excellent judgment when it comes to reading people. I'm certain you are qualified to be my master. At the very least, in the realm of eccentric pill techniques, you're more than qualified to teach me."
Jiang Chen smiled helplessly. He knew that Pill King Lü Feng's eagerness to become his disciple was largely motivated by that "mysterious master" of his.
Rather than taking Jiang Chen as a master, the old man was essentially trying to apprentice himself to a "grandmaster."
But that mysterious master was nothing more than Jiang Chen's fabrication. Whether Pill King Lü Feng would still be so eager to become his disciple if he knew that person didn't actually exist — that was hard to say.
Naturally, Jiang Chen had no intention of letting that secret slip.
"Third Young Master, be my witness. Master has agreed, so you'll have to keep an eye on him — make sure he doesn't go back on his word!" Pill King Lü Feng was still a bit anxious and wanted to drag Third Young Master Ji into the arrangement as well.
Third Young Master Ji chuckled. "Rest assured. As long as you don't harbor any ulterior motives, Pill King Zhen is an honorable man. Over time, your sincerity will surely move him."
Pill King Lü Feng laughed triumphantly. "Old Lü is no fickle man. For the rest of my life, I, old Lü, shall be a faithful devotee of the eccentric pill art, and I will never waver. Not even if you hold a blade to my throat!"
With that, he turned to face Jiang Chen and bowed deeply. "Master, please accept my three kowtows and nine prostrations!"