Seeing the reaction that Li Mei was giving, Han Yu was highly pleased.
He leaned against the wooden doorframe, folding his arms smugly. "I know. Hard to believe, right? I didn’t think I’d get so lucky with the double yields either. And the purity bonus was a nice surprise."
Li Mei’s brows twitched. Her voice remained cool, but it was clear she was forcing it.
"Well... I suppose you didn’t completely waste my teachings."
Han Yu tilted his head. "Come now, no words of praise? No ’you’re doing well, my brilliant student’ or ’Han Yu, you’re a genius’? No reward for my toil?"
Li Mei looked up at him and gave him a sweet smile.
"Yes," Han Yu said, puffing up.
With the grace of a queen, Li Mei raised her palm and flicked him squarely on the forehead with spiritual force.
Han Yu recoiled, clutching his skull. "Ow! You’re gonna give me a soul injury!"
Li Mei rolled her eyes. "You did well. Happy?"
Han Yu rubbed his forehead but couldn’t suppress his smile for more reason than one. He could see more than ten wisp of yellow Eight Emotions Energy of Joy radiating from Li Mei, showing that she truly was happy with his progress and her actions were but just a mere act.
"Yes." Han Yu said with pride.
She returned his token and stood from her chair. "Come. I want to test your pill control now that you’ve had so much experience. Let’s see if those fancy profits translated into skill."
Han Yu groaned. "No break?"
"Alchemy waits for no one, my dear money grubber."
He chuckled, following her to the back room of the hut.
But as he did, Han Yu couldn’t help but glance at his token again.
And that was just the start.
Han Yu was still basking in the glow of his recent alchemical success, ready to begin another refining session under Li Mei’s watchful guidance, when a sharp knock interrupted the mood.
The door to the pill hut shuddered slightly under the force.
Han Yu frowned. "Were you expecting someone?"
Li Mei shook his head. "No. Probably another delivery or something."
"Another one? Why don’t your ingredients arrive in bult?" Han Yu wondered.
"It’s about quality not quantity."
She rolled her eyes and stood up with him. The knock came again, this time sharper and more rhythmic. It wasn’t the nervous knock of a humble disciple.
It was methodical. Stern. Annoyed.
Han Yu opened the door.
Standing there was a man who looked carved from stone. Cold expression, sharp eyes, and robes that bore the silver insignia of an Alchemy Peak inner court disciple. His posture was stiff, his tone flatter than a stone tablet.
"Outer Court Disciple Han Yu?"
"That’s me." Han Yu blinked, his instincts tingling.
The man reached into his sleeve and pulled out a scroll, sealed in bright red wax with the mark of the Alchemy Peak.
Han Yu took the scroll gingerly. "Uh... summoned for what?"
The man didn’t even blink.
"Failure to attend mandatory theoretical lessons for new disciples on your assigned days—specifically, the fourth and seventh since your registration. This is a breach of outer court academic protocol. You are required to appear and explain yourself to avoid disciplinary action."
He turned to leave, pausing only to glance at Li Mei and give a stiff nod.
"Elder Disciple Li Mei."
Li Mei nodded back, then closed the door as soon as the man was gone.
A beat of silence passed.
She turned to Han Yu, folding her arms. "Did you seriously forget the mandatory classes?"
Han Yu stood frozen, eyes locked on the scroll in his hand.
"I mean... I remembered them. Kind of. When I started. But then I got so into the pill refining, and the merit points and profits and—okay, I forgot."
Li Mei stared at him, her mouth falling open just a little in disbelief.
"Han Yu... how do you forget something that was literally the first thing they told you during orientation?!"
Han Yu groaned and sat on the edge of a table. "I didn’t think they’d actually follow up. I figured... you know, optional attendance? I was producing pills, refining techniques, learning practical stuff."
Li Mei sighed, walking over and plucking the scroll from his hand. She broke the seal and skimmed it quickly.
"You’ve been summoned to the Lesson Hall of Golden Instruction by Instructor Disciple Gai Qing."
Han Yu blinked. "Gai Qing? That sounds familiar."
Li Mei gave him a long look. "It should. He’s the one who leads the new disciple syllabus and conducts entrance assessments for theory courses. He’s notoriously inflexible."
"Oh," Han Yu said weakly.
She handed the scroll back to him and sat down. "You really need to explain yourself. If he reports this to the oversight committee considering you’re still new, you’ll lose access to the pill refinement rooms, and maybe even your outer court privileges here."
Han Yu looked genuinely horrified. "But I just made 22,000 points in one week! Doesn’t that buy me some forgiveness?"
Li Mei looked at him like he was dumb. "The Alchemy Peak isn’t a marketplace where you can bribe your way into respect. Well... not officially."
Han Yu groaned and dragged his hand through his hair. "Alright, alright. I’ll go apologize and explain."
Li Mei raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know where the Lesson Hall is?"
She sighed again and tossed him a jade slip. "Here. It’s on the second tier of the outer court. East side. Go now. If you’re late, he’ll punish you just for making him wait."
Half an hour later, Han Yu stood in front of the Lesson Hall of Golden Instruction.
Unlike most other buildings on the peak, this hall was built like a quiet monastery. Golden wooden beams, clean white-tiled paths, and murals of legendary alchemists refining pills. Dozens of disciples sat on the steps or studied under shaded trees nearby.