Chapter 89: Wen Xue's Anger

Wen Xue worked as a receptionist at the Alchemist Guild. Her greatest ambition was to become an alchemist, but unfortunately, she lacked the talent. After several attempts, she couldn't even pass the apprentice exam.

Left with no choice, she continued working at the front desk while diligently studying.

While being a front desk attendant might not seem like much, the income was actually quite good. She received a commission on all pills sold, and though the percentage was small, the more she sold, the greater her earnings. In a year, her income was at least five or six times higher than others in similar positions!

Despite the good income, she didn't want to stay a day longer. It wasn't because the job was difficult, but rather... due to her appearance.

Around twenty years old, she was in the prime of her life. Crucially, her parents had blessed her with exceptionally beautiful looks, which, if not one in ten thousand, were certainly one in a hundred!

Normally, beauty was a good thing, and any woman would be proud of it. But working here was different. Being visible to the public meant countless young masters from influential families deliberately came to flirt with her daily, making all sorts of preposterous demands.

Several of them persistently bothered her every day, trying every trick in the book, which left her utterly annoyed.

However, as a service staff member, she couldn't just chase them away. If she did, they could simply claim they were there to buy something, and she would undoubtedly be in trouble!

"I hope those shameless flies don't come today!" she muttered inwardly. She adjusted her clothes, put on a professional smile, and stood behind the counter. Just then, a young man walked in.

The young man didn't look old, probably under twenty. His skin, however, was exceptionally well-maintained, smooth and delicate, seemingly even better than hers.

"Sir, how can I help you?" Wen Xue asked, offering a professional smile and looking his way.

"Do you... sell books here?" the young man asked. "Like, ones about pill effects, especially those that can awaken special physiques!"

This was Zhang Xuan, who had just arrived.

His predecessor had never been here, so he didn't know the specifics and could only ask the receptionist.

"If you want to buy books, please go to a bookstore. This is the Alchemist Guild!" Wen Xue's professional smile instantly dropped, and her expression soured upon hearing his words.

Trying to flirt, couldn't he at least make it sound more plausible? Coming to the Alchemist Guild to buy books... why not go to a restaurant to buy shoes?

"No, that's not it. I'm looking for books specifically about the effects of pills. A regular bookstore definitely wouldn't have them!" Not noticing the girl's sudden change in attitude, Zhang Xuan thought for a moment before explaining.

"Keep pretending. I'll just watch you," Wen Xue thought, crossing her arms and her eyes reflecting coldness.

Seeing her silence, Zhang Xuan assumed she hadn't understood him and continued to explain: "I'm trying to find a pill that can activate a special physique, but I don't know which one is suitable. I want to consult some related books. Do you have any here? You could sell me a few, or even... just let me glance at them!"

"I already said no!" she snapped. "Ignoring you just emboldens you, doesn't it?"

Buying books, borrowing books... did he really think such an old pickup line would fool a girl? Wen Xue was convinced this guy was just here to cause trouble and deliberately get her attention. Otherwise, who would come to the Alchemist Guild to buy books? Wasn't he just asking for a smack?

At this point, Zhang Xuan also noticed her bad attitude and couldn't help but feel curious. He hadn't offended her, so why the hostile expression?

"Maybe it's menopause!" He shook his head, not taking it to heart. As a civilized and thoughtful transmigrator, he couldn't be bothered arguing with a woman.

If Wen Xue had known his thoughts, she would have been furious enough to drop dead. "I'm only twenty, you're the one in menopause..."

"How about this: your Alchemist Guild must have a library, right? Could you take me to see it?" Knowing explanations weren't working, Zhang Xuan thought for a moment and came up with a different approach.

Both the Teacher Guild and the Alchemist Guild essentially provided services for their respective special professionals. They were bound to have separate libraries where these professionals could continuously study and improve.

Since they didn't sell books, letting him into the library to look would also solve his problem.

"The library? You want to enter the library too?" Seeing this guy's demands become increasingly outrageous, Wen Xue finally lost her patience. "If you're not buying pills, please leave!"

"What, your library doesn't allow people in? Just tell me how much it costs to enter. It's not like I won't pay!" Zhang Xuan was somewhat displeased. Was there something wrong with this woman? He was just asking a question, and she was acting like she'd swallowed gunpowder.

Hearing his arrogant, money-is-no-object tone, typical of a young master from a wealthy family, Wen Xue found him even more detestable. "So what if you have money? Does that mean you can do anything you want? To tell you the truth, the Alchemist Guild does have a library, divided into elementary and advanced sections. Even the elementary library requires you to be an alchemist apprentice to enter and browse. Are you an alchemist? Are you an alchemist apprentice?"

"Alchemist apprentice?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback, then suddenly understood.

He wasn't familiar with the Alchemist Guild, but he knew a bit about academies: students had their own libraries, and teachers had theirs. Especially for the latter, you couldn't enter without a teaching qualification.

Otherwise, if everyone could just go in and randomly browse, what secrets could be kept? And merely browsing aside, if someone saw a good cultivation technique and recklessly practiced it, leading to qi deviation, whose responsibility would that be?

The Alchemist Guild was probably similar, dividing its library into elementary and advanced sections, accessible only to those who reached a certain level. This prevented people from over-consuming knowledge they couldn't digest and also ensured that secret techniques weren't leaked.

"Alchemist apprentice... I'm not one. Can anyone take the exam?" He was just a regular teacher and had never studied alchemy, so he naturally wasn't an alchemist apprentice. However, anything could be tested, and to become a true master teacher, he needed to acquire more knowledge.

"An exam? You want to take the alchemist apprentice exam?" Wen Xue was convinced he was just trying to flirt, and her anger was already burning. Seeing him pretend he wanted to take the alchemist apprentice exam, she finally couldn't hold back. "Alright! There's an examination point right over there. I'll take you now!"

"You're pretending, aren't you?" she thought. "I'll take you there right now and see if you can keep up the act!"

Although it was just an apprentice exam, like the master teacher apprentice exam, it required multiple rounds of screening and testing various knowledge and fundamentals. She herself had tried for several years in a row and couldn't pass. Yet, this dissolute fop, who only knew how to flirt with girls, had never attended an apprentice class, never read any books on medicinal ingredients or alchemy, and he thought he could pass? What a joke! Hmph, if I don't let you make a fool of yourself right now and expose your true colors, you'll probably think I'm easy to fool! Wen Xue scoffed inwardly, puffing out her cheeks.

"It's right over there?"

"What? Are you scared to go now?" Wen Xue sneered.

"Uh, alright!" Seeing her act as if she'd eaten gunpowder, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Just as he was about to follow her, he suddenly looked at her somewhat awkwardly and asked, "The alchemist apprentice exam... what does it cover? Do I need to read any books?"