17 Unprepared

'I forgot to tell them to prepare the materials and equipment… and I just told them they only needed to focus on mastering medicine brewing techniques today…'

Lin Tao and Ji Yun gave each other an odd look as the prolonged silence continued.

"Umm, are you still there, master?"

Bai Lian continued to wallow in regret, 'I even said I thought things through… It's certainly true that I thought things through, but I was thinking farther in the future… They won't think I'm one of those unreliable guardian spirits will they? My efforts in establishing myself as a legendary spirit won't be wasted, right?'

Bai Lian forced her dejected thoughts to the back of her mind and resolved herself to properly end the silence.

A calm voice infiltrated the minds of the young pair. "My apologies for the silence. A sudden idea came to me and I was pondering over it for a minute. I have decided to change my plans a bit. I was originally going to have the two of you use the equipment that I have already prepared. However, I believe it would be best if the two of you made the equipment on your own."

"Why's that? Neither of us have the affinity for being a spirit crafter."

"The equipment you will need for my methods of medicine brewing do not need to be spirit items. It would be best if you two learned to make your own equipment because they are simple to make. Who knows when you'll end up in a situation when you need to brew medicine, but you lack the equipment. It is not that rare for a spirit ring to be stolen or lost."

"Earlier you said you would teach us actual medical knowledge later because it would be best to start earning money earlier. Is making our own equipment really that high of a priority?"

A sigh resounded in the minds of the young pair. "You young ones really don't understand anything. To make one's own equipment is to grow a connection with the equipment. Being more familiar with your equipment will only allow you to perfect my medicine brewing techniques quicker. I have said before that you two are destined for greatness. If I'm going to teach you my brewing techniques, then I must do it with the method most beneficial for the long term. Making one's own equipment will provide a more solid foundation for medicine brewing."

The two children made a look of understanding.

"I see… Master always thinks ahead for our sake. This disciple will try her best not to disappoint Master!" Ji Yun grew more motivated after hearing Bai Lian's long explanation. A sense of warmth bloomed within her, 'Granny put so much thought into this decision, thinking about our futures.'

"I guess having a more solid foundation is better. It's not like we are in urgent need of money anyways." Lin Tao's eyes were clear, suggesting he found no fault in the explanation.

'It seems they bought that explanation,' Bai Lian, inwardly, let out a sigh of relief. 'Well, I guess it is to be expected.'

"Head back to the burrow. There should be plenty of iron birches around that area. The wood from those trees are ideal."

"How much wood should we bring back?"

"Don't worry. Just bring back however much you want. I'm sure the two of you will make plenty of failed equipment. Regardless of how much wood you bring back, you children will probably end up making extra trips to the burrow for woods."

The gentle voice sounded genuine. However, a small frown crept onto the faces of the two children.

"Didn't you say we were fated for greatness? Why are you so sure we're going to fail so many times?" Ji Yun pouted.

"You two should be quite lacking in experience when it comes to making items. No need to feel discouraged. Failure is only natural. Only when failing can one truly learn."

"In that case we will be heading off!" Ji Yun's face illustrated clear determination.

After the young pair had left, Bai Lian began her own preparations. A root poked out of the ground near the spot the two children had just left.The root slowly moved, shaking with each movement.

It had been around a month since she began growing her roots with the intent of absorbing from all the plants of the Obsidian Forest. Through her continuous efforts, her control over her roots had improved. However, her control over the movement of her roots could not be compared to the precision of human hands.

When the young pair returned to the Floral Lake, they noticed a horrible scribble where they had stood earlier. All thoughts of how such scribbles came to be were pushed to the back of their minds by the sheer hideousness of the drawings.

"What's that supposed to be?" The two children both knitted their brows as though simply looking at the scribble was difficult.

"This is what the two of you will be making…"

"Please stop with the jokes," Lin Tao quickly interjected. Although he was smiling, there was a cold glint in his eyes.

"Those diagrams are not that bad…" Bai Lian wanted to say more words to defend her drawings. However, the moment her gaze crossed paths with her scribbles once more, she immediately retracted her gaze and returned to being speechless.

"You wanted to teach us how to craft items with these diagrams? Can these even be considered diagrams?"

"A talented individual of any profession needs an active imagination in order to develop new recipes or designs. I don't want the two of you to simply follow the recipes and directions made by others for the rest of you lives. The disciples of this guardian spirit should naturally be capable of developing new things. However, before you two can make amazing things, we'll need to develop your imaginative abilities. This is your masters first test for the two of you. Use your imagination to try redrawing these diagrams. I will even help direct your drawings." Bai Lian gave up on defending her artwork.

Lin Tao sighed admiringly, "To be able to remain so confident and calm despite showing us these hideous scribbles… You sure do live up to your name as the legendary guardian spirit of the Obsidian Forest."

'I don't really want to accept that compliment…' Bai Lian's gaze left the sarcastic smile on Lin Tao's face and shifted to Ji Yun, 'What a good girl. Knowing that she can't come up with anything nice to say, she's kindly remaining silent.'

"Your master had given you two a task," the gentle voice reminded.

The young pair obediently began deciphering the scribbles in an attempt to uncover what the items were supposed to look like.

"You said you already had a set of these equipment. Wouldn't it be better for us to use those as a model and them make our own?"

"Little Tao, your master had already said this task is aimed at improving your imaginative abilities." Satisfaction arose within Bai Lian as she observed Lin Tao's troubled expression, 'Retribution for lacking proper respect towards your master.'

However, her satisfaction morphed itself into guilt when she noticed a similar troubled expression on Ji Yun's face. 'Teaching isn't as easy as I thought… I'll need to start planning my lessons ahead.'

As the sun began to set, the two children let out a sigh of relief. Their faces showed clear signs of mental exhaustion. They had finally heard the words they had been waiting hours to hear, "Mm… These diagrams seem about right."

"Hey master… How about we take these diagrams to a proper craftsman," Ji Yun's voice sounded quite worn out, evoking a sense of sympathy from Bai Lian.

"Alright. The two of you are quite lacking in imagination. To take so many hours to draw a couple of simple diagrams… It'll be ages before you two finish making the equipment despite their simplicity." The two children felt a surge of annoyance when a sigh sounded in their minds.

"However, one day you two must learn how to make them on your own." Although Bai Lian said that, she did not really view having them make their own equipment as very important.

The two disciples nodded resolutely.

"Well then, until tomorrow."

"Bye bye, master."

"Later."