Chapter 4: Genius Alchemist_1

Fang Ren reluctantly gave up, for he rarely saw Uncle Han so serious.

Moreover… what he really wanted to know was, if it was merely due to these matters, why had Uncle Han shown such a sad expression before he entered? That shouldn't be the case.

"Qing'er, is fifteen days okay?" Shang Han asked.

Mu Huanqing gently nodded her head, responding with a soft "Hmm."

Fang Ren still felt her indifference; it seemed as if in her heart, there was something more concerning to her than marriage.

Seeing Fang Ren's helpless look, Mu Huanqing's uncle chuckled and said, "Ah Ran, once you spend more time with Qing'er, you'll realize that actually, those girls from your school can't compare to her."

"Uncle, it's not that I think Sister Hui Qing is no good, but I myself feel that this is too rash, and for her, perhaps too irresponsible." Fang Ren glanced at Mu Huanqing and decided it was still better to add "sister" in addressing her; otherwise, it would seem too intimate.

Slap—

"Irresponsible?" Shang Han slapped his head again and said seriously, "If you dare to be irresponsible to Qing'er, I'll be the first to deal with you!"

"I didn't say I was irresponsible…" Fang Ren rubbed his head and muttered.

At this moment, Mu Huanqing's mother returned from outside, her originally amiable smile transforming into a troubled frown.

She sighed at Shang Han and said, "We must go back now, from now on Qing'er will be in your and Ah Ran's care."

Hearing that she was leaving now, Shang Han's face showed a trace of sorrow, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he said, "I'll be back soon too."

"Thought you two could talk more, after nearly twenty years of not seeing each other." Hui Qing's uncle said as he got up.

"Don't say more, surely it's some urgent mission. Hurry, get in the car and rush back," Shang Han said as he too stood up and escorted the two out of the house.

Seeing this, Fang Ren also stood up to accompany Uncle Han in sending the two off, but noticing Mu Huanqing still sitting on the couch without moving, he stopped; after all, Mu Huanqing couldn't move freely.

"Um… Sister Hui Qing, should I push you out?" Fang Ren asked.

"No need," Mu Huanqing replied in a low voice.

Fang Ren glanced at the people outside, and then back at Mu Huanqing, and could only step quickly out of the house to see off Mu Huanqing's mother and uncle.

But just as he stepped out the door, the scene before him nearly scared him into falling over.

Uncle Han… Uncle Han was actually embracing and kissing Hui Qing's mother!?

What is this situation!

Fang Ren was completely stunned.

"Get in the car, and once we've settled Qing'er and Ah Ran's affairs, I will come to find you quickly."

After the kiss, Shang Han opened the car door and let Mu Huanqing's mother get in.

Meanwhile, Mu Huanqing's mother turned her head and said to the dumbfounded Fang Ren, "Ah Ran, actually your Sister Hui Qing isn't as difficult to get along with as she seems on the surface. She's actually very lonely and lacks support, so treat her well."

Fang Ren immediately came to his senses and instinctively said, "Don't worry, Aunt, I will definitely take good care of…"

He blushed at the half-spoken response. Wasn't this answer tantamount to agreeing to take care of her for life?

"What, you don't want to?" Shang Han immediately glared at him.

"No, no, I do. I will surely take good care of Sister Hui Qing," Fang Ren added.

The car doors closed, and three black Bentleys started up and slowly disappeared from sight.

"Uncle Han, what kind of relationship do you have with her mother? Embracing and kissing her…" As the car drove off, Fang Ren immediately asked.

"Can't you tell?" Shang Han casually lit a cigarette.

"This, I really can't tell…"

Shang Han said nonchalantly, "She's my wife, and the lass inside the house is my daughter, my own flesh and blood."

"Huh?!"

Seeing Uncle Han's matter-of-fact attitude, Fang Ren was completely flabbergasted.

The barrage of information in just a few minutes was indeed difficult for him to digest.

In his memory, Uncle Han had always been a bachelor, how could he suddenly produce a noble wife and an astonishingly beautiful daughter?

And that wasn't even the main point; the main point was that he, with such nonchalance, just married off his daughter! Just like that, in a few words!

Is this how one should be a father!?

"Don't stand there looking silly, come inside," Shang Han slapped his head again, then turned and went back into the house.

Fang Ren was still standing there, dazed, the uncle who had raised him since childhood was about to become his father-in-law...

Back inside the house, Mu Huanqing was still looking weakly at the tea table in front of her, her appearance somewhat vacant, as if the car accident had left her with not insignificant harm.

Shang Han sat opposite her, his face once again clouded with melancholy, as he spoke, "Qing'er, stop thinking about those things, it's not your fault. People are deceitful, that's all."

"Mmm."

Mu Huanqing nodded and replied with a simple word, unwilling to say any more than necessary.

Seeing this, Shang Han took a deep drag on his cigarette and said, "Actually, as an ordinary person... one can live a very happy life."

"I understand," she said.

Shang Han paused for a few seconds before asking, "Can you... call me Dad?"

"..." Mu Huanqing didn't respond.

Shang Han nodded with a wry smile, then extinguished the cigarette in his hand and said somewhat heavily, "I'm sorry, I haven't fulfilled my responsibilities as a father all these years."

With that, he stood up and walked towards the exit, then turned his head to Fang Ren and instructed, "Ah Ran, take Qing'er to your room to talk; I'll go buy some groceries and cook for you."

"Oh..."

Fang Ren was still somewhat dazed, unable to sort through all the information flooding his mind, and there were far too many questions left unasked.

For instance, why had Uncle Han left his wife and daughter to come to this small city and raise a child that wasn't his by blood for over twenty years without ever going to see his own wife and daughter.

And if Uncle Han's wife was an Earth high official, how could he just be a small company employee? Moreover, the central battlefield of Ninth District needed him — a place where only the elite among Cultivators could go. Was Uncle Han really just an ordinary person who couldn't cultivate?

Also, from what Uncle Han had just said, Sister Hui Qing must also have been a Cultivator, and the car accident had cost her her Cultivation Ability. Furthermore, when he mentioned "the deceitfulness of human hearts," it suggested that the car accident was certainly no accident, but rather a well-orchestrated scheme.

With complex emotions swirling within him, Fang Ren approached Mu Huanqing. Seeing her face marked with sorrow, a wave of pity rose within him for this poor yet beautiful sister. He wanted to comfort her with words, but he didn't know how to begin.

After all, he didn't understand her past.

After some thought, Fang Ren asked, "Sister Hui Qing, may I have a look at your leg?"

"..."

Mu Huanqing lifted her head, her beautiful eyes staring straight at Fang Ren, a hint of surprise visible in her gaze.

It was then that Fang Ren realized his words might have been misconstrued.

"Ah, I didn't mean that," he stammered, his face involuntarily reddening as he explained hastily, "I am a medical student, I just wanted to see if there was any way I could help heal your leg."

"It's no use," Mu Huanqing said. "They all say it can't be healed."

"Who?"

"The Alchemists from District One."

"District One?!"

Fang Ren nearly exclaimed the words involuntarily.

District One was the closest region on Earth to the Void Hole, and the people capable of living there were no longer mere humans; they were Immortals!

The best medical practitioners on Earth were the Alchemists, whose pills were more effective than any other medicine. And the Alchemists from District One were practically the definition of medical Immortals.

If such individuals said it couldn't be healed, then there truly was no hope left.

"Let me have a look anyway. Maybe, just maybe, there's still something... I might be able to do," Fang Ren said with a smile.

Though the Alchemists from District One were stumped, he didn't want to give up just yet.

Medicine wasn't exactly his favorite subject, but he didn't dislike it either and had always seemed to possess a remarkable talent for it since childhood.

For example, at the age of nine, he had concocted a batch of Qi Gathering Pills behind Uncle Han's back in his room. Although he wasn't sure about their effectiveness, their appearance matched that of standard Qi Gathering Pills perfectly.

Merely achieving the correct appearance was already an impressive feat since most Alchemists capable of producing pills within the standard shape range were usually around eighteen, whereas he had been only nine.

Moreover, at twelve, he had created a Rejuvenation Pill in school, its appearance equally standard, though its efficacy was unknown. Coincidentally, he found a cat badly injured by a car and at the brink of death on the roadside, and he fed the cat with his Rejuvenation Pill.

In the end, the cat miraculously recovered...

Beyond that, he had registered an account on the Earth Alchemist forum at the age of eighteen and published a short essay that created quite a stir.

The short essay was about a new type of pill, mainly effective for restoring True Qi. At that time, pills for restoring True Qi were expensive and couldn't be mass-produced, making them very exclusive commodities.

However, the new type of pill he proposed in his essay required common ingredients, addressing the issue of mass production of Recovery type pills from the root.

Later, the pill he described was indeed successfully produced and deployed on the battlefield, and his forum account was awarded three crowns by the system. From that point on, he received countless friend requests daily.

People on the forum referred to him as... "Teacher An," given that his forum name was "Qing'an".

But from a young age, Uncle Han had always told him to live as an ordinary person and to avoid causing trouble because the outside world was dangerous. Notoriety could make one a target, and one should always hold back in whatever they do; living peacefully and securely was of utmost importance...

Such notions of embracing ordinary life had been deeply ingrained in Fang Ren's mind since childhood, leading him to believe that those who gained fame were bound for trouble. Thus, he always held back in whatever he did; after all, a fattened pig was at risk of slaughter.

Therefore, he kept all his forum activities to himself, never speaking of them to anyone, not even to Uncle Han.

Now, at his current age, he was capable of perfectly concocting ninety percent of the pills known on Earth, yet in school, he portrayed himself as a poor student with grades at the bottom.

He adhered to the principle of staying humble and avoiding the limelight, deeply rooted in his mind since childhood.

Though he had the potential to become the top student at the medical college, it wasn't necessary; he never aspired to be someone of significance.

A plain and simple life was all he wished for.