Chapter 88 - Different Exams

In the City Lord's manor, Ao Wen and Wu Lin had begun to prepare the elixir, sorting ingredients, taking measurements and making the dozen other preparations that would help promote the success of the refinement. 

"City Lord," Mao Ailum managed to choke out at last. "Since this concoction is being used to determine if Alchemy Novice Ao has the ability to detect malicious actions within my concoctions, may I ask questions about the elixir she's preparing?" Mao Ailum hated addressing her as Alchemy Novice when the girl clearly exaggerated her accomplishments in everything at every turn but he couldn't risk drawing City Lord Zhang's ire. He couldn't move, if he attempted to circulate his energy he'd be restrained violently… the only thing he could think of to disrupt the concoction was to interrogate Ao Wen about it and sew so much doubt in the mind of the City Lord that he wouldn't dare test it on his beloved concubine. It was the last desprate move of a doomed man but so long as his mind could dream up the faintest hope he would grasp it with both hands! 

"Husband," the City Lord's wife Ju Tse said, leaning forward in interest. "I am also very interested in this concoction that will help Little Sister Yue resume her cultivation. I would be most interested in Alchemy Novice Ao's answers to Alchemy Novice Mao's questions."

Receiving a slight nod from the City Lord, Mao Ailum turned to Ao Wen. "There are many rare ingredients gathered but they correspond to no elixir recipe that I'm familiar with. Since Senior Brother Wu wasn't even familiar with some of the ingredients, I'm sure he's never encountered this recipe either. Can you tell us where this recipe came from, the famed alchemist who discovered it and which tome it appears in?" Of course, Ao Wen could continue making thing up, manufacturing names and then claiming that it was a forgotten master or some such but with so many powerful cultivators gathered here, some might be able to notice the telltale traces of lying, particularly Warrior Ju Tse who carried the bloodline of the Soaring Sun Hawk. 

"This isn't a recipe," Ao Wen said, looking at Mao Ailum like he was an idiot. "It's a prescription for Lady Wan's cultivation deviation. Short of using pills, there's no way to apply a universal elixir recipe to cultivation deviation. Each elixir must follow a customized prescription tailored to the needs of the patient. I would think that an Alchemy Novice would be familiar with custom concocting to treat cultivation deviation," Ao Wen said without looking up from the ingredients before her. 

Mao Ailum's eyes lit up with excitement at her answer. She was claiming that this recipe was her own? What arrogance! "Custom concoction is the domain of Master Alchemists, what business does an Alchemy Novice have preparing a custom prescription?" he asked smuggly. He didn't expect her to stumble so badly at his very first question!

Ao Wen, however, looked up sharply at the question. "You have an Alchemy Novice badge don't you? How did you pass your exams if you couldn't demonstrate the ability to resolve cultivation deviation with custom concoction?" This had been one of the hardest parts of the Alchemy Novice exam that Ao Wen had needed to prepare for. Without Senior Brother Huang and Senior Sister Qi taking her from one Outer Sect branch to the next for two months, she'd never have gotten enough practice at diagnosing cultivation deviation and concocting remedies to pass what was considered the hardest part of the exam. She imagined that the Alchemy Novices here had to spend considerably longer just to get enough practice. 

"Fellow Novice Ao," Wu Lin said softly from beside her. "Custom concoction isn't part of the Alchemy Novice exam. The Alchemy Novice exam only tests your ability to correctly identify and list the medicinal properties of five hundred herbs, concoct twenty five mortal medicines and refine ten elixirs," he explained. 

"You're joking," Ao Wen said, staring at the older Novice beside her in disbelief. "Elixirs aside, that's easier than my Initiate exam! Honestly, even with the elixirs, it's still fewer concoctions than my Initiate exam. Are you telling me you weren't tested on patient diagnosis, accupoint manipulation, patient treatment, batch concoction, component substitution or surgical skills to get your Alchemy Novice badge?"

"You concocted for an initiate exam?" Wu Lin said in shock. That shock was followed moments later by even greater shock as he processed the list of skills she'd rattled off for a Novice badge! "The rest of the things you're describing, you couldn't possibly be tested on so many things in a single day," he added. "Just how long was your Alchemy Novice exam?"

"Five days," Ao Wen explained. "Alchemy Novices form the bulk of any medical relief force. They have to be trusted to manage care of the tens of thousands of mortals that are in need of care so Independent Alchemists can focus on cultivators. Novices also have to be able to give clear instructions to dozens of Initiates who serve as herb boys, runners and bedside assistants in the medical tents."

"That sounds, extraordinary," Wu Lin said, trying to imagine dozens of initiates running at his every command. For a moment, he craved that level of power and authority and the respect that must go with it. Fast on the heels of that thought, however, came the realization of the other thing Ao Wen had said. Thousands of mortals in need of care. It was human suffering on a scale he'd never seen and only red about in the oldest of history books about the founding days of Turning Leaf town. "I'm sorry, I'm not the one asking questions and this is unrelated to the matter at hand," he said after a moment. 

"Indulge this old woman's curiosity then," Ju Tse said with a smile from her position beside the City Lord. "I understand that Alchemy Novice Ao took her exams in a different realm. Tell us about what was required of you to earn your current rank. What was your training like and what were the exams you had to pass?"

For a moment, Ao Wen just stood there, eyes closed and unresponsive. What had her training been like? Did she really have to explain? In front of so many people? Glancing at Feng Xi and Tang Jin she bit her lip and hesitated. She still hadn't told Xi everything. She wanted to, eventually, but, not here. Not like this. Looking at Ju Tse's piercing gaze, her heart skipped a beat as though she were a mouse being stared at by a hungry hawk. The City Lord's gaze had become even sharper as she hesitated to answer the question. 

In the end, Ao Wen couldn't see any way around providing an answer. She could only press forward and hope for the best.