Jinsao School

The sound of rooster crows could be heard in the ears, sunlight peeking out from the eastern horizon behind the Golden Trees forest. Zhihao opened his mouth wide with tears escaping from the corners of his eyes. A tired expression could be seen from his complexion.

Meisha who was next to him locked the front door and closed all the windows and even the shop, leaving nothing open. "Is that everything?" the red-haired woman inquired, checking back into the cardboard.

"Is it far from here?" The drowsiness almost made Zhihao's head fall.

"About ten minutes on foot," she amused at her adopted brother's affected fatigue. "To keep you alive, lift these two boxes!"

Zhihao's eyes widened like vibrant emeralds in complaint, "What? That's not fair!"

"As I said, this is to keep you awake," she moved on, briefly turning to her back. "Come now, we don't want to waste our work, right?"

The man with his hair tied up in a topknot grunted in annoyance, his sleepy mind had to be forced to lift concoctions that overwhelmed him. "This is so unbearable, for heaven's sake!" With great effort, he lifted the stacked boxes. "Can you slow down?"

"Ah, right," she halted, walking alongside Zhihao with a chuckle. "There, there, don't drop it, alright?" They then navigated the tranquil, mist-covered route.

Zhihao matched his pace with Meisha who was looking at their surroundings. Some of the women were seen leaving their houses, starting their activities, and exchanging greetings, some even went as far as talking to Meisha about their grievances. Zhihao started to think the alchemist here was like a doctor.

Meisha seemed to be well-known by the locals, which was no surprise since she was one of the four alchemists in the village. According to some of Meisha and Zhihao's customers, some alchemists charge up to one silver and above, making them complain about the high cost.

Only Meisha's was still too affordable without reducing its usefulness. Knowing this, Zhihao replied, "Sister, why don't you equalize the rates with others? Aren't ten bronze coins supposed to be equivalent to one silver?"

"For what?" the red-haired woman tied at the end with a ribbon asked back, without turning to Zhihao. "I opened the shop not for profit, you know?"

"I like it, to craft some concoction and share it with those who need it," she added with a faint smile. "Consider that expense as compensation for my efforts."

The man next to her snorted, amazed by the motives of the woman who adopted him. "So that is the reason we still use that old, bad, cauldron," he stated without a hint of hesitation. "We don't even have decent equipment."

Suddenly, Meisha turned her head, offended by his sentence, and slapped his shoulder, almost making the box in his both hands lose balance. "Hey! That's more than enough! Why buy a new one when you can still use it?"

Zhihao, in trouble to keep the bunch of elixirs from tumbling, shouted, "Watch what you're doing! I almost dropped this thing!"

"It's your fault! Why provoke me like that?" She averted her face, fuming with arms folded across her chest.

Zhihao composed himself, still able to prevent the results of his sweat last night from being scattered around. The atmosphere turned awkward this time, the man who was still so exhausted that his head seemed like he was taking off, realized his own mistake. "I apologize..."

"Does it take that long to apologize?" Still, in the same mood, she didn't turn her head once. 

"At least I tried," Zhihao replied, watching the woman next to him.

Meisha did not respond for a few seconds until she opened her voice, "It seems some things never change." Her smile emerged. "I should have anticipated that."

In a better mood, he turned to Zhihao, "You've always been an outspoken kid."

Relieved that his sister had reverted to her usual self, Zhihao's heart lightened. They navigated through a bustling market, even in the early sunlight, in search of daily essentials. Zhihao patiently sat on a wooden bench, waiting for Meisha to make purchases.

The Jinsao School loomed close, a mere five-minute walk. At the entrance, students clad in white uniforms streamed in, observed keenly by two Masters who sensed their imminent arrival.

"Good morning, Masters," in a sociable manner, Meisha smiled. "We are here to deliver Relaxia Potions."

The man who looked to be in his sixties responded, "Oh, right, come inside," he turned to his side. "Fenri, take them to the concoction room."

He bowed deeply, looking much younger than the old man. "Yes, Master," he answered with courteous behavior, running to Meisha and Zhihao. "Please, follow me."

He kindly took the two boxes from Zhihao's hands and strode into the school. "Feeling better?" Meisha teased him and then followed after one of the assistant masters, to which Zhihao sighed in response.

Entering the school floors, they encountered ancient wooden buildings adorned with intricate patterns. A vast grassy field at the center buzzed with students engaged in warm-ups, briefly acknowledging the arrival of unfamiliar visitors.

Passing Masters with respect, Meisha and Zhihao bowed in courtesy. As they ascended the stairs, steered by the assistant, the scent of alchemy grew stronger, leading them towards a house emanating the distinct fragrance of their craft.

Inside, a myriad of ingredients adorned the corners of the room, accompanied by glass cabinets housing a collection of elixirs catering to the needs of Jinsao School students. From stamina to healing wounds and illnesses, the cabinets held a diverse assortment of concoctions. Zhihao was left in awe at the multitude of elixirs available.

"Master Ryusa, an alchemist is delivering the orders," said the assistant halted in front of the brown-haired woman.

"Yes, I have been waiting for this," she said from her seat. "Place it right there, I will handle the rest."

The student departed, leaving Meisha and Zhihao alone with the woman who inspected her goods, beginning to sample one of them.

"Seems a bit bitter than the last time," she examined with her lips. "But still splendid as always, Meisha."

"Ah, I might be too much with the doses," Meisha chuckled, approaching the woman. "I still need to learn, Mrs. Ryusa."

While they were fascinated with the elixir, Meisha turned to Zhihao who was frozen. "What? Don't you want to know internal martial arts? Why don't you take a look outside?"