"Jin Li, why are we going to the inner school?"
Leon and Jin Li looked around, surprised that the third wheel had tagged along. Leon rolled his eyes and went to speak to the senior student on guard duty in the room they had just warped into, leaving Jin Li to deal with his room mate.
It had been an odd sensation, being transported by the portals, as if they had been pulled, tugged by a million strings connected to a million points upon their body and within the time it took to take a gasping breath; the scenery had altered around them.
The student glanced at Leon's notification and down over this small creature once more. In his arrogant opinion, this boy did not have the strength to produce this number of pills. The wide silver streaks of hair also hinted that he had suffered spiritual deviation. Though he could not believe that the Teachers of the outer school could have been tricked by him either, he decided he should inspect the goods.
"Place the pills upon this table," he commanded. "If it is proven as you claim, I will take you to Teacher Corne."
Jin Li looked offended, while Sun had a face of open curiosity. Leon just shrugged and proceeded to take out the jade bottles, counting them as he did. However, when he went to take back one particular bottle, the warrior student's heavy hand fell upon his wrist. "Are you trying to short change us?"
Leon tilted his head, wondering how he could possibly do so. "N-no," he denied. "These p-p-pills are something else. N-not what Teacher C-C-Corne requested."
"Then you won't mind handing them to me," the student claimed, a greedy glint appearing in his eye.
Jin Li tutted at this student's blatant attempt at theft and unsheathed his sword. Sun squealed in panic, why was Jin Li about to step into battle with a senior, an inner school senior student over his servants measly pills? All the while, Leon was calmly wondering why he wanted these pills at all. Admittedly, they were the improved versions, as he had managed to purchase a missing ingredient as a spice, they were not at all useful for this martial artist.
However, before things could come to a head, Senior Pike stepped through the door into the room. "What's going on here?" He asked, noticing an angry Jin Li in stance ready for battle. And then his eyes fell upon Leon behind the burly form of the senior student on duty, who happened to stiffen upon hearing Pike's voice behind him. "Leo! This is great, I was just coming to see you!"
Leon tilted his body in order to see the young man, before a wide smile appeared upon his face. He stepped to one side and bowed in greeting. "Senior, I have b-brought Teacher C-Corne's requested p-p-pills."
"You know he was just asking about them," Pike stepped forward, placing his hand out to indicate that Jin Li ought to withdraw his blade. Sun gave a large sigh of relief as Jin Li did so. "Little Leo, he had thought you had forgotten his request. Teacher's can only wait so long."
"Sorry," Leon had drawn out the making of the pills, he could admit to his mistake.
"Come on, I'll take you to Teacher Corne," Pike told them. So Leon began to quickly repack the jade bottles into the interspacial bag.
"I thought you were on a mission for your master," the senior said to Pike, a hint of sullenness to his tone. He could not afford to get into trouble again, but with the upstanding Pike and his associates away, he had fallen into old habits of bullying weaker students once more. And of course, good pills were difficult to get hold of for the average student, the temptation when seeing all of those small jade bottles filled with fat round pills was too much.
Pike made a non-committed sound. "We returned last night," he said finally. "Word must not have got around yet." He looked to Leon. "Are you ready?"
Leon nodded then paused, holding his hand out to the other senior. "My p-pills, p-please."
The senior flinched, he had still held out hopes that they would be counted as lost. Pike gave the senior a warning stare, to which the man chuckled, nervously. "Just holding them for you," he said, finally handing them over.
"Ooo what are those?" Pike asked curiously, realising that this bottle did not contain the requested pills.
"Ah I m-m-made these for the apothecary in town," Leon said, honestly. "They are Soft Ice P-pills. G-good for children's fevers." Both Jin Li And Pike found themselves chuckling behind their hands, though the former also offered a smug sneer at the muscle brained idiot trying to claim them for himself. Then they filed out of the room, leaving said idiot to continue guarding the portals.
Teacher Corne was not entirely what Leon expected of Pike's Master. As the younger man appeared to have focused his body's efforts into his shoulders and upper arms (and likely hidden thighs) showing he liked to rely on brute strength to give him the upper edge, Teacher Corne proved to simply be thick of body all over. Not fat, such soft and indulgent layers were not apparent at all on this man, he just appeared strongly built from head to toe. He was not quite as tall as his student and Jin Li either.
His sharp eyes seemed to scrutinise each young student as they entered the weapons room, where he had been attending to his equipment. He had a square shaped face which was lined with a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. Equally attended, curved brows framed above his eyes and his dark hair knotted at his nap, not a strand out of place. He was not a handsome man, but he had great presence.
"Master," Pike greeted him with a bow, to which all three boys followed suit. There was no question that this man was superior to them and commanded respect. "Master, I happened upon the alchemist apprentice Leo on my way to collect your pills from him. He had the same idea, planning to bring the pills to you."
Leon stepped nervously forward a place. "I have the requested p-p-pills," he said. Teacher Corne's near brows rose as he heard the stutter from Leon's lips, but he said nothing. Leon began taking the pills from his bag, carefully separating the jade bottles from the ones containing other pills and potions.
"Ah, good," The man said, accepting the pills as was his right. "Though you could easily leave them with Pike next time."
"Yes," Leon said, knowing he likely would have done if not for the scene that other senior had caused. Of course, he had also thought Pike still away on his mission.
"And who might these others be?" Teacher Corne enquired. He could naturally feel the cultivation of all three boys. He sensed that the alchemist had not long broken through to secondary stage, but was impressed that the child's innersea was quite stable regardless. Often, cultivators newly emerged from a lower stage had unstable seas and it took time for it to settle. If they did not wait and pushed their cultivation, they would surely suffer some sort of deviation, as it appears the boy might have done in the past, though looking deeper through him, he felt this was not so certain.
On the other hand, there were the two martial artists. The smaller one was still of primary stage, though it was doubtful he would remain there long. He also had a wind root. Corne suspected this would no doubt improve his swiftness and speed. The taller youth was apparently tertiary stage and also had a stable sea. This was extremely impressive for one so young, almost impossible to fathom. His root was lightning. There would be those who claimed that his root was not strong as it was not considered one of the five primary roots (being fire, earth, metal, water and wood), but Corne felt that this assumption was too simple for this particular root.
"Sorry, Master," Pike said sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck for his bad manners. "This is Jin Li, the Student I told you about who was admitted to the outer school recently. Unfortunately, I have yet to know this young man."
Sun blushed, slightly due to the fact that he had tagged along without actual permission and partially because he was in the presence of two more of his heroes. Who hadn't heard of the prowess of Corne, who had many tales to tell as he travelled the realm, improving his cultivation, uncovering the plot of a demonic cultivation sect hiding beneath the guise of a righteous one, battling with the twin tailed Onyx Lion and surviving and finally settling down in the school he had graduated from as a Teacher to a younger generation. And then no matter how many approached him, he finally chose Pike to be his one and only personal apprentice.
"I'm Sun, Jin Li's roommate," he bowed low, hoping to improve their impression of him.
However Teacher Corne said nothing, simply accepting the introductions and saying nothing more about them. "It is late," he said finally. "Pike, take our guests to the food hall, get them something to eat. The portals will be closed soon as curfew sets in. Guide them to one of the guest rooms for the night. Leo, I will prepare the agreed payment for when you leave tomorrow."
And with that, the four men were dismissed.
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