Chapter 74: The Wager

Master Mo chuckled and said, “Good disciple, don’t be so hasty. You can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry.”
“That’s right, young man, take a rest here for now.”
Master Qi, standing nearby, added, “The pill cellar won’t be opened for another two days. You should take good care of yourself here.”
Soon, they arranged a room for Li Jiansan.
“That works. I’ll take a look around,” Li Jiansan replied.
Hearing this, Master Mo tossed him a token. “Here, this is my token. With it, you’ll have free passage here.”
“I wonder how skilled the alchemists are in this place. This is a good chance to find out,” Li Jiansan mused.
Once the three elders had left, Li Jiansan began to wander the area.
“Senior Brother, you’re amazing! You condensed the medicinal embryo so quickly!”
“That’s a second-grade pill! As expected of Senior Brother!”
“Yes, yes! In a few years, you’ll probably be on par with the three grandmasters!”
As Li Jiansan passed by an alchemy room, he heard a chorus of loud flattery and, piqued by curiosity, looked inside.
“It could have reached a high-level quality, but as it stands, it’s only mid-tier. What a pity…”
As he spoke, the senior brother at the pill furnace furrowed his brow.
“Who’s spouting nonsense here?”
“Where did this brat come from, daring to criticize Senior Brother’s pill?”
“What do you know, kid?”
At that moment, the senior brother finally noticed Li Jiansan standing at the doorway.
Li Jiansan said coolly, “When you were condensing the medicinal embryo, your control over the flame faltered. That’s bound to affect the pill’s quality.”
“Heh, who do you think you are? If you say it’s affected, then it is?”
“Before the furnace is even opened, not even the three grandmasters would dare make such bold claims. Who do you think you are, barking out nonsense here?”
The senior brother scoffed.
Li Jiansan merely smiled and said nothing.
With his current level, Li Jiansan could outclass any third-grade alchemist in an instant. If it came down to it, those three old men were nothing before him.
“Fine, let me show you my skills.”
The senior brother gave a loud shout and opened the pill furnace.
As Li Jiansan had predicted, the pill was just a bit undercooked—merely of mid-tier quality.
Seeing this, the senior brothers who had mocked Li Jiansan suddenly fell silent, their cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
How could this be?
He was actually right!
No, no, it must be a coincidence.
To judge a pill’s quality before the furnace is opened—not even the three grandmasters could do that. There’s no way this kid could.
With this thought, the senior brother regained his haughty demeanor.
The disciples around them began to sneer.
“Hmph, what’s so impressive? You just got lucky.”
“If you’re that skilled, why would you even be here?”
“Looking at you, I bet you’re one of the new recruits, aren’t you?”
Each of them wore a supercilious expression, faces begging to be slapped.
They had all joined the Alchemists’ Guild years before, and their seniority far surpassed Li Jiansan’s.
What’s more, even when they joined, they were already first-grade alchemists.
Some of them had now advanced to second grade, with this senior brother being the strongest among them.
Naturally, in front of a newcomer like Li Jiansan, they felt a sense of superiority, their gazes full of scorn and ridicule.
When Li Jiansan said nothing, the senior brother sneered,
“What’s wrong? You look unconvinced. Do you want to challenge me to a contest?”
At this, the other disciples burst out laughing.
“Hahaha, Senior Brother, you must be joking! This kid, challenge you? He wouldn’t dare!”
“Never mind you, Senior Brother—even any one of us—he’s not fit to compete.”
“Just the thought of competing with a rookie like him is embarrassing to even mention, hahaha…”
They took turns ridiculing him.
Li Jiansan glanced at them; most were only first-grade alchemists.
He himself was a dignified third-grade alchemist, yet apparently wasn’t qualified to compete with a group of first-graders. What a joke.
His face remained expressionless as he replied, “Yes.”
That single word left everyone momentarily stunned.
“What did he say? Is he crazy?”
“I think he was talking to Senior Brother.”
“Don’t tell me he really wants to challenge Senior Brother?”
“Haha, does he not know who our Senior Brother is? Zhao Junshan, heir to the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, a second-grade alchemist at such a young age, and famous in the Alchemists’ Guild. Even the three grandmasters are fond of him, and seem to want him as a disciple.”
“This kid dares challenge our Senior Brother—he really doesn’t know his place.”
Zhao Junshan himself was momentarily caught off guard by Li Jiansan’s sudden response.
“Are you afraid?” Li Jiansan glanced at him.
Zhao Junshan, flustered and annoyed, said, “Me, afraid?”
“If you want to compete, fine, but there should be a wager, don’t you think?”
Li Jiansan caught the implication and got straight to the point. “You want to make a bet?”
“That’s right. After the contest, the loser kneels and barks like a dog ten times. How about that?”
After a moment, Zhao Junshan sneered.
“Isn’t that a little too mild for a punishment?” Li Jiansan replied with an amused smile. “How about we raise the stakes?”
“Raise the stakes?” Zhao Junshan’s expression flickered with surprise, but after a pause, he asked, “How do you want to bet?”
“If you lose, you must kneel and bark like a dog…” Li Jiansan began with a faint smile.
Zhao Junshan interrupted him, “Isn’t that exactly what I said?”
“Wait,” Li Jiansan continued, “In addition, you must crawl around the entire Alchemists’ Guild, barking as you go.”
Crawl around the Alchemists’ Guild, barking?
The surrounding disciples’ faces all twitched, staring at Li Jiansan in shock.
This boy was taking things a bit too far.
Even Zhao Junshan looked unsettled, his gaze toward Li Jiansan tinged with a new wariness and respect.
After all, alchemists were highly esteemed, and nothing mattered more to them than dignity.
Li Jiansan’s wager would make the loser a laughingstock, their reputation in ruins.
“What’s wrong? Afraid?”
Seeing Zhao Junshan hesitate, Li Jiansan looked at him with contempt and said, “If you don’t dare, I can understand. No one likes to lose, after all…”
“Afraid of losing? Not me! I accept!”
Zhao Junshan snorted coldly.
“Name the rules of the contest, since I don’t want anyone to accuse me of bullying you!”