Chapter 819: Lu Feng's Frenzy
Chapter 819: Lu Feng's Frenzy
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
"The pills have escaped? What do you mean by they have escaped?"
Lu Feng and the four vice school heads were stunned.
Other than a few pills that they would use themselves, most of the 6-star apothecaries in the Apothecary School would store the pills they had forged in the Pill Chamber, where they would be labelled with a price and sold when the opportunity presented itself.
The middle-aged man happened to be in charge of this matter.
It could be said that most of the wealth of the 6-star apothecaries in the Apothecary School was within the Pill Chamber, and yet, you are telling me that those pills have escaped?
Are you kidding me?
"It's true! They have escaped on their own…" the middle-aged man said in a panic, but he had no idea how he could explain the situation.
Just like the other teachers in the Apothecary School, he was a 6-star master teacher as well. Yet, for a person of his capability to be rendered incapable of explaining himself, the situation he had encountered must have been truly shocking.
"What in the world happened?"
With a livid face, Lu Feng demanded furiously, "Explain yourself clearly!"
"It's like this. I was in one of the Pill Chambers checking on the pills when all of a sudden… the pills began flying by themselves. They rushed out of the chamber and disappeared into the sky…" the middle-aged man said.
"You are telling me that… the pills flew away by themselves?" The lower jaws of the group of five fell to the ground.
Just like Spirit artifacts, while grade-6 pills did possess a spirit, it was impossible for them to move unless they had acknowledged a master.
But making a pill acknowledge one as its master was far more difficult than making an artifact acknowledge one! It would be difficult for even an apothecary to do so, needless to say, others!
More importantly… it was clearly impossible to make so many pills acknowledge someone as their master at the same time!
Suddenly, Lu Feng recalled something, and he hurriedly asked, "Before the pills started flying, did anyone enter the Pill Chamber?"
"A young man in his twenties came by, saying that he wanted to take a look around. He went around touching each and every pill, but eventually, he left without buying a single one," the middle-aged man said after some contemplation.
There weren't many people who could afford grade-6 pills, so there were rarely any customers at the Pill Chamber. That young man was the only guest he had seen the entire day, so he remembered him clearly.
"A young man in his twenties? Does he look like that?" Lu Feng swiftly drew a picture of a young man in the air using his zhenqi. Naturally, the young man he drew was Zhang Xuan.
Upon reaching Saint realm, one would be able to do accomplish many unimaginable feats with zhenqi, and drawing a picture in midair was only one of the many abilities.
The middle-aged man quickly nodded. "Yes, that's him!"
"As I expected…" In that instant, Lu Feng's body shook uncontrollably, and he nearly went insane.
He had been worrying that Zhang Xuan would reduce the Apothecary School to ruins, just like the Physician School, so he had been keeping his guard up against the latter. But who knew that… instead of destroying their school, he would end up taking their wealth instead!
In order to forge those grade-6 pills, the 6-star apothecaries of the Apothecary School had devoted incalculable time, effort, and most importantly of all, money, to the point that even School Head Lu and the four vice school heads themselves were heavily in debt, waiting for the pills to be sold to earn back their money to clear their debt…
But… just by touching each one, that fellow had all of those pills acknowledge him as their master and took them away…
If the Apothecary Pavilion had collapsed, they could just rebuild it with the profit earned from selling those pills. On top of that, the Master Teacher Academy and the Apothecary Guild would also help to cover some of the cost of reparation as well. However, those pills were their personal property, so it was impossible to obtain any reparation from the Master Teacher Academy or the Apothecary Guild.
In other words, with the disappearance of those pills, nearly all of the apothecaries in the Apothecary School were currently bankrupt!
Lu Feng clutched his chest tightly.
My heart, my lungs, my kidneys…
"Let's go over and take a look!"
The group hurriedly rushed to the Pill Chamber, only to see that the vast room was completely empty.
As the pills had escaped on their own accord, they had no concrete evidence to prove that this was Zhang Xuan's doing. Thus, if the latter were to deny it vehemently, there would be nothing they could do either!
Lu Feng turned to the middle-aged man and asked anxiously, "Do you know where the young man who touched the pills earlier went to?"
As important as this matter was, it was of greater importance for them to track down Zhang Xuan and stop him from doing any more harm.
After a moment of thought, the middle-aged man replied, "I'm not too sure… Judging from the direction he left in, I think he might have gone to the Apothecary Auditorium!"
"Apothecary Auditorium?" Lu Feng's body shook. "This is bad!"
Without any hesitation, he ran out of the Pill Chamber and rushed in the direction of the Apothecary Auditorium. With grim expressions as well, the four vice school heads hurriedly followed him.
The Apothecary Auditorium was where most apothecaries listened to public lectures. It was where most of the students of the Apothecary School usually spent their time.
If that fellow were to go there and lecture like he did outside the library… there might very well be no one left in the entire Apothecary School! Screw that!
While that fellow had destroyed the buildings in the Blacksmith School and Physician School, the damage that he had caused could easily be resolved with ample money. On top of that, his deeds had also boosted the reputation of those schools, and there had been a rise in the number of students who applied for those two schools.
But what he was doing in the Apothecary School was completely different! If he were to conduct another lecture as he had done outside the library and all of the students withdrew from the Apothecary School… A school with only teachers and no students at all would be as good as dead!
In a school, the priority was always the student. Could a teacher without any students still be called a teacher?
Screw that!
It was already bad enough that he had taken all of the grade-6 pills in the Pill Chamber, but now, he was plotting to create an exodus in the Apothecary School as well…
That was as good as snapping the very roots that made the Apothecary School itself!
Lu Feng clutched his chest once more.
My heart, my lungs, my kidney, my bladder…
Moving as fast as they could, it took only ten breaths for School Head Lu and the vice school heads to arrive at the Apothecary Auditorium. What they saw before them left them on the brink of mental breakdown.
The auditorium could hold more than several dozen thousand people simultaneously but was still usually densely packed with people. However, there was nary a human in sight at this very moment. Other than a cat or two here and there, there was not a single soul to be seen.
Somehow, the emptiness seemed to reek of desolation, as if declaring that the era of glory that the Apothecary School had once enjoyed was over.
After searching around, School Head Lu finally found the teacher in charge of managing the Apothecary Auditorium, and he rushed up to question him.
"Wu laoshi, where are the students? Where are the students?!"
Wu Tian was a 6-star apothecary, one of the elders of the Apothecary School.
But instead of responding to School Head Lu's question, Wu laoshi continued packing his luggage and said, "School head, you came a timely moment. I was intending to head to your office to bid you farewell…"
"Bid me farewell?" Lu Feng's figure froze, and anxiety swiftly covered his entire face. "Could it be due to that Zhang Xuan again?"
"That's right."
Wu Tian nodded with a light chuckle. "Zhang shi's lecture has truly opened my eyes, so I acknowledged him as my teacher. From this day forth, I shall no longer be an elder of the Apothecary School but an ordinary member of the Xuanxuan Faction! I shall study hard there and aim to achieve a breakthrough as soon as I can!"
"You have… acknowledged him as your teacher?" The edge of Lu Feng's lips twitched, and he nearly spurted a mouthful of blood.
The fact that Wu Tian was a lecturer for several dozen thousand students reflected the extent of his capability and his standing in the Apothecary School. Yet, a figure like him… had actually acknowledged Zhang Xuan as his teacher?
You must be freaking kidding me!
Not only so, he was even willing to lower himself to become an ordinary member of the Xuanxuan Faction… Tell me, just which screw in your head is loose?
The Xuanxuan Faction is only an ordinary student faction, what is an elder like you getting involved in it for?
"Alright, I will be taking my leave now…"
After Wu Tian finally finished packing up his items, he turned around and left decisively, devoid of any hesitation or wistfulness for the Apothecary School.
"Wu laoshi, wait a moment… If you have acknowledged Zhang Xuan as your teacher, what about the other teachers? We should have around forty teachers in the Apothecary Auditorium, where did they go?" School Head Lu shouted after him.
You might be an elder, an important existence to the Apothecary School, but as long as the other teachers are around, we can surely survive even without you. But… why is the entire area completely empty? Even if the students aren't around, surely the teachers should be?
"The others were far more decisive than I was. At this moment, they have probably already reported to the Xuanxuan Faction. Alright, I really have to get going now. Otherwise, if I miss a lecture, I will lag behind the others…" Wu Tian waved his hands before turning around and walking into the distance.
"All of them have r-r-reported to the Xuanxuan Faction?" Weakness suddenly assaulted Lu Feng, and he fell onto the floor on his bottom. At this instant, he didn't seem like a man who wielded immense power but a defeated old man.
The hell!
It is one thing for the students of the Apothecary School to leave, but for you to actually take the teachers as your students as well…
If that is going to be the case, you might as well demolish my entire Apothecary School! Now that I am without students and teachers, what is the point of all of these facilities…
Lu Feng and the four vice school heads glanced at one another in frenzy. No words could explain what they were feeling at this moment.
"School head, if you hadn't interfered in You Xu's matter, I think the most that would have happened to our Apothecary School is only a few collapsed buildings. But this… what should we do now?" Vice School Head Zhou sighed deeply.
"I don't know either…" Lu Feng muttered with a blank look on his face.
It was just a moment ago that he was doing all he could to prevent Zhang Xuan from destroying the facilities of the Apothecary School. However, at this instant, he found himself wishing for that to happen instead…
The Apothecary School was known as the number one in the Master Teacher Academy due to its overwhelming number of students and excellent teaching staff. It was on this basis that he had become the de facto leader of the Ten Great Master Teachers, the stand-in principal of the academy…
But now that the only ones remaining in the academy were him and the vice school heads, his basis of power had vanished. Perhaps, the influence he had might even be beneath that of the Terpsichore School at this very instant!
How did this befall him?
My heart, my lungs, my kidneys, my bladder… now even the opening to my bladder is hurting…
Reluctant to give up just like that, Lu Feng gritted his teeth in determination and stood up. "Let's head over to the Xuanxuan Faction. I don't believe that a freshman like him can really win the loyalty of the three hundred teachers and sixty thousand students of our Apothecary School!"
No matter what, he was a 6-star pinnacle master teacher, a figure who could possibly become a 7-star master teacher in the near future. Would he really lose to a mere freshman?
"Alright!" The other vice school heads nodded.
The group followed Wu laoshi's figure, and after around twenty minutes later, they finally arrived at the dormitories of the freshmen, which also served as the headquarters of the Xuanxuan Faction.
Even from afar, one could see an enormous crowd gathered in the area.
Standing guard at the main entrance were three mighty-looking Grade-4 students, one wielding a spear, one wielding a saber, and the last one bare-handed.
They were the trio who had lost in the bet against Zhang Xuan back then, Ying Qin, Bai Mian, and Yuan Gang.
Seated on a stool right behind the entrance gate was a fatty. He held onto a basket in his hands as he shook his plump thighs casually in a crude manner. Upon seeing the group of five, he immediately stood up and welcomed them. "Oh, isn't this our great School Head Lu? Are you intending to enter to listen to the lecture? That will be one high-tier spirit stone each! We don't discriminate over here, so we charge everyone the same price!"
"What did you say?" Lu Feng's cheeks twitched violently, and he nearly erupted on the spot.
Upon hearing the argument, Zheng Yang stepped out and clasped his fist.
"School Head Lu, since we are fellow elders of the Master Teacher Academy, I will dispense with the ceremonies and just address you as senior. Senior Lu, my teacher is currently imparting profound knowledge of pill forging, so anyone who wishes to listen to the lecture must pay the entrance fee. This is the rule, as well as a sign of respect for the teaching occupation as well. Uncle Sun is only abiding by the rules, so as juniors, I hope that you won't make things difficult for my uncle!"
"Senior? Uncle Qiang? Me, a junior?" Lu Feng felt as if his entire world had turned dark.
The hell! When in the world did my standing become even beneath that of a fatty who only knows how to collect money from others?