"Suzerain Li, you seem all tied up, but I wonder whether I could ask you a favor?" In spite of his unremarkable height and low-pitched voice, one could pick up on a sense of dominance in his inquiry.
"Immortal Shan, take it easy. Could you please wait for a minute? You see something urgent has come up to me." Li Taixuan had known that Shan popped over to the Taixuan Clan, seemingly hard-pressed, hence Li especially vacated the Elixir Furnace Hall for him, considering that he needed a peace of mind.
Fully aware of Shan's unreasonable obsession about alchemy, Li believed Shan must have got in trouble, otherwise, he wouldn't have come to seek his help instead of studying alchemy in the hall.
"It's rather simple, then I'll stop mincing words as you're up to your neck. I took a liking to one of your disciples and wonder whether you would let me have him, and you could get anything you fancy from my clan in return as long as you see fit."Shan raise his eyebrows, beaming.
In fact, an alchemy-related issue has plagued Shan for ages, and he had visited clans in the Chijing Prefecture across the board, which led nowhere in the end.
And he actually hadn't had high hopes for the Taixuan Clan, but a young disciple, a mere nobody, unexpectedly caught his eyes with awe-inspiring fire-control mudra techniques. That enlightened Shan and helped have his thorny issue sorted accordingly.
The disciple, albeit deficient in martial competence, revealed his unparalleled innate talent at alchemy. Without a second thought, Shan Chengfeng set his heart on him right after he left the Elixir Furnace Hall.
Though the Taixuan Clan had regressed to a third-rate one, Shan was a stickler for equality, so he came to consult with Li Taixuan in person.
Li Tainxuan had no idea about what Shan had in mind and didn't take to heart the terms he proposed.
On hearing Shan's proposal, Li hastened to say, "The esteemed Immortal could pick anyone he wants in my clan, it is a blessing for whoever to become Immortal Shan's follower."
Shan's proposal put Li at ease, as that was just a piece of cake, compared to something else he might not be able to help with. A mere disciple was absolutely expendable, and the favor would further benefit the clan in purchasing elixirs. What a cost-effective deal!
And none of the disciples bore comparison to the trapped Lin Xiao, Li thought. Now he only wished that the Grandmaster Chiyan could have equipped Lin Xiao with anything available to help him break through the boundary of the wonderland.
Li Taixuan looked away, eyes teeming with anxiety.
But the thought of the grandmaster's remarkable competence brought hopes to Li again — anyone picked by him was by no means average. Compounded with the air of grandeur Lin Xiao unintentionally revealed while conversing with Li Taixuan, which even surpassed his own, Li deemed it unlikely that his junior martial uncle would die prematurely.
Believing Lin would endure it, the relieved Li gave a friendly smile to Shan Chengfeng and furtively tipped a wink at Wu Gui.
The young disciple Wu Gui was born with the element of fire, destined to be engaged in alchemy. He would have better prospects by following Shan than staying here
It was worth noting that Li Taixuan boasted respectable generosity. Li Taixuan prioritized Wu Gui's prospects rather than the truth that Wu would rise to become a mainstay of the clan as a third-generation disciple. Li had it over his counterparts in terms of this merit alone.
Feeling Li's wink, Wu Gui lifted his head, confused.
Li said to Shan Chengfeng with a smile, " Immortal Shan, this is my disciple, born with the element of fire, you may feel free to take him if you feel up to."
Had it been in normal times, Wu Gui would have agreed to that proposal in ecstasy. But now he turned green around the gills on hearing what Li said.
It would have been a chance if Shan Chengfeng had intended to punish him.
"No way! I have got to say no!" Wu Gui pondered. When Wu was dwelling on a better way to put his refusal in a bid to stay with his master, Shan shook his head and gave a sidelong glance to Wu, " Suzerain Li, a good-for-nothing is not what I crave."