Chapter 319: All Depends on Acting Skills
Zhang Tiande was beaten up by the people from the Pill Alliance. Despite the pitiful condition he appeared to be in, his injuries weren’t severely grave.
However, being a disciple of Master Qi and getting badly beaten before everyone, he felt as if he had lost all his dignity.
Master Qi growled in rage, swearing to make those responsible pay, but no one paid any attention, even Elder Su just disdainfully rolled his eyes. With so many people involved, what could he possibly do? Arrest them all?
Master Qi understood that his disciple had been beaten for no reason, He was furious, but there were too many people involved and there was no way to punish them all. After all, wherever you go, the law does not punish the masses.
“Elder Su, please stand up for me!” At this time, Fang Lin’s cry came, attracting everyone’s attention towards him.
Fang Lin’s face was pale as he clutched his chest, appearing to have internal injuries. He wailed, “Elder Su, Zhang Tiande has injured me internally. He doesn’t respect the Pill Alliance of Qian Country.”
Elder Su stared in surprise at Fang Lin’s sniveling facade while everyone else also looked puzzled.
Master Qi almost went cross-eyed in anger. He thought to himself, ‘my disciple is hurt much worse, yet you’re the one wailing here. Who is the actual victim?’
Sun Kai was furious and pointed at Fang Lin roaring, “It’s because of you my junior brother ended up like this, you deserve death!”
Fang Lin looked terrified and wailed even louder, “Elder Su look, this man is even fiercer than Zhang Tiande. Is there no justice left? When has our Pill Alliance of Qian Country been so bullied?”
The other Pill Refiners who saw Fang Lin’s piteous state were empathetic and glared at Master Qi and Sun Kai.
Sun Kai became somewhat fearful. If he irritated everyone else and they all attacked him, it would not be worth it.
“Su Jianchuan, I will report everything my disciples and I have undergone here to the people above. I’d like to see how you’ll handle it!” Master Qi huffed.
Elder Su gave a slight smile, “How to deal with it is not for you to worry about, Master Qi. Instead, you should take the time to instruct your disciples properly. If they continue to be so arrogant and domineering, I’m afraid they might not even know how they died.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Kai shivered while Master Qi was filled with irritability, “How I teach my disciples is none of your business!”
After that, he turned around and walked away to the inner hall.
Sun Kai, supporting the battered and bruised Zhang Tiande, followed silently into the inner hall without displaying any arrogance.
After Master Qi and his disciples had gone, Fang Lin stopped his sobbing. On closer observation, his face was completely tearless, it was clear he had been acting this whole time.
The Zhong siblings watched in astonishment, it took them a while to comprehend what was happening.
Fang Lin glanced at them and smiled, “How was my acting?”
Zhong Haoran was speechless, and the naive Zhong Xiaorou nodded earnestly. She had truly believed that Fang Lin had been injured internally by Zhang Tiande and had been secretly worrying. She never expected that he was just acting, his performance was too convincing.
Fang Lin was playfully shaking his head and mumbling to himself like he was genuinely pleased by his acting skills.
By the afternoon, the public assessment was ongoing. Over three hundred examinees orderly began the examination.
The Zhong siblings were among them and Fang Lin had given them specific instructions to ensure they would pass the exam.
However, Fang Lin could only do so much. He could help the Zhong siblings attend the exam, but he could not directly make them pass.
The most critical part of the exam was up to them.
Fang Lin was also a participant of the exam, but not for the public test, rather for the Three Cauldrons Pill Refining test.
Since the entire Pill Alliance was busy with the public examination, Fang Lin’s test could only be held after everything was done.
Master Qi was absent during the first two stages of the exam, so were his disciples.
Elder Su and the rest of the Pill Alliance didn’t care either. Whether you came or not, it was just a formality.
Many young men and women were eliminated during the first two stages. Over three hundred candidates were reduced to around fifty by the third stage.
Among this fifty, the Zhong siblings stood out. They had successfully passed the first two stages and made it to the final stage, Pill Refining.
Both siblings had an excellent score, which was quite an accomplishment.
Fang Lin felt relieved knowing this. It seemed like the Zhong siblings did indeed have talent. He didn’t regret sponsoring them.
The third stage tested Pill Refining, which was the most crucial part. Although Master Qi was reluctant, he still showed up with a gloomy expression on his face.
“Master Qi, do you see any particularly exceptional children among these kids?” Elder Su intentionally asked seeing how Master Qi was still harboring resentment.
Hearing this, Master Qi became irritated, “Stop provoking me, Su Jianchuan. You will pay for this when the time comes.”
Elder Su laughed heartily, not bothered at all.
Eventually, the exam ended. Master Qi, restless, didn’t wait for the results. He left the examination place right after.
Out of more than fifty candidates, only eleven passed the final stage. Everyone else failed without exception.
The Zhong siblings did not let Fang Lin down and were among the eleven who succeeded.
When they wore the One Cauldron Pill Refiner’s badge on their chests, they were both overwhelmed with emotion. Zhong Xiaorou even burst into tears.
Having earned the badge allowed them a sense of belonging as they were no longer homeless orphans. Even though the Pill Alliance also had its complications, the siblings at least had their backs covered. Now, before the Shen family planned any further actions against them, they would have to ponder upon the consequences of provoking the Pill Alliance.
“Brother Fang, you’re the savior of us both, we’re willing to be your servants and repay your kindness,” said the siblings as they approached Fang Lin, with Zhong Haoran being particularly emotional.
Fang Lin grinned and patted their shoulders, “I didn’t do anything extraordinary, your own talent was what got you through the exam. What are your plans, will you stay here?”
Zhong Haoran nodded, “We’re homeless now, so we must stay in the Pill Alliance. I wanted to follow you to the Purple Mist Sect, but I couldn’t leave Xiaorou here alone.”
“These two have potential, I want to take them with me.” Just then, Master Qi suddenly interrupted, pointing at the Zhong siblings without sparing a glance towards Fang Lin.