Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 376 - 232: A Change from the Norm

"Alchemist Lu is currently a second-class alchemist at White Cloud Pharmacy—a man with immense promise."

Even though Liu Yun didn’t appreciate the tall, thin cultivator’s attitude, he saw no reason to hide the truth; it was still up to Lu Chang’sheng to clear up the doubts.

Recruiting talent for the Guild and networking were merits that simply couldn’t be ignored.

"Oh? In that case, I’d like to meet this Alchemist Lu myself to see if he lives up to his reputation." The tall, thin cultivator paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

He didn’t buy Liu Yun’s words, but having reached their position, they always needed a backup plan. If true, he could go along with it; if false, he’d simply press harder.

Noting the calmness on the tall, thin cultivator’s face, Liu Yun’s heart sank again; he knew things weren’t likely to resolve smoothly today.

"It’s rare for a Guild Inspector to show up in a backwater place like Platinum Immortal City. When they do, it almost always means something serious is going down."

Thinking of this, a wave of disinterest washed over him—the bitterness in his heart deepened. His family had never been influential; they couldn’t afford to send him to an Immortal Sect. Only by sheer luck had he landed at the Glazed Glass Commerce Association. He’d hoped to further advance before his lifespan ran out, but the lady he’d served abruptly lost power.

Such is fate!

"Sir, Alchemist Lu is here."

Just then, Fu Chen brought Lu Chang’sheng inside.

Liu Yun forced a faint smile and greeted Lu Chang’sheng.

"You must be Alchemist Lu?" The tall, thin cultivator’s eyes lingered on Lu Chang’sheng for a moment, a hint of a smile crossing his face.

"I am Su Mu, a Level 1 Inspector from the Glazed Glass Trading House. Pleasure to meet you, Alchemist Lu."

"Ah, so you’re the Inspector—I apologize for my ignorance."

Lu Chang’sheng hurried to reply. Though he hadn’t been at the Platinum Immortal City branch of Glazed Glass Trading House for long, he was well aware of the Inspector’s role.

Those cultivators oversaw financial matters across the regions and wielded some enforcement power.

Still, this one rarely visited Platinum Immortal City; according to Liu Yun, the last time was seven or eight years ago.

After all, Platinum Immortal City was remote and minor.

For him to come in person this time, it was clearly a major staff shake-up at the Trading House.

Lu Chang’sheng mused silently.

Seeing Liu Yun’s forced smile, he immediately sensed his guess was spot-on.

"It’s just perfect that Alchemist Lu is here. I’ve learned you’ve become an Honored Guest Elder at our Trading House, but as an Inspector, I haven’t yet seen your skills in the art of alchemy. Could you show me a glimpse of your abilities?"

After a bit of small talk, Su Mu’s patience was clearly running thin.

He searched through memories but found no impression of Lu Chang’ssheng, causing him to look down on him somewhat.

Lu Chang’ssheng didn’t take offense, saying, "Naturally, I’d be honored."

They walked toward the alchemy rooms reserved for Honored Guest Elders.

The place was set up for alchemy, but since the Trading House in Platinum Immortal City lacked the qualifications and funds to sponsor many alchemists, the area wasn’t large.

Most days, Lu Chang’ssheng spent his time at the Lu Mansion or White Cloud Pavilion—he seldom came here.

Thus, there wasn’t a suitable spot for alchemy; whenever he needed to work here, he had to prepare ahead in the unused rooms next door.

If Liu Yun asked Lu Chang’ssheng for help, he’d either send the ingredients over or schedule an appointment, preparing a few days in advance for Lu Chang’sheng’s visit.

With Su Mu’s sudden arrival, Liu Yun couldn’t possibly have a room ready; he could only borrow another alchemist’s workspace.

At that moment, the door to that alchemy room was tightly shut, with two young cultivators standing guard on either side.

Seeing the newcomers, both snapped out of their daze, hurriedly saying, "Greetings, honored Immortals!"

"Is Alchemist Wu inside, busy with alchemy?"

Liu Yun asked.

"Yes, Master’s been in great form lately, and he’s trying to use this chance to make a batch of pills—hoping he can seize upon a breakthrough."

The young cultivator on the left replied, his tone hinting at pride.

It made sense; it was their master, after all, and if he advanced, his disciples would benefit too.

Liu Yun praised them out of courtesy, but was hardly moved. Alchemist Wu was a long-standing fixture sponsored by Platinum Immortal City—an old hand, but after decades, still just a second-tier alchemist, able to craft two kinds of top-grade pills.

Twenty or thirty years ago, when Liu Yun had just arrived, he’d felt hope; now, he was numb to it.

"How much longer?"

"Not sure, master’s been in there two days already." the young cultivator replied.

Liu Yun glanced over at Su Mu, intending to inquire, but Su Mu was already smiling, "Alchemist Wu’s cultivation comes first."

"Still, it’s not ideal to make Alchemist Lu wait for that long,"

Liu Yun added.

Su Mu shook his head and turned to Lu Chang’ssheng, "It’ll be three to five days, tops. Surely Alchemist Lu can afford to wait?"

"Of course," Lu Chang’ssheng replied, smiling.

He truly had nothing urgent; his alchemy cultivation had hit a bottleneck—by the book, he’d need decades for the next breakthrough. Waiting a few days was a welcome break.

Su Mu left, satisfied.

Liu Yun’s eyes flickered with indignation; he gave Lu Chang’ssheng a resigned look, sighing, "Sorry to trouble you, Alchemist Lu. Ultimately, this is all because of me."

"You’re too hard on yourself, Steward Liu. Fellow Daoist Su hasn’t crossed any lines."

Liu Yun could sense Lu Chang’ssheng’s sincere attitude, and felt truly grateful to him.

"Little Fu Chen said he ran into you outside—was there something you needed today, Fellow Daoist?"

"Let’s talk after this is over." Lu Chang’ssheng thought for a moment before replying.

If not for Su Mu’s arrival, he would’ve said it outright, but with the Inspector here for the branch manager position, it’d only embarrass Liu Yun to bring it up now.

Two days later, Lu Chang’ssheng was seated in the Guild’s courtyard, studying Master Baiyun’s Jade Scroll of Alchemy Dao.

To this day, he couldn’t fully comprehend the contents—the knowledge inside was strictly for second-grade alchemists, all high-level stuff for his current stage.

"If I had a second-grade alchemist as a mentor, perhaps that would be my chance to advance."

Lu Chang’ssheng lamented inwardly.

Teaching oneself from the Jade Scroll couldn’t compare to a master’s personal instruction. If it weren’t for his Golden Finger, even having this treasure in front of him might reveal nothing to him.

Unfortunately, whether in Great Yuan or the Spirit Realm, those who’d mastered a craft always jealously guarded their secrets—never teaching it to anyone except direct lineage disciples.

So Lu Chang’sheng had been forced to find another way, searching for methods to break through to second-grade.

"Master Baiyun’s command of alchemy is still lacking compared to Profound Turtle."

He produced Profound Turtle’s Turtle Shell Map; although it likely only contained a fraction of Profound Turtle’s accumulated experience, its subtlety was leagues above Master Baiyun’s record.

Lu Chang’sheng was half a step into second-grade alchemist territory by now—he could see the difference.

"Second-grade is within reach."

"Alchemist Lu, Alchemist Wu is finishing up!" Fu Chen’s voice rang outside the door.

Lu Chang’sheng opened the door and, with Fu Chen, followed the corridor to the alchemy room.

"Alchemist Lu, you’re here." Liu Yun was waiting with Su Mu outside the pill room.

Hearing Liu Yun’s words, Su Mu turned, nodded politely.

"Alchemist Lu, you’ve been our Honored Guest Elder for some time now. How have you gotten along with Alchemist Wu?"

"Well enough."

"You’re an interesting one, Fellow Daoist Lu," Su Mu chuckled.

Lu Chang’ssheng returned the smile; after two days, Su Mu’s scorn seemed to have faded—he must have learned a bit more about Lu Chang’ssheng’s background.

Still, judging by his tone, his respect was clearly reserved for Alchemist Wu.

"That’s expected—Old Wu is a high-standing alchemist. In White Cloud Pavilion, he can barely match the likes of Xiao Feng, while I, for all my efforts, am only a newly minted second-tier alchemist."

Twenty years was barely a blip to these people.

At that moment, a joyful voice cried out—a bearded elder had flung open the pill room’s doors and set his eyes on Lu Chang’ssheng, brimming with delight.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, a rare treat to see you! I nearly died of missing you. Now that you’re here, you must stay at least a year or more—if not, I’ll come camp at your mansion and refuse to leave!"

The sudden exuberance made Su Mu raise an eyebrow.

He knew a thing or two about Wu Yun—straightforward to a fault and discerning, always looking down his nose at those beneath him.

"Alchemist Wu, do you still remember me?"

Su Mu smiled, but Wu Yun only gave him a glance before hurrying to Lu Chang’ssheng, exclaiming, "Come, come—follow me, let’s have a long chat in my room!"

"Not so fast, Fellow Daoist Wu. I’ll need to borrow your alchemy room this time." Lu Chang’ssheng said with a smile.

"Don’t be polite, use it as long as you want. What pill are you making? I’ll be your assistant!"

Lu Chang’ssheng shook his head, "Next time, perhaps. This project must be completed solo."

Wu Yun frowned, then glanced at Su Mu beside him, his eyes filled with inquiry.

Wu Yun was a veteran alchemist, brought over years ago by the last Trading House manager, snatched from White Cloud Pharmacy and treasured ever since.

As an old hand serving the Trading House, his standing was naturally above Su Mu, who was only a ninth-level Qi cultivator and Inspector.

So each time, Su Mu made sure to stay on Wu Yun’s good side.

"Was it Fellow Daoist Su’s order?"

Su Mu could now gauge Lu Chang’ssheng’s skill—he forced a bitter smile, "Blame me, say my earlier remarks were nonsense."

Wu Yun had made no effort to hide his favor for Lu Chang’ssheng. Su Mu would have to be brain-dead to risk offending two prized alchemists over a minor issue.

Otherwise, if an alchemist left, higher-ups would put a black mark on his record for sure.

But figuring out what to do about Liu Yun—that was a problem.

Su Mu frowned deeply.

"I’ll need to explain this to you, Fellow Daoist Lu."

There was no avoiding Liu Yun’s transfer; the top ranks wouldn’t stand for it under the current regime. No matter how hard Su Mu struggled, he was powerless to change it.

So, as soon as they left the alchemy room, Su Mu sought out Lu Chang’ssheng.

First, he offered a sincere apology for today, then said, "What’s your opinion of Steward Liu, Alchemist Lu?"

He was reading between the lines.

Lu Chang’sheng had already guessed Su Mu’s intentions—it wasn’t hard to figure out he was probing the depth of Liu Yun’s relationship with Lu Chang’ssheng.

It would help in deciding how to handle Liu Yun’s reassignment.

"To be honest, Fellow Daoist Su, Steward Liu has treated me quite well. If possible, I’d prefer he kept his position."

"Sigh—this is tricky, even I can’t call the shots. You may not know, Alchemist Lu, but this involves high-level personnel changes at the Trading House. Steward Liu came from the losing faction, so he’s first on the chopping block."

Lu Chang’ssheng kept silent, so Su Mu said helplessly, "Liu Yun’s replacement is already on the way—he’ll be here soon."

"Chang’sheng understands," Lu Chang’ssheng replied, resigned—he simply didn’t have the weight to change it.

The ruling faction at the Trading House was targeting Liu Yun and the other minor figures. As a first-grade alchemist, Lu Chang’ssheng knew he couldn’t stir up much trouble.

So he could only let the matter drop—he would help if he could, but if not, there was nothing to be done.

Seeing Lu Chang’ssheng accept the situation, Su Mu relaxed, though he was now a little disgruntled with Liu Yun’s successor.

If he’d arrived earlier, Su Mu wouldn’t have been saddled with the whole affair.

In the end, Su Mu was just cleaning up for the guy—tidying things for him to step in and take command of an already stable branch.