"Heh, whoever can be productive shall receive the flawless pill as a gift."
Those were the only words that kept repeating in the minds of Alchemist Ren and Chau Zhimen.
What Jiang Ming meant was that whoever was more productive and useful in assisting him would be the one to receive a national treasure, a flawless pill.
Alchemist Ren was filled with joy as he wished to jump up and start dancing already.
Who was he?
He was a certified 3rd-rank alchemist but had recently advanced to the 4th-rank. And compared to Chau Zhimen, who had no skills whatsoever, it would be a breeze for him to snatch the flawless pill.
Even Chau Zhimen knew that and was frustrated.
"This is unfair. Senior Ren is more experienced than me, so how am I supposed to refine more pills than him when I haven't even succeeded in refining a 1st-rank pill, let alone a 4th-rank." He complained loudly.
Jiang Ming smirked coldly when he heard his words.
Of course, he wouldn't forget their skill disparity was way too large to compete in the same category.
"I haven't even stated what types of pill you are to refine, so what the hell are you complaining about, Chau Zhimen." Jiang Ming snorted, smacking his head in the process.
"For Little Ren, his task is to refine the 3rd and 4th rank pills. As for you, Chau Zhimen, your task is to refine 1st and 2nd rank pills. And the competition would be calculated in points. 1st and 3rd rank pills would be 1 point and the other two ranks would be 3 points."
Alchemist Ren froze in place when he heard the rules. His so-called advantage of being the most experienced was backfiring him.
Meanwhile, Chau Zhimen chuckled loudly as he held a sneering look at Alchemist Ren.
'Heh, weren't you so proud of your experience, Senior Ren?' Chau Zhimen thought.
With Jiang Ming's judging criteria, everything had become fair and square. Hence, no one would complain if they were to lose the battle.
Jiang Ming praised himself silently as he prepared all the necessary herbs and recipes for the two of them.
Once all the preparation was done, he clasped his hand and glanced at them.
"The competition starts now," He announced.
Instantly, Alchemist Ren and Chau Zhimen rushed to their respective place and began heating up the cauldron. It was clear that the two of them would not give the other advantage in terms of time.
'Haa just a flawless pill could make them work like slaves… How wonderful is the occupation of an alchemist.' Jiang Ming laughed wickedly, leaving the refinement room.
He wasn't afraid that they would try to cheat since he had the whole room on surveillance cam with the help of the GLCS.
After walking out, Jiang Ming was shocked to see Hong Ling and Chau Heung chatting happily outside.
"Did Jiang Ming really decapitate an official head in public like that?" Chau Heung asked in shock.
Hong Ling nodded her head.
"Mhmm, my Young Master is really peerless and unafraid of anything. Those who offended him would always receive a terrible ending. Not even a powerful clan dare to mess with my Young Master now." Hong Ling responded in a prideful manner.
"Ahem, it's a bit embarrassing when two women are talking behind my back."
Hong Ling and Chau Heung suddenly stopped chatting when they noticed Jiang Ming was in front of them.
"Y-Young Master…"
"J-Jiang Ming…"
Both Chau Heung and Hong Ling quickly stood up and nervously greeted Jiang Ming.
It was obvious that they didn't expect to see Jiang Ming walking out so soon.
"I didn't know you two are familiar with each other, much less the gossiper type." Jiang Ming teased.
Chau Heung blushed at his tease whereas Hong Ling stood up and bowed to him.
"Y-Young Master, I wanted to explain this morning's incident to you," Hong Ling said.
"No need to explain, Hong Ling. I completely understand and you didn't have to come all the way here to clarify."
"But I'm really not-"
"Anyway, the two people inside are currently helping me refine pills, and Chau Heung, you can rest assured. With the technique I imparted to Chau Zhimen, he's guaranteed to be able to refine 1st-rank pills, and as for 2nd-rank pills, that will depend on how much talent he has." Jiang Ming swiftly changed the topic and relayed the information to Chau Heung.
Chau Heung was completely grateful for Jiang Ming's assistance in helping her little brother out.
"Thank you, Jiang Ming." She said sincerely, revealing a little bit of her cleavage in the meantime.
"Chau Heung will be in your service as long as you wish for it." She added.
"Hong Ling will also be in your service as well." Hong Ling intervened, unwilling to let Chau Heung gain all the spotlight.
Jiang Ming could only show a helpless smile as he nodded his head. He spent a few more minutes chatting with them before telling them that he needed to leave.
There are still many more things he needed to prepare, so he won't be able to stay in the alchemist guild to supervise Chau Zhimen and Alchemist Ren.
"Here's a communication token that you can contact me," Jiang Ming said, giving out a token to Chau Heung.
"Though I won't be available soon, so if you ever find yourself in some kind of muddy water, you are free to contact Hong Ling. She will assist you when that happens."
Chau Heung held the token tightly as she smiled blissfully. "T-Thank you again, Jiang Ming."
"Stop saying so many thanks. It makes us very foreign." Jiang Ming laughed heartily, patting Hong Ling on the shoulder. "I'll leave the supervising to you, Hong Ling."
After that, Jiang Ming headed downstairs, not giving them another chance to start a new topic. A busy day must be completed in an instant.
'GLCS, have you found out the origin of those three people yet?' Jiang Ming asked the system silently.