Shen Zhe couldn't think of anything else when Xin Qi asked him.
Xin Qi felt that he was passing out due to anger.
"To avoid getting a zero?"
"Do you have no better goals?"
"What can you do after your graduation if your grade is so terrible? Do you have no plans for your future at all?"
"I said before the quiz that I would forgive you if you scored more than sixty points… Since you only have three points, you will take two slaps from me!"
Calming himself down, Xin Qi wasted no time talking to the bad student and gathered power in his palm.
While he was a Druggist and fighting was not his strongest suit, he was on par with level-one Mages and Martial Artists anyway. A storm seemed to be rising in the classroom, giving everyone enormous pressure.
Shen Zhe's face cramped.
He knew that if the teacher did hit him, he would be terribly wounded even though he had reached the seventh stage of body polishing.
"Wait…"
Raising his head, Shen Zhe said stubbornly, "Sir, let me ask you… Can your standard answer melt the Masculine Sun Grass and the Purification White Lotus without any herbal catalyst?"
Seeing that the student was not embarrassed but questioned him instead, Xin Qi was even angrier, "Are you doubting the validity of my answer?"
"He's doing it again…"
Ling Xueru's lips twitched.
The other students in the class were also stunned.
Shen Zhe was bold enough to challenge Ms. Bai Yu the previous day, and he was challenging Mr. Xin Qi just then…
Since when had the bad students become so confident?
For a while, everybody wondered whether or not Shen Zhe was the actual genius who had been laying low.
"Of course not!" said Shen Zhe, "But my answer can perfectly melt the two herbs. I've even tried it myself!"
"Have you?" Xin Qi frowned, "You claim that you can melt those two herbs perfectly without any herbal catalyst?"
The Masculine Sun Grass and the Purification White Lotus had covert effects that would be compromised by herbal catalysts. It was the reason why Xin Qi had been studying how to melt them without any herbal catalysts.
He had run more than a hundred experiments, all being unsuccessful.
But the student who scored three points said that he successfully integrated them…
How was it possible?
"Yes!" Shen Zhe nodded.
Seeing how certain he was, Xin Qi read the answer more carefully.
He focused on the grade just then and didn't really notice what the answer was.
His lips twitched as he read the answer.
It wasn't refining at all but more like cooking…
By common sense, it couldn't work at all!
"Wait… The master of refining yesterday…"
He suddenly thought of something.
After the master of refining made a perfect herb liquid the other day, the room was full of smoke and had the smell of barbecue. Was that the method what he used?
Was it possible that the master Xin Qi had been looking for was the student who had the last place of the school?
However, it was too great a deal for him to jump to any conclusions. He had to confirm it first.
Thinking about that, Xin Qi paused for a moment and asked, "You wrote that oil and pepper powder had to be added. What about other seasonings?"
Shen Zhe considered for a moment and replied, "The product will taste better if soy sauce and vinegar are added at the right moment!"
"…"
All the other students looked at each other as if stunned.
Wasn't the discussion about how he got three points?
Wasn't he going to be taught a lesson?
Why was he talking about pepper powder, soy sauce, and vinegar?
"I'm hungry…"
Wang Qing swallowed. He was starving.
To sleep more in the morning, he didn't have any breakfast. When pepper powder was mentioned, he immediately thought of a delicious barbecue and couldn't hold it back anymore.
"It's true!"
Ignoring the other students' shock, Xin Qi grew solemn.
He was certain that the person who had used the refining room the day before was deeply connected to Shen Zhe, if it wasn't Shen Zhe himself.
Otherwise, Shen Zhe wouldn't have mentioned soy sauce and vinegar.
"Ling Xueru, you will tell everybody how you resolved the question. Shen Zhe, come with me!"
After the confirmation, Xin Qi gave an instruction and left the classroom.
"Yes, sir…"
Shen Zhe followed him.
The room was filled with whispers after they were gone.
"Shen Zhe said he tried it in person. Was he serious?"
"He couldn't be. You think he's capable of refining?"
"Three points in the quiz means that he knows nothing about the reactions of the herbs. His furnace will explode if he starts refining!"
"I assume that Mr. Xin Qi is taking him to the office to punish him for his nonsense!"
"Why?"
"Mr. Xin Qi has always been revered as a rare Druggist. Beating a student in public would be too demeaning for him. There will be fewer things to worry about if it's in his office…"
"You're right. Let's pray for Shen Zhe…"
"Let's mourn for him…"
"Let's prepare for his funeral…"
…
Everybody looked at Shen Zhe's back in sympathy.
They all knew Xin Qi's bad temper very well. He was as explosive as the herb liquids he made.
He had shown enough self-control by tolerating the three points and the nonsense about soy sauce and vinegar.
"This guy…"
Ling Xueru frowned and eventually shook her head.
Her opinion was different.
Shen Zhe's answer was identical to the one on the guidance book, he had beaten up Lu Zihan bare handedly, and Mr. Xin Qi took him away from the classroom because of a remark he made…
Since the day before, the infamous tailender in her class had become too mysterious for her.
She didn't know why the teacher ended discussing barbecue with Shen Zhe in the class, but she was certain that the teacher didn't take him away to punish him.
Everybody knew that Mr. Xin could explode at any time. He had beaten up too many students over the years. Why would he waste his time by taking Shen Zhe away?
While Ling Xueru was confused, Shen Zhe was relieved behind Xin Qi.
If he didn't say that he had tried it, the teacher might've enforced the punishment. It seemed that he had temporarily survived the disaster.
It was truly not easy to be a bad student!
However, when you were playing while other people were studying, it felt great, too!
"This is my office. Here I have the hottest coal and the most appropriate furnaces. Since you said you tried it, melt the two herbs for me right now!"
Xin Qi stopped at one of the rooms.
As the only Druggist in the country, Xin Qi had his own office with refining room facilities, so that he could run experiments the moment he had inspirations.
Of course, it was mainly a place for work. He did most of his experiments in the refining rooms.
He had been studying the integration of the Masculine Sun Grass and the Purification White Lotus. A lot of them were left in that room.
"Well…"
Not expecting that the teacher would take him there for refining, Shen Zhe hesitated and asked, "Mr. Xin, do you have a crucible? I need a crucible for refining!"
"A crucible?"
Xin Qi frowned and said, "Alright, wait a moment!"
The crucible was a necessary tool for making drugs. He had one in his office.
He went to the closet and delivered the crucible to Shen Zhe.
"I asked for a crucible… Why are you giving me a cup?" Shen Zhe was confused.
Xin Qi's crucible was one made of quartz in the size of a regular teacup.
Xin Qi was stunned. "This IS a crucible!"
Shen Zhe said in amusement, "You must be kidding! This is not even large enough to contain two lobsters, much less potatoes, tofu, bean sprouts, etc. Who can be satisfied with so little food?"
"Spicy lobsters? You make spicy lobsters with a crucible? Satisfied with the food?"
"What the heck is he talking about?"
Xin Qi felt that the world was falling apart inch by inch in front him.