Resplendent – Chapter 535

Chapter 535: Taking on an Apprentice?

To his surprise, Gu Ye waved it off nonchalantly. “It’s just a common loquat syrup formula. There’s no need to keep it under wraps. If he can master it, I’d be thrilled. My pharmaceutical factory would gain another capable assistant.”

What? Just a loquat syrup formula?

Consider this: a single proprietary formula could sustain a pharmacist family’s prosperity for a century! This young lady, on the other hand, casually passed it on to a newly recruited apprentice? It was simply… Sigh! He truly didn’t know what to say about her!

But then again, Gu Pharmaceutical kept innovating new medicines. Even Grand Pharmacist Baili’s pills have been refined and relaunched. If it weren’t for the Sage Apothecary favoring his young apprentice and giving her exclusive formulas, this girl would simply become a prodigy in pharmaceuticals. What others struggle their entire lives to achieve, she accomplished effortlessly. Compared to all those life-saving elixirs, the loquat syrup formula truly pales into insignificance for her!

Honestly… it was downright enviable! Such a pharmaceutical prodigy, if left unprotected might just…

But Chairman Rao quickly shook off his worries. 

After all, who did that young girl count as her master? Who were her senior brothers? In the alchemist world, she had the Sage Apothecary and two senior brothers protecting her; in Dongling Kingdom, the entire Duke of Zhen’s household doted on her; even Prince Ning of Yan Kingdom, known as the ‘Ice Cube Death God,’ treated her with utmost care. 

This seemed to be the first time His Highness Prince Ning had ever shown such favor to a woman!

This girl’s background was nothing short of extraordinary! She possessed talent, connections, and divine favor… With heaven, earth, and humanity all aligned, she might just transcend history and become a legendary female grand pharmacist!

Gu Ye’s ginseng honey-refined fritillary bulb and loquat syrup finally emerged fresh from the cauldron the next day. The most excited one wasn’t Gu Ye, but that guy Lin Nuo. He had participated in the entire process of making this loquat syrup under his master’s guidance. Quietly reflecting on the refining steps, he felt confident that with a few more practice runs, he could master the craft independently.

Noticing his heightened enthusiasm and judging that the assessment period still had ample time, Gu Ye made a decision: “Strike while the iron is hot. Since you have a rare chance to practice without using your own materials, give it another try!”

When Chairman Rao passed by Gu Ye’s refining room again, he found the young girl grilling skewers with her maid. Whatever seasoning she’d used, the rich aroma of roasting meat wafted over the assessment grounds, tantalizing the taste buds of the surrounding pharmacists.

“Miss Ye, you certainly have leisurely pursuits! How’s your medicine coming along?” Chairman Rao stood right beside the small grill without hesitation, grabbed a skewer of roasted chicken wings, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Gu Ye watched the skewer with a pang of regret, pouting as she said, “Uncle Chairman, you really have an eye for the good stuff. I only brought three skewers of wings—this is the last one.”

Chairman Rao shot the young girl a sideways glance, as if she were his own junior, and said, “You little rascal, it’s just one skewer of wings. You’re so generous with your formulas, yet you’ve become stingy here? What’s the matter? Did your loquat syrup fail?”

Gu Ye let out an exaggerated cry: “Fail? Impossible! With me supervising the entire process, success is the only outcome!” With that, she produced a snow-white porcelain jar, its lid already sealed with wax.

Chairman Rao nodded toward the figure bustling inside the refining room and asked, “Then what is he still doing in there?”

“There are still over three days of assessment left! Xiao Nuo just learned how to refine loquat syrup. Let him get familiar with it.” Gu Ye sandwiched roasted chili peppers between slices of baked bread and ate with relish.

“You cheeky girl! Are you using the resources of the Great Pharmacists Convention to teach your apprentice! What? Can he master the refining method after just one go? If that’s the case, I advise you to take him as a disciple immediately! Don’t let someone else get the advantage!” Chairman Rao was astonished by the boy’s intelligence and comprehension. It seemed he truly had a gift for medicine.

Gu Ye handed him a string of freshly roasted chicken gizzards and replied casually, “We’ll discuss it after the convention concludes.”

If this pharmacist assessment went smoothly, she should be able to advance to Grand Pharmacist. Bringing up the matter of taking a disciple then would be much smoother.

It wasn’t that she feared Lin Nuo would refuse, but rather that she worried about people gossiping behind his back. After all, taking a female pharmacist younger than himself as a master might invite idle gossip. Some busybodies might even spout the most unpleasant things. Lin Nuo was only fifteen or sixteen; he shouldn’t have to deal with that…

In truth, she was overthinking it. Given her lineage and background, even lesser-known apothecary families would be delighted to have their heirs apprenticed under her. Becoming her disciple meant establishing connections to the Sage Apothecary, and even to the renowned Grand Pharmacist Jiang and Baili—a dream come true for any aspiring pharmacist.

Over the next three days, Lin Nuo failed only once before successfully producing the finished loquat syrup. After tasting it with her sensitive tongue, Gu Ye gave her an approving look: This child is teachable!

That single glance felt like the greatest reward to Lin Nuo, who beamed so broadly his eyes narrowed to slits. 

Gu Ye deliberately placed two bottles of loquat syrup before Chairman Rao. After tasting them, Chairman Rao and the other judges instantly identified the bottle Gu Ye had assisted in making. They offered Lin Nuo candid feedback: The heat control was slightly off, making its medicinal efficacy inferior to Gu Ye’s batch. Still, it was a relatively successful formulation.

Lin Nuo humbly accepted everyone’s feedback, his admiration for his master deepening. Though she was over three years his junior, she had achieved so much. He resolved to work twice as hard to keep pace with her.

He overheard most of Gu Ye’s conversation with Chairman Rao from the refining room. Though merely an apprentice, his master had selflessly imparted extensive knowledge of pharmacology, even sharing her unique formula without reservation.

He had briefly interacted with apprentices from other families and knew they were treated as mere errand boys, learning almost nothing. Unlike them, he had been with his master for less than a month yet leaped two levels—from Level 3 straight to 6—earning his pharmacist certification. As for the secret formulas? Those were reserved for direct disciples who spent years toiling before gaining access.

From his master’s words, he sensed she currently had no intention of taking him as an apprentice. Though his heart felt a twinge of disappointment, he would not give up. He had no notable achievements now, his foundation was weak, and his knowledge of pharmacology was lacking. What qualifications did he have to be accepted by his master? Still, he would work tenfold, a hundredfold harder to earn her recognition and become her first formal disciple!!

After handing over the loquat syrup, Gu Ye stretched his limbs and pulled out a notebook written in her own hand. The pharmacological knowledge within, distilled from numerous pharmacopoeias, was perfectly suited to Lin Nuo’s current level.