Life Drain System

Chapter 119 - A Playful Old Man

    Starting with the Ice cream fudge cookie cake, the two elegantly start carving into it, and eating the delicious tray of deserts. Blake even saying. "Well that is too bad, however you do have next time. Just remember not to be sad if he forgets. As you know, seizures often cause slight memory loss from the misfires of the electrical signals from the synapses in the brain."

    Orslaine whilst enjoying the cake replies. "Mhmm."

    Giggling a little Blake asks with a sly smile. "What was that again?"

    After swallowing, she says. "I understand that, don't worry."

    Going back and forth, the two talk for close to a hour after starting with the deserts. Of course given Orslaines' personality, not much is said after having said the main things she wanted to say.

    As the time passes, and the two talk, elsewhere something interesting occurs. Back down on the ground, still searching but having calmed down already, Yin takes a step forward. Feeling the hair on his body stand on end, Yin jumps backward immediately. The split second later a small crater is formed where he just left.

    However before having time to admire the mysterious crater, he jumps to his left, then back and right. Dodging every which way and noticing that small pebble like meteors are crashing down around him, he ponders in his mind. 'Which lousy pest is trying to tick me off now? Who ever it is they better have the strength to back up their actions.'

    Having thought this, Yin looks up, searching the skies as he dodges every which way. "Ow!" Yin exclaims as he gets hit by one in the sixth rib down on the right side of his back. 

    Looking back immediately, Yin catches a glimpse of a light flashing across the sky. Seeing this he thinks to himself. 'Ugh, I was too slow. Well at least this is one less thing to worry about for now.'

    Having successfully evaded a possibly deadly prank, Yin continues his search as though nothing even happened. Although looking around he wonders. 'Where exactly did I end up?' He wonders before feeling a hand on his shoulder, thus he turns around.

    Turning around, he sees an older gentleman, who says. "It seems you made it. Yin right? I heard you were looking for me, therefore I am curious. What made you want to look for me again, or did something happen to Yue again?"

    Hearing his questions, Yin answers. "Yes, my name is Yin. Also since you seem to know I was looking for you are you the one who nearly killed me by throwing pebble sized meteors?"

    Noticing that his last question has not been answered, Bingwen asks with a confused expression. "So I was right, your leader still needs help? I was sure he would be fine. To answer your question, Yes, I was playing around, and knew you would not be such an easy target. Well unless I was actually trying to aim and hit you that is. Anyways, please lead the way, we should hurry if something happened." Bingwen says casually, as if what he had done was not life threatening in the slightest.

    Dumbfounded by Bingwens' easy going attitude towards what he did, Yin just says. "Never mind that, anyways, Yue is fine. However there is something we would like to discuss."

    Cutting off Yin before he can get to the point Bingwen asks. "We? I do not sense anyone else here at the moment."

    Not giving into his jokes this time, Yin continues. "I am here on be half of Yue, now back to the point. We would like to either hire you to make more of the pills or to buy the pill recipe off of you, if not both."

    Wanting to play around a little more with this interesting lich, Bingwen says with a tearful looking face. "Recipes are life blood of alchemists. Without them what could we do? Alchemists have to research and make pills over many years, if not decades, then centuries just to make one recipe, sometimes even longer. Do you mean to take my job from me?"

    Seeing as he is not capable of stopping the old man from messing around, unless he is serious of course, Yin just replies. "Sure, I will do it, all you need to do is teach me. After all it is better to gain knowledge, than to remain ignorant. So do we have a deal?"

    Bingwens' face turns serious after hearing his response. Looking at Yins' facial expression that seems to be the same, he says. "Yin, whether you are interested in alchemy or just learning the recipe, you should be careful with your words. It is easy for one to take offence, or even worse if you were taken seriously, then what would you do?"

    Although half joking at first, Yin replies. "I will gladly learn if it means that I can help those around me, as well as learn something new. I understand that alchemy is not something that you learn and is over, but something that is more like a way of life. However whatever it takes to help my friend, I will do."

    Hearing Yins' last words, Bingwen smiles slyly. Then preparing for another joke, Bingwen opens his mount. "..."

    However before he can utter a word, Yin says. "Please do not joke around right now Alchemist Bingwen. While it can be quite fun to be playful at times, right now, I would prefer it if we could just work out a deal. Whether that be you teaching me alchemy, or selling me the pills, it matters not, just tell me what the deal is."

    Seeing how serious this lich is, he gives up with his playfulness for now, and answers. "Alright."

    "Alright? What do you mean?" Yins asks a few moments of silence later.

    Waiting a few moments to reply he gives a random excuse. "It is exhausting to make so many pills at my age, and considering the recipe will be useless to someone who clearly does not even know the basics of alchemy, I may teach you."

    Hearing these words, Yins eyes shine with excitement. Something that surprised even Yin himself, considering he did not think he would feel excited to learn this, but it seems words that gave him hope, have spurred his curiosity and desire.

    Meanwhile Bingwen continues speaking, and even tossing an old and worn looking book as well as a jade slip at Yin. "While I may teach you, there are a few conditions. I do want to pass on my technique, however not just to anyone. You must memorize everything in this first. After that, come find me. That jade slip will help you do so."

    Catching both items, Yin says while still visibly excited. "Thank you very much, I will not let you down."

    "While I hope that that is true, you clearly are not from around here." Bingwen says while noticing something missing.

    Hearing these words, Yin ponders to himself. 'What could be I be missing? ... Oh right, paying respects to your master!' Figuring out what he was missing, Yin quickly bows deeply with fist in hand to Bingwen, while saying. "Disciple pays respects to master."

    "Alright, I accept you as my first disciple, now you may go." Bingwen says before thinking to himself. 'I do not remember saying I would be his master, but instead his teacher. Oh well, I have already accepted him. Hopefully he will be a good disciple unlike my friend who was nearly killed by his. Fortunately he found a better disciple later, an extremely loyal one. Well, I guess it is time to ask the Patriarch to pay up now.' He thinks to himself as he fades from existence, disappearing from the inner court.

---- Meanwhile Elsewhere Many Moments Later ----

    Yin is back inside the space ship sitting on a comfortable chair in Yueliangs' room as he has quite quickly gotten used to being in there. While sitting in the corner of the room as Yue sleeps, he is reading the book he was given with all his focus, not wanting to miss a single thing. Trying to memorize the book, Yin is hard at work.

    Inside this book he was given, are many different types of plants, as well as their uses, effects, and how they effect different things. It shows their appearances, as well as the pills they are used for. Although, this book contains recipes, there are only a few thousand, 2000 or so in the back of the book that he has counted so far. Also it is so thick one could hold their fist against the side and it would still be thicker.

    However as Yin is reading he notices something about the book. While turning pages, he notices the appearance of the book is different from the book itself, as each chapter in the book seems to be equal to one page.

    Whilst he is reading the book, Orslaine comes back into the room, however seeing that he is busy and Yueliang is still asleep, she sits in another chair against the wall. Since there is nothing she can help with for now, she decides to watch over Yue, while reading as well. Thus she pulls out a book that seems to be for learning a skill after taking her seat.

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    Hello everyone, this month I will be trying to put out 2 chapters a day. Phew that feel intense yet exciting just to say. What a fun challenge to begin. I hope you all will try to support this novel a little more, as it will give me more motivation. Love you all, have a wonderful day.