Chapter 17

Zhou Lu felt both nervous and excited, following Mr. Qi closely behind as he led the way. Finally, they turned through the stone gate that separated the outside world and entered the mysterious Array Fire Pavilion. A smooth and flat passage came into view.

The passage was lit by an unknown source, emitting a soft and bright light that made one feel quite comfortable. Every piece of stone along the entire passage was polished smooth as a mirror. A thin mist of cold air rose from the ground, making it seem like a fairyland. As soon as one entered here, all worldly concerns seemed to vanish.

Zhou Lu swallowed hard and tugged at the leather armor on his body. In such an environment, he felt like a vulgar intruder in a palace of jade and jade trees, feeling extremely constrained and unsure of how to move.

The passage branched out into countless paths. Mr. Qi led Zhou Lu through twists and turns, walking dozens of yards before the passage turned, revealing a large stone cave that could accommodate hundreds of people.

On one side of the cave, the walls were hung with a variety of cold, eye-catching weapons—swords, spears, sabers, and halberds, as well as many strange and unusual weapons, making Zhou Lu's eyes dazzle.

On the other side, stone tables of varying heights were lined up, with many of them displaying various shapes of rare minerals, clearly prepared for use here.

At the far end of the cave, a recessed stone room contained an ancient and simple fire tripod, exuding a sense of antiquity.

There were over a dozen male and female alchemists in the cave. Some were hunched over tables, carefully drawing on parchment; some were gathered in corners, holding a crystal and discussing in low voices; others were hurriedly walking with a piece of cloud-like material...

Are these the alchemists of the Array Fire Pavilion?

Zhou Lu was somewhat mesmerized.

The men were dignified and handsome, wearing colorful silk robes that gave them a refined and otherworldly air. The women mostly wore long, colorful dresses, appearing graceful and ethereal in the mist.

This place was clearly different from the rough and bold style of the tribe. Everyone had the air of celestial beings from a fairyland.

Zhou Lu's leather armor, in contrast, seemed heavy and clumsy.

When the alchemists saw Zhou Lu following Mr. Qi, they merely glanced at him indifferently. The complete disregard in their eyes was even more unbearable than ridicule and disdain.

Zhou Lu felt a bit of cold sweat on his body.

He felt extremely uncomfortable being here, feeling somewhat ashamed of his appearance.

Mr. Qi's lips curled, and he lowered his voice to instruct Zhou Lu, "Soon, Alchemist Xiaoluan will start the furnace here, publicly performing a triple fusion of mystic gold. This is a very important event. You wait here and don't wander around. I'll go ahead to make arrangements and then come back to tell you what to do."

Zhou Lu nodded obediently. As Mr. Qi walked away, Zhou Lu stood there, looking around, first at one thing, then another, like a country bumpkin in the city, his eyes unable to take it all in.

Behind him, a woman in a green dress carried a wooden tray with a large, dark red mineral the size of a saddle, walking with her head held high.

People nearby greeted her with smiles:

"Sister Huan, did you really refine the red gold to a purity of three parts? That's amazing."

"This is one of the main minerals needed for Alchemist Xiaoluan's furnace. If she succeeds, she will surely thank you greatly."

The woman in the green dress nodded proudly and said indifferently, "I just finished refining it. I'll let it settle here for a while to calm the fire, and then I'll hand it over to Xiaoluan when she arrives."

The woman in green, Sister Huan, hurried to Zhou Lu's side, glanced at him indifferently, and said coldly, "Move aside." She clearly intended to place the red gold on the stone table behind Zhou Lu.

However, her indifferent and hollow tone made it clear that she didn't consider Zhou Lu at all. In the eyes of these noble alchemists, the fat and clumsy Zhou Lu didn't even warrant a second glance. She didn't even ask who he was or why he was there.

Zhou Lu realized he was in the way and jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on, his face full of nervousness and constraint. He smiled apologetically and hurried to make room for her.

Sister Huan, as if Zhou Lu didn't even exist, ignored his awkwardness and walked past him, carefully placing the wooden tray on a nearby table. She then lovingly took out a silk handkerchief and wiped the dark red mineral, finally letting out a sigh of relief and smiling.

Sister Huan nodded to the other alchemists and walked back the way she came.

When Sister Huan was far away, Zhou Lu let out a sigh of relief, turning to look at the people around him with an embarrassed smile, nodding politely. Then, without hesitation, he picked up the red gold from the table and sat down on it.

Now he was comfortable.

Zhou Lu sat there proudly, looking around. The other alchemists in the cave, seeing this, were both shocked and angry.

Is this fat guy really stupid, or is he just pretending? How dare he sit on something like that?

Zhou Lu pretended to be stupid, looking at the angry eyes of the alchemists, smiling awkwardly at each one. In his heart, he was secretly gloating:

You all ignored me, didn't you? Now you're all looking at me... I'm a brave archer, so what? Look at how impressive you all are as little alchemists.

Zhou Lu's principle was: I'm a small thug, so don't act like gentlemen in front of me.

Zhou Lu had no sense of shame in the presence of any elegance. His philosophy was: any elegance and nobility are just pretentious.

He wondered why people couldn't just live their true selves.

In the shocked and horrified gazes of the alchemists, Zhou Lu shifted his buttocks, finding a more comfortable position, and even started to drool and daydream.

Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind came from behind, and a delicate hand angrily grabbed Zhou Lu's collar, lifting him off the ground.

Zhou Lu, in a panic, turned his head and saw the woman in the green dress had somehow returned. Sister Huan's face was flushed with anger, her almond eyes almost spitting fire. She lowered her voice and shouted, "You, you actually dared to sit on my red gold?"

Zhou Lu was flustered, his whole body trembling, his face pale with fear and constraint. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he nodded and bowed, smiling apologetically:

"Isn't this saddle for sitting? I didn't know, I didn't know..."

When the woman in green heard this fat guy call her refined red gold a saddle, she was clearly about to explode. She tightened her grip on Zhou Lu's collar, almost lifting him off the ground:

"Say that again, say it again!"

Zhou Lu seemed to realize he had caused a big problem, showing a frightened and honest look. He hurriedly picked up the red gold from the ground and carefully placed it back on the table.

Sister Huan's anger subsided slightly.

Zhou Lu casually spat on the red gold and then wiped it with his sleeve, smiling and nodding to Sister Huan, indicating that it was now clean and she should be satisfied.

Sister Huan's mind buzzed with anger, and she took a step back, unable to believe that there could be such a low and shameless person in the world.

Seeing the traces of Zhou Lu's saliva on the red gold, Sister Huan almost wanted to kick it down the mountain.