Chapter 44: Meeting the Middle School Homeroom Teacher Again

Murong Wei!!

It was his junior high homeroom teacher, Murong Wei!

Yang Xun stared blankly at the woman before him, his mouth slightly agape, his face a mask of disbelief.

He hadn’t seen her in seven or eight years!

He never would have imagined he’d run into his junior high homeroom teacher here.

And he certainly hadn’t expected that the owner of Xinglin Hall would be her!

At this moment, Murong Wei was wearing an exquisitely tailored, dark green qipao. Its high collar and looped buttons accentuated her long, fair, and elegant neck.

The qipao was made of high-quality silk, which shimmered faintly under the lights, clinging to every curve of her body.

Compared to the teacher he remembered standing at the podium, the thirty-four-year-old Murong Wei hadn’t aged a day. Instead, she had gained a mature charm that only comes with time.

Her features were still impossibly delicate: an oval face, willow-like eyebrows, apricot eyes, a fine nose, and cherry-red lips. Her skin was as fair and smooth as a girl in her early twenties.

The only difference from back then was that her figure was much more voluptuous than he remembered. The two proud peaks on her chest strained against the fabric of her qipao, while her waist remained impossibly slender before flaring out dramatically at her hips, outlining a breathtaking S-curve.

Her long, lustrous black hair was coiled into an elegant bun, secured by a jade-green hairpin. A few stray strands fell by her ears, adding a touch of lazy charm.

Standing there, she looked like a classical beauty who had stepped out of an ink wash painting—dignified and grand, yet exuding an indescribable allure.

The unique charm of a mature woman was on full display.

"Yang... Yang Xun??"

Murong Wei clutched the note tightly, her apricot eyes widening as she stared in astonishment at the young man before her.

"Teacher Murong!!"

Yang Xun’s voice was filled with pleasant surprise, and an excited smile spread across his face.

"It really is you! Oh my god, it’s Xiaoxun!!"

Once Murong Wei confirmed Yang Xun’s identity, a brilliant smile instantly blossomed on her face, her apricot eyes curving into little crescents.

She strode over to Yang Xun and looked him up and down, her tone filled with emotion. "It’s been so many years! You’ve gotten so tall! And much more handsome!"

"Teacher Murong, you haven’t changed a bit. You’re just as beautiful as when you taught us!"

Yang Xun said, his words coming from the heart.

"You smooth talker!"

Murong Wei reached out and lightly tapped Yang Xun’s arm, chiding him playfully. "I’m in my thirties now. I’m old!"

The female apprentice with the ponytail watched her boss laughing and chatting with the young customer. Confused, she asked quietly, "Boss, do you two know each other?"

"Know each other? It’s more than that!"

Murong Wei smiled and pointed at Yang Xun. "This was one of my students back when I taught junior high. He was the little rascal in class who gave me the most trouble!"

At this, she and Yang Xun met each other’s eyes and both burst out laughing simultaneously.

The joy of the teacher-student reunion made them both temporarily forget about the list of medicinal herbs.

"Come on, come on. Let’s not stand around talking in the main hall. Let’s go upstairs and sit. We can have a proper chat!"

Murong Wei enthusiastically pulled Yang Xun toward the second floor.

...

「On the second floor of Xinglin Hall!」

Unlike the apothecary-style first floor, the second floor was Murong Wei’s private office area, decorated in a quaint, antique style.

A large mahogany desk sat before the window, holding a blue-and-white porcelain tea set. On the walls hung several ink wash paintings and some yellowed, handwritten ancient formulas.

The bookshelves were filled with all sorts of classic texts on Chinese medicine, and a faint, soothing scent of agarwood permeated the air.

Murong Wei personally brewed a pot of Tieguanyin tea for Yang Xun. After pushing a cup toward him, she sat cross-legged on the mahogany chair opposite him.

"Xiaoxun, how have you been these past few years?"

Murong Wei asked softly, holding her teacup in both hands.

"Well... it’s a long story."

Yang Xun picked up his cup and took a sip, smiling. "In short, it’s been pretty rough."

"After your parents passed away, I kept trying to contact you. But then I left the school and changed my phone number, and we lost touch."

A flash of guilt crossed Murong Wei’s eyes. She sighed, "All these years, I’ve been worried about you and Cai Cai, but I couldn’t find any news of you."

A warmth spread through Yang Xun’s heart. Back in junior high, because his family was poor, he was often bullied by his classmates. It was Murong Wei who always protected him, not only helping him get his tuition reduced but also frequently bringing him meals from her own home.

In Yang Xun’s heart, Murong Wei wasn’t just his homeroom teacher; she was more like a real older sister.

"Teacher Murong, you’re the owner of Xinglin Hall now?"

Yang Xun’s eyes were filled with intense curiosity.

He just couldn’t figure out how a public school teacher could be connected to Xinglin Hall.

"Sigh..."

At the mention of this, the smile on Murong Wei’s face faded slightly. She sighed softly, her tone laced with a hint of helplessness. "There’s something not many people know. My husband is actually the son of Xinglin Hall’s founder, Mr. Zhang the Elder. Which is to say, I’m the wife of Xinglin Hall’s young master."

"What??"

Yang Xun’s eyes went wide, and he exclaimed in shock, "Teacher Murong, you’re Xinglin Hall’s daughter-in-law?"

Xinglin Hall was famous in Zhonghai City, and its founder, Mr. Zhang the Elder, Zhang Bo, was a titan of the Xinglin Realm.

He never would have thought that his former junior high Chinese teacher had such a background.

Back then, Teacher Murong wore the plainest clothes, rode an old bicycle to and from work, and never once mentioned her family background.

Who would have guessed she was the daughter-in-law of the largest medical hall in Zhonghai City!

"Yes."

Murong Wei gave a bitter smile and continued, "When I first married into the Zhang Family, my father-in-law was very good to me. He knew I loved teaching, so he let me continue working as a teacher at the school. But later... my husband, he was irresponsible, spending all his days in debauchery. My father-in-law got older, and with no one to manage Xinglin Hall, business got worse and worse. He had no choice but to hand it over to me."

At this, Murong Wei looked up and forced a smile. "So, I resigned from my job at the school to run Xinglin Hall. Luckily, I’ve been interested in Chinese medicine since I was little, and I learned a lot from my father-in-law after I married into the family. I’m barely managing to keep things afloat."

"No wonder! When I sprained my ankle back in school, you fixed it with a single twist!"

Yang Xun had a sudden realization; it all made sense now.

"Don’t call me Teacher Murong anymore. It sounds so formal."

Murong Wei waved her hand and smiled. "You can just call me Sister Wei. We’re not in school anymore, so don’t be so reserved."

"Okay, Sister Wei!"

Yang Xun grinned.

The two chatted some more about old times, from funny stories in junior high to their separate experiences over the years. Before they knew it, the teapot had been refilled three times.

With the reminiscing mostly done, Murong Wei’s gaze finally fell back on the note she had been clutching in her hand.

She slowly unfolded the note on the tabletop. Her slender finger tapped on the names of the special medicinal herbs, and her expression became incredibly serious.

"Xiaoxun, this prescription... did you write it yourself?"

"Yes."

Yang Xun nodded. "I wrote it!"

Murong Wei’s fingertip tapped each of the names on the list in turn as she read them out one by one:

"Nine Nether Cold Jade Grass, Red Flame Reishi, Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon, Green Blood Dragon Saliva Fragrance, Purple Cloud Soul Condensing Flower."

After reading the last name, Murong Wei slowly looked up and asked in shock, "Xiaoxun... where did you learn the names of these medicinal herbs?"

If one listened closely, one would notice that her voice was trembling slightly.

These five herbs were so rare that forget ordinary people, even renowned masters in the world of Chinese medicine—ninety-nine percent of them—had probably never even heard their names.

She herself had only learned of their existence from her father-in-law, Zhang Bo.

Furthermore, when her father-in-law had mentioned these herbs back then, he had said something with utmost solemnity.

"Wei’Er, you must remember this. If one day, someone comes to our Xinglin Hall with the names of these herbs, no matter who they are, you must treat them as a guest of honor. Because anyone who can name these ingredients is certain to be one of the world’s rare and extraordinary individuals."

She had kept those words locked deep in her heart.

But she never, ever imagined that the person who would walk into Xinglin Hall with that list of herbs would be her former student, Yang Xun!

"Xiaoxun, these five herbs are exceptionally precious."

Murong Wei’s voice became exceptionally serious. She stared into Yang Xun’s eyes and asked, word by word, "What exactly do you need these herbs for?"

Yang Xun wasn’t surprised by Murong Wei’s pointed questions.

Given how rare these five herbs were, any expert would have questions.

If it had been anyone else, Yang Xun would never have told them. But this was the teacher who had been so good to him. He fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "Sister Wei, I won’t hide it from you. I’m planning to use these herbs to concoct a medicinal pill to treat my sister’s illness."

"A medicinal pill??"

Murong Wei looked as if she had been struck by lightning. The teacup nearly slipped from her grasp. She stared at Yang Xun in utter disbelief, her voice cracking.

Concocting a medicinal pill!

That phrase! Coming from a young man in his early twenties, if it were anyone else, Murong Wei would have thought they were daydreaming.

But the person sitting before her was Yang Xun, and the prescription he had produced was so exquisite, containing five ingredients that even her father-in-law considered priceless treasures.

This could not possibly be nonsense he just made up!

Her mind raced. First came shock, then her pupils suddenly contracted. An expression of immense, joyous surprise washed over her face as she asked, "Xiaoxun! Tell me the truth. Are you a Cultivator!!!"