Transmigration: Children of The Plane

Zhou Beizhan

It didn't take long for the receptionist to return. However, instead of bringing the encyclopedia, an old hunched-over man with a long white beard was with her.

"Young Duke, this is the Vice-Pavillion Master of Herb Mountian Pavillion, Master Zhou." The receptionist explained before stepping away. Not only was she the first person to see the Young Duke, but she also got to meet the Vice-Pavillion Master. Today was her luckiest day ever.

"Hahaha, how dare I have Young Duke call me Master Zhou, Young Duke, you can call this old man Old Zhou if you would like." The Old man's full name was Zhou Beizhan, an alchemist trained by his mother and an indirect disciple, so if anything, he was in the same generation.

So even if the child in front of him wasn't the Young Duke, he couldn't force the other party to call him Master.

"Then I will, Old Zhou. Is the encyclopedia on you, or are you going to take me to it yourself?" Xue Bai was confused. All he wanted was a book about some herbs, not an old man.

"Oh no, Young Duke, don't worry, I have it on me. I was coincidentally in the storage room when Ruyu came in looking for it. And when she told me the elusive Young Duke was looking for it, I had to come to see for myself." The Old man continued praising Xue Bai as if it was his job.

And while it did make Xue Bai feel happy, it eventually started to annoy him, so he cut the Old alchemist off by saying, "Old Zhou, if you have the book, may I please have it? Uncle Li is waiting for me, and I don't want to waste his time."

Zhou Beizhan, after hearing that Marquis Li was here, shivered with fear. However, he maintained his composure. But he no longer wanted to continue the conversation, so he pulled a book out of his spatial ring and handed it to Xue Bai.

"Young Duke, this is the same as the book you were looking for. However, it has my own special notes and observations written throughout it. While it might not be as advanced as the one that Master has, it should be enough for beginners like you."

"Who is your Master, Old Zhou?"

"Your Mother Young Duke, without her, this old man would have still been a hunter wasting my alchemy potential. And while she hasn't accepted me as a formal disciple, she is still my Master in my heart." As Zhou Beizhan spoke about Li Rou, you could see the idolization in his eyes. It was almost fanatical.

"Oh, look at me. I'm still making the Marquis wait. Young Duke, this old man won't take any more of your time. Have a good rest of your day." After bowing, Zhou Beizhan left the hall through a side door.

Not forgetting, Xue Bai turned to the receptionist and reminded, "Miss Ruyu, don't forget to tell others about my appearance. This is your punishment for misidentifying me."

"Don't worry. This servant will ensure everyone in this city knows what you look like by the end of today." Ruyu bowed happily before leaving to complete her punishment.

She knew Xue Bai used the word punishment to take away any guilt she felt from calling him a girl during those conversations. But still, she went to complete it. 'Young Duke is so nice, thank the heavens I work here and not at the Duke Wang Fief.'

Waving her off, Xue Bai left the shop and returned to Li Huo.

"How was your first time buying something? Did they give you a hard time?" Then, seeing Xue Bai approach, Li Huo asked with a smile.

"No, Uncle Li, as soon as the receptionist saw me, I think she fell in love with me." Xue Bai explained awkwardly.

"With your looks, it'd be hard not to."

"But there was also this Old Zhou. Ever since he appeared, he kept trying to get close to me. It was weird. That old thing was talking to me like he was an old friend. It gave me shivers. He also kept saying he was trying to become my mother's disciple. He looked half a foot in the grave, and yet he still wanted to study under my mom. Wouldn't he croak before he learned anything?

"Oh, Zhou Beizhan, that old relic. Nephew Bai, do you know why your mother never accepted him as an official disciple?" Li Huo asked.

"He wasn't talented enough?" Xue Bai wasn't faking. He genuinely had no idea this Zhou Beizhan wasn't even an NPC or mob in the game. He knew nothing about the old alchemist.

"No, if it was just about the talent, he fit Little Rou's standards nicely, but its attitude. While he always has your mother as his idol, he will do anything for power. He's a through-and-through snake. Even back when he was a hunter, there were rumors that he would kill his hunting teams after staying with them for a while. And while Little Rou never looked into that part, after teaching him for so long, she could sense Zhou Beizhans viciousness clearly, so after grooming him to be Vice-Pavillion Master, she has started to avoid him." Li Huo explained.

"So he was probably trying to build a relationship with you to get to Little Rou."

"Is my mother that great an alchemist?" Xue Bai didn't think his mother, an NPC with almost no dialogue in the game, was so strong.

"If she hasn't told you yet, I won't. But to put it into reference, she's either as good as or better than the Imperial Alchemist in the capital." Li Huo replied.

"Is she really that impressive?" Xue Bai was surprised he didn't think his mother had any other skills but her archery.

"Your mother was one of the reasons me and your father grew so fast." Li Huo paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing, "Yes, while we were both extremely talented, the resources your mother created sped up our growth."

"Now, since you're getting this medicinal herb book, I assume you want to learn alchemy. And you've already told me that Little Rou is already planning to teach you archery, so ask her to teach you some alchemy at the same time." Li Huo took a breath before continuing. "You can't cultivate yet, so you should spend this time learning as many skills as possible that could help you later on in your cultivation journey."

"Do you know any side professions, Uncle Li?" Xue Bai asked. Maybe since his mother was a hidden alchemist, surely her brother must've learned something else.

"Nephew, I'm a swordsman just like your father. Learning a side profession would only slow down the speed of my sword." Li Huo replied

"My father doesn't either? So then, who built those arrays in the core region of our estate?"

"Ahem, your father did build those, but he is still like me, a swordsman." Li Huo started to blush, he wanted to sound heroic in front of his nephew, but now he had slapped himself in the face.

"Enough about us older generation Nephew Bai. Where would you like to go next?" Li Huo quickly changed the subject. He had already been slapped in the face once he didn't want to ruin his reputation anymore.

"I was planning on walking through the Hawkers Market to see if I could find anything nice." Xue Bai replied. His trip to the city was basically complete. He was only going to the market to test his luck.

"Are you sure, nephew? While I don't want to sound derisive, the Hawkers Market isn't for people like us. The people there are usually hunters trying to sell the magic beasts parts or scammers." Li Huo looked confused. While he had phrased it nicely, the hawkers market was a cesspool. Even lower-ranked nobles didn't go there, and now a Young Duke wanted to. It was odd, to say the least.

"I know, Uncle Li, but I want to test my luck. Haven't you heard of those stories of people finding treasures in bad places? Maybe I'm lucky enough to find something worthwhile." Xue Bai knew it would be hard to convince Li Huo. Going to such a dump would only damage the reputation of someone of Li Huo's standing.

"Test your luck? If you want to do that, Nephew Bai, you can go to the Stone Gambling Pavilion. The chances of finding something there are infinitely better than in the Hawkers Market."

"But isn't the Stone Gambling Pavilion run by you? I don't want to win a rigged game every time. I'd be no fun." The idea sounded nice, but he wanted to test his luck and not have his uncle manipulate the chances behind his back. It would counteract his goal.

"No Nephew, the Stone Gambling Pavillion is a subsidiary of the Three Great Sects. I heard it's only a branch from the Central Continent. So even if I'm the City Lord here, I can't change the odds."

Thinking for a second, Xue Bai agreed, "Then take me there instead. I was also kind of reluctant to go to the Hawkers Market."

Xue Bai was also kind of reluctant to go to the Hawkers Market. Just thinking of the gazes he would have to endure from those hunters gave Xue Bai the shivers. They probably wouldn't care if he was a boy.

Shaking off the feeling, Xue Bai followed Li Huo to the Stone Gambling Pavilion.