The tent was open, as a figure in his forties came striding into the tent. From his appearance, it was evident that he was not a Flame Imp, for he was tall and his skin was snowy-white, closely resembling a human being.

His rather wide and upturned nose had fairly large holes. His ears were circular and small, looking very much like two bicycle bells, which hung on the two sides of his head.

​​

This person, who had thrown a fit after a single glance at Xia Fei from outside the tent, pointed at him with one hand, yelling at the guards by the entrance, "This person here is a quack! Apprehend him!"

Xia Fei was a little surprised, eyeing this man with a cold gaze.

Indeed, Xia Fei had not gotten the qualification to be an apothecary but had learned quite a bit of pharmaceutical knowledge after his years spent with Phantom, so much so that even a properly licensed apothecary might not be his match. This person had managed to see that Xia Fei was an imposter with just a single glance. For someone to have so easily jumped to this conclusion, Xia Fei could not help but suspect that this was not done out of good intentions.

The guards hesitated. Xia Fei and Seth had just been invited to the tent. Their butts had not even warmed their seats, yet someone was already asking them to be apprehended. Just how inappropriate would this be?

"Hmph!" The middle-aged man harrumphed and folded his arms. His eyes stared coldly at the guards standing by the entrance. "What are you all standing around for?! I'm not one to repeat my words again. When the king comes looking for blame later, you people had better worry about your heads!"

These guards all felt a shiver run down their spines as they bit the bullet and entered the tent. One took out the rope by his waist and moved to tie up Xia Fei. Seth warily got up, putting a hand under his cloak as he got ready to retrieve his weapon and fight it out. While this man was absolutely frightened of Quinn, he hardly gave these squat Flame Imps a second thought.

Xia Fei smiled and took a swig of the sour plum juice with one hand while holding his other hand to hold Seth back. He sneered. "Actually daring to apprehend a noble apothecary, I'm afraid that you'll all be in trouble once your chieftain finds out."

He uttered this rather softly, placing emphasis on the word 'apothecary', causing everyone to prick their ears up earnestly.

Apothecaries were very important figures in the Exiled Grounds. These guards of course did not dare to raise a hand against one, so they just stood rooted to the spot, troubled on both sides. They looked at Xia Fei stony-faced and at the middle-aged man.

"I said to apprehend him! Are you all deaf?!"

Xia Fei laughed, not lifting his head to even spare a glance as he put on airs, pride visibly etched on his face.

The more he acted as if he did not care about the guards, the more troubled they all felt. His composure and poise was not fake; had he not had genuine confidence, there would be no way he could have displayed such calmness at this point.

The middle-aged man kept coercing the guards to act, while Xia Fei's indifference to everything around him only made them not dare to make a move. In just a few seconds, the heads of the guards began dripping cold sweat, looking miserable like they were roasted ducks that had been stuck in an oven to be cooked alive.

Right when these four guards were about to collapse from chagrin, their savior finally appeared.

Xia Fei saw a fat-headed and big-eared Flame Imp, who had silver rings all over his body, being helped into the big tent by several very ugly maids. This person excitedly asked, "And just who is this noble apothecary?"

Seth had already explained to Xia Fei that the king of the Flame Imps loved adorning himself with metal rings all over his body to show off his status, which meant that this individual in front of him was none other than the tribal chieftain.

Most Flame Imps were just 1.5 meters tall, weighing no more than seventy kilograms. While this tribal chieftain was not any taller than people of his species, his fat and meaty figure made him look like a bunch of grapes. His body shook as he walked, and Xia Fei reckoned that he weighed three hundred kilograms at least!

Having a body that weighed three hundred kilograms yet only stood at a height of 1.5 meters, what kind of being was this? This was practically just a mound of flesh! As such, all the silver rings adorning his entire body made every step he took excruciating, even requiring people to assist him as he walked. Evidently, this tribal chieftain lived his day-to-day life pampered and domineering!

Xia Fei smiled as he got up, offering a cupped fist to the chieftain. His attitude was neither servile nor overbearing.

"I'm Apothecary Ah Fei. I happened to have made my way past this place today, so I decided to swing by for a visit to the great chieftain."

The chieftain was mildly taken aback, most likely never having imagined that Xia Fei would be so young. He quickly pushed the maids beside him away as he took two steps forward to approach Xia Fei.

"Yes, Master Ah Fei. I'm sure you're weary from your travels. I welcome you to my Flame Imps tribe. I am Chieftain Juen."

"Chieftain Juen, how do you do?" Xia Fei said as he offered another cupped fist.

"It is the Flame Imp's honor to be graced by such a distinguished figure's visit. Please, just call me Juen and don't stand in ceremony with us, master," June said with a big smile on his face. Because he was too fat, that smile from his fleshy face caused his two eyes to bulge while his lips formed a thin line.

Standing at the side, the middle-aged man was irked when he saw how respectfully the chieftain had treated Xia Fei. With his arms still folded in front of him, he gave a cold snort.

Juen turned around and saw the livid expression on the middle-aged man's face, looking like he was angry, so he had to take two more steps over, softly telling him, "So Master Lu is also here. Look at me, so busy receiving guests that I didn't see you. Please, take a seat, quick."

...

The guests and the owner sat inside this big tent of the Flame Imps tribe. Chieftain Juen was, of course, seated at the head; this tribe station's military advisor was next to him and besides those maids attending to him; he was a Flame Imp who went by the name of Joey.

Joey, who appeared older, seemed fairly shrewd. Joey happened to be there when Master Lu and Xia Fei got into an altercation, and he subsequently left in a hurry. In no time, Chieftain Juen came rushing in, most likely having been called by Joey, which only showed just how astute and sufficiently cautious the Imp was, for he did not call Xia Fei to be beaten the moment he heard what Master Lu said.

Master Lu's face went frigid, and his attitude became prideful. Not only did he disregard Xia Fei, he did not seem to show much care for Chieftain Juen, either. Instead, it was Juen who showed a measure of respect to Master Lu, constantly trying to brownnose the man.

"Master Ah Fei, to think you'd become an accomplished apothecary despite your young age. I wonder what business you are attending to have found yourself on our land?" Juen asked with a broad smile.

"It's true that he is very young, but I think that his credentials as an apothecary is false," Master Lu dropped a lukewarm comment from the side.

It was clear that Juen was in a fairly awkward spot. His smile instantly froze, though Xia Fei thought nothing of the comment, simply treating Master Lu like air. Xia Fei very casually answered, "I heard that this is a place that produces fire plums, and I happen to need a batch of them for my medicinal concoctions, which is why I've traveled all the way out here."

Juen chortled. "That's right. The fire plums are indeed our speciality. In fact, that iced sour plum juice before you was made with fire plums, and it's specifically used to entertain the noble guests that Flame Imps host. Unfortunately, despite the fire plums being quality products, the rate of their production is far too low."

Xia Fei's eyebrows relaxed as he laughed along. "Chieftain Juen, please don't worry. Since I especially made my way here to retrieve some fire plums, I will of course not just take them for free. I'm more than happy to use my medical services to the best of my ability in exchange for the fire plums."

Speaking of, the fire plums here were indeed very decent. Anyone would think that they were heat-bearing fruits from their name, when actually they bore traits of gentle chill. They even had an effect of detoxification and suppressing heat, so both Xia Fei and Seth felt a lot more refreshed after drinking that sour plum juice they had been served with.

Chieftain Juen and his military adviser, Joey, exchanged looks, whispering to each other for a while, seemingly having a serious discussion between the two of them. The expression on their faces did seem like they were somewhat troubled.

That was when Master Lu, who had not said a word, suddenly posed a question, "Since you call yourself an apothecary, may I ask which family you studied with and what is their level?"

The art of apothecary had levels and inheritance, and with Master Lu asking such a question, Juen and Joey both turned toward Xia Fei as well, their eyes looking at him questioningly.

Xia Fei smiled. "My master's unnamed and I have no level."

Juen instantly became somewhat vexed when he heard this. It turned out that this newcomer was a wandering apothecary, who did not even have any level to speak of. Being unwilling to provide his master's name could only mean one thing, too: Xia Fei's master was definitely someone who had not made a name for himself.

*Clap clap clap clap*

Master Lu began clapping wildly as he broke out into raucous laughter, turning to Juen and saying, "I told you: This man is nothing but a quack! He has no skill to speak of and just goes around to remote locations to deceive people. Surely, the chieftain believes me now, right?"

Though Juen did not make any sound, it was apparent that his rage was building from the look in his eye.

However, Xia Fei was unfazed. "Master Lu, why are you calling me a quack? Where's your proof?"

"Hmph! An apothecary needs to spend decades gruellingly studying the profession, and at best, you'll be a mere novice at your age. To think that you dared to impersonate an apothecary master!" Master Lu slapped the table with great force as he made his case.

Xia Fei chuckled, taking exception to his statement. "Only a fool will take decades of study, and there's no guarantee one can become an apothecary even if they spend several decades practicing hard, either. Master Lu, how could you make your case with just age? By your words, someone older will surely be an expert, right? Why is it that there are some who are never qualified to become apothecaries despite spending all their lives studying?

"Age is proof of how long someone lives, and it proves nothing else."

Everyone was shocked. Xia Fei's words made sense. Whether someone qualified as an apothecary or not could of course only be proven by their craft in the field of pharmacology; nobody should be judged by their looks alone.

Xia Fei had no intention of stopping right there, though. Pausing for just a moment, he pressed on. "Master Lu, since you claimed that I am a quack, may I ask who's your master and what's your level?"

Master Lu appeared all proud as he raised his two hands and solemnly replied, "My master is the Exiled Grounds' God of Medicine, Chen Ziqiang! I am not as well-versed in the craft like my master and am just a level 2 apothecary."

As soon as he finished introducing himself, Xia Fei reached out one hand and mockingly asked, "Show me."

"Show you what?"

"A license that states you're a level 2 apothecary." Xia Fei smirked.

Master Lu's face instantly turned purple as he defended himself. "This here is Exiled Grounds, and there's no Apothecary Association to speak of. Why would I have a license?"

Xia Fei sniggered darkly. "If you have no license, how can you call yourself a level 2 apothecary? Are you perhaps the quack yourself?"

*Bang*

Master Lu was beside himself with anger, kicking the small table set in front of him, causing the juice to splash onto the ground. Those guards watching felt their hearts break witnessing this waste.

Xia Fei ignored the fuming Master Lu, turning toward Juen and saying, "Chieftain, we are in Exiled Grounds, so unless the apothecary in question has fled from the two peak races, no one will have any license to speak of, nor will they have any level. Master Lu proclaimed himself to be a level 2 apothecary when he's clearly just trying to fool you."

Master Lu became even more unhappy upon hearing Xia Fei's words, the veins on his forehead throbbing as he yelled, "My level has been given to me by my master, Chen Ziqiang, a personal evaluation from the master himself! You're clearly disrespecting my elder with your words right now!"

"Your master can't replace the Apothecary Association, so the fact of the matter is that you have no level to speak of. Even the heavenly master Laozi can't help you if you invoke his name," Xia Fei crooked his head and said, tossing a peach right into his mouth to munch on, his disdainful attitude on full display.