The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Upon Dugu Nian’s arrival, Xu Shangao’s group could no longer linger. They hastily said a few words and offered their congratulations to Fang Lin before hurrying away.

Fang Lin stared at Dugu Nian with a scowl on his face, “What are you doing here? Get out now.”

Dugu Nian grunted lightly before settling down next to the stone table in the yard.

“Didn’t you hear me? Get out now or I’ll make you.” Fang Lin said impatiently.

Dugu Nian suddenly turned to Fang Lin, saying, “If you teach me Shaking

Three Mountains, as soon as I master it, I’ll leave.”

Sweat slowly formed on Fang Lin’s forehead. This was an unwelcome attachment indeed.

At that moment, Dugu Nian began to survey Fang Lin’s little medicinal garden. Seeing the vigor with which the various herbs thrived, she could not help but reveal a touch of surprise.

Fang Lin, however, was growing impatient and moved straight away to pull Dugu Nian out of the yard.

“Don’t touch me. Even your leaders at the Pill Sect agreed that once I’ve mastered Shaking Three Mountains, I can leave on my own. If you force me out, I’ll just sneak back in.” Dugu Nian said with a smile. However, her laughter irritated Fang Lin so much that he considered giving her a swift kick out the door.

Dugu Nian thought Fang Lin was helpless to deal with her and felt smug. But her self-satisfaction was replaced by shock in the next moment.

Without another word, Fang Lin reached into his Nine Palace Bag, taking out a slick, dark rope. He quickly bound Dugu Nian hand and foot.

“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Dugu Nian yelled, alarmed by Fang Lin’s action. But he paid her no heed. If one rope did not suffice, he took out three more – wrapping her up like a dumpling.

Chortling, Fang Lin left her to hang from a tree in the yard.

Yes, Dugu Nian was left hanging from a tree!

With her arms and legs bound tightly, she couldn’t move. Even her inner strength was useless in loosening the strange dark rope that bound her.

Standing under the tree, Fang Lin laughed heartily. Ignoring the cursing and yelling Dugu Nian, he simply turned around and went back into the house.

How infuriating it was for Dugu Nian! She had never been treated this way before. The humiliation of being strung up, dangling from a tree, made her furious.

“Fang Lin! I will kill you!”

“You bastard! Let me down!”

“I will see you buried!”

Dugu Nian’s shouting and cursing drew many Pill Sect disciples to the scene.

When these disciples saw Dugu Nian bound and hanging from the tree, each of their faces bore an expression of horror.

Under the scrutiny of so many eyes, Dugu Nian felt a mix of shame and embarrassment, leading her to curse at the crowd even more.

However, despite being a young girl who had little experience in the world, her cursing was fairly repetitive.

This didn’t bother the crowd, who took pleasure in watching Dugu Nian’s spectacle.

Gradually, more and more Pill Sect disciples gathered outside Fang Lin’s front yard, all stunned to see Dugu Nian in such a state.

“Dugu Nian hung up like this, it’s hilarious.”

“It serves this arrogant little miss right. Let’s see how she’ll continue her bravado.”

“Only Fang could pull off something like this.”

“Fang, you really don’t know how to treat a girl well, do you?”

The crowd was abuzz with comments and laughter, pointing at Dugu Nian who was hanging from the tree.

Unable to bear it any longer, Dugu Nian burst into tears.

She felt wronged. Her life had been unfortunate up until now, causing her to cry a river.

Upon seeing Dugu Nian cry, most of the crowd dispersed, while others who found it amusing stayed to watch the spectacle.

Shortly after, word spread to Pill Sect’s elders, who quickly arrived at the scene. Seeing Dugu Nian hanging from the tree left their jaws dropping.

Mu Yan was alarmed, too. How had this young lady ended up hanging from a tree? Wasn’t this a death sentence?

Immediately several elders rushed into Fang Lin’s yard, quickly freeing Dugu Nian from the rope and helping her down from the tree.

The moment Dugu Nian hit the ground her crying intensified; her sorrow was palpable. Many onlookers could not bear to watch her weep.

After all, it was heartbreaking to see such a delicate young girl cry.

“This is just too disgraceful, Fang Lin! Get out here!” Mu Yan was irate and yelled at the tightly closed door.

With a creak, a reluctant Fang Lin came out. He didn’t even glance at Dugu Nian and behaved as if he wasn’t the one who’d strung her up on the tree moments ago.

“Look at what you’ve done! Dugu Nian is our guest at the Pill Sect. How could you treat her like this?” Mu Yan scolded Fang Lin fiercely.

Fang Lin rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed, “Elder, what am I to do with Dugu Nian? She just won’t leave me alone.”

Mu Yan glared strongly at Fang Lin but didn’t say another word and instead chose to comfort Dugu Nian.

After a while, Dugu Nian, whose eyes were red from crying, finally stopped. She stared at Fang Lin with a grievous expression.

“Do I annoy you that much?” Dugu Nian asked in a soft voice.

Fang Lin nodded earnestly.

Seeing this, Dugu Nian once again broke down into tears. This made Fang Lin seemed as though he was the one causing her tears.

In truth, the words of Fang Lin had indeed made her cry.

Left without any other choice, the Pill Sect elders could not blame Fang Lin for anything. After all, Dugu Nian had proven to be a troublemaker wherever she went, and it wasn’t easy to manage her.

They had tried to take Dugu Nian away to avoid further humiliation, but she insisted on staying, adamant about learning Shaking Three Mountains.

Fang Lin had wished nothing more than for Mu Yan and the other elders to remove Dugu Nian from his property once and for all. But it would seem that the little miss just wouldn’t give up.

Unable to do anything else, they tried persuading Fang Lin, hoping he would let Dugu Nian stay.

Fang Lin was completely against it at first, but the elders were firm in their decision. After a short while, they dusted themselves off and left Fang Lin alone with Dugu Nian.

No longer crying, Dugu Nian quietly stood up and began to wash her face with clean water. She stayed silent.

Fang Lin watched her pitiful state with no sympathy whatsoever. This girl was stubborn and refused to back down, and she was acting like a — well a freeloader.

“You can stay here. If you want to learn Shaking Three Mountains, I might consider it. However…” Fang Lin dragged his voice out, leaving his sentence hanging as he looked at Dugu Nian.

Dugu Nian seemed surprised at first, but then she quickly responded, “As long as you’re willing to teach me, I will agree to any conditions.”

Once she’d finished speaking, she realized her words might have given him too much leverage. Blushing, she added, “Except any unreasonable demands.”

Fang Lin had a playful look on his face. He asked with genuine interest, “What kind of excessive demand?”

Dugu Nian grunted and lifted her head up high, speaking with resolve: “If I want to learn, I will do it aboveboard. I won’t engage in any underhanded tactics. Don’t get any wild ideas. I’m only asking for your help temporarily.” Fang Lin’s face was priceless.. Who was seeking help from whom anyway?