The Vigilant Guardian

Chapter Six: The Confused Uncle

"Hey!" The girl in the yellow dress, Caiwei, fluttered her beautiful eyes. "Why can salt turn into silver?"

After hesitating, she pulled out a sugarcane and offered it to Wei Wuji. "Here, eat this."

Is she trying to bribe me...?

With the two officials already gone, Wei Wuji withdrew his gaze and thought for a moment before replying, "I once saw alchemical texts in ancient books that claimed salt could be transformed into silver."

Caiwei's eyes widened. "Which ancient book? Who is the author?"

It's called "Advanced Chemistry," and as for the publisher... hmm, People's Education Press? Wei Wuji continued, "The book is long destroyed, but I still remember its contents."

Caiwei inhaled sharply, urging him, "Quick, tell me!"

Wei Wuji sighed. "I'm in a precarious situation and can hardly teach right now."

Caiwei rolled her eyes at him. "You're quite slippery. The Astronomical Bureau doesn't interfere with court politics; how we handle you is up to the Emperor. Haggling with me is pointless."

"You could just take me in. Given the Monitoring Supervisor's status in court, it shouldn't be a problem to claim a mere accomplice like me." Wei Wuji suggested.

He needed a backup plan in case the tax silver couldn't be recovered.

Caiwei scrutinized him with bright eyes. "You're clearly a martial artist. Why pursue being a sorcerer?"

Most practitioners lay their foundation from a young age. It's too late for a martial artist to transition into sorcery.

"Whether or not I cling to powerful allies is irrelevant; I primarily admire the grace of the Monitoring Supervisor," Wei Wuji replied earnestly.

"Then first tell me the content of the alchemical texts," she said, weighing her words. Her eyes sparkled with clarity and innocence.

Wei Wuji had only seen such pure, beautiful eyes on children in his previous life.

"The content is quite profound; it's best to explain it in simple terms for a solid understanding." Wei Wuji teased.

Caiwei rolled her eyes again, unimpressed. "In this realm, our Astronomical Bureau's sorcerers should be the leaders of alchemy."

"Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus..." Wei Wuji recited effortlessly.

"???"

What is he talking about? Caiwei was stunned for a moment, her brows furrowing. "You're playing with me. Our Astronomical Bureau only accepts boys as disciples."

She snatched the sugarcane from Wei Wuji's hand and gracefully walked away, her skirt fluttering.

I'm a boy too... Wei Wuji opened his mouth but then realized that the Astronomical Bureau only took students from a young age.

Well, this path is closed.

...

Two days passed quickly, and Wei Wuji spent them anxiously in his cell.

He feared the tax silver wouldn't be recovered in time; if it was lost after his banishment, even recovery wouldn't change the outcome.

What if Governor Chen was a greedy worm, swallowing all the credit? It would still be a dead end.

But what could he do? He had already reached this point. As a prisoner, what could he do?

Wei Wuji felt the terrifying weight of the feudal system.