Su Qing glanced discreetly at Old Sir Tang. ’The way that old gentleman was looking at me just now... he certainly didn’t seem like someone who wasn’t interested in taking on an apprentice.’
Old Sir Tang saw no hypocrisy in his actions. He was naturally inclined to support the younger generation. Beyond his own family, he was willing to teach any talented young person. However, the prerequisite was that they must have good moral character. He had only just met the young man Zhang Wenxin had brought over. He knew his name and nothing else about his personality or disposition, so he would not agree so easily. As for Su Qing, just from Mr. Gong’s smug look, Old Sir Tang knew that she was a good kid.
Tian Qiu’s smile didn’t waver upon hearing Old Sir Tang’s words. His goal today hadn’t been Old Sir Tang to begin with. He smiled and said, "It would be my good fortune to receive even a bit of guidance from Elder Tang."
After he finished speaking, Tian Qiu turned his beaming smile to Mr. Gong. When his eyes landed on Su Qing, who was standing beside Mr. Gong, his pupils constricted slightly. A flash of stunned admiration crossed his gaze, and the fingers hanging by his side curled a little. His smile deepened even further.
Mr. Gong gave a faint smile. He had indeed come here today with the intention of finding an apprentice or two. He already had his eye on one person—a junior from the family of one of Mr. Bai’s closest friends.
That close friend of Mr. Bai had fallen on hard times. Two years ago, while gathering herbs in the mountains with his son, they encountered a wild beast and were both killed, leaving behind a widow and an orphan. Fortunately, the widow was a strong woman. Despite losing her husband, she never neglected her son’s education. And with Mr. Bai looking out for them, they were managing to get by.
And the boy was clever and sensible. Though still young—only about fourteen or fifteen—he was tactful and well-mannered. Furthermore, he possessed a solid theoretical foundation and knew various Chinese medicinal herbs like the back of his hand, all of which greatly pleased Mr. Gong.
There was just one problem: the boy didn’t seem willing to become his apprentice. Mr. Gong felt this was a great pity, but he had no intention of giving up. The boy’s talent for Chinese medicine was considerable; Mr. Gong even felt his intelligence was comparable to Su Qing’s.
As for this Tian Qiu, Mr. Gong felt a slight dislike. He might be old, but his eyes were still sharp. When Tian Qiu had glanced in their direction just now, the way he looked at Su Qing was clearly off. It made Mr. Gong feel as if a thief was eyeing his precious treasure.
"It’s good for a young man to be ambitious," Mr. Gong said with a faint smile. "Many of the people here at this conference are titans in the world of Chinese medicine. You should talk with them; you’ll surely benefit a great deal."
Mr. Gong’s words made Tian Qiu feel a little uncomfortable. It was an obvious rejection. Unwilling to accept it, he smiled and said, "In that case, I wonder if I might have the opportunity to speak more with Old Mr. Gong today?"
Only through more contact would he have the chance to get closer to Mr. Gong. As he thought of the rumor he’d heard, his slightly downcast eyes shone with a resolve to succeed at any cost.
"Grandpa Gong, you promised you would introduce me to all the uncles and grandfathers here today. You can’t go back on your word, you know," Su Qing chimed in before Mr. Gong could respond.
’This Tian Qiu fellow is clearly targeting Mr. Gong. Whatever his goal is, I’m not about to let him succeed.’
Besides...
Tian Qiu!
Su Qing was suddenly reminded of the Japanese man, Qiutian, whom the leader of the tomb raiders at Xiqing Mountain had mentioned!
’That Qiutian coveted Hua Country’s traditional medicine and would stop at nothing to get it. This man in front of me... putting everything else aside, just his presence makes me extremely uncomfortable, to say nothing of the way he looked at me earlier.’ Su Qing felt a strong urge to beat this Tian Qiu to a pulp.
’However, this conference is being hosted by the Bai Family. I can’t just act rashly and ruin their event.’
"Fine, I’ll take you to say hello to all the uncles and grandfathers." Although Mr. Gong was puzzled by Su Qing’s interruption, he would never undermine her. He chuckled and said, "Alright, you all carry on chatting. I’m going to take this little lass to make the rounds."
Old Sir Tang chuckled. "Go on, then. I happen to be a bit tired myself. Wenxin, please entertain our young friend here. Momo, help your grandfather go rest for a bit."
"Yes, right away."
Tang Mo quickly assented and helped Old Sir Tang move to the side.
Zhang Wenxin was rather surprised that neither of the old gentlemen seemed to have any intention of accepting Tian Qiu as an apprentice. ’After all,’ he thought, ’Tian Qiu’s theoretical knowledge of Chinese medicine is quite solid, and both of them came to the conference today planning to find an apprentice. Why aren’t they interested in him?’
Zhang Wenxin smiled at Tian Qiu and said, "The two masters probably just don’t know you well enough yet. Once you’ve had more chances to interact with them, you’ll naturally grow closer."
Though fuming internally, Tian Qiu maintained a polite smile. "Thank you for your trouble today, Uncle Zhang. I will work hard and hope I can earn the two masters’ approval."
"Alright, let me introduce you to some other people." Zhang Wenxin was surprised that his second younger brother, who’d never shown an interest in traditional medicine, would suddenly bring him a young man eager to study it. But he had always enjoyed helping the younger generation. Seeing that Tian Qiu had a decent grasp of the basic theories and a desire to find a master, he was naturally determined to help him succeed.
"Okay, thank you very much, Uncle Zhang," Tian Qiu said with a grateful smile.
"Oh, don’t be so polite. I just have a soft spot for ambitious young people like you," Zhang Wenxin replied with a chuckle. He then led Tian Qiu away to continue making introductions with the other attendees.
Meanwhile, in order to deny Tian Qiu any openings, Su Qing followed Mr. Gong as he introduced her to numerous titans and rising stars of the traditional medicine world. And while she collected a great many greeting gifts, her face was practically numb from all the smiling.
Su Qing sighed internally. ’This is no easy task. If I had my way, I’d rather be in the mountains picking a few fights with wild animals. That would be a lot easier than this.’
With this in mind, Su Qing made a mental note against Tian Qiu for forcing her into this tedious socializing. ’He’d better hope I don’t uncover any sinister motives, because if I do, I’ll make damn sure to teach him a lesson. And if he really turns out to be that Qiutian pipsqueak, I’ll show him exactly what I’m made of.’
Su Qing ground her teeth, already imagining herself beating Tian Qiu to a pulp.
"Qingqing, why don’t you go find your friends and chat for a while? We old timers have a few things to discuss," Mr. Gong said to Su Qing after they had completed their circuit.
"Alright, I’m going to get something to eat then," Su Qing said with a nod.
"Go on."
Su Qing saw that her friends were still busy, so she decided not to disturb them. She selected a few pastries and some cold appetizers from the buffet table and found a place to sit. However, she had barely settled in when that fellow, Tian Qiu, sidled up to her.
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