Chapter 769: Late Arrival

Chapter 769: Chapter 769: Late Arrival

The Alchemy Tao Conference has commenced, and many pill refiners had assembled in the main hall. Basically, all of the pill refiners who were not preoccupied gathered to listen to the wisdom of Alchemy Tao elders and to take part in the following discussion on pill refining.

“Is everyone here?” An elder with a white beard, clad in a grey pill refining robe, stood in the hall and surveyed the crowd, asking in a deep voice.

The steward standing nearby counted the attendees and compared the tally with the list in his hand, only to furrow his brows in confusion.

“Reporting to Elder Wang, registered disciple Fang Lin is not present.” Before the steward could report, a man standing next to Ling Zhongtian stood up and informed.

...

“Oh? As a registered disciple, he didn’t attend the Alchemy Tao Conference?” Elder Wang frowned upon hearing this.

“Elder Wang, besides those who genuinely couldn’t attend, indeed there is a disciple named Fang Lin who is missing. He is a registered disciple personally assigned by the hall master.” The steward then whispered to Elder Wang.

“This is outrageous!” Elder Wang exclaimed. He was a senior figure in the North Town Hall with deep knowledge in Alchemy Tao. He rarely attended Alchemy Tao conferences but when he did, everyone made sure to present themselves and listen. Yet, Fang Lin had dared to not attend.

Even as a registered disciple, his arrogance was unacceptable. Even talents like Ling Zhongtian and Zhu Yuntao, who hailed from pill refining families, never displayed such audacity.

Then, Elder Wang glanced at the North Town Hall Master in the distance.

“I would like to ask, Hall Master, is Fang Lin indeed a registered disciple assigned by you?” Elder Wang asked directly.

The North Town Hall master, elegantly dressed in a black robe, furrowed her brows at Elder Wang’s question, “Indeed, Fang Lin is a registered disciple assigned by me. What is the need for such a question, Elder Wang?”

Elder Wang hummed dismissively, “Fang Lin, being a registered disciple, has absent-mindedly missed the Alchemy Tao Conference. This level of arrogance is too much. In my opinion, he is unworthy of being a registered disciple.”

Whispers!

The audience was taken aback at Wang Elder’s words. No one had expected him to address the matter so bluntly, intending to strip Fang Lin of his registered disciple status.

If he were stripped of his status, that would make Fang Lin the laughingstock of the realm. The fact that he lost his status as a registered disciple because he missed the Alchemy Tao Conference would be unheard of in all thirty-two halls.

The North Town Hall master scanned the crowd with sharp eyes. She had been preoccupied and hadn’t noticed Fang Lin’s absence. Seeing his empty spot now, she couldn’t help but feel surprised.

At the same time, Elder Miao, standing beside the other elders, was also feeling anxious and helpless.

“Elder Wang, Fang Lin just recently joined the North Town Hall and is still a bit unfamiliar with the proceedings. Perhaps he wasn’t aware of today’s conference.” Elder Miao, although slightly resentful towards Fang Lin, immediately defended him when Elder Wang presented his accusation.

“The Alchemy Tao Conference was announced three days ago to everyone. Fang Lin would have been hard-pressed to be oblivious of it. I fear he did not deem it worth his time to attend. Such arrogant characters are rarely seen in our North Town Hall,” replied another elder with a voice tinged with criticism towards Fang Lin.

“Regardless of whether his absence was intentional, such behavior is unforgivable for a registered disciple.” Another elder added.

All the elders supporting their respective registered disciples relished this opportunity to strike at Fang Lin.

Although none of them regarded Fang Lin as a serious threat, his removal would nonetheless be beneficial.

The North Town Hall Master stood up, her gaze commanding as she scanned the crowd. Her imposing aura filled the hall and silenced everyone present.

“Have Fang Lin brought here.” The Hall Master ordered.

“Yes.” A steward immediately left the hall to fetch Fang Lin from his residence.

Inside the hall, Ling Zhongtian, Zhu Yuntao, and Shen Xue Jian were exchanging glances with their respective elders. Only Mo Yun, who lacked any supporters, stood in the corner expressionlessly.

Meanwhile, Fang Lin, who was not in his room, was trying to attend the Alchemy Tao Conference.

As he was new to the North Town Hall and wasn’t familiar with his surroundings yet, he realized he was lost after walking around for a while.

This was a problem. Fang Lin was lost.

“Where in the world am I?” Fang Lin, who was standing in the middle of an unfamiliar place with not a soul in sight, was clueless.

Having gone off track, he had no choice but to retrace his steps. Lucky for him, he had an excellent memory and remembered the way back.

After half a day’s journey, he finally made it back to his residence, just as the steward arrived to fetch him.

“Are you Fang Lin? Where have you been? Why didn’t you attend the Alchemy Tao Conference?” The steward asked as soon as he saw Fang Lin approaching from the other side.

Fang Lin was incredibly embarrassed. How could he admit that he’d gotten lost and spent that much time finding his way back?

“I was delayed but I am on my way right now,” said Fang Lin awkwardly.

“Follow me quickly, the Hall Master has summoned you.” The steward led Fang Lin back to the main hall quickly.

“Are you Fang Lin?” Before Fang Lin could process the situation, a harsh voice filled with annoyance confronted him the moment he entered.

Fang Lin followed the voice and saw an elder in a grey robe glaring at him.

Fang Lin thought to himself, ‘What’s with this old man? I neither provoked him nor did anything to offend him. Why is he staring at me as if I owe him money?’

“I asked you a question, are you Fang Lin?” Elder Wang reprimanded, raising the tone of his voice.

The whole hall fixed their eyes on Fang Lin, including the North Town Hall master. Although she had accepted Fang Lin as her registered disciple, she could not openly favor him as it would cause discontent among the crowd.

In addition, Fang Lin’s tardiness to the conference was indeed wrong and The North Town Hall Master also wanted to hear how he would explain it.

“Yes, I am Fang Lin. May I know how should I address you, senior? Do you have any instructions for me?” Fang Lin bowed respectfully. Humbling himself was the best course of action now.

Elder Wang replied gruffly, “You sure have a sense of entitlement, making all of us wait for you.”

Fang Lin understood the situation by then. Looking at everyone else in the hall and Elder Wang’s bitter remark, he sighed softly.

What luck! If he hadn’t lost his way and wasted so much time, he would have reached long ago.

However, he couldn’t possibly disclose that he had gotten lost. Not only would he embarrass himself, but who would even believe that anyway?

“Elder, I must admit it was my fault. I asked for your understanding.” Fang Lin didn’t feel the need to argue.

Seeing Fang Lin humbly admitting his mistakes, Elder Wang’s anger subsided a bit.

“You’ve caused us to waste time. Although I won’t punish you harshly this time, you should stand at the side and listen carefully.” Elder Wang finally instructed.

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