"I'm sorry, Miss Xia Lu, I do not wish to take disciples, and I am not capable of doing so." Lin Chen firmly shook his head, refusing, joking about taking an unexpected disciple? What was that all about?
"Impossible! From your ability to concoct perfect-grade Calming Potion, you must at least be a perfect-grade apothecary." However, Lin Chen had clearly overlooked Miss Xia Lu's persistence in alchemy.
"Perfect-grade apothecary? So what?" Lin Chen's eyes flashed with disdain. Obviously, as a grandmaster apothecary, he was eligible to be a supreme-grade apothecary. A mere perfect-grade was three levels below him.
"Why won't you take me?" Seeing Lin Chen's firm refusal, Xia Lu persisted, her intense gaze making Lin Chen uncomfortably turn away.
"Firstly, I don't qualify to take disciples. My alchemy isn't that great, just happened to have some insights into Calming Potions. Secondly, I don't want the hassle of disciples." Lin Chen shrugged, candidly speaking. He had just arrived in this world; why would he want to take on a disciple?
"Oh, since you won't take disciples, then never mind..." Xia Lu's face fell with disappointment. Then, seemingly thinking of something else, she asked, "Where do you live? If I have questions about alchemy, can I consult you?"
"Where I live? I wander everywhere, I don't have a fixed place." Lin Chen replied, speaking the truth, but it seemed to disappoint Xia Lu further, apparently thinking he was brushing her off...
Just as Lin Chen was about to bid farewell and leave, he felt the ground tremble slightly, and the glass bottles in the room vibrated, emitting a clear sound.
"What's happening? Is it an earthquake?" As the trembling of the earth became more intense, Lin Chen's face changed, and soon, a thunderous sound of hooves approached rapidly, indicating many people were riding fast.
"Bang bang bang!" At that moment, someone urgently knocked on the wooden door, and the voice of the guard captain outside called out, "Bad news, Miss, the Hungry Wolf bandits are charging this way, looks like three or four hundred cavalrymen."
"Three or four hundred? What's going on? If it's a raid, a hundred cavalry would be enough." Hearing the number, Xia Lu frowned, a wave of unease on her face, and she hurriedly opened the door and went out.
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Following her, Lin Chen sighed to himself, sensing trouble. With the villagers' forces, they couldn't hold off so many bandits. Alone, he might escape, but helping them defeat the bandits seemed unlikely, especially at only level 10.
Despite the gravity of the situation, the soldiers were not panicked, apparently a regular army, and all above level 10, showing decent strength.
But the villagers were in chaos, and the guard captain called out, "Don't panic! If they're here for money, we'll just pay them off and avoid disaster!"
"Go to the village entrance!" As the news of hundreds of bandits arrived, Xia Lu's face grew stern, and she, along with her guards, moved towards the village entrance. Lin Chen hesitated briefly before following, ready to flee if things went south.
At the village entrance, the sound of galloping horses grew louder, and everyone could vaguely see numerous cavalrymen approaching. The guard captain drew his sword and shouted, "Protect the lady!"
Forty or fifty soldiers, spears in hand, surrounded Xia Lu and the other non-combatants, forming a defensive formation like a hedgehog, warning any attackers to think twice.
Then, the sound of hundreds of horses thundered like rolling thunder. In the panicked villagers' eyes, the bandits arrived at the village entrance, led by a rough man wielding a huge axe.
Lin Chen checked the leader's level and was shocked to find a level 46 powerhouse leading the bandits. Such a strong individual was a bandit? It seemed this world had more formidable people than he imagined.
Seeing the bandits, Lin Chen's face darkened. The bandits were all above level 10, outnumbering and outpowering the villagers. A real fight would lead to certain defeat for the guards.
"Oh? There's an army here? What a coincidence!" The bandit leader said mockingly, eyeing the few dozen guards at the entrance. His gaze lingered on Xia Lu, standing out amidst the crowd.
"Are you the Hungry Wolf bandits? You're here for money, right? Name your price," the guard captain asked sternly.
Hoping to avoid a fight, he believed the bandits might agree to a ransom, reducing losses on both sides. Despite the enmity between soldiers and bandits, for the lady's safety, they were willing to compromise this once.
"Just hand over all your money and that little miss for me to taste, and I'll let you go..." The bandit leader chuckled lewdly, his gaze sweeping over Xia Lu, stating his terms.
"The money is not a problem! But our lady is the granddaughter of Marquis Moka! I believe you would do well to let us go," the guard captain said, his grip on his sword tightening.
"The granddaughter of a Marquis? Ha! Today's my lucky day! I've never tasted a Marquis' lady before!" The bandit leader, unfazed by the title, became even more excited.
Drawing his huge axe, he imposed a clear threat, "Make your decision! Will you comply, or resist futilely?"
"Attack!" Unable to bear the idea of surrendering Xia Lu and with no room for negotiation, the guard captain bellowed, his sword unleashing a wave of energy towards the bandit leader, initiating a battle.