Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?! - Chapter 360

Chapter 360: creepy
Fang Yuan, Lin Zhaoyue, Xiao Pei, and Du Juan gathered inside one of the quieter rooms of the estate.

Sunlight streamed through the wooden windows, warming the floor.

At the center of the room sat Doctor Mu, smiling warmly with a young child beside him.

The boy was quiet and gentle as he turned his gaze wandering around the room.

Lin Zhaoyue fidgeted where she sat, hands clasped in her lap.

Her eyes kept darting toward the child, brimming with curiosity, but she forced herself to remain polite and composed beside Fang Yuan.

Xiao Pei, meanwhile, leaned forward, squinting at the boy’s face.

Eyes? Nose? Chin? Ears? Or perhaps.. the lips?

He kept staring as if he was attempting to determine which facial feature connected the boy to Fang Yuan.

Du Juan was on the side, gently tending to a clay pot over a small flame, the soft sound of tea bubbling adding warmth to the room.

Fang Yuan placed a hand over his heart and bowed slightly.

“Doctor Mu, it’s good to see you again.”

Doctor Mu’s smile crinkled at the corners of his eyes.

“Indeed, Clan Head Fang. I didn’t think I’d make it to this mountain, if not for the cultivator who helped us.”

Xiao Pei immediately perked up.

“A cultivator—?”

Thunk.

A sugar cube smacked the back of his head with a sharp tock.

“Ouch—!” Xiao Pei rubbed the spot, wincing as he turned around.

Du Juan was already back to her tea, stirring calmly.

Xiao Pei slowly lowered himself into his seat.

Fang Yuan continued, maintaining a friendly tone.

“I’m truly glad you’re in good shape, Doctor Mu. Mount Skyhowl… isn’t exactly welcoming to mortals and even cultivators.”

Doctor Mu laughed heartily, shaking his head.

“Indeed! If not for that cultivator, my grandson and I would have died before taking ten steps into the mountain.”

Fang Yuan leaned forward politely.

“Oh? Then I must give my sincere thanks. May I know the cultivator’s name? Or at least what they looked like?”

Doctor Mu stroked his beard, thinking.

“Well… he didn’t give a proper name. Only said something about being a pill king, or some title like that. I forget which nation—”

The boy beside him finally spoke.

His voice was calm, steady, mature in a way that made Xiao Pei raise his brows.

“Grandpa is old and doesn’t remember clearly,” the boy corrected without hesitation.

“The cultivator was a woman. She said her name wasn’t important, but if we ever needed to find her, we should look for her title.”

The boy lifted his gaze.

“The Pill King.”

Doctor Mu blinked once.

“Oh—yes! Yes, that’s right!”

He laughed, rubbing the boy’s head proudly. “Pill King just confused me. You say king, I assume man… ha!”

Doctor Mu chuckled, continued.

“She was quite a unique one. Very kind and very strong, too. She said she was just passing through but it looked like she was searching for something.”

A faint silence fell in the room.

Fang Yuan’s expression grew thoughtful.

A female cultivator strong enough to escort a mortal up Mount Skyhowl…

and calling herself the Pill King?

“Pill King?” Fang Yuan finally spoke, brow lifting.

“I was always under the impression the Pill King was a man. Pill King Tushan… so that’s her name.”

Doctor Mu’s eyes widened with a mixture of awe and relief.

“Judging by how effortlessly she handled those beasts on the way up, she must be so strong.”

Fang Yuan nodded thoughtfully.

Before the atmosphere could grow any further, Du Juan approached with the teapot.

She set the tray down and placed the tea cups arranged neatly on the table.

Then she bowed slightly.

“Patriarch Fang, Doctor Mu… I’ll be stepping out for a bit. I need to take Lady Zhaoyue with me.”

Lin Zhaoyue, who had been quietly observing, blinked up in confusion.

“Me? Where—”

Du Juan gave her a polite smile.

“Come. You’ll understand soon enough.”

Lin Zhaoyue hesitated for only a moment before nodding and standing.

She followed Du Juan out without further question.

On the way out, Du Juan gave Xiao Pei a single look.

Xiao Pei stiffened as he urgently says.

“I—I also have some urgent work! Very urgent! Forgive me, Shaoge!”

And he bolted out of the room and the door slid shut.

After the silence slowly return, Doctor Mu watched Xiao Pei’s disappearance and adjusted his shirt.

“…Clan Head Fang, who was that young man just now?”

Fang Yuan lifted his cup and sipped calmly.

“That? Oh, I wonder if you still remember but that’s Xiao Pei.”

He put his cup down with a soft tap.

“The fat guy, you know.”

Doctor Mu’s jaw dropped.

His eyes widened dramatically as he leaned forward, whispering in astonishment:

“You mean, that boy??”

Fang Yuan nodded.

Doctor Mu exhaled shakily, genuinely surprised.

“What a magnificent thing being a cultivator must be…! To be able to reshape a figure that massive into something so smooth and masculine…!”

He placed a hand over his chest, almost misty-eyed.

“What a miracle.”

Then his expression sharpened as he turned back to Fang Yuan.

His voice grew serious and steady as well,”Patriarch Fang… I hope you haven’t forgotten your promise.”

Fang Yuan met the old doctor’s gaze.

“To take my grandson in as your disciple,” Doctor Mu reminded quietly.

Fang Yuan looked at the child and the boy returned his stare.

“I don’t mind,” Fang Yuan said at last.

“But I must leave in a month’s time. I don’t know when I’ll return.”

Doctor Mu’s brows lifted, then furrowed, and he slowly nodded.

“…Is this a test, then?”

Fang Yuan didn’t answer.

Doctor Mu closed his eyes for a moment.

“I trust you,” he murmured. “You’ve never lied to this old man before.”

Then he placed a hand gently on his grandson’s shoulder.

“You heard him,” Doctor Mu said softly but firmly.

“One month. Learn as much as you can.”

The boy bowed his head.

“Yes, Grandpa.”

and took another slow sip of tea.