Chapter 2: Yilan

Magic is wondrous, inspiring boundless longing and imagination, but Gao De had little time to marvel at it.

The environment here was abysmal—dark, decaying, airless, and silent as a tomb; he had only been inside for a moment when his mood turned gloomy.

This place was clearly no place to stay long.

More importantly, could the fact that he had died and come back to life after testing medicine for Master Seda simply be let go?

Without doubt, the immediate priority was to escape this herb garden.

How to escape? As Amy had said, all of them, as apprentices, had been branded with tracking marks the very day Master Seda brought them back.

As long as the tracking mark remained, they could never escape Master Seda’s grasp.

Gao De propped himself up and slowly sat upright, but did not get out of bed; instead, he leaned against the wall and seriously pondered ways to break free from Master Seda’s control.

With his current knowledge, he could think of only two methods.

One: if there existed a magic to implant tracking marks, then there must also exist a magic to remove them.

Two: if the problem could not be solved, then eliminate the one who created it—Master Seda.

Easy to say, but far harder than scaling heaven.

At least, for him right now, it was.

Magic was wondrous, and therefore exceedingly precious.

He, a lowly apprentice with no background, treated like a “little gray mouse,” had mastered only two minor spells—both given to him by Master Seda—and where could he learn a spell capable of removing the tracking mark?

Moreover, learning magic was immensely difficult; even if he truly obtained the corresponding spell, he could never master it in a short time.

As for eliminating Master Seda, it was virtually impossible.

Master Seda was a seasoned mage, possessing countless powerful spells.

He, on the other hand, knew only two minor spells—both utterly harmless.

Gao De turned the matter over and over in his mind but found no solution to his current predicament.

He hesitated a moment, about to ask Amy something now that the other had fallen silent, when sounds came from outside.

Heavy, hurried footsteps approached, and a much older-looking apprentice knocked and entered.

He moved quickly, scanning the cramped room, and immediately locked eyes on Gao De, half-reclining on the bed.

“Gao De, Master Seda heard you’ve awakened—he wants you to see him at once!”

Gao De’s gaze sharpened slightly; his mind raced, but he clearly had no power to defy Master Seda’s command, so he merely nodded and said, “Alright.”

Gao De did not delay; he rose immediately and followed the apprentice who had come to summon him out of the room.

Watching Gao De depart, Amy suddenly realized—somehow, Gao De seemed different since waking up.

But he couldn’t say exactly how.

Outside the room was a long, narrow corridor.

The corridor curved like a crescent moon, with doors on either side at regular intervals.

Each door had a candle on either side, their faint light and warmth dispelling the corridor’s gloom and chill.

Though his former self had lived here for nearly two years, those memories had not transferred to him, so he was utterly unfamiliar with the surroundings and now observed them silently.

The apprentice delivering the message clearly did not notice Gao De’s subtle actions.

In fact, in such a dangerous and oppressive environment, how could these apprentices afford to pay attention to others?

So at least Gao De need not fear being exposed, or noticed as different from before.

He had just arrived in this world and had not even caught his breath before facing the enigmatic Master Seda—of course he felt pressure.

As he walked with the messenger, he speculated in his mind about the coming meeting with Master Seda—when suddenly,

A door on the left suddenly opened, and a gloomy young man stepped out.

Gao De did not recognize him.

But the young man clearly recognized Gao De; he stood coldly in Gao De’s path, smirking before Gao De could speak.

“Gao De, looks like you’ve got a strong life force—even testing medicine didn’t kill you.”

Gao De frowned slightly, glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to walk away.

Not because he feared him—mainly because he didn’t know this person; speaking to him would risk exposing himself.

Besides, this fellow clearly came to cause trouble—why engage him? But as Gao De was about to pass him, the young man deliberately shoved his shoulder—hard—making Gao De feel as if he’d hit a wall, staggering backward several steps before regaining his balance.

“What, Gao De, have you become so arrogant you refuse to speak to me?” the gloomy youth sneered. “You don’t really think your minor talent in brewing a basic spider venom potion makes you worthy of the mage’s attention, do you?”

“If Master Seda truly valued you, he wouldn’t have sent you to test medicine,” he said coldly, pressing hard, dripping with condescension. “Have you still not accepted reality?”

“Master Seda summoned me—I’m on my way to him. Is your matter more important than his?” Gao De asked calmly. “If not, step aside.”

The youth’s expression darkened instantly.

But he quickly regained composure, stepped slightly aside, and grinned. “Why didn’t you say Master Seda called you? Fine, fine, go ahead—just don’t keep the master waiting.”

Gao De glanced at the youth, said nothing, and walked past him with a cold face.

“You think just because you survived this test, I can’t touch you?”

As he passed the youth, a low, threatening whisper reached Gao De’s ear.

Creak—

After uttering those words, the youth returned to the room he had just left and shut the door.

“Let’s hurry, don’t keep the master waiting,” Gao De said calmly to the older apprentice, ignoring the youth’s threat.

The older apprentice nodded and walked ahead; after a few steps, he couldn’t help speaking. “Ah, Gao De, surviving the test this time proves you’re not meant to die—but you won’t be lucky every time. Why provoke Yilan? Everyone knows he holds grudges.”

Gao De’s eyes flickered—so the youth’s name was that.

“Yilan?” he asked tentatively.

“Yilan is Master Seda’s first apprentice. The master treats him differently.”

He’s the only one among us allowed to leave the herb garden freely—even if it’s just to deliver goods for the master, it shows he’s not like us.”

And besides, countless apprentices have come and gone over the years, yet he remains untouched—doesn’t that say enough?”

“We can’t afford to cross him.”

“Can he kill me?” Gao De asked.

“He won’t dare kill you outright, but making your life miserable is easy as pie.”

“Look, if you hadn’t been lucky this time, wouldn’t he have already crushed you?” the older apprentice said.

Gao De froze, then realized the source of Yilan’s confidence: “Was it because of him that I was chosen for the test?”

“Who else would have picked you? You’re the only one among us who can brew a basic spider venom potion alone.”

So that was it.

Gao De turned to look at Yilan’s closed door, his eyes flickering.

(End of Chapter)