0049 - Genius or Imposter?

Ming Mei quickly entered Physician Hong's study room as other disciples were busy with the morning cleaning of the entire room. Everyone bowed to Ming Mei and then resumed their work when Physician Hong suddenly appeared in front of them.

Nobody noticed or felt his presence, as if he had appeared out of nowhere. They all bowed again and resumed their tasks.

"Did you deliver it?" Physician Hong asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Yes," Ming Mei answered, detecting a faint enthusiasm and hope in her master's voice. It was rare to see Physician Hong feel anticipation. In all her life and all the tales she had heard, she had always found her master to be stoic, as if he had experienced everything and nothing could surprise him anymore.

"Which room?" Physician Hong asked, his brow slightly furrowed.

"The first one," Ming Mei replied, a touch of jealousy in her tone.

"Why the first? You should have given him mine," Physician Hong said, his expression slightly disapproving.

Ming Mei pouted, feeling jealous that Physician Hong was so readily offering his own training room to Lu Sheng, when she rarely got the chance to use it. 

Seeing Ming Mei's cute pout, Physician Hong let out a soft laugh and sat down. Near his table was an intricate metal disk, and he placed his hand over it.

Ming Mei moved closer to hear what her master had to say, as he was going to monitor Lu Sheng's progress from here.

"It's been close to an hour. He must still be playing or lazing around...what? What is this?" Physician Hong quickly opened his eyes, a look of shock visible on his face. "The room is barren," he stated, his voice grave.

"What? How? Not possible at all. Is my junior in trouble?" Ming Mei felt a pang of guilt, as she turned to run and help Lu Sheng.

"Wait! I'm coming too," Physician Hong said, quickly following Ming Mei out of the room.

Within a few moments, they were standing in front of the first training room designated for Physician Hong's personal disciples.

Physician Hong put his palm on the entrance disk, and the door whizzed open. Like a vacuum seal had been broken, the spirit essence outside of the room rushed inside to fill it. Ming Mei quickly entered to look for her junior brother, but she went through each room and found him nowhere.

"Where is he? Did somebody kidnap him? But... how? The room was sealed. No one could have entered or left," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

"He was here," Physician Hong stated, now examining the pill crafting room. He found residue in the still-warm cauldron, indicating recent activity.

Ming Mei quickly entered the Pill Crafting room with more questions in her eyes.

"He crafted the Spirit Nourish Pill," Physician Hong stated confidently.

Ming Mei's eyes widened in surprise. "Junior brother can craft pills?" She was excited by the news, but still worried about Lu Sheng's whereabouts.

"Follow me," Physician Hong said, quickly moving to the Martial room.

"This is empty, he took away all the sparring weapons," the physician observed.

Physician Hong led Ming Mei to the Void Anchor room, his expression grave.

"What is it, master?" Ming Mei asked as they approached the room.

"He is inside, I am sure of it," Physician Hong said, his voice serious.

Ming Mei's breath caught in her throat. "How is this possible, Master?" she stammered, a mixture of awe and confusion in her voice. "Are you blindly praising the junior brother? He was able to craft a pill and enter the Void Anchor in just an hour?"

Ming Mei looked at the dark pillar called the Void Anchor. "I do not feel any Spirit Essence fluctuation at all from it."

Physician Hong's expression softened slightly. "You cannot, but I can, and it's even hard for me to acknowledge. Your junior brother's mastery of Spirit Essence utilization is unparalleled. I haven't met a single genius who can come closer to his mastery - it feels like the heavenly law is guiding him."

Ming Mei was not sure if her master was telling the truth or not, but she had no reason to disbelieve him.

"Do not reveal this information to anyone else," Physician Hong said, his voice lowered. "If revealed, his life would come under grave danger."

Ming Mei's eyes widened in understanding. "Yes, master. I swear, I will not reveal this information to anyone else at all," she replied, her voice filled with determination.

"Let's return," Physician Hong said, turning to leave the Void Anchor room.

"Are we not going to help him?" Ming Mei asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

"He is not a fool," Physician Hong replied calmly. "He entered knowingly and with preparation. He took all the weapons and prepared pills. He is not in danger, he is experiencing trials on his own. Let's respect his decision and give him the space he needs."

"Are you sure, Master?" Ming Mei asked, though she immediately regretted questioning her master's judgment.

Physician Hong nodded firmly. "Yes, I am sure. Trust in his abilities as I do."

Ming Mei took a deep breath, suppressing her doubts. "Understood, Master," she said, her tone resolute.

However, deep inside, she was not entirely sure, for she had seen Lu Sheng's memories, and he did not seem to be a genius. He had been bullied his whole life because he was considered a dumb person. This sudden change in his abilities was puzzling to her, and she couldn't help but harbor some doubts.

As she followed, doubts filled her thoughts. While she had earlier defended Lu Sheng, attributing his sudden awakening of genius to trauma, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that true genius isn't unlocked so easily. After all, if trauma alone could produce geniuses, the world would be overflowing with geniuses of traumatic war veterans & survivors.

She wanted to trust her master's word, but her own logic demanded answers. Lu Sheng was still new, having only entered the Physician Hall a few days ago. Yet, it seemed like he had already attracted attention; just yesterday, she had thwarted an ambush aimed at him.

But this sudden genius awakening is very suspicious. What if her junior brother is not the real Lu Sheng, what if he has been swapped with a talented imposter? The thought sent a shiver down Ming Mei's spine. She couldn't ignore the possibility that someone might be manipulating events behind the scenes.