The First Alchemist - Chap 10

Chapter 10 - Journey through the Forest III

Everyone froze like rabbits suppressed by a tiger. The Wyrm before them had an aura that sent chills running down their backs. It was a creature they had never seen before.

To many, it looked like a huge, wide snake, but Chem Al knew that it was a baby dragon that had yet to grow its legs or wings. Thanks to eating almost all the desolate beasts in the surrounding forest, it had become massive, almost to the point where it looked like it was ready to evolve into its next form: the Dragon Newt.

“That’s a baby dragon?” Chem Au shouted, surprise lacing his voice.

His words seemed to have woken up everyone. Screams erupted from all the villagers as they abandoned their carts, pushing each other out of the way as they tried to get as far away from the beast as possible.

When some of the guards started running, Sorka Bo yelled, “What are you doing? Kill it! Kill it!”

That command got through to them. Together, they struck the Wyrm with their stone-tipped spears, but there wasn’t even a single scratch.

Watching all of this from behind a cart, Chem Al couldn’t help but think of how foolish they were. This beast may be the weakest form of a dragon, but its scales were still tough enough that weak profound cultivators such as them couldn’t even hope to hurt it. Still, he couldn’t offer any better suggestions.

A thousand poisonous pills ran through his head, each of them toxic enough to take down a Wyrm, but he couldn’t make any of it without the ingredients or a cauldron. There was nothing he could do. It looked like the best course of action was to run away with his family. If they were faster than the other villagers, they would be able to live a few seconds, or even a few minutes, longer.

Who was he kidding? With his big brother fighting amongst the other guards, he couldn’t just abandon him.

The Wyrm twisted its head, annoyed by the tiny little ants poking at it.

“Look out!” Chem Al shouted. He had seen enough Wyrms in his past life to know when they were about to swing their tail.

In the heat of battle, the guards didn’t know who shouted those two words, but it got them to back off. White light flashed around their legs as they tried to dodge. One of them didn’t make it. The Wyrm’s tail smashed against one of the guards, sending him flying. He was already dead before he hit the ground.

When the other guards saw his caved in chest, they gulped. If they had been just half a second slower, they would have joined him.

The Wyrm swung its tail again. The guards managed to avoid this blow, but only by inches. How much longer could they last?

“Soaring Crane - Second Layer!” A crescent white light flew through the air and struck the Wyrm’s body, leaving behind a small scratch.

Sorka Jiu ran towards the battle, white light flowing from his legs as he moved as fast as he could. With a swing of his sword, another white crescent light shot out, hitting the Wyrm.

“It’s the village chief!” one of the guards shouted. They all cheered.

The moment Sorka Jiu arrived, he began cutting at the Wyrm’s body while dodging its attacks. But it was a losing battle. Just one hit from Wyrm would have left him heavily injured, or even dead, while all he could do was leave little scratches on its body. If this fight continued any longer, he wouldn’t survive. The only thing he could do was wait for an opportunity.

As the battle raged on, all the wooden carts around them were smashed, splintering into pieces. The same would have happened to the guards, but they backed far enough away to avoid getting massacred. They knew that they couldn’t help their village chief. They would just be in the way.

However, Chem Al wasn’t one to sit by. Even with the odds against him, his mind still kept looking for a way to win. That was when he saw the splintered pieces of woods on the ground. An idea formed in his head. He looked around until he could find the thinnest sliver of wood there was.

It wasn’t a silver needle, but it would have to do. He didn’t have profound energy, but he could still throw accurately. With all that in mind, he focused on the Wyrm. The way it swayed, the moment before it strikes, anything to help him predict its movements.

The Wyrm leaned forward. There!

Chem Al aimed for the Wyrm’s jaw, then threw the sliver of wood. It flew … then wobbled to the ground.

He missed.

He couldn’t believe it! He hasn’t missed in centuries! Chem Al felt frustration rising up his throat. It was because he couldn’t infuse the wood with any profound energy. His throws were usually faster, sharper, and they flew further. They used to be like a rising phoenix, but now they were more like a broken-winged chicken. He had to get closer.

Chem Al circled around what was left of the carts, making sure to pick up another slim piece of wood along the way. He stopped behind his big brother who was watching the fight.

“Au,” he said.

Chem Au jumped. He was about to stab his spear at whatever had startled him, until Chem Al shouted, “Stop! It’s me! Me!”

“What are you doing here? It’s dangerous.”

“I need your help. Can you get me closer to the Wyrm?”

“What?” Chem Au rubbed his ears, wondering if he was hearing things. “You want to get closer to that thing?”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan.” Chem Al held up the splinter of wood. “I’m going to stick this into the Wyrm.”

Now he knew he was hearing things. “Are you crazy? What’s that going to do?”

“Trust me, okay? Just take me to the Wyrm.”

Chem Au was about to tell him no, but then he saw the determination in his little brother’s eyes. “Look. Even if I wanted to get you closer, how do you expect me to do that? Carry you? I can barely dodge its wild attacks without the extra weight slowing me down.”

Chem Al rolled his eyes, then he stepped forward. “Body slam. Right tail swing. Left tail swing. Bite attack from the top….”

At first, he didn’t understand what his little brother was saying, but as time went on, Chem Au’s eyes got wider and wider. Somehow his brother was accurately predicting what move the Wyrm was going to make one second before it made it.

“H-how?”

“It doesn’t matter. Are you going to carry me or not?”

Chem Au faintly nodded his head. With a jump, Chem Al climbed on to his big brother’s back. Once he was secure enough, he said, “Okay. Do whatever I say the moment I say it. Wait for it....wait for it. Now! Jump forward!”

“Soaring Crane!” Chem Au’s legs started to glow with white light, activating the first layer of the Soaring Crane Cultivation Skill.

To the surprise of all the other guards, Chem Au jumped into the range of battle while carrying the cripple on his back.

“Left! Jump left now!”

“Take one step back!”

“Duck!”

“Five steps to the right!”

“Now move forward!” Chem Al kept yelling out instructions. Like some kind of magic trick, they didn’t get turned into meat paste.

“Okay, this is it! The moment it leans forward again, I want you to jump diagonally to the right. Get ready. Wait for it… Now!”

The Wyrm tried to bite down on Sorka Jiu, but he managed to dodge, barely this time. Sweat poured down his forehead, his legs felt weak. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold on. But before he could worry about his next move, one of his guards ran forward. Why was he carrying the cripple on his back?

Chem Al threw the sliver of wood. Due to the short distance, it was able to fly majestically. It hit the Wyrm right on its jaw, between its scales.

“Now run away,” Chem Al shouted at his brother.

Chem Au’s legs pumped as fast as it could as he ran to the circle of guards, away from the battle. They fell to the ground, rolling as they landed. Catching his breath, Chem Au said, “Now can you tell me what that was all about?”

Chem Al smiled. “I hit one of its nerves. Now it can’t close its mouth.”

“That’s it? You made me run around a life and death battle just to do that?”

“Just watch the fight, and remember what I said about its weakness.”

The guards didn’t know what the hell was going on, but Sorka Jiu did the moment he saw it. Somehow the cripple had managed to force the Wyrm to keep its mouth open. That was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Profound energy surged throughout his whole body, his sword glowing with the most brilliant white light since the start of the battle. It was obvious that he was putting all of his effort into one final strike.

He jumped. With his fast speed, he made it into the Wyrm’s mouth. It tried to bite down on him, but all it managed to do was drive one of its fangs into his arm. Sorka Jiu forced back his painful scream, trying to focus on his task.

With his other hand, he stabbed up with his sword, trying to force his way through the Wyrm’s upper jaw. It may have been its weakness, but the top of the jaw still had some resistance. With one huge burst of profound energy surging into the his sword, he pierced through.

The sword stabbed past the upper jaw and into the Wyrm’s brain.

A loud roar pierced the heavens. All around the forest, birds took to the sky. With blood trickling down his sword, Sorka Jiu pulled it out and jumped back, avoiding the Wyrm’s violent death throes.

Finally, it slammed into the ground and died.

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The First Alchemist - Chap 9

Chapter 9 - Journey through the Forest Part II

Chem Al’s bout of homesickness eventually faded away. At the end of the day, he still had to accomplish his goal: introducing alchemy to the world. Breaking down was not an option. He had to keep moving forward.

After Chem Au confirmed that his little brother was okay, they set off to catch up with their family’s cart. They passed by dozens of rare medicinal ingredients, ones that were a lot more powerful than the Golden Earth Dan Root he was holding, but Chem Al had to stop himself from picking them up even though his hands were itching.

They’re so common they grow on the side of a road, they’re so common they grow on the side of a road, they’re so common…. He repeated to himself.

Until he saw something horrifying: Firedrake Berries.

Chem Al ran up to it just to make sure. They were indeed Firedrake Berries, less than a year old. They were a medicinal ingredient that could only grow under one condition. But he wasn’t thinking about alchemy right now, he was thinking about saving the lives of all the villagers, especially his family.

“Au, I need you to go warn the village chief. Tell him to get the villagers to move faster.”

“What’s wrong? Did you see something?”

Chem Al shoved the red berries into his brother’s hands, then he explained everything he knew about them. “Now go! The village chief won’t listen to a cripple like me. You’ll have to tell him all of this.”

With a push, Chem Au was sent running to the front of the group. To be honest, a part of him didn’t completely believe his little brother’s words, but his eyes were so serious and there was so much urgency in his voice, it almost scared him. If what his little brother said was true, then they were all in danger.

“Village chief! Village chief!” Chem Au shouted.

The village chief, and his son, was riding in the only cart that was pulled by a horse. Seeing one of his guards running up to him, he asked, “What is it? Is it a desolate beast?”

“Maybe. At least, my brother thinks we’re in the territory of one.”

“Your brother? You mean the cripple?” Sorka Bo sneered.

Chem Au tried to hide the annoyance on his face. He may have great respect for those who were stronger than him, but the village chief’s son’s face looked a lot like a target right now. “Yes, my brother. He says that there could be something dangerous nearby. He called it a Wyrm.”

“A worm? Oh, that’s definitely something your little brother would be scared of.” Sorka Bo found it hard not to laugh.

“No, a Wyrm. He says it’s a baby dragon.”

Before Sorka Bo could say anything else, his father cut him off with a wave of his hand. “Speak,” he said to Chem Au. He had never told anyone this, but when he was a boy, he had a huge fascination with dragons. He had learned that baby dragons were called Wyrms, which not a lot of villagers would know. He was surprised that the cripple knew this name too.

Chem Au held up the Firedrake Berries. “My brother found these berries on the side of the road. He says that they only grow in one place, the territory of a Wyrm. The low heat from their scat is what helps them grow. At least, that’s what my brother says.”

Sorka Bo was now openly laughing. “Let me get this straight. Your brother, the cripple, says that there is a baby dragon out there somewhere, and that he got this from berries that are grown by hot shit?”

The village chief frowned, agreeing with his son. He also found it hard to believe. Besides, how would a cripple who spent his life in the village know anything about dragons? 

Seeing the incredulous faces between the two, Chem Au made one final plea. “Can you at least tell the villagers to quicken their pace? Even if you don’t believe my brother about the Wyrm, there are always dangers in this forest. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

The village chief thought about it, then he shook his head. “That would only lead to accidents. I too want to leave this forest as soon as possible, but I also know that if we go any faster than this, it would drain our strength. The villagers, as well as the guards, would only get more tired, making it even harder to defend ourselves if we really were attacked by a desolate beast. Not only that, but some of the carts might break down if we rush. And there would definitely be stragglers. I know that I said we would leave any straggler behind if they can’t catch up, but I would like to get as much people and their carts to the city as possible.”

“But…,” Chem Au said.

“Enough. If you are really worried, then go warn the other guards to keep up their vigilance. Tell them something, like you sensed a desolate beast nearby. That would really get them focused.”

Chem Au nodded. It was better than nothing. But before he left, he said, “There’s one more thing. My brother said that the average strength of the guards is too weak. There would be no way for us to pierce through the Wyrm’s scales. The only way to kill it would be to jump into the Wyrm’s mouth, then stab through its upper jaw and into its brain.” After saying everything his little brother told him to say, Chem Au left.

Sorka Bo felt insulted by this. He was only a little stronger than the average guards, so wouldn’t saying that the guards were weak also saying that he was weak? He turned back and spotted the cripple, who was standing on top of the Chem clan’s cart, looking around while nervous and scared. Sorka Bo scoffed at him. What would a cripple know?

But after turning back to face the front, he happened to see the look on his father’s face. “Father, you don’t actually believe him, do you?”

Sorka Jiu seemed to be contemplating something. “I am worried, son. Why haven’t we seen any desolate beasts yet? We should have at least spotted one by now.”

“Maybe they are afraid” Sorka Bo said, though he didn’t really believe it.

“Or maybe a new, more powerful beast had moved into this territory, treating the other desolate beasts like prey.” Sorka Jiu seemed to have understood something. He turned to his son. “Do you remember what you told me after you went out hunting? You said that there seemed to be less desolate beasts around. You complained about it because, although it made the forest safer, it also meant less meat for the village.”

“Yes, but this and that are different things. It doesn’t mean there’s a worm crawling around like the cripple said.”

“Wyrm,” Sorka Jiu said before going back to his thoughts.

That one word seemed like an admonishment at Sorka Bo, telling him to be more respectful of this mysterious beast, and by association, maybe even a little more respectful to the cripple.

Sorka Bo grew annoyed, then he left the cart.

Meanwhile, Chem Al could only be described as fidgety as he kept staring into the forest, like he was expecting it to throw something at him. This was one of the moments that The First Alchemist’s journal didn’t mention. It went from him ranting about how much he hated farming, then skipped to describing what Vera City was like.

Maybe it was because nothing happens. After all, right now all they were doing was delivering their crops and meat to the city. Something like that was boring, not worthy of being written down.

Boring was good.

It meant that they wouldn’t be attacked by a creature from the dragon race. Chem Al sighed with relief after thinking that.

“What are you thinking about?”

Chem Al nearly jumped in shock. At some point, Sorka Bo had walked up to his family’s cart. Off to the side, Chem Feng and Chem Mai were greeting him with respect, but Chem Al just looked at him suspiciously. What did he want?

“I was just hoping that nobody dies on this trip.”

Sorka Bo snorted. “Then you’re naive.”

Chem Al stared at him, not believing what he was hearing. “I do not understand. It’s like you’re expecting someone to die.”

“Look around you. With so many people traveling through the forest, we’re bound to attract a few desolate beasts. This large group will stop most from attacking, but occasionally someone almost always dies on this trip. It’s the way it’s always been.”

“Well, it shouldn’t be. Shouldn’t the village chief be keeping everyone safe?”

Sorka Bo grew angry. “What do you know? My father is doing the best he can. More than you, at least, making up stuff about worms.”

“Wyrm,” Chem Al simply said.

Sorka Bo held back his spear. Something was different about this cripple. In the past, he usually cowered before him, but now he was looking at him straight in the eye. There was even a slight tinge of disrespect in his tone.

“Listen here, cripple. Do you know what banishment means? When I become village chief, it will be you dying in this forest,” Sorka Bo whispered, hiding his words from the cripple’s parents.

Chem Al smiled. Something about that smile disturbed Sorka Bo. It was like the cripple believed, no, he knew that Sorka Bo would never become the village chief. Frozen fingers of dread crawled around his stomach. Just before Sorka Bo was about to say something, a crashing sound came from up ahead.

One of the villagers yelled, “What the heck?”

Guards all around were running towards the source of the commotion, and so did Sorka Bo and Chem Al. When they got there, they could see that one of the meat carts had turned over. What had crashed into it was a goat.

“Hmph, is that your Wyrm? It looks more like a weak Hilltop Goat to me.” Sorka Bo sneered.

Chem Al ignored him, focusing more on the goat. It was trying to get off the ground, but one of its legs had broken, probably from the crash. The thing that struck him the most were its eyes. It was frightened.

“Look at it, everyone. A pile of money just jumped into our laps. Come on, help me put it out of its misery.” Sorka Bo held up his spear as he walked towards the fallen desolate beast. The other guards did the same.

“Stop!” Chem Al shouted. “Everyone get away from it now!”

All the guards stopped, more out of confusion than obeying what Chem Al said. Sorka Bo turned around, a smile on his face like he was about to humiliate the cripple in front of everyone. He pointed at the cripple and...heard something behind him.

Sorka Bo looked over his shoulder, only to see a huge, snake-like beast rushing out of the forest. It was fast. Before he knew it, its mouth had already bit down on the Hilltop Goat’s body. The goat screamed.

With a twist, the goat spluttered and died as its body was ripped in half. The snake-like beast rose up, its mouth pointing at the sky as it swallowed half the goat.

Once it was finished, the beast looked down at the other half of the goat, then it looked at all the villagers.

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The First Alchemist - Chap 8

Chapter 8 - Journey through the Forest Part I

After two months had passed, the village was busy harvesting what crops they had, while the guards were trying to hunt for as much meat as possible while staying safe. All of this would be sold at the market in Vera City.

Chem Al moved as fast as he could, plucking the potatoes and radishes out of the ground and loading them on to their cart. Without any help from his big brother, who was away hunting for meat with the other guards, he and his parents had to rush their harvest or else they would get left behind.

By the time the cart was loaded up, the sun hadn’t risen yet. Whew, they actually made it.

Since their family didn’t have a horse, his father had to pull the cart. It wasn’t a problem even though his profound strength was low. They made their way to the wooden gate that was the only entrance to the village. Most of the other villagers had already gathered there.

In the distance, Chem Al could see his brother loading a dead desolate beast on to a cart. It was a Horned Rabbit, a low level desolate beast with not a lot of meat on the bone. It didn’t seem like his luck was good.

“Attention! Everybody, can I have your attention!” A man stood up on a cart that was harnessed to the only horse in the village. Chem Al, and the rest of the villagers, turned to look at the man. It was Sorka Jiu, the village chief.

“Before we leave, I want to remind everyone about the rules. I know you all already know this but it bears repeating, or else you might die.” Sorka Jiu coughed into his fist. “Once the sun comes up, we will leave immediately. It takes half a day to get to Vera City, so if there aren’t any problems, we will make it there before nightfall. I hope that I don’t need to remind you why no one should try crossing the forest when it’s dark.”

Sorka Jiu looked at the crowd, but no one responded. “Good. Now, once we get going, everyone must stick close together. No stragglers. If any of you fall behind, you better move quickly or else we’re going to leave you. And remember, everyone, always be on your guard.” His last words were solemn, hoping that no one would die on this trip.

Soon the sun broke through the horizon. It was time to set off into the forest.

Passing through the gate, they made their way down the trail. Nothing happened for the first hour. It was peaceful, almost to the point where those warnings didn’t seem to matter. Everyone stuck together, but some people would break off from their family’s cart to go chat with one of their friends. If it weren’t for the guards, with spears and leather armor, surrounding the villagers, this journey would look like a group vacation.

Chem Al certainly enjoyed himself, except for all the walking. He wouldn’t ride on his family’s cart because he didn’t want to become an extra burden for his father who was doing all the pulling. To him, the only good thing about this trip so far was that they were going downhill. Everything else was just foot sores.

He was chatting with his big brother at the time when he suddenly shouted, “Holy shit!”

“What?” Chem Au asked while starting to circulate profound energy within his body, thinking that his little brother had spotted a desolate beast. But no, Chem Al was just running towards a weird plant on the side of the road.

“Uhh...what are you doing?”

“Au, do you know what this is?”

“A pretty flower?”

“This is a six hundred year old Nine Colored Rainbow Blossom!”

There was no amazed reaction from Chem Au. He only said, “Is it rare?”

“It’s definitely not something you would find on the side of a road!”

Chem Au tilted his head. “Congratulations for finding it, I guess?”

Chem Al groaned. It wasn’t strange that his big brother didn’t know how amazing this was. Then he brightened up as he realized that Sheng Yi was someone that would understand. Chem Al carefully plucked the flower, then made his way towards his Master who was near the back of the group. She was giving a young girl some water after treating her bruise.

“Master!”

Without turning around, Sheng Yi knew who was calling her. “Please lower your voice.”

“Master! Look at this!” Chem Al practically shouted.

Feeling a little exasperated, she looked back at the huge flower that her disciple was holding. “Oh, a Nine Colored Rainbow Blossom?”

Chem Al’s smile widened. “Yes! Isn’t it amazing?”

“It’s very pretty. You know, a lot of nobles would use them as decoration for their homes. Once we get to the city, maybe you can find a noble who is willing to buy it.”

“Decoration?” Chem Al was stunned. “What do you mean by using it as decoration? It’s not like this blossom is just a common flower.”

“Isn’t it? I know that last year I saw twenty or thirty of those while I was walking around the forest looking for medicinal ingredients.”

“Twenty or thirty? Finding them by just walking around?” Chem Al couldn’t believe it. In his past life, he had to trudge through a vast, maze-like forest for over five weeks just to find one of these. Yet, his Master talked about them like you could just trip over any root and fall on one. That was impossible!

But wait. Was it really impossible?

Chem Al said goodbye to his Master, then walked back to his family’s cart while mumbling under his breath. He stared at the Nine Colored Rainbow Blossom in his hands.

This was one of the medicinal ingredients that no one, including The First Alchemist, had ever figured out how to cultivate, so it was impossible to grow them on a farm. Because of this, by the time he was born in his past life, this flower had become rare. But in this era, before alchemy was created, they must be as common as bouquets.

He thought back to The First Alchemist’s journals. There were times where The First Alchemist mentioned finding a rare medicinal ingredient, and he always felt envious of how lucky The First Alchemist was. But it turned out that The First Alchemist wasn’t lucky. Can you call someone lucky when they find a leaf in a forest?

Chem Al’s eyes started to shine. What other medicinal ingredients would he be able to find?

By the time Chem Al returned to his family’s cart, he was paying more attention to the sides of the road. If it wasn’t for how dangerous the forest was, he would have looked deeper. But just focusing on the grassy areas near the road provided a lot of fruitful gifts.

“Two hundred year old Scarlet Vein Heart Leaves!”

“One thousand year old Udumbara Flowers! Nobody touch them! They’re mine!”

“Venture Mushroom Caps! Yes, they’re just the right age!”

“Nine hundred year old Golden Earth Dan Root! Can someone help me pull this up?”

Gathering all of these things didn’t go unnoticed by the villagers, but they mostly ignored him, thinking that the crippled boy had something wrong with his head. There was even a mother who warned her son to never act like this.

Chem Al didn’t care. He was happily grabbing medicinal ingredient after medicinal ingredient. It was such a blissful moment.

When his hands were full, he went to his family’s cart to pile them on, but his father stopped him. “Sorry, Little Al. I can’t take any of that. It’s taking all of my strength just to pull these crops. How about this? Once the cart is empty after selling all of our crops in the city, you can put some of your plants in.”

Chem Al paused. He had been so excited about finding these rare medicinal ingredients that he didn’t think about what to do next. There was no way for him to carry all that he wanted by himself. “Please, father. Just take them to the city. Once we get there, maybe I can get a spatial ring to hold them.”

“Spatial ring? What’s that?” Chem Feng’s eyebrows furrowed.

Now Chem Al froze on the spot. A realization struck him. Stupid, that was what he was. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He was one hundred thousand years in the past. Since medicinal cauldrons weren’t invented yet, he should have realized that other things from his past life wouldn’t be here too. What else hasn’t been invented yet?

He thought back to the The First Alchemist’s journals, as well as other historical records describing this point in time. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember them ever mentioning spatial rings, or jade transmission slips, or bank cards. Shit. How was he supposed to store things? How was he supposed to send people messages? How was he supposed to carry around his millions and millions of gold taels?

Lost in thought, he couldn’t react in time when someone shoved him to the side, knocking the medicinal ingredients out of his hands. “Move it, cripple! Don’t just stand there in the middle of the road!”

Usually he would rise up in anger after getting treated like that, but all he could do was lay there in the dirt, watching the villagers stepping on the rare medicinal ingredients that he had dropped as they went by.

This is a completely different era, Chem Al thought.

For the past two months, he had been so overwhelmed by the fact that he was now in The First Alchemist’s body that he never truly understood how different this time was...until now. Modern conveniences that he took for granted didn’t exist. Those who practiced medicine were treated like dirt. All of his family, friends, and disciples weren’t even born yet. And he wasn’t the leader of the Alchemist Association anymore. He was no longer someone that even kings would bow to. He was just a cripple.

“Hey, are you okay? Let me help you…. Are you crying?” Chem Au asked, after he ran over to his little brother.

“No. Shut up. I’m not crying.” Chem Al rubbed his eyes.

“Okay, okay. Do you want me to hit the guy that did this to you?”

Chem Al just shook his head, then he sat there while watching the progression of carts go by. His brother stood there for a second, not knowing what to do, then he sat down next to him. It was quiet.

“I’m really far away from home, aren’t I?” Chem Al almost whispered.

“What? We’re less than half a day’s journey from the village. I know that might seem far to you, but after you grow up, it would seem like nothing.”

“No, I mean…. Nevermind.” Chem Al paused. It was quiet again. After awhile, he got up and walked to the middle of the road, making sure to avoid the villagers and their carts. He picked up the six hundred year old Nine Colored Rainbow Blossom.

Bruised and covered in dirt, it was in such a poor state that Chem Al didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In his past life, people would risk their lives to own one of these flowers, but in this era it was treated like mud on the bottom of boots. The same could be said for all of these other medicinal ingredients that had been flattened on the ground.

He looked around. The only thing that survived was the Golden Earth Dan Root. Before a cart came by, Chem Al hurried over and picked it up. Since it was so hard, it managed to not get crushed.

“I don’t know why these plants are important to you, but you can always get more,” Chem Au said, standing next to him.

Chem Al shook his head. “No. It was wrong for me to pick these up in the first place. Without a proper place to store them, they’ll just lose their medicinal efficacy.” He realized that he had never truly appreciated how useful a spatial ring was.

He held the nine hundred year old Golden Earth Dan Root in his hands. If he couldn’t carry all of these medicinal ingredients, he could at least keep this one. After all, it was the one that his big brother needed the most.

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The First Alchemist - Chap 7

Chapter 7 - Two Months

Chem Al picked himself off the ground. I hate farming, he thought.

But he would never say that out loud because Chem Feng and Chem Mai had asked him to help them with the farm, and he had a lot of respect for the parents of The First Alchemist.

Nearby, the two were also toiling in the soil, although it seemed like it was only he himself that kept collapsing from exhaustion.

“Little Al, do you need to rest? You don’t have to work so hard,” his mother said.

Chem Al took a second to catch his breath. “No, I can keep going,” he managed to say even though his body groaned like an old man’s, or like his old body from his past life. He attacked the weeds again, drawing energy from his anger at the evil plants.

How could he stop? After living in their hut for the past couple of days, he had an clearer understanding of their situation. These crops were what fed them and gave them a living. His parents were barely getting by. How could he not work his hardest while they provided for him? Having a crippled body didn’t give him an excuse to rest.

Though the work was tiring, at least it gave him some time to think. He already knew that what he had to do next was create the medicinal cauldron, so all he needed to focus on right now was figuring out who had poisoned The First Alchemist’s body. For the past few days, that was all he could think about.

At first, he thought it was Chem Feng or Chem Mai. Although he had a lot of respect for them, that shouldn’t rule them out as suspects. They were close to home and all of his meals came from them. Even though they would eat the same food together, he would always watch them just in case they put a little something extra in his bowl. He would also only eat his meal after they had taken a bite.

Since he was still alive, nor did he feel sick, it would seem that they weren’t the poisoners. But a part of him already knew that.

His suspicions about them weren’t that serious to begin with. Just spending a little time with them helped him see that they cared about him. So it wasn’t his parents. That was good, though it still left the question of who the poisoner was.

“I’m back,” Chem Au said. He was carrying a wooden pole on his shoulders, with each end of the pole holding a bucket of water.

His parents went over and grabbed the buckets. “Thank you for working so hard,” they said. That was an understatement. Chem Au had the toughest job of them all. The only source of water around here was the river in the forest. Although it wasn’t that deep in the forest, there would sometimes be desolate beasts drinking from the river. Just to get some water, you would have to get in and out fast, or die. Chem Au was the strongest in the family, so it was always his job to fetch the water, even though it could be life threatening.

“That’s going to be my last trip for the day or else I won’t make it in time for my guard duties,” Chem Au said, but then he spotted his little brother who was still on his knees, weeding. “I guess I can spare five minutes. Do you need any help, Little Al?”

Chem Al wanted to say no, but his back rebelled at him. “Yes, please,” he gasped out, not trying to hide the relief in his voice. He really hated farming.

His big brother got down on his knees and helped him. It was because of moments like this that Chem Al also no longer suspected his big brother as the poisoner. Chem Au obviously cared about him as well, just like his parents.

Now that he had ruled out his family, he had to look at other people to try to find out who the poisoner was. But who?

The sun was setting.

Sometime after Chem Au left on patrol to guard the village, his father stood up and wiped the sweat off his forehead. “I guess that’s it for today.”

Chem Al collapsed on the ground, relieved. His mother came over and gave him some water. After thanking her, he continued to lay on the ground.

“Aren’t you going to rush to the medicine woman like you usually do?” his mother asked.

“Just let me rest here for a minute.”

She smiled at him, then she reached down to rub his head. “Thank you for working so hard.”

Chem Al smiled back, but he knew he could do more, and one day he would do a better job of supporting his parents. After his body rested enough, he got up and walked out of their small farm land. “I’ll be going now,” he called out to his parents before he left.

They waved to him as he ran towards the edge of the village.

He hated farming. He was always glad when the day’s work was done because then he would have some free time to go learn from Sheng Yi. Along the way, he heard some children up ahead.

“Hey look, it’s the cripple!”

“Get him!”

They surrounded him. This is different, Chem Al thought. No one had bothered him before when he went to Sheng Yi’s hut.

“Looks like you’re smart enough not to run like last time,” one of them said.

“I think getting hit in the head made him smarter. Maybe he’d like another one,” the biggest one in the group raised his fist.

The others snickered. “Good one, Lik Ku.”

Chem Al’s eyes widened. “Oh, I’ve read about you. You’re one of Sorka Bo’s sycophants.”

“Syco what? Did you just make fun of me?” Lik Ku said. “You should remember that I work for Sorka Bo. The moment he becomes the village chief, you’re going to get kicked out of the village. We don’t need cripples like you.” He punched Chem Al in the face.

Chem Al was more surprised than hurt. Before he could react, Lik Ku threw another punch at his stomach, then he started wailing on him while the other children egged him on. 

Then suddenly, the world grew cold, causing everyone to quiet down. Lik Ku stepped back as he felt a chill go down his spine.

“You dare?” Chem Al practically growled. He was hunched over, bruised and bloody, but his eyes stared with death at Lik Ku. “You dare strike the body of The First Alchemist?”

Without realizing it, Lik Ku pissed himself. A powerful aura was billowing out from the cripple. This wasn’t profound energy, it was killing intent! All of the children now felt as if they were facing a dragon that would wipe out an entire city with only a single apology.

Chem Al roared as he launched himself at Lik Ku, pushing him to the ground. Despite having the profound cultivation at the ninth level, Lik Ku was too shocked to defend himself. It wasn’t just because this cripple had never fought back before, it was that every strike was meant to kill. The only thing that saved Lik Ku’s life right now was that Chem Al’s strength was too weak.

Although he was terrified, Lik Ku regained enough sense to throw out a desperate punch. Chem Al flew back and landed on the ground. He wasn’t moving.

“Is, is he dead?” one of the children finally asked.

“Lik Ku, you went too far! He may be a cripple, but we can’t just kill him. We’re going to be in so much trouble,” another one of them said.

“Shut up!” Lik Ku got off the ground, shouting to hide his fear. His hands were shaking. It felt like he had barely survived a life or death situation.

Cough.

Everyone turned when they heard that sound. Chem Al had managed to prop himself up on his hands, although it looked like he was about to keel over. He was coughing blood. For one second, everyone felt relieved that he was still alive, but then they saw his eyes. The sharp eyes of a manslaughtering beast.

“Are you going to kill me, Lik Ku?” Chem Al’s words were quiet, but they rang louder than thunder. “Because if you don’t, you’re going to be the one to die.”

Fear struck Lik Ku’s heart. He ran.

Seeing their leader running away, the other children quickly followed him, leaving the cripple on the ground. Chem Al coughed again. Barely any blood came out this time. That was good. He stayed on the ground for a few minutes longer, allowing his body to recover enough before he stood back up.

With shaky legs, he walked towards Sheng Yi’s hut, passing a few villagers along the way, but they didn’t offer any assistance. There was no point in helping a cripple. Chem Al didn’t let it bother him. He just kept focusing on not falling over.

“What happened to you?” Sheng Yi asked after he stumbled through the door.

“A bunch of disrespectful brats.”

Sheng Yi frowned, then she looked him over to check what injuries he had. He winced as she touched his stomach. Thank goodness, these seemed to be only light injuries. Easily treatable.

She got up and gathered the medicinal ingredients she needed. After she started applying a salve, she said, “I know I don’t have that much influence in this village, and I’ve never bothered to intervene before when those children bullied you, but now you’re my disciple. I’m going to do something about this.”

“No need,” Chem Al said. “I don’t think they’ll be bothering me again.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Although they may be bullies that like to hurt people, it wasn’t to the point of death. I think it was their first time facing a situation where their life was on the line.” And it was true. Despite Lik Ku punching him so many times, there was no killing intent behind his fists. He just wanted to hurt, not kill.

Sheng Yi looked at him with questions in her eyes, but he didn’t say anything else about it, so she continued to apply the salve.

While she worked on him, Chem Al thought back to the fight. His anger had settled down by now, allowing him to think more clearly. Those children hadn’t wanted to kill him. Neither did any of the adults he passed by on the way here. Every villager he has ever met these past few days either ignored him or looked at him with disdain. There was no killing intent in their eyes, nor did they look surprised when they saw that he was still alive.

This led him to one conclusion: None of the villagers had poisoned The First Alchemist. At least, not the average villager. It had to be someone that could convince Sheng Yi to keep quiet. Because that was what it came down to, wasn’t it? She knew who the poisoner was, but she wouldn’t tell him.

Could Sheng Yi be the poisoner herself? That nagging thought had been creeping inside his mind these past few days, and he hated himself for thinking it. There was no reason for the great Sheng Yi to poison The First Alchemist. Besides, she seemed to care about him just as much as his family did. He might be bias but he just didn’t think that Sheng Yi was the poisoner. At the very least, he’ll only investigate her after he ran out of other suspects.

Because there were still three suspects left, and one of them was the village chief: Sorka Jiu.

He has the influence to silence Sheng Yi. If she were to cross him, he could give the order to have her banished. In this world where danger was around every corner, banishment was the same as death.

The only thing Chem Al couldn’t figure out was for what reason did the village chief want to poison him? He sighed. He’ll have to figure that out later.

“There. All done.” Sheng Yi finished wrapping a long piece of cloth from his waist to his shoulder.

The pain had dulled a little, but Chem Al could still feel some aches here and there. That salve’s healing ability was weak and slow. He really needed that medicinal cauldron. With alchemy, all of these injuries would have been completely healed by now.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s start today’s lesson.” Sheng Yi grabbed her bag and took out a medicinal plant she had found this morning. “Do you know what these are?”

“White Tiger Stalks!”

Sheng Yi sighed. “Of course you do. Why do I even bother asking?” She went over and picked up her knife. “I suppose you also know how to prepare White Tiger Stalks too.”

Chem Al nodded, then said, “But I want to watch you do it.”

“Are you even learning anything from me?” Sheng Yi asked, but deep down inside, she felt proud to show off her skills to someone who appreciated them. Even though her disciple already knew what to do, she couldn’t help but explain as she placed her knife on one of the stalks. “The White Tiger Stalks are a good medicinal ingredient for mending bones. However, they have these black veins that can have a negative impact on the body. To prepare White Tiger Stalks, you’ll have to cut around these veins….”

Listening to her teaching was like heaven to Chem Al. This was how he spent his time as two months went by. During the day, he would help his parents with the farm, and when the sun went down, he would learn something from Sheng Yi.

Not every day was perfect, but it was mostly peaceful. It was kind of nice, actually. Although, if it was possible, he would like to do away with the farming. He really hated farming.

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The First Alchemist - Chap 6

Chap 6 - Chem Au

Despite the added task of trying to find out who poisoned The First Alchemist, it still didn’t change anything. He still had things to do to make sure that history played itself out right. He had managed to become Sheng Yi’s disciple, now what was his next step?

Chem Al placed a hand on his chin. According to the journals, the next thing he should do was…

“Little Al! Hey, Little Al!”

Who dares to shout the name of the great First Alchemist so lightly? He looked up, then his jaw dropped at the sight of the person running up to him. It was Chem Au!

Suddenly a painting flashed in his mind; a painting that showed a powerful warrior in black armor fighting back thousands of enemies with his trusted hammer. Fierce, deadly, and unstoppable. When cultivators who practiced martial arts spoke of Chem Au, this was who they imagined.

But right now, Chem Au was just a young teenage boy wearing leather armor on top of his raggy clothes. He was shorter, his muscles were less nourished, and he just didn’t look that tough. Even the painting had more killing intent than he did.

Still, none of that mattered. This was Chem Au! The older brother of The First Alchemist!

Chem Al immediately bowed. “This lowly brother greets Chem Au.”

“Chem Au? When did you start calling me that? We’re brothers. Just call me Au like you usually do.” Chem Au wrapped his arms around his little brother and squeezed.

Chem Al felt like his ribs might break. He coughed, almost spitting blood.

“Oh, oh sorry. I keep forgetting that.” He took a step back, then he looked over his brother. “Little Al, are you okay? Mother and Father told me that the sickness did something to your mind?”

“I’m okay. I just lost a few memories.” Chem Al waved it off.

Chem Au frowned. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you. I just got back home after the changing of the guards.”

That was right, Chem Al remembered. Chem Au worked as a guard for the village chief. Just from that, their family was allowed to live closer to the center of the village and was given a little farmland.

“It’s okay. You couldn’t have done anything,” Chem Al said. “Besides, just look at me. I’m fine.”

And Chem Au really did look at him. His little brother indeed looked healthy, even happier. There was now a constant glimmer of hope in his eyes and none of that quiet sadness from before.

“See? You don’t need to worry about me. Instead, it’s you we should be worried about,” Chem Al said. He finally realized what his next step was supposed to be: use alchemy to help raise the strength of The First Alchemist’s brother.

“What? What about me?”

“You are fifteen years old, yet your profound cultivation is only at the thirteenth level.”

“So? Why is that a problem? I might not be as talented as the village chief’s son, but my cultivation is still pretty decent.”

Chem Al could only sigh. He knew from the journals that at this point in time, the son of the village chief was fifteen years old with a profound cultivation at the fifteenth level. That might be amazing in a small place like this, but in a city or a sect, that could only be considered less than average. These were only the lower levels after all.

“But are you satisfied with that? You do know that cultivating would become more difficult the higher you go, right? It wouldn’t be strange if the level of your profound cultivation only went up once every ten years, or every fifty years.”

Chem Au’s shoulders sagged a little. That was something he worried about from time to time. When he was younger, his cultivation level would go up two or three times per year, then only once per year, and now he would be lucky if it at least went up once every two or three years. And it would only get harder from there.

Seeing the sad look forming on his big brother’s face, Chem Al quickly said, “But what if there was a way to increase the speed of your profound cultivation?”

“Increase the speed of cultivation?”

“Yes! Then you can become even stronger than you are now! Soon the village chief’s son would seem like an ant to you.”

Chem Au scoffed at that. “Impossible. Unless you have a cultivation skill that is well suited for me, there is no other way to make me stronger.”

“Oh, but there is.” Chem Al’s smile was almost maniacal as he spread his arms out wide. “The answer is all around us. This village is surrounded by a forest, and in that forest are plants and herbs that you can make miracles with.”

“Plants and herbs? That’s your answer to increase my cultivation speed?”

“Well, it’s not just that. We will also need….” Chem Al froze. “Shit!”

He started to pound his head with his little fists as he kept cursing. How could he have forgotten? He was an idiot, that’s why. The real First Alchemist wouldn’t have made such an obvious mistake.

When Chem Au saw his little brother acting so agitated, he grabbed his arms to stop him from hitting himself. “What’s wrong? Is this a side-effect from your sickness?”

“Cauldron!” Chem Al shouted.

“Cauldron?”

“A medicinal cauldron! I need one!”

“What are you talking about?”

Chem Al didn’t answer. He had just realized that there weren’t any medicinal cauldrons in this era. Alchemy hadn’t been created yet, so why should there be?

Back in his past life, he had grown so used to medicinal cauldrons always being around. You could always find a store that was selling them. But now? There wasn’t anyone in the world who had even heard of them.

Now what was he going to do? Chem Al settled down. He just had to think. Medicinal cauldrons didn’t pop out of nowhere. Someone had to make them. And he didn’t need anything complicated or made from special materials, at least not yet. A simple iron cauldron would do.

That was, after all, what The First Alchemist’s very first medicincal cauldron was made from.

Suddenly a glittering light erupted from Chem Al’s eyes, and he broke out into a happy dance.

“Uh...what’s wrong?” Chem Au nervously asked.

“Oh, happy day! I can’t believe I didn’t realize it until now! I get to be there when the very first medicincal cauldron in all of history is created! I will get to touch The First Alchemist’s cauldron when it’s newly made! Yay!” He kept dancing, but eventually calmed down with a thoughtful look. “I just have to remember where the first ever cauldron was created. That’s right! It was made by a blacksmith in Vera City, the closest city to Sorka Village! Au, please take me to Vera City!”

“Vera City?”

“Yes!!” Chem Al grabbed his big brother’s arm. “Come on, let’s go!”

Chem Au didn’t move at all. “Little Al, it’s like you said. This village is surrounded by a forest. A very dangerous forest filled with desolate beasts. You’ll need to move in a group to make it safe enough to travel through it.”

“Well, then, bring some people along.”

But Chem Au shook his head. “If you want to go to Vera City, just wait until after the harvest.”

“The harvest?” Chem Al asked.

“Is this another one of your memories the sickness has taken away?” Chem Au sighed. “Remember? After the village harvests the crops, we will all go to Vera City to sell them at the market.”

“Oh. When will that be?” Chem Al asked.

“Two months.”

“Two months? I can’t wait that long.”

Chem Au suddenly gripped his shoulders. “Little Al, I don’t know what this cauldron is or why you want to go to Vera City so badly, but it can’t be more important than your life. Promise me that you won’t go into the forest alone. Promise me.”

This made Chem Al pause, dampening his excitement. He wanted that medicinal cauldron. He really, really wanted that cauldron. But his brother was right. His life, and this body, was more important. He could wait two months.

He nodded, making the promise.

Chem Au smiled, relieved. He clapped his little brother on the shoulders and said, “Come on, let’s go home. Mother is making breakfast.”

Chem Al’s eyes widened. He will get the privilege of eating The First Alchemist’s mom’s cooking? He practically jumped up and ran back to the hut.

“You’re that excited about potatoes and radishes?” Chem Au said as he watched his little brother running home. All he could do was shake his head as he followed Chem Al while the sun was rising.

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The First Alchemist - Chap 5

Chapter 5 - Poison

Since the boy knew the name of the Bleeding Heart Root Powder, Sheng Yi guessed that he also knew what it could be used for. That only left one question.

“Who did you give this Bleeding Heart Root Powder to?” Chem Al asked.

The bowl only had a little bit of the reddish powder left. Sheng Yi hadn’t had time to replenish her supply of it. “I give it to anyone who needs it. If you know what it is, you know that it can help numb pain.”

“Yes, but in large doses, it can become a weak poison that numbs the body until they die in their sleep.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that when I woke up earlier, there was a faint taste of Bleeding Heart Root Powder on my tongue.” He held the bowl up a little more. “And you’re probably the only person in this village that has this powder.”

“And you think that I poisoned you?”

Chem Al’s eyes widened at that, then he laughed. “What? Of course not. What reason can you have for poisoning me? Besides, you’re Sheng Yi,” he said, like that was supposed to explain everything. “No, I was thinking that someone was pretending to be suffering from pain in order to trick you into giving them some of this powder, but what they really wanted it for was to poison me. So let me ask again. Who did you give this Bleeding Heart Root Powder to?”

Sheng Yi didn’t say anything for a long minute. She knew that Chem Al had lost some of his memories. This seemed to be one of them. “If you don’t remember, then you don’t need to know.”

That wasn’t the answer he was expecting. Did she mean that The First Alchemist knew who had received the Bleeding Heart Root Powder? If that was true, then that just led to more questions.

Why didn’t The First Alchemist do anything to protect himself? No, wait. These were still the early days of his childhood. The First Alchemist might not have learned about medicine yet, so he might not have known that the Bleeding Heart Root Powder could also be used as a poison. And he might not have known that the poison was meant for him.

Chem Al felt confused under the weight of so many questions, but then he shook his head. It would all become clear if Sheng Yi told him what he needed to know. “Yes, Master, I don’t remember. Can you please tell me?”

“Like I said, you don’t need to know.”

Chem Al froze. He realized that the biggest question of them all was, why was Sheng Yi protecting the person who had poisoned The First Alchemist?

Sheng Yi saw the look in his eyes. She got down on her knees so that  they could talk face to face, then she put her hands on his shoulders. “You really don’t have to worry about this anymore. I promise that the person who had poisoned you won’t do it again. You have my word, if that means anything to you,” she said, remembering that for some reason he deeply respected her.

Chem Al gave one slow nod, but there was still the question in his eyes.

“You are my Disciple and I am your Master. This relationship may be new and we might still have secrets from each other, but I need you to trust me, okay?”

He nodded again, more emphatically this time. “Yes, Master.”

“Good.” She smiled. He smiled back. Then she patted him on the head before getting back on her feet with a groan. “Ack, I’m getting old.” She pounded her back.

“Master, let me do that for you,” he said, holding up his two small fists.

“Just get out of here, kid. Go home. You don’t need to keep seeing this ugly face any longer.”

“Master, you’re not that ugly.”

Sheng Yi stared at him. “Did my disciple just call me ugly? I’ll have you know I use a cream made from White Terra Clay every night to keep my youthful appearance.”

Chem Al frowned. “That doesn’t do anything.”

Like a reflex, her leg kicked out, but the boy dodged with a smile. He then ran out of the hut, laughing, while she cursed at his back. Seeing him running away with such enthusiasm soon brought a smile to her face, then she went back inside.

While in her hut, she looked over all the medicinal plants and mixtures that Chem Al said didn’t work, especially the White Terra Clay cream. For one second, just one second, she seriously thought about throwing them all out, but then she shook her head and said, “Stupid kid,” before putting them all back where they belong.

The last thing she did before going back to bed was to pick up the bowl of Bleeding Heart Root Powder. She had been planning to replenish her supply of it soon because it really was useful for numbing pain, but then she decided to put it off until later. She washed away the last remaining traces of the powder.

While she was doing all of this, she didn’t see the smile on Chem Al’s face disappearing as he walked home. He was deep in thought.

He had just become Sheng Yi’s disciple, but he was already planning to disobey her. Someone had poisoned The First Alchemist. Even though she had told him that the person who committed the crime wouldn’t do it again, he couldn’t let it go. That person needed to die in the most heinous way possible, preferably with his skin removed.

Chem Al sighed. A part of him did trust his Master, and yes, he held her in high esteem. But if there was one person in all of history that he respected more than Sheng Yi, it was The First Alchemist.

The person who would dare poison The First Alchemist will dearly pay.

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The First Alchemist - Chap 4

Chapter 4 - Medicinal Knowledge

After agreeing to take Chem Al as her disciple, Sheng Yi thought that that would be enough to placate him and send him back home. He wasn’t suffering through anything life threatening, and she couldn’t fix whatever was wrong with him. He seemed to be fine for the most part.

But Chem Al stayed where he was, staring at her with curious eyes that said teach me something, Master!

Sheng Yi sighed. “After I teach you one thing, will you go home?”

Chem Al nodded like a child, excited.

She got up and went over to her bundles of herbs. Picking one up, she said, “This is--”

“Blood Ginseng!” Chem Al shouted before he could she finish.

Her eyes widened. “You know what this is?”

“After drying them in the sun, you could eat them to treat indigestion, but they might also cause blood to appear in your stool.” He then had a look on his face like he was asking her to praise him.

“Wha? How?” she stuttered through, but then she put the herb back where it belongs and picked up a bowl. “Fine. You know about one plant. Can you tell me what this is?” The bowl held a brown powder.

“Willow Bark Powder! Chewing the bark can help with fevers, but the effect is slow and weak. Turning it into a powder and making a tea out of it will make it more effective, although it would taste very bitter.”

Sheng Yi was rocked back on her heels, not knowing what to say. She then put the bowl down and started picking up one thing after another, asking him what they were. But he surprised her every time with the right answer. Whether the plant she showed him was whole, powdered, or in liquid form, he identified them perfectly. He even named her experimental pot of fermenting Wolfsbane Petals with a single glance.

It was only when she held up the Cila Leaves that she saw him frown. For a moment, she thought that she had stumped him, until he named them and said, “That doesn’t do anything.”

“What? Yes, they do! If you eat them, they help cleanse the body of alcohol. Every time I gave these to someone who was drunk, they felt better.”

“Or the alcohol just naturally left their body after a good night’s rest.”

Sheng Yi wanted to bite back, but she couldn’t think of anything that could refute his claim.

Suddenly, Chem Al got up and started poking and sniffing around the room. He began to name and identify some of the things that she hadn’t picked up, but there were a few he just shook his head at and said, “That doesn’t do anything.”

Without realizing it, she would frown whenever he said that. After practicing medicine for most of her life, she was disturbed to discover how much of it simply didn’t work. So she spent a lot of time learning and stockpiling medicine that she knew was effective. But now there was this boy who was telling her that some of her stuff was just plain wrong. She couldn’t just believe everything this boy said was accurate, right? However, her mouth started opening and closing like a fish as Chem Al proceeded to name every single medicinal ingredient in her hut. Every … single ... one.

Her mind must have blanked out for a minute because the next thing she knew, the boy was staring at her. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t respond. Maybe her knowledge of medicine wasn’t as vast as these villagers would like, but it was certainly something that couldn’t be learned in a day. Yet this boy was spouting out almost everything she knew like it was nothing.

“How could you know all this?” she suddenly shouted.

Chem Al paused. Did he say too much? He couldn’t just tell her that he was actually a very skilled alchemist from the future that had replaced the original Chem Al that died. The one she had seen grow up was now gone. He was just a stranger to her. What if she rejected him?

He couldn’t let that happen. History said that Chem Al was the disciple of Sheng Yi, and that’s the way it had to stay. He had to come up with the best lie he could think of. “I was spying on you.”

Sheng Yi almost vomited blood. Could you really learn all this by spying on someone? But wait. She remembered how Chem Al was always worried about his crippled profound veins. Maybe he did secretly watch her to try to find some clue on how to heal them, even though she had told him it was beyond her ability.

Was he telling the truth? Or was it a lie? She looked at him and saw how he was forcing himself to stare her straight in the eye, trying not to look away. Yeah, it was definitely a lie. Or maybe a half-truth. She just rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. In the end, she decided to let it go for now. “Fine, fine. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Chem Al sighed with relief. He could tell that he hadn’t completely gotten rid of her suspicions, but at least she’ll stop asking questions for now. “Will you teach me something now?” His eyes started to shine again.

Her legs stumbled. “You still want me to teach you something?”

“Of course. We did agree that I will go back home after you teach me one thing.”

Sheng Yi could only groan. There was a time where she felt proud that the boy thought she was worthy enough to be his Master. That time seems so long ago. “Let me ask you something. With all that you know, why do you want to be my disciple anyway?”

Chem Al looked at her like she had asked a stupid question. “Because you’re Sheng Yi,” was all he said, like it was obvious.

Ah, an old hag arguing with a little child. She felt so tired. Sheng Yi took three steps forward and then slammed her fist on top of his skull. “You must be respectful to your Master at all times! There! I taught you something.”

There was a faint smile on her face as she stepped back, while Chem Al rubbed his head, trying to make the pain go away. A part of her thought that he would start yelling or at least be annoyed, but no, he surprised her by bowing. “I apologize if I seemed disrespectful.”

This boy is strange, Sheng Yi thought. He really did hold her in high regard. “Now that you get it, leave! I need to get some sleep.”

Chem Al bowed again, but he just stood there.

“Didn’t I just tell you to go home?”

“Yes, Master. But can I ask you something before I go?”

This piqued her curiosity. For awhile now, it had been him giving her answers, but now he wanted to ask a question. What did he want to know? “Fine. Ask away,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Chem Al hurried to the back of the hut and picked up one of the covered bowls. Seeing it, Sheng Yi realized that she had been wrong. He didn’t name all of the medicinal ingredients she had lying around. He had missed one.

He brought the bowl back and took off the cover, revealing traces of a reddish powder. “Master, can you tell me about this Bleeding Heart Root Powder?”

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