Alchemist Apprentice

On the Dou Qi Continent, in the northwest.

In the eastern part of the Gama Empire, Salt City.

The streets southwest of Salt City were never a bustling area; the roads were narrow, with few shops and even fewer households.

Yet today, the area was far more crowded than it had ever been in the past!

A dense crowd blocked the entrance to the Su Clan's residence in Salt City, desperately trying to hear what the people inside were saying.

They did not truly care about the Su Clan; they were simply there because there was a spectacle to watch.

"Su Yan, I advise you to stop your futile struggle. Be sensible and sign these two property deeds, otherwise, after today, the price the Mo Family offers the Su Clan will not be this high."

Inside the Su Clan's reception hall, a middle-aged man in red robes looked at the Su Clan head, Su Yan, with utter disdain.

Although Su Yan was trembling with rage, the red-robed man remained calm and composed, not taking his opponent seriously in the slightest.

"Mo Lin! Do not let your Mo Family bully us too far! You cut off our supply lines and force the sale of our ancestral property. As long as I, Su Yan, have a breath left, I will never agree!"

Veins bulged on Su Yan's forehead as light brown Dou Qi swirled around his body. His hands gripped the desk in front of him so tightly that the hard pear wood shattered into powder beneath his palms.

Even though his chest was filled with fury, Su Yan chose not to resist. It was not that he did not want to, but that he could not. As an Eight-Star Dou Master, he was simply no match for the Great Dou Master, Mo Lin.

"Hmph! I knew you would say that, so I will lay it out for you right now."

"The Mo Family will buy these two shops of yours for five hundred thousand gold coins. If you agree, the money will be delivered immediately. If you refuse, then next time, the Mo Family will only offer one hundred thousand. You had better think clearly."

"If the Su Clan remains stubborn, in a few years, your family might disappear from Salt City entirely. Do you understand?"

Mo Lin did not care about Su Yan's attitude at all. He sneered and turned his gaze toward the reception hall, as if he were admiring his own property.

The Salt City Mo Family was the current leading power in Salt City.

Their Great Elder, Mo Cheng, was an outer sect deacon of the Misty Cloud Sect, the largest sect in the Gama Empire, and was also the sworn brother of the Misty Cloud Sect's Great Elder, Yun Leng.

Relying on the Misty Cloud Sect as their backing, the Mo Family had spent years seizing property through trickery and force. To this day, nearly sixty percent of the industries in all of Salt City belonged to them.

Now, the Mo Family had set its sights on a very small clan in Salt City: the Su Clan in the south of the city.

The Mo Family had dispatched the Great Dou Master Mo Lin to forcibly acquire the Su Clan's ancestral property: two shops located on the main street in the city center.

These two shops were not only the Su Clan's ancestral property but also their most important source of income.

It was no exaggeration to say that if these two shops were lost, the Su Clan would likely fall into poverty and ruin within a few years.

The tragedy was that on the Dou Qi Continent, the strong were respected, and strength was everything!

Facing the Mo Family, which possessed a Five-Star Dou Spirit, the Su Clan—whose head was only an Eight-Star Dou Master—was undoubtedly like an ant, with no possibility of resistance.

Agreeing meant death in a few years; refusing meant death right now. Su Yan's heart was bleeding.

However, what he did not know was that today, not only would the Su Clan remain safe and sound, but the Mo Family would also return in defeat.

"Mo Lin, although your Mo Family is powerful and shakes all of Salt City, I recall that your Mo Family does not have the final say here, right?"

"Salt City is the largest city in the eastern province of the Gama Empire. It is guarded by the empire's heavy troops year-round, and the city lord is even a Dou King."

"You didn't even bother to investigate the Su Clan's background before daring to barge into our home and bully us?"

"Did your Mo Family produce a Dou Emperor? Or has the Misty Cloud Sect dared to go to war with the Gama Empire?"

A slightly youthful voice came from behind Su Yan. A seventeen-year-old youth walked slowly from behind the screen in the reception hall.

He was sturdy and tall, with a maturity in his brow that did not belong to his age. His face was handsome, and his pair of pitch-black eyes revealed a calm, calculated confidence.

This youth was Su Heng, the young patriarch of the southern Su Clan and Su Yan's only son.

"Hmph! Your Su Clan is just an obscure little family in the south of the city. I doubt you have even seen an imperial official, let alone have a background!"

"Su Heng, what are you pretending for in front of me, you little brat? Crushing you would be no different than crushing an ant!"

Mo Lin glanced at Su Heng with extreme disdain. He did not even hold the Eight-Star Dou Master Su Yan in high regard, let alone the Su Clan's young master who had only just advanced to a Dou Practitioner at seventeen.

"Is that so? City Lord Bo'er is a close friend of my father. Did you not even know that?"

"Oh, right, Uncle Bo'er has an appointment with my father today to drink tea and relax. I suggest you apologize to my father quickly; perhaps Uncle Bo'er will not blame you for your rudeness."

"Otherwise, you won't be able to just apologize your way out of today's events!"

Su Heng narrowed his eyes, feigning surprise as he looked at Mo Lin sideways, as if he were looking at a fool.

"You are spouting nonsense! How could City Lord Bo'er be friends with a useless father like yours? I have lived for over forty years, and that is the coldest joke I have ever heard!"

However, the moment Mo Lin's voice fell, a commotion broke out at the Su Clan's gate, and a faint smile appeared on Su Heng's face—a smile of a scheme successfully executed.

"City Lord Bo'er of Salt City has arrived!"

The loud announcement cut through the restless crowd. The One-Star Dou King and City Lord of Salt City, Bo'er, had arrived at the Su Clan in person.

"Mo Lin, it is clearly you who are shallow, arrogant, and empty-headed, spouting such nonsense here and courting death."

"I advise you to apologize to my father immediately, otherwise I will not let you off today!"

Su Heng sneered as he looked at Mo Lin. The man's previously arrogant expression froze instantly, then turned to shock. As City Lord Bo'er entered the hall, it quickly shifted into obsequiousness.

"Lord Bo'er, why have you come?"

In an instant, Mo Lin transformed from an arrogant, overbearing lion into a dog—a pug frantically wagging its tail.

"Nothing much. I have some history with the head of the Su Clan, so I was just passing through and stopped by to have a cup of tea with an old friend. And you... what are you doing here?"

City Lord Bo'er looked around nonchalantly before locking his gaze onto Su Yan, flashing a highly formulaic smile.

"We came to discuss some business. We've already finished, and I was just about to leave."

Seeing that City Lord Bo'er had actually appeared to help the Su Clan, Mo Lin was scared out of his wits. His entire body trembled; he wanted nothing more than to flee this place immediately.

"Hold it!"

Su Heng stepped forward and shouted coldly.

"Mo Lin, you just insulted my father. Do you think you can just walk away without a single word of apology?"

"Do you think the neighbors present today are all blind? If word of this gets out, where will the Su Clan's reputation go?"

Having worked so hard to set this trap, Su Heng wasn't about to let him leave just like that. He dared to insult his father and wanted to walk away without kneeling and kowtowing? In his dreams!

"Su Yan, I didn't realize you were friends with Lord Bo'er. I, Mo Lin, was blind just now and offended you. I apologize!"

Mo Lin bowed his head, offering a simple, perfunctory apology. It was clear he lacked any sincerity and was not the least bit repentant.

"That won't do! Mo Lin, it's one thing to look down on my father, but now that City Lord Bo'er is here, is this all the apology you can offer?"

"Are you looking down on the City Lord, or looking down on a Dou King, or perhaps, does your Mo Family look down on the entire Gama Empire!"

Mo Lin's actions earlier had nearly caused Su Yan internal injuries from rage. Now that Mo Lin had fallen into Su Heng's hands, he wasn't going to let him off easily.

"Su Heng, you! You... tell me what you want me to do!"

Mo Lin's eyes were bloodshot, like a crazed beast, as he stared fixedly at the person before him. He knew he was destined to suffer a humiliating disgrace today. The expression on Su Heng's face could only be described as malicious.

"In front of Lord Bo'er, kowtow a few times and swear that from this day forward, the Mo Family will no longer move against our Su Clan. Then we can call it even."

"Otherwise, I must ask Uncle Bo'er to uphold justice for our Su Clan."

Su Heng turned to City Lord Bo'er and bowed respectfully. City Lord Bo'er nodded in cooperation and gently helped Su Heng up.

Seeing that Bo'er was actually supporting Su Heng, Mo Lin felt the world go black; he nearly fainted.

He truly hadn't expected the Su Clan to have such a backer. He and the Mo Family had truly slammed into a steel plate.

With hundreds of eyes fixed on him, Mo Lin's face turned beet red. A surge of anger caught in his chest, causing him sharp pain. He wanted nothing more than to tear the brat Su Heng into a thousand pieces, but if he dared to make a move, he would be the one torn to pieces.

Circumstances were stronger than the man. In just a few minutes, the one filled with rage had become Mo Lin, while the one holding his head high had become Su Heng.

In the end, Mo Lin bent his knees, slammed his head against the ground a few times, and fled like a stray dog.

The onlookers burst into raucous laughter at the sight, and even Bo'er, the City Lord of Salt City, was amused by the ridiculous scene.

"Many thanks to Lord Bo'er for the rescue. For such a kindness, even if I, Su Yan, were to be ground to dust, I could never repay it."

Bo'er ignored Su Yan, instead walking up to Su Heng. He looked at him with a serious expression and spoke coldly.

"Little friend Su Heng, our deal is struck. With a one-year term, I hope you do not forget your promise, otherwise..."

Bo'er raised his right hand slightly and tapped the desk in the reception hall. The moment he touched it, the entire table let out a muffled thud and crumbled into a pile of sawdust.

"This kindness today, I, Su Heng, will keep in my heart. I will certainly not break my word. Please rest assured, Lord Bo'er."

Bo'er nodded slightly and said nothing more.

He walked to the main gate, spread a pair of dark brown Dou Qi wings from his back, and vanished into the sky above Salt City in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only the gossiping crowd and the bewildered members of the Su Clan.

Watching Bo'er disappear into the distance, Su Heng let out a long sigh and muttered to himself.

"Only one year of time..."

The farce ended here, leaving behind a heavy burden regarding the survival of the family.

"Heng'er, what exactly is going on?"

With City Lord Bo'er of Salt City visiting the Su Clan in person, the most confused person was the clan head, Su Yan. Things had happened so quickly that he was still immersed in shock.

Su Heng didn't speak, instead unfolding a bronze-colored scroll and placing it before Su Yan.

Upon seeing the contents of the scroll, Su Yan's previously gloomy expression shifted instantly, and an indescribable, wild joy erupted.

The bronze-colored scroll clearly read:

"Upon assessment and evaluation by the Salt City Alchemist Guild, the one-star Dou Practitioner Su Heng possesses the talent of an Alchemist. This document certifies his aptitude. All branches of the Alchemist Guild throughout the Gama Empire and the Imperial Capital headquarters may recruit him as an apprentice at their discretion."

Su Yan held the scroll in his palms, reading every word over and over. As he continued to read, his sturdy frame began to tremble. Tears of joy streamed uncontrollably from his eyes; he wept with happiness.