First Meeting with Gu Te

"Young Clan Leader?"

Liu Qing kept muttering under his breath.

The way he looked at Lei Luo was filled with terror. He had even lost the ability to think.

With one cheek swollen high, Liu Qing looked panicked as he dropped to his knees before Lei Luo.

"Young... Young Clan Leader, I, Liu Qing, failed to recognize your greatness. Please show mercy and spare this lowly one just this once!"

No one found Liu Qing's behavior strange.

After all, aside from the Alchemist Association, the Mite'er Family was the strongest force in Black Rock City.

As a major city, Black Rock City was naturally contested territory for the great families of the Imperial Capital.

And the Mite'er Family had clearly seized the advantage first.

Although the Liu Family of Black Rock City had a Dou Ling expert overseeing it, it was clearly still insignificant before a colossal force like the Miter Clan.

Knowing this well, Liu Qing decisively gave up struggling. He might have been enraged, but he did not want to bring disaster upon his family.

Everything he had was given to him by the Liu Family. Without them, he was nothing, so he knelt.

Cheng Feng looked at Lei Luo questioningly, seeking his opinion.

However, Lei Luo had no interest in tangling with such a petty clown. With a wave of his hand, he wrapped an arm around Xue Mei's soft waist and left the stall.

Only after the three of them left the Miter Clan marketplace did Xue Mei break free like a startled kitten.

Seeing this, Lin Fei teased her jealously from the side. "Weren't you being so obedient just now? Why are you running away again?"

After being teased by Lin Fei, Xue Mei was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

Lei Luo came to her rescue. "It's getting late. We only had some snacks earlier, so let me treat you to a proper meal."

At the mention of food, Lin Fei immediately became interested.

"I know a Delicacies Pavilion not far from here. Their food is delicious. How about we go there?"

Naturally, Lei Luo did not refuse.

After all, he was unfamiliar with Black Rock City. Listening to these two locals was surely better than wandering around blindly on his own.

If it had earned the approval of a little foodie like Lin Fei, then the Delicacies Pavilion's food could not be bad.

After the three of them had a hearty meal at the Delicacies Pavilion, Lei Luo personally sent the two girls home.

Only after finishing all that did Lei Luo return to the inn he had booked to wash up and rest.

The next day, he first visited some Miter Clan businesses in Black Rock City. After chatting with Steward Cheng Feng from yesterday for a while, he headed to the Alchemist Association.

This had been arranged with Otto beforehand.

Lei Luo had changed into his Alchemist robe today.

The fitted black robe made Lei Luo's handsome face seem more composed and less youthful, greatly enhancing his overall bearing.

Lei Luo was quite satisfied with this robe.

Leaving aside its genuinely attractive cut, its warmth in winter and coolness in summer, along with its ability to keep one clear-headed, made him unwilling to part with it.

Yet what truly drew attention was not merely Lei Luo's appearance, but the badge on his chest bearing three ripples.

This represented his identity as a Third-Rank Alchemist!

When Otto saw Lei Luo, his eyes could not help but light up.

He was clearly very pleased with his appearance.

"Little Lei Luo, are you married?"

Lei Luo's face immediately turned red with embarrassment, and he quickly laughed it off.

After teasing Lei Luo for a while, Otto finally got to the point.

"The person we're going to see shortly is no ordinary figure. That old fellow is the elder brother of the famed Pill King, Gu He!"

Lei Luo nodded slightly at this.

He already knew this information, so he was not surprised.

As he spoke, Otto led Lei Luo out of the Alchemist Association.

Along the way, Otto repeatedly warned Lei Luo not to say too much later, while also telling him how strange old Gu Te's temperament was.

Lei Luo actually found Gu Te rather interesting.

At the very least, he had his own pursuits and would not rely on his status, strength, or position to commit evil deeds.

And although he treasured artifacts like his life and could act shamelessly, he always traded fairly in the end.

Thus, Lei Luo had a fairly good impression of Gu Te's character and was even somewhat interested in meeting him.

After following Otto through countless twists and turns, the two arrived before an unusual building in the southern part of the city.

Standing at the entrance, Otto pointed at the tightly shut door. "There it is."

As he moved to push the door open, Lei Luo frowned and stepped behind Otto.

However, his movement was natural enough that Otto found nothing strange about it.

The instant the door opened, a mass of black mist swept toward them.

But Otto had clearly come prepared. He was far too familiar with this place.

With a sweep of his arm, an even stronger gust of wind surged forth and scattered the black mist.

"That old fellow loves pulling these crooked tricks. They won't cause any real harm, but if that stuff touches you, your skin will itch unbearably."

Otto turned and explained to Lei Luo.

Lei Luo nodded slightly and followed Otto into the building.

After climbing the rickety stairs, the two finally reached the top of the building.

Looking at the tightly shut door ahead, Lei Luo asked softly, "Master Otto, this is the place, right?"

Otto nodded and was about to step forward and kick the door open, but Lei Luo grabbed him.

"Master, why is this door made of iron?"

Otto's pupils widened slightly. Then he raised his voice and roared:

"You old bastard, did you specifically replace the door with an iron one?"

The moment his voice fell, a burst of laughter rang out from inside.

"Haha, old man, after last time, I replaced the wooden door with one forged from refined iron."

Hearing that highly punchable voice, Otto's beard bristled. Powerful Dou Qi burst from his body as he kicked the door flying!

The iron door crashed down, and a pig-slaughtering scream rang out from within the room.

"Fuck, you dog, you actually did it for real?"

"Heh, what else? Did you think I was joking with you?" Otto strode into the room arrogantly.

His gaze swept over the messy room before finally landing on a filthy old man.

Otto sneered. "Gu Te, do you believe that one day I'll make a list of everything in your treasure room and publish it all?"

"Hehe, don't, don't... It was just a joke!"

The disheveled old man hurriedly waved his hands and came forward with a flattering smile.

"Hmph." Otto flicked his sleeves, then called toward the doorway, "Lei Luo, come in."

"Uh, you brought someone else? What are you trying to do?" Hearing Otto's words, Gu Te's eyes widened as he cautiously retreated two steps.

Otto curled his lips, too lazy to bother with this neurotic fellow.

After Lei Luo entered the room, before he could marvel at the sheer number of treasures inside, Gu Te's voice rang out first.

"How old is this kid? He's already a Third-Rank Alchemist?"