The most shameless alchemist in history

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Du Lei quickly went over and helped the old man up from the ground. With the help of the dim light in the room, he could see that the old man was probably over sixty years old, with gray and messy hair that looked like it hadn't been groomed for a long time.

His face was pale, his whole body was trembling, and he was in a daze, not responding to Du Lei's calls.

"Did he suddenly fall ill? No, we have to get him to the hospital immediately... But there are no hospitals nearby, only the academy's infirmary. Should we take him to the infirmary?" Du Lei quickly racked his brains and immediately decided to carry the old man to the academy for treatment.

“But the sound just now…right, he must have fallen when he went to get his medicine during his episode. We should be able to find medicine nearby.” Du Lei thought for a moment, then immediately put the old man down on the ground. He searched the vicinity and could smell a strong medicinal odor on the old man.

This means that the old man has been suffering from illness for a long time. Usually, there must be medicine at home. Thinking of this, Du Lei searched carefully and soon found a small medicine bottle on the ground. He opened the bottle and smelled it. The smell of the medicine was exactly the same as the smell of medicine on the old man.

"This must be it, there's no mistake. Take this quickly, it will help you feel better. Oh, by the way, I'll go get you a glass of water." Du Lei took out a bright red pill and put it into the old man's mouth. The old man trembled. Du Lei helped him sit up with his back against the wall and went to get water.

The shop was cluttered with leather goods and scales of unknown animals. The air was filled with not only the smell of medicine but also a strong fishy odor. No wonder the smell was so strong during the day that even Du Lei, who was used to digging up dead bodies, found it hard to stand.

"The water... I found it. It's here. This place... well, it really does look like a garbage dump. Old man, the water's here. You... wait, where is everyone?" After finding the water, Du Lei took the water cup back to find the old man. He looked around the shop, quite curious about the place.

But when he returned to the front hall, the spot where he had helped the old man sit down was empty; there wasn't a soul in sight.

"You little brat, how dare you come here to steal from this old man? You've come to the wrong place!" Just as Du Lei was wondering what was going on, a voice came from above him. He instinctively tried to dodge, and he did manage to avoid it, but a figure fell down from above.

As he dodged, the other person touched the hem of his clothes, and with that slight touch, Du Lei was pulled back and held tightly. Du Lei noticed that what was holding him was a thin, wrinkled hand, but it was unusually strong, making him unable to move.

"Heh heh, so it's fallen into my hands, isn't it? Tell me quickly, who sent you here? Was it 'them' again? After all these years, you still haven't given up on this idea? I told you long ago that the thing wasn't with me, why didn't you believe me? Since you're still chasing after me, don't blame me for being ruthless and having no choice but to kill you!"

The old man pulled out a short knife, its blade gleaming coldly and reflecting a ghostly green light. He was clearly aiming to kill Du Lei!

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359 Thieves and Robbers

Dure began to regret his actions that night, because if the old man's blade had advanced just an inch further, he might have lost his life. But that was only a "maybe," even though he was clearly subdued by the old man and under normal circumstances had no way to resist.

But he was the abnormal one. At the critical moment of life and death, Du Lei suddenly burst out with unparalleled explosive power. He forcibly broke free from the restraints and leaped seven or eight meters away to the other side of the room to confront the old man. Only then did he realize that the old man was no longer the trembling figure he had been just now.

At this moment, on his opposite side was a man with sharp eyes, a slightly hunched body, a sharp blade in his hand, and agile movements that were in no way inferior to those of a young man, while his experience far surpassed that of an old man. This was an extremely troublesome opponent.

"Huh, he actually escaped. Kid, not bad. I never thought I'd make a mistake." The old man gave Du Lei an approving look. He was absolutely certain of his capture earlier. He had been through thick and thin for decades and was very experienced. He always knew exactly how to control his strength.

But even when he was full of confidence, a mistake still occurred, which made him look at the young man in front of him with new respect.

"Old man, I didn't come here to steal anything. I think there must be some misunderstanding. Please let me explain." Du Lei had clearly come here to ask the old man for a favor, but judging from the current situation, the two sides had fallen into a strange state of fighting, which made Du Lei feel that things were becoming more and more difficult.

“That’s right, you’re not here to steal anything,” the old man confirmed Dure’s statement.

“Yes, actually I came here because…” Du Lei thought the old man was reasonable and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You broke down my door, how can this be stealing? This is clearly robbery!" After scolding him, the old man pounced on Du Lei again. He was agile and swift as lightning. He was no longer the person who had been trembling and unconscious on the ground not long ago. He was clearly a monkey!

Du Lei and the old man were locked in a fierce fight, while at the other end, in the blacksmith's shop, Tie Xin, who was forging iron, had the door of his small workshop suddenly pushed open from the outside, forcing him to stop what he was doing and turn around to look.

"Sherry, this isn't a place for you. It's very hot, and you could easily get burned. Go back now." Tie Xin got up and tried to coax his precious daughter with a smile. No one could openly disturb him while he was forging iron, as that would make him very angry, except for Sherry, of course.

"Father, you need to explain yourself clearly. What do you mean by sending Dure to see Grandpa Laka? Grandpa Laka is known for his eccentric temper. No one has been able to get anything from him for many years. Aren't you deliberately sending Dure to be turned away?" Sherry angrily protested.

She only realized that her father was making things difficult for Du Lei after she had just heard about the mysterious old man's deeds.

“My darling Shirley, I have my reasons for doing this…” When Tie Xin saw her daughter puffing up in anger, she thought something terrible had happened. But when she heard what her daughter said, she couldn’t help but laugh.

"You're still laughing! I bet your reason for making things difficult for Du Lei is. He's the one who saved your daughter. If it weren't for him, you don't know where your daughter would be now!" Sherry was furious. Du Lei was a very important person to her, and now he was being bullied by another important person.

“Silly child, you only know that Laka has a strange temper and doesn’t like to interact with people, but do you know why he has such a strange temper?” Tie Xin patted Xue Li’s head and asked her a question.

"Huh? Well... this... right, it seems to be related to Grandpa Laka's son. His son left Maple City many years ago, apparently to join the army and go to war, and never came back. It's said he died in battle." Sherry thought carefully and came up with an answer.

"It seems you know quite a bit. Yes, that's definitely one of the reasons." Tie Xin nodded. Although in the eyes of his neighbors, he was just an honest blacksmith who never left his house and was not good with words, he knew everything perfectly well.

"So you still let Du Lei go and get the cold shoulder?" Sherry was still angry and insisted that her father give her an explanation.

“It’s true that Raka’s son joined the army, but I don’t know if he’s dead or alive. But there’s one thing you missed: Raka has a grandson,” Tie Xin explained with a smile.

"Grandson? Really? I've never heard of him before." Shirley paused, resting her chin on her small, cute fingers as she thought carefully. She was a good listener, a lively and cheerful child, and well-liked by the neighbors. She would listen in on their conversations.

“You were very young then, so of course you didn’t know that although Laka had a strange temper, he loved his grandson the most,” Tie Xin continued.

"But... what does this have to do with Dure?" Sherry still didn't understand the connection; she couldn't find any common ground at all.

“That boy named Dure saved you, so even though I don’t like him, or even dislike him, I will still help him this time. What he wants isn’t unavailable on the street; I have it here, but it’s not suitable for him. What’s truly suitable for him needs to be created by himself. Do you understand?”

Tie Xin spoke slowly and deliberately. Although he had a rugged appearance, he was very patient in his actions and words, speaking slowly and deliberately.

“Sherry… I understand a little bit, but what?” Sherry seemed to understand but not quite, and gestured for her father to continue.

"He wanted to create it himself, which involved three steps: finding raw materials, finding a good blacksmith, and then finding an alchemist. As for the raw materials, in all the shops nearby, no, in the entire Maple City, no one had anything of better quality than what Raka had."

Tie Xin spoke earnestly, then, as if he had thought of something, he pointed to himself, "Including me."

“But no matter how good his stuff is, he has such a strange temper and never does business with anyone. There’s nothing we can do about Du Lei going there,” Sherry said worriedly, still concerned for Du Lei.

“If it were anyone else, they would definitely be turned away, but if it’s Du Lei, I’m afraid it might be different,” Tie Xin said with a smile.

"Not necessarily? Why?" Sherry didn't understand.

"Because, that kid named Dure looks a lot like Raka's grandson... not in appearance, of course. Dure is from the East, but it's that feeling. At first glance, he looks seven or eight parts like Raka's grandson. Raka must have noticed that too."

Tie Xin paused for a moment, then continued, "So you can rest assured, it won't be long before that kid comes to me with the things."

Tie Xin spoke with absolute certainty and was very certain of this.

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360 Kazan Zanbu

Du Lei was certain that this trip would be a wasted trip, and now it wasn't just a wasted trip. The stubborn old man wouldn't let it go, convinced that he had come to steal or rob. The two started fighting, giving Du Lei no time to explain, and the scene became extremely chaotic.

The cramped room was not enough to accommodate the conflict between the two. Faced with the old man's fierce attack, Du Lei had no choice but to flee to the backyard and was chased all the way to the hilltop by the old man. The silent moonlight poured down, and the ground was covered with its bright glow. It was originally a perfect night for moon viewing.

But Du Lei had no choice but to grit his teeth and parry. At first, he could barely hold on, but later he was no match for the old man who was still strong despite his age. His speed slowed down until he could no longer keep up with the old man's movements. He was kicked down by the old man and fell to the ground under a big tree. A cold glint followed closely behind.

"Damn it, I'm doomed!" Du Lei thought to himself. He knew that, given the old man's style, this knife was bound to come at him. Knowing that there was no way to dodge, he subconsciously closed his eyes. But after waiting for two seconds, he found that the blade that should have fallen did not fall.

This puzzled him. When he opened his eyes and looked over, he found that the old man had already put away the dagger and was laughing heartily.

"Hahaha, this is so refreshing, so refreshing! It's been so long since I've stretched my muscles like this. When Zanbu was alive, he would always be playing around with me like this, jumping and running around. Since he left, I haven't been able to move around like this in a long time." The old man laughed heartily, which left Du Lei completely bewildered.

"Zanbu? What exactly is this..." Dure was baffled by this development, which was far from what he had expected.

"Young man, what's your name?" The old man plopped down on a large rock next to him and asked Du Lei, his attitude much gentler.

"Du Lei, old man, what's wrong with you..." After introducing himself, Du Lei still couldn't understand why the old man's attitude had changed so drastically.

"Du Lei? You can call me Grandpa Laka. At my age, I'm more than qualified to be your grandfather, right?" the old man said with a smile.

“Laka…Grandpa?” Dure repeated the address, frowning, wondering what the old man was up to.

“That’s right, it’s Grandpa Laka. Although they all call me a strange old man, I do have a name. By the way, you saved me just now, right?” The old man nodded with a smile. He rubbed his arms and legs; the activity just now was a bit too strenuous for an old man like him.

“Just now… but old man… Grandpa Laka, didn’t you say I was a thief?” Dure was already quick-witted, but he was still puzzled by the old man’s almost absurd behavior.

"Hahaha, you still remember this? I was just joking with you. I had a relapse at home and couldn't move around easily. Thanks to you, Du Lei, for barging in and finding medicine for me, otherwise I would have been in real trouble." The old man knew the whole story very well.

"So...you knew? But why did you still..." Du Lei had almost thought he was doomed.

"Because I haven't stretched my muscles in a long time. When Zanbu was around, I used to train him like this all the time. Hahaha, it feels like just yesterday. I really miss it." The old man recalled some past events, his face beaming with a happy smile.

"Zanbu? Who is that?" This was the second time Dure had heard this name from the old man.

"Ah, well, Zanbu is my grandson's name. He should be about the same age as you, Du Lei, maybe a year or two older, and a bit stronger. You're too thin. You should drink more milk now that you're growing." The old man patted Du Lei's head and gestured to indicate his height.

"I drink milk every day!" Du Lei was very bothered by this. When he was in the hot spring village, there was no milk to drink. It was only after he came to Maple Leaf Academy that he learned that he should drink more milk at this age to grow taller, so he never missed a day.

After all, standing next to someone like Lance who is nearly 1.8 meters tall every day, his height of 1.6 meters is too short.

"Really? Then you must persevere. If you keep doing this, you might grow to this height in a few years." The old man gestured with his hand to indicate the height.

“Grandpa Laka, I have no grudge against you, how can you curse me? I should at least grow this tall, right?” Dure was not satisfied with the height the old man was gesturing. He stood on his tiptoes to make it even higher, but he was still not satisfied, so he simply stood on the rock to gesture.

"Alright, alright, then grow to this height." The old man nodded with a smile.

"By the way, Grandpa Naraka, where is your grandson, Zambu?" Dure asked curiously.

"Zanbu, he went to find his father," the old man said softly after a sigh.

"His father, that is, Grandpa Raka, your...son?" Dure suddenly remembered something he had heard before, that Raka was strange and aloof and didn't interact with people because his son had died outside.

“That’s right, he went to find his father, my son, that idiot Kazan.” The old man nodded.

"Grandpa Raka, is your son named Kazan? But I heard that Kazan has already..." Dure paused here, because this was a sad thing for the old man, and it would be very rude to reopen someone's wounds.

"I heard Kazan died on the battlefield, is that right?" The old man knew what Dure was about to say.

"This..." Du Lei realized he had misspoke and didn't dare to continue the conversation.

"Actually, it's okay. Before, the people around here kept telling me that Kazan was dead, dead, dead on the battlefield, becoming part of the pile of corpses. They said the same thing to Zambu every day. I've accepted the fact. Kazan was just that kind of person..."

The old man sighed deeply. "Kazan has always been like this since he was a child. He does things recklessly and impulsively. Once he sets his mind on something, he is determined to accomplish it. He is single-mindedly focused on making great achievements on the battlefield. If I hadn't let him read those knight biographies when he was a child, wouldn't everything have been fine?"

The old man chuckled self-deprecatingly at this point, his words carrying a strong sense of self-reproach.

"Then... what about Zanbu?" Du Lei suddenly felt some sympathy for the old man in front of him.

“Zanbu is just as stubborn as his father. Everyone told him that his father was dead and wouldn’t come back, but he just wouldn’t believe it. He trained hard by my side since he was a child. At that time, I thought it was good that he was ambitious…” the old man continued.

"But one day he told me he was going out to find his father, which made me so angry that I tied him up and gave him a good beating." The old man was furious as he said this, baring his teeth, but even so, his eyes were full of affection.

"But... he still went, didn't he?" Dure continued to ask.

"Yes, even after tying him up and whipping him severely, he still went, without hesitation. It's been two years now. He was about your age when he left home. These two years have passed, and I wonder how he is now..." The old man stopped there.

He, who was just moments ago lively and energetic, with a youthful spirit, suddenly became shrouded in a sense of weariness.

At this point, he was no longer a strange old man, but a stern yet kind grandfather.

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361. A Father and Daughter with Unfortunate Lives

This was a strange night for Dure. He had been looking forward to getting the raw materials to make magical weapons, but he was mistaken for a thief by the old man and a fight broke out. He was almost killed. Just when he thought that this was definitely going to be a waste of time,

Then, another unexpected turn of events occurred. The old man talked to him on the hillside under the moonlight, recounting his childhood in Kazan and the story of Zanbu. He laughed heartily as he spoke, though his laughter was not pleasant and was occasionally accompanied by a few hoarse coughs.

But Du Lei listened attentively. He knew that in this brief moment, the kind old man in front of him was confiding in him as if he were family. He had been alone at home for too long, and his life had been too lonely. He had no sons or grandsons by his side.

He also lacked understanding from his neighbors, who simply called him a "weird old man" and kept their distance from him. As a result, he was plagued by illness at home and had no one to take care of him. If Du Lei hadn't accidentally barged in, who knows what serious consequences might have occurred.