The most shameless alchemist in history

"Are you stupid? What era are we living in? You still think that you can basically walk everywhere like before? Don't you know there's such a thing as a train? You can just hop on a train and whiz off to the next city. You're really out of touch with the times." Du Lei rolled his eyes at Hei Feng. This guy was way behind the times.

"Dure, have you ever ridden a train?" Black Wind asked cautiously, rubbing his hands, looking on in surprise.

“We’ve seen each other almost every day for so many years, where am I supposed to take a train? In my dreams?” Dure rolled his eyes again.

"What? I thought you'd secretly taken a train ride before, since you sounded so serious about it. Turns out you're just as naive as me." Black Wind breathed a sigh of relief. He'd always been carefree and unrestrained, and he was the only one in the village who would talk to Du Lei like that without getting into trouble.

"Haven't you ever seen the world before? You've pulled off this heist, you've probably saved up enough money." Du Lei squinted and glanced back down the mountain.

“Yes, we’ve said for a long time that once we’ve saved enough money, we’ll leave the village and venture out into the world. We’ve always looked forward to that day, but now that it’s here, I still feel unprepared.” Black Wind said with some melancholy. He looked up at the sky, where the sunlight was a bit too bright.

“If you wait until you’re fully prepared to do something, the opportunity will have already slipped away while you’re procrastinating. And Black Wind, are you the type to be hesitant and timid before you’re fully prepared?” Du Lei asked Black Wind with a glance. He knew Black Wind very well.

"Ah, that's true. So when do you plan to leave and where are you going?" Black Wind asked with a smile. He took a deep breath, and a blast of cold air entered his nostrils, making him shiver. He had been cursing the cold weather for years.

In the past, unless he had to go into the mountains to work, he would stay in the house by the fire, preferably soaking in a hot spring or something. He hated the cold air in the mountains. But now, he longed to breathe in a few more breaths. The cold air was penetrating his head, making his nose feel stuffy and sore.

"Who knows? Let's go back first. Oh, right, Black Wind." Du Lei waved his hand, not dwelling on the matter any longer, and then called out to Black Wind.

"What's up?" Black Wind turned around and glanced at Du Lei.

"I know that what you said in the sealed cave was your true feeling," Du Lei said softly with his back to Black Wind.

Black Wind did not respond, standing silently in place.

At this moment, Du Lei waved his hand and swaggered back into the village, leaving Black Wind alone.

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from you. Being with smart guys can save a lot of trouble, but sometimes I also want to show off and be in the limelight." Black Wind sighed softly only after Du Lei had completely left.

He knew it, and Dure knew it too; they would part ways sooner or later.

047 You look strange.

Hart, a wealthy businessman from out of town, saw the unique geographical advantages of the hot spring village and invested heavily in leasing the best-located hilltop bathing area in the village. With his years of business experience, he had every reason to believe that he would make a fortune from his investment in the hot spring village.

However, due to the commotion caused by Beishan a while ago, the entire village shook for quite some time. Although the worst-case scenario did not occur and the hot spring village was not swallowed by the lava erupted from Beishan, all the hot springs in the village dried up and disappeared in just a few days.

This greatly worried Hart. He prayed to the gods and led people to dig underground water veins, trying to figure out where the problem lay. He didn't want his investment to go down the drain. But after several days of hard work, he still hadn't succeeded. Frustrated, Hart angrily went to Durei to demand an explanation.

"Du Lei, you little rascal, didn't you say my bathhouse had bad feng shui a while ago and offered to change it? I even paid you six silver coins for that. But after you took the money, not only did the feng shui of my bathhouse not improve, it got worse and worse. Now it's completely dry. Do you know how much I've lost?"

Hart recalled that Du Lei had taken his money before, saying he would change the feng shui. He also remembered that Du Lei had also been to Beishan before. Based on the Wenquan Village's ironclad rule that "if anything messy happens in the village, it must be Du Lei's doing", he went to Du Lei and demanded an explanation.

“Hey Hart, the hot springs running dry isn’t just your problem. The whole village is without water. Why do you have to find the cause? It’s just that those mercenaries went into the mountains and angered the mountain gods. Look at the peaks of the North Mountain; they’re all the wrath of the gods. Do you think I have the power to cause trouble?”

Dure retorted to Hart in an annoyed tone. He was packing his things at home early in the morning when Hart came knocking on the door, making a ruckus. It would be strange if he gave Hart a pleasant look. Normally, he might have beaten Hart up with a stick, but today he was much calmer than usual.

"But... but we have to find a way to get the hot spring water back! I've spent so much real money on this! Hey, Du Lei, you're the most resourceful person in the village. You come up with a plan for me. Help me out this time, and I'll pay you ten, no, a hundred silver coins!"

Hart came to Dure's house for two reasons: one, to confront him, and two, to seek Dure's help. He was prepared to be ripped off; otherwise, why would someone as wealthy as the richest man in Hot Spring Village come to Dure's dilapidated, small, and simple home?

"Hart, although I really want to make that money from you, I don't have the ability to conjure water. If you use your brain a little, you'll know that the hot spring water disappeared because of the earthquake that day. It shook the water veins and created many cracks, causing all the water to leak out. Take my advice and change careers as soon as possible."

Dure stopped what he was doing and offered advice to Hart. Normally, even if he knew he couldn't solve Hart's problem, he would try to trick him into giving him some money. But he didn't do that today. Even Hart could clearly sense that Dure was different from usual.

“Changing careers, Dure, you make it sound so easy. I invested all my money in the bathhouse, and I was even planning to build two more bathhouses after spring to expand the business. But who knew this would happen? Sigh. By the way, are you packing your things to go hunting in the mountains again?” Hart sighed repeatedly.

In fact, he had known all along that the village had suddenly become like this, and that it was probably impossible to restore the hot spring. He had only come to Du Lei's house today as a last resort, trying his luck. While he was feeling sentimental, he saw Du Lei packing his bags and assumed that he was going into the mountains again, so he asked him a question out of curiosity.

“Hey, Hart, the coldest time of the year is over. Spring is just around the corner, the time when hibernating wild animals come out to hunt, and it’s also the peak breeding season for animals in the mountains. Going into the mountains to hunt at this time, are you trying to kill their unborn children too? Isn’t that despicable?”

Dure rolled his eyes at Hart. He never went into the mountains to hunt in early spring, a rule passed down from the older generation in the village. However, due to commercial development, the villagers gradually became more interested in opening inns to make money, and fewer and fewer people were willing to go into the mountains to make a living. He was considered an anomaly.

“But Dure, haven’t you done enough bad things?” Hart blurted out without thinking. For a middle-aged man in his forties to say that a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy was bad might seem like bullying at first glance, but in Hot Spring Village, there was nothing wrong with that statement.

“What you said makes sense.” Dure wasn’t angry at Hart’s words. He packed his bags and found two wooden suitcases. He opened the two suitcases. One was neatly filled with different colored potion powders, and the other was filled with daggers of different lengths.

"Hey Dure, I was just joking with you. You seem a bit strange today." Hart was used to the shameless attitude of the boy in front of him, so his sudden calmness made Hart feel very uncomfortable. He was a little confused and wondered several times if Dure was sick.

“Hart, there won’t be any more hot springs in the village. Even if the water veins are reopened, it will just be ordinary spring water, not hot springs. Sell your two bathhouses before construction starts and leave this place. By the way, isn’t Carmen from Snow Eagle Town always interested in buying your mountaintop bathhouse?”

Dure solemnly told Hart about this fact. He did not tell the villagers about what happened underground in the North Mountain because the Star Stone was on him at the time, and if the news leaked, it would cause him trouble. He was an efficient person who hated trouble.

"Carmen, that guy, always tries to buy the bathhouse at a low price because he's a local bully. He's a real scoundrel." Hart got angry just thinking about Carmen. Carmen had come to the village a few times before, wanting to buy the bathhouse, but Hart had always refused. Firstly, Hart believed that the hot spring village had unlimited business opportunities and a promising future.

Secondly, Carmen's asking price was too low to be acceptable. After being rejected, Carmen was not giving up and even sent people to cause trouble. It was only with the help of Dure that Carmen's people were driven out of the village.

"So you can take this opportunity to pass the buck to Carmen. Remember, you absolutely cannot go to Carmen on your own initiative, otherwise, given his personality, he will definitely become suspicious. You'd better have someone spread some rumors in Snow Eagle Town, saying that the hot springs in Hot Spring Village have disappeared overnight."

As Dure checked his briefcase, he spoke to Hart methodically.

“But the hot springs are gone, so why would Carmen still be willing to buy my bathhouse?” Hart was completely baffled and couldn’t understand the reason behind it.

“Yes, the hot springs are gone, so you, Hart, must be in a hurry to sell the bathhouse and leave, right? After all, you're an outsider, and you'll definitely leave if you can't make any money. But if you insist on staying here, Carmen will definitely wonder why you're staying, and he'll come looking for you.”

Dure pondered for a moment. He had dealt with Carmen a few times and knew her personality, so he could easily guess what would happen next.

“He contacted me and I sold him the bathhouse at a low price,” Hart still didn’t quite understand.

“No, you must be firm. You absolutely cannot sell, no matter how much Carmen offers, you cannot sell.” Dure shook his head.

“What? I won’t sell it to him? Why would I keep a useless bathhouse?” Hart thought this was completely absurd.

“Yes, it’s a useless bathhouse, and you’re still desperately keeping it open. What will Carmen think? He’ll think there’s something fishy going on in the hot springs. You should have your men keep a close watch on the bathhouse, prevent Carmen’s people from getting close, and completely block it off so they can mine things in the middle of the night.”

Dure continued speaking, his words clear and logical.

“What kind of stones could be mined in a quarry?” Hart found it increasingly absurd and laughable.

“Carmen must have found it strange too. He’ll have his men contact your men and try to get information out of them. You then have your men get drunk and tell Carmen’s men that a gem mine has been discovered in the bathhouse and that you’re about to make a fortune,” Dure explained step by step.

“But there are no gem mines here at all.” Hart knew his bathhouse all too well.

"All you need to do is make Carmen believe you have a gem mine, and then sell it to him at a high price. Remember, you can't sell it to him voluntarily. You have to hold on under his pressure, hold on, and hold on some more. Only when you can't hold on any longer should you compromise. That's how you maximize the price," Dure repeatedly instructed.

"So he made Carmen mistakenly believe there was a gem mine, and therefore what he wanted wasn't the hot spring, but the gems," Hart finally seemed to understand.

“Given Carmen’s personality, he’ll definitely take the bait. Then you can take the money and leave the village to do business elsewhere. But there’s one condition: you have to split the money from the sale of the bathhouse with the villagers. I’ll tell them, and they’ll cooperate with you,” Durei said.

“As long as we can sell it for a good price, there’s definitely no problem. If it’s really like you said, there won’t be any hot springs left. My bathhouse won’t even be worth half a silver coin. Selling it is a win-win situation.” Hart nodded immediately. Although he didn’t quite understand, he could tell that Dure was trying to help him.

"Well, in this way, I've done my part in compensating the village." Dure nodded slightly. Although he didn't have a good impression of Hart, he believed that Hart was at least capable of keeping his promises.

"Wait, Dure, why are you suddenly saying this? It sounds like you're making your last wishes. Hey, are you alright?" Hart, relieved that he had finally found a way to make up for the losses, suddenly looked up at Dure. He had felt that something was off about Dure ever since he entered the house.

Whether it was his language, his demeanor, or especially the lingering affection in his eyes, Hart had never seen anything like it in Dure before.

"What could I possibly have to do with this place is that I've stayed here long enough. It's time to leave and explore the wider world. Hart, although I took advantage of you quite a bit before, I helped you this time, so we're even now. Goodbye forever... wait, wait, it'll probably be a long time from now."

Dure closed both suitcases, holding one in each hand. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, carrying the suitcases, and gave Hart a slight smile.

The time to leave has finally come.

048 Will he come back?

The news of Du Lei's impending departure from Wenquan Village was like a pebble dropped into a still lake, quickly creating ripples. In the shortest time, the entire village knew. The men who were repairing houses damaged by the earthquake jumped off the roofs in disbelief.

"What?! That little bastard Du Lei is leaving? That's fantastic news! I've suffered so many losses and been tricked by him over the years. He's practically a menace to the village. Is this news accurate? I'll have to add some dishes tonight and drink a little wine to celebrate!" Someone cheered excitedly.

"The news is accurate. Kru saw him carrying things and a box as he walked out of the village. Dure also said that he was leaving and might not come back. Sigh, although I was deceived by him many times before, when I think about it carefully, he has also helped me a lot." Someone confirmed.

"Although I had a feeling that Du Lei would leave sooner or later, why is he leaving so quietly now? This is not like him. Speaking of which, I haven't paid him for the firewood he chopped for me this winter. Is he really not coming back?" an old man sighed.

People were talking about Du Lei's departure. At first, they were happy to condemn Du Lei's crimes, but gradually they started talking about the various things Du Lei had done for the village. The villagers then realized that the guy wasn't so bad after all, and that he had actually done so many practical things for the village in secret.

No matter how busy they were, everyone spontaneously stopped what they were doing and went to the village entrance to see if they could still see Du Lei. In just a few minutes, dozens of people gathered, and almost the entire village turned out. This was a rare occurrence for Wenquan Village.

But when people arrived at the village entrance, there was nothing but a long line of footprints on the ground. This made the villagers sigh with emotion, especially the elderly, who had received the most care and knew that the young man always brought them firewood, charcoal, and food every few days.

“Even if he’s leaving, he should at least say goodbye before he leaves. Does he think I’m going to ask him for those two silver coins back? I’ve long since let go of the past. I was just being stubborn and saying a few angry words. Besides, the furs that Du Lei has given me over the past two years are worth far more than two silver coins.”

"Yeah, that kid kept saying that what he threw at us was all worthless stuff, things he didn't want, acting all high and mighty and indifferent. He really deserved a beating. Now that I think about it, he threw us all the good meat from a wild boar, and what did he have left for himself? He wasn't very honest."

"Has he already gone far away? Actually, I've been wanting to thank him, but I've never been able to bring myself to say it. I always thought there would be another chance, but I never expected... Sigh, I should have known sooner. After that man came to the village, Du Lei started longing for the outside world. Oh, and what about Black Wind and Copper Mountain?"

The villagers stood at the village entrance, gazing into the distance, recalling what Du Lei had done, and sighed deeply. At this moment, some people looked around, trying to find the whereabouts of Hei Feng and Tong Shan in the crowd, but after searching for a while, they could not find the two people. The sky remained clear, and the cold winter was about to end.

Just below the hot spring village, in a mountain valley beyond two snow-capped mountains, Dure stopped carrying his suitcase. He turned around and looked at the three people who had brought him here. The first two were undoubtedly his best friends, Black Wind and Copper Mountain, but the last one was not from the village; it was Riley.

“Alright, you can leave me here. I’ll head down this way and should reach Snow Eagle Town by tonight. From there, I’ll take the train and begin my journey from the west.” Du Lei gestured for Black Wind and the others to stop there, then looked up in the direction of Hot Spring Village.

That was the place where he had lived for thirteen years, but now all around was a vast expanse of white, and the hot spring village was hidden by the snow-capped peaks and could no longer be seen.

"Du Lei, are you really leaving? Can't you stay? Just like before, we can be together every day and do lots of fun things. What's wrong with that? Why do you have to leave?" Tong Shan couldn't understand it. He scratched his head, trying to persuade Du Lei to stay.

“Tongshan, Du Lei is not like you, the guy who locks himself in his room and tinkers with mechanical parts for a whole month without going out. He yearns for freedom and has many places he wants to go and many things he wants to do, so let him go and wish him a safe journey.” Hei Feng grinned.

To outsiders, Tongshan is fat, gluttonous, mute, and seems foolish. He seems to have gone astray with Du Lei without realizing it and will probably never amount to anything. He has always been looked down upon by the villagers. But only Du Lei and Heifeng know that Tongshan is very talented in mechanics.

Tongshan, who always preferred solitude and was patient enough to analyze mechanical principles, provided a great deal of help to Du Lei and his companion. For example, the crossbow that Du Lei carried with him was designed and made by Tongshan. Not only was its range half again as far as that of an ordinary crossbow, but its penetrating power was also much stronger.

"But Du Lei, when are you coming back?" Tong Shan looked a little disappointed. He had never had any friends since he was a child. The other children in the village all disliked him. Only Du Lei and Hei Feng were willing to play with him, even though the villagers had reminded him to keep his distance from Du Lei more than once.

But Tongshan insisted that Du Lei was not a scoundrel or a bad kid, and that he had seen everything Du Lei had done for the village.

"Who knows if I'll come back? Maybe one day I'll be unable to make a living and I'll come back. By the way, Black Wind, when are you leaving?" Du Lei shook his head. He hadn't even thought about coming back, because his heart had already flown beyond the snow-capped mountains and was determined to go to the outside world.

"What? Black Wind, are you leaving too?" Tongshan was very surprised. Du Lei left, and he lost a friend. If Black Wind also left, he would have no friends left. He couldn't imagine being all alone in the village.

"He pulled that old man out of the cave so that he could leave this place," Du Lei pointed at Riley. When he returned to the sealed cave and brought Nan Yin and the other two out, Hei Feng hesitated for a long time but still decided to pull Riley out. Otherwise, Riley would definitely not have survived.

"Hehe, that's partly the reason, isn't it? With you gone, the village lost a lot of its fun. What would I do staying in the village? Of course, I have to go out and explore. Coincidentally, Boss Riley mentioned before that he would take me to the Land of Dogs. Boss Riley, we still keep our word, right?"

Black Wind smiled and asked Riley, who was dressed in thick clothes. He coughed lightly, explaining that he had suffered serious injuries in the sealed cave and was not yet fully recovered.

"I should have lost my life in the sealed cave. I never expected you to save me. In any case, you saved my life. Although I didn't get the Star Stone in the end, there's nothing I can do but go back to the Dog Kingdom. Let me tell you first, it's very dangerous for me to go back."

Riley looked at Blackwind with mixed feelings. He had been betrayed and tricked by this guy before, but he had also been saved by him. This made it difficult for him to define his attitude towards Blackwind.

"Danger? It's nothing. Let's go back and pack up and get ready to leave. So, Durei, when we meet again..." Black Wind wasn't ignoring Riley's warning; he was already fully prepared.

“I understand. Let’s have a fight next time we meet.” Du Lei nodded and bumped fists with Black Wind.

"I won't lose to you next time, see you later." Black Wind was determined to beat Du Lei at least once.

"Goodbye." Du Lei picked up his suitcase again and slowly turned around. Hei Feng and Tong Shan had been accompanying him on the way.

And from then on, he had to walk the road alone.

049 Just consider it doing a good deed

Snow Eagle Town is located on the northeastern border of the Snow Kingdom. It is famous for producing snow eagles, birds of prey with pure white plumage. Every winter, a large number of merchants come here to hire local hunters at great expense to help them capture snow eagles in the mountains so that they can resell them for a good price.