The most shameless alchemist in history

"My name is Dure, and I'm a friend of Grey Falcon. I apologize for Grey Falcon's rude behavior earlier. However, my visit so late at night was due to unforeseen circumstances, and I hope you can understand." After introducing himself, Dure politely apologized to the man named Kaba, his attitude very sincere.

"I see. I'll forgive you for now since you apologized. It's still snowing outside, so please come in." Kaba was furious that his dream had been disturbed, but after giving Grey Falcon a beating, his anger subsided considerably. Now that Dure had sincerely apologized, he was even more appalled.

As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. Besides, he was very clear about the situation at Grey Falcon's house. Seeing the snow falling outside and Du Lei and Grey Falcon with snowflakes piled up on their heads, he invited them into the house and lit the kerosene lamp in the shop.

"Waaah, Uncle Kaba, I'm innocent! I didn't bang on the door just now! Why won't you believe me?" Gray Falcon felt very wronged. He followed Du Lei into the shop. The herbal medicine shop was a standard two-story structure, with the ground floor being the shop and the upper floor being the living quarters.

The medicinal herbs are usually displayed on the outside shelves and brought in at night. After entering the shop, Du Lei glanced at the various medicinal herbs on the shelves and quickly got a sense of what was going on. You see, he had lived in the mountains for so many years and knew more than just hunting skills.

"So, you came here so late at night because of Linda?" Kaba, the owner of the herbal medicine shop, glanced at Gray Falcon. Linda was Gray Falcon's mother's name. She was virtuous, capable, and helpful. Many people in Snow Eagle Town knew her. Kaba also knew that Linda had recently fallen ill at home.

After all, Grey Falcon had been going to the pharmacy almost every day for the past few days. Seeing Grey Falcon's condition, Kaba sighed, but remained mostly silent.

“Yes, it’s for Mrs. Linda’s condition. I would like to trouble Uncle Kaba to get some medicinal herbs. I’ll write down the list for you.” Dure nodded. He saw paper and pen on the counter, picked them up, and wrote down a long list of medicinal herbs and the required dosage. He had already prepared the list in his mind.

"Oh, Dure, you're actually a doctor? It's rare to see such a young doctor." Kaba was somewhat surprised. He took the form from Dure's hand and carefully looked at what was written on it. The handwriting was very neat, but the more he looked, the more he frowned.

"Uncle Kaba, don't believe this guy. Who knows where he came from? He's obviously just trying to freeload and claims to know medicine. I don't believe him. Besides, he was the one who knocked on the door, not me! Waaah, you hit me again!" Gray Falcon pointed at Du Lei and protested.

At this moment, Du Lei hit him on the head again. Although Du Lei was only about 1.65 meters tall and very thin, the ten-year-old Grey Falcon was only about 1.5 meters tall, a head shorter than Du Lei. Even though he protested repeatedly, he could only be hit by Du Lei.

"These medicinal herbs are all quite common, you should have them in your shop, Uncle. Just list them for me." After scolding Grey Falcon, Du Lei continued to urge him with a smile, as Kaba was taking a little too long to look at the list.

“We do have all these medicinal herbs, but Mr. Dure, if we're going to use them to treat Linda, are there any problems with a few of them? For example, the curse herb is poisonous.” Kaba frowned, looking troubled, and suspiciously examined Dure, waiting for his answer.

"What do you mean 'poisonous'? Are you trying to harm my mother? You despicable fellow! I kindly brought you to my house, and you're not only ungrateful, but you actually want to harm her! I won't let you get away with this!" Gray Falcon was stunned for a moment when he heard Kaba's words, but he quickly flew into a rage and turned his anger on Durei.

“The curse herb is indeed poisonous. If taken directly, it will definitely cause a series of symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, and fever. But if it is mixed with other medicinal herbs, it may not be the case.” Dure seemed to have anticipated Kaba and Grey Falcon’s reaction and remained calm and composed.

"Mr. Dure, what you're referring to may not be exactly what you mean," Kaba asked with a serious expression, his doubts evident.

"You bastard, you have to give me a reasonable explanation, or I will definitely kill you!" Although Gray Falcon was only ten years old, the ferocity he displayed at this moment would frighten even an adult. To him, he had already lost one of the most important things, Dogo.

If anyone tries to take his mother away again, he will make that person pay a terrible price.

053 Can you eat this?

One reason Grey Falcon brought Dure home was because his mother had told him to always lend a helping hand to people in need, and another reason was that he could tell that this guy didn't seem like a bad person. Although he didn't quite believe that Dure was a doctor, he still took him to the herbal medicine shop with a glimmer of hope.

No matter how much Grey Falcon scoffed and distrusted he might verbally, the hope in his heart never died. He simply couldn't imagine how he, all alone, could survive in this world after losing Dogo and his mother.

However, this last glimmer of hope was dashed when Kaba revealed the "poisonous" diagnosis, pushing Grey Falcon to the brink of collapse. As his hope shattered, a raging fire of hatred ignited within him. He angrily questioned Dure, determined not to allow the man who had harmed his mother to act with impunity.

"There's no need to be so tense, and there's no need to look at me like that. I have no grudge against Mrs. Linda, why would I poison her?" Du Lei shook his head slightly in the face of Gray Falcon's fierce gaze. Back in North Mountain, he had seen people much fiercer than Gray Falcon, and a mere child couldn't scare him.

"But the curse herb is clearly poison. If you give it to Mother, who is already suffering from illness, it will only add fuel to the fire and kill her!" Gray Falcon shouted. Anything related to his mother could trigger his sensitive nerves and make him tense.

“You know that Mrs. Linda is plagued by illness. It’s not quite right to say that you’re adding fuel to the fire. You should say that you’re treating the symptoms.” Dure corrected Grey Falcon’s wording. From the first moment he saw Linda, he had a general idea of ​​her health condition, but he didn’t say it out loud.

"What do you mean by 'treating the symptoms'? You better explain yourself clearly, or I won't let you off the hook!" Gray Falcon continued its fierce questioning.

"Before answering your question, I'd like to ask you a question first: what's the difference between medicinal herbs and ordinary plants?" Du Lei countered.

"Medicinal herbs can certainly cure diseases, what kind of question is that? You don't even know that?" Gray Falcon was stunned.

“That’s right, medicinal herbs can indeed cure diseases, but before someone discovers that they can cure diseases, what’s the difference between them and ordinary plants?” Dure continued to ask slowly and deliberately. He knew that it would not be easy to persuade a stubborn person like Grey Falcon, but fortunately he had enough patience.

"This herb is a natural herb; it was only a matter of time before it was discovered," Grey Falcon insisted, emphasizing his point of view.

"So, is there a process of discovery?" Dure seized on this key word and asked again.

“Of course, I’ve heard my father say before that many people go into the mountains every year to collect medicinal herbs. New herbs are always being discovered, and diseases that couldn’t be cured before can be cured as more and more herbs are available.” Gray Falcon nodded, and the image of a burly man’s back appeared in his mind.

"In other words, medicinal herbs are naturally occurring, while humans only find medicinal herbs that can cure diseases through active searching, and then use them for their own purposes. Ultimately, the difference between medicinal herbs and other plants is that the components they contain are beneficial to the human body, right?" Du Lei continued to ask.

"Ingredients? What ingredients?" Gray Falcon was a little confused, feeling like he couldn't keep up with Du Lei's pace.

"Some plants are sweet, some are sour, and some are bitter. Different plants have different smells, and different medicinal herbs also have different smells. Why do some grow tall, and why can some only grow in special environments? Ultimately, it's because their components are different."

Dure explained in detail, and as he spoke, even the owner of the herbal medicine shop, Kaba, listened attentively, resting his chin on his hand and nodding repeatedly.

“Mr. Du Lei is right. Different medicinal herbs have different ingredients and effects. There are herbs for treating knife wounds and herbs for treating burns. Their effects are different.” Kaba agreed wholeheartedly. As a herbal medicine merchant, he had been dealing with herbs for half his life and knew this better than anyone else.

"But what does this have to do with poison? You've been rambling on and on, but you still haven't explained why you gave your mother poison." Gray Falcon was completely confused. He couldn't understand Dure's words, so he relentlessly pursued the poisonous herb, the Doom Grass.

"Don't you understand? Herbs can cure diseases because they contain ingredients. They are essentially objects, and different objects will produce different reactions when they interact. The reason why the curse herb is said to be poisonous is because it contains ingredients that are harmful to healthy people."

Du Lei paused here. Although he had grown up in the snow-capped mountains since childhood, this was the first time he had left the vast snow-covered mountains to venture out into the world. However, he had read a lot of books when he was young and was particularly good at thinking about problems. He was especially interested in the composition and structure of objects.

"But Mrs. Linda isn't a healthy person, and the components of the curse herb will react differently when neutralized with other medicinal herbs. I don't know much about medicine, but I believe that medicine essentially uses beneficial substances to repair harmful substances, and a reaction occurs between the two, understand?"

Du Lei tried to explain in as much detail as possible, as he thought these things were easy to understand. Even though he had not received professional medical education, he believed that as long as the principles were understood, he could give it a try. But Gray Falcon scratched his head, stared at him blankly, and shook his head after a long while.

“I think I understand now. Having been in the medicinal herb business for so many years, I have indeed encountered cases where doctors' prescriptions contained certain toxic substances. So I can roughly understand Mr. Du Lei's intentions. It's just that the doctors in town are helpless when it comes to Linda's illness.”

Kaba nodded thoughtfully. Having run a herbal medicine shop and dealt with herbs for most of his life, he naturally had some medical knowledge himself. However, due to his background, he had never studied at a medical school, and he placed his hopes on his son. He also cared about Linda.

But now even the town's doctor is helpless. Although Dure speaks eloquently, he is not a doctor either, which makes Kaba unsure of what to do. If the wrong medicine is used and something goes wrong, even though he will not be held responsible, he will still feel guilty.

"Uncle Kaba, are you worried about the consequences of taking too much medication?" Du Lei asked, noticing Kaba's worried expression.

"It would be great if we could help Linda, but what if something unexpected happens?" Kaba looked troubled and didn't continue.

"Hey, you idiot, is this really going to save Mother?" Gray Falcon, who had been listening without saying a word, clenched his fist and asked. He had been watching his mother's condition every day, and he had gone to the town doctor's clinic several times to plead with him, but the doctor had only given him a helpless sigh each time.

Although the doctor didn't tell him the result directly, he overheard the doctor telling someone that Linda had a terminal illness and wouldn't live for more than a few days. The reason the doctor told Grey Falcon to take her to a big city to save her was just to give him a glimmer of hope.

"Although I can't guarantee anything, trying is always better than not trying at all," Du Lei said, not giving a definitive answer.

"Will it really be okay for the Unlucky Grass to eat that kind of thing?" Gray Falcon was still worried and continued to ask.

"Of course something's wrong, that stuff doesn't taste very good." Du Lei shook his head.

"Oh, Mr. Dure, you've actually eaten the curse herb?" Kaba was startled.

“It’s not just the curse herb; I’ve tried all of these medicinal herbs that I wrote down for you,” Du Lei replied with a smile.

054 The real cause of the disease

Dure originally planned to stay in Snowhawk Town for one night and leave early the next morning, taking the train westward. However, due to Grey Falcon and his mother Linda, he had to postpone his trip and stay in Snowhawk Town for an extra day. During this time, he did roughly three things.

The first thing he did was to brew medicine for Linda. He himself had not received professional medical training and was not entirely confident. He chose to help this time, but even he was not sure. He had a bit of a "nothing to lose" mentality. The second thing he did was to inquire about Carmen and Seta in town.

One of these two men was a local tyrant in Snow Eagle Town who had repeatedly come to the village to cause trouble in order to seize the hot springs. It took Du Lei quite a bit of effort to join forces with the villagers to drive Carmen out. The other man was a big merchant from outside who monopolized the trade in Snow Eagle, and Dogo was in his hands.

The third thing was to stay in the town's library and browse through the books. Snow Eagle Town was not large, and the town's library did not have many books, with only a few bookshelves. However, it was much better than Hot Spring Village. When Du Lei stretched and came out of the library, it was already dark.

"Mr. Dure, Mr. Dure, that's wonderful! Mother's condition has really improved a lot. She's clearly getting better. It's amazing! You've done something that even Dr. Doma couldn't do!" At this moment, someone braved the wind and snow, running barefoot all the way to the library entrance, panting heavily.

Ignoring the fact that his face and toes were red from the cold, he excitedly shouted at Du Lei. His hair was still covered with snowflakes. Snow was falling heavily from the sky, but the cold temperature could not dampen his enthusiasm. The only person who knew Du Lei and knew that he was here was Gray Falcon.

"It worked! That's wonderful! I'm so happy for Mrs. Linda. Alright, let's buy some things to celebrate." Although Dure was also a little surprised, he was much calmer than Grey Falcon. He just smiled slightly and pointed to the market on the right, even though it was evening.

However, many grocery stores and fruit shops in the market had not yet closed. Du Lei led Grey Falcon over, and the shop owners greeted Grey Falcon one after another. They obviously knew him and were very concerned about his mother's condition. Linda was very popular in the two streets nearby. After Du Lei bought fruit, some people even refused to accept payment.

After the two returned to Grey Falcon's house, Linda, whose face had regained some color, tried to get up and cook for them, but was stopped by Dure and Grey Falcon. Dure skillfully started cooking in the kitchen, while Grey Falcon assisted him. Grey Falcon had a great prejudice against Dure and spoke rudely to him.

But as Linda's condition improved, he regarded Dure as a savior. He hoped that the despair that followed would be infuriating and painful, but the hope at the end of despair would be all the more precious. Before long, Dure used the ingredients he bought in the evening to cook a table full of dishes, the candlelight reflecting in his eyes.

"Mother, you should eat some. This was cooked by that guy himself. It's delicious. Eating this will help you recover faster. Eat up!" Grey Falcon brought the fried eggs and ham to Linda's bedside and fed his mother. He hadn't been this happy in a long time.

“Little Falcon, don’t be so rude. You should call him Mr. Du Lei. Mr. Du Lei has done so much for us, buying and brewing medicine, buying groceries and cooking meals. We really don’t know how to thank him enough.” Linda tried to get up to thank him again, but Du Lei stopped her. Her eyes were full of gratitude.

"Consider it as travel expenses for staying at Grey Falcon's house. By the way, Grey Falcon, go downstairs and clear out the dishes. I have something to say to Mrs. Linda." Dure chuckled lightly, not taking what he did seriously. He gestured for Grey Falcon to go downstairs, and the latter nodded heavily and quickly ran down.

"Mr. Dure, is there anything you want to say?" Linda smiled slightly after watching Grey Falcon leave and asked Dure what he was going to say.

"Why didn't Mrs. Linda tell him?" Dure didn't answer her directly, but instead looked down at the Grey Falcon, which was happily busy downstairs.

"Tell him to tell Little Falcon? What do you want to tell him? I don't quite understand what Mr. Dure is saying," Linda shook her head, somewhat puzzled.

“Tell him, Mrs. Linda, that your deteriorating health and serious illness are all due to him.” Dure sighed softly. From the moment he saw Linda, he knew where the problem lay—not some strange illness she had, but rather the root of the problem lay with Grey Falcon.

"How did Mr. Du Lei know?" Linda was startled, her body visibly trembling, which confirmed the truth of Du Lei's words.

"Although I grew up in the snow-capped mountains, when I was very young, I had a teacher who was an outsider. He noticed the unusual behavior in the North Mountain earlier than the mercenaries who arrived late. He originally wanted to go into the mountain, but for some reason he gave up."

Dure didn't intend to hide it from Linda; in fact, everyone in Hot Spring Village knew about it, but no one had mentioned it in the past two years.

"Mr. Dure's teacher? To be able to teach such an outstanding student as Mr. Dure, I think he must be an exceptionally capable person." Linda had a very high opinion of Dure because even the town's doctor hadn't noticed the clues, but Dure had seen them immediately with keen insight.

"Is he powerful? Probably. Although I've never seen him display any real skills, I know he must be very powerful. He stayed in the village for three months, during which time he taught me a lot and left behind a notebook that recorded some special illnesses."

As Du Lei said this, the image of a young man's slender back appeared in his mind. Several years had passed, and the man's outline might have become blurred in his memory, but the girls in the village who were only seventeen or eighteen years old at the time still missed him very much.

Linda pondered the phrase "special condition," realizing that the key point Dure had been making was this.

“That’s right. Among the many special diseases, there is one that is caused by a person with a special constitution. For example, if someone’s magical energy is too strong and they don’t know how to control it, it will have a great impact on the health of ordinary people around them.” Du Lei nodded.

At this moment, he was holding a notebook in his hands. This notebook, written by that man himself, was one he always carried with him. Over the years, he had read it over and over again, but he had only truly understood a small part of it.

055 An ordinary blacksmith

Grey Falcon hummed a little tune in the kitchen, cheerfully tidying up the dishes. He hadn't been this happy in a long time. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he had already prepared for the worst in his heart. It was a feeling of despair and helplessness from the deepest part of his soul.

But all of this changed with the boy he met in the alley. That night, the boy dragged him to the herbal medicine shop and persuaded Uncle Kaba to prepare medicine for him. After returning home and brewing the medicine for his mother, Linda fainted, which terrified Grey Falcon.

He almost went to the kitchen to grab a knife and kill the guy who killed his mother, but fortunately, after struggling for a while, Linda's complexion calmed down, and her pale face began to regain its rosy hue, which relieved Grey Falcon. A day later, Linda woke up, and her complexion was much better.

"It's so good to have met that guy. It's all thanks to him that my mother was saved. I was so angry with him before, hehe. Someone like him would definitely not stoop to the level of a brat like me. But then again, he's not that much older than me." Gray Falcon said while washing the dishes, looking up at the upstairs.

At that moment, Dure and his mother Linda were having a detailed conversation. Because of the distance between them and the wind blowing in through the holes in the house, he couldn't hear what they were saying. He could only vaguely see the faint light coming from the attic.

"The reason why the doctors in the town couldn't cure your illness, Mrs. Linda, is that you weren't actually sick. You were simply affected by Grey Falcon's magic power, and due to overwork, your body became weaker and weaker until you finally fell ill and couldn't get out of bed." Dure shook his head.

His earlier mention of "hereditary disease" was merely to comfort Grey Falcon. If Grey Falcon knew that he was the culprit who caused his mother's illness, his young mind would absolutely not be able to accept the reality, and he might even develop hatred for his own magical abilities.

"The medicine I prescribed for you, Lady Linda, is actually to dissolve some of the magical energy in your body so that it will no longer erode your health. I also added a little potion to the water that Grey Falcon drinks," Dure continued, having seen many recipes in the notes left by the man.

"The potion... Mr. Dure, could it be...?" Linda panicked upon hearing this, and she struggled to sit up. Dure quickly reassured her.

"It's not what you think, Madam. It's just temporarily suppressing Grey Falcon's magical energy. It won't have any impact on his magical potential or his health. If his magical energy isn't suppressed, he won't know how to control it and will continue to harm your body, Madam Linda," Dure explained patiently.

"Oh, I see. I misunderstood you, Mr. Dure. You've done so much for my son and me." Linda realized that her actions had been somewhat rash and sincerely apologized to Dure. She knew very well that not everyone was willing to do things that didn't benefit them at all.

“It’s alright, but Madam, you know that keeping Grey Falcon around will harm you, so why don’t you keep your distance from him? And Grey Falcon’s father…” Dure hesitated for a long time before deciding to ask this question. Neither Grey Falcon nor Linda had previously avoided talking about Grey Falcon’s father.

“Grey Falcon’s father used to be a blacksmith in town, a taciturn man.” Linda thought for a moment, took a deep breath, and decided to tell Dure about her husband, even though she had tried her best to avoid mentioning it over the years. But she had nothing to hide from Dure, her benefactor.

"A blacksmith? Judging from the astonishing magical power that Gray Falcon was born with, his father is no ordinary blacksmith." Dure's perception ability far exceeded that of ordinary people. This was partly due to his talent and partly due to what his teacher taught him. He rarely talked about his teacher.

Although he had a close relationship with Nan Yin and her group in the hot spring village, he remembered his teacher's instructions and did not reveal a single word to Nan Yin and the others. As for Linda, she was just a kind-hearted ordinary person. Since she herself did not have any magical energy fluctuations, Gray Falcon must have inherited it from his father.