The most shameless alchemist in history

"Grandpa Teng, the guide you found wouldn't be this guy, would it?" the girl gritted her teeth. She was no stranger to the boy in front of her, after all, they had just met at the mountaintop bathing beach yesterday. Although the village was small, it was inevitable that they would run into each other again, but the old man had still found him.

This was utterly unacceptable to the girl; her icy tone suggested she wanted nothing more than to devour the shameless man before her.

"Old man, although your attitude is very sincere, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do. I'll return the deposit to you. You can find someone else. Goodbye." The young man, Du Lei, reluctantly took out two silver coins from his pocket, tossed them to the old man, and turned to leave.

He was still shaken by his experience at the mountaintop bathing beach yesterday. He had almost been killed by that dangerous woman. He had resolved to avoid her whenever he saw her in the village, but who would have thought that he would run into her again so early in the morning.

"Wait, miss, do you know this young man?" The old man quickly pulled Du Lei back. With his experience, he could easily see the strong tension between the two young men. Although he was on the girl's side, after inquiring, he found that there was no better guide than Du Lei.

"Who knows him?" The girl's mind flashed back to the scene at the mountaintop bathhouse last night, her face flushed, and she decisively rejected the idea.

"Oh yes, that's right, I don't know him, no, I've never seen him before," Du Lei turned his head to the side, firmly denying it.

"Miss, who exactly are you two?" Even Duanmu noticed something amiss, looking at the girl with suspicion, then at Du Lei.

"Mind your own business!" the girl and Du Lei shouted at Duanmu in unison, their angry expressions startling Duanmu.

“Since we don’t know each other, it wouldn’t hurt to have this young man as our guide, Miss. This trip is of great importance. The terrain in Beishan is complex and the weather is terrible. If anything goes wrong, we need a local guide to lead the way. I’ve asked around, and no one in the village is better than this young man.”

The old man pulled the girl aside and whispered that he needed to work on her mindset first.

"But does it really have to be him?" The girl was still somewhat unwilling, clenching her fists as she asked.

“Young man is the most suitable candidate, Miss, you should think it over carefully.” The old man nodded, knowing he would never make a mistake in choosing someone.

"Fine, for the sake of Xing Shi, I'll pretend he's invisible." The girl gritted her teeth and decided to compromise.

"What are you two whispering about, old man? It's not that I, Du Lei, am being disloyal, but look, your people have a problem with me too. I also have things to do, so goodbye." Du Lei was already feeling guilty, and now seeing the girl's fierce appearance made him even more intimidated. He just wanted to run away.

"Wait, young man, our young lady has no problem with you. There may be some misunderstanding, but as long as it doesn't affect our cooperation, it's fine. How about I double the price?" The old man called out to Du Lei again, raising the price.

“Old man, you underestimate me. I, Du Lei, am not the kind of person who is greedy for money. Besides, I really have something to do. I won’t see you.” When Du Lei heard “double,” his ears twitched and he stopped walking. However, he still waved his hand and refused the invitation.

"Then the price will be tripled. I wonder if you could postpone your business a little?" The old man's eyes were sharp enough to see through Du Lei's tricks immediately, and he raised the price with a smile.

"Well, let me think about it." Du Lei seemed a little hesitant.

“Young man, there’s an old saying in our Eastern Continent: ‘Once this village is gone, this shop is gone forever.’ Four times the price is the highest I can offer. But if you really have something to do, I’ll have to find someone else.” The old man shook his head with some regret and turned to leave.

"Deal, cough cough, I mean, since you're so reasonable, old man, I'll reluctantly accept it. When shall we set off?" Du Lei was afraid the old man would change his mind, so he immediately ran back. This was a big deal he couldn't miss.

008 This is a high-end product.

Although more than two hundred people suddenly flooded into the village while they were still in the hot spring village, making the originally spacious small mountain village overcrowded, and you could see several fierce-looking, burly men with knives everywhere you went, this large group of people was quickly swallowed up by the snow-capped mountains after they rushed into the North Mountain.

Led by Du Lei, Duanmu, Old Man Teng, and the girl left the village and headed towards the North Mountain. For nearly half a day, they did not see a single person. All they could see was a vast expanse of white, with only a few shallow footprints left behind them.

"Hey, old man Teng, who are you looking for? Shouldn't we be heading north towards the sealed cave? Why is this road a bit off-center? And there are over two hundred people going to the North Mountain, but we haven't seen a single one yet. It's so strange, and he seems quite suspicious."

Duanmu, who always carried the spear behind his head and pressed the shaft of the spear on his shoulders, muttered to himself. After they left the village, he originally thought that Du Lei's small body would not be able to withstand crossing mountains and valleys, but the speed and agility that the latter showed really impressed him.

Based on this alone, his opinion of Dure changed slightly. However, every now and then, a pure white falcon would fly over, land on Dure's arm, and then Dure would let it go. This made Duanmu quite suspicious, and he had wanted to ask about it for a long time.

"I wonder if he's planning to lure us to some remote, deserted place, kill us all, and murder us for money?" Duanmu squinted at Du Lei's back. Although he usually acted carefree, he would never hesitate when it came to a crucial moment.

"Is it really okay for you to speak ill of others behind their backs like this? You people from the Eastern Continent, who say I'm robbing you of your money and murdering you? Don't you always say that if you take someone's money, you have to solve their problems? I, Du Lei, took your money, so of course I'll take you to the cave. Don't underestimate my professional ethics."

Du Lei released Xue Ying once again. He turned around and said casually. Just then, the sunlight shone on the sharp tip of Duanmu's spear, making it gleam. He also met Duanmu's eyes, which were even sharper than the spear tip, but he remained calm and composed.

"Duanmu, just trust this young man for now. He's a reasonable person. Even if he's after money or murder, do you really have no confidence in your Thunder Beast?" Old Man Teng also looked at Duanmu's spear. Others might not know how powerful the spear was, but he did.

"But this kid has been using the Snow Eagle to pass messages to someone else from the very beginning, and this isn't the right way to the sealed cave. Hey kid, you'd better explain things to me clearly, or I won't mind using some kind of coercive means to extract a confession."

Duanmu walked towards Du Lei. He was tall, at least 1.85 meters, while Du Lei was only 1.65 meters tall. Whether in height or aura, Duanmu was clearly overshadowed by Duanmu. In addition, the lightning crackling around Duanmu's spear made him even more imposing.

"Is this the magical weapon mentioned in the book?" Dure stared in surprise at the changing electric lights on the gun, his interest piqued.

"You've got good taste, kid. But this Thunder Beast isn't just any ordinary magic weapon; it's something else entirely." Duanmu had originally planned to show off his family heirloom, but the boy in front of him wasn't intimidated at all. Instead, he reached forward and touched the gun barrel.

"Hiss, hiss, it really is electrified! By the way, where does the electricity on it come from? Is it generated by friction in the air, or is it made by stripping electrical molecules from the air, or does it have an internal energy storage device? I'm curious, let me take a closer look."

Du Lei was completely oblivious to the fact that Duanmu was on the verge of a fit of rage. He tried to grab the spear, but because he was not tall enough, he could only jump.

"You bastard, this is my family heirloom, forged from the Thunder Fang of an ancient Thunder Beast. It's a high-grade item, not a toy. Not just anyone can touch it. And what if you break it? Can you afford to pay for it?" Duanmu went berserk and started yelling at Du Lei.

"Hey, the Thunder Beast's teeth are ancient or something, they must be many years old. So you're carrying a monster's teeth on your back. By the way, did that Thunder Beast brush its teeth?" Du Lei, who was originally trying to snatch the spear, suddenly realized this problem and reflexively stepped back.

"Ha, a magical beast isn't human, how do you expect it to brush its teeth? Besides, toothbrushes aren't even common in our Eastern Continent, how are they supposed to brush their teeth?" Duanmu was stunned, not expecting Du Lei to say something like that. His approach was quite peculiar.

“Not brushing your teeth for a long time, plus the age of this, makes you prone to osteoporosis. I understand now. No wonder you didn’t want me to touch it. It’s so fragile that it breaks easily. I have to stay away from it. Don’t even think about touching my porcelain.” Du Lei looked at Duanmu warily, deliberately keeping his distance from him, and immediately lost interest in the spear.

"Are you kidding me? Thunder Beasts have been passed down in our Duanmu family for hundreds of years. They have defeated countless enemies and killed countless enemy generals. How come they have become something fragile in your hands? Open your eyes and look! They're high-grade stuff!" Duanmu was displeased and emphasized repeatedly.

"Okay, okay, I understand. It's a high-quality item, please keep it safe and don't break it." Du Lei quickly waved his hand and followed Duanmu's lead.

"Alright, Duanmu, you and Xiao Ge should stop arguing. By the way, Xiao Ge, your hair color and eye color are different from the others in the village. They're more like ours. Are you also from the Eastern Continent?" Old Man Teng acted as a peacemaker, persuading the two to stop arguing.

At the same time, he looked at Dure again. He had this question since the first time he saw Dure, but he felt it was not appropriate and never asked. With the advent of the steam age, the distance between the eastern and western continents was greatly shortened, and it was not uncommon for the two continents to travel between them.

"Hey, no wonder I've been thinking something was off about you. Turns out you're from the Eastern Continent, just like us. Wait, which country are you from? You're not a spy for the Kingdom of Lin, are you?" Duanmu became alert again, scrutinizing Du Lei with a suspicious look, trying to find some clue.

"Hey, hey, what do you mean 'like you guys'? What 'Lin Kingdom'? I don't understand what you're talking about at all. I grew up in Hot Spring Village, I'm a native of Hot Spring Village. Listen, I'm neither from the Eastern Continent nor the Lin Kingdom, I'm just a Hot Spring Village person, understand?"

Du Lei felt a bit confused. Although he had read many books, there were not many records about the Eastern Continent. This was because the connection between the Eastern and Western Continents via steam locomotives was only a recent development, within the last twenty or thirty years. Moreover, there were very few books to be found in the village, so the information was limited.

"I see, young man. We meant no harm, we were just asking casually. By the way, where are your parents? Haven't they told you anything about the Eastern Continent? Perhaps the Eastern Continent is your homeland." The old man quickly tried to ease the tension; he was much easier to talk to than Duanmu.

When he asked Du Lei about it, the girl, who had been keeping silent with her arms crossed, finally glanced at him. Since leaving the hot spring village, she had not said a word and never made eye contact with Du Lei. Whenever she noticed Du Lei looking at her, she would immediately turn her head away.

“I’ve never met my parents. The old folks in the village say I was found in the snow and raised by people from one family to another. The vast East and West continents are really too far away for me. I’ve never even left these mountains.”

Du Lei gently shook his head. He turned to look at the vast snow-capped mountains, surrounded by peaks. He had spent thirteen years of his life in this snow-covered land, never having left. His knowledge of the outside world was limited to a few yellowed old books.

What exactly is in the outside world? What are the so-called Eastern and Western Continents? How big is the "big" in "continent"? These are things that his supposedly clever but actually very barren mind could not fathom. With a sigh, he slowly withdrew his gaze and looked straight ahead at the road.

"So you're an orphan?" The girl, who had remained silent all along, finally couldn't help but speak up, giving Dure a pitying look.

"Please, can you stop looking at me like that? Please, please don't pity me for this kind of thing. It's really annoying, okay? And I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Being able to be carefree and without anyone nagging me is perfect." Du Lei gave a thumbs up.

He was all smiles and acted like nothing was wrong. It would be strange if someone like him, who had been a master of swindling and cheating since childhood and was hated by everyone in the village, had any sadness.

"Who would sympathize with a despicable and shameless guy like you? I'm just using you. Once you've led us to the sealed cave and are no longer of any use, I'll kick you aside, understand?" The girl raised her voice and turned away again, refusing to look at him.

"Whether you use me or exploit me, it doesn't matter. Just pay me the agreed price. Once I've finished this deal, I'll have saved enough money to leave this place. By the way, his name is Duanmu, right? And his is called Old Man Teng. And what's your name?"

Du Lei whistled leisurely as he led the way, appearing remarkably familiar with every blade of grass and tree around him.

"You dare ask Miss's name? Apologize to my Thunder Beast right now! It's a high-grade item, not something fragile. Do you understand?" Duanmu was still resentful of Du Lei's words and pointed the tip of his spear at Du Lei.

"Nanyin." The girl suddenly spoke. She had warned herself not to get involved with random people, but she still spoke.

"That's right, I won't tell you Miss Nan Yin's name. Wait, Miss, you—" Duanmu suddenly turned around, looking at the girl in surprise.

"Nan in the south, Yin in music. Although you, who grew up in the western continent, may not understand, I'll give you three seconds to forget what I just said and move on!" The girl named Nan Yin pointed at Du Lei and shouted, not understanding why she was doing this.

Was it merely out of "sympathy," as Dure claims?

No, perhaps "shared suffering" would be a more accurate description.

009 Survival in the Snow Mountains

As night replaces the sunlight, the vast world falls into silence. The only sound that can still be heard is the howling of the night wind. On the desolate snow-covered mountains, people still carry windproof kerosene lamps and struggle to move forward against the strong wind. The road is not visible on the snow-covered mountains, and one cannot know the depth of the snow underfoot.

If you accidentally step into a mud pit covered with a thin layer of snow, half of your body will sink in. At this time, someone will need to pull out your companion who has fallen in. The streaks of firelight meandered into the depths of the northern mountains. There were few stars in the sky, and the footprints left behind were quickly blown away by the wind.

"Why is this road so difficult to walk? We've been walking for a whole day, and we still haven't reached the sealed cave. Hey kid, you're not trying to fool us, are you? You're not deliberately leading us the wrong way, are you?" Riley shouted at the boy leading the way, who had been walking against the strong wind for a whole day.

“Brother Riley, you’re a member of the famous Hellhound mercenary guild. I’m trying to curry favor with you, how could I dare to lie to you? The roads in these mountains are like this, especially in the North Mountain. The terrain is treacherous and the environment is harsh. People from our Hot Spring Village rarely come here.”

A boy who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old turned around and replied. Although he was still young, his facial features were distinct, and he was born with the face of a male protagonist. The old women in the hot spring village had taken many opportunities to touch his butt. If you say he is the most handsome guy in the hot spring village, I doubt anyone would disagree.

"Hmph, you do have some insight. Don't the people in your village know about the sealed cave?" Riley followed behind the boy. Although he was only in his thirties, he had been a mercenary for twenty years and was used to living a life of danger. He could tell that the boy posed no threat.

Moreover, even if that boy with the rusty iron sword at his waist had some tricks up his sleeve, with his "high-level" mercenary strength, he could easily kill him. After hearing about the whereabouts of the Star Stone, he brought a full six "mid-level" or higher mercenaries with him.

"The sealed cave? I think I only heard about it from the old people in the village when I was a child. The old man said that many years ago, but he didn't even know how many years, because he heard it from an even older old man. He said that one night, a light suddenly appeared in the sky."

Although the boy was young, he was quite adept at walking on mountain paths, even more agile than Riley and his mercenaries. Of course, this was due to his long-term life near the snowy mountains, and did not mean that he was particularly skilled. Any one of these mercenaries could easily take him down.

"There was a light in the sky, and then what?" Riley was very interested in this and immediately asked. He had been in the hot spring village for three days, but during these three days, he had to be on guard against people from other guilds at all times and had not been able to find out much useful information. Now he was able to learn about it from the boy.

"Then there was a loud bang, and all the houses in the village shook. The light stayed on for several days without disappearing." The boy described the scene vividly, gesturing with his hands as he simulated the sound of the explosion. If you didn't know better, you would think he was there watching.

"Brother, there's no mistake. The sudden bright light in the sky and the loud noise that shook the surroundings are signs of the falling star stone. We've made the right choice this time. There's definitely a star stone hidden in the sealed cave, and it's of very high quality. We're going to make a fortune!" someone exclaimed with elation.

The one who spoke was York, Riley's right-hand man. He wasn't as tall as Riley, only about 1.6 meters, but his muscles were particularly strong. The powerful lines of his muscles would probably allow him to hold his own against a bull. He had the strength of an eight-star mid-level.

"Starstone? Oh, right, Brother Riley, could I ask you for a favor?" The boy in front had sharp ears and overheard Riley and York's conversation. Without any hesitation, he turned around and approached Riley to strike up a conversation, which made the latter frown and look at him unhappily.

"What is it?" Riley was very unhappy, but as night fell and the surrounding terrain became more complex, it would be much more difficult for them to reach the sealed cave without the boy, a local, as their guide. With this in mind, he had no choice but to hold back for the time being.

"That's what I'm going to do after I bring you guys to the Sealed Cave, and you get that thing you wanted. When you leave, take me with you and introduce me to the Hellhounds. I've heard so much about the Hellhounds, and I really want to join them."

The boy's face was filled with longing. For teenagers like him, they had almost all grown up listening to heroic legends and stories. He had the burning desire to become a great hero and a great warrior in his heart. This made Riley, who had been somewhat wary, suddenly grin from ear to ear.

“So this is what you mean. No problem. As long as we get things done, I’ll take you to the Cerberus’s headquarters, the Dog Kingdom. But I can’t guarantee you can join the Cerberus. We don’t accept useless people. Whether you can join depends on your own abilities,” Riley reminded him.

"Wait a minute, brother, you actually want to take this useless guy to the Hellhounds?" York was stunned. He couldn't understand Riley's actions and couldn't help but say something. Even he hadn't joined "Hellhounds," so why should a village boy be allowed to? This was simply a joke.

"Shut up, of course, but only if you do us a good job first." Riley glared fiercely at York, but when he turned to look at the boy again, his gaze softened considerably. It looked like the eyes of a senior caring for a junior, which was truly touching.

"Really? If that's possible, that would be wonderful! I've wanted to leave this wretched village for so long and venture out into the world! Long live Riley, you're such a good person!" The boy cheered excitedly, but he kept glancing at the sky, and it was unclear what he was looking at.

"By the way, what's your name?" Riley suddenly realized that he had been employing this boy for so long, yet he still didn't know his name.

"My name is Black Wind, the Black Wind that sweeps through the night," the boy announced. At that moment, a snow eagle flew down from mid-air and landed on his arm. The boy took a small piece of paper from the snow eagle's talons, and no one knew what was written on it.

“Hey, you’ve been communicating with the outside world through that bird since daytime. Don’t think I don’t know. Brother, don’t believe him. I think this kid is up to no good. He’s definitely not bringing us into the mountains with good intentions.” York was increasingly annoyed by Black Wind and immediately scolded him.

“I believe Blackwind is a smart man and wouldn’t do anything stupid, so Blackwind, give me an explanation. What exactly are you doing?” Riley still had a smile on his face, but his tone was much stiffer. Even York had noticed it, so there was no reason why he, as the older brother, couldn’t see it.

"Hey, you've all figured it out already? What? I was planning to tell you later, hehe. Brother Riley, you said Cerberus doesn't accept trash, right? So, how about I give you a little something to welcome you to Cerberus?" Black Wind chuckled.

"Hmm, what kind of greeting gift?" Riley became interested and looked the boy over with great interest.

“I have a companion who’s guiding another group of people. It seems to be a big fish. He told me the location of the big fish through Snow Eagle. Once we enter the cave, we’ll team up to take down that big fish. That way, wouldn’t it be easier for you to get the stuff, Brother Riley?” Black Wind revealed the whole plan.

"What companions? What big fish? I have no idea what you're talking about. I think you're up to something, brother. This kid is up to no good and is definitely trying to harm us." York was completely confused, but he was determined to "never let that kid into Hellhound."

"So that's how it is, kid. Well done. Keep up the good work and I'll definitely reward you handsomely." Riley ignored York's opinion and patted Black Wind on the shoulder. The latter nodded emphatically. The group continued their journey into the depths of the North Mountain, where a strong wind was blowing.

Meanwhile, in a mountain hollow on the other side of the snow-capped mountains, four travelers who had just arrived were holding windproof kerosene lamps and checking their surroundings. Although the wind was howling, there was still a faint smell of blood in the air, and Duanmu was particularly sensitive to this smell.

"What's going on? So many people are dead here... Wait, aren't these the mercenaries we saw in the hot spring village?" Duanmu pinched his nose and cautiously approached, trying to avoid stepping on the corpses. He counted eight bodies on the ground.