42:

Xiao Feng strode into the Alchemist’s Haven with a strut, his expression cheerful as he came to a stop before the alchemist designate who manned the cash register.

The alchemist designate in charge of the store, Alchemist Yu Ma, seemed to recognize him as he got up out of his chair and moved to greet him.

“Ah, well, look who it is,” Alchemist Yu Ma had a genuine smile tugging at his features as he greeted him.

“Just me,” Xiao Feng calmly replied, not letting any of his amusement leak into his tone.

“Nonsense,” Alchemist Yu Ma replied before his tone dropped to a whisper and he continued, “Thanks to you, I got a bonus that was double of what I usually expect to get. And most months, I get no bonus at all. So just say the word and I’ll bring over whatever it is you need, no questions.”

“Even if it’s forbidden for a recruit to get access to that particular ingredient?” Xiao Feng asked, raising an eyebrow at Alchemist Yu.

“Errr,” Alchemist Yu hesitated, his features warping in panic. “Uh, well you see, I am only here under the direction of a Senior Alchemist, so I can’t quite—”

Xiao Feng smiled at him, before speaking, “You don’t have to worry, Alchemist Yu. I am not here to ask for anything that can get you in trouble. In fact, I think you might be very pleased by what I want.”

Alchemist Yu’s eyes widened in expectation, his chest heaving once as he took a deep breath in before exhaling.

Then, he asked the question that was already resting on his lips, “What can I get you?”

My body’s clock tells me that about five hours have passed since Lianhua left to inform Alchemist Zhi. That should be enough of a truce period before declaring war, Xiao Feng thought as he reached for a folded note in his inner robe pocket.

Unfolding it, he scanned through the list once, before speaking, “I need…,” He trailed off as he noticed Alchemist Yu hurriedly move to the table housing the cash register, pulling on a drawer to reveal stationary supplies and multiple cloth-bound notebooks stacked on top of each other.

Pulling out the notebook on top with one hand while palming an ink pot and feather pen with his right, he placed the latter on the table and prepared himself for a war of his own.

A few moments later, Alchemist Yu had the cloth notebook supported by his left hand while his feather ink pen, now dipped, awaited command.

“The bone marrow of a Stoneback Ursine,” Xiao Feng declared, his tone bold and almost overbearing.

I really don’t like putting on a show, but they’re going to listen in anyway, Xiao Feng thought, familiar with the nature of alchemists by now. Well I suppose when you’re trapped in a stone prison and aren’t really powerful enough to explore these dangerous lands, there’s not all that many sources of entertainment to pass on the low-hanging ones, He considered, mostly having gotten used to this quirk of the Alchemy Division. In fact, he intended to use it to his advantage.

It was not just Alchemist Zhi he intended to send a message to, after all.

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“Are you sure?” Alchemist Yu asked, his tone tinged with confusion. “A Stoneback Ursine is an advanced layer foundation establishment beast. As such, it’s bone-marrow is…,” He trailed off, his expression hesitant as he took in Xiao Feng’s calm expression.

“What? Please, tell me,” Xiao Feng politely encouraged, not intending to pass on any knowledge if someone was willing to offer it to him.

“Well,” Alchemist Yu ran a hand across his long, silky hair that cascaded down to his collarbones. “The bone-marrow is fairly uncommon, because you need to kill the Stoneback Ursine without destroying its bones. It is valuable, because the Qi contained within is so concentrated that it serves as a great base for more powerful pills. Most importantly, though, it is potent. Perhaps too potent for a recruit,” He revealed.

Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow at the last statement, finding himself compelled to ask a question in turn, “Does that mean I can’t purchase it?”

“It is not a toxic ingredient. Neither is it volatile, per se. Or poisonous. If you want to buy it, I cannot stop you. Nor would I want to, for it is your wealth and your choice to make. I would hardly consider myself worthy enough to tell a war hero what to do with his reward,” Alchemist Yu replied, disclosing that he had looked into Xiao Feng’s origins.

“So, you know who I am,” Xiao Feng asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

“It would be remiss of me to not know,” Alchemist Yu placed a palm on his chest and dipped his head low as if he were graciously accepting praise. “You did walk into my store as a recruit and ended up spending more than what I would expect full-fledged alchemists to,” He explained, with a shrug of his shoulders.

“How did you find out about the reward, though,” Xiao Feng asked, his tone lowering to a whisper.

“I am a merchant. It is my duty to know how much coin is hidden in my customer’s robe pockets,” Alchemist Yu replied with a gracious smile, his tone lacking any malice.

“So you can liberate them from their taels?” Xiao Feng asked, his tone amused.

“So I can liberate them from it,” Alchemist Yu repeated, the smile never leaving his visage.

“Well, Alchemist Yu,” Xiao Feng began, intentionally dragging his words.

“Yes?”

“There’s plenty of wealth to liberate here,” Xiao Feng declared, handing him the paper note without further ado.

Alchemist Yu gingerly received the note, straightening it out before his gaze scanned it’s contents.

“This is…,” He lightly gasped, as disbelief reflected in his features once he finished reading through the seven ingredients written down in Lianhua’s neat but not ostentatious handwriting. “The ingredients of a beast-bonding pill. That is not a pill you would be able to—”

“All but one,” Xiao Feng declared, his tone bold and loud.

Alchemist Yu blinked, as Xiao Feng’s words seemed to bounce off him.

“Pardon?” Alchemist Yu asked, his tone befuddled.

“All but one,” Xiao Feng repeated. “Give me the ingredients I have ordered in complete sets. All but one complete set. Let it not be said that Recruit Xiao Feng does not play fair,” He answered, before his lips curled up into a vicious smile.

“You’re— this is for your duel with Alchemist Zhi,” He muttered in disbelief and for once, it did not seem like it was his ostentatious display of wealth that had taken Alchemist Zhi aback. “You chose the beast-bonding pill?” He asked, his tone incredulous.

“Why?” Xiao Feng asked. “Is there anything wrong with my request?”

Alchemist Yu paused, before shaking his head, “I could not give you what you asked, if this was the only reserve of ingredients we had. However, the Alchemist Division has its own stockpile for important requests and it much exceeds what we have here. I can process your request but… are you really sure?” Alchemist Yu asked, clearly having done his research on Xiao Feng and knowing how slim his odds were if he had really chosen the Beast-Bonding Pill.

He could simply take the money and receive what has to be the biggest bonus of his life, yet he’s warning me. Good man, Xiao Feng thought, a bit moved by the display of genuine concern.

“The decision has already been made,” Xiao Feng stated, his tone not wavering in the slightest.

Alchemist Yu closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling before opening them to consider Xiao Feng.

“I understand,” He nodded, not pausing to ask if he had the resources to go through with the purchase as he began throwing orders at the other alchemist designates working in the store.

That’s two birds with stone. I show the alchemists just how vengeful I can be, while my real purpose for buying all these ingredients is accomplished. If I can just manage a single pill refinement, even if it ends up being of the lowest grade… that should work.