The Veiled Cauldron was buzzing like a hive of excited bees. It had been a week since they'd unleashed their new products on an unsuspecting public, and holy smokes, what a week it had been! The tiny shop that once blended into the background was now the hottest spot in town.

People were practically tripping over themselves to get their hands on the Heartsease Aromatics, Pearl Cream, and Moonsilver Pills. The line snaked around the block, full of eager faces from not just the first district, but from all over the city. Who knew a bunch of glorified beauty products could cause such a ruckus?

"I heard the Pearl Cream makes you glow like the moon!" one excitable customer whispered.

"Pfft, that's nothing," her friend replied. "My cousin swears the Moonsilver Pills refined his bones to that of a martial genius!"

Meanwhile, in a lavish mansion across town, things were decidedly less cheery. Alchemist Mang Dok, the "Serpent Tongue Alchemist" and long-time big wig of the first district's alchemy scene, was having what you might call a bad day rather a bad week.

He glowered at the profit reports spread across his mahogany desk. The numbers glared back at him, mocking his misfortune. An 80% drop in profits? It was enough to make a grown alchemist cry.

"Impossible," he muttered, crumpling yet another report in his fist. "How dare these... these amateurs waltz in and steal my customers!"

His eye twitched as he imagined the Veiled Cauldron's success. It was time to take matters into his own hands. With a dramatic swish of his emerald robes, Mang Dok stormed out of his study.

"Prepare my palanquin!" he barked at a startled servant. "I'm paying a little visit to our new... friends."

As he was carried through the streets, Mang Dok's mind raced with plans. He'd show those upstarts what happened when you messed with the Serpent Tongue. By the time he was done, they'd be begging to leave the first district.

The palanquin swayed gently as it made its way through the bustling streets, but Alchemist Mang Dok's mood was anything but calm. His eyes, narrow as a viper's, fixated on the snake emblem adorning his ride. Once a source of pride, now it felt more like a taunt. How had he let those Veiled Cauldron upstarts slip under his radar?

"Incompetent fools," he muttered, thinking of his lackeys who'd failed to nip this problem in the bud. The sweet scent of revenge, however, was starting to overpower his irritation.

As they rounded the corner, Mang Dok's jaw nearly hit the floor. The line outside the Veiled Cauldron stretched farther than a dragon's tail, filled with chattering customers. Their excited voices drifted through the air like annoying mosquitoes.

"Did you hear? Master Do's Five Organs Mountain Herb Decoction cured my uncle's centuries-old back pain!"

"Pfft, that's nothing. I heard Mistress Hyeol-Ran's Pearl Cream made Lady Kim look twenty years younger!"

Mang Dok's eye twitched. He'd show them what real alchemy looked like.

Meanwhile, inside the cozy chaos of the Veiled Cauldron, Do Joon-soo's nose suddenly wrinkled. A faint, sickly-sweet scent cut through the shop's herbal aromas.

"Guys," he called out, his voice low but urgent. "We've got company. And not the friendly kind."

Hyeol-Ran's hand instinctively went to the concealed dagger at her waist. "Mang Dok?" she whispered.

Joon-soo nodded grimly. "The one and only Serpent Tongue himself."

In the corner, poor Alchemist Joo was still pestering Joo-won, oblivious to the tension. "Come on, just one tiny vial of that miracle decoction! I'll trade you my great-aunt's secret recipe!"

As the Serpent Tongue Alchemist's palanquin creaked to a halt, the Veiled Cauldron crew exchanged glances that spoke volumes. So much for keeping a low profile – their little shop had become about as inconspicuous as a dragon in a chicken coop.

"Well, gang," Baek Woojin muttered, cracking his knuckles, "looks like our sneaky days are over. Time to face the music – or in this case, the cranky old alchemist."

Hyeol-Ran rolled her eyes. "Your timing for jokes is impeccable as always, Woojin."

As Mang Dok descended from his fancy ride, the air grew thick with tension. You could practically slice it with one of Yi Gwan's daggers. The Veiled Cauldron squad stood their ground, a ragtag bunch of misfits facing off against the district's reigning alchemy big shot.

Do Joon-soo stepped forward, his face a mask of calm that barely hid the storm brewing underneath. "Alchemist Mang Dok," he said. "What an... unexpected pleasure. To what do we owe this visit?"

Mang Dok's face twisted into a sneer so sharp it could've cut glass. "Don’t act like you don’t know about the profit drop of my stores. Funny how that coincides with your little... establishment popping up. To make up for my loss, you’ll hand over 60 percent of your profit and the recipe to your alchemical products. Then my faction will provide you with protection. Otherwise, i would have to close your puny store."

Do Joon-soo fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm touched you noticed our success, Alchemist Mang Dok. But 60% of our profits and the recipes? That's steeper than the Heavenly Mountains."

"Oh, come now," Mang Dok crooned, his voice dripping with false sweetness. "Consider it an... investment in your future. After all, who knows what unfortunate accidents might befall unauthorized businesses these days?"

Hyeol-Ran stepped forward, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Accidents? Is that a threat, old man?"

"Threat? Me?" Mang Dok placed a hand over his heart in mock offense. "I'm merely concerned for your welfare. The market can be so... unpredictable."

"About as unpredictable as your sudden policy changes, I bet," Baek Woojin muttered, earning him another elbow from Yi Gwan.

Do Joon-soo held up a hand, silencing his friends. "Let's cut to the chase, Alchemist Mang Dok. We have all the proper documentation. Our store is as legal as they come."

Mang Dok's voice dripped with arrogance like honey from a rotten hive. "Good enough? Oh, you naive children. In this district, my word is law."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Do Joon-soo's jaw clenched. "And what law says you can steal our hard work?"

"The law of the jungle, boy," Mang Dok sneered. "Now, about that recipe..."

Before anyone could retort, a voice piped up from behind. "Oh, put a sock in it, you overgrown garden snake!"

All eyes turned to see Alchemist Joo, red-faced and trembling with anger. The usually mild-mannered man looked about as threatening as an angry chipmunk, but his eyes blazed with righteous fury.

"Joo, what are you—" Hyeol-Ran started, but Joo was on a roll.

"You should be ashamed!" he squeaked at Mang Dok. "Bullying youngsters, stealing recipes... didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

For a moment, Mang Dok looked genuinely stunned. Then his face twisted into something truly ugly. "You dare...?"

What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion. Mang Dok's fingers twitched, and suddenly the air shimmered with sickly green mist. Before anyone could react, Joo crumpled to the ground, his body convulsing.

"No!" Do Joon-soo lunged forward, but Yi Gwan held him back.

Mang Dok's laughter cut through the shocked silence like a knife. "Oops. Clumsy me. Looks like your friend got a taste of my... special blend."

Baek Woojin knelt beside Joo, his usual grin replaced by grim determination. "Hang in there, old man. We've got you."

"The recipe," Mang Dok drawled, examining his nails. "Bring it to me by sunrise, or your friend's next brew will be in the afterlife." With a final smirk, he turned on his heel and sauntered away.

As Mang Dok's beady eyes scanned the crowd, his scowl deepened. Where was that miracle kid he'd heard whispers about? The one who could supposedly neutralize his poisons like they were nothing more than spicy kimchi? Probably just another tall tale. This town was full of hot air and not much else.

But just as he raised his hand, fingers glowing an ominous green, a wall of determined faces suddenly materialized between him and his targets. The local cultivators, it seemed, had decided to crash this little party.

"Back off, Serpent Tongue!" a burly man with impressive eyebrows shouted. "We're not letting you jack up prices just 'cause you can't handle a little competition!"

Mang Dok's eye twitched. This was not how his dramatic showdown was supposed to go. Outnumbered and, though he'd never admit it, outmatched, he had no choice but to make a tactical retreat.

"This isn't over!" he hissed, scrambling back into his palanquin with as much dignity as he could muster. "You'll rue the day you crossed the Serpent Tongue!"

As his lackeys carried him away, Mang Dok's mind churned with plots of revenge. Those smug brats thought they'd won? Ha! He'd show them. Tomorrow, when the sun dipped below the horizon, he'd unleash a nightmare upon this miserable little town. Those thousands of venomous slithery friends he kept in his not-so-secret underground lair would come in handy after all.

"Just you wait," he muttered, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "By this time tomorrow, I'll have that recipe in my hands, and this town will be on its knees!"

The moment Mang Dok's palanquin disappeared around the corner, the crowd let out a collective breath they didn't know they'd been holding. But their relief evaporated when they saw Joo-won dash to Alchemist Joo's side.

"Oh snap," Baek Woojin muttered, his usual grin nowhere in sight. "This doesn't look good."

Alchemist Joo was writhing on the ground like a fish out of water, dark red liquid oozing from his pores.

Joo-won's face was set in stone as he tried his usual poison-busting moves. No dice. The kid's eyes darted around frantically, his brain working overtime. You could practically see the gears turning in his head.

"Come on, think!" he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, "That's it!"

Without wasting another second, Joo-won placed his hands on Alchemist Joo's chest. The crowd leaned in, holding their breath. Was this kid for real?

Joo-won closed his eyes, channeling his Qi like he was trying to win a staring contest with the universe. His hands began to glow with a soft, otherworldly light. Qi purer than anyone has ever sense began pouring through Alchmist Joo.

The poison fought back like a cornered beast, but Joo-won wasn't backing down. His face scrunched up in concentration, sweat beading on his forehead. It was like watching an epic battle play out on the weirdest, tiniest battlefield ever.

Slowly but surely, the red ooze began to retreat. Alchemist Joo's breathing steadied, his face regaining some color that wasn't, you know, deathly pale.

As the last drop of nasty red goop oozed out of Alchemist Joo's finger, the tension in the room deflated like a punctured balloon. Everyone let out a collective "Whew!" that could've knocked over a small building.

Do Joon-soo's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Holy medicinal herbs, Joo-won! You actually did it!"

Joo-won, looking like he'd just wrestled a dragon and barely won, managed a weak grin. "All in a day's work, right?" He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a container that looked suspiciously like an old kimchi jar. "Quick, someone help me bottle this stuff before it tries to poison the floor."

As Alchemist Joo's color returned from "walking dead" to merely "had a really bad day," he fixed Joo-won with a grateful look. "Kid, if I wasn't worried about residual poison, I'd hug you right now."

"It was nothing."

Hyeol-Ran stepped forward, her usual smirk softened into something almost mushy. "Nothing? Alchemist Joo, you're the real hero here. Taking one for the team like that?"

The truth dawned on everyone like a slap from a wet fish. This whole poisoning drama? It was all part of their master plan!

Baek Woojin let out a low whistle. "So we've got Mang Dok's super-secret poison recipe now? That snakey old coot is gonna be madder when he finds out!"

Yi Gwan, ever the voice of reason, cleared his throat. "Let's not celebrate just yet. We still need to whip up an antidote, and something tells me Mang Dok's not going to sit around twiddling his thumbs while we do it."

The moonlight filtered through the paper windows as Joo-won hunched over the vial of sinister liquid. His brow furrowed in concentration, eyes gleaming with determination. This poison was no ordinary concoction - it reeked of dark arts and forbidden techniques.

"The Serpent Tongue's venom is beyond my current understanding," Joo-won admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I must consult the ancient texts in the Celestial Tower."

The night deepened, the disciples gathered in a tight circle, their faces illuminated by a single flickering candle. Joo-won produced a small jade bottle, its contents shimmering with an otherworldly blue light.

"Behold, the Heavenly Clarity Pills," he announced, his tone reverent. These are prepared by my master. These will elevate your cultivation and shield you from a myriad of poisons."

He met each of their eyes in turn, his gaze intense. "Mang Dok's power... it's at least that of a fourth-stage General. We must ascend quickly if we hope to stand against him."

The pills were distributed with solemn ceremony, all save one. Do Joon-soo looked up, confusion etched on his features.

"Brother Do," Joo-won said, his voice carrying the weight of mountains, "your path lies elsewhere. Become our eyes and ears. Uncover the Serpent Tongue's secrets, his strengths, his plans. Can you walk this shadowed road?"

Do Joon-soo's eyes hardened with resolve. "Consider it done, Brother Joo-won."

With a nod of satisfaction, Joo-won retreated to his room. "I must cultivate now. The wheel of fate turns ever faster, and we must be ready when it stops."

With a sigh, he fished the metallic cube from his space wristband. The thing gleamed innocently in his palm, as if it wasn't the key to unlocking immense power – and probably a whole lot more trouble.

"Alright, you little menace," Joo-won muttered, narrowing his eyes at the cube. "Time to cooperate."

He'd been at this for hours, trying to recreate that stupid ethereal tune. His earlier attempts had sounded more like a dying cat than mystical music. But maybe the Ancients were into that sort of thing. Who was he to judge?

Joo-won took a deep breath, focusing his Qi. He tossed the cube into the air, channeling energy into it as it spun. The room filled with discordant notes as he manipulated the sound waves, trying to match the frequencies he'd heard before.

"Come on, come on," he muttered, sweat beading on his forehead. "Work, you infernal contraption!"

Just as he was about to give up and chuck the cube out the window, something clicked. A pure, crystal-clear note rang out, and Joo-won's jaw dropped as the tower materialized before him.