As dusk fell, a thick fog enveloped Blackwater Town, rolling through the streets like a smoky dragon.
Figures clad in gray and black robes wandered through the mist, their forms flickering in and out of sight, ghostly and indistinct.
In the rundown courtyard where Yu Lie used to live, the landlady had prepared dinner early and left it on the stove for the poor tenants to help themselves.
She, however, grabbed a basket and led her chubby son out of the courtyard, instructing him as they walked, "Save some room in your belly. We'll eat well when we get there."
On their way, they bumped into someone returning to the courtyard.
The person immediately teased, "Oh! The old lady’s out to scam people today, huh? Why bring the kid along? Planning to beg on the streets?"
The landlady’s eyebrows shot up, and she snapped back, "You cursed fool! You’re the beggar, and so is your whole family! My Qiao’er is going to be an alchemy apprentice!"
She then added with pride, "Do you know what an alchemy apprentice is? It’s a Daoist who knows how to refine pills! Today, someone invited my Qiao’er to visit the Alchemy Hall, to get familiar with the place. Later, there’ll even be a feast in the hall’s dining room, and we’ll eat their food!"
The tenant was taken aback by her words, and his teasing stopped abruptly.
Seeing this, the landlady snorted and continued, "The food in the Alchemy Hall is top-notch—tiger, elephant, and sometimes even spirit fish bones or demon beast blood. It’s all nourishing for your vitality! No matter how skilled I am in the kitchen, I can’t compare to them. Once Qiao’er gets familiar with the place and passes the Daoist exams in a few years, he’ll be eating there every day!"
After boasting, the landlady marched proudly with her son toward the street where the Alchemy Hall was located, leaving the tenant standing there, his face a mix of shock and envy.
The tenant muttered to himself, "This stingy old woman actually has connections in the Alchemy Hall?"
His face soon filled with envy.
In Blackwater Town, everyone knew that the Alchemy Hall offered excellent benefits.
Just getting in, whether or not you learned the art of alchemy, guaranteed a comfortable life, far better than most people’s.
Of course, this didn’t apply to those who entered as mere herb slaves.
The landlady walked straight to the Alchemy Hall’s entrance.
Contrary to her earlier boasting, no one came out to invite them to a feast.
Instead, she stood at the gate, bowing and smiling obsequiously at the gatekeeper.
After slipping him something hard, she quickly dragged her son inside, afraid the gatekeeper might change his mind.
As evening fell, the Alchemy Hall’s entrance was bustling with apprentices coming and going.
The mother and son squeezed through the crowd, careful not to get in anyone’s way.
Though they moved humbly, the landlady kept whispering to her son, pointing out the apprentices:
"Look at those people in coarse clothes. They’re just laborers in the Alchemy Hall, toiling away. And that one over there—he doesn’t look like he’ll last more than a year or two. And that one? He might drop dead on the roadside tomorrow… Qiao’er, I didn’t bring you here to become like them. Don’t follow their example."
Her chubby son nodded earnestly.
Seeing this, the landlady beamed with joy.
"Qiao’er, you’re such a good boy! It’s worth bringing you here to broaden your horizons. You must study hard in school!"
Her expression then turned stern.
"But if you can’t even pass the Daoist exams, forget about rising above others—you won’t even qualify to be a herb slave in the Alchemy Hall. If that happens, we’ll both be kicked out of town, and who knows? We might end up as some beast’s dung the very same day!"
The boy, Qiao’er, turned pale with fear.
The landlady quickly stopped her threats and started praising the Alchemy Hall’s food to cheer him up.
After much wandering and nearly bumping into restricted areas, the pair finally reached the Alchemy Hall’s dining room.
The landlady gazed at the gleaming, oil-scented hall and muttered, "So grand! It’s way better than our courtyard!"
With a mix of envy and excitement, she dragged Qiao’er inside to join the crowd of freeloaders.
Unlike other dining halls, the Alchemy Hall’s dining room offered unlimited food.
Anyone who could enter the hall could eat and drink for free.
The landlady had chosen this day carefully.
She’d heard that a high-ranking figure in the Alchemy Hall was hosting a feast upstairs that night.
According to the hall’s custom, before and after such feasts, the cooks would toss the leftovers into the downstairs pots.
If you were lucky, you might even get a few pieces of spirit fish or meat!
Today, the dining room was packed not only with freeloaders from outside but also with many apprentices from the hall.
The landlady had worried they might arrive too late to find a seat.
Fortunately, they arrived early enough, and with her bulky frame, she managed to squeeze into a spot near the entrance.
She sat her son on a stone step and leaned against the wall, holding a large bowl and eating with gusto.
As she ate, she kept an eye on the crowded room, whispering to Qiao’er:
"Look! That neighbor’s son, Er Gou, his parents are here freeloading too. How shameless! They didn’t even get him a seat… See that opening over there? I heard that’s where the upstairs leftovers come down. If you’re lucky, you can get spirit fish and meat!"
While muttering, the landlady suddenly spotted something.
Her face lit up, and she told Qiao’er, "Stay here! Don’t move, no matter who comes. I’ll get you something good!"
With that, she waddled like a nimble ball toward a serving window.
It was the window of a friend of a friend, the one most likely to serve leftovers with spirit fish and meat.
Qiao’er sat on the step, his face showing he was already full, but he remembered his mother’s words and kept eating the tiger, wolf, and deer meat in his bowl, forcing it down.
Just then, someone passed by the step.
The person paused, seeming to recognize Qiao’er, and approached:
"Qiao’er, where’s your mom? Why are you alone here? Isn’t she afraid someone might snatch you?"
Qiao’er looked up from his bowl, his eyes wide as he recognized the person.
He let out a small burp and called out, "Brother Yu!"
An old apprentice behind the newcomer, hearing the exchange, looked at the man in surprise.
The newcomer was none other than Yu Lie, who was heading to the second floor.
He had recognized Qiao’er at the dining room entrance and came over to check on him.
Yu Lie chuckled softly, glanced at Qiao’er’s bowl, and shook his head.
He then reached out to pull the boy up, saying, "Ordinary meat isn’t worth eating. Come, I’ll take you to something better."
Though Qiao’er recognized Yu Lie, he hesitated, still clutching his bowl and refusing to move.
At that moment, the landlady returned, carrying a bowl.
Her face had been full of joy, but when she saw two people blocking her son, one of them tugging at him, her expression turned pale.
She immediately screamed, "Qiao’er!"
Panicked and furious, she swung the large bowl in her hand, aiming it straight at Yu Lie’s head, and shouted, "You thieving Daoist! What are you trying to do with my Qiao’er?"
(End of Chapter)