Chapter Six: The Mu Family Alchemy Hall

A carriage slowly rolled into the street, drawing whispers from the residents on both sides. Following the incident of the Xiao family’s wife-swapping, Mu Feng’s reputation had spread throughout Yuanzhou City and beyond, becoming the talk of the town—notorious, to say the least.

Mu Feng paid no mind to the gossip, merely observing his surroundings with a hint of desolation in his eyes. "I didn't expect Huangsha Town to have become this desolate after more than a decade."

Once upon a time, Huangsha Town had been a large and populous region under the jurisdiction of Yuanzhou City. It owed its prosperity to its location at the edge of the Snow-Moon Mountain Range. Stretching for tens of thousands of miles, the mountain range nearly encircled the entire Snow-Moon Dynasty, and Huangsha Town had once sat on vast hunting resources. With numerous mercenary groups operating there, it had been a bustling hub, no less prosperous than the main districts of Yuanzhou City.

Yet, at some point, the beasts in the mountains began to dwindle, and the mercenaries gradually withdrew. Though the town still held a fair number of residents, it could no longer replicate its former glory.

As the carriage moved forward, a three-story pavilion came into view: the Mu Family Alchemy Hall. It was one of the properties left behind by Mu Feng’s father. Before they even reached the entrance, they heard a cacophony of noise and chatter.

"I didn't expect the alchemy business to be so lively; I could hear the commotion from so far away."

However, once he reached the entrance, Mu Feng realized the truth. The noise came entirely from the gambling dens and brothels next door; it had nothing to do with the alchemy hall. The grand building itself was now deserted, with hardly a soul in sight.

"Young Master."

No sooner had the carriage stopped than two men emerged from the hall. One was in his fifties, his face weathered but his physique still sturdy. The other was younger, roughly Mu Feng’s age, and bore a slight resemblance to the middle-aged man.

"Your old servant, Jia Qian, greets you. This is my son, Jia Zhuangxian. The family has sent word to ensure we receive the Young Master properly."

Mu Feng dismounted. He had known Jia Qian since he was a child; the man had been a clerk under his father and had served in this alchemy hall for his entire life, making him an outsider who was considered part of the Mu family. His loyalty was beyond question.

Beside him, however, Jia Zhuangxian appeared indifferent, standing with a slouch and not even glancing at Mu Feng. Seeing this, Jia Qian slapped the back of his son’s head. "How dare you not pay respects to the Young Master!"

"What respects? He’s just a disgraced, useless Young Master." Jia Zhuangxian looked at Mu Feng with clear dissatisfaction and not a shred of respect.

"Insolence! Bow at once!" Jia Qian urged, sounding angry, yet Jia Zhuangxian remained slouched. Young men were often arrogant, and he naturally looked down on Mu Feng, the "useless" heir.

"How dare a little wretch who hasn't even stepped into the path of martial arts talk back to the Young Master! Who gave you the guts?" Little Yu’s face flushed with anger. As Xiao Yutong’s dowry maid, she could not bear to see Mu Feng treated with such contempt.

Jia Zhuangxian sneered, "What rule says I must bow to the Young Master? Tell me! I won’t bow. If you’re not happy, go report me to the officials."

Seeing his arrogant attitude, Little Yu stomped her feet in frustration, dying to give him a slap. Xiao Yutong, however, quietly held Mu Feng’s hand, fearing he might get into a conflict with the family members.

Mu Feng gave a faint smile and patted Xiao Yutong’s shoulder before turning to look at Jia Zhuangxian. "Since you want to talk about rules, let’s talk about them properly. According to the Mu family’s house rules, anyone who fails to bow to the Young Master shall receive forty lashes, and those who resist shall be treated as traitors. Little Yu, go find a stick."

Little Yu giggled. "You got it!"

*Thud!*

The next moment, Jia Zhuangxian dropped to his knees. "Your servant, Jia Zhuangxian, pays respects to the Young Master!"

Mu Feng was left between laughter and tears at this sudden display of "backbone." "There’s no need for such a grand gesture. I’ll forgive your first offense. Get up. Uncle Qian, these are small gifts. Since I will be staying here, I hope for your care."

Mu Feng produced two wooden boxes from his robes. Upon seeing them, both father and son changed color.

"We cannot accept this, Young Master. Dragon-Tiger Pills are too expensive; we cannot afford such a luxury!"

"They are merely pills to strengthen the body. Take them." Mu Feng forced the pills into Jia Qian’s hands. They were basic supplements for ordinary people and had little effect on martial artists; Mu Feng had taken plenty of them when he lost his own cultivation.

Jia Zhuangxian immediately snatched one and tucked it into his robes. "Thank you, Young Master! If you need anything in the future, just say the word. I’ll make sure it gets done properly!"

Jia Qian could only curse his useless son in his heart.

"Little Yu, help the Young Mistress inside to rest."

"Yes, Young Master." Little Yu carefully supported Xiao Yutong as they entered the alchemy hall, casting one last vicious glare at Jia Zhuangxian as they passed. "Bah! Greedy little wretch."

Mu Feng smiled helplessly and followed them inside. The moment he stepped in, however, his brow furrowed. The spacious hall held only a few scattered types of pills, all of them low-grade and useless. These pills weren't just useless for his cultivation; no one would even want them as a gift. Mu Feng had expected the hall to be in decline after his parents' passing, but he hadn't imagined it would be this bad. It was practically out of business.

"What is going on here?"

Jia Qian explained with embarrassment, "Ever since the Master and Mistress passed away, business has worsened day by day. The Xiao family’s alchemy hall has absorbed all our customers. If this weren't the Master’s legacy, it would have been shut down long ago."

"What about the alchemist? Why are there so few pills?" The Mu family’s hall had always hired alchemists, and there should have been one here. Yet, he had only seen Jia Qian and his son.

"That cur was poached by the Xiao family’s alchemy hall!" Jia Zhuangxian said angrily. "The Master and Mistress were so good to him, and he turned around and betrayed us. It’s infuriating!"

Alchemist was a highly lucrative profession, a resource every faction wanted to secure. When news of Mu Feng’s parents' death broke, the Xiao family took advantage of the chaos in the Mu family to poach the man with double the salary. With Huangsha Town’s small population, the departure of the alchemist meant the Xiao family effectively took all the business.

Mu Feng sighed. The situation was worse than he had imagined. If the hall couldn't function, he couldn't use pills to cultivate. What was he to do?

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Jia Qian hurried to the back courtyard and rummaged through a chest, pulling out a long wooden box. "Young Master, the Master and Mistress instructed me that if you ever returned to the hall, I must give this to you."

"For me?" Mu Feng looked at the dusty box with confusion. What could his parents have left him? Gold and jewelry? Or a peerless weapon? If it were a peerless weapon, he could use the 'Body-Forging Sword Technique' to boost his combat power significantly.

Excited, Mu Feng opened the box. Inside lay an ordinary-looking iron sword. It was no different from the blades sold in any market—if anything, it was just a bit shinier. It wasn't a legendary weapon; it wasn't even a spirit tool.

"I'm a fool. The Mu family doesn't even possess a single spirit tool, so how could there be anything valuable in this box?" Mu Feng picked up the sword with disappointment and swung it. It felt perfectly ordinary. "Are you sure this is what my parents left me?"

He looked at Jia Qian suspiciously. It wasn't that he doubted Jia Qian’s integrity, but he suspected his parents might have made a mistake.

"It is, Young Master. I’ve kept this box under my bed the whole time, but I never imagined..." Jia Qian trailed off.

"Fairy, can you see anything special about this sword?" Mu Feng asked silently.

"I can't. It's just an ordinary sword."

"Sigh, I thought it was some great treasure. My parents were truly stingy, leaving their own son with this piece of junk. I wanted to try out the 'Body-Forging Sword Technique' too." The technique required a person and their sword to become one. A person could only forge one sword in their life; once forged, the sword would grow stronger with the user's cultivation. However, the starting quality of the sword was crucial.

"Well, it seems this sword is only good for sentimental value. I'll wait until I find a real spirit sword to attempt the technique." Mu Feng prepared to put the sword away.

"Fool," the voice replied. "If you want to cultivate the 'Body-Forging Sword Technique', this sword... is the most suitable one for you!"