Chapter 2: The First Glimmer of Alchemy

Half a month later, Daxton Mabbett arrived in Pelton. His home was here. He did not head back to the Mabbett family right away. Instead, he went straight to Treasure Hall in Pelton. Treasure Hall was the city's largest apothecary, stocked with the widest selection. Everyone in Pelton knew it: if you could not buy a herb at Treasure Hall, you would not find it anywhere else in the city. More importantly, Treasure Hall had an apprentice alchemist in residence. That alone made its reputation soar. Twelve days earlier, the Nine-Colored Mystic Sword inside him had trembled, and a flood of knowledge had appeared in his mind. Among it was a method of the alchemical arts, a text called Pharmacopoeia Codex. It contained countless herb registers and pill formulae, a true treasure of the alchemical arts. During the days he spent hurrying back toward Pelton, he studied the Pharmacopoeia Codex and gained enormously. He not only grasped many wondrous ways of refining pills, he also found a pill formula within it that could rebuild shattered meridians. That was why he had come to Treasure Hall: to see whether the herbs required by that pill formula could be found here. One Sword to World Supremacy was unfathomably mysterious. Even with broken meridians, it could still be cultivated, but only within the Martial Path. If he wanted to step into the Origin Path and continue onward, he had to possess intact meridians. Otherwise, he would be stuck at the Martial Path forever. "Do you have Ginseng, Earth Spirit Essence, and Golden Centipede?" he asked a clerk at the counter. The pill formula for rebuilding meridians required three ingredients: Ginseng, Earth Spirit Essence, and Golden Centipede. "We have one Ginseng in stock," the clerk said after a brief pause. "But what are Earth Spirit Essence and Golden Centipede?" He looked genuinely startled. He had worked at Treasure Hall for five years and had never even heard of Earth Spirit Essence or Golden Centipede. Daxton felt a flicker of delight. They did not have the other two, but having Ginseng alone was already a huge gain. Then he asked the price, and the delight died on the spot. It cost a full one hundred thousand taels. Even the heads of the Four Great Families might not be able to produce that kind of money on a whim. After he and the sect had set Kaden Middlam up and split the spoils, Daxton had obtained fifty thousand in banknotes and five hundred Essence-Nurturing Pills. Using those five hundred Essence-Nurturing Pills, he had rebuilt his cultivation to the peak of the Flesh-Tempering realm over the past half month. Yet the remaining fifty thousand in banknotes still was not enough to buy the Ginseng. *If I'd known, I would've squeezed another hundred thousand taels out of Kaden Middlam,* he sighed inwardly. Then he told the clerk, "Forget it. Get me some bone-mending salve, Blazing Sun Grass, Strandshell Fruit…" Since he could not afford the Ginseng for the moment, he decided to prepare body-tempering ingredients for a medicinal bath instead. At the earliest stage of the Martial Path, a suitable medicinal bath could dramatically increase cultivation speed and strengthen one's body. He had also obtained this body-tempering recipe from the Pharmacopoeia Codex. It required thirty-six herbs in total. They were nowhere near as expensive as Ginseng, but they were hardly cheap. After the clerk totaled it up, a single set still cost three thousand taels. "I need to make some money," Daxton murmured. He would need many more body-tempering baths for his later cultivation, which meant an enormous amount of silver. And the Ginseng alone cost one hundred thousand taels. Without earning money, how could he keep going? "Please wait a moment!" The clerk in charge of the counter beamed and hurried off to gather the items. Daxton was buying quite a lot, and the commission would be decent. Almost at the same time, a young woman rushed in, supporting an elderly man. Her white dress swayed as she moved. She had a lovely oval face and bright, striking features. More than that, she carried an unmistakable air of refined nobility. The old man wore a gray robe. He clutched his arm, where two small puncture wounds oozed blood. The blood was red tinged with green, and the skin around it had raised, worm-like ridges. His steps wavered. Pain tightened his face. "Bring out your apprentice alchemist! Hurry and save him!" the young woman shouted at a clerk. Seeing her clothing and bearing, the clerk did not dare delay. He dashed off to fetch someone. Before long, a gaunt middle-aged man in an alchemist's robe came out with the clerk. "Grayson Leatherdown!" Inside Treasure Hall, many people immediately showed respect. Daxton recognized him. Cameron Leatherdown, Treasure Hall's apprentice alchemist, had a modest reputation in Pelton. In a remote little city like Pelton, an apprentice alchemist was already someone of note. "Grayson Leatherdown," the young woman said urgently as she guided the old man forward, "he was bitten by a Jade Scale Snake. Please help!" Cameron took one look and could tell the young woman was no ordinary person. His attitude turned warm as he examined the wound. Then he smiled. "It is indeed a Jade Scale Snake bite. Nothing serious. Grind Yuan-Yang Grass and Tianxin Flower into a paste and take it orally. The poison will clear in no time." As he spoke, he instructed a clerk to fetch the herbs. That was when a calm voice cut in. "If he takes those two herbs orally, he'll be dead within three quarters of an hour." The one who spoke was Daxton. Cameron snapped his gaze toward him, face darkening. "Who are you to question my medical skill?" "What I am has nothing to do with whether your treatment is wrong," Daxton replied. Cameron's expression sank. "Ignorant fool! Anyone with the slightest understanding of medicinal principles knows Yuan-Yang Grass and Tianxin Flower are excellent for Jade Scale Snake venom. You're a stupid brat who does not even grasp the basics, yet you dare spew nonsense in public. Outrageous!" Daxton spared Cameron a glance, then looked to the young woman. "I have the correct way to save this elder. Just pay me a small consultation fee." He needed money for his medicinal baths and for the Ginseng, and Cameron's method was clearly flawed. That was why he had spoken up. Cameron burst into laughter. "So that's what this is. You're trying to swindle a fee!" Daxton did not bother responding. He simply watched the young woman. She hesitated, then asked, "Young master, you said that taking Yuan-Yang Grass and Tianxin Flower orally would kill him within three quarters of an hour. Why?" Daxton's words had lodged in her mind like a thorn. "Because what bit him wasn't a Jade Scale Snake at all," Daxton said. "It was a Burning Python. Yuan-Yang Grass and Tianxin Flower are perfectly fine for Jade Scale Snake venom, but for Burning Python venom, they make it worse. Much worse." "A Burning Python?" The young woman's face changed. Burning Pythons were extremely rare, and their venom was dozens of times more vicious than a Jade Scale Snake's. "But I saw it bite Uncle Ning. It was a Jade Scale Snake. I couldn't be mistaken!" "By appearance alone, a Burning Python and a Jade Scale Snake look almost identical," Daxton said. "But a Jade Scale Snake leaves neat, rounded punctures. A Burning Python's fangs have tiny barbs, so the punctures show faint tearing." As he spoke, he pointed to the wound on the old man's arm. "That slight tear is the mark of a Burning Python bite." The young woman leaned in. Sure enough, there was a subtle split at the puncture. Without careful attention, it was easy to miss. Cameron saw it too. His face shifted, but he snorted. "That proves nothing. It could have been caused when this young lady treated the wound at the start. Besides, Burning Pythons are absurdly rare. You might see one once in a hundred years. How could this elder just happen to run into one?" Daxton looked at him. "When an alchemist treats and saves lives, he relies on observation, listening, inquiry, and examination. Not on guessing odds. For you to say that is surprising, Grayson Leatherdown. That apprentice alchemist title of yours… you didn't cheat your way into it, did you?" Cameron's face turned ugly. He realized he had spoken too rashly, but he still forced out a cold laugh. "Even if you're right and it was a Burning Python, are you saying you can cure him?" Burning Python venom was tyrannical. Even a first-grade alchemist would be helpless. How could some green kid handle it? Daxton ignored him and turned back to the young woman. "Will you let me try?" She hesitated, then nodded. "Then I'll trouble you, young master." Daxton's explanation had been too precise to dismiss. Daxton nodded and told a nearby clerk, "Bring me Lysimachia and Crimson Blood Stamen. And a box of silver needles." The clerk did not know whether he should obey, so he looked to Cameron. "Bring it to him," Cameron said coldly, eyes fixed on Daxton. "If a snot-nosed brat like you can cure this elder, I, Cameron Leatherdown, will slap myself twice in front of everyone. Then I'll take my head off and let you kick it around like a ball!" The clerk quickly returned with Lysimachia, Crimson Blood Stamen, and the needles. Unhurried, Daxton took them. He pinched off portions of Lysimachia and Crimson Blood Stamen and fed them directly to the old man. Then he drew out a silver needle and pierced the old man's Baihui acupoint. With his other hand, he placed his palm against the old man's abdomen and gave a light, controlled strike. The old man shuddered and spat out a mouthful of foul, dark blood. As the blood hit the floor, the worm-like ridges around the wound rapidly subsided. The bleeding stopped, and color returned to the old man's face. "Uncle Ning, how do you feel?" the young woman asked, voice tight with worry. The old man took a deep breath and slowly said, "Much better." A wave of shock rippled through Treasure Hall. The old man's condition had looked grim. Yet Daxton had only fed him a pinch of Lysimachia and Crimson Blood Stamen without even grinding them, then casually inserted one needle and tapped his abdomen. And the old man had improved immediately. Cameron stood frozen, face full of disbelief. It really had been a Burning Python? And Daxton had neutralized Burning Python venom? How was that possible? The young woman was equally stunned. Then she quickly bowed to Daxton in gratitude. The old man followed, cupping his hands. "Thank you for saving this old man, young master. I'm indebted to you!" Daxton nodded. "The poison in your body hasn't been fully purged. You'll need another round of acupuncture three days from now to recover completely." The young woman thought for a moment, then said, "In three days, we'll host you at Tenji Pavilion in Ferrell Tower. Would that be acceptable, young master?" Ferrell Tower was Pelton's finest restaurant. "That works," Daxton said. "Thank you for your trouble," she said, then took out a banknote and offered it to him. It was for ten thousand taels. "This is the consultation fee. Please accept it." Daxton accepted it with a nod. He could tell that ten thousand taels would be a fortune to ordinary families, but to her, it was nothing worth mentioning. Then he looked at Cameron, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You said that if I cured this elder's poison, you'd slap yourself twice in front of everyone, then take your head off and hand it to me to kick around like a ball. Right?"