Before, Ma Da Jun’s attitude was one full of arrogance, superiority and condescending. He had invited Ma Da Jun repeatedly before the man finally agreed to come, and yet the first thing the latter did upon coming was to seek flaws and create problems. He had truly displayed the arrogance of an alchemist to the full extent.
But now… he really dared not believe that Ma Da Jun would actually treat him with such respect and courtesy.
These few days that he was gone… what had actually happened to cause his son to change so much?
“Ling Clan Head, I truly deserve death. Please do not worry, I shall have someone deliver the medicine to you as soon as I return,” Ma Da Jun said very gently and cautiously. Once he recalled his previous attitude towards Ling Dong Xing, he could not control the rapid beating of his heart. He was scared half to death now.
Ling Han tapped one finger on the table, and said, “Is it the Cheng Clan that had you do such a thing?”
“Hehe, Young Master Han, I really didn’t know that Ling Clan Head was your father, and so fell under the deception of the Cheng Clan. You must believe me!” Ma Da Jun explained hurriedly.
Ling Han smiled and said, “I believe you.”
Ma Da Jun immediately felt elated, but then he heard Ling Han continue to speak, “You’re a greedy man. Going by your personality and character, how could you actually deign to help the Cheng Clan without sufficient benefits? Tell me then, what benefits have you received from the Cheng Clan?”
“This-” Ma Da Jun stuttered, but once he saw Ling Han’s sharp gaze, he tensed up and hurriedly said, “Thirty thousand silver coins.”
“The Cheng Clan is really generous!” Ling Dong Xing snorted. As the head of clan, he had a deep understanding of the significance of thirty thousand silver coins.
The Cheng Clan and the Ling Clan were very similar in that they both had shockingly large income yet their spending was also extremely large. A sum of thirty thousand silver coins could only be painstakingly saved up over two, three years’ time. That the Cheng Clan was willing to use such an astronomical sum to hire Ma Da Jun meant they were completely serious in their attempt to utterly cut off the Ling Clan’s lifeblood.
Just as Ling Han said, Ma Da Jun was a greedy man. To let him once again supply Ling Clan with medicine, they would have to offer him a reward that exceeded thirty thousand silver coins. But the problem was that after the Ling Clan had been hit twice, they had practically expended all money they had available, so where would they be able to find thirty thousand silver coins to bribe Ma Da Jun with?
This move may have been only a little wound to the Cheng Clan, but for the Ling Clan, it would definitely be a fatal injury.
Thank goodness he had a good son!
Ling Dong Xing could not help smiling. The Cheng Clan would never have thought that the thirty thousand silver coins they had handed over was practically wasted.
“Thirty thousand coins, that’s quite a lot,” Ling Han looked at Ma Da Jun with a faint smile, “Alchemists really are quite expensive. They had to spend such an amount to be able to bribe you.”
“Young Master Han, you jest,” Ma Da Jun wiped away the cold sweat beading on his forehead. He was not an idiot, so naturally he could tell that Ling Han was being sarcastic.
“Because of you, our Ling Clan really have suffered a huge loss these few days,” Ling Han said serenely.
Ma Da Jun immediately shivered, but a flash of inspiration passed through his brain and he hurriedly said, “Although the mastermind is the Cheng Clan, it is undeniable that I too am responsible to some extent. Thus, allow me to hand over these thirty thousand silver coins to the Ling Clan to compensate for the losses the Ling Clan has suffered.”
Ling Dong Xing was astounded. A man as greedy as Ma Da Jun would actually hand over the monetary bribe that he had long received? Just how terrified was he of his son!
Ling Han nodded, and said, “This isn’t a problem for you, right?”
“How could it be?” Although he felt as if his heart was bleeding, Ma Da Jun was all smiles and said in embarrassment, “This is something I ought to do, and it is a small token of my feelings.”
“All right then!” Ling Han nodded, “I need you to do something for me.”
“Young Master Han, say it and it shall be done,” Ma Da Jun pandered to him.
“From tomorrow onwards, have the portion of pills usually given to the Cheng Clan be supplied to our Ling Clan for resale,” Ling Han said.
When Ling Dong Xing heard this, he immediately felt ecstatic. Alchemical pills were one of the two largest sources of income for the Ling Clan. If they could get double the amount of their supplies, then their profits would also double accordingly. At the same time, the income of the Cheng Clan would be halved.
Should this last for a few years, then the overall power of the Cheng Clan would soon fall very far from the power of the Ling Clan, while the Ling Clan… would be able to completely defeat the Cheng Clan and become the most important clan in Gray Cloud Town, and also the only Great Clan in the town!
“Yes, of course,” Ma Da Jun replied quickly. After all, all he needed to do was to issue the necessary commands–he would suffer no personal loss on his part.
“I don’t need to give you some kind of benefits in exchange?” Ling Han said with a smile.
“Hoho, Young Master Han, you’re really such a joker,” Ma Da Jun said with a dry laugh.
“All right, there’s nothing else that I need you for so you can go on and do your job,” Ling Han nodded, sending Ma Da Jun off.
“Why not have dinner first before leaving?” Ling Dong Xing said politely. After all, Ma Da Jun was going to do something for them.
Ma Da Jun naturally dared not stay. He hurriedly waved his hands and said, “No need, no need. I should go ahead and get to work,” he raised his clasped hands towards Ling Han and then towards Ling Dong Xing while stepping backwards at the same time till he left the room.
“Han’er, wouldn’t treating him in this manner backfire?” Ling Dong Xing said. After all, Ma Da Jun was still an alchemist. They didn’t give him any kind of monetary benefits and Ling Han was even rude to him.
“Please don’t worry, Father. That guy is the type that fears the strong and bullies the weak. Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile,” Ling Han said with a smile.
Ling Dong Xing did not ask Ling Han why Ma Da Jun had been so fearful of and respectful towards him. His son was already all grown up, and so he naturally had his own secrets. As a father, the only thing he needed to do was to support him.
Moreover, he also had to start preparing for the next step. Now, it was time for their counterattack!
***
“Alchemist Ma!” Seeing Ma Da Jun come out, Ling Zhong Kuan and his grandson emerged from the shadows, waving over at him.
The grandfather and grandson duo did not depart after they’d left the restaurant. Instead, they remained in wait here.
In front of Ling Han, Ma Da Jun acted like a pug dog. Yet in front of others, he immediately recovered his arrogant demeanor. He snorted, and said, “Do you have something to discuss with me?”
“Alchemist Ma, you see, Mu Yun and Ling Han are brothers of the same clan. Shouldn’t you be more accommodating and allow Mu Yun to continue to learn alchemical arts with you?” Ling Zhong Kuan said with a flattering smile.
Yet Ma Da Jun only laughed, and said, “Chief Butler Ling, I cannot decide on this issue. If you want your grandson to become an alchemist in the future, then you must first obtain Young Master Han’s approval! Otherwise, it’s useless even if you find another alchemist. No one would dare to take your grandson as a disciple!”
‘What!?’
Ling Zhong Kuan and his grandson both wore an expression of utter disbelief. How could a mere piece of trash have such power?
“You can choose not to believe me, but this has nothing to do with me, so please do not drag me into this affair,” Ma Da Jun waved his hand, “However, I will still of
fer you a word of advice–do not oppose Young Master Han on any account. Furthermore, you have no idea how fortunate you are!”
They were all members of Ling Clan. There was no such thing as eternal enmity among family. As long as they sincerely apologized to Ling Dong Xing and his son, then how could it be that they would not receive any benefits in the future?
After all, Ling Han was a man that even Grandmaster Zhu, Zhu He Xin, treated with respect!
Chapter 26
Translator: _Dark_Angel_ Editor: Kurisu
Just as Ma Da Jun had said, this matter had nothing to do with him, so once he said what he wanted to say, he quickly departed. He still had to complete the task that Ling Han had commanded him to do.
“Grandfather, are we really going to do as he had said and obey Ling Dong Xing and his son’s commands without questions?” Ling Mu Yun asked, gritting his teeth. How could he resign himself to do such a thing? Ling Han was a well-known piece of trash, and for him to actually obey the commands of a piece of trash… just the mere thought of him made him feel stupid.
“Of course not!” Ling Zhong Kuan strongly waved his hand, “I’ve worked so hard all these years, how could I allow a piece of trash to ruin all my hard effort? Whether that brat is a real piece of trash or had just been pretending to be one, there is no way that he can stand in the way of me taking over our Ling Clan!”
“But Grandfather, what is our next move?” Ling Mu Yun appeared very dazed.
“Wait!” Ling Zhong Kuan said in a deep voice, “The relations between Cheng Clan and us are very tense now. Even though Ling Dong Xing can counterattack with Ma Da Jun’s help, the Cheng Clan is not easily trifled with. Force them into a corner and they would definitely put their all into the fight.”
“At that moment, we will give Ling Dong Xing an additional stab in the back, and shove him off the position of the clan head!”
Ling Mu Yun’s face lit up upon hearing this, but his eyes were filled with a poisonous rage, “Grandfather, that brat Ling Han must be handed over to me, I want to kill him with my own hands!”
“You will definitely get your wish!” Ling Zhong Kuan said with a cold smile.
***
The next morning, Zhu He Xin once again visited the Ling Clan. Now Ling Dong Xing finally understood why Ma Da Jun had been so reverent towards his son. It was because even a Black Grade alchemist such as Zhu He Xin would stand with both hands at his sides in front of his son–the epitome of an obedient student.
This solved the mystery yet caused Ling Dong Xing to be even more shocked. Because, in the last case, it was only a Yellow Grade alchemist, but now even a Black Grade alchemist was so reverent towards his son. What was going on here?
The reason behind Zhu He Xin’s visit was to pass on some news to Ling Han.
There was news that a stalk of Earth Dragon Grass may have appeared on Seven Wind Mountains.
When Liu Yu Tong had gone to purchase the ingredients for concocting the Little Cloud and Water Pill a few days ago, she had also asked Zhu He Xin about the ingredients for another pill formula. This pill formula had a total of four ingredients that belonged to the ‘extremely rare’ category. Even Heaven’s Medicine Pavilion did not have any of these ingredients in stock.
Or rather, the branch in Rain Country did not have them in stock. However, based on his current rank, Zhu He Xin had no way of checking the stock of the bigger branches, not to mention transferring something over.
This pill formula was the formula required to concoct a pill to heal Ling Dong Xing’s Spirit Base. The name of the pill was “Restore Spirit Pill”, an Earth Grade medium level pill!
Earth Dragon Grass was one of the four missing ingredients this pill formula required. Thus, once he received this piece of new, Zhu He Xin quickly came to personally visit the Ling Residence. Of course, while one reason was to inform Ling Han of the important news, he also wanted to come and seek guidance from Ling Han. At other times, he would not dare to come and disturb Ling Han.
Ling Han was naturally elated. But after he had carefully asked about the circumstances surrounding the Seven Wind Mountains, he could only decide to temporarily postpone the trip.
The reason was, the person who brought the news was a strong warrior of the ninth layer of Element Gathering Tier. By the time he was found by a team of herb gatherers, he was already close to death. He only managed to say “cave”, “giant red snake” and “Earth Dragon Grass” before he died.
Thus, this led to the conclusion that there was Earth Dragon Grass within the Seven Wind Mountains, yet there should be a giant red snake standing guard over it. It even managed to severely injure a strong warrior of the ninth layer of Element Gathering Tier.
Yet Ling Han knew that where there was Earth Dragon Grass, there would usually be a Red Scaled Dragon Snake coiled nearby. The snake would absorb the weak Dragon Qi released by the Earth Dragon Grass to slowly evolve and complete the transformation from a snake to a dragon.
A mature Red Scaled Dragon Snake would possess cultivation comparable to the ninth layer of Element Gathering Tier. Furthermore, because it possessed a bit of the dragon’s bloodline, its power far exceeded an ordinary warrior of the ninth layer of Element Gathering Tier. It could be considered to have one foot in the Gushing Spring Tier and was an invincible king of the Element Gathering Tier.
Should Ling Han enter the Seven Wind Mountains at this stage… even if he managed to find that “cave”, there was no way he could be an equal opponent to the Red Scaled Dragon Snake–it would be useless even with the help of Liu Yu Tong, unless Liu Yu Tong had one foot in the Gushing Spring Tier as well.
He would definitely go to the Seven Wind Mountains, but he had to make full preparation for the trip.
Moreover, the inner core of the Red Scaled Dragon Snake could be refined into a Transcending Origin Pill. Taking this pill would allow a martial artist in the Element Gathering Tier to directly advance one layer–with the limit being the peak of the third layer of Element Gathering Tier. Additionally, because the Red Scaled Dragon Snake possessed a bit of the dragon’s bloodline, its blood and flesh were extremely nutritious and would allow Ling Han to grasp the Dead Tree Tier, the first tier of the Indestructible Heaven Scroll, at a faster rate.
He decided to continue working hard at cultivation and only set off towards Seven Wind Mountains once he had broken through to the Element Gathering Tier. He’d also be able to make use of the inner core of the Dragon Snake to quickly raise his cultivation level to the third layer of Element Gathering Tier then, after which he would easily break through to the fourth layer.
Additionally, he also had to raise his own power through actual battle experience and strengthen his foundation. While in his last life he had stood at the summit of martial arts, to be honest, he was not considered the one with the strongest battle power.
There was a simple reason for that. His cultivation progress was faster than an average cultivator’s because he had possessed a Heaven Grade high level Spirit Base, but if he battled with a warrior of the same cultivation level, he would still have to take into account his opponent’s battle tactics and the level of control he had over his use of martial arts skills.
In his last life, Ling Han was definitely extremely intelligent, for how else could he become the first Alchemy Emperor ever–a record that no one has ever managed to achieve and likely no one else will ever achieve? However, there were definitely limits to one’s time and energy. He had spent most of his time on alchemy research and concocting alchemical pills. Whatever time he had left he spent on raising his cultivation level, so how much time did he have left to refine his martial arts skills?
But this was no problem, for his cultivation progress was much too fast. With the additional support of alchemical pills, how could his opponents be able to compare with him? He only had to use the difference in cultivation levels to crush his opponents. He needed not use any kind of tactics.
But once he reached the summit of martial
arts, this weakness was revealed.
In Ling Han’s last life, there were in total seven strong warriors of the Heaven Tier. Based purely on actual battle power, he was definitely at the bottom. The reason was the fact that he had depended on the use of alchemical pills to increase his cultivation level and didn’t really have much of an actual battle experience.
It could be said that his cultivation level of Heaven Tier had actually been quite hollow!
Of course, if he had spent more than one hundred years to continue training in martial arts skills, he would definitely be able to compensate for this inadequacy. After all, he was still too young. A three
hundred-year-old of the Heaven Tier was still a very rare existence in history–such people could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
In this life, Ling Han no longer wanted to become this kind of paper tiger warrior, so he definitely needed to leave a deep footprint behind his every step–each step had to be taken firmly.
Ling Han had no excess thoughts. Aside from cultivating the Five Elements Heaven Grade Skill everyday, he also began to refine his martial arts skills. In his last life, he had given up on using Yellow Grade and Black Grade martial arts skills at a very early stage. He had mostly just stuck to using Heaven Grade martial arts skills, and only sometimes would he deign to use Earth Grade martial arts skills.
But now, he could only use Yellow Grade martial arts skills. As a result, he needed to work very hard on cultivating and make himself become an indomitable ruler of all those with the same cultivation level, and not just obtain his victories by taking advantage of the difference in cultivation level between him and his opponents.
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 17