Emperor's Reckoning

The third floor of the store was focusing on one old figure as he stood in front of a black cauldron. Clad in the eye-catching azure cloak, he closed his eyes as he entered deep concentration state.

Watching the old figure was Lyon and his companion, Princess Aelina. He crossed his arm as he looked at the old man with a smirk, either it was arrogance or confidence, it mattered not.

"Do you need my help old man?" teased Lyon as he chuckled.

"Hahaha, you are one thousand years old too early for that!" said the old man as he activated his red soul flame.

"Ok, old man," answered Lyon with a smile.

The old man smiled despite Lyon's sneer as he replied, "Such childish ploy won't work on me boy, I could make a third-grade pill while drinking wine."

*tsk*tsk

Lyon clicked his tongue while shaking his head before saying, "You put too much thinking into it, I only said that because you are too lonely, but alas, you slapped away my kindness that fast."

The old man furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"I have a beautiful woman beside me," said Lyon before putting his hand around the small waist of the dumbfounded princess, "While you only get an old cauldron to keep you company, I don't want you to be a third-wheeler you know."

(God, I sounded like a villain) thought Lyon as he laughed.

"Y-you!"

"Oh, what's this? I thought you are concentrating on making a third-grade pill? Can't do it?"

The old man took a deep breath before replying sternly, "Hmph, keep blabbering, just wash your forehead for it won't dirty the floor when you kowtow later."

"Wow, you have a sharp tongue old man, not bad," replied Lyon.

His reaction caught the princess and the old man off guard. Normally, a person would be furious being insulted like that, but Lyon took it with a smile, in fact, he was even praising the old man.

(Gh! I'm the one who insulted him yet why am I the one that's got irritated?!) thought the old man before he turned his focus back on making the third-grade pill.

*squish

Lyon's smile turned rigid as he felt a jolt of pain coming from his sides. "Aelina, oh beautiful Aelina, please have mercy, this cloth might not break but it can't protect me from your pinch."

Princess Aelina was smiling as she faced Lyon with her eyebrows raising up and down, "Oh? Is it? Does it hurt?"

"Ah yes, yes it hurt," said Lyon with a fake cry.

"Oh really now?" said Princess Aelina with a smile before turning her pinch to almost three hundred and sixty degrees. "How about now?"

"Ahh!" Lyon jumped away, releasing his body from the deadly pincher before taking a step back.

"Lyon, your punishment is not done yet, where are you going? Hey!" said the princess while he chased the young man.

(Holy crap, that hurts so much, she probably could pull off an embedded Excalibur with those strong fingers!) thought Lyon as he started running.

Though the space on the third floor was not big enough for running, the princess chased Lyon like a cat and a mouse.

(Hmph! Childish tricks!) thought the old man as he waved his hand that burned with his soul flame.

The red soul flame immediately hovered to the bottom of the black cauldron with ease. The old man scanned the wardrobe full of ingredients with his weary eyes before shaking his head in contempt.

"What a disappointment, the ingredients here are of low grade, the best thing they can produce is a level one grade pill."

The old man looked at the cat and mouse duo before sneering, "No wonder you agreed to the bet, you are expecting me to fail because of this? Too bad for you I brought my own ingredients in my spatial ring hahaha!"

"Aelina please stop pinching me! I-i think the old man said something," said Lyon while keep running in a circle.

"Hehehe, you think I would fall for that? Such a childish trick won't work on me!" said Princess Aelina with a wicked smile.

"Oh no! He already influenced you?!" shouted Lyon while running.

The two of them completely disregard the old man that was in the process of making a pill. The old man greeted his teeth as he slowly realized he had become the third wheeler in the room. He wanted to reprimand them but that would indirectly mean that Lyon was right about offering his 'kindness'.

The princess didn't realize it herself of what she was doing. She was scared of the old man just a minute ago, but now she was chasing the young man with high spirits. She looked at the young man who appeared to be running for his life with a smile. Few giggles would often escape from her beautiful lips.

"Hmph!" The old man flicked his finger as a bunch of foreign items flew out.

There appeared to be something like ginseng, star-shaped brown leaves, a pelt of the fur of an unknown being, and a small gourd filled with god knows what.

Leaving the small gourd behind he threw the rest of them inside the cauldron, burning their impurities for maximum result.

"Ha!" shouted the old man as the ingredients inside glowed and slowly combined to the center. The old man confidently fused them into one piece of white light as bits of light started to rain down.

"Hm!" grunted the old man as the red soul flame of his burned more vividly. (I'm gonna finish this in no time!) thought the old man as the finish line was in sight.

With the intensity of the soul flame, the rate of bits of light that were raining down gradually increased as the source where it came from started to change color from white to blue.

The old man smile as the glowing light was blue colored and started to change to red, the level three grade pill.

"Any last word before you kowtow?" said the old man with a sneer.

*tap

Lyon halted his track as he smirked against the old man. "Dodge," said Lyon as he caught the incoming princess to his embrace and swiftly put his back against the old man.

"What?"

*crack

His eyes glanced down only to realize the cauldron cracks with resplendent light, reaching its utmost limit. His pupil gradually got smaller as he said with a gulp, "Oh no..."

*boom

The old man was propelled to the wall with an impact that almost embedded him inside.