Chapter 91 - Remuneration?

Several moments passed in the City Lord's manor before Wan Yue managed to find her voice. Dropping to her knees, the young concubine pressed the fingers of both hands and her forehead to the floor as she spoke to Ao Wen. "In this life, Alchemist Ao is my benefactor who has bestowed a gift not less than a complete rebirth. If you have any requests, I will not refuse," she said formally, overwhelmed by the changes that had taken place within her after consuming the Extraordinary grade elixir. 

Normally, City Lord Zhang would have ordered Wan Yue to stand immediately. In Turning Leaf town, the family of the City Lord kowtowed to no one! But today, seeing his beloved concubine shining, radiant, and resplendent in a way that eclipsed even the captivating vision of the moon she'd been when he first met her, he couldn't find fault with her actions. Cupping his hands, he bowed slightly in Ao Wen's direction. "Alchemy Novice Ao has exceeded every expectation. I can see why the people of that realm bestowed such praise on your skills," he complimented. "I promised fair remuneration for your elixir but seeing what you have wrought, I can't imagine that your services were ever easy to obtain. Speak your desires and this Zhang will do his best to fulfill them," he said, making it clear that at the moment, he spoke not as the City Lord but as the head of the Zhang family. Securing this kind of treatment for his concubine could bankrupt the City and he couldn't allow his personal matters to come before the needs of the city that had been entrusted to him. However, as the head of the family and a man who loved his women, he would not shirk his responsibility to the alchemist who had changed Wan Yue's destiny. 

"Please," Ao Wen said, helping Wan Yue to her feet. "Everyone is being too exaggerated," she continued. "What I've done here today could likely have been done by any other Core Disciple of the Alchemy Hall in the sect I was in. Treatment for cultivation deviation is common in a sect with hundreds of thousands of cultivators," she explained. "While it's rare for me to produce an Extraordinary grade elixir and the outcome is very good, in the sect, this kind of treatment is considered part of my own training since I'm still an Alchemy Novice."

"In other words," Ju Tse said from her seat. "You had no need to charge for your services because you were in a large sect that met your cultivation needs and the opportunity to practice was more valuable than the services you provided. But you aren't in a large sect here," she said. "Husband, I have a proposal I hope you'd entertain," she continued, waiting to receive a nod of approval before speaking further. "Without the backing of a sect, establishing yourself as an alchemist is a significant burden. Today, you needed to borrow a cauldron and tools. Tomorrow you may need to purchase herbs and materials. Perhaps you'll need simpler supplies of inkstones and notebooks for prescriptions. Everything has a cost and you're only starting your cultivation journey in Turning Leaf town. Allow the Zhang family to serve as your patron. We'll help you to open an alchemy shop of your own. After the storm passes, we can send to Red Moon City for supplies that you require, we can sign the deed of one of our shops over to you to use as your own. Without a doubt, within a year's time, Alchemy Novice Ao will be a premier alchemist not only in Turning Leaf town but I imagine cultivators will begin to travel here for your services," the City Lord's wife said with a smile. "I imagine that you already have your eyes fixed firmly on becoming an Independent Alchemist and that what you need most is practice. We can help advertise your presence to the surrounding villages and towns to draw more opportunities to you than you might find just in Turning Leaf town. I wonder if you'd find that acceptable compensation for what you've done today?"

City Lord Zhang smiled at his wife's maneuver. Giving Ao Wen a reason to stay in Turning Leaf town would be vital if he wanted to use her presence here to grow and support the town in years to come. While he'd been overcome by the sight of Wan Yue's transformation, Ju Tse had taken a step forward in his place to tie Ao Wen to the Zhang family and Turning Leaf town. The costs she mentioned were easily managed by an established cultivation family like their own but for someone like Ao Wen, highlighting the distance between her current means and the circumstances she'd been accustomed to and following it with a solution that allowed her to live in a manner similar to her life in the sect was masterful. 

"I'm sorry," Ao Wen said politely. "But Sister Xi, Tang Jin, and I have already decided to leave Turning Leaf town come spring to seek our fortunes in other sects. While it is true that there are many things I lack, I believe that I will find opportunities to practice on the road to the Myriad Arts Pavilion." 

"I understand," City Lord Zhang said with a tug on his long beard. "We'd never wish to tie your talent to a place too small for it. Still, there are many moons between now and spring," he added. "Rather than opening a shop, consider spending time as the Guest Alchemist of the Zhang family. We'll support you for the next several months and help you gather supplies for your journey. Before you reject," he said, holding up a finger tipped by a long lacquered nail. "When you're ready to go, I'll ensure that you, Understudy Feng, and Soldier Tang each have an appropriate spacial treasure to take with you to ease your travel burdens."

"Wen," Feng Xi said stepping close to Ao Wen and whispering quietly in her ear. "While they desperately want you to stay for their own reasons, the offer is genuine. And," she hesitated, knowing that Ao Wen was both drained by the emotionally charged start of the day and the long hours spent refining the elixir but she felt like she had to make the request. "You said you'd need resources to continue treating Father. If they can help…"

"Xi, I'm so sorry," Ao Wen apologized instantly for not having thought about how the City Lord's offer could bring her the things Feng Lieren desperately needed. "Patriarch Zhang," she said, mirroring the Formation Master in making clear that this was an agreement that didn't involve Turning Leaf town but only his own family. "If you promise to help me gather the resources I need to cure Father Feng, then I'll serve as your Guest Alchemist until we leave in the spring." 

"If you're able to treat Feng Lieren, it would be a benefit to many people, I've missed the company of my friend for far too long," the City Lord said, walking towards Ao Wen and extending a hand. "I'll have my Grand Uncle's alchemy lab cleaned and prepared for your use along with a courtyard at the manor for you to move into when you're ready. The Zhang family is pleased to welcome you as our Guest Alchemist." 

"Thank you," Ao Wen said, reaching out and clasping the older scholar's hand firmly. 

"Please," Wan Yue said with a smile. "Let me take charge of preparing your courtyard and your welcoming banquet. For as long as you're our guest, I'd like to have the chance to show my gratitude." 

"Lady Wan doesn't need to do much," Ao Wen said. "A quiet space for study, a lab to concoct in, and a yard large enough to swing a saber are really all I require. This isn't the sect," she insisted. "I'm just a stonecutter's daughter and an Alchemy Novice. It's already an honor to serve as a Guest Alchemist, please, don't put yourself through too much trouble for me."

"It isn't trouble," Ju Tse said, joining the cluster of people around Ao Wen. "It's what we should do. If you're bothered by it, consider it as a matter of the Zhang family's pride for how we treat all guests. These things are for later though. Please join our family for dinner, you've worked hard and you must be famished after you've done so much for Little Sister Yue. We can all relax over a meal and remove some of the formality."

"Thank you," Ao Wen said, feeling a pressure releasing from between her shoulder blades. Already she could feel the walls of isolation that Cong Daiyu had lived in as a Holy Healer starting to form around her here. She wouldn't be in Turning Leaf town much longer and she didn't want to turn into someone unapproachable before she left. Hopefully, she could find a way to slip out of all this once the storm had passed and return to her plans to explore the surrounding forest with Feng Xi and Tang Jin… she didn't need a fancy courtyard or people bowing around her all the time, she just wanted her close ones to be close!