Rise of the Alchemy God

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She knew that slowing down would only delay her work further, and if she delayed finishing her share of plowing the field, it would delay the planting and, consequently, not only her tasks but also those of the others.

The week before, she had already made this mistake and ended up losing half of her weekly wage.

She really couldn't afford to lose even a single copper coin, or she would feel the consequences in the coming days.

As she continued plowing, her thoughts wandered, ranging from the most trivial matters to her actions in the past.

She was currently replacing her father in the fields, as the previous year he had fallen ill and was no longer able to work.

Before her father's illness, she used to spend her days leisurely, idling around the city along with a young heir of a well off merchant family from the city of Oston.

Thanks to her natural beauty, which was slightly above average, she had managed to gain the favor of this young master and hoped it would pave the way for her to change her status from the daughter of an ordinary farmer to the wife of a wealthy merchant.

But reality had never been too kind.

Shortly before her father fell ill, she was cast aside by the wealthy merchant, who, apparently bored of her, told her to return to where she came from and forget about him.

She did not protest because, over time, she had learned that this young master had a rather twisted personality and would get angry even over small matters.

Knowing she would only meet a bad end if she tried to forcefully win back his favor, she never approached him again.

She had spent almost an entire year going out with this young master, but during that time, she had managed to maintain her chastity.

She thought that perhaps it was because she had never allowed the young master to make a move on her that he grew tired of her and, in the end, abandoned her. Ultimately, she could only grit her teeth and accept the situation.

By then, she was already 22 years old, and normally, girls her age were already married, with some even starting families of their own.

It would normally be difficult for a girl to get married at this point, as being unmarried for so long was not viewed favorably by anyone, and only girls from wealthy families could afford to marry even at that age without much trouble.

That said, while marrying at her age might have been difficult, it wasn't yet a major issue for her, as she still retained her natural charm.

Many young men in her neighborhood, seeing that she was still unmarried, had proposed to her, only to be rejected without much consideration.

Having had a taste of wealth while with the young master, she did not want to lower her standards, and thus she ended up remaining unmarried, which caused her no small amount of trouble.

To make matters worse, her father fell ill a few years later, and his condition worsened to the point that he could no longer provide for himself or his daughter.

This was like a bucket of cold water that forced Wei Ling to confront reality and wake up.

Although the idea of marrying another farmer was still something she couldn't accept, she no longer wasted any time.

She decided to help her father with his work as best as she could, and although he was reluctant, he agreed, teaching her his trade.

As memories of the past ran through her mind, the youthful and somewhat handsome face of a boy she had met just over two years ago surfaced in her thoughts.

At the thought of the boy, she couldn't help but shake her head while murmuring:

"I wonder where he is now."

The person in question had been a wanderer her father decided to help.

Although the boy seemed ignorant of many common matters, he had proven himself to be a hard worker, assisting her father greatly with fieldwork and easing his burden.

Though the boy had a slightly above average appearance, to the version of herself back then, who was still involved with the wealthy young master, he was no different from the rest of the farmers.

As such, she never truly showed him any courtesy, even when her father scolded her for her attitude.

The boy had stayed with them for nearly a whole year, and just before she was cast aside by the rich young master, he disappeared without leaving any note or explanation.

She remembered how, back then, she cursed him, saying he had run off after taking advantage of her father. Continue reading on empire

That was one of the rare times she saw her father visibly disappointed in her for the words she spoke.

She could tell her father had grown attached to the boy in some way, and she wouldn't have been surprised if he had given her hand in marriage to him.

Just thinking about it, she couldn't help but shake her head.

Now that she herself was in his exact position, she could admit that the boy had truly been a hard worker and had indeed helped her father far more than it seemed.

"I wonder why I'm thinking of him only now.

Well, wherever he is, I hope he's living well, at least better than me," she muttered as she continued plowing.

Finally, after another five hours, evening fell, and she somehow finished her share of the work.

In the end, she gathered her things, and with the sun beginning to set, leaving an orange trail on the horizon that illuminated the fields, she started walking back to her nearby home.

Although she hated working in the fields, she had to admit there was a certain sense of satisfaction in seeing her work completed.

'Who would have thought I'd be happy about something like this,' she thought as she relaxed in the calmness brought by the evening, drawing ever closer to her home.

Her house wasn't very large; in fact, it was just big enough to hold at most three people.

With her mother's death, only she and her father lived there, so even that small house was spacious enough for her.

After walking for about ten minutes, she finally arrived at her home, and as she approached, she noticed that the house was lit from within.

"Hm? Father lit some candles?" she thought, a bit confused.

She knew her father would be awake at this hour, but there was still light outside, and he avoided wasting the few candles they had when it wasn't necessary.

So, she quickened her pace slightly and reached the door, taking out the key to open it, only to notice something.

The door wasn't locked.

This increased her confusion and sparked a sense of unease as she hurriedly entered.

"Father, I'm home," she said, announcing her arrival as she stepped inside, but received no reply in return,

which only heightened the foreboding feeling growing inside her.

She quickly closed the door and made her way to her father's room, thinking something might have happened to him.

And once she got there, she saw the door to his room slightly ajar.

Without hesitation, she entered, unprepared for the sight that was about to greet her.