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[1] 这座城，多了个伤心的人: Lyric from 再见只是陌生人 (Goodbye Is Just a Stranger) by 庄心妍 / Ada Zhuang, a 2015 Mandopop ballad about ex-lovers becoming strangers. Used here entirely ironically -- the "heartbroken soul" this city gained is a would-be fraudster who left inside a urea bag.
"You messing with me right now?"
Li Wenxu's brow furrowed tight. Chen Shu had actually put on a blindfold. For real.
His vision was pitch black. Forget brewing potions -- could he even find the ingredients on the table?
Chen Shu spoke up. "Young man, brewing potions takes heart -- not eyes. Capisce?"
And with that, before Li Wenxu could even react, Chen Shu's right hand whipped out and slapped him clean upside the head.
SMACK!
The open-palm blow landed square on the side of his skull.
Li Wenxu's brain buzzed like a struck bell.
He was a college graduate, sure, but he wasn't a Black Iron-rank Beast Tamer. His physical conditioning couldn't hold a candle to Chen Shu's.
"What the fuck did you hit me for?!"
Li Wenxu clutched his head, eyes blazing with fury.
"I was simply verifying that even with both eyes sealed shut, my motor skills remain unimpaired!"
Chen Shu's slap had been fast AND accurate -- and the key point was, he'd done it blindfolded.
That move alone was already beyond what any ordinary person could pull off.
"You--?!"
Li Wenxu clenched both fists. He bit down hard and gave a short nod. "Fine! FINE! You wait!"
In that instant, Chen Shu swung again.
Fortunately, Li Wenxu was already on guard this time and dodged a step ahead.
"What the fuck are you DOING?!"
His expression twisted in rage. This lunatic had actually taken ANOTHER swing.
This was a public venue! This guy played by absolutely zero rules!
So you just got addicted to hitting people, huh?!
Chen Shu's face was dead serious. "First tell me whether you believe it -- or I'll keep hitting you until you do."
"..."
Li Wenxu's mouth twitched. This fucker is genuinely insane!
Right on cue, Chen Shu launched a kick. This was already blatant, naked payback...
"I believe it! I believe it!"
Li Wenxu scrambled backward in panic.
A thread of regret had already started creeping into his heart. He might have just picked a fight with the wrong person...
The competition hadn't even started yet and this guy was already throwing hands.
If Chen Shu LOST and got worked up about it, he'd probably bury him alive!
"Well then, let's begin!"
Chen Shu smiled and nodded approvingly, the very picture of a pleased elder. "Now THAT's what I call an educable youth."
Li Wenxu's eyes stayed locked on Chen Shu with full alertness. He shot a look at his assistant, and the man immediately moved Li Wenxu's table away.
He was genuinely afraid that mid-brew, Chen Shu would just walk over and kick him across the room...
Once a solid ten meters separated them, Li Wenxu let out a breath of relief and entered his brewing zone.
High-Grade Strength Potion was no ordinary pharmacist's work.
Li Wenxu poured every ounce of focus into it. Knowledge surged through his mind as he methodically worked through each step with practiced precision.
Plenty of onlookers nodded in approval. Li Wenxu might not have Chen Shu's reputation, but his technique was genuinely professional. Textbook-perfect. The kind of performance that was a joy to watch -- the hallmark of a formally trained graduate.
Chen Shu, on the other hand? Not so much.
System-managed brewing prioritized nothing but peak efficiency. Beauty of form wasn't in the equation.
"Is the Toilet Alchemist actually... not that impressive?"
"His technique looks kind of amateurish, honestly. Is this another manufactured persona?"
The internet was such a mess these days. Nobody could tell what was real anymore.
"Are you people blind?! He's wearing a BLINDFOLD!"
A young man walked in holding up his phone, pointing the camera squarely at Chen Shu.
It was none other than Wang Yu -- the livestreamer from before. Chen Shu had used his channel last time to promote the Dali Potion Shop.
The moment he said it, the crowd snapped back to reality.
"Oh SHIT! I completely forgot about that!"
"Wait, is that blindfold even real? How can anyone brew potions with their eyes covered?!"
Simultaneously, Wang Yu's livestream viewership exploded.
"Only the Bandit Bro pulls off stunts like this!"
"Pure bandit energy. Is this the Nanjiang passerby livestream?"
"I said it from the start -- the Toilet Alchemist was something else! No wonder he brewed in a toilet. He was obviously practicing blind-brewing the whole time! It all makes sense now -- the man's a genius!"
The viewer count skyrocketed in an instant.
Over an hour passed. The livestream's momentum didn't wane.
Some people, just by standing there, made everyone around them feel something was different...
"Absolute perfection!"
Li Wenxu brewed without pause, riding a wave of focus. Today he was on fire -- not a single misstep, not a single error.
Another full hour passed. Li Wenxu took a deep breath and let a smile creep across his face.
"I believe you've already lost!"
He raised his head, pride written across his features.
A fresh graduate who could brew High-Grade Strength Potion -- that was genuinely impressive by any standard.
But his expression froze solid in an instant.
Chen Shu had long since taken off the blindfold and was holding up a phone, chatting with the livestream audience.
"Just asking -- why is the streamer so handsome?"
"Great question, friend. Try not to dwell too much on my appearance..."
"Is the guy competing against the Bandit Bro a dumbass?"
"That one doesn't even need answering. Obviously yes!"
Chen Shu had kicked off another round of his classic fake-bullet-comment routine...
"What's THAT supposed to mean?"
Li Wenxu's face went ashen. He looked up just in time to catch Chen Shu openly trashing him.
"You already gave up. So you're admitting you can't brew?"
"Who gave up?"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. "I finished ages ago. What are you even talking about?"
"Finished?!"
Li Wenxu's eyes bulged. For a moment, his brain refused to process the words.
"Boss Li, he finished over an hour ago. The crowd already tested it. It's genuine High-Grade Strength Potion."
The Bald Trio sidled over and whispered to him.
"..."
Li Wenxu's expression locked up. For a long moment, he had absolutely nothing to say.
After a beat, he asked in disbelief, "You actually brewed it... wearing a blindfold?"
Chen Shu handed the phone back to Wang Yu.
Wang Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Any longer and his entire livestream would've become Chen Shu's personal channel.
"Want to try it?"
Chen Shu produced the black blindfold from earlier and held it out with a smile.
Li Wenxu didn't believe it was real. He snatched it and put it on.
SMACK!
In that instant, Chen Shu struck without warning -- another open-palm slap right upside the head!
"You--?!"
Li Wenxu clutched his skull, silently cursing himself for falling for the oldest trick in the book!
Chen Shu turned to address the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, this proves the blindfold is real!"
At the same time, he threw a punch that landed square in Li Wenxu's gut.
"You fucker!"
Li Wenxu immediately understood. He staggered back several steps and ripped off the blindfold.
"You've crossed the line! You've ABSOLUTELY crossed the line!"
His eyes blazed with fury, but one look at Chen Shu's build told him everything he needed to know. In a straight-up brawl, he didn't stand a chance.
With that, he turned to run.
Chen Shu didn't move a muscle. He simply gave Zhang Dali a look.
Zhang Dali nodded, an evil grin spreading across his face, and followed in silent pursuit.
The nerve of this guy, pulling stunts on THEIR turf. If they let this slide, every random cat and dog would start running their mouth!
"Alright! Thank you all for your support!"
Chen Shu waved to the crowd. "The Dali Potion Shop will continue to provide everyone with High-Grade Strength Potion every single day!"
"And as a thank-you to all of you -- soon I'll be offering free Flame Potion and Ice Potion brewing sessions! Just bring your own ingredients!"
With that, Chen Shu left Wang Tianbao and the others to wrap things up. He himself slipped quietly out of the black market.
One hour later.
Chen Shu and Zhang Dali climbed into a taxi, heading home.
And in some nameless back alley, a urea bag began to move...
This city now had one more heartbroken soul.[1]