“The Hundred Refinement Ointment can only be obtained from the Demon Vanquishing Department or the Heavenly Master Religion, and neither of them is to be messed with,” Qiao Zhi explained with a resigned smile. “The only way to get their medicine is to buy it, and a single batch of Hundred Refinement Ointment costs around thirty taels of silver.”

“If the Heavenly Master Religion is willing to sell this Hundred Refinement Ointment, then that must mean that it isn’t their best medicine, right?” Chu Qiguang asked.

“That’s right,” Qiao Zhi confirmed. “Their best medicines, such as Ultimate Qi Replenishment Pills, Lion Tiger Transformation Ointment, and Myriad Beast Tendon Strengthening Ointment are all practically impossible to buy. So from now on, you need to find a way to earn a lot of money.

“Cultivating Dao arts is just a matter of daily meditation, but practicing martial arts is an extremely expensive endeavor, and you’ll have to spend money on both food and medicine. For the young masters of the wealthy clans in the county, they spend over a hundred taels of silver a month on just a few batches of Hundred Refinement Ointment.”

“Thirty taels of silver a batch...” Chu Qiguang mused as he stroked his chin.

The price came as quite a shock. Ergou’s entire family couldn’t even earn ten taels of silver in a full year of hard labor. Even if they were to sell Ergou's sister, she would only fetch less than two taels of silver. Ergou would sell for a bit more because of his labor potential, but even then, he would only go for three to four taels of silver at most.

In the eyes of the average resident of the Wang Clan Village, thirty taels of silver was a massive sum of money, equivalent to ten Ergous or fifteen of his sister.

However, that was only enough to purchase one batch of Hundred Refinement Ointment, yet the Heavenly Master Religion had so much that it was offered for sale. Furthermore, the wealthy clans of the county could afford to spend several hundred taels of silver a month on Hundred Refinement Ointment to support the martial arts cultivation of their young masters.

From that alone, it was not hard to imagine how severe the wealth disparity in the Great Han Empire truly was.

“This is why it’s generally been the case that the poor pursue academics, while only the wealthy can pursue martial arts,” Qiao Zhi explained. “People from poor households can only hope to take part in the academic examinations, while only the rich can consider the martial examination as a viable option.”

After that, Qiao Zhi continued guiding Chu Qiguang through his martial arts practice, only stopping after over two hours had passed. At that point, he stretched lazily and said, “Now, I’m going to teach you the most important lesson in martial arts. You must remember that martial arts are not just applicable in battle. Cultivating martial arts can also extend your lifespan and improve your efficiency in manual labor.

“Only a small portion of people in this world dream of becoming warriors, whereas for most people, farming is their main focus. For them, martial arts are only integrated into their daily lives to improve their stamina and make them more efficient workers. A farmer who cultivates martial arts will be at least twenty percent more efficient than one who does not. On top of that, they’ll be less prone to illness and live longer.

“As opposed to techniques for war, this was the original purpose for the creation of martial arts. Unfortunately, most martial arts manuals nowadays have been claimed by officials and nobles, so the barriers to entry for martial arts have become much higher than in the past. While cultivating martial arts, you must not see them only as a means of killing.

“Instead, make it a basic skill of your daily life, just like walking, sitting, and resting. Integrate martial arts into everything that you do; that is the best shortcut to mastery.”

Chu Qiguang nodded as he replied, “If I can integrate martial arts into everything that I do, then I’ll naturally be cultivating all the time.”

“That’s precisely the idea,” Qiao Zhi replied with a pleased twitch of his whiskers. “However, it goes beyond that. The body is both strong and fragile at the same time, so you must constantly nurture and protect it. Practicing martial arts is a grueling endeavor, and it’ll be made even more difficult if you try to integrate it into everything you do in your daily life.

“That’s why, for the average person, even if they know that this is a good habit, it's still very difficult to maintain. Knowing what’s good, yet being unable to maintain it due to a lack of self-discipline is a common tragedy for the average person. It’s not that they don’t want to do it; they’re simply unable to. However, with me overseeing your cultivation, you’ll have to do it regardless of whether you want to or not.

“From this day forward, I will always be with you to instruct you in your martial arts cultivation. There are methods in everything you do, whether it be walking, standing, sitting, or resting. When done well, even the most mundane activities can become a form of cultivation and help restore your body.”

From that point on, Qiao Zhi taught Chu Qiguang a comprehensive set of techniques for walking, running, sitting, resting, and even for working in the fields. He was required to constantly be in a state of martial arts cultivation, and whenever he made an incorrect movement, Qiao Zhi would immediately tap him with a paw as a gentle reminder.

***

After correcting Chu Qiguang’s movements, Qiao Zhi continued to teach him how to read and write.

Before the night came to an end, the two of them spoke more about the Wang Clan and the county’s affairs, and Chu Qiguang learned even more information from Qiao Zhi.

“The Wang Clan is nothing to be afraid of,” Qiao Zhi scoffed. “Do you want me to wipe them out for you?”

“With your unfathomable powers, I’m sure wiping out the Wang Clan would be effortless for you, but if that happens, both the county office and the Daoist temples will likely send people to investigate, and that wouldn't be ideal,” Chu Qiguang replied with a smile.

Qiao Zhi reflexively bristled slightly at the mention of the Daoist temples.

The Daoist temples of the Heavenly Master Religion were spread all over the Great Han Empire, present in nearly every single county. In addition to handling mundane affairs such as weddings, funerals, and preaching scriptures, they were also responsible for slaying fiends and vanquishing demons, posing a huge threat to all fiends.

All of a sudden, Qiao Zhi struck Chu Qiguang with his paw, sending a jolt of force through his body to correct his standing posture.

Chu Qiguang quickly adopted the correct posture, while Qiao Zhi asked, “What are you planning to do then?”

“I plan to use a simple strategy by combining intimidation and appeasement,” Chu Qiguang replied. “I’ll knock them down a peg, then give them a few benefits here and there. It’s never been my goal to wipe out the Wang Clan, and it’s simply not necessary. Instead, we could use the Wang Clan’s power to our advantage.”

“I understand,” Qiao Zhi sighed. “You give a beating, followed by a meal. That’s how all cats are trained.”

When he noticed the strange look on Chu Qiguang’s face, Qiao Zhi quickly added, “I’m saying that’s how cats are normally trained, I never said I was trained like that!”

He then wrapped his front paws around Chu Qiguang’s leg and pleaded, “Make sure you don’t ever train cats like that, and certainly don’t resort to force against us. Also, don’t make cats do any housework or manual labor like farming, building houses, felling trees, dyeing textiles, scrubbing backs, digging feces out of latrines for fertilizer... Don’t make cats do any of that! Make other animals like dogs and foxes do it instead. Make sure you remember this well.”

“Who would make cats do things like that?” Chu Qiguang asked, amused.

“In any case, just remember what I told you,” Qiao Zhi insisted with a cold snort. “It’ll be the best way for you to repay me.”

Chu Qiguang naturally agreed, and that night, he took Qiao Zhi back home with him.