As soon as Chu Qiguang returned home, he was greeted by Ergou's frantic mother, who asked, “Where did you go last night, Ergou?”

Chu Qiguang grinned as he raised the fresh meat and rabbit pelts that he was holding and answered, “I was too hungry to sleep last night, so I went up the rear mountain to catch some rabbits.”

“When did you learn how to catch rabbits?” Ergou's mother asked, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the rabbit meat.

Chu Qiguang had already thought of an alibi, explaining, “Father taught me in the past, and I’ve secretly been practicing all this time so I could surprise you.”

“What a capable and thoughtful son you are! I’ll go exchange for some oil so I can make rabbit stir-fry for you and your sister. These pelts are a little small, but they should be enough for me to make you a pair of winter insoles.”

Ergou’s mother had full trust in him, and she didn’t suspect his story at all as she happily went to prepare the rabbit meat. Chu Qiguang had already thought of other explanations if she didn’t believe him, but he didn’t have to use them.

“I smell meat! Who brought us meat?” Ergou’s sister yelled as she rushed into the room before excitedly dancing around her mother, staring happily at the rabbit meat in her hands.

“Get out of my way!” her mother shooed. “Go play with your brother.”

Ergou’s sister was chased away, but she remained standing in the doorway, watching expectantly as her mother prepared the rabbit meat.

Chu Qiguang crouched down to pet Qiao Zhi, who had returned with him. He and the orange cat had always been close, so Ergou's mother and sister didn’t suspect its presence at all.

Two other cats had accompanied Qiao Zhi to Chu Qiguang’s home, and they were the same two cats that had initially led Chu Qiguang up the rear mountain.

One of the cats was male, while the other was female. According to Qiao Zhi, the male tabby cat was called Fish Egg, while the white female cat was called Fine Silk. They were two of the smarter cats under Qiao Zhi’s command.

Qiao Zhi pointed his snout at the two cats, and they immediately left the room. After that he reassured Chu Qiguang, “Even when you’re not around, Fish Egg and Fine Silk will keep an eye on things, and they’ll notify me right away if the Wang Clan tries anything.”

“Do my sister and my mother have an aptitude for cultivation?” Chu Qiguang asked telepathically.

He was thinking that since his own aptitude was so exceptional, perhaps Ergou's sister and mother were also cultivation prodigies. If they could cultivate too, they would be a great help to him.

“Both your mother and sister have absolutely zero aptitude for martial arts or Dao arts cultivation,” Qiao Zhi replied decisively. “They won’t even be able to reach a beginner level without at least several years of cultivation.”

“Surely not!” Chu Qiguang argued as he sifted through Ergou’s memories. “Even in winter, my mother can still work in the fields with barely any clothing and be completely fine. Clearly, that’s not a normal constitution. Are you sure she doesn’t have an aptitude for martial arts? Is this not some kind of Extreme Yang Physique or something like that?”

“Your family has been made up of poor farmers who often can’t afford enough clothes and shoes for generations, so they’ve simply become more resistant to the cold through natural adaptation,” Qiao Zhi scoffed in disdain. “They sweat easily and can retain warmth even in cold weather, but that doesn’t mean they have any aptitude for martial arts.”

So it’s just an inherited trait? Looks like I’ve become too eager to attribute normal occurrences to supernatural factors ever since I came to this world.

“What about my sister?” Chu Qiguang asked. “Her imagination is incredible, and she’s always coming up with interesting thoughts and ideas. Doesn’t that make her a fine talent for cultivation?”

“Absolutely not!” Qiao Zhi hurriedly replied. “Given your sister’s personality, it will be far too easy for her to be led astray in her cultivation. If that happened, she would become a blight on mankind and catkind alike! Make sure you keep her away from cultivation at all costs! Otherwise, there’ll be endless trouble in future.” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Chu Qiguang nodded in response. He felt like Qiao Zhi’s reaction was rather strange, but Qiao Zhi was currently by far the most knowledgeable figure in cultivation that he was familiar with, so he accepted his opinion and cast the idea of having his mother and sister cultivate out of his mind. In any case, this wasn’t the right time to be revealing all of this to them, so he would just have to hold off for now.

“When are you going to make a move on the Wang Clan?” Qiao Zhi asked.

“For now, send some of your animal subordinates to spy on the Wang Clan so we can gather some information. Once we know more, we can decide on a plan from there,” Chu Qiguang replied.

Over the next few days, Chu Qiguang continued to cultivate martial arts and Dao arts under Qiao Zhi’s guidance.

His daily four-hour meditation sessions had not only completely replaced sleep, he could feel slight improvements in his energy levels and learning ability with each passing day.

Furthermore, his physical foundation had been established using the Heavenly Fiend Foundation Establishment Technique. With his daily nourishment along with Qiao Zhi constantly guiding him in everything that he did, his condition, stamina, and bodily control were also rapidly improving, bringing him closer and closer to the first state of martial arts.

Even though only a few days had passed, it felt as if he had been reborn, both physically and mentally.

***

In a clearing on the rear mountain, three mice and two sparrows stood in a neat formation before Qiao Zhi, crying out to him like soldiers delivering a report.

They were all fiends that had been sent by Qiao Zhi to spy on the Wang Clan. Even though none of them possessed any supernatural powers, they were intelligent enough to be able to engage in basic communication with Qiao Zhi, and they could spy on humans without arousing any suspicion.

Qiao Zhi swished his tail back and forth as he listened to their reports, then relayed the information to Chu Qiguang before asking, “What do you think? Do you want to do it today?”

“Sure, let’s do it today,” Chu Qiguang replied with a nod.

“Have you made up your mind on whether you want to take the academic examination or the martial examination?” Qiao Zhi asked.

Over the past few days, Chu Qiguang had not just been cultivating under Qiao Zhi’s guidance, but also learning the language and culture of this world, as well as information on all types of worldly affairs.

Thanks to Chu Qiguang's natural intelligence and the enhanced learning ability he had gained after reaching the second state of cultivation, he was able to absorb information like a sponge, rapidly expanding his understanding of the world.

“I’ve decided to go with the martial examination,” Chu Qiguang replied.

In a feudal society like this one, the quickest way to enter the imperial court and change one’s fate was through the imperial examination.

However, if he wanted to take part in the academic examination, then not only would he have to learn extensively about this world from scratch, he also had to gain connections and increase his influence, both of which would require a great deal of time and energy.

In contrast, the martial examination was a lot more straightforward. Either you were strong enough to pass, or you weren’t; it was as simple as that. All he had to do was rely on his aptitude to carry him through the examination.

“There are many more rules in martial examinations than in academic examinations,” Qiao Zhi informed. “For the county examination, you’ll need a recommendation from a respected figure in the local area. Without that, you won’t even be able to take part in the martial examination.”

“That’s why I have to use the Wang Clan as a stepping stone to reach the true elites of Azure Sun County,” Chu Qiguang mused.

***

That night, in the bedroom of the Wang Clan’s young master.

The young master of the Wang Clan was a seventeen-year-old young man called Wang Cailiang, and he was the only son of the Wang Clan’s leader. He had pursued both academics and martial arts from a young age, and his father had always had high hopes that he would be able to do well in the imperial examinations and bring glory to his ancestors.

That night, Wang Cailiang lay in bed, examining a wound on the back of his hand.

A few days earlier, he had been stopped on his way home by an aggressive dog. He had tried to kick the dog out of his way, but not only had the dog not been deterred, it had also bitten his right hand before scurrying away and disappearing without a trace.

At the moment, the wound itched terribly, making it impossible for him to fall asleep.

In the peaceful night, the wind suddenly began to howl outside his window, and the door of his room started rattling audibly.

Wang Cailiang presumed that the maidservant hadn’t closed the door properly, but in the next instant, the door was blown wide open by the wind.

Immediately after that, the sound of footsteps began approaching his bed. He looked up in horror and saw an imposing black figure standing over him.

It was impossible to make out the figure’s facial features aside from a pair of eerie green eyes that were glowing like ghostly flames. The figure was so tall that the top of their head nearly touched the ceiling.

A high-pitched voice rang out, accusing, “You destroyed my internal organs with that kick and left me for dead! I’ve now come for my revenge!”

Wang Cailiang was horrified, and he was barely able to register that the figure was the dog that had bitten him several days ago. He frantically rolled off the bed and tried to run outside, only to feel a sharp pain in the back of his head before everything went black.

The next morning, the maidservant entered his room with a tub of hot water and a hand towel for him to wash up with, only to find him laying on the ground with his upper body completely bare. His exposed skin was covered in black fur, and the maidservant was so horrified that she dropped the tub of water on the spot before rushing out of the room and screaming in panic, alerting the entire manor.