In the Great Han Empire, going against the orders of one’s ruler, father, or master was considered an extremely grave offense.

“How about you relay my proposal to your master?” Wang Cailiang suggested.

Chu Qiguang put on a hesitant and contemplative expression. Only after a long silence did he give a reluctant nod as he replied, “Brother Wang, even though I haven’t known you for long, it feels as if we’ve been close friends our entire lives.

“Besides, I promised to cure you of your condition. It would weigh on my conscience if I left, knowing that the canine poison still hasn’t been completely cleansed from your body. I’ll do my best to convince my master to change his mind.”

Wang Cailiang was deeply moved.

Brother Zhou really is a good man. Am I being too selfish by making him stay?

Before Wang Cailiang could say anything, Chu Qiguang had already changed the subject.

“Oh, by the way, you were just saying that you wanted to buy more brain platinum, right? At the moment, everyone’s preparing for the upcoming war efforts, so the supply of brain platinum in the county town will most likely be sent to the military bases...”

“That’s fine,” Wang Cailiang replied. “I’m already asking for far too much by making you stay in Azure Sun County. If you can’t get any more brain platinum, then so be it.”

At the same time, he was inwardly lamenting the lost opportunity. If he had known this would happen, then he would’ve purchased more brain platinum last time. Still, as long as he could convince Zhou Ergou to stay, there would always be more opportunities in the future.

“No, no, I’m not saying it can’t be bought now,” Chu Qiguang said. “What I mean is that it’s going to be a bit more expensive than last time. Even if my master doesn’t allow me to stay, I can still use another batch of brain platinum on you before I leave.”

“You’re a good man, Brother Zhou!” Wang Cailiang exclaimed, deeply touched by Zhou Ergou’s generosity.

***

“Father! Give me another hundred taels of silver! That’s all I need to make it big!”

“Father! This is not a matter of silver, it concerns the future of our clan! Brother Zhou is risking his master’s wrath by choosing to stay, and you want me to barter with him? I can’t bring myself to do something like that.”

“You’re the best, Father! Oh, also, can you arrange for both of us to attend Wise Hero Academy?”

As Wang Cailiang left joyfully, Wang Chengwang remained seated alone in the main hall, looking as if he had just aged ten years.

That’s another four hundred taels of silver spent on brain platinum, and it’s also going to cost money to arrange for those two to attend Wise Hero Academy. Altogether, it’ll probably cost no less than a thousand taels of silver.

“Did I give birth to a son or a bottomless pit?” Wang Chengwang sighed.

He had been working tirelessly ever since he inherited the Wang Clan, buying up land and giving out loans, but even after all these years, he had only managed to save about three to four thousand taels of silver.

The thought of spending over a thousand taels in the span of a single month brought him to the brink of tears.

***

After securing the four hundred taels of silver, Chu Qiguang returned home to bury the money in the backyard. However, he had only just finished patting down the soil when Ergou's sister skipped into the yard with a curious expression as she asked, “Whatcha doin’?”

“I’m burying a body,” Chu Qiguang replied in a menacing tone.

“A body? Is it a rabbit? Can we eat it?” Ergou's sister asked, her eyes lighting up.

Chu Qiguang was worried that she would dig up his silver again, so he rolled his eyes and lied, “It’s a cat. I stomped a cat to death and buried it here. If you don’t believe me, you can dig it up to see for yourself, but it’s not a pretty sight!”

“Why would you kill a cat?” Ergou's sister wailed before bursting into tears and running away in distress.

That should keep her from digging up my silver.

Chu Qiguang was planning on going to the county town the next day to purchase some more medicine. He had gone without Hundred Refinement Ointment for several days now, and it was really hindering his progress.

“The Wang Clan truly is my savior!” Chu Qiguang mused. “These four hundred taels of silver will be enough to last me another two weeks or so. The problem is that there’s only so much money to be made in a small village like this. Even if I make them give me everything they have, that probably still won’t be enough to support me for the next five months of cultivation. Looks like I’ll have to find someone else to fund my cultivation.”

Qiao Zhi couldn’t help but shudder as he listened to Chu Qiguang’s scheming. He could already envision another wealthy clan going broke in a matter of months.

And to think I was hoping to make Chu Qiguang my subordinate. I should abandon that idea entirely. He’s way too dirty for me to even hope to control!

“Oh, by the way, can you give me a set of eight characters, Master Qiao?” Chu Qiguang requested. “Wang Cailiang asked me for them just now, I’m assuming on behalf of his father.”[1]

“How come you don’t know your own eight characters?” Qiao Zhi asked.

“I do, but they’re too ordinary,” Chu Qiguang replied. “I want you to make up a better set for me, one that’ll immediately convince people that I’m destined for great things.”

Qiao Zhi was exasperated by the request, but it also wasn’t exactly surprising, coming from someone like Chu Qiguang.

“Why does the Wang Clan want your eight characters?” he asked.

“I suspect Old Man Wang wants me to marry his daughter,” Chu Qiguang speculated.

“No! That’s unacceptable!” Qiao Zhi yelled. “You can’t marry his daughter!”

“Of course not! I’m not going to marry the daughter of some village landowner,” Chu Qiguang scoffed.

“Good.”

Qiao Zhi was very relieved to hear this.

“At most, I’ll only take his daughter as a concubine,” Chu Qiguang said. “The position of my official wife has to be reserved for someone like the granddaughter of the grand secretary or the daughter of a minister of the six ministries.”

“No! You can’t do that! You can’t have any wives or concubines!” Qiao Zhi objected sternly.

“Why not? Chu Qiguang asked.

Qiao Zhi was silent for a moment, then replied, “I’m not going to tell you why, but make sure you heed my advice. If you don’t, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life. Don’t blame me for not warning you!”

Chu Qiguang looked at Qiao Zhi suspiciously. Clearly, Qiao Zhi was hiding some secret, but no matter what tactics Chu Qiguang used to draw it out of him, Qiao Zhi refused to budge. In the end, Chu Qiguang could only play along for the time being and agreed not to take on any wives or concubines.

I have no interest in Old Man Wang’s daughter anyway. That said, if the daughter of the Spirit Province’s provincial governor throws herself at me, then I’ll have no choice but to make some room for her on my bed.

From then on, Chu Qiguang continued his daily routine of medication, eating, meditating, cultivating, treating Wang Cailiang, and beating Chen Gang.

Nearly half a month passed by in the blink of an eye, and once again, he had run out of Hundred Refinement Ointment. Under Qiao Zhi’s guidance, he was constantly in a state of martial arts cultivation, and he was making rapid progress. He was already able to throw over eighty consecutive audible punches, bringing him even closer to the target of three hundred.

On the same day, Wang Chengwang told Wang Cailiang and Zhou Ergou that he had already pulled the necessary strings in the county, and that the two of them would be able to attend Wise Hero Academy within the next few days.

***

Chu Qiguang returned to Ergou’s home, planning to inform his mother of his imminent departure.

Upon his return, he spotted Chen Gang practicing the Heavenly Spirit Body Refinement Fist Techniques outside.

Unlike the Yaksha King Fist Techniques, these fist techniques were much easier on the body and could be practiced even without the use of Hundred Refinement Ointment.

After undergoing the Heavenly Fiend Foundation Establishment Technique, Chen Gang’s physical constitution had drastically improved, so he was well-equipped to cultivate this set of fundamental fist techniques.

The moment he spotted Chu Qiguang, Chen Gang shuddered like a mouse that had seen a cat. He stood bolt upright as he loudly greeted, “Welcome back, Brother Zhou!”

Over the past twenty days, he had been beaten by Ergou once every few days. His initial fury and indignation had turned to fear and submission after the fiendification incident, and he was now completely wrapped around Chu Qiguang’s finger.

1. In China, one’s eight characters are derived from their year, date, and time of birth, and these eight characters can be used for fortune-telling purposes, and to examine if a pair of potential marriage partners are suitable for each other on a superstitious basis. ☜