Wang Cailiang suddenly recalled that his father had attached a plot of land to Chu Qiguang’s household register after discovering that this household was exempt from taxes and forced labor.

What a coincidence, Wang Cailiang thought. He considered revealing this to Chu Qiguang, but ultimately decided against it.

Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang was lost in thought as he contemplated his new name, wondering why Ergou’s father had chosen Chu Qiguang of all names.

Wang Chengwang had already rented a courtyard in advance in the western part of the county town to serve as accommodation for Wang Cailiang and Chu Qiguang. That way, they wouldn’t have to make daily trips back and forth between Wise Hero Academy and the Wang Clan Village.

After arriving at the courtyard, Wang Cailiang instructed the four servants to begin cleaning the place and arranging the rooms according to the best feng shui.

“Make sure to place a bucket of water by the eastern entrance,” Wang Cailiang yelled. “Water nourishes wood in the east, so that’s perfect for me.”

The owner of the courtyard was an old woman in her sixties surnamed Sun. Apparently, both her son and her daughter-in-law had passed away, leaving behind only her and her grandson, so she rented out the property for a bit of extra income.

“Welcome, Young Master Wang.”

Granny Sun immediately came out to greet Wang Cailiang upon his arrival.

Wang Cailiang gave her a nod of acknowledgement, then turned to Chu Qiguang and introduced, “This is the landlord, Granny Sun. She lives in the eastern room with her grandson, and she’s going to cook all of our meals.”

Granny Sun was a kind and benevolent-looking old woman. There was a warm smile on her face as she greeted Chu Qiguang, then said, “If you have anything you’d like to eat, feel free to tell me.”

A little boy who looked to be around five or six years old was hiding behind Granny Sun. He was her grandson, and he was a rather thin boy with a slightly sickly yellow complexion.

***

An uneventful night passed by. As usual, Chu Qiguang meditated, then applied some Hundred Refinement Ointment in his room to aid in his martial arts cultivation. Throughout the process, Qiao Zhi instructed him and corrected his movements.

Chu Qiguang was confident that he would be able to reach the second state in less than two months if he could use Hundred Refinement Ointment every day, but the problem was that he only had enough silver to last around half a month.

That same night, his condition flared up again, forcing him to vent by beating up Chen Gang.

Wang Cailiang just so happened to witness the beating, and it quickly became clear to him why Chen Gang had become so obedient and fearful of Chu Qiguang in such a short time.

The next morning, Wang Cailiang and Chu Qiguang got up, only to find Granny Sun already in the yard preparing breakfast while placing some hard-boiled eggs into a basket.

“Grandma, I want to eat eggs too,” her grandson pleaded, his face full of longing.

“Didn’t you just eat?”

“Yes, but I’m still hungry.”

“You’ll just have to endure it then,” Granny Sun said. “These eggs have to be offered to the Dao Lord in the Daoist temple. You’re always getting sick, so we need the Dao Lord to give you more blessings.”

Her grandson could only continue staring at the eggs in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Wang Cailiang was washing up and getting dressed with the help of his servants, while Chu Qiguang brushed his teeth.

He had asked Wang Cailiang for a toothbrush after seeing him brush his teeth on a previous occasion. The handle of the toothbrush was made from bamboo, with strands of horse tail embedded into it to form the bristles, while the toothpowder was made of dried and crushed pine resin and fuling root.

Oral hygiene had been a major concern for Chu Qiguang ever since he came to this world, and now that he had a toothbrush, he intended to return to brushing his teeth everyday.

I can finally brush my teeth. The only problem is that these horsetail bristles are too soft, so I feel like they don't clean my teeth properly. I heard that nobles have better toothbrushes and even toothpaste! That on its own is enough reason for me to climb up the ranks.

Wang Cailiang had his mouth wide open, letting a servant brush his teeth for him as he remarked, “You need someone else to brush your teeth if you want them to truly be clean, Brother Chu.”

“Is that so?”

Chu Qiguang was unconvinced.

“Don’t underestimate the importance of this, Brother Chu!” Wang Cailiang insisted. “This servant is an expert brusher that my father bought from another county for fifty taels of silver. His toothbrushing skills have been passed down in his family for generations! If you don’t believe me, then let’s make a bet. I’ll have him brush my teeth, and you can brush your own teeth. In two years, we’ll compare, and I’m sure my teeth will be in better condition than yours!”

Chu Qiguang cast a surprised glance at the brusher. He looked completely ordinary, yet he was somehow worth around twenty Ergous!

“Try it!” Wang Cailiang encouraged. “I’ll lend him to you once he’s done with me.”

Don’t listen to his nonsense! Qiao Zhi scoffed directly into Chu Qiguang’s mind from the rooftop. That’s just an ordinary villager that he’s claiming to be some expert in brushing teeth.

How do you know? Chu Qiguang asked.

I overheard his servants talking about it, Qiao Zhi explained.

“You can keep him,” Chu Qiguang said, shooting Wang Cailiang an exasperated look.

As the son of the wealthiest man in Wang Clan Village, Wang Cailiang never missed an opportunity to flaunt his wealth.

Do you want to brush your teeth as well, Master Qiao? Chu Qiguang asked. Didn’t you say that every single part of the body must be taken care of properly in order to maximize progress in martial arts cultivation? If you have bad teeth, it’ll affect your ability to eat, and that would be detrimental to your cultivation, would it not?

Nope! Nobody’s convincing me to brush my teeth! Qiao Zhi immediately replied.

What if your teeth go bad? Chu Qiguang asked.

Once I attain the Dao Comprehension state, I’ll be able to mold my body into a human form, so my current set of teeth don’t matter, Qiao Zhi replied proudly.

Not long after, Granny Sun brought everyone their breakfast, and they set off for Wise Hero Academy after their meal.

Along the way, Chu Qiguang was thinking to himself, If I use Hundred Refinement Ointment every day, the four hundred taels of silver from the Wang Clan will only be able to last me about ten more days. Looks like I’m going to have to find some benefactors at the academy.

Chu Qiguang’s goal was to use Hundred Refinement Ointment every single day in order to give himself the best possible chance of reaching the third state in five months.

However, a single batch of Hundred Refinement Ointment cost over thirty taels of silver, and daily application over the course of five months would amount to close to five thousand taels of silver.

Additionally, he also needed money for living expenses, building connections, and securing himself a spot in the martial examination. He would only really begin to feel financially secure if he could get his hands on at least ten thousand taels of silver.

***

As Chu Qiguang and Wang Cailiang left the courtyard, two brownish-yellow dogs were standing across the street, and the older one of the two dogs growled, “It’s that guy that reeks of cat, and he smells even worse this time! Is he living here now?”

“He must be keeping a pet cat,” the younger of the two dogs speculated.

“Let’s go teach his cat a lesson when we get the chance,” the older dog harrumphed. “Show ‘em who’s boss around these parts.”

***

Wise Hero Academy was situated in the northern part of the county town, and directly outside its entrance stood a brick screen wall.

According to the teachings of feng shui in the Great Han Empire, screen walls were capable of warding off malicious entities, so they were present in almost every official establishment, Daoist temple, and prominent clan.

A relief of a dragon was engraved on the screen wall, depicting the story of how humans had risen up to fight against the East Sea dragons that had once wreaked havoc across the central plains before the founding of the Great Han Empire. It served as a reminder for students to cultivate diligently and remain ready to defend the nation, even in times of peace.

Engraved on the back of the screen wall was a passage of text that encouraged learning. Apparently, it had been written by the leader of the Hao Clan, who first proposed the joint funding of Wise Hero Academy.

After Wang Cailiang and Chu Qiguang made their way around the screen wall, they were greeted by the sight of a middle-aged man in a silken robe. He was an academy instructor named Song Yixuan.

Wang Cailiang led Chu Qiguang over to Song Yixuan, then greeted, “Student Wang Cailiang pays his respects to Mr. Song. This is my good friend, Chu Qiguang, and we’ll be studying in the academy together.”

“Come with me,” Song Yixuan replied with a nod. “The servants are to remain in the outer hall. Make sure you don’t ever bring them into the academy with you.”

The two of them followed Song Yixuan inside. The academy faced north, and to the left stood the Prosperous Scholar Pavilion, while to the right was the Thriving Martial School. Beyond those two buildings were a guest hall, a hotel, a cafeteria, and the rooms where the instructors stayed.

Song Yixuan took the two of them to complete the registration process, after which they each received a badge that they could use to access various parts of the academy, along with a school uniform, a training suit, and some books, among other items. As they made their way toward the Prosperous Scholar Pavilion, Wang Cailiang, eager as ever to show off, immediately began telling Chu Qiguang about the academy.