Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”You worthless bastard! Who are you to call him Xiaochengzi?”

An urgent rebuke exploded from under the distant eaves as Zhang Ping rushed over, taking two steps at a time.

”Brother Cheng, the men under me have loose lips. Please, don’t take it to heart!”

Before he finished speaking, he whirled on the petrified Gou Fu, the smile on his face instantly freezing over.

”What are you standing there gawking for!? Like a block of wood! Aren’t you going to apologize to Brother Cheng!?”

Zhang Ping was the Steward at the Yongsheng Store in charge of the laborers. When Gou Fu saw him, it was like a mouse seeing a cat; he flinched, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his knees went so weak he almost collapsed.

”Steward Zhang, Da Gou is my friend. You don’t need to blame him.”

Chen Cheng’s tone was calm, betraying no emotion.

”From now on, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Da Gou a bit, for my sake. I thank you in advance on his behalf.”

”Ah? This... Well, this is an awkward turn of events...”

Zhang Ping gave a sheepish grin. When he looked at Gou Fu again, his attitude did a complete one-eighty.

”Da Gou! Why didn’t you tell me you and Brother Cheng were so close? If you’d said something earlier, of course I would have looked out for you! Honestly!”

Watching Zhang Ping’s rapidly changing expressions, then looking at the serenely calm Chen Cheng beside him, Gou Fu felt his head buzz. His mouth hung open, but he couldn’t get a single word out.

”Da Gou, go on about your business. I have other things to attend to today,” Chen Cheng said.

”Okay... You, you two go ahead with your business...” Gou Fu swallowed and hurriedly backed away.

”Steward Zhang.”

Chen Cheng glanced sideways.

”Is the store currently hiring any affiliated Martial Artists?”

”Affiliated? Yes, we are!”

Zhang Ping said in a low voice.

”Didn’t Zhao Shan die? Elder Wen, the Tributor who was originally stationed at the store, had to step in and leave the city with a merchant caravan... So right now, the Master is looking to hire someone to fill Elder Wen’s vacant post...”

”What was Elder Wen’s Monthly Allowance?” Chen Cheng asked.

”I’ll give you the lowdown, but you absolutely cannot say you heard it from me...”

Zhang Ping glanced left and right, his voice dropping even lower.

”Elder Wen gets eight taels of silver a month, pure and full-weight! Zhao Shan and the other full-time guards only get three taels. Even if their pay is doubled for an out-of-town caravan run, they can’t even touch what Elder Wen makes...”

”That big of a difference?” A brow twitched on Chen Cheng’s face.

Zhang Ping nodded emphatically and explained.

”I heard Elder Wen is an old Tributor sent from the Master’s own clan. He watched the Master grow up, so they have a special bond. The key is that he has the presence to keep things in line. Even Boss Zhao has to defer to him.”

”...I see.”

Chen Cheng said calmly, ”Please, Steward Zhang, pass a message to the Master. Tell her I’ve come to apply for the vacancy.”

”You?”

Zhang Ping was taken aback.

”Brother Cheng, to get an affiliated position, you need to be at least a proper Martial Artist who has refined One Pillar of Blood Qi... Besides, a Lower Courtyard Disciple from Dragon Mountain is bound by a Death Oath Contract and isn’t allowed to take outside positions...”

Zhang Ping’s voice stopped abruptly.

Chen Cheng had silently raised a hand and casually lifted a corner of his Profound-Colored Martial Attire.

The small waist token, engraved with a black ’Dragon’ character, was suddenly revealed.

”...This!? You!?”

Zhang Ping looked as if someone had seized him by the throat. His eyes flew wide open, and in the next second, a fawning eagerness flooded his face.

”Brother Cheng... no! Lord Cheng! You succeeded!? And you even... even took care of the Death Oath Contract!?”

Chen Cheng gave a faint smile. ”Go on. We can talk after you’ve asked the Master.”

”Yes! I’ll go right away! Please wait a moment... Lord Cheng... just a moment...”

Zhang Ping babbled an incoherent reply as he broke into a run, heading for the inner courtyard.

「A moment later.」

Zhang Ping came running back and immediately invited Chen Cheng into a side courtyard.

The courtyard wasn’t large, and Chen Cheng knew the purpose of each room perfectly well.

From the outside in, there was the suite where the Tributor, Elder Wen, usually stayed; the side rooms where the Martial Artist guards rested and trained; the accounting office, filled with the endless clatter of abacuses; and finally, the Master’s study.

”Master, Lord Cheng is here.”

Zhang Ping knocked lightly on the study door. Though no one inside could see him, he bowed even lower than usual.

”Come in.”

From within the study came a woman’s voice—intelligent, gentle, and with a slightly husky quality.

Chen Cheng pushed the door open and walked in, but Zhang Ping did not follow.

Inside the study, the light was soft, and the faint scents of ink and sandalwood lingered in the air.

Behind the desk, Shen Mi, the Master of the Yongsheng Store, slowly raised her head.

She was about thirty years old, with a delicate, fair complexion. A dark red, crinkled silk dress perfectly outlined her full and sensuous figure.

Her gaze fell upon the youth before her desk, who was slender in build, yet whose spine was as straight as a spear.

The cautious calculation in her limpid eyes was quickly replaced by astonishment.

Her lips parted slightly as she spoke the youth’s name.

”...Chen Cheng.”

She paused, suppressing the surprise and disbelief in her voice.

”When Zhang Ping came in with the message just now, I thought he must have gotten the wrong person... I never expected it to actually be you!”

”In less than two months, you’ve completely transformed and become an official disciple of the Dragon Mountain Hall Middle Courtyard...”

After a soft sigh of wonder, an undisguised smile of admiration bloomed on her lips.

”A fine talent, already so magnificent at its first showing. Given time, perhaps even attaining Military Merit might not be beyond your reach!”

”You flatter me.”

Chen Cheng gave a slight nod.

”There’s no need to be modest. Although I’ve never practiced martial arts, my daughter is also in the Dragon Mountain Hall Middle Courtyard... so I know a little about these things.”

Shen Mi waved her hand with a light smile.

”To refine One Pillar of Blood Qi in just over a month, your Root Bone and Comprehension must both be top-tier. You can truly be called a genius!”

”Back then, it took my daughter quite a bit longer than you to make her breakthrough and condense her blood...”

Hearing this, Chen Cheng’s expression froze for a moment, and he didn’t reply.

He had heard before that the Master, Shen Mi, had a daughter who practiced martial arts elsewhere and rarely returned to the Yongsheng Store, but he never expected that she was also at the Dragon Mountain Middle Courtyard.

As for Shen Mi’s husband, he had reportedly been dead for over ten years. The cause of death was unknown; those who didn’t know made wild guesses, while those who did were deeply secretive about it.

Seeing Chen Cheng remain silent, Shen Mi didn’t seem to mind. In her impression, Chen Cheng had always been a quiet and down-to-earth person.

”Let’s get back to business.”

Shen Mi’s expression turned serious. ”Zhang Ping said you want to apply for Elder Wen’s position... But forgive my bluntness, the situation in the store is very complicated. At your current level... you definitely won’t be able to handle it.”

Chen Cheng didn’t argue. What she said was the truth, and he knew it very well.

Seeing his calm reaction, so devoid of the rashness and restlessness common in youths his age, a hint of admiration grew in Shen Mi’s eyes. After a moment of thought, she continued,

”How about this: I’ll still give you the affiliated Tributor position. The monthly pay will be five taels of silver. Room and board are not included, and you won’t need to clock in or keep regular hours.”

”You only need to stand guard at the warehouse for two hours each day, just to let outsiders know that my Yongsheng Store has a Martial Artist from Dragon Mountain Hall watching over it.”

She paused, then added,

”Additionally, if an emergency arises that requires your intervention, you’ll be compensated separately... However, this isn’t mandatory. If it’s inconvenient or you’re unwilling, you can refuse.”

”Alright. It will be as the Master says.”

Chen Cheng responded crisply and decisively.

For him, the terms Shen Mi had offered were already ideal.

The job was simple and safe enough, merely borrowing the prestige of his status as a Dragon Mountain Middle Courtyard disciple to deter any potential prying eyes.

He wouldn’t have to get embroiled in the store’s messy internal conflicts, nor would he have to fight for his life.

It was a steady income of five taels of silver a month—five thousand coins.

He had no reason to refuse.

”There’s one more thing I wanted to ask you...”

Shen Mi’s gaze sharpened, and her voice turned cold.

”About Zhao Shan’s death...”