Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”Yes.”

Granny Ding nodded, turned, and left.

...

The afternoon sun was bright, its glare off the accumulated snow almost blinding, but the temperature had not risen.

The icicles hanging from the eaves hadn’t dripped a single drop of water all day.

After finishing his medicinal bath in his home’s inner courtyard, Chen Cheng had just changed his clothes and stepped out of the bathing room. Wisps of white steam still rose from his body, swirling and dissipating in the cold wind.

He had returned that morning and had been training as usual, not going anywhere.

The Blood Robe and Short Saber were still hidden in the usual spot.

As for Han Tianqi’s Money Bag, it contained two Silver Notes of one hundred taels each, plus a handful of broken silver worth about a dozen taels—a considerable haul.

He stuffed it all into his own Money Bag, bringing his current wealth to well over two thousand taels of silver.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

Just then, someone knocked on the main gate of the front courtyard.

Chen Cheng had no choice but to hurry through the moon gate and the side corridor to answer it himself.

He pulled the gate open.

Cao Zhao stood at the forefront, with two other people behind him.

One was a familiar face, Wang Chuang.

With his burly frame standing there and his reddish skin, he looked just like a red-hot iron tower.

The other man was someone Chen Cheng was seeing for the first time.

He was in his early twenties, of average build and ordinary appearance, dressed in a gray martial arts uniform with a polite smile on his face.

After a brief, mutual exchange of greetings, Chen Cheng welcomed them into the courtyard.

The group passed through the courtyard and took their seats in the main hall.

”Junior Brother, let me make an introduction.”

Cao Zhao chuckled and gestured toward the young man they had just met.

”This is the Young Chief of the Escort for the Changfeng Escort Agency, Zheng Songtao. I happened to run into him at the mouth of the alley, so he came along with me and Chuanzi.”

”So it’s Brother Zheng. I’ve long admired you.”

Chen Cheng gave a slight fist-and-palm salute, his gaze falling on the man as he returned the smile.

Zheng Songtao immediately returned the salute and the smile.

”Brother Chen, I have also heard of your great name for a long time. Seeing you today, it’s true what they say: a hero emerges from the young! Your reputation is well-deserved! Well-deserved!”

”Brother Zheng, may I ask the purpose of your visit today?” Chen Cheng asked.

Zheng Songtao composed himself and said with a serious expression,

”After your battle yesterday, Brother Chen, your fame has skyrocketed. My father, Zheng Nankun, specifically instructed me to increase the Changfeng Escort Agency’s sponsorship for you to two hundred taels of silver per month.”

”And if you are willing to accompany our escort missions, the payment for each trip will be no less than three hundred taels.”

As he spoke, Zheng Songtao took out two hundred-tael Silver Notes, rose, walked over, and presented them with both hands.

Chen Cheng did not act arrogant, immediately rising and accepting it with both hands.

”Thank you for making a special trip to deliver this, Brother Zheng. Please also convey my gratitude to Chief Zheng.”

Chen Cheng paused, then added,

”As for the escort missions... I still need to focus on my training for now. When there is an opportunity in the future, I will certainly offer my services.”

”Of course, of course.”

Zheng Songtao grinned, not dwelling on the issue.

The Changfeng Escort Agency’s sponsorship of Chen Cheng was, at its core, a bet on his future.

Right now, Chen Cheng was only sixteen. Whether he went on escort missions or not had little impact on the agency.

But if Chen Cheng could rise to power in the future, whatever little he let slip through his fingers would be enough for the Changfeng Escort Agency to recoup their investment with interest.

The Changfeng Escort Agency understood this kind of calculation.

Every investor willing to put up silver understood it.

The only difference was that different investors had different foresight, and thus, the young Martial Artists they chose to back were naturally not all the same.

Zheng Songtao then sat back down.

Wang Chuang stood up right after him.

When he had first entered, he had carried in large and small bundles from the carriage.

Now they were all piled on the table, looking like a small mountain.

”Cheng, the Jiuan Hunting Manor has also doubled your sponsorship for this month.”

He patted the small mountain of goods and listed them one by one.

”This bundle is tiger meat, this one is bear meat, both hunted just two days ago, very fresh... Over here are fox pelts, deer tendons, mountain ginseng, and all those other miscellaneous medicinal herbs you specifically requested.”

”Also, this small jar is Nine Whip Wine that’s just finished aging. This one’s a personal gift from me, heh heh...”

Chen Cheng didn’t respond, his gaze traveling past the mountain goods to a long, narrow wooden box placed separately to the side.

Wang Chuang raised an eyebrow, slapped a large hand on the wooden box, and said quite smugly,

”Inside is a Tiger Sinew Hard Bow. As per your previous request, it requires a thousand-catty pull. It doesn’t come with Arrows, only Silver Bullets. A hundred per bag, enough to last you a while.”

”Thanks for bringing it, Brother Chuanzi.”

Chen Cheng grinned and accepted everything gratefully.

Given his relationship with Wang Chuang, there was no need for false pleasantries.

He immediately walked over, unable to wait, and opened the wooden box with his own hands.

Immediately, the Hard Bow inside was revealed.

The bow was four feet long, its core made from an Exotic Beast Horn, its limbs wrapped tightly with tiger sinew, and the entire body glowed with a dark golden luster.

The limbs tapered from thick to thin, their lines as smooth as a black hawk folding its wings.

The body was wrapped in Black Shark Hide and inlaid with Silver Plates chiseled with cloud patterns, exuding an indescribable tension from its quiet form.

Beside it lay a black leather hip pouch, its corners reinforced with copper nails and a Deer Antler Bead dangling from the leather drawstring at its mouth.

Opening the pouch revealed a hundred Silver Bullets inside.

Each was the size of a longan fruit, round but not smooth. Their surfaces were covered in special, fine grooves, making them feel rough to the touch.

Chen Cheng had specifically inquired at a Weapon Forging Shop before; these fine grooves didn’t affect the Silver Bullet’s accuracy but made it more likely to shatter inside the target upon impact, making it difficult to remove. Whoever was hit would either die or be crippled.

Chen Cheng closed the lid of the box, his eyes lowering slightly, concealing a peculiar glint that flashed through them for an instant.

”Oh right, Cheng, there’s one more thing. It’s very important, and you have to give me an answer today.”

Wang Chuang collected himself, his smile vanishing as his gaze turned sharp as a torch.