Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”Today, I shall establish a new rule...”

Shen Chongnian paused, took a deep breath, and spoke with the utmost gravity.

”From this day forward, any descendant of our third branch who has the means must repay even the smallest kindness from Chen Honored Elder as if with a gushing spring!”

”Yes! We shall take it to heart!”

Shen Xingguo and Shen Xingwen, their expressions equally solemn, cupped their fists and assented.

The study fell silent.

The three of them all seemed to be recalling scenes from the past.

There was a time they had been dissatisfied with Shen Mi for giving Chen Cheng a Monthly Allowance of seven taels of silver. They had met the decision with scorn and sarcasm, pressuring Shen Mi to relent and tell Chen Cheng to seek employment elsewhere.

Looking back on it now, they felt a complex mix of emotions that was hard to put into words.

But one thing was certain.

From this moment on, they had reached an unshakable consensus: Shen Mi’s investment in Chen Cheng was the most correct decision, and she had rendered the greatest service to the third branch.

As long as Chen Cheng remained, Shen Mi would be the de facto leader of the third branch.

Shen Chongnian would fully support her, and neither Shen Xingguo nor Shen Xingwen would compete with her—in fact, they wouldn’t dare.

And on that foundation, the entire third branch would cling desperately to Chen Cheng and never let go!

...

The Gu Family.

After Gu Lan’an returned, she had locked herself in her chambers, sobbing until her eyes were swollen.

The door was suddenly kicked open.

With a loud BANG, the door slammed against the wall and rebounded, shaking dust from the frame.

Gu Heng stormed in, his face so dark it looked like it could drip water.

”Stop crying! Instead of being heartbroken over an outsider, you should be thinking about the survival of our family!”

”What can I do about something like this?”

Gu Lan’an lifted her swollen, red eyes, tears still streaking her face, her voice hoarse.

It wasn’t that she was unaware of the Gu Family’s current situation, but she truly couldn’t think of a solution.

”Aren’t you close with Cao Zhao and Wang Chuang?”

Gu Heng said in a low voice:

”Go ask... no, go beg them to put in a good word for you! See if you can poach Chen Cheng!”

”Whatever Shen Mi is giving him, the Gu Family will offer three times... no! Ten times as much!”

”You want me to go begging?”

Gu Lan’an retorted, her neck stiff with defiance:

”Why don’t you go beg them yourself? You have so many old friends and official family connections maintained through favors. Go on, you ask them!”

”Insolent!”

Gu Heng roared, raising his hand to slap her.

Gu Lan’an flinched but didn’t dodge, merely staring daggers at him.

The hand paused in mid-air and finally dropped.

Gu Heng clenched his jaw and flung his hand to his side, his voice trembling slightly.

”You think I haven’t tried? Chen Cheng’s relationship with Wu Zhan is plain to see. It’s useless no matter who I ask! All those people who used to call me ’brother’—the moment they hear what it’s about, they push the matter away faster than anyone.”

Gu Heng paused, his tone softening.

”Lan’an, we can only rely on you now. Go through Cao Zhao and Wang Chuang to beg Chen Cheng... Only by begging Chen Cheng is there any chance of turning this around. Only then does our Gu Family... have a path to survival!”

”You think I don’t want to?”

At his words, Gu Lan’an’s tears fell even faster.

”Cao Zhao and Wang Chuang have known me for much longer, but they both unconditionally stand with Chen Cheng!”

”Last month, Chen Cheng didn’t come to a gathering, and I said a few bad things about him... After that, Cao Zhao and Wang Chuang haven’t said a single word to me. Not one!”

”This... you...”

Gu Heng’s face darkened with anger. His lips moved, and after a long moment, he finally forced out a sentence.

”You’re more trouble than you’re worth! From now on, you are forbidden from participating in any of the family’s external affairs!”

”You’re confined to your room to reflect on your mistakes! Without my personal permission, no one is to let you out of this room!”

As his voice fell, Gu Heng strode over the threshold, his figure disappearing into the dim corridor.

A moment later, the door was slammed shut with a BANG.

The sound of a lock turning came from the doorway.

Gu Lan’an stood frozen, tears still falling endlessly. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

...

「Three days later, at Huangxiazi Ridge.」

Snow had fallen all night, only stopping near noon.

The world was a blanket of pure white.

The rolling contours of the ridge were veiled by the snow, appearing and disappearing like a great beast prostrate on the ground, its back cloaked in thick white, exhaling a cold mist with every breath.

A pine forest stood on the slope, its branches bowed low under the weight of the snow. Occasionally, a clump of snow would fall from high up, landing in a drift below with a muffled thud before being swallowed again by the silence.

”SCREEE—”

A white shadow suddenly shot out from the forest.

It was a Snow Falcon, pure white from head to tail without a single fleck of color. Its wingspan was a full five feet, the long, soft feathers at its tips curling slightly upward in flight like two flowing cloud patterns.

Its eyes were a faint gold, its pupils as fine as a needle’s point, and its gaze sharp enough to pierce the wind and snow.

Its flight speed was astonishingly fast. Combined with its white feathers in this environment, an ordinary person’s eyes couldn’t possibly track its trajectory.

One could only catch an occasional glimpse of a faint, ethereal shadow zipping through the world.

”WHOOSH— WHOOSH—”

From the pine forest below, two Arrows shot out from different directions.

The shots were sudden and accurate, their intersecting trajectories forming a pincer attack—the tacit teamwork of two elite Hunters.

Had it been any other bird, it would have been shot down with precision.

However, the Snow Falcon twisted sharply in mid-air. It tucked and then spread its wings, forcing itself into an arc in a manner that seemed to defy all logic.

The first Arrow grazed its tail feathers and vanished into the snowstorm in an instant.

Then, it spread both wings wide and with a powerful downstroke, its body shot forward.

Its speed was too fast for the naked eye to follow. Leaving only an afterimage, it actually left the second Arrow far behind, completely unable to catch up.