Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Every time Li Family thought of these things, her heart felt as if it were being squeezed.

This was the root of why she felt her son’s sacrifices were all for naught.

If a commoner was destined to be seen as inferior no matter how hard they worked...

Then all the sweat her son shed, all the nights he stayed up, all those days that should have been spent laughing, playing, and enjoying his youth—was throwing all that away really worth it?

”Mother, don’t let your mind run wild...”

As if he could read her mind, Chen Cheng smiled and calmly reassured her.

”Next year, I’ll participate in the Zhao City Martial Selection. When the time comes, I might just win Military Merit and become a Military Officer.”

”A... a Military Officer?”

At his words, Li Family’s previously dim gaze instantly lit up.

”Today, when I was listening to the others gossip, someone mentioned it... They said that our Great Shang Dynasty values military achievements and Military Merit above all else. A Civil Servant of the Same Tier is considered a cut below a Military Officer!”

”Even Lady Sun joked that her husband is an Inspectorate Clerk Officer, officially the same rank as an Imperial Guard Official, but when they actually meet? It’s far more than just being a cut below.”

”...That’s the general consensus.”

Chen Cheng nodded, his tone even.

”I’m not sure about the specifics, but if I can place in the top ranks of the Martial Selection, I could be directly commissioned as an Imperial Guard Official.”

”R... really?”

A flash of joy lit up Li Family’s eyes at his words, but it quickly faded.

”That must be incredibly difficult... Zhao City is so large. If there aren’t ten thousand new Martial Artists every year, there are at least eight thousand... The top ranks... isn’t that even harder than passing the civil examinations?”

”...It should be a bit harder than the civil selection.”

As Chen Cheng spoke, his heart couldn’t help but tighten.

’Although everything is going smoothly for me right now, I still can’t let my guard down.’

’Just as Mother said, Zhao City is too big.’

’Even at my current level, I only operate within a small area of South City.’

’I haven’t even met many of the young prodigies from South City...’

’The scions of great families who cultivate Secret Techniques, the monsters propped up by resources since birth, and the heaven-sent geniuses who are natural-born Martial Arts prodigies.’

’Like this world itself, there’s still so much I haven’t even begun to touch.’

’Who can say with certainty that they’ll win next year’s Martial Selection?’

Chen Cheng steadied himself, picked up his bowl, and began to chew large mouthfuls of Treasure Fish Meat. After he was done, he downed the medicinal soup in one gulp.

”Mother, I’m going to train. You should clean up and get some rest.”

With that, Chen Cheng stood up.

He thought with perfect clarity, ’I can’t just be careful. I have to work even harder, struggle and climb as high as I can. I must fight for more and better resources, even for lucky chances.’

’Only then can I maximize my chances of winning.’

’Not just my chances in the Martial Selection, but also my chances in the three-month pact with Pang the Third, and more importantly, my chances of survival if a major catastrophe strikes in the future.’

’Even the slightest improvement would be a victory.’

”Cheng, wait...”

Seeing her son about to leave, Li Family quickly said:

”I just remembered, this afternoon, they also mentioned the Martial Selection you were talking about...”

”They said there’s a military draft starting next spring, so the Martial Selection might be held earlier... And if you earn Military Merit, everyone in your household is exempt from commercial taxes, land taxes, military service, and corvée labor.”

Li Family paused, a little hesitant.

”I was thinking, if you really do earn Military Merit, should we have your third uncle’s family transfer to your household registration?

Otherwise, with Old Chen’s personality, he’ll definitely force your third uncle or their Xiaofan to enlist...”

”...Don’t mention this to Third Uncle just yet.”

Chen Cheng advised:

”First, I might not succeed in the Martial Selection. Second, I might have other plans before the selection... If we speak too soon and I can’t follow through, it’ll just cause trouble.”

”Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Li Family nodded emphatically.

When it came to such important matters, she always deferred to Chen Cheng. Whatever he said, went. She simply did as he instructed without a second thought.

...

「The next morning.」

The sky was still dark when Chen Cheng began his training.

By the time the eastern sky glowed red and the heavens turned the pale white of dawn, Li Family had already finished making breakfast and called out to him over the courtyard wall.

Only then did Chen Cheng stop.

He casually grabbed a coarse cloth towel draped on a rack and wiped his sweat.

He turned and walked into the medicine room.

He used his black-skinned wine gourd to draw a full flask of Golden Ring Treasure Snake Medicinal Wine.

He had already moved those large wine jars into the medicine room himself.

He had noticed something was different when he moved them.

Now, drawing the wine, it was even more obvious.

As the liquid poured into the gourd, its color and texture were like amber nectar, thicker, richer, and brighter than the previous jar.

The aroma was also mellower, not just the scent of Medicinal Wine, but also carrying a certain aged fragrance of fruitwood and nuts, a depth that must have come from being cellared for decades.

After filling the gourd, he took two small sips.

The liquid was smoother and silkier as it entered his mouth, and the burning sensation was stronger. This was followed by a richer, bittersweet taste. The bitterness gave way to a sweet aftertaste, and a warm current spread even faster, burrowing into his limbs and bones.

All of this was incomparable to the previous jar.

’These few jars must be the ones Jiuan Hunting Manor kept for its own use. They’ve been cellared longer, made with better ingredients, and I bet even the medicinal formula is different from the ones they give to outsiders!’

Chen Cheng smacked his lips and hung the gourd on his belt.

’As for how much stronger its restorative effects are compared to the last jar, I’ll have to drink it for a while to find out...’

In the front yard, Li Family was speaking to someone at the door. When she saw Chen Cheng approaching, the person hastily said their goodbyes and left.

”Mother, who was that?” Chen Cheng asked.

”Lady Sun...”

Li Family opened her hands, revealing two elegantly packaged boxes of pastries, and sighed softly.

”She came specifically to apologize for what happened yesterday... It’s become such a thing, and I wasn’t even blaming her.”

”Accept them. Lady Sun is treating us with sincerity, which is a rare kindness.”

After his casual reply, Chen Cheng walked into the kitchen, grabbed a handful of dried beans, and tossed them into the large vat in the courtyard.

The three Jade Bone Carp immediately leaped about, fighting for the food and splashing water everywhere.

It was strange, really. The Qingshui River outside was frozen solid. But the water in this large vat hadn’t frozen since they brought it back, not even a thin layer of ice.

”These fish are quite easy to raise...”

Li Family glanced over and said with a smile:

”It’s a shame Black Cloud Lake isn’t peaceful. Otherwise, if we set up a private fish farm and raised a whole lot of them, we could definitely make a lot of money.”

”...A fish farm?”

Chen Cheng was amused.

”These are Treasure Fish. They aren’t born this way. They’re Acquired, having slowly evolved after absorbing some kind of worldly essence. You can’t possibly raise them in large numbers...”

”Otherwise, do you think an opportunity to make money this easily would ever fall into the laps of common folk like us?”

”That’s true...”

Li Family nodded.

”In this world, is there any truly profitable business that isn’t tightly controlled by the nobles of the Inner City...”

As they spoke, someone knocked on the courtyard gate again.

Li Family was momentarily startled, thinking Lady Sun had come back. She quickly turned to open the gate.

However, after she pulled the gate open, she froze in place for a moment.

Standing before the gate was not Lady Sun.

It was two young men wearing identical cotton-padded jackets.

Their faces and figures looked as if they were carved from the same mold. Upon seeing Li Family, they simultaneously cupped their fists in a salute, their movements so synchronized they looked like mirror images.

”Greetings, Auntie. We’re here to see Junior Brother Chen Cheng.”

”Senior Brothers Zhou, what brings you here?”

Before Li Family could respond, Chen Cheng had already come over. He pulled the gate wide open and stepped aside.

”Come, whatever it is, come inside, sit down, and we can talk.”

”No rush.”

Zhou Ping shook his head with a smile.

Zhou An, however, turned and waved his hand. ”You lot, bring the things inside.”

”What is that?”

Chen Cheng followed his gaze, and a look of stunned surprise flashed in his eyes.