Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”It’s a gift.”

Zhou An said with a smile:

”After what happened at Wu’s Fishing Village, Young Master Zhou Yonglu has been wanting to befriend you. He was afraid you might resent what happened that day, so he sent my brother and me to run this errand and deliver his introductory gift.”

”Are you two also from the Zhou Family, Senior Brothers?” Chen Cheng asked.

”Yes and no...”

Zhou An explained:

”Zhou Yonglu is the eldest young master of the Zhou Family’s fourth branch, a true member of the direct lineage. As for my brother and I... you could say we’re such distant relatives of the fourth branch that we barely count. Go back enough generations, and we probably share an ancestor.”

”By our generation, our branches of the family have grown far apart. It’s only because my brother and I are skilled martial artists and can get things done that Zhou Yonglu recruited us. He treats us as if we’re almost part of the inner circle.”

”I see.”

Chen Cheng nodded and didn’t ask any more questions.

His gaze returned to the object that several servants were moving together.

It was a large black jar. Its dark, heavy walls looked strangely like a mix of wood and iron.

The jar was filled with water, which sloshed with every step they took.

Even with their combined effort, the men had to pause with every step to keep the water from spilling.

”There’s a Treasure Fish in this jar called a ’Golden-tailed Eel.’ It’s a specialty exclusive to Zhou’s Fishing Village. Its value and beneficial effects are roughly on par with a Cyan Silver Dragon.”

Seeing that Chen Cheng’s expression remained unchanged, Zhou An quickly added:

”Also, this black jar is a wondrous object in itself!”

”Junior Brother Chen, you might not know this, but the Golden-tailed Eel is even fiercer than a Cyan Silver Dragon! More aggressive!”

”If you try to keep it in a regular jar, it will either jump out and dry to death, or it will smash the jar to pieces and die from its injuries. It would truly rather die than submit!”

Zhou An paused, then his tone shifted.

”But if you keep it in this black jar, it immediately becomes exceptionally docile. This applies to other aggressive fish, too—you can raise them all together in here. They become as tame as dead fish. You can reach right in to grab one and it won’t even flinch.”

”...Is there a story behind this jar?”

A flicker of interest in his eyes, Chen Cheng immediately looked inside the jar.

He saw an eel as thick as a child’s arm coiled at the bottom, its body curled up several times.

The tip of its tail glinted with brilliant golden scales.

Its mouth was full of fine, sharp teeth that could likely sever a person’s finger with ease.

Its body was covered in overlapping scars, old and new, undoubtedly left from battles with other aggressive fish in the water.

’It was easy to imagine how ferocious this creature normally was.’

But right now, it was calm and still, not moving at all. Only the slight tremble of its gills and fins proved it was still alive.

’This big black jar... there was definitely something special about it!’

”It’s hard to say...”

Zhou An shook his head:

”This black jar has been at Zhou’s Fishing Village since Zhou Yonglu’s great-grandfather’s time. No one has ever been able to explain why you can use it to raise aggressive fish together.”

”Though, there’s a wild rumor going around that this jar once held a dragon. They say a lingering trace of draconic aura can suppress the entire Aquatic Race. It doesn’t matter what kind of creature it is; once it’s in the jar, it has to behave.”

After saying this, Zhou An himself chuckled:

”It’s just a fun story, Junior Brother Chen. You don’t have to take it seriously. Just think of it as a little trinket Young Master Zhou Yonglu is throwing in as an extra.”

”Wait a moment!”

Chen Cheng raised his hand, stopping the servants who were moving the jar, and said in a serious voice:

”I already hold a position with the Wu Family. How can I accept a gift from the Zhou Family? If word of this gets out, not only will my reputation be ruined, but the Wu Family will surely not tolerate it!”

”Hah, Junior Brother, you’re overthinking things! How could my brother and I possibly put you in a bad spot?”

Zhou An explained with a laugh:

”The Wu Family and the Zhou Family are both in South City. While their relationship isn’t exactly ironclad, they’ve never had any feuds. In fact, they even cooperate closely in many areas.”

”The reason Zhou Yonglu was giving Wu Ziyu a hard time is that when he first came back from out of town, their elders arranged a matchmaking meeting for them. Wu Ziyu wasn’t impressed with him... She got up and left right after they met...”

”He felt he had lost a great deal of face and couldn’t swallow the insult. He was also afraid he’d become a laughingstock in their social circle and find it hard to establish himself. That’s why he was so insistent on getting his pride back from Wu Ziyu.”

Zhou An paused for a moment before continuing:

”After we went back that day, my brother and I managed to talk some sense into him... He later met with Wu Ziyu privately and had her treat him to a meal. He took the opportunity to gracefully back down.”

”Right now, the two of them have already reconciled. What else do you have to worry about, Junior Brother Chen? Just accept the gift with peace of mind. If any problems arise, you can hold my brother and me responsible!”

”...Alright, then. Move it inside.”

In the end, Chen Cheng nodded and accepted.

’He definitely didn’t trust Zhou Yonglu right now, but Zhou Ping and Zhou An were, after all, his fellow disciples. The chance of them openly trying to frame him was low, unless they wanted to get kicked out of the Dragon Mountain Upper Courtyard.’

’Besides, this big black jar was genuinely useful to him.’

The last time he returned from escorting the Wu Family’s fleet, he had his eye on several other Treasure Fish.

’He wanted to buy them.’

Unfortunately, they were all species that couldn’t be raised together, so he had to give up on the idea.

’With this big black jar, he could bring back any fish he fancied in the future.’

’With his options expanded to the maximum, he’d never have to worry about running out of stock.’

The servants placed the big black jar in the middle of the front courtyard, right next to his original jar, and then withdrew.

”Senior Brothers, please come inside and chat for a while,” Chen Cheng invited with a gesture.

”No, no, we can’t.”

But Zhou Ping waved his hand and said:

”My brother and I have to rush to the Upper Courtyard as soon as we’ve delivered this. The master in General Affairs has an important mission. The rewards are supposed to be excellent, and we’re afraid we won’t get it if we’re late.”

”A mission?”

Chen Cheng’s heart stirred, and he naturally recalled what Yun Shuanglin had said earlier.

”Don’t even think about it, Junior Brother Chen. You need to have condensed at least Six Pillars of Blood Qi to accept this mission. Otherwise, you would have been notified to go as well.”