Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

At the courtyard entrance, the firecrackers had just gone silent. The smoke had yet to clear when new guests arrived.

A thin red envelope was placed on the gift table.

The elder announcing the gifts was moistening his throat with a teacup, and he glanced absentmindedly at the red envelope.

Thin.

It was so thin it was almost flat, just like the ones from poor relatives who’d stuffed a few copper plates inside just for show.

He grumbled internally, and the smile on his face instantly faded a few degrees.

But when he looked up at the person who had arrived, that flicker of disdain vanished in an instant.

He hurriedly put down his teacup, his hands trembling slightly as he opened the red envelope.

”Go on, announce it. I’m waiting to record it.”

The scribe at his side looked over, and his expression instantly froze.

The announcer bowed his head, his tone incredibly respectful, even a little shaky.

”May I ask, who might you be, sir?”

”Chen Cheng, from Kuhuai Village.”

”Ah... Ku... Kuhuai Village?”

The announcer paused, thinking he must have misheard.

The young man before him looked every bit the young master from the Inner City. His air of importance was hundreds of times greater than even the wealthiest households in the Outer City.

In fact, setting aside his looks and clothes, the intangible aura he exuded—one that made your Heart tremble and your breath catch—was something no ordinary person could ever cultivate.

How could such a figure possibly have any connection to a slum?

The announcer paused for a moment. Seeing the young man’s calm and unchanging expression, he knew there was no mistake.

He straightened up, holding out a brand-new Silver Note. He cleared his throat, and his voice, louder and more solemn than ever before, practically pierced the entire estate:

”From Kuhuai Village, Young Master Chen! A gift of one hundred thousand coins!”

Inside and outside the estate, a sudden silence fell.

After a long moment, someone was the first to cry out in shock.

”How... How much?!”

In an instant, everyone’s gaze snapped in his direction.

Those gazes were a mixture of shock, doubt, astonishment, envy, and admiration... all tangled together, so scorching they felt like they could burn a hole right through him.

”One hundred thousand coins! That’s one hundred taels of silver!”

”My god! What kind of place have I stumbled into? Is this still the Outer City?”

”A gift of one hundred taels... at a wedding banquet in our Outer City? I’ve never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen it!”

”That Young Master Chen must be on the groom’s side, right? I don’t recognize him.”

”You don’t even know Lord Cheng?”

”Lord Cheng?! He’s Lord Cheng?!”

Cries of astonishment erupted one after another, as if the entire scene had been set ablaze.

Some stood on their tiptoes to get a look, others squeezed their way to the front, and those in the back anxiously asked, ”Where? Where is he?”

In the very next moment, a group of neighbors from Kuhuai Village swarmed over.

In the past, whenever Chen Cheng saw them, he was the one who had to greet them respectfully.

But now, they all steered clear of him, walking in a wide circle around him.

Each and every one of them hunched their shoulders, their faces plastered with awkward, nervous smiles. Their eyes darted away, not even daring to meet his gaze.

It was as if they couldn’t possibly bear the weight of Chen Cheng addressing them or greeting them now, as if it would shorten their very lifespans.

Only after detouring around Chen Cheng to stand before the Li Family did they seem to finally catch their breath, and the chatter began to flow.

”Aunt Li, it really is you! We haven’t seen you in ages!”

”Look at you! Just look! Aunt Li, with your healthy glow and distinguished air, you look just like a rich lady from the Inner City! If we saw you on the street, none of us old neighbors would even dare to recognize you!”

”Isn’t that the truth? What kind of food does Aunt Li eat now? What kind of house do you live in? You’re enjoying a life of leisure every day; you’re a completely different person from before!”

”Aunt Li, you must have moved to the Inner City, right? They say even the air in the Inner City is sweet. A wonderful place like that... for people like us, even glimpsing it from afar is a luxury!”

”When all is said and done, it all comes down to Aunt Li raising such a good son!”

”Who could argue with that? For Aunt Li to have a son like Lord Cheng is truly a blessing earned over several lifetimes! Forget us—I bet even the noble lords of the Inner City are green with envy!”

The crowd chattered on, the smiles on their faces and the reverence in their eyes growing thicker, impossible to disperse.

The Li Family stood in their midst, surrounded, smiling and responding to each of them in turn.

But her gaze kept drifting past them, landing on her son not far away.

In that gaze, there was pride.

And even more, there was heartache.

She knew better than anyone just how much her son had paid for the good life they lived today.

”Cheng! Lord Cheng!”

Just then, two young men ran over from a distance, their faces plastered with almost exaggerated smiles, grinning from ear to ear.