Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

"My name is Gu Lan’an."

The young woman was about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a lotus-root-pink dress. The fabric looked plain, but a closer look revealed a subtle, flowing pattern within—it was high-quality Nanyue Flowing Cloud Brocade, worth more than gold.

Her bright eyes sized Chen Cheng up and down, and her delicate red lips parted slightly.

"My family’s Wan Tong Trading Company is currently short on staff. If Brother Chen is interested, you could take on a position. Whether as a manor guard or a caravan escort, I can offer you the highest Monthly Allowance on the market..."

She paused before adding.

"Brother Chen, you have Three Pillars of Blood Qi, correct? Twenty taels a month. If there are missions, the payment will be calculated separately. What do you think?"

"Younger Brother Chen."

Before Chen Cheng could respond, Wang Chuang spoke first, his voice booming and straightforward.

"Miss Gu’s Wan Tongxing is one of the top trading companies, even in the Inner City. They specialize in a few trade routes in the Southeast and are rolling in money. If you join a caravan run, you’ll make at least this much in one trip!"

Wang Chuang held up two fingers. His knuckles were thick, and his skin was the color of red copper.

’Two hundred taels?’

Chen Cheng’s heart skipped a beat. ’They really are loaded.’

"I’m honored by your offer, Miss Gu, but I must focus on my martial arts training. I really can’t spare the time for another position... I’m sorry."

Chen Cheng cupped his hands and politely declined her offer.

Caravan runs could easily take a month for a round trip, and the journey was full of uncertainties. It wasn’t the kind of moneymaking path he was looking for at all.

He had even less interest in simply being a manor guard.

Although his job with Shen Mi was also one of guardianship and protection, there was a fundamental difference between a Tributor and a manor guard.

A Tributor was on equal footing with their Master, sometimes even more respected, and could receive various privileges and preferential treatment.

But a manor guard, to put it bluntly, was just a servant. Forget about special treatment or privileges; you had to obediently do whatever the Master ordered. Chen Cheng wouldn’t do it for twenty taels a month, let alone two hundred.

"Brother Chen."

A flicker of barely perceptible displeasure crossed Gu Lan’an’s eyes, but her tone of voice remained unchanged.

"To have secured a place in the Inner Hall Top Three, you must be a genius. However, martial arts is a money pit, a bottomless abyss. Without sufficient resources, even the greatest genius will struggle to get ahead. Don’t you agree?"

"That’s right, Younger Brother Chen."

Wang Hengyu chimed in, his round face plastered with an eager smile.

"You’ve been through it, so you must know how much money martial arts training burns through. A caravan run might delay you for a bit, but the money you earn will help you advance faster... What’s that saying again? Sharpening the axe... Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the work of chopping wood!"

At his words, although no one said it out loud, everyone could guess Chen Cheng’s financial situation from his clothes. There was nothing wrong with wearing Training Attire while training, but to wear it to a banquet at the Immortal Tower likely meant he didn’t own many other decent outfits.

"Now you’re just judging a book by its cover, aren’t you?"

Cao Zhao saw that Chen Cheng genuinely wasn’t interested and quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"My Junior Brother Chen here has a steady source of income. On the way here, he bought five or six hundred taels’ worth of Treasure Medicine in one go. He certainly won’t be lacking cultivation resources in the short term."

Wang Hengyu froze for a moment, his gaze landing on Chen Cheng with a newfound sense of assessment. "Younger Brother Chen, you’ve got some tricks up your sleeve! I was worrying for nothing! I’ll drink to that! I’ll drink to that!"

Wang Chuang grinned, and the way he looked at Chen Cheng changed as well.

Even Ji Hongshan pulled his gaze away from the window and let it fall back on Chen Cheng. There was no particular emotion in his eyes; he simply gave him a second glance.

Gu Lan’an’s expression remained perfectly calm, not even a flicker in her eyes.

Only the fingers gripping her wine cup tightened almost imperceptibly.

’I thought I made a sincere enough offer, but look at him,’ she thought. ’Putting on the airs of a stuck-up genius. He says he can’t spare the time, but isn’t he just saying the money’s not enough?’

’He’s exactly the type of person I can’t stand.’

’If he wants to negotiate a higher price, he should just say so. We could discuss it openly, and I might even have agreed.’

’But no, he has to play coy and wait for me to bring it up.’

’Not a chance!’

’The higher a Martial Artist’s Realm, the more money they burn. So what if Chen Cheng can afford to spend five or six hundred taels today? What about next month? The month after that?’

’I’d like to see just how long he can keep up this so-called genius act.’

’He’d better not turn around and have Cao Zhao come begging to me on his behalf! I’ve seen clowns like that before!’

After that, no one brought up the matter again.

Wang Chuang and Wang Hengyu were both easy-going types. After a few cups of wine, they began treating Chen Cheng like one of their own.

Wang Chuang clapped Chen Cheng on the shoulder and started telling a story about how the Jiuan Hunting Manor had cornered a Mutant Tiger in the deep mountains last month. When he got to the thrilling parts, he was practically spitting into the dishes.

Wang Hengyu played the enthusiastic audience, his round face beaming as he chimed in from time to time, keeping the atmosphere lively and boisterous.

Chen Cheng listened, chiming in with a word or two now and then, feeling quite at ease.

Ji Hongshan remained as cold and aloof as ever, leaning back in his chair and toying with a piece of green jade. He only spoke occasionally, exchanging a few quiet, brief words with Cao Zhao or Gu Lan’an, as if unwilling to waste his breath.

Overall, the atmosphere was quite congenial.

"BANG—"

After several rounds of drinks, the door to the private room was violently shoved open.

The one in the lead was a young man in brocade robes, a Jade Belt cinching his waist. His face was flushed, and he was clearly somewhat drunk.

He was flanked by about a dozen young men and women, all dressed in fine clothes. Their imposing manner seemed to block out most of the light from the hallway.

"Cao Zhao! I knew you’d be here!"

The brocade-clad youth’s gaze fell directly on Cao Zhao, a cold sneer twisting his lips. Then, his eyes slowly swept over everyone in the room, pausing for a moment when he saw Chen Cheng’s unfamiliar face.

"Do you need something from me?"

Cao Zhao remained seated, merely lifting his eyelids to pin the other man with his gaze.

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