Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chen Cheng casually introduced them. "Qiao Qiao, this is Qian Baolu. From now on, call him Senior Brother Qian. When I’m not around, you can ask him if there’s anything you don’t understand."

"Mhm."

Qiao Qiao nodded obediently, gave Qian Baolu a slight bow, and said, "Senior Brother Qian."

Seeing this, Qian Baolu knew at once that Qiao Qiao’s relationship with Chen Cheng was special. He immediately puffed out his chest and offered his assurance.

"Junior Sister Qiao, don’t be a stranger. In the future, if you ever need my help with anything, just say the word. As long as it’s within my power, I’ll make sure it’s taken care of for you, no problem!"

Qiao Qiao nodded her thanks, then turned and timidly looked up at Chen Cheng.

"Senior Brother Chen, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you... in private."

At her words, Qian Baolu and Shi Lei exchanged a glance and tactfully excused themselves. Shi Lei even closed the door behind him as their footsteps faded into the distance.

"What is it?" Chen Cheng asked.

Qiao Qiao didn’t rush to speak. She turned, walked to the door, and gently slid the bolt shut.

Only then did she return to Chen Cheng, take four thumb-sized porcelain vials from her robes, and line them up on the table.

"What’s this?"

Chen Cheng’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Blood Refining Powder? Where did you get so much?"

Qiao Qiao pursed her lips, extended a slender finger, and pointed to each vial in turn.

"Senior Brother Fang gave me this one shortly after you left. I won these two in the next two Lower Courtyard competitions, and Senior Brother Fang gave me this last one..."

"...You copied this, too?"

Chen Cheng’s expression immediately grew complex—it was hard to say if it was exasperation or something else.

"Mhm."

Qiao Qiao nodded and said earnestly.

"When you formed your first Pillar of Blood Qi, Senior Brother, you didn’t use Blood Refining Powder. So I didn’t either. I just secretly hid them away each time..."

"But I’m no match for you, Senior Brother. I failed the first three times... and only succeeded on the fourth... Unlike you, who did it in one go!"

"I..."

Chen Cheng opened his mouth, but was at a loss for words.

’Is this girl stubborn as a mule? How could she be so headstrong?’

’If she had kept failing, would she really have just held out and never used the Blood Refining Powder?’

"Qiao Qiao, copying everything I do will only hurt you... We’re different..."

"I know. I’m no match for you, Senior Brother Chen..."

Qiao Qiao said, her expression earnest.

"From the very first time you taught me the Hidden Dragon Fist, I knew you were different from everyone else!"

"So, I don’t overthink it. I just follow your example step-by-step. I know it’s the right thing to do!"

"..."

Chen Cheng opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

’I have a cheat. How are you supposed to learn from me?’

"Senior Brother..."

Qiao Qiao pushed the four small porcelain vials toward him.

"Can you help me sell these? The money... I... I’ll give you half."

"..."

Chen Cheng was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry.

"Go ask Qian Baolu. He’s well-connected... And you don’t have to give me a share. Once you have the money, use it to pay back what you borrowed from Senior Brother Fang."

"Have you paid him back?" Qiao Qiao looked up at Chen Cheng, her eyes full of expectation.

"I..." Chen Cheng was at a loss for words again.

"Then I won’t pay him back either," Qiao Qiao stated bluntly.

Hearing this, Chen Cheng’s brow furrowed. He was about to lecture her, but then he had another thought and found he could somewhat understand her.

’They were both children who had clawed their way out of the gutter.’

’And Qiao Qiao’s upbringing had been far more brutal than his. Her own parents had almost sold her to a secret brothel.’

’Parents like that weren’t uncommon in the slums. They’d have a daughter and raise her like livestock. Once she was "ready for slaughter," they’d sell her for cash.’

’If they were raised well, they were sold to wealthy households as concubines or slaves.’

’If not, they were sold into the depraved trade of secret brothels or beggar gangs.’

’And if even the secret brothels wouldn’t take them, the girls wouldn’t live to adulthood. They’d be drowned and their corpses sold, or even traded for food.’

’Qiao Qiao was a lucky one among the unlucky. With her superior Root Bone and Comprehension, she had carved out a path to survival in the Dragon Mountain Lower Courtyard.’

’But at the end of the day, she was still just a naive child.’

’And this rotten world was a raging river. She couldn’t see its currents or feel its depths. Trying to reach the other side was harder than climbing to the heavens.’

’The only method she could think of, the only one she could grasp, was...’

’To feel her way across the river by holding onto Chen Cheng.’

Realizing this, Chen Cheng abandoned the thought of lecturing her.

For one, he had no obligation, let alone any need, to correct Qiao Qiao’s thinking.

For another, even if he did want to influence and change her, words alone wouldn’t be enough. True change would have to be proven through actions.

...

「Nine days passed in a flash.」

During that time, Chen Cheng was busy with his cultivation and hardly appeared in the Outer Hall.

In the little free time he had outside of his training, he continued his daily stakeout of the Fuchang Trading Company. The rest he spent eating and sparring with Zhu Mingyuan, and the two grew closer.

In front of others, Zhu Mingyuan was always gentle, refined, and a man of few words. But with Chen Cheng, he was an open book, chatting about everything under the sun, from past to future. There was almost no topic they wouldn’t discuss.

In the past few days, the person Zhu Mingyuan talked about most was Qiao Qiao.

According to him, Qiao Qiao was not only a rare genius but also incredibly diligent in her training, almost rivaling Chen Cheng himself.

As news spread, many factions from the Outer City had come to recruit Qiao Qiao, offering her sponsored positions.

A few major factions were even willing to sponsor her directly.

Even Ye Yang had pushed through his illness to personally visit Qiao Qiao at the Outer Hall.

Before he left, Ye Yang made a point of telling her to focus on her training and not to hesitate to ask if she needed anything. His protective, almost paternal, intentions couldn’t have been clearer.

After that, Ye Qiluo started showing up before Qiao Qiao every other day. One day she would offer pointers on her Fist Technique, the next she would share her insights, and the day after she would invite her to dinner, trying every trick in the book to win her over.

Chen Cheng treated all of this as little more than idle gossip. He never gave it much thought, let alone considered intervening.

’Everyone chooses their own path.’

’How Qiao Qiao chose to proceed was her business.’

...

「Early one morning.」

The sky was grayish-white, the sunlight thin.

Chen Cheng and Zhu Mingyuan were walking to the Inner City. They had arranged to meet Cao Zhao, Zhuang Zhen, and the others to attend the annual Festival of Fallen Souls at the Inner City’s grand market.

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