Cheng Changkong's Overture, the Clown Xiao Tian

The Cheng family was extremely straightforward, giving far more thanks than the reward they had originally promised.

Five hundred taels of silver, plus two chests of ginseng, and they let Zhou Qiming pick first from the medicinal herbs gathered this time.

After all, if not for Zhou Qiming's help, the Cheng family's expedition team would have suffered a devastating blow.

Cheng Changkong insisted on giving him the entire haul, but Zhou Qiming didn't accept it—one thing at a time, he only took the portion he deserved.

Still, having wiped out the entire Earth Fiend Hall branch, he had already amassed two thousand taels of silver in his hands, so he had long since looked past the Cheng family's modest assets.

"As expected, killing and looting really brings in the quick cash. With my current wealth, I could probably buy the Haolai Restaurant outright."

After tallying his gains, Zhou Qiming prepared to leave the Cheng estate.

"Xiao Zhou, you're about the age to settle down, aren't you? What do you think of my niece, Cheng Yan?"

At the farewell, Cheng Changkong tried to keep him again.

Cheng Yu stood nearby, dumbfounded. His father's attitude had shifted way too fast—earlier he'd been complaining that Zhou Qiming was freeloading off the Cheng family, and now he was trying to betroth his cousin to the guy.

Cheng Changkong seemed to read his son's thoughts and shot him a glare, only regretting that he hadn't fathered a pretty daughter himself, so he had to rely on Cheng Yan to rope Zhou Qiming in.

Anyone could tell this kid was no longer a fish in a shallow pond—he was bound to break into the Bone Forging Realm or even the higher Tendon Transformation level sooner or later.

And at the same tier, Muscle Cultivation Martial Artists were no match for Zhou Qiming. The strongest fighter in the Cheng family was only at the peak of Muscle Cultivation—just that alone was reason enough to stay on his good side!

"Uncle, you..." Since it involved her, Cheng Yan was also taken aback, a swirl of complex emotions rising in her heart.

At first, she had thought of herself as a proud daughter returning from her studies in the County Town, looking down on the Zhou Qiming that Cheng Yu had recommended.

But after this battle, Cheng Yan's attitude had undergone a complete reversal. The image etched into her mind was Zhou Qiming single-handedly sweeping through Earth Fiend Hall.

Cheng Yan's heart tightened, unsure if Zhou Qiming would agree to the match. Deep down, she knew that the gap between them was at its smallest right now. Once the hidden dragon returned to the sea, the Cheng family could only gaze up at his back!

"Thank you for the kind offer, Uncle Cheng, but martial arts come first at my age. I'm still young and have no plans to start a family yet."

Zhou Qiming shook his head firmly, declining the goodwill. Cheng Yan wasn't his type—just a temporary companion at best. Besides, this world was far too dangerous. He was barely managing to protect himself by frantically grinding his martial arts; there was no way he'd drag along a dead weight.

Hearing this, Cheng Yan's heart sank with disappointment, her eyes dim. He had refused after all. In the end, she just wasn't good enough, and the first impression she'd left on Zhou Qiming had been terrible. She felt a pang of regret.

"Alright then. Take this deed—the Cheng family has no other way to repay you. Don't refuse." Cheng Changkong pulled out a property deed and handed it to Zhou Qiming. It was a courtyard near the Iron Clothes Martial Arts School and the Cheng estate, more practical and safer than the mud hut Zhou Qiming was living in now.

"Fine, I won't stand on ceremony." Zhou Qiming accepted it openly. This house was exactly what he needed right now, saving him a lot of trouble. The commoner district he'd been living in had too many eyes and ears, making it inconvenient to train sometimes.

Zhou Qiming didn't linger any longer. He turned and left to temper his Iron Cloth Skill, needing to push it from Great Completion to Perfection and then break its limits.

Watching his retreating figure, the Cheng family only then realized—this kid was just fifteen years old. He hadn't been training long, yet he already had the strength of the Muscle Cultivation level. With such monstrous talent, it was baffling that Yuan Tieyi hadn't taken him as a disciple.

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching by the author—maybe it just got renamed!

Cheng Changkong instructed his son and Cheng Yan, "You two should interact more with Zhou Qiming from now on. Whatever he needs, exhaust the family's resources to meet it."

Cheng Changkong let out a long sigh of relief. He'd never liked how his son Cheng Yu used to hang around with worthless friends, but this time, the friend Cheng Yu had made was different—his son had finally done something right.

It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but hard to deliver charcoal in the snow. The Cheng family hadn't invested in Zhou Qiming from the start, but at least they hadn't made an enemy of the kid.

Just then, a young man in training clothes was led in by the gatekeeper. It was Xiao Tian, the much-watched figure at the martial arts school.

Xiao Tian came in with an arrogant tone, "Second Senior Brother, wasn't that Xiao Ming, the restaurant servant who almost got taken in by Master, just leaving?"

If he hadn't broken through to Bone Forging and shown his talent in time, the position of closed-door disciple at Iron Clothes Martial Arts School might have been snatched away by Zhou Qiming. So Xiao Tian kept a close eye on that servant.

Xiao Tian sneered coldly. When he'd come in, he saw Zhou Qiming carrying a big bundle, with a guard helping him move two chests—looked like he'd gotten plenty of good stuff from the Cheng family!

These days, everyone at the martial arts school was fawning over Xiao Tian, except for Second Senior Brother Cheng Yu, who had grown distant from him, even skipping the banquet. Word was he'd been getting close to Zhou Qiming, and everyone at the school had noticed.

"That's none of your business. What are you here for, Junior Brother Xiao?" Cheng Yu's tone was unfriendly.

When the Cheng family's merchant convoy ran into trouble, Cheng Yu's first thought had been of Xiao Tian, his own junior brother, who had the strength of Early Bone Forging and could definitely help.

But Xiao Tian had jacked up the price, demanding a thirty percent cut of the Medicine Shop's revenue before he'd even look into it. After all, favors from a Bone Forging Realm cultivator weren't cheap.

That incident had become a thorn in Cheng Yu's side. In comparison, Xiao Tian wasn't even fit to hold Zhou Qiming's shoes. He didn't know what Master saw in him—truly muddle-headed.

"Why is Senior Brother so cold and distant? Are you trying to make Master's heart grow cold?"

Xiao Tian shook his head with a smile and said calmly, "I've postponed tomorrow's apprenticeship ceremony to two months from now, so I can push for Minor Bone Forging Accomplishment. I hope Senior Brother won't be stingy—I'm still short a bottle of Bone Forging Pills and thirty ginseng roots. This is also Master's wish."

"As far as I know, the Cheng family's Medicine Shop crisis has been resolved, and this harvest is several times richer than before. Lending me a little is nothing."

At these words, Cheng Changkong's face showed hesitation and conflict, while Cheng Yu's veins bulged with rising fury.

Cheng Yu barely held back his anger and snorted coldly, "If I recall, Junior Brother hasn't settled the bill for your last medicine purchase yet. The Cheng family runs a small business—money doesn't grow on trees. Please see yourself out."

"Fine, Cheng Yu. I call you Senior Brother out of respect, but you don't know what's good for you. Your family would rather invest in a tavern lackey than befriend a genius like me. This is too much."

With his freeloading scheme exposed, Xiao Tian dropped all pretense and tore the relationship apart on the spot.

"When my family asked for help, you wouldn't take the risk. Now that the crisis is over, you come to pick the fruit. There's no such deal. Laifu, see him out."

"Yes, Young Master."

The servant Laifu hurried forward and gestured for Xiao Tian, the unwelcome guest, to leave.

Xiao Tian flicked his sleeve and, just as he stepped out the door, threw back a threat: "Fine, Cheng family. Don't regret today's actions. This humiliation will be repaid."

The more Xiao Tian thought about it, the angrier he got. Cheng Yu would rather be friends with a lowly servant like Zhou Qiming than get along with him. Truly blind—he'd regret it sooner or later.