Righteousness

For several days after that, Lu Chuan stayed put in the Martial Arts Hall.

The little silver he had ran dry after buying the Qi and Blood Pills, so he simply bedded down in the hall and waited for those supposedly sharp-nosed merchant guilds and Escort Agencies to come calling.

Five days passed.

That morning, after finishing a set of Mountain Splitting Saber, Lu Chuan sheathed the blade.

Without Qi and Blood Pills, training felt like walking through mud.

He pulled up his Status Panel for a look—after a whole day of practice, the Mountain Splitting Saber Proficiency had only gone up by one point.

Back when he was popping Qi and Blood Pills, he'd net at least four points in a single day.

He stared at the number, an indescribable taste in his mouth.

Weren't the Escort Agencies and merchant guilds supposed to have sharp noses?

He'd beaten Jiang Hao, he'd shown off Mountain Collapse—why hadn't a single person come?

Just as he was thinking, an Outer Disciple jogged over.

"Senior Brother Lu," the man said, with a hint of caution and respect in his tone, "there's someone outside looking for you."

Lu Chuan's heart leaped, and he strode quickly out.

Ever since he'd beaten Jiang Hao in the Minor Trial, the Outer Disciples in the hall had started calling him "Senior Brother," and after a few days, it had grown familiar.

He crossed the front yard and reached the Martial Arts Hall's entrance, then froze.

Standing outside wasn't some merchant guild steward or Escort Agency head, but...

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

Lu Danian stood by the hall's main gate, clutching a tightly wrapped bundle, craning his neck to peer inside.

The words had barely left Lu Chuan's mouth when a thought slammed into his mind: "Did the Black Tiger Gang come knocking again?"

Lu Danian's eyes darted away, and he forced a smile:

"No, no. That bunch has been quiet lately. They haven't come."

Only then did Lu Chuan breathe easy.

Lu Danian shoved the bundle into his son's arms, a grin he couldn't hide spreading across his face:

"Hey, Chuanzi, I came to bring you a treasure!"

Lu Chuan looked down and untied the cloth. Inside was a pair of Deer Antlers.

The antlers were well-shaped, hefty in weight, the tips still flushed with fresh blood.

His heart jolted: "Dad, you hunted this?"

"That's right." Lu Danian laughed. "Spring Sika Deer—right when the antlers are at their fattest. I lay in wait for three days, picked my moment, and shot a big buck with one arrow."

After chuckling a while, he lowered his voice: "You haven't been home in days, so I figured you're running low on silver. Keep this for yourself, stew it up to nourish yourself—don't sell it."

Lu Chuan held the pair of Deer Antlers, saying nothing.

Such a big pair, with such good quality—at Renhetang Pharmacy, it'd be worth at least Five Taels of Silver.

"...Dad." Lu Chuan's voice came out hoarse. "You went to a lot of trouble."

Lu Danian waved a hand, then suddenly remembered something. He lifted his head, eyes shining as he looked at his son:

"Oh, right, Chuanzi. When I came through the main gate just now, I heard a few young lads calling you 'Senior Brother Lu,' and they sounded pretty respectful. Don't tell me you've broken through..."

Looking at his father—a man past forty, temples already streaked with white, back starting to stoop—yet at this moment, he was like a child waiting for candy.

"Yeah." Lu Chuan said. "I broke through the Blood Pass."

Lu Danian froze for an instant.

Then that weathered, scarred face was instantly streaming with tears.

"Good, good, good..."

He didn't linger. He just pressed the Deer Antlers into his son's arms:

"You train hard. I'll head back and see if I can bag another one."

With that, he turned and left, but his whole body carried a new surge of energy.

Lu Chuan stood at the entrance, watching that figure walk away until it vanished from sight. Only then did he look down and rewrap the Deer Antlers.

He'd just returned to the Backyard and hadn't even entered his room when Zhou Ming Chuan ran straight into him.

His expression was off, brows tightly knit.

"Junior Brother, I know why no one's come looking for you all these days."

Lu Chuan looked up.

"I asked around with a merchant guild steward I know." Zhou Ming Chuan's voice was heavy. "He said... someone from our Martial Arts Hall put out the word—no one's allowed to give you an Appointment."

Lu Chuan's eyes went cold. "Who?"

Zhou Ming Chuan didn't answer, but Lu Chuan's mind had already pieced it together.

"Could it be... Chen Mo Bai."

Zhou Ming Chuan finally nodded, then let out a sigh. "Brother Chen has reached Second Qi and Blood Perfection. He's been muddling around Qinghe County for over a decade—connections in the Merchant Guild, the Escort Agency, the yamen. Those in charge don't want to offend him."

Lu Chuan sighed as well.

Zhou Ming Chuan hadn't said everything, but Lu Chuan understood.

An Appointment was framed as an opportunity, but it was really an investment.

Investing in a person wasn't about how good his blade was or how vicious his killing moves—it was about how far he could go.

With a Middle Lower Grade Bone Structure, the bottleneck of Second Qi and Blood would likely never be crossed in this lifetime. No Merchant Guild would stake their chips on someone probably stuck for good.

Chen Mo Bai's words were just handing a convenient knife to those already hesitating.

"Forget it," Lu Chuan said. "At worst, I just won't take the Appointment."

Zhou Ming Chuan opened his mouth to say something.

"I still have my bow," Lu Chuan cut him off. "At worst, I'll go into the mountains more often."

Can't find the book by title? Try searching by author—maybe it just changed names!

Zhou Ming Chuan looked at him, silent for a long time. Finally, he just patted him on the shoulder.

He wanted to help, but he really didn't have the means.

Lu Chuan returned to his room and opened the pair of Deer Antlers to look at them again.

Then he tucked them into his chest and headed out.

He planned to sell the Deer Antlers.

Though Lu Danian had hoped he'd use them to nourish himself, Lu Chuan understood that such medicinal ingredients needed to be balanced with other properties to unlock their full value.

And since he didn't know how to compound them, the best course was simply to sell them and trade for Qi and Blood Pills!

Arriving at Renhetang Pharmacy, Lu Chuan went straight to Zhao Xuanhe.

Zhao Xuanhe was originally reading a book. Seeing Lu Chuan, a smile spread across his face. "Brother Lu is here."

Lu Chuan pulled the pair of Deer Antlers from his chest, set them on the counter, and unwrapped the cloth bundle.

"Brother Zhao, I'm troubling you again."

Zhao Xuanhe took the Deer Antlers, examined them, and nodded.

"Good Deer Antlers—spring buck. I'll give you five taels and five maces, how about that?"

Lu Chuan felt a weight lift inside him and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Brother Zhao."

"No trouble." Zhao Xuanhe waved a hand, but instead of fetching the silver right away, he suddenly spoke up.

"By the way, Brother Lu, I've heard some news about you recently."

Lu Chuan was startled, then immediately understood what he meant.

That business with Chen Mo Bai had spread through quite a few Merchant Guilds and Escort Agencies nearby. It wasn't strange that it had reached Renhetang.

He waved it off. "It's nothing, Brother Zhao. I can handle this."

"How could Brother Lu's matter be a small thing?" Zhao Xuanhe's face turned stern.

"Brother Lu has spent at least a hundred taels of silver at my Renhetang these past days. If I didn't help you through this difficulty, wouldn't my Renhetang lose a major customer?"

Lu Chuan couldn't help but smile wryly at his tone.

"Brother Zhao, don't tease me. Besides, with this Appointment business, can you really force someone else's hand?"

Zhao Xuanhe looked at him, the smile in his eyes deepening.

"I do have one place that doesn't need forcing—and the pay is excellent, with little work."

Lu Chuan grew interested. "Oh? Do tell."

Zhao Xuanhe finally spoke with a grin. "Naturally, it's the biggest pharmacy in Qinghe County—Renhetang!"

Lu Chuan was taken aback and instinctively tried to decline. "Brother Zhao, don't force it. I can make a living hunting..."

"What forcing is there?" Zhao Xuanhe cut him off.

"I've taken a liking to you, Brother Lu. In just a few months of martial training, you've pushed a martial art to Major Success. That kind of talent, I, Zhao Xuanhe, find absolutely monstrous. And your character, Brother Lu, I deeply approve of."

"Unless Brother Lu looks down on my Renhetang as a small, humble establishment?"

"How could that be..." Lu Chuan quickly said.

A complex emotion surged in his chest. Zhao Xuanhe was truly a man of loyalty.

Seeing his expression, Zhao Xuanhe knew the moment was right and spoke seriously.

"Then it's settled. From now on, Brother Lu will escort medicines for my Renhetang. About five days of travel each month, with a reward of Thirty taels. If you exchange it for Qi and Blood Pills, that's eighteen pills."

Thirty taels.

Eighteen Qi and Blood Pills.

Lu Chuan looked at him, silent for a moment, then gave a solemn bow.

"Brother Zhao, I, Lu Chuan, will remember this kindness."

Zhao Xuanhe waved his hand and laughed. "Alright, alright, spare me that. Hand over the deer antler and take the silver."

Lu Chuan accepted the silver, exchanged a few more words, then took his leave.

Zhao Xuanhe put the deer antler away and turned to head toward the back.

But the moment he turned around, he found someone standing behind him.

Zhao's Father.

He looked at his son, his face expressionless.

Zhao Xuanhe paused mid-step but still spoke:

"Father."

Old Master Zhao looked up at him, was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"You, you—why do you always act on impulse? Was it worth offending Chen Mobai over an Outer Disciple like that?"

Zhao Xuanhe stood still.

"Our family may be wealthy and powerful, that's true," Old Master Zhao continued, "but connections aren't built in a day. Chen Mobai has been in Qinghe County for over a decade—the Chamber of Commerce, the Escort Agency, the government offices—where doesn't he have favors owed? Lu Chuan might look impressive now, but what about later? And that's not even mentioning he's offended Jiang Hao..."

Zhao Xuanhe suddenly looked up. "Father, I don't think much of Chen Mobai."

Old Master Zhao's brow furrowed slightly.

Zhao Xuanhe's tone was steady. "He's nothing but a petty schemer, a sycophant. To suppress a newly Initiated junior, he'd stoop to such underhanded tricks. Are we, Renhetang Pharmacy, supposed to keep company with people like that every day?"

Old Master Zhao opened his mouth, but said nothing.

"I think Lu Chuan is far better than him," Zhao Xuanhe continued. "He's upright in character and knows gratitude. If we help him today, and he truly rises in the future, do you think he'll forget this debt?"

At the end, he said defiantly:

"Of course, if Father begrudges those thirty taels of silver, you can deduct it from my share from now on."

Old Master Zhao looked at him.

After a long moment, he shook his head.

"You child... fine... do as you please..."

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