Wasn't Huang Zhong supposed to be the one looking for a doctor and medicine for his son?
Who was Cai Yang?
Wait, I think I remember.
Qi Fei suddenly realized.
"Could you be Senior Cai Yang, known as the Sword Ancestor?"
In the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cai Yang fought Second Master outside Ancient City to avenge his nephew, Qin Qi, one of the Five Passes and Six Generals. The two were evenly matched for a time.
Second Master had been eager to prove his innocence to Zhang Fei, so he had resorted to a trick to kill Cai Yang.
In the God Three World, Cai Yang had even fought Lu Bu before he reached Boundary Breaker, and managed to retreat unharmed.
Lu Bu hadn't been in the best shape at the time, but Cai Yang had still faced him alone.
The fact that he'd survived a one-on-one fight with Lu Bu—a man who usually took several people ganging up on him—showed just how formidable the old man was.
"I was fortunate to have friends' esteem back then. I'm not worthy of such a title, General."
Cai Yang forced out a smile as he tried to flatter Qi Fei.
"Senior, you and Mr. Tong are both elders. Please just call me Zihong."
Qi Fei hurriedly said.
Cai Yang was a veteran from more than twenty years ago, after all. Qi Fei still had a basic sense of respect for his elders.
"Then I'll accept your kindness, General."
Though Cai Yang accepted, he still kept a deferential attitude.
Seeing him so humble made Qi Fei feel a little sorry for him, so he shifted his gaze to the child in the carriage.
The child's lips and other areas were bluish, suggesting low blood oxygen. His heart or lungs were probably malfunctioning.
"May I ask who this is?"
Qi Fei asked.
"This is my son, Cai Quan. He was born frail and can't get up to pay his respects. Please forgive him, Zihong."
As Cai Yang spoke, he began to bow to Qi Fei to show his apology.
"May I examine him?"
Qi Fei grabbed Cai Yang and stopped him from bowing.
"That is precisely what I hoped for. I wouldn't dare refuse."
Cai Yang's face lit up with delight.
Qi Fei carefully examined Cai Quan with both spiritual power and Internal Qi.
As expected, there were problems with his heart and lungs.
A congenital structural defect in his heart had left it less capable of pumping blood than a normal one.
The resulting circulatory problems placed an enormous burden on Cai Quan's body and seriously hindered his ability to cultivate Internal Qi.
Meanwhile, blood had been pooling in his lungs for a long time, increasing the risk of infection. He had consequently developed pneumonia.
This had completely ruled out the possibility of him recovering on his own through Internal Qi.
What was more, Qi Fei found signs of tuberculosis as well.
It must have been a recent infection. Otherwise, Cai Quan wouldn't have lasted this long, even with Cai Yang channeling Internal Qi into him every day.
Because he'd spent so long in a highly nourishing environment rich in Internal Qi, the bacteria were all vigorous and exceptionally resilient.
Back in Qi Fei's previous life, this would have been enough to start a fight among the leading respiratory specialists.
All in all, to people of the Han Dynasty, who lacked an understanding of modern medicine, Cai Quan was as good as dead.
Even forcing him to the Internal Qi Separation level wouldn't help.
The long years of suffering had left Cai Quan's will too weak to direct his own transformation.
The bacteria, on the other hand, would probably benefit from it.
If their biological structures weren't so primitive, it wouldn't have been surprising if they evolved into super bacteria at the Qi Solidification level during the breakthrough.
But none of these difficulties were a problem for Qi Fei.
Under Cai Quan's hopeful gaze, Qi Fei spoke.
"I can treat him. But a complete cure will require some special techniques, so..."
"Do you need me to buy something? Don't worry, Zihong. I'll do everything I can to get whatever you need."
Divine Light shone from Cai Yang's eyes, almost blindingly bright.
He had already given up hope for his son's condition. That was why he had endured the bumpy journey and brought him here to take a chance.
Now that hope had finally appeared, how could he give up?
"That's not the issue. The techniques themselves are rather confidential, so I'll need to discuss them with Lord Xuande."
As he spoke, Qi Fei sent Liu Bei a message through his spiritual power, telling him to be ready.
"Lord Xuande's good name is known throughout the land. I've long wanted to pay him a visit, but had no way in, so I came here to try my luck."
Cai Yang had lived long enough to understand Qi Fei's implication.
"Lord Xuande is eager to recruit worthy men. If he knew you were visiting, Senior, he'd certainly welcome you with open arms."
As he spoke, Qi Fei used Internal Qi to force the fluid out of Cai Quan's lungs and burned it away.
After eliminating most of the bacteria in Cai Quan's lungs, Qi Fei began to improve his circulation.
Once he was done, Cai Quan's symptoms immediately improved.
Of course, Qi Fei had only eased Cai Quan's condition for now. A complete cure would require operating on his heart.
Qi Fei made that clear to Cai Yang as well.
But even this initial improvement left Cai Yang feeling much more at ease.
Overjoyed, Cai Yang repeatedly thanked Qi Fei, making sure to have Cai Quan join him in thanking Qi Fei for saving his life.
Honestly, hearing fourteen-year-old Cai Yang call twelve-year-old Qi Fei "uncle" struck Qi Fei as pretty funny.
Afterward, Qi Fei brought them to meet up with Liu Bei and the others.
Liu Bei called for carriages and brought everyone to his home, where he hosted Ma Chao, Fa Zheng, Tong Yuan, and Cai Yang.
Needless to say, they were served the familiar dish of lamb stewed in a bronze cauldron.
Chen Xi and Qi Fei didn't think much of it, but the two youngsters, Fa Zheng and Ma Chao, had shining eyes, while the two elders, Tong Yuan and Cai Yang, nodded repeatedly.
After all, this was exactly the kind of thing people of the era valued.
Zhu Fu Yan had even declared that it was better to feast from five cauldrons in life than to be boiled in five cauldrons in death.
And when Qi Fei had them bring over a chicken they'd just raised at home—one that had reached the Internal Qi Condensation, or even Qi Solidification level—to add to the pot, the mood reached its peak.
Heaven and Earth Essence had yet to recover much, and although there were wild beasts with Internal Qi, they were still quite rare.
On most days, everyone was lucky to get a taste once in a while.
With Qi Fei providing more than enough, both the newcomers and the old hands ate to their hearts' content.
As they ate, the generals started talking about the wild beasts with Internal Qi they'd hunted.
They soon realized that Tong Yuan had eaten the best, followed by Zhao Yun, with Xu Chu coming in third.
When Tong Yuan had been training Zhao Yun's foundations, he'd caught three fierce beasts at the Internal Qi Separation level: two wild boars and a bear.
Later, while traveling the land, Tong Yuan had hunted plenty more.
Xu Chu, meanwhile, had killed an Internal Qi Separation-level tiger himself.
As the generals reminisced about the taste of those beasts, Chen Xi turned to Qi Fei with a bowl of chicken soup in hand.
"Zihong, I want beef. Internal Qi Separation-level beef."
He said it bluntly.
The chicken at the Qi Solidification level had tasted so delicious that Chen Xi couldn't even imagine how good beef at the Internal Qi Separation level would be.
"I want it too, but there aren't many cattle left on Mount Tai. There's nothing I can do."
Qi Fei spread his hands.
He needed the animal to exist before he could raise it to the Internal Qi Separation level.
He couldn't conjure one out of thin air.
"Or I could skip work and head to the northern grasslands to catch a couple for you?"
The main problem was that Qi Fei didn't have spatial equipment from another world, so he could only bring back a few.
If he brought back too many, people might spot them while he was flying.
If they thought wild beasts at the Internal Qi Separation level flying around were looking down on them, and came after him with a whole army using Cloud Qi, things could get tricky.
"Then let's forget it."
Chen Xi said regretfully.
Compared with satisfying a craving, it was more important for Qi Fei to focus on training the troops.
Looks like he'd have to give Zizhong and the others' merchant association a few more duties.
"Could you two brothers talk about this kind of thing somewhere I can't hear you?"
Lu Su looked at Qi Fei and Chen Xi helplessly.
They were still at the very start of their enterprise, and this was a private dinner hosted by Liu Bei, so they hadn't bothered to arrange separate seats for civil and military officials.
When Chen Xi dragged Qi Fei over to sit down, they'd ended up right beside Lu Su.
He'd heard every word they said.
"Zijing, just tell me—don't you want to eat it too?"
Chen Xi asked bluntly.
Lu Su didn't answer.
Of course he wanted to, but he couldn't say that kind of thing out loud.
Killing cattle without authorization was illegal.
"I understand now why you get along so well, even though there's a considerable age gap between you."
Mi Zhu, sitting beside Qi Fei, chimed in.
They'd noticed over the past few days that these two were remarkably alike in certain respects.
"'He did not tire of fine food or of finely minced meat.' I thought the Master was already particular enough, but I never expected..."
Under the two men's gazes, Lu Su trailed off without finishing his sentence.
"Zihong, it seems Zijing doesn't like this sort of thing. Let's leave him off the guest list for our next banquet."
Young Chen Xi put on the expression of a child who didn't want to play with Lu Su.
"I never said that."
Lu Su immediately denied it.
Beef from a beast at the Internal Qi Separation level was a delicacy he'd regret missing for the rest of his life.
He had no idea how Qi Fei managed to do it.
"Exactly. Wouldn't it be better to be honest?"
Chen Xi looked as though he'd known all along.
As they chatted and joked, everyone finished eating and drinking and prepared to leave.
But just then, Ma Chao approached Qi Fei.
"I've heard you're even younger than I am, yet you've already reached Boundary Breaker. Would you grant me the honor of witnessing your power?"
Having seen the Nine Phoenix Sword's might, Ma Chao's tone had become much more courteous.
Tong Yuan and Cai Yang were curious as well.
When Tong Yuan had drawn his sword earlier, the two of them had realized that the power surpassed Internal Qi Separation, but they hadn't witnessed its full extent.
That had piqued their curiosity.
As for Guan Yu and the others, who had already sparred with Qi Fei, they looked like they were waiting for a good show.
Only Liu Bei seemed concerned.
Qi Fei was too strong. What if Ma Chao's confidence was shattered?
But when Chen Xi gave him a look, Liu Bei, accustomed to following the clever ones' lead, swallowed his words.
"All right."
Qi Fei agreed on the spot.
Ma Chao had one defining trait in God Three: he absolutely refused to fall behind his peers.
As it happened, Sun Ce had a similar personality.
So whenever the two met, they fought.
But since neither could kill the other, all they could do was beat each other black and blue. Every so often, they'd also break the other's newly Nurtured weapon, forcing him to start Nurturing a new one from scratch.
Their tangled relationship had actually begun when Ma Chao ran into Lu Bu.
At the time, Lu Bu's Red Hare had been bullied by Ma Chao's horse, so he'd gone looking for trouble with Ma Chao.
Lu Bu had only meant to teach Ma Chao a lesson, but Ma Chao had to go and provoke him by attacking Red Hare.
Furious, Lu Bu sent Ma Chao flying like a ball.
Ma Chao shot away like a meteor and happened to save Sun Ce, who was being assassinated by Yu Ji.
Seeing Ma Chao, who was almost charred to a crisp, Sun Ce had returned the favor and saved him.
And so, the two men who had saved each other's lives began their tangled relationship.
Even after Ma Chao unexpectedly became the commander of Rome's Seventh Eagle Flag Legion, nothing changed between them.
They'd even had the glorious record of starting a fight before a grand court assembly and rolling beneath Liu Tong's carriage in the middle of it.
The Regent Eldest Princess of the Great Han had exclaimed that she'd been framed. (Chen Xi had taught her that.)
Who knew whether the Ma Chao who'd come to their side this time would still end up forming that same tangled bond with Sun Ce?
"Then shall we go outside?"
Ma Chao asked excitedly.
"No, we can do it right here."
Qi Fei rejected Ma Chao's suggestion.
"?"
Ma Chao had thought Qi Fei was looking down on him.
Qi Fei didn't explain. Instead, he raised his palm.
"Be careful."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the dazzling will of the God Boundary Breaker extended from Qi Fei's palm.
His ordinary-looking palm became as imposing as the might of heaven, too dazzling to look at directly.
As the palm slowly descended, the fear in Ma Chao's heart surged at an unimaginable speed.
He would die.
If that palm came down, he would undoubtedly die.
With his life on the line, Ma Chao's potential was awakened.
The Internal Qi in his body poured out with his roar, like a hedgehog bristling its spines.
Ma Chao, who had reached the peak of Qi Solidification, successfully broke through Internal Qi Separation and became a renowned general of the age.
"Well done."
The power in Qi Fei's palm faded.
Then, ignoring the Internal Qi bristling around Ma Chao, he gently patted him on the shoulder.
Ma Chao turned his head to stare at Qi Fei's hand, gasping for breath.
After a long while, he finally came back to his senses.
"Thank you for your guidance."
After steadying his breathing and reining in his Internal Qi, Ma Chao bowed to Qi Fei in thanks.
"It was nothing. You built up the foundation yourself."
Qi Fei looked Ma Chao up and down.
Those who broke through on their own under pressure, with their Essence, Qi, and Spirit highly concentrated, seemed far stronger than the weaklings he'd produced.
Qi Fei glanced at Chen Xi, who was gradually approaching Internal Qi Separation.
No, the problem was probably that slacker himself. Normally there would be a gap, but it couldn't possibly be this big.
He'd find Zang Ba and give it a try later.
Zang Ba had managed to last ten moves against Taishi Ci, who had already reached Internal Qi Separation. By rights, he should have built up enough of a foundation, too.
"Without your help, I'm afraid it would've taken me quite a while longer."
Ma Chao's tone had become exceptionally respectful.
Of course, despite his respectful tone, deep down he still wanted to fight Qi Fei.
If he couldn't do it now, he'd wait until the future. He would train hard, and one day he'd be able to fight him.
Flames burned in Ma Chao's eyes.
It seemed running away from home and coming to Mount Tai had been the right choice after all.
Only in the prosperous Central Plains could he encounter such powerful people and improve himself more effectively.
Ma Chao made no effort to hide his thoughts, so Qi Fei naturally saw right through him.
But he didn't pay it much mind.
After all, beating up a tenacious little guy like this was the most satisfying. Heh heh heh.
A mischievous grin just like Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia's appeared on Qi Fei's face.
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