The Temptation of the Iron Certificate of Merit

"Expelling them at the time was a last resort," Zhao Wencai muttered. Being an old fox, he naturally wouldn't just surrender without a fight; instead, he began to make excuses for himself. "The Martial Child Academy has strict regulations that strictly forbid private brawls. Because of a minor conflict with other martial children, Zhang He started a massive fight in the dormitory and even broke a classmate's arm. This was a grave violation of the academy's rules. To maintain order and discipline, I had no choice but to painfully expel him."

As Zhao Wencai spoke, he put on a look of profound grief and indignation. His demeanor suggested that the reason Zhang He and the others were driven out was entirely due to Zhang He's own refusal to follow the rules, and that even if he, Zhao Wencai, had a heart that cherished talent, he was powerless to protect them.

Prince Qu's expression softened slightly. If that were the case, then expelling Zhang He and his companions was indeed beyond reproach.

Fatty Tang, however, did not let Zhao Wencai off the hook. He sneered, "Dean Zhao, why didn't you mention that the martial child who had his arm broken was your own nephew? And that the dispute was actually provoked by your nephew in the first place!"

Upon hearing this from Fatty Tang, Prince Qu immediately understood the implication. Zhao Wencai's expulsion of Zhang He and the others wasn't as simple as Zhang He violating academy rules and injuring a student.

"What exactly happened back then?" Prince Qu's gaze locked onto Zhao Wencai, his tone chilling. He hated nothing more than being deceived.

Zhao Wencai felt his back go cold and damp with sweat. Just as he was about to answer Prince Qu, Fatty Tang cut in ahead of him.

"Your Highness, the situation was like this..." Fatty Tang recounted the entire sequence of events from beginning to end in detail. Naturally, in his version, Zhao Feng was painted as a despicable villain who relied solely on his status to bully commoner martial children.

"Zhao Feng provoked us first, and Zhang He was forced to fight back in self-defense. We all know the academy has rules against private brawls, and even if we were expelled for it, we wouldn't have complained. But Zhao Feng, the instigator, wasn't expelled, while we were. We refuse to accept this!" Fatty Tang added after finishing his account.

He glanced at Zhao Wencai nearby. The dean, who was usually arrogant and insufferable, was now hunched over in a humble posture, drenched in sweat.

Listening to Fatty Tang's narrative, Zhao Wencai's mind went blank, and his vision darkened. The Prince was a man who hated evil with a passion; once he knew the truth, he would certainly not show him any mercy!

"Ignoring right from wrong, disregarding fairness and justice, favoring your own nephew while suppressing other martial children!"

"Dean Zhao, have you forgotten what the duties of an academy head are? You took an oath before taking office, didn't you? Have you forgotten all of that?"

"A place for the nation to cultivate talent has actually become a place for you to throw your weight around! You have some nerve!"

Prince Qu's face was grim as he fiercely berated Zhao Wencai. Finally, seeing the man's pathetic state only fueled his rage further. With a wave of his hand, he said coldly, "I see you are no longer qualified to be this dean. Go home, reflect on your actions, and wait for your punishment!"

Zhao Wencai's face fell. He opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but upon seeing the murderous glint in Prince Qu's eyes, he was struck with terror. He knew that the fact Prince Qu wasn't killing him today was already a massive act of mercy!

"Get out!" Prince Qu roared.

"I'm going, I'm going right now." Zhao Wencai scrambled away in a panic.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for standing up for us. I also express my gratitude on behalf of those martial children in Mengyin City who have suffered unfair treatment at the academy," Zhang He said sincerely.

Taking down Zhao Wencai today not only vented his own frustration but, in a sense, also purged a malignant tumor from the Mengyin City Martial Child Academy. The corrupt atmosphere of the entire academy was largely due to Zhao Wencai's negligence.

Prince Qu waved a hand and said, "No need to thank me. Such a black sheep should have been kicked out of the academy long ago. The fact that such a thing happened shows there are flaws in the supervision of the lower-level academies, and this serves as a wake-up call for us."

Seeing Prince Qu speak this way, Zhang He felt a surge of respect. The fact that the man could say such things showed how much he valued the education of martial children. Simply put, he was a man who got things done.

Prince Qu suddenly stared at Zhang He, a half-smile on his face. "However, there is one thing I cannot fathom. According to what was just said, when Tang Risong and Wang Dachui were kicked out of the academy, their cultivation hadn't even reached the Skin Tempering Realm, right? To reach the True Qi Seed realm in just a month—isn't that progress a bit too astonishing?"

Prince Qu's gaze was scorching, fixed on Zhang He's face, not missing a single flicker of expression, hoping to catch a hint of the truth.

Zhang He couldn't help but be startled. Damn it, I didn't expect him to notice that.

"Actually, I am also an apothecary, and I know how to improve body-tempering fluids," Zhang He said vaguely. The Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi he concocted was indeed a type of body-tempering fluid, though its effects were many times more potent than those used by the academy.

A flash of surprise crossed Prince Qu's face, but he continued to press, "Is that all? Can an improved body-tempering fluid really allow someone to successfully condense a True Qi Seed in such a short time?"

Feeling Prince Qu's intense gaze, Zhang He couldn't help but offer a wry smile. He knew what the Prince was after, and he knew that if he didn't reveal something, the man wouldn't let this go.

However, Zhang He also knew a thing or two about driving a hard bargain.

"Your Highness, concocting this fluid is no easy task. If it weren't for my two good brothers, I wouldn't have put in such effort. It is simply impossible to mass-produce it," Zhang He said. "Besides, you know how precious a formula is to an apothecary."

Zhang He was right about this. Any apothecary valued a formula more than their own life. Selling pills was one thing, but showing a formula to someone else was harder than ascending to heaven. Moreover, the concoction of Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi required poisonous herbs; if the process was handled with the slightest carelessness, the fluid would turn into a lethal poison.

Prince Qu knew Zhang He had a point, but he was absolutely not going to give up. His eyes rolled as he said, "From your two brothers, I have already seen the effects of this improved fluid. How about this: if given enough time, how many can you make in a year?"

Hearing this, Zhang He knew that the Prince had set his sights on him. If he didn't make some kind of concession, today's matter would be hard to resolve.

"This improved fluid requires herbs that only grow in the summer. So, even with plenty of time and a sufficient supply of herbs, I can make at most a hundred portions," Zhang He said with an earnest expression, though he secretly thought, Forget a hundred, I could make a thousand if I wanted to. Of course, he wouldn't say that, knowing the Prince would only haggle further.

Sure enough, Prince Qu's eyes lit up. He said in a seductive tone, "Zhang He, a hundred is too few. If you can make two hundred, I can offer you another great benefit. How about it?"

Zhang He's heart skipped a beat. "What benefit?"

"An Iron Certificate of Merit—have you heard of it?" Prince Qu looked at Zhang He with a relaxed air, his demeanor suggesting he wasn't afraid that Zhang He would refuse.

"An Iron Certificate of Merit?" Beside them, the City Lord was stunned. The benefit the Prince was promising was simply too massive! Even among the illustrious nobility, or even the royal family, few possessed such a thing!

Zhang He was also shocked. He knew what an Iron Certificate of Merit was. It was essentially a "get-out-of-jail-free" card. As long as one was a citizen of the Western Chu Kingdom, possessing this certificate meant that for three generations, one could be exempted from all crimes except for high treason or other crimes punishable by the extermination of one's clan. Even after three generations, while it no longer exempted one from criminal charges, it still granted tax exemptions and other special privileges.

For a family, possessing an Iron Certificate of Merit was not only a supreme honor, but it also meant they had the backing of the Western Chu royal family—who would dare provoke them?

However, because the certificate was of such great importance, since the founding of the Western Chu Kingdom, only a few great founding heroes had ever received one.

While shocked, Zhang He couldn't help but be suspicious. "Your Highness, this is no joking matter. While the body-tempering fluid is precious, the Iron Certificate of Merit is just too..."

"Rest assured, I am a man of my word! As long as you can do it, I can apply for an Iron Certificate of Merit for you!" Prince Qu was very confident. Although the current royal descendants had access to plenty of spiritual pills and medicines, their cultivation still left much to be desired. With all their superior conditions, they were being outperformed by outsiders, which was a blow to the royal family's prestige. If they had that improved fluid, the strength of the royal descendants would inevitably soar. Not only would it save face for the royals, but with increased strength, they would have a better chance of entering the True Martial Academy for advanced studies!

If many royal descendants entered the True Martial Academy, it would make the royal family's rule over the Western Chu Kingdom even more secure. For that alone, let alone an Iron Certificate of Merit, even granting Zhang He the title of a prince of a different surname wouldn't be too much!

The City Lord nearby was incredibly excited, looking at Zhang He as if he were a precious treasure. Seeing that Zhang He hadn't answered immediately, he was tempted to jump in and accept on his behalf.

"Two hundred portions of body-tempering fluid every year?" Zhang He looked at Prince Qu.

"That's right, two hundred portions specifically provided each year. If you manage to concoct more, I will have the right of first refusal. How about that?" Prince Qu nodded.

"I have to say, this is very tempting," Zhang He let out a long breath. It would be foolish not to accept such a massive benefit.

"Fine, I will try my best. Two hundred portions!" Zhang He agreed, secretly delighted. Summer hadn't passed yet, and concocting Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi wasn't a difficult task for him. An Iron Certificate of Merit—he never expected to have such luck today!

If one wanted to get ahead, building a connection with the royal family was the best choice.