007 Back to the Martial Academy

Zhang He's solution was simple. To put it bluntly, it was merely selling different medicines to different people. Zhang He knew that the wealthy would never consume cheap medicine because they lacked faith in its quality. Conversely, commoners could not afford expensive medicine and were forced to settle for the cheap stuff. Thus, by simply altering the packaging and the appearance of the same medicine, one could command entirely different prices.

This sales strategy perfectly exploited the psychology of different social classes. If the Wang family handled this correctly, the name of Wang Family Pharmacy would immediately spread across every stratum of Mengyin City. Under their previous methods, Wang Family Pharmacy had only managed to make the wealthy remember them.

Zhang He watched the fanatical look in Wang Pengyu's eyes and smiled calmly.

"Alright, the matter is mostly resolved, so I shall take my leave. In a few days, I will send over the rest of the Five Poison Beads."

Zhang He stood up to bid farewell.

"Let me see you out, Benefactor!" Wang Pengyu immediately rose to escort him.

"Haha, there is no need to call me Benefactor anymore. Just address me by my name," Zhang He said.

"Very well, then I shall call you Brother Zhang from now on! You are the savior of this Wang Pengyu, which makes you my brother!" Wang Pengyu declared solemnly.

Zhang He smiled, said nothing more, and walked out.

Wang Pengyu offered to send Zhang He back by carriage, but Zhang He declined, leaving him no choice but to relent. Watching Zhang He depart, the fanaticism on Wang Pengyu's face had yet to fade. He suddenly asked the red-faced man beside him.

"A'can, what kind of person do you think Brother Zhang He is?"

"His future achievements will surely be extraordinary! I saw the insignia of the Martial Child Academy on his clothes, which means he is still just a Martial Child... yet he has already cultivated True Qi," A'can said calmly.

"Ah? This... doesn't this mean that, barring any accidents, he will be able to reach the True Martial Realm in the future?" Wang Pengyu was stunned.

"Correct. He also understands alchemy and is quite proficient in the ways of commerce..." A'can's expression was complex. Watching Zhang He's figure disappear into the distance, he felt a sense of bewilderment. What exactly was his background?

"I, Wang Pengyu, actually had the fortune to befriend such a person?" Wang Pengyu was both shocked and delighted. Even within his own family, there were only a handful of such geniuses!

"However, I have heard a thing or two about the Martial Child Academy. Isn't it said that only the children of a few great families are able to cultivate True Qi before the age of eighteen?"

Wang Pengyu suddenly recalled this, his face clouding with slight confusion.

He had not expected Brother Zhang He to be so good at hiding his true depth!

Zhang He carried a black-bone chicken he had bought from the market and returned home in high spirits. As he approached the door, he heard his little sister's silver-bell laughter from inside.

Zhang He pushed the door open and saw Mother Zhang in the courtyard, picking vegetables with his little sister while teasing Zhang Yu, making her giggle incessantly.

"Ah He is back." Hearing the commotion, Mother Zhang turned her head.

Seeing the black-bone chicken in Zhang He's hand, a look of suspicion flashed across her face, but she said nothing in front of Zhang Yu. Mother Zhang stood up, wiped her hands, and took the chicken from Zhang He. Zhang Yu ran over, demanding to be held by her brother. Zhang He laughed, picked up Zhang Yu, and kissed her cheeks soundly, making her squeal with delight before setting her down.

"Mother, how are you feeling?" Zhang He noticed his mother's complexion had improved significantly.

"Much better, though I still lack strength," Mother Zhang said. She looked at Zhang He, unable to suppress her inner doubts, and asked, "Black-bone chicken is not cheap. Where did you get the money to buy it?"

"I was just about to tell you, Mother. Recently, Mengyin City has been plagued by poisonous insects, and even the city's apothecaries are at their wits' end. The medicine I gave you yesterday can suppress this poison, so I sold some and earned a bit of money!" Zhang He knew he could not hide this forever and that his mother had to know. He set Zhang Yu down, took the money pouch from his person, and handed it to her.

"So much money?" Mother Zhang opened it and was instantly startled. The number of gold coins in the pouch shocked her. In all these years, this was the first time she had seen so much wealth.

"This is only a portion. We will have a steady stream of income later on. I have already entered into a partnership with Wang Family Pharmacy," Zhang He said.

"Wang Family Pharmacy?" A hint of coldness appeared on Mother Zhang's face. "Which Wang Family Pharmacy?"

"It should have nothing to do with Father. This is a massive chain of pharmacies, and this is merely one branch here in Mengyin City," Zhang He thought for a moment before saying. It seemed his mother still held a grudge against his father.

Zhang He knew that in front of his mother, the Wang family was a taboo subject. His hazy memories gave him a slight recollection of what happened back then. His father's betrayal, his lack of integrity, and his decision to take a concubine had caused Mother Zhang to hate him to the core. She had even gone so far as to leave with nothing, changing her children's surnames just to sever all ties with the Wang family! Had she not broken those ties, Zhang He would currently be the young master and eldest legitimate son of the Wang family.

"Sigh, He-zi, you must know that, actually..." Mother Zhang sighed as she looked at Zhang He, then changed the subject. "Go play with your sister; I'll go prepare the chicken."

"Let me do it, you go rest," Zhang He quickly snatched the chicken away, insisting that Mother Zhang rest while he took care of it himself.

Mother Zhang naturally wouldn't stay idle; she walked over, insisting on helping.

"I never expected that medicine to be so miraculous; even your birthmark is gone." Mother Zhang looked at Zhang He's forehead and sighed. Her tone suddenly shifted as she asked, "He-zi, don't lie to me. Tell me, where did this medicine really come from? The Martial Child Academy never teaches alchemy!"

It turned out Mother Zhang had never believed that Zhang He had learned this at the academy.

"Sigh." Zhang He had long since prepared a response. He feigned a sigh, struggled for a moment, and said, "Mother, I will tell you, but you must not tell anyone else. Actually, I had a chance encounter where I helped a down-and-out apothecary. To thank me, he taught me some medicinal formulas, saying that with these, I would never have to worry about food or clothing in the future. However, he told me not to mention it to anyone to avoid unnecessary trouble."

"Ah?" Mother Zhang was taken aback. "So that's how it is. No wonder you never revealed a word of it. I was only worried you had gone down a crooked path. Since that is the case, I am much more at ease. This is your stroke of luck; it seems Heaven is watching over us."

"The Five Poison Beads have detoxifying and beauty-enhancing effects; you can take them too. The dark spots on your face are caused by accumulated toxins, and this can help clear them away," Zhang He said.

Due to years of hard labor and exposure to the elements, Mother Zhang's face had developed dark yellow spots—the marks of aging.

"Good. Good." Mother Zhang smiled. What woman didn't love beauty? Especially when it was something refined by her own son!

After dinner, Mother Zhang called Zhang He to her side.

"He-zi, I see you have recovered well enough. Return to the Martial Child Academy tomorrow. With this money, I don't need to make salted vegetables anymore, so don't worry about me. Staying here will only hinder your studies."

Zhang He felt a stir in his heart. He had actually forgotten about the academy. With the Martial Child assessment approaching, this was the busiest time for the academy.

"Very well, I will return tomorrow."

"When you go to the academy, don't get into disputes with others," Mother Zhang said, hesitating before continuing, "Work hard. Only by achieving a good rank in the assessment can you earn the appreciation of others and secure a good position."

As she spoke, Mother Zhang sighed softly. If only her Silver Eagle Chamber of Commerce were still around... alas, she could no longer help, and everything would depend on her son's own efforts.

At night, in his room, Zhang He watched a pitch-black rat scurry out from right in front of him without a shred of fear.

Zhang He couldn't help but shake his head. "In a few days, once I have some money, I'll buy a new house. I can't keep living here." Zhang He had no particular demands for his quality of life, because he knew that if he wanted to go further on the path of cultivation, he shouldn't concern himself with creature comforts.

The only reason he wanted to buy a new house was that he couldn't bear to see his mother and little sister suffer.

Zhang He closed the door and took out the Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi. He intended to continue his cultivation tonight.

After swallowing the Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi, Zhang He stripped off his clothes, sat cross-legged, and formed hand seals. As he breathed in a specific rhythm, his body turned bright red. The effects of the Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi manifested quickly, and the sensation of Qi within his body began to churn.

True Qi circulated continuously within him, absorbing vast amounts of the Qi sensation. It flowed through his fine meridians to every corner of his body, tempering his flesh and bones.

His entire body felt warm and comfortable.

After circulating his energy for three full cycles, Zhang He felt a slight, bloated pain in his body and stopped. At this moment, the True Qi within him had increased by nearly a third compared to last night. Such a speed of cultivation was truly astonishing.

However...

"This rate of growth is too slow." Zhang He was far from satisfied. "At this rate, I won't have powerful True Qi by the time the Martial Child assessment arrives. I'll head back to the Martial Child Academy tomorrow. If there's nothing going on, I'll head into the mountains to gather deadly poisons and use them to help temper my body and increase my True Qi!"

Zhang He made up his mind. If he wanted to temper his body and rapidly increase his True Qi in a short time, using deadly poison was the best solution!

Deadly poison was also a unique form of power; for instance, the venom of a king cobra could kill a man in minutes. Because such toxins could cause immense damage to the body, the Rejuvenation True Explanation that Zhang He practiced allowed him to absorb the poison into his body, fuse it with his True Qi, and then, by circulating his cultivation technique in reverse, invert the properties of the toxin.

Once the properties of the poison were inverted, it immediately became a potent tonic! The very poison that could have corroded his meridians would, when circulated in reverse, strengthen them instead! Poison was ruthless when it killed, but when used in reverse, it was just as formidable!

What others saw as deadly poison, in Zhang He's hands, was a supreme tonic!

This was the ability of the Poison King!

The Martial Child Academy was home to youths under the age of eighteen. Most teenagers came here to study and cultivate; as long as they achieved good results during the Martial Child assessment, they could secure a promising future.

In the past, Zhang He's cultivation was at the third stage of the Force Martial Realm, and his physical fitness was on par with a sturdy man. However, with this level of cultivation, no one would even spare him a second glance.

Only by reaching the fourth stage of the Force Martial Realm could one earn the respect of others. The Force Martial Realm had three tiers: the first three stages were for ordinary people, the middle three were slightly superior to the common folk, and only the final three stages could be considered a cut above the rest!

"Everyone should be waking up now; I'll head back to the dormitory." Early in the morning, with few people on campus, Zhang He headed straight for the dorms.

The Martial Child Academy's dormitories were divided into male and female sections, separated by a small garden. Within the dorms, everyone had their own private room. However, these rooms were also tiered; given Zhang He's status and lack of money, he could only live in the most basic room, and the environment was poor.

As Zhang He returned to his room, the window of the adjacent room happened to open. A fat boy inside, looking utterly miserable, saw Zhang He and his expression changed instantly. He immediately pulled the door open.

"Zhang He, you've recovered?"

This fat boy was one of the few friends Zhang He had at the Martial Child Academy. His name was Tang Risong, and his family were tailors.

"Yeah. Any plans for today? Why do you look so down?" Zhang He asked curiously.

"You came back at the worst possible time." Tang Risong pulled Zhang He inside, checked the outside, and then walked over to knock on the door of another room. A dark-skinned boy with a miserable expression emerged; his name was Wang Dachui, a name his blacksmith father had given him. This was Zhang He's other friend.

"Zhang He, you're back!" Wang Dachui was surprised to see him.

"Sigh. You really came back at the worst time!" Tang Risong said to Zhang He. "How could you dare to come back? Don't you know we have to go to the martial arts arena today!"

Only then did Zhang He understand why the two looked so miserable. Going to the martial arts arena meant participating in combat drills, which was a nightmare for all the commoner students! He remembered clearly that it was at the martial arts arena where he had been beaten by those wealthy, high-born students!

All of this was for the Body Tempering Liquid. The Body Tempering Liquid was a specially supplied item that was hard to buy even with money; it was a potion specifically designed to temper the body and generate the sensation of Qi. As the Martial Child assessment approached, the Western Chu Kingdom's True Martial Hall would distribute the Body Tempering Liquid to every Martial Child to help them with their final sprint.

There were many Martial Children in Mengyin City, and on average, each person received a quota of three bottles per month. Zhao Feng and his ilk required large quantities of the liquid, so they turned their eyes toward these commoners with average cultivation. In the Martial Child Academy, commoner students made up two-thirds of the population! They could not rob them openly, so they used oppression to force the commoner students to hand over their liquid.

Zhang He had been beaten, naturally, because of the Body Tempering Liquid.

"Clang, clang, clang." The sound of the class bell rang outside. The expressions of Wang Dachui and Tang Risong shifted.

"I think we should just give all our Body Tempering Liquid to Zhao Feng," Tang Risong suddenly said weakly. The fat coward had folded immediately.