A Meeting Gift

Chen Jing accepted the wooden box with both hands and opened it to look.

Inside was a layer of velvet, and atop the cloth, three dark-red medicinal pills were arranged neatly. Their color was deep and lustrous—they were Blood-Qi Pills.

"There are three Blood-Qi Pills in here. I hope you will cultivate diligently from now on, and that blue will come from indigo yet surpass it."

Cheng Lianshan spoke as lightly as clouds and wind.

As if it were the most ordinary gift imaginable.

Before Chen Jing could speak, Mei Qinghe had already smiled and prompted him, "Little Junior Brother, one Blood-Qi Pill is worth a hundred taels of patterned silver."

"Master has placed great hopes in us. We should work twice as hard."

Chen Jing's heart trembled slightly.

Three Blood-Qi Pills—that was three hundred taels of silver.

Butcher Zhang ran a pork shop, rising before dawn and working until dark for a year and a half, and even then he could never save up a hundred taels.

He had never expected that a casual gift from Cheng Lianshan would equal several years of Butcher Zhang's savings. Now he finally understood what people meant by "poor scholars, rich martial artists."

How was this practicing martial arts? This was clearly burning silver.

And this was only a first-meeting gift.

From now on, the monthly medicinal baths, Blood-Qi Powder—which of them did not cost money?

Although Chen Jing did not know how other martial halls were, his direct impression was that Cheng Lianshan had already spent enormous effort and resources in nurturing his inner-courtyard disciples.

Even Wang Chong, standing to the side, was dumbstruck.

He had not expected that this Head Cheng of his would give such a precious first-meeting gift the moment he made a move.

The friendship he had accumulated in the border army was valued by Cheng Lianshan far more heavily than he had imagined.

"Thank you, Master."

Chen Jing closed the wooden box and gave a solemn bow.

Zhang Chengji said, "Little Junior Brother, we senior brothers and sisters also have to prepare gifts for you. But we are not as well-off as Master, so we can only do what we can. Little Junior Brother, please don't disdain them."

Chen Jing was stunned and hurriedly said, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters' kindness—Chen Jing receives the thought."

"How could I dare make all of you spend money?"

"This is our master's sect's custom."

Zhang Chengji waved a hand. "Just accept them. No need to refuse."

"My family has smelted iron and forged weapons for generations. I have nothing else presentable, so I can only forge a weapon for Little Junior Brother."

"But I don't know what kind of weapon Little Junior Brother likes to use. In the future, we can discuss it. Tell me your thoughts, and I'll draw up the design."

Mei Qinghe smiled and said, "Eldest Senior Brother gives weapons every time. Too much killing and bloodshed."

"Then I'll give Little Junior Brother a pair of bracers and a suit of soft armor. When traveling outside, protecting yourself comes first."

"Weapons are for offense, armor is for defense. Only with both offense and defense is it considered secure."

Liu Yunfei laughed heartily.

"With Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister's pearls and jade before me, I, a dock coolie, don't have any decent objects to bring out."

"I only have some yellow and white things—fifty taels of patterned silver."

"I hope Little Junior Brother will accept it with a smile."

He took a money pouch from his robes, set it on the table, and pushed it over. "Little Junior Brother has only just come to Green Mountain City and is unfamiliar with the people and place. If you run into any difficulty, come to the docks and find me."

"As for the three teachings and nine streams in the city, I've at least made myself a familiar face among them all."

Chen Jing took the money pouch. It felt heavy in his hand. He cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, Third Senior Brother."

Cheng Qingshi set down his tea bowl, glanced at Chen Jing, and, sparing words like gold, said, "I'll give you one more Blood-Qi Pill."

After saying this, he took out a porcelain bottle and pushed it over, then said no more, as if he were merely reporting a number.

Chen Jing knew this Fourth Senior Brother's temperament, so he did not say much either. He cupped his fists and thanked him.

Hu Yang took up the thread with a beaming smile.

"My family is in the silk and satin business. I don't have anything else presentable, so I'll add a few sets of seasonal clothes for Little Junior Brother."

"From what I see of Little Junior Brother's build, anything you wear will look crisp and proper. Another day, I'll have a tailor come take your measurements, and once they're finished, I'll have them sent to you."

Liang Youheng was the last to speak.

His voice was somewhat low, as if he lacked confidence. When he spoke, his gaze hung slightly downward, not looking directly into Chen Jing's eyes.

"Little junior brother, I... I'm a bit short on money right now, so I can only add one portion of Blood-Qi Powder for you. I hope you won't disdain it."

Chen Jing accepted the packet of Blood-Qi Powder wrapped in oiled paper with both hands and said solemnly, "Many thanks, Sixth Senior Brother."

Seeing that his disciples had finished exchanging gifts back and forth, Cheng Lianshan nodded in satisfaction and rose to his feet.

"All right, disperse. Don't go home too late."

"Tomorrow, those who should practice, practice; those who should work, work. Don't delay your proper livelihoods."

Everyone stood, saluted, and filed out one after another.

Chen Jing and Liang Youheng both lived in the martial hall, so they walked together, following the long corridor toward the side courtyard.

The night was already deep. In the courtyard, the leaves of two loquat trees rustled in the evening wind, and moonlight spilled over the ground as if a thin layer of frost had been laid across it.

Liang Youheng walked beside Chen Jing. At first, the two exchanged a few polite words, making idle talk about things like "the dishes tonight were quite good" and "the weather's getting warmer."

After they had walked for a while, Liang Youheng gradually began to speak more.

He said his mother had died early, and his father had been conscripted to the northern lands. Later, a letter had come back saying he had died in battle, and even his bones had not been brought home.

From then on, only he and his grandfather had been left in the family.

His grandfather was Steward Liang, an old servant who had worked in the Cheng household for more than ten years. Cheng Lianshan had pitied Steward Liang's hardship, and seeing that Liang Youheng had some talent for martial arts, had taken him into the inner courtyard.

"Master's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain."

When Liang Youheng said this, his tone was solemn.

"If not for Master, my fate in this life would probably have been carrying sacks at the docks."

Chen Jing listened quietly without interrupting.

When they reached the entrance to the side courtyard, Liang Youheng realized he had said quite a lot. He subconsciously scratched his head and said apologetically, "Little junior brother, did I talk too much? You should rest early. We still have to get up early to practice tomorrow."

Chen Jing smiled.

"Not at all. I've only just arrived."

"I should be thanking Sixth Senior Brother for looking after me."

Liang Youheng grinned, sincerely and from the heart.

The next day, before the sky had fully brightened, Chen Jing got out of bed.

He pushed open the window, and the morning breeze wrapped in the fragrance of the flowers and trees in the rear courtyard rushed in. He walked beneath the loquat tree in the courtyard, assumed the posture of the Fierce Tiger Stance, and began his daily stance training anew.

Four Blood-Qi Pills, one packet of Blood-Qi Powder.

Chen Jing was not in a hurry to take them yet.

Now that he had entered Cheng Lianshan's tutelage, if he learned a higher-level foundational method, perhaps he could use the Blood-Qi Pills to quickly get started.

Chen Jing stood for about half an hour, and the sky turned bright.

The door to the room on the other side creaked open.

Liang Youheng came out rubbing his eyes. Seeing that Chen Jing was already standing in the courtyard with heat steaming from his whole body, he froze for a moment.

"Little junior brother, when did you get up?"

"At the end of the Tiger Hour." Chen Jing ended his stance and wiped the sweat from his face.

"The end of the Tiger Hour?" Liang Youheng smacked his lips.

"I already count as getting up early, but you're half an hour earlier than me. You really are hardworking."

He walked to the water vat in the courtyard, drew a bucket of cold water to wash his face, and said as he washed, "Let's go. Breakfast should be ready in the kitchen."

"After we eat, I'll go to the Martial Arts Arena to practice, then head to the docks to work. Master should look for you and teach you some things."

Chen Jing nodded.

The two went to the kitchen together for breakfast: coarse grain porridge, mixed-flour steamed buns, a plate of pickled radish, and two boiled eggs.

The food was simple but plentiful.

The cook at the stove was a plump middle-aged woman. Seeing that Chen Jing was a newly arrived inner-courtyard disciple, she even specially stuffed an extra egg into his hand.

Chen Jing thanked her and finished eating in a few bites. Then Steward Liang came to find him and led him toward the inner courtyard.