A Fortune

Moonlight streamed into the small courtyard, making the room somewhat bright.

Chen Chong was inside counting his money. Banknotes, silver ingots, and loose silver lay spread across the table, stacked in neat order.

He counted them one note at a time, weighed them one piece at a time, then wrote down the final total on paper. Eleven thousand four hundred and thirty-five taels.

These past days, while Li Zhiyi, the chief steward, had been risking his life, Chen Chong had been refining batch after batch of pills in World-Aiding Hall.

Most had been sold to that middle-aged man from the Dark Market. Including the Jade Marrow Essence-Coalescing Pill he had just sold, he had finally scraped together this amount.

The panel lit up.

"Consume ten thousand taels of silver to fuse the Mystic Astral Body-Forging Art?"

Chen Chong chose "Yes." Light flowed across the panel, lines of text appearing and fading away. He only felt a muffled boom within his body, as though something had exploded, reassembled, and fused deep within his bones. Skin, flesh, fascia, bones.

The four had originally resonated as one, but now a new force forcibly stretched, compressed, and reshaped them.

That force seeped from outside to within, like molten iron poured into a mold, filling it inch by inch, solidifying, taking shape.

"Fusion in progress... Fusion successful. Profound Abyss Dragon-Tiger True Canon (Proficient 32/1000)."

Chen Chong opened his eyes and clenched his fist. Fine crackling sounds came from his bones, while an extremely thin, dark sheen surfaced over his skin, like the skin of iron after tempering.

He felt the power brought by the fused technique. Body-hardening martial arts gave more of an outward strength.

Even with only minor mastery of the Profound Abyss Dragon-Tiger True Canon, he could take several blows from Yang He's blade head-on without issue.

Body-hardening placed greater emphasis on moving from outside to within. One first repeatedly hammered and honed the body with external force, tempering the skin, flesh, fascia, and bones layer by layer, then worked from the exterior inward, using qi and blood to nourish the internal organs.

But the requirements were too harsh. Training required constantly destroying the body, then sustaining it with pills and medicinal baths, over and over again, in unbearable pain. That was why few practiced it.

Especially an ancient, precious technique like the Mystic Astral Body-Forging Art—it was even harder to cultivate.

Then another line appeared on the panel: "Consume ten thousand taels of silver to simplify?"

Chen Chong froze.

After confirming that he had not misread it, he simply went blank.

Sure enough, if he wanted to master body-hardening without abusing himself, he would have to spend even more.

He looked at the pile of banknotes he had just emptied and sighed. Ten thousand taels. He had to start saving from scratch again.

He loosened his fist, then clenched it again. His thoughts grew increasingly tangled. Yet the joy brought by becoming stronger grew even clearer.

Dingshan County entered autumn overnight.

The flowers, grass, and trees along the streets gradually began to yellow, green and gold mingling together with a distinctive air.

The wind swept over, carrying the astringent scent of withered leaves.

Pedestrians hurried along more quickly, having changed into padded jackets, their necks tucked in like a flock of quail on the road.

Chen Chong followed a decently dressed servant through the streets.

The servant had prepared a carriage, but Chen Chong did not like riding in one—or rather, he did not want to.

A carriage offered too narrow a view and too little space. In a crisis, it would severely restrict Chen Chong's movements.

As the times grew more chaotic, Chen Chong's heart became more tightly wound.

Walking on the streets, he could see in all directions and hear from every side. His steps could shift at any time, and his body could dodge and turn at any moment.

The servant was from the Li Family. Today, the Li Family head had invited several master alchemists to the residence for a gathering.

After passing through several streets, the words "Li Residence" came into view. A black-lacquered plaque, gold lettering.

Before they even drew close, several guards began questioning them.

Blades hung at their waists, and their gazes sifted Chen Chong from head to toe like sieves. Only after confirming that he was a master alchemist invited by the family head did they let him pass.

Upon entering the courtyard, the many different structures dazzled Chen Chong's eyes: covered walkways, hanging-flower gates, rockeries piled from Taihu stones, a pool of emerald water, and two rows of neatly trimmed cypresses planted by its banks.

And this was only the outer courtyard.

There were many guards, with a sentry every few steps. All wore matching blue cotton short outfits, clubs tucked at their waists.

The farther inward they went, the more splendid it became. The security also grew tighter.

There were checkpoint after checkpoint. At each one, they had to stop and endure another round of questioning.

Chen Chong followed silently behind the servant. If an ordinary person came here, this maze-like place would leave them dizzy and disoriented at once.

At last, they arrived before a building. From the outside, it was exquisitely constructed, every detail impeccably beautiful, everything looking as though it were brand new.

The tiles beneath the eaves were glazed, the pillars under the corridors were nanmu wood, and the window lattices were carved with entwining lotus patterns, their lacquer bright and fresh. Even in autumn, the place exuded vigorous life.

The servant told Chen Chong which room the family head was in, then departed. After the guard at the door announced him, Chen Chong finally entered.

A middle-aged man came into view. He looked like a scholar, lean in build, fair-skinned, with clear and open features. He wore a loose moon-white robe and held a scroll in one hand.

He looked only a little over thirty, but Chen Chong had heard that he was already in his mid-forties, nearly fifty.

The head of the Li Family, Li Huize.

Below him sat three elderly men, presumably the other master alchemists supported by the Li Family.

One wore a dark reddish-brown silk robe, with a round face and a smile hanging from it; one was tall and thin, with graying hair and a stern expression; the last was short and stout, red-faced and glowing with health, rolling two walnuts in his hand.

Before Chen Chong could apologize, a middle-aged man beside the Li Family head greeted him and told him to sit first.

The man looked quite kind and approachable, with a round face, thick brows, and crow's-feet filling the corners of his eyes whenever he smiled. He wore a half-worn blue cotton robe with his sleeves rolled up, looking like a steward.

But Chen Chong could sense the aura on him. Bone-Forging Stage.

Chen Chong sat down before a chair, first apologizing to everyone and saying that he had arrived late before taking his seat.

Li Huize laughed and brushed the matter aside with a single sentence.

Then everyone gradually began chatting. One of the master alchemists was especially talkative.

Chen Chong knew him. He was a master alchemist from the Li Family's main branch, said to be one of Li Huize's elder brothers. In his sixties, he was thin but vigorous, gestured often when speaking, and had a booming voice.

In just a few words, they became familiar. The atmosphere slowly grew livelier, everyone praising one another, and Chen Chong, this young master alchemist, received plenty of compliments as well.

"Master Chen is truly young and promising. I heard World-Aiding Hall's Jade Marrow Essence-Coalescing Pills yield six pills per batch?"

"The younger generation inspires awe, truly inspires awe."

Chen Chong did not pay it much mind and merely responded modestly. He had few chances to speak, and most of the time simply echoed along.

A master alchemist was only a master when there were medicinal ingredients to refine. Without them, even the cleverest housewife could not cook without rice. And medicinal ingredients ultimately remained under the control of these great families.

Still, on the surface, there were only a little over ten alchemists in an entire county worthy of being called masters, so everyone gave each other some face.

A flower-decked sedan needed everyone to lift it. At last, they came to the main matter, shifting the discussion from the rebel army to alchemy.

Li Huize set down the scroll in his hand, straightened up, and swept his gaze over the master alchemists present.

"I invited you masters here this time because I intend to refine a batch of pills." His voice was not loud, but it was clear and steady. "They will mainly be for healing injuries, with some miscellaneous ones to stimulate combat strength as well. The finished pills are needed within ten days."

He paused and lifted his teacup for a sip.

"Eighteen thousand eight hundred taels. In addition, whoever refines the most may enter the Li Family Library and select one cultivation technique."

Chen Chong could not help drawing a sharp breath. Eighteen thousand eight hundred taels. Ten days.

And the chance to select a technique from the library—the Li Family Library was the foundation accumulated over generations. Cultivation techniques, secret arts, pill formulas; it was said to contain quite a few.

The smiles on the master alchemists' faces deepened, and the atmosphere became even more harmonious. Laughter drifted continuously from the room.