After the credit was distributed, Deng Qing received sixty taels of silver in compensation from Fan Sheng and the other three. The County Yamen awarded him another ten taels.
Add the two taels he had found on Mountain-Crossing Wind, and he had seventy-two taels of silver in all.
For Deng Qing, that already counted as striking it rich.
The County Yamen also gave him a small plaque reading "Meritorious Household." Hung on his door, it signaled that his household had served the county, and ordinary runners and ruffians would not dare trouble him.
Celebration Hall, meanwhile, gave him one chance to take a Medicinal Bath.
To Deng Qing, all that was more substantial than a stepping stone to advancement.
After the banquet, the others dispersed. Fan Sheng stopped Deng Qing alone and said in a low voice, "Use the Medicinal Bath Celebration Hall awarded you as soon as you can. They'll extinguish the Earthfire before the year's end and drain the pool for repairs.
"If you put it off until next year, your chance will expire."
Deng Qing cupped his hands. "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother. I'll use it before the year's end."
Despite what he said, Deng Qing still planned to wait a while.
He had his reasons, but could not explain them.
More than a month passed in the blink of an eye.
With the silver he had earned at North Warehouse, meals from Celebration Hall, and the meat Wu Yun supplied, Deng Qing lived far more comfortably than before.
Of course, he did not spend money at brothels or places of entertainment. Each day, he still ate meat, practiced his fistwork, circulated his qi, and slept.
One night, Deng Qing finished a cycle of the Violet Palace Method and slowly breathed out.
A warm current sank through his chest and belly. When he opened his eyes, Clear Radiance appeared.
Deng Qing focused on one entry: [Violet Palace Method: 18% (Initiation)]
The Violet Palace Method's progress delighted him.
From the stages he had passed through with the Tiger-Subduing Fist, he had begun to grasp the pattern.
One to nineteen was Initiation.
Twenty to fifty-nine was Minor Mastery.
Sixty and above was Grand Mastery.
Whether there was a higher threshold beyond Grand Mastery remained uncertain.
Now that the Violet Palace Method had reached eighteen, Minor Mastery was close.
He had also noticed that whenever his training hit a plateau, a powerful replenishment of Qi-Blood often worked wonders in breaking through.
The reason Deng Qing had not used his Medicinal Bath was that he wanted to push the Violet Palace Method to nineteen first.
Then he could use the bath's surge to drive it straight into Minor Mastery.
It was worth mentioning that the Violet Palace Method progressed much more slowly than the Tiger-Subduing Fist, but its benefits were real.
In the past, if Deng Qing ate too much meat in one sitting, his belly often felt bloated and sluggish. He had to practice his fistwork for a long time before the feeling eased.
Now, after one cycle of the Violet Palace Method, it was as though a millstone had appeared in his stomach, grinding the meat bit by bit into warm Qi-Blood that nourished his body.
And whenever practicing the Tiger-Subduing Fist left his Qi-Blood turbulent, one cycle of the Violet Palace Method settled it again.
His recovery had improved considerably, too. Before, he had needed a full incense stick's time to rest after a round of fistwork. Now his strength returned in less than half that time.
This made Deng Qing all the more certain that the seemingly unremarkable Violet Palace Method was the foundation for replenishing Qi-Blood.
If he could push it into Minor Mastery, the benefits would likely be greater still.
At that thought, Deng Qing decided it was time to use his Medicinal Bath.
He headed straight to the nearest pharmacy to buy Tiger Bone Powder and the other supplementary medicines the bath required.
Seeing Deng Qing in Celebration Hall's clothes, the shopkeeper greeted him with a smile.
But as soon as Deng Qing explained what he needed, the shopkeeper said he had none.
Deng Qing was surprised. He had not come unprepared: he had already learned the Medicinal Bath procedure and knew he had to supply the supplementary medicines himself.
He had asked at several pharmacies earlier, and they had stocked everything then.
But these medicines required special storage. Since Deng Qing had not been in a hurry to take the bath, he had worried that keeping them for ten days or half a month would diminish their potency. He had planned to buy them when he was ready to use them.
He had not expected this shop to sell out.
Still calm, Deng Qing went to the second pharmacy, only to come away empty-handed again.
Growing anxious, he hurried to a third pharmacy. The answer was still no. "What if I pay extra?" he asked.
He took out a silver ingot and set it on the counter.
The square-faced shopkeeper shook his head. "Young man, I can see you're from Celebration Hall. It's not that I don't want your silver. I simply don't have the goods.
"The Donghuang Cult just caused trouble, and the county has many wounded. Medicine is in short supply everywhere.
"The things you want were hard to buy even before. Right now, money won't get them."
Deng Qing groaned inwardly. He took back his silver and left the pharmacy. Wind blowing from the street corner sent a chill through him.
As he walked, Deng Qing searched for a way out of his predicament. Suddenly, he thought of Li Cheng. Li Cheng had plenty of connections and was sure to be well informed.
He turned toward Li Cheng's home. Half an hour later, he arrived at a residence that could only be called imposing.
Hearing a servant announce his arrival, Li Cheng came out smiling and invited Deng Qing in.
Deng Qing waved the invitation away. He had come in a rush and brought nothing, he said, so he would not go inside.
Li Cheng sat with him at the stone table by the gate, and they talked there.
Deng Qing explained why he had come. After listening, Li Cheng made no promises. He said he would ask around and told Deng Qing to go back and wait for news.
Early the next morning, Li Cheng came to Celebration Hall, found Deng Qing, and pulled him into a corner. "Medicines really have been hard to get these past few days," he said quietly.
"But there may be an opportunity. The head shopkeeper of Tianshun Apothecary is inside Celebration Hall meeting our master right now."
"The biggest medicine business in the city."
Deng Qing's eyes lit up.
Li Cheng nodded. "One of their medicine convoys ran into trouble at Blackwind Ravine.
"I couldn't find out exactly what happened, but the head shopkeeper came to see Master himself. He probably hopes Celebration Hall will send people to help.
"Given Tianshun Apothecary's standing, I expect Master will agree.
"And with medicines so scarce, plenty of people in the hall need them. If there's an assignment to fetch the medicines, a lot of people will want to go."
"I'll find Senior Brother Fan right now."
Deng Qing turned and left.
He felt more than ever that yielding credit that day and making allies of the others had been a wise move.
When Deng Qing reached the Back Courtyard, Fan Sheng was practicing. Seeing his haste, Fan Sheng stopped and invited him to sit.
Deng Qing remained standing and hurriedly told him the whole story.
"I told you to use it quickly, but you wouldn't listen," Fan Sheng said. "Now that the fire's at your eyebrows, you know to worry.
"Wait here. I'll look into it."
With that, Fan Sheng turned and left. Deng Qing waited beneath the corridor eaves.
More than half an hour later, Fan Sheng returned. Even from a distance, he called out, "Good thing you told me in time. The trip to Blackwind Ravine to collect the medicines has indeed been settled.
"Plenty of Named Disciples volunteered. I used my status as an Initiate Disciple to secure a place for you."
Deng Qing felt a weight lift from his heart.
Fan Sheng continued, "We leave in five days.
"Senior Brother Zhang Yan will lead the group. He's a veteran Initiate Disciple at the Skin Tempering Fourth Layer.
"Senior Brother Zhang has plenty of experience. With him there to hold the line, the trip should be safe."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Deng Qing cupped his hands in thanks.
Fan Sheng waved a hand. "Don't celebrate yet. It's still chaotic out there, so be careful on this trip.
"I'll give you a suit of Leather Armor. I used to wear it myself.
"After I became an Initiate Disciple, a friend gave me Silk Armor, and the Leather Armor went unused. Take it.
"Wear it beneath your clothes. It's light and won't stop a heavy blade or spear, but it can at least ward off flying stones and hidden arrows."
Deng Qing cupped his hands and thanked him again.
Fan Sheng waved a hand. "There's one more thing you'd best get.
"You practice the Tiger-Subduing Fist, so you're formidable at close quarters. But blades are what you need to fear most.
"If your opponent uses a weapon, fighting barehanded puts you at too great a disadvantage.
"You could rent a pair of Silver Crow Handwraps."