As he spoke, Deng Qing took out another fifty taels in silver notes and handed them to Elder Wu. "Sorry for the trouble, senior, but please give this money to Wu Yun at the Five Blessings Butcher Shop and have him send someone here with cooked meat seven times a day. He can spend it all within ten days."
At current prices, one tael of silver could buy thirty jin of meat. Deng Qing's fifty taels were enough for fifteen hundred jin.
Once cooked, even accounting for labor and waste, fifty taels would still buy nearly a thousand jin of meat.
Now that Deng Qing had made progress with the Violet Palace Method, seven meals a day, with more than ten jin of cooked meat at each, were no trouble at all.
Elder Wu understood at once. "You want to make a big push over the next few days?"
Deng Qing nodded. "With chaos everywhere, I can hide for a while, but not forever. If I turn my resources into strength first, I'll have a better chance of surviving later."
Elder Wu nodded and put away the silver notes. "All right. I'll arrange it."
After Elder Wu left, Deng Qing shut the door and immediately sat cross-legged to steady his breathing.
Toward evening, Wu Yun personally brought over a food box full of meat. He gave Deng Qing a thumbs-up. "I knew you weren't a fish meant for a pond, junior brother, but I never expected you to strike a deal with Tianshun Apothecary so quickly. Impressive."
Deng Qing exchanged a few courtesies with Wu Yun, who then took his leave.
Deng Qing shut the door tight and opened the three-tiered food box. Inside sat three huge bowls brimming with braised pork, at least twelve or thirteen jin in all. Steam rolled out, carrying the rich smell of fat.
Deng Qing ate his fill. Once the food had settled, he took the Blacksteel Soft Sword from his waist and practiced the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude in his room.
In a blink, ten days passed.
That day, Deng Qing stood in his room, the Blacksteel Soft Sword hanging silently from his hand.
A flying insect slipped through a crack in the window and circled the room.
Deng Qing's eyes shifted. The soft sword trembled, and its gleam flashed just once.
The insect still hung in midair. The next instant, it split in two and drifted to the floor. The sword tip had not stirred so much as a whisper of wind.
Deng Qing lowered his sword, his thoughts stirring.
In truth, he had not taken a single step outside his room in those ten days.
Cooked meat arrived seven times a day, and he ate every scrap.
He drank every bowl of medicinal broth Elder Wu sent, too.
After Elder Wu's adjustments, the broth's mixed medicinal properties carried little toxicity. Once it reached Deng Qing's stomach, the Violet Palace Method dissolved them with ease.
Over those ten days, Deng Qing's Qi-Blood had grown much stronger than when he first entered the apothecary. His arms, fingers, and wrists had grown more nimble as well, and his swordsmanship had improved along with them.
With a thought, Clear Radiance appeared.
[Heaven Helps Those Who Help Themselves, No Effort Is Wasted] [Realm: Skin Refining Second Layer] [Tiger-Subduing Fist: 73% (Grand Mastery)] [Violet Palace Method: 37% (Minor Mastery)] [Seven Forms of Settling Solitude: 36% (Minor Mastery)]
The longer Deng Qing looked, the more pleased he felt. If only I could keep hiding here and eating like this for another ten days or half a month.
Unfortunately, his silver was nearly gone.
Worse, the situation outside was growing more dangerous.
The servant Elder Wu sent with the medicinal broth had brought plenty of news over the past few days. Among it was word that the County Yamen had repeatedly come to Celebration Hall demanding men.
They said every Martial Artist on the roster who had yet to carry out a mission would be investigated thoroughly.
Rumor also had it that the county intended to kill one to warn a hundred.
Deng Qing knew perfectly well that warning a hundred was a pretext. They wanted to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.
After all, the County Yamen might not be able to touch the sons of wealthy families who refused missions, but picking out a powerless chicken to slaughter would be easy enough.
Deng Qing feared he might be that chicken. Naturally, he could not stay any longer.
Early that morning, Deng Qing packed his things, wrapped the Blacksteel Soft Sword around his waist, and headed for Celebration Hall.
When he arrived, a heavy gloom hung over the front courtyard.
Many injured disciples sat beneath the corridor. Some had arms in slings, while others leaned against the wall with thick bandages around their chests, groaning softly. The whole courtyard smelled of blood and medicine.
Deng Qing had prepared for this. Before entering, he had smeared his face black and rubbed ash into his collar and cuffs. He looked as though he had just crawled out of a furnace room.
Once inside Celebration Hall, he went straight to Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan was assigning men in the front hall. A roster lay spread across his desk, and several disciples who handled administrative matters stood beside him, all wearing grim expressions.
When Deng Qing entered, Zhang Yan's gaze lingered on his soot-blackened face for several breaths.
Deng Qing cupped his hands. "Senior Brother Zhang, Deng Qing has finished refining medicine and returned to report. Please assign me a mission."
Seeing the state he was in, Zhang Yan sighed. "You've had it hard too."
He closed the roster in his hand and glanced toward the wounded in the courtyard. "Ordinarily, I'd let you rest for a few more days. But you can see for yourself. We're short of people everywhere.
"Go back and prepare. You'll leave with the group in two hours."
Deng Qing's heart sank, but he cupped his hands and accepted the order. "Yes."
As he came out of the hall, he heard someone call his name. Turning, he saw Fan Sheng standing beneath the corridor.
Thick white bandages wrapped Fan Sheng's left shoulder, with blood seeping through. His face was far paler than usual.
Deng Qing hurried over. "Senior Brother Fan, you're hurt?"
"It won't kill me."
Fan Sheng lowered his voice. "Going off to refine medicine spared you one disaster. The next one won't be so easy to dodge."
Deng Qing's brow tightened. "What happened?"
Fan Sheng glanced around. "The fighting isn't going well. Small groups from the Donghuang Cult have already slipped close to the city.
"Orders have come from the prefecture. Everjoy County and Dongting County are to join forces and wipe out several Donghuang Cult strongholds outside the city.
"County Commandant Su Bing will lead the force. Celebration Hall has to send thirty men. The escort agencies and wealthy households must send men too, along with the county soldiers. Around two hundred in all. This will be a vicious fight."
Deng Qing nodded. "I'll be careful. With an injury like that, senior brother, you should rest and recover."
Fan Sheng shook his head. "If only I were that lucky. Almost everyone the hall can spare has already been called up. Senior Brother Zhang is worried sick trying to find enough men. If I can still walk, I have to fight."
"It's that bad?"
Deng Qing grew tense.
Fan Sheng continued, "Li Cheng, Wang Wei, and Zhou Tie will all fight. The County Magistrate is truly furious this time. Every Martial Artist without a record of fighting will be investigated and severely punished. They can't avoid it either."
Deng Qing took in the news, then asked, "For a battle this big, isn't the county offering any rewards?"
Deng Qing still cared about what he would get for the risk.
"Yes."
Fan Sheng said, "To be honest, I've fought twice so far and earned more than seventy taels of silver, plus five Ginseng Pills."
Deng Qing's eyes gleamed.
Fan Sheng said, "Some were rewards from above. The rest came from hunting down Donghuang Cult remnants.
"Those bastards have crossed prefectures and counties, and they carry plenty of valuables. If you survive, there's a lot to gain."
He patted Deng Qing on the shoulder. "But remember, silver's no good if you don't live to collect it."
Deng Qing spoke with Fan Sheng a little longer before Fan Sheng waved him off. "Go steady your breathing. Two hours isn't long, but every bit of composure helps."
Deng Qing nodded, found a quiet corner, sat down, and closed his eyes to steady his breathing.
Two hours later, drums sounded from the west of the city.
Zhang Yan emerged from the hall and said in a deep voice, "Move out."
The group left Celebration Hall and headed straight for the drill ground on the west side of the city.
By the time they arrived, quite a few people had already gathered there.