Muster the Troops

As he spoke, Deng Qing took out another fifty-tael banknote and handed it to Elder Wu. "Sorry for the trouble, Senior. Please give this money to Wu Yun at Five Blessings Butcher Shop and have him send people to deliver cooked meat here seven times a day. As long as it is all spent within ten days, that will do."

At current prices, one tael of silver could buy thirty jin of fresh meat. Deng Qing's fifty taels were enough to buy fifteen hundred jin of meat.

Once cooked, accounting for labor and loss, fifty taels could still be exchanged for nearly a thousand jin of cooked meat.

Now that Deng Qing had made progress in the Violet Palace Method, seven meals a day and more than ten jin of cooked meat per meal were nothing to him.

Elder Wu understood at once. "You want to seize these next few days and make a fierce push?"

Deng Qing nodded. "The chaos is rising in waves. I can hide for a while, but not forever. I should turn resources into skill first, so I will have one more shred of hope of surviving in the future."

Elder Wu nodded and put away the banknotes. "Fine. I'll arrange it for you."

After Elder Wu left, Deng Qing shut the door and immediately sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

Near evening, Wu Yun personally delivered a food box full of meat. Giving Deng Qing a thumbs-up, he said, "I knew Junior Brother was no ordinary fish in the pond, but I never expected you to reach a partnership with Tianshun Apothecary so quickly. Impressive, truly impressive."

Deng Qing exchanged a few courteous words with Wu Yun, and Wu Yun then took his leave.

Deng Qing tightly shut the door and opened the three-tiered food box. Inside were three huge bowls heaped with braised pork, no less than twelve or thirteen jin in all. Steam carrying the fragrance of oil rushed into his face.

Deng Qing ate his fill. Once the food had settled, he removed the Blacksteel Soft Sword from his waist and began practicing the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude in the room.

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

That day, Deng Qing stood in the room, the Blacksteel Soft Sword hanging soundlessly from his hand.

A flying insect slipped through a crack in the window and circled through the air.

Deng Qing's gaze shifted slightly. The soft sword trembled, and sword light flashed only once.

The insect was still suspended in midair, but in the next instant, it split into two from the middle and gently fell to the floor. The sword tip had not stirred even the faintest whisper of wind.

Deng Qing sheathed his sword, his mind slightly stirred.

Strictly speaking, during these ten days, he had not taken half a step outside his side room.

Seven deliveries of cooked meat arrived every day, and he ate however much came.

He did not miss a single bowl of medicinal soup Elder Wu sent over either.

After Elder Wu's treatment, the mixed medicinal properties in the soup had been tempered, and its medicinal toxicity greatly reduced. Once it entered Deng Qing's stomach, the Violet Palace Method easily dissolved it.

After ten days, Deng Qing's qi and blood had grown far more abundant than when he first entered the apothecary. His arms, fingers, and wrists had also become increasingly nimble, and his swordsmanship had improved by no small measure as well.

At a thought, a clear radiance emerged.

[Heaven Helps Those Who Help Themselves, No Effort Is Wasted]

[Realm: Skin Refining Second Layer]

[Tiger-Subduing Fist: 73% (Great Mastery)]

[Violet Palace Method: 37% (Minor Mastery)]

[Seven Forms of Settling Solitude: 36% (Minor Mastery)] ```

The more Deng Qing looked, the more satisfied he became. If only I could keep hiding like this and eat for another ten days or half a month.

Unfortunately, his silver was nearly spent.

Even more troublesome, the situation outside was worsening by the day.

The servant Elder Wu sent to deliver medicinal soup had brought quite a bit of news these past few days. One piece of it was that the county yamen had repeatedly come to Celebration Hall to press for men.

They said that all martial artists listed on the roster who had yet to carry out assignments would be strictly investigated.

There were also rumors that the county intended to kill one as a warning to a hundred.

Deng Qing understood perfectly well that killing one as a warning to a hundred was false; killing a chicken to frighten the monkeys was the truth.

After all, the county yamen might not be able to touch the children of powerful families in the city who refused assignments, but picking out a chicken with neither power nor backing to slaughter posed no problem.

Deng Qing feared that he was that chicken, so naturally he could no longer remain there.

Early that morning, Deng Qing finished packing, wrapped the Blacksteel Soft Sword back around his waist, and hurried toward Celebration Hall.

When he reached Celebration Hall, the front courtyard was steeped in oppression.

Quite a few injured disciples sat beneath the corridors. Some had arms hanging in slings, while others had thick cloth wrapped around their chests as they leaned against the walls and groaned softly. The entire courtyard reeked of blood and medicine.

Deng Qing had come prepared. Before entering, he smeared his face black with soot and stained his collar and cuffs with ash, making himself look as though he had just crawled out of a furnace room.

Once inside Celebration Hall, he went straight to see Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan was assigning manpower in the front hall. A roster lay spread across the table, and several steward disciples stood beside him, every one of them wearing an ugly expression.

When Deng Qing entered, Zhang Yan's gaze rested 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 in. Please assign me a task."

Seeing how disheveled he looked, Zhang Yan sighed. "It hasn't been easy for you either."

As he spoke, he closed the roster in his hand and looked again at the wounded men in the courtyard. "Originally, I should have let you rest and recover for a few more days. But as you can see, we are short of people everywhere.

"Go back and prepare. In two hours, you will depart with the team."

Deng Qing's heart sank, but he still cupped his hands and answered, "Yes."

As he emerged from the hall, he heard someone call for him. Turning his head, he saw Fan Sheng standing beneath the corridor.

Fan Sheng's left shoulder was wrapped in thick white cloth, with blood still seeping through it. His face was also much paler than usual.

Deng Qing quickly walked over. "Senior Brother Fan, you're injured?"

"It won't kill me."

Fan Sheng lowered his voice. "Going off to refine medicine helped you escape one calamity. But escaping the next one will be difficult."

Deng Qing's brow tightened. "What happened?"

Fan Sheng glanced around. "The battle situation at the front is unfavorable. Small groups from the Donghuang Cult have already infiltrated outside the city.

"Military orders have come from the prefecture. Everjoy County and Dongting County are to act jointly and uproot several Donghuang Cult strongholds outside the city.

"Later, County Lieutenant Su Bing will lead the force. Our Celebration Hall must send thirty people. The various escort agencies and wealthy households must also send men, and together with the county yamen soldiers, there will be over two hundred in all. This time, it will definitely be a brutal battle."

Deng Qing nodded. "I'll be careful. Senior Brother is injured like this, so you should focus on recovering properly."

Fan Sheng shook his head. "Where would I find such good fortune? The people the hall can mobilize have long since been mobilized. Senior Brother Zhang is worrying himself sick trying to gather enough men. Those like me who can still walk must go into battle as well."

"So serious?"

Deng Qing's expression turned stern.

Fan Sheng continued, "Li Cheng, Wang Wei, and Zhou Tie will all be going into battle. This time, the county magistrate has truly flown into a rage. Any martial artist without a record of going into battle will be strictly investigated and heavily punished. They can't hide from it either."

After digesting this news, Deng Qing asked, "For such a large battle, does the county offer no rewards?"

Deng Qing still cared about the ratio between effort and reward.

"There are."

Fan Sheng said, "To be honest, I went into battle twice before and earned more than seventy taels of silver, along with five Ginseng Pills."

A sharp gleam burst from Deng Qing's eyes.

Fan Sheng said, "Part of it was awarded from above, and part came from hunting down the remaining Donghuang Cult scum.

"These bastards travel across prefectures and counties with quite a few good things on them. As long as you survive, the returns are considerable."

After saying that, he patted Deng Qing on the shoulder. "But remember this: silver may be good, but you need to be alive before you can take it."

Deng Qing spoke with Fan Sheng for a little longer, then Fan Sheng waved him off. "Go regulate your breathing. Two hours isn't long. Being steadier by even one fraction is still something."

Deng Qing nodded, found a secluded spot, sat down, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Two hours later, booming drums sounded from the west of the city.

Zhang Yan walked out of the hall and said in a deep voice, "Move out."

The group left Celebration Hall and headed straight for the military grounds west of the city.

By the time they arrived, quite a few people had already gathered on the military grounds.