Chapter 22 - A Man

Long Chen was startled. That woman? "It's the woman you fought with earlier," Master Yun Qi said solemnly. "What's wrong? Is there something about her?" Long Chen asked, puzzled. Master Yun Qi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Come with me." Long Chen followed Master Yun Qi to his study, curiosity piqued. The woman was only at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, not enough to warrant Master Yun Qi's special attention. Once inside, Yun Qi closed the door and, with a wave of his hand over his ring, a scroll appeared. "Swoosh." The scroll unfolded, and Long Chen was taken aback. The scroll depicted a beautiful woman, delicate and refined, sitting in front of an ancient cauldron, refining pills. What shocked Long Chen was that the woman's face was almost identical to the madwoman he had encountered. But the woman in the painting was serene and gentle, unlike the madwoman, who was the complete opposite. "This is..." Long Chen ventured, noting the ancient nature of the scroll. He didn't understand why Yun Qi showed him this. "The woman in the painting is my wife," Yun Qi said, a rare warmth crossing his stern face. Long Chen was stunned, not expecting this revelation and unsure of what to say. After a long pause, Yun Qi gently put away the scroll and sighed, "My beloved wife passed away long ago. When I first saw that woman, I almost thought my eyes were deceiving me. It took me a long time to calm down. But when she insisted on becoming my apprentice, I became wary." "Does she have some secret purpose?" Long Chen asked, startled. Yun Qi smiled slightly but didn't answer. After a pause, he said, "She is also a Dan Apprentice, very talented, possibly even more so than you. So be cautious." Long Chen felt a bit lost, but Yun Qi wouldn't elaborate further. He took Long Chen's jade token and inscribed it with his unique mark. This mark contained a trace of Yun Qi's soul power. With it, Long Chen could obtain a portion of precious herbs from the guild's pharmacy on credit. After inscribing the mark, Long Chen was promptly sent out, leaving him with countless questions. It seemed the madwoman's appearance was no coincidence. If it was deliberate, what was her intention? *Could she be Master Yun Qi's...? But considering Master Yun Qi's age, it seemed unlikely. Even if she was, she should be more demure. Who could tolerate such an overbearing woman?* *Does Master Yun Qi have other secrets? Could she be his illegitimate daughter?* *No, that doesn't make sense. Yun Qi's illegitimate daughter wouldn't resemble his wife so closely.* Long Chen's head ached from thinking about it. He decided against overthinking it. Yun Qi wouldn't harm him, but caution was advisable. With the jade token in hand, Long Chen headed directly to the pharmacy. When he presented his token, the apprentice's attitude became immediately respectful. Long Chen inquired about the process for obtaining herbs on credit. He learned that with a first-tier credit rating, he could procure herbs worth up to five million gold coins, limited to first-tier herbs. Long Chen's credit rating was second-tier, allowing him to obtain up to thirty million gold coins' worth of first-tier herbs and up to five portions of second-tier herbs. This result pleased Long Chen immensely. With such credit, he no longer feared not having money for herbs. Typically, alchemists broke even if they succeeded once out of five attempts, and profit if they succeeded twice. For Long Chen, with the memory of the Dan Emperor, the failure rate for first-tier pills was zero. If not for his poor Pill Fire, his efficiency would be even higher. However, as for second-tier pills, Long Chen decided against it. With his current Pill Fire, refining second-tier pills would exhaust him. For now, he focused on condensing the Wind Mansion Star. It was newly formed, with much room for enhancement. He needed to perfect it. Long Chen wanted to buy all the ingredients for refining the Wind Mansion Pill at once, but the guild didn't have enough stock. Reluctantly, Long Chen procured fifty portions of the necessary ingredients and bought some other first-tier herbs, as he could sell refined pills to the guild for money. In the Fengming Empire, martial arts were prevalent, the population large, and adventurers numerous. Pills were always in high demand. Fortunately, the Alchemist Guild was a conscientious organization, never price-gouging. Otherwise, their wealth accumulation would be the quickest and most ruthless. Upon returning from the guild, Long Chen heard commotion ahead and hurried over to see. He found over ten men beating someone, a round, plump middle-aged man pointing and cursing loudly at the person on the ground. "Brother, what's going on here?" Long Chen asked a bystander. "Hehe, you'll laugh when you hear it. See that eighty-foot chimney? That idiot built it. Today, the owner came to inspect and nearly fainted at the sight. That big fool had looked at the plans upside down. They were supposed to dig a well instead, hahaha..." Long Chen nearly burst out laughing. Were there such oddities in the world? He glanced at the person being beaten and felt a slight shock. The person wasn't much older than Long Chen, but he was tall and exceptionally strong. He lay on the ground, enduring the blows without fighting back. What shocked Long Chen was the strange force that deflected the attackers' punches and kicks off the person's body. If not for Long Chen's keen soul perception, he wouldn't have sensed the subtle fluctuations. Yet the young man had no spiritual power, clearly not a cultivator. The young man showed no reaction despite being beaten for a long time. Instead, the attackers were panting, with sore hands and feet. "Damn it, this idiot is costing me a fortune! Beat him to death!" The fat owner, furious at the sight of the chimney, cursed and kicked him a few times. "Stop!" A voice suddenly called out. "Who do you think you are, telling us to stop?" the owner snapped, turning to see who spoke. Seeing the newcomer, the owner broke into a cold sweat, stammering, "Yo... young lord..." "Stop it. Here's a hundred gold coins, enough to tear down the chimney and dig a new well," Long Chen said, tossing him a bag of coins. He had no interest in arguing with such people. The others quickly stopped, and the fat owner hurriedly said, "Young lord, this..." "Take it and get lost." Long Chen frowned, speaking coldly. Seeing the fat man's face, Long Chen knew this fool wanted to ingratiate himself, so he snorted coldly. Such people shouldn't be given face. "Yes, yes, I'll leave now." The fat man quickly left, taking his men with him. "Young brother, get up," Long Chen said, looking at the boy still lying on the ground. The boy seemed to be asleep, but at Long Chen's words, he raised his head, bewildered to find his attackers gone. "Did you save me?" the boy asked, confused. "Get up, and we can talk," Long Chen smiled. The boy seemed simple and honest, evoking goodwill. "Okay." When the boy stood, the onlookers gasped. Lying down, he seemed large, but standing, his size was astonishing. The boy was nearly ten feet tall, a giant, making those around him feel pressured. "So tall." Long Chen was also surprised. He was like a child next to the boy. "Why didn't you fight back when they hit you?" Long Chen asked. Given his strength, he could have easily subdued his attackers. "They said I made a mistake, so I couldn't fight back," the boy said honestly. Long Chen shook his head. The boy was strong but seemed as innocent as a child. It was rare to find someone so simple and honest, though his intellect was worrying. "Where is your home?" "I have no home. Brother, do you need a laborer? I don't need wages, just food. I'm very hungry," the boy pleaded. Long Chen was about to speak when someone warned, "Young lord, don't be fooled. This boy can eat a whole cow in one sitting. Hiring him isn't worthwhile." "No, I can go without meat, just some food," the boy said anxiously. "Alright, come with me. What's your name?" Long Chen asked. "I'm called Man Niu. Thank you, brother," Man Niu said happily. "Alright, from now on, I'll call you A Man. You can call me Brother Long," Long Chen nodded. "Okay, Brother Long," A Man said, nodding earnestly. After Long Chen and A Man left, the onlookers were envious of the foolish boy, who was favored by a noble. Foolishness indeed had its blessings. As they walked, Long Chen asked about A Man's past. He said he had been found by a kind person, but when he was five, a plague took the lives of everyone in his village, leaving him the sole survivor. He had wandered to the Imperial Capital, working odd jobs for food but was soon driven away due to his appetite, leading a hard life. "A Man, follow me, and I won't let you go hungry," Long Chen promised, feeling a twinge of sympathy. Indeed, exceptional people shared their excellence, while the unfortunate had their unique hardships. Though their statuses differed, their struggles were similar. Long Chen had only recently turned his luck. As they walked, entering a wide road, sudden cries rang out as a large figure rushed past. It was a luxurious carriage, pulled by a Scarlet Blood Yak, a first-tier beast, galloping without regard for those around it. A five or six-year-old girl was playing by the roadside. Seeing the massive yak, she froze in fear, unable to dodge, about to be crushed. Long Chen snorted coldly. With a burst underfoot, the bricks shattered, and he shot forward like lightning, scooping up the girl and dodging aside. Just as Long Chen steadied himself, the carriage brushed past them. He thought it was over when an angry voice called out: "Insolent commoner, daring to block the way, courting death!" With a cold snort, a whip lashed out at Long Chen with a gust of wind.