Chapter 23 - Guts of Steel

The whip moved with astonishing speed and a cunning angle, wielded by a whip master. Long Chen could have dodged it, but with a little girl in his arms, his movements were restricted. Anger surged in his heart, and it was too late to dodge now. He protected the little girl in his embrace, channeled spiritual energy through his feet to shield his body, and prepared to take the whip head-on with his arm. At that moment, a huge figure blocked Long Chen's front. "Crack!" A loud snap echoed, and Ah Man, who stood before Long Chen, grinned. It was Ah Man who had used his back to block the whip. "Boom!" A chilling gleam flashed in Long Chen's eyes, but before he could see clearly who had struck, the carriage had already sped away. A soft exclamation reached his ears, indicating that the person was also surprised by Ah Man's appearance but did not stop. "Ah Man, are you alright?" Long Chen suppressed his anger and asked. "Brother Long, I'm fine. I've been beaten so many times since I was little that I've gotten used to it," Ah Man replied nonchalantly. However, his clothes were torn, and on his broad back was a long bloody mark, with blood slowly trickling down. At this moment, a woman rushed over, took the little girl in her arms, and thanked Long Chen and Ah Man profusely while crying. Ah Man chuckled foolishly, and after Long Chen gently comforted the little girl, he also left. But Long Chen was fuming inside. In broad daylight, in the bustling market, someone dared to lash him with a whip? He was determined to find out who had the audacity. Though Ah Man's wounds looked gruesome with all the blood, they were only superficial and not serious. This made Long Chen marvel at Ah Man's terrifying physical body. The person who struck was incredibly powerful, yet only managed to scratch Ah Man's skin. As they walked, suddenly Ah Man's stomach growled loudly, like thunder, startling Long Chen. He suddenly realized something when he saw a bun shop nearby, with the aroma of meat wafting over. Ah Man looked embarrassed and said, "Brother Long, I'm not hungry." "It's fine. I'm hungry. Let's have a bite," Long Chen said, leading Ah Man to the bun shop. They found a table, and Long Chen tossed a gold coin to the shop owner, saying, "Bring out all the buns you have." "Brother Long, I'm really not hungry. Actually, just rice will do," Ah Man quickly added. From countless past experiences, Ah Man knew that anyone who saw him eat would usually end up avoiding him, and he feared repeating that mistake. "Ah Man, you took a whip for me; you're my brother. I, Long Chen, would do the same for you. So don't say things that brothers shouldn't say," Long Chen said earnestly. For someone he had just met to be willing to take a whip for him, such a person was worthy of being called a brother by Long Chen. "Brother Long, I..." Ah Man suddenly covered his face and began to cry. After years of wandering, it was the first time he felt warmth, the first time someone treated him so well. "Good brother, don't cry. From now on, as brothers, we'll only sweat and bleed, never shed tears. Tears are for cowards," Long Chen said, patting Ah Man on the shoulder. "Alright, Brother Long, I'll listen to you. Whatever you say, I'll do," Ah Man said, wiping away his tears. Long Chen wanted to tell him to have a bit of his own mind, but remembering how Ah Man once turned a well into a chimney, he swallowed the words back. Just then, the bun shop owner brought over a whole large steamer of buns. Long Chen laughed and said, "Ah Man, eat to your heart's content. Brother Long has plenty of money, no need to save for me." "Okay," Ah Man nodded, not holding back any longer. He devoured the fist-sized buns one by one, like shooting stars. Even though Long Chen was prepared, Ah Man's appetite still shocked him. The entire bun shop's over three hundred meat buns were devoured, yet Ah Man seemed unsatisfied. However, the bun shop owner was crestfallen, as all the buns were gone, and making them fresh would take too long. The buns only cost six silver coins, but when the owner tried to give Long Chen change, Long Chen had already left with Ah Man. Returning home, Long Chen first introduced Ah Man to his mother. Lady Long was initially startled by Ah Man's size. However, seeing that Ah Man was honest and sincere, she relaxed. When Long Chen explained Ah Man's background, Lady Long readily agreed to let Ah Man stay. After settling Ah Man in, Long Chen immediately began refining pills. In his own home, he didn't need to hold back, unleashing his soul power to the fullest, pushing his pill refining speed to the extreme. Three whole days passed before Long Chen emerged from his room. Three days and nights of non-stop refining, and Long Chen had nearly a hundred Wind Mansion Pills in his hand, all of which were of mid-grade quality. Besides the Wind Mansion Pills, Long Chen also refined highly sought-after Blood Coagulation Pills, Qi Gathering Pills, and Detoxification Pills to sell to the guild to offset the credit for the herbs he had taken. As soon as Long Chen stepped out of the room, Bao'er approached, looking a bit hesitant, and Long Chen was puzzled. "Bao'er, what's the matter?" "Young Master... it's like this... there's no more food left in the house..." Bao'er said nervously. Ah Man's appetite was simply too voracious. Knowing Ah Man's pitiful past, Lady Long had instructed the kitchen to prepare extra food. As a result, in three days, Ah Man had nearly depleted the Dragon family's food supply for more than a month. Lady Long secretly took out a piece of jewelry for Bao'er to sell. Bao'er thought it best to discuss this with Long Chen, so she came to find him. Long Chen laughed heartily, pinched Bao'er's cheek, and said, "Smart girl, this matter I'll handle." Bao'er was Long Chen's personal maid. Despite the Dragon family's decline, she had never left, and Long Chen had long considered her a sister. "Young Master, there's no food for tonight's meal either," Bao'er reminded him, as she was practically the Dragon family's little steward, ever since the accountant, seeing no prospects in the Dragon family, had left. "Got it, I'll handle it right now." Long Chen still had a few gold coins, but those were just small change. He called Ah Man and headed out straight to the Alchemist Guild. Bringing Ah Man out didn't have a particular purpose, but Long Chen wanted to train his mind. Wisdom is related to experience, and it needed to be honed. Upon entering the Alchemist Guild, Long Chen went straight to the pharmacy. When he handed over dozens of plump pills to the pharmacy boy, the boy was almost stunned. He clearly remembered that Long Chen had taken the herbs just three days ago, and now he had returned with pills? Typically, the return time for pills was six months to a year; this was incredibly fast. Despite his astonishment, he diligently tested each pill with professional instruments. Seventeen were mid-grade pills, thirty-six were low-grade pills, and even though he was confident in his testing skills, he almost doubted himself. After repeatedly confirming everything was correct, he offset the cost of the herbs Long Chen had taken last time, leaving some pills remaining. "Master Long Chen, with the remaining pills, would you like to exchange them for more herbs or have them converted to gold coins?" the pharmacy boy asked respectfully. Being addressed as 'Master' felt quite nice, and Long Chen replied, "Convert them all to gold coins." "Alright, please wait a moment." The pharmacy boy quickly pulled out a ledger with the latest pill market prices and calculated the account for Long Chen. "Master Long Chen, it totals to eight million one hundred and seventy thousand gold coins," the boy replied. Long Chen nodded. The Alchemist Guild is a non-profit organization, and their prices are very fair, only slightly lower than market prices by about ten percent, yet one can enjoy so many benefits, making it very worthwhile. "Please convert it into two crystal cards, one with two million, and the rest on another," Long Chen instructed. When Long Chen returned home, Bao'er was already waiting at the door: "Young Master, Young Master Shi Feng has sent you an invitation," she said, handing a red invitation card to Long Chen. Long Chen opened it and couldn't help but smile. It turned out Shi Feng had successfully broken through to the Blood Coagulation Realm and was hosting a banquet at Gathering Heroes Pavilion to celebrate. It was about time. "Bao'er, here, take it and manage the house well. In the future, I will prepare a generous dowry for you, so you can marry in style," Long Chen said, handing a crystal card to Bao'er. Bao'er's face turned red, but when she saw the numbers on the card, her hands flew to cover her mouth in disbelief. "Little rich lady, from now on, the improvement of the Dragon family is in your hands. Oh, and go redeem all the jewelry Mother pawned, no matter the cost, even if it's ten times," Long Chen said. "Okay, don't worry, Young Master. Bao'er will handle it properly," Bao'er promised, patting her somewhat prominent chest. Long Chen nodded and headed straight to Gathering Heroes Pavilion with Ah Man. Gathering Heroes Pavilion was a renowned restaurant in the Imperial Capital, frequented by the rich and powerful. The name of the place was grand, and the food was excellent, making it a favorite gathering spot for nobles and aristocrats. On the top floor of Gathering Heroes Pavilion, a large round table was already filled with various delicacies, but everyone was merely chatting, without any intention to start eating. Suddenly, when they saw a figure walk in, everyone quickly stood up: "Brother Long" "Brother Long" "Master Long" Shi Feng and Fatty Yu each had their own way of addressing him, but seeing the imposing Ah Man behind Long Chen, everyone was taken aback. Shi Feng was already considered a strong man, but in front of Ah Man, he seemed petite. "Let me introduce you, this is my brother Ah Man." Hearing Long Chen's introduction, everyone quickly greeted Ah Man, but he only nodded and smiled foolishly. With Long Chen there, everyone finally sat down. Shi Feng raised his cup with both hands, saying, "Brother Long, let's skip the formalities. I, Shi Feng, drink first as a toast of gratitude." Shi Feng deeply remembered his gratitude towards Long Chen. Originally, it would have taken years to advance to the Blood Coagulation Realm, but now he had done it ahead of time, which would greatly benefit his future, with hopes of reaching higher realms. "Let's all toast Brother Long a bowl." Led by Fatty Yu, everyone stood up. They had received the medicinal liquid Long Chen prepared for them and quickly sensed the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth. Fatty Yu and the slim monkey, Hou Tianming, had both reached the first level of Qi Gathering. All of this was thanks to Long Chen's guidance, and everyone was filled with gratitude towards him. "Alright, cheers!" Long Chen laughed heartily. No matter what, these people had helped him in times of trouble, and Long Chen regarded them as friends. With a few drinks down, the group began chatting freely, while Ah Man focused on eating without uttering a word. Long Chen specifically reminded Shi Feng to order extra dishes, but luckily, Ah Man had already had a pre-meal snack beforehand, or he would have scared Fatty Yu and the others. After three rounds of drinks, the group discussed their current benefits and couldn't help but feel proud. Now that they could cultivate, their status within their families had risen significantly. More importantly, news of Long Chen being a Dan Apprentice had spread throughout the Imperial Capital, and everyone knew about the relationship between Long Chen and Fatty Yu and the others. As a result, their families secretly advised them to maintain good relations with Long Chen, making them feel more proud. As they chatted, suddenly the sound of approaching footsteps was heard. Shi Feng frowned slightly and said, "I clearly instructed the owner to reserve the entire floor. Why is there someone coming up?" "Forget it, the more the merrier. Happiness needs to be shared," Fatty Yu, obviously a bit tipsy, slurred his words. Just then, a voice came through, "Make everyone here leave. I don't want to dine with a bunch of lowly people." The originally calm and drinking Long Chen suddenly turned cold, veins bulging on his hand.