All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 156 Temporarily residing in the county town, the profession of [Alchemist]! (Guaranteed update)
Han Wending led Zhou Qing to the central army camp. The soldiers who passed by bowed and saluted him.

Upon arriving outside the camp, Han Wending summoned the guards on duty and ordered, "Notify Qingqing and Lu Yan to come to the camp."

"Yes!" The guard bowed and withdrew, not glancing at Zhou Qing beside him even once.

After entering the camp, Han Wending sat down in the main seat and pointed to the seat to his left, saying, "Young hero, please sit down."

"Thank you, sir." Zhou Qing sat down in the chair to Han Wending's left.

"I've never liked beating around the bush. Young hero, you saved Qingqing and Luyan this time, so you are a benefactor of my Han family. I still have military duties to attend to and cannot return for the time being. I would like to invite you to stay at the Han family for a while, so that I can do my best to repay your life-saving grace," Han Wending said with a smile.

Zhou Qing quickly replied, "You flatter me, sir. My intervention was merely a matter of chance."

I previously received a favor from Brother Lu, and this is merely me returning the favor.

Han Wending nodded secretly.

"Do you know that what you encountered was a second-tier Gu Master from the Five Streams Barbarian Clan? An ordinary Bone Refining Realm martial artist would surely die if he faced him."

To repay a favor, he let Qingqing and Luyan go first in a life-or-death situation; his character is truly admirable!
"Such a great favor—if I don't express my gratitude, I won't feel at ease, and Qingqing and Lu Yan won't agree either."

Seeing that Han Wending's words were very sincere, Zhou Qing could no longer refuse.

"Dad is right."

At this moment, Han Qingqing's slightly weak voice came from outside the tent.

The curtain was lifted, and Han Qingqing, supported by a female martial artist, entered the tent.

The female warrior then left the camp.

Han Qingqing nodded to Han Wending, who was sitting upright, and then went to Zhou Qing and curtsied, saying, "Thank you for saving my life, Young Master Zhou."

"Miss Han, you flatter me." Zhou Qing stood up and offered a helping hand.

"I wonder how Brother Lu is doing?"

"My cousin has exhausted his inner energy and has just fallen into a coma. Fortunately, his injuries are not serious and he will recover after a few days of rest," Han Qingqing explained, her eyes occasionally glancing up and down at Zhou Qing.

She couldn't understand how Zhou Qing, who was so thin and frail when they first met, could have undergone such a huge change in just two years. It seemed that every time they met, he gave people a completely different feeling.

If it weren't for Zhou Qing's endless tricks and her strength far exceeding that of ordinary Bone Refining Realm martial artists, she and Lu Yan would never have been able to hold out until Han Wending arrived to rescue them.

Who would have thought that a routine patrol mission would lead to encounters with multiple barbarian Gu Masters, and ultimately even attract the attention of a terrifying second-tier Gu Master?

What Han Qingqing found even more unbelievable was that the person who saved her was Zhou Qing, whom she had always thought was very ordinary.

When Lu Yan gave him the evil-suppressing talisman, Han Qingqing was quite puzzled, feeling that it was a waste to give such a precious talisman to an ordinary martial artist.

Looking back now, it was definitely the right decision.

Otherwise, she and Lu Yan would surely have died at the hands of the barbarians today.

At the last moment, Zhou Qing even let her and Lu Yan go first. Such a noble and righteous person is truly a dragon among men.

"Ahem." Seeing his daughter staring intently at Zhou Qingmeng, Han Wending coughed lightly.

Han Qingqing was curious about how Zhou Qing had cultivated over the past two years when she heard Han Wending's reminder. She came to her senses and realized that her behavior just now had been somewhat impolite. She smiled slightly and said, "Young Master Zhou, please sit down."

After Zhou Qing sat down again, Han Qingqing said to Han Wending:

"Father, let me introduce you. This young master Zhou is the personal disciple of the Poison Demon Wei Sheng."

"Oh?" Han Wending was taken aback. "So, my nephew is Brother Wei's disciple. No wonder you have such cultivation at such a young age?"

"However, I have never heard of Wei Shengxin taking on any disciples," Han Wending said with some doubt.

"After Master accepted me into his tutelage, he returned to the county town. This is my first time visiting the county town; I am just an unknown nobody, nothing to mention," Zhou Qing explained.

“Young Master Zhou is too modest. You are about the same age as others, but you have only been cultivating for three years. You have been a disciple of Senior Wei for less than two years, yet you have already achieved your current level of cultivation and strength. Even among the major families in the county, you are a rare talent.”

Han Qingqing, standing to the side, smiled.

Before this, she had always thought that Zhou Qing was only at the Tendon Refining level. Such strength was naturally considered excellent in Black Mountain Town and Ping'an County, and not bad even in the prefectural city. However, her family, the Han family, was one of the most prominent families in the entire prefecture city. They had seen too many geniuses in their daily lives, so they naturally did not take Zhou Qing seriously.

However, the true cultivation level and strength that Zhou Qing had previously displayed were also top-tier among those in the Bone Refining Realm.

She admitted that she was not as good as him.

Even my cousin, who has always been considered a genius, is far inferior.

Especially considering that Zhou Qing was about the same age as her, their backgrounds were worlds apart.

Given such a gap, to have made such progress is beyond the reach of ordinary geniuses.

"My dear nephew, you've been cultivating for less than three years?!" Now it was Han Wending's turn to be astonished.

He noticed that Zhou Qing had an extraordinary demeanor and spoke with neither arrogance nor servility. Although he looked young, he should be around twenty years old.

However, Han Qingqing said that he was about the same age as him, which means that Zhou Qing is not yet eighteen years old.

Eighteen-year-old martial artists at the Bone Refining Realm are not unheard of in the county town.

With enough talent and a strong background, it is possible to break through to the Bone Refining Realm before the age of eighteen.

His daughter, Han Qingqing, at the age of seventeen, gained the recognition of the Han family's second-tier divine weapon. Her strength was comparable to that of a first-class Bone Refining Realm martial artist. However, her own realm had only just broken through to the Bone Refining Realm, and she still needed time to stabilize her realm. Otherwise, she might encounter an even greater bottleneck when she broke through to the Blood Exchange Realm in the future.

In fact, there are many geniuses in Nanli County who have reached the Bone Refining Realm before the age of twenty-five, but few of them can break through to the Blood Exchange Realm before the age of thirty.

Excessive pursuit of speed in breaking through realms can easily lead to an unstable foundation.

Just like Wei Sheng's eldest daughter, Wei Hongyu, who was once a renowned genius in the county, she only broke through to the Bone Refining Realm at the age of twenty-three, all for the sake of consolidating her foundation.

Many geniuses who broke through to the Blood Exchange Realm years before her have not yet broken through, allowing the 28-year-old Wei Hongyu to surpass her.

With her solid foundation and the acquisition of a second-tier divine weapon from Tianzhu Mountain, Wei Hongyu is now a top-tier martial artist in the Blood Exchange Realm of the Qi and Blood Thin Veil Realm.

She is stronger than many older generation Grand Martial Masters at the Blood Exchange Realm.

The most direct indicator of whether a foundation is solid is whether its combat strength is formidable.

“My birthday is in a month. By my calculations, I have been cultivating for exactly two and a half years,” Zhou Qing said solemnly.

"Good! Good! Good!" Han Wending said "good" three times in a row, making no attempt to hide his appreciation for Zhou Qing. Zhou Qing was able to repel the Gu Master who had severely injured Lu Yan and survive against a second-tier Gu Master, so his combat strength must be among the top in the Bone Refining Realm.

At such a young age, he has already broken through to the Bone Refining Realm, and his combat strength is unmatched among his peers. He is also grateful for kindness and repays kindness. His future is truly limitless.

If Han Wending valued Zhou Qing because Zhou Qing saved his daughter and nephew, then...

So now, Han Wending has taken a liking to Zhou Qing because of his talent and character.

"Sigh," Han Wending suddenly sighed.

"Why is Father sighing?" Han Qingqing asked, puzzled.

"Wei Sheng is truly blessed! He ended up with such a good disciple. If your brother were even half as capable as Zhou Xian, I would have no regrets." Han Wending shook his head.

Zhou Qing didn't know how to respond to this, so he took the initiative to change the subject and said, "I heard that my master was seriously injured and is recuperating in the Five Poisons Sect. I wonder if you know how my master's injury is?"

Han Wending said with a stern face, "I have some connection with your master, and you have done a great favor for my Han family today. It is too formal for you to call me 'sir'."

"It was my oversight, please forgive me, Uncle Han," Zhou Qing quickly corrected himself.

"I don't know much about your master's situation either. After all, he has many enemies, and the extent of his injuries must be kept secret. However, with that patriarch of the Five Poisons Sect around, he definitely won't die."

Han Wending nodded.

"If you are worried, go to the Five Poisons Sect yourself when you return to the city. Although your master is considered an outcast of the Five Poisons Sect, someone as outstanding as you would surely be welcomed back to the sect by the higher-ups unless they have lost their minds."

"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle." Zhou Qing clasped his hands in greeting. He was going to check on Wei Sheng's condition, since Wei Sheng was still thinking of him even when he was injured, so he had to visit him no matter what.

As for returning to the Five Poisons Sect, Zhou Qing has no such plans for the time being.

After all, there were too many experts in the county town, and he didn't feel safe staying here.

You should at least break through the Blood Exchange Realm, or come back when you're preparing to break through.

However, the city has more abundant resources, so it's worth visiting more often.

Anyway, with the Spirit Wood Corpse by his side, once he has fully digested the gains from his trip to the Xuanzhu Venerable's cave, his strength will reach a new level, bringing him one step closer to moving to the city.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing felt a surge of excitement.

"Cough cough." At this moment, Han Qingqing coughed lightly from the side. Her face flushed, and she seemed to be having some difficulty breathing.

"Qingqing, you consumed a lot of your essence and blood to use the Azure Dragon Banner. Although the Great Rejuvenation Pill is very powerful, you still need to rest more. You should go down now," Han Wending said with concern.

"Your daughter takes her leave." Han Qingqing nodded, then stood up and bowed to Zhou Qing, appearing dignified and serene, completely devoid of her previous spoiled nature.

"Miss Han, please take care," Zhou Qing said, bowing slightly.

Three days later, Han Qingqing and Lu Yan returned to Nanli County City under the protection of soldiers, with Zhou Qing accompanying them.

After two days, they appeared outside the city walls of Nanli County.

Wow, that's so high!

Looking at the pitch-black city wall that was at least ten zhang high, Zhou Qing couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. As expected of a prefecture city, the city gate alone was big enough for three or four carriages to pass side by side.

Upon entering the city, the wide and clean streets made Zhou Qing feel somewhat dazed.

The soldiers drove the carriage, which passed smoothly due to the Han family crest on it. Even so, it took nearly half an hour to travel from the main road to the city gate of the inner city, which shows how large the city was.

"Wait!" Zhou Qing suddenly spoke before entering the inner city.

The carriage slowly stopped.

"Brother Zhou?" Lu Yan, who was sitting cross-legged in the car with his eyes closed, opened his eyes.

The curtain of the carriage next to them was lifted slightly, revealing Han Qingqing's pretty face. She looked at Zhou Qing with a puzzled expression, "Young Master Zhou, what's wrong?"

"I have other things to attend to. I'll visit you both sometime after I've finished my business," Zhou Qing explained, adding that it's always a bit inconvenient to stay at someone else's house.

We'll go stay at the Han family's house for a while when Han Wending returns.

Han Qingqing wrinkled her small nose and said in a sweet voice, "How can this be? If Father finds out, he will definitely blame me for not knowing how to treat guests."

Zhou Qing hesitated for a moment. He wanted to hurry up and sell the two divine weapons, then cultivate the 'Soul Refining Scripture' and learn alchemy.

Seeing this, Lu Yan nodded and said, "Cousin, since Brother Zhou has something to do, let him finish it first. I don't think Brother Zhou will leave the city anytime soon."

"Alright then. Young Master Zhou, you must come to the Han residence as soon as possible."

"must!"

After getting off the carriage and bidding farewell to the two men, Zhou Qing first went to a restaurant for a hearty meal, and then inquired about the situation in the county town from the waiter.

The next day, he went to a brokerage firm and asked someone to help him rent a quiet courtyard house in the outer city.

It has to be said that the cost of living in the county town is really high. The rent for a courtyard with one entrance and one exit is several times that of Ping'an County, and the environment and facilities are much worse.

However, Zhou Qing didn't care about these minor details.

On the day he moved into the house, he went to the 'Wanbaolou' in the county town and bought a large amount of medicinal herbs to begin learning alchemy.

In the next twenty days, he consumed medicinal herbs worth several thousand taels of silver.

Of course, the result was also very gratifying.

He has finally mastered the basics of alchemy!

You have mastered a new skill—alchemy.

You have awakened a new profession—Alchemist.

[Occupation: Alchemist]

[Skill: Alchemy]

[Progress: Beginner (586/800)]

[Effect: For those just beginning to grasp the basics, the success rate of refining first-tier pills increases by 10%.]

(End of this chapter)