Starting as a cowherd, he sought a way to cultivate immortality.

Late at night, the coachman took Chen Chi and Pang Wen back to the entrance of the martial arts hall.

The two walked one after the other in the hall, without saying a word to each other.

Just as Chen Chi was about to push open his door, Pang Wen asked in a low voice:

"Brother Chen, do you look down on me?"

Chen Chi turned his head and, by the light of the oil lamp in the corridor, saw Pang Wen's deep-set face.

"Brother Pang, where do you get this idea?"

Pang Wen gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying:

"Brother Chen, you've indeed become wary of me; now you're even unwilling to tell me the truth."

After a moment of silence, Chen Chi replied, "You're overthinking it."

Pang Wen raised his head, looked directly at Chen Chi, and said firmly:

"Brother Chen, whatever Steward Yang's intentions may be, we must not miss this opportunity to soar to new heights."

Chen Chi smiled gently and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Pang Wen, saying:

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Pang. It's getting late, I should go back to my room to rest."

After saying this, Chen Chi went into his room and gently closed the wooden door.

Pang Wen was slightly taken aback.

"Brother Chen, if you had experienced my suffering, you might have been even worse off than me."

He pushed open the door and stepped into the pitch-black room.

In the next room, Chen Chi lit a lamp, took the jade bottle out of his pocket, and placed it on the table.

He pulled out the cork from the bottle and tilted the jade bottle onto the table, where three deep purple pills rolled out.

Chen Chi picked up a grain and examined it closely, a look of curiosity on his face.

The pills were round and plump, emitting a faint herbal fragrance.

It doesn't look special at all, but it can help martial arts practitioners improve their strength.

Chen Chi remembered that Qin Shan had spent several dozen taels of silver to buy a Transformation Pill in an attempt to help Qin Fufeng break through to the Transformation Realm, but he failed.

A single Qi-Transforming Pill is worth several dozen taels of silver, so Chen Chi estimates that these three Qi-Gathering Pills are worth at least two hundred taels of silver.

"The person who makes these pills must be richer than a country," Chen Chi exclaimed.

He put the Qi-Gathering Pill back into the jade bottle, choosing not to take it immediately.

At tonight's banquet, Yang Jin's intention to recruit them was obvious.

Chen Chi dared not easily accept the gift given to him by someone with "great ambitions".

In addition, his martial arts talent is extremely poor. Even if he takes the Qi Sensing Pill, he may not be able to break through the barriers and reach the Qi Sensing Realm.

To be on the safe side, Chen Chi decided to observe the results of the other four people using the Qi Sensing Pill before making any further plans.

……

The next morning, Chen Chi arrived at the Li residence to fulfill his promise to teach the young master of the Li family martial arts.

Li Shouren, the patriarch of the Li family, personally accompanied Chen Chi and told him with a smile that there was no rush for his son to learn martial arts. He first took Chen Chi on a tour of the mansion.

Chen Chi marveled and praised Li Shouren for his excellent taste, saying that the rockery and flowing water in the backyard were top-notch choices, making it a beautiful scene at every turn.

Li Shouren was overjoyed upon hearing this, and his wrinkled face lit up with the delight of finding a kindred spirit.

"None of the people in the Li family understand the mystery behind this. Now that I have met Brother Chen, I have no regrets in this life."

Chen Chi smiled. He had accepted one hundred taels of silver from the Li family and it was his duty to make Li Shouren happy.

For the entire morning, Li Shouren enthusiastically explained to Chen Chi the ingenuity of his landscape design and the immense effort he had put into it.

Chen Chi would occasionally offer a few words of praise, and Li Shouren's face would flush with delight, regretting that he hadn't met Chen Chi sooner.

Before we knew it, it was noon.

Li Shouren treated Chen Chi to a lavish meal, and after they had eaten and drunk their fill, he had his wife and many concubines come forward to pay their respects to Chen Chi.

Li Shouren pointed to a plump concubine and chuckled:

"I just bought her from Saudi Arabia this year, and the money was absolutely well spent."

Chen Chi's lips twitched, thinking to himself that Li Shouren was still vigorous despite his old age, much better than the old man selling intimidating martial arts techniques in Willow Alley.

Just then, a handsome child ran over and threw himself into Li Shouren's arms.

"father!"

Li Shouren responded, patting the child's head with a look of doting affection in his eyes.

"This is my youngest son, Li Jing, who is thirteen years old this year," Li Shouren explained to Chen Chi.

Chen Chi noticed that Li Jing had fair skin and red lips, a slender figure, and avoided his gaze when he looked at him.

Looking at him, he doesn't seem like someone who can endure hardship to learn martial arts.

"Does this young master truly wish to learn martial arts?"

"Father, I don't want to learn martial arts!" Li Jing quickly shook his head in refusal.

Li Shouren blushed and said:

"In my opinion, my youngest son should be a scholar who will carry on the family tradition."

It was all because of that ignorant servant Li Fu that he came up with the excuse of learning martial arts to invite Brother Chen to our residence. Please don't blame him, Brother Chen.

"I apologize for disturbing you at your residence; there's no question of blame," Chen Chi shook his head.

Since he didn't need to teach Li Jing martial arts, he was naturally happy to have some free time.

Seeing that Chen Chi showed no displeasure, Li Shouren immediately felt relieved.

"Come on, Brother Chen, let's have another drink." Li Shouren smiled and raised his glass.

On that day, the Li residence was filled with the sounds of wine and food, and both hosts and guests were in high spirits.

……

As the year draws to a close, Youzhou Prefecture seems to grow even colder.

Chen Chi has been staying in Youzhou Prefecture for several days and plans to return to Changqing County tomorrow.

That night, Shangguan Ce visited again.

"Congratulations, Brother Chen, on winning the top prize in the prefectural examination!" Shangguan Ce said with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

Chen Chi sat facing him in the room, looking at his handsome face, and the more he looked, the more upset he became.

This Shangguan Ce is truly a handsome man; even I, a grown man, felt a pang of jealousy.

"Just lucky." Chen Chi's tone was slightly unfriendly.

Shangguan Ce smiled faintly; he could read Chen Chi's thoughts from his eyes.

But he was helpless.

Who made me so lucky to have such an enviable and jealous appearance?

"To defeat a martial artist at the Transformation Realm, how could it be by chance? Brother Chen, your words are truly shameful to others."

Chen Chi knew he wouldn't gain anything by arguing with Shangguan Ce, so he changed the subject:

"Brother Shangguan said last time that he would introduce me to the friend who would help you. I am returning to Changqing County tomorrow, so why haven't I seen Brother Shangguan take any action?"

"That's exactly why I'm here tonight." Shangguan Ce stared at Chen Chi meaningfully, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Brother Chen, it's not that I don't want to recommend you, but that you don't need my recommendation."

I met my friend the day after Brother Chen's examination; have you already forgotten him?

Chen Chi's pupils contracted, and he said with a hint of doubt in his voice:

"Are you also a retainer of Steward Yang?"

Shangguan Ce shook his head slightly.

"I am not Steward Yang's retainer, but his friend. I have come today to act as his advocate."

Chen Chi stared at Shangguan Ce's confident and handsome face, and said in a low voice:

"Brother Shangguan, are you confident in your ability to persuade me?"

Shangguan Ce smiled slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"Brother Chen, you must have already taken the Qi-Generating Pill that Steward Yang bestowed upon you, right?"

Chen Chi nodded.

"Unfortunately, I am of dull talent. After taking three Qi-sensing pills, I have only made slight progress and have not broken through the shackles of the Transformation Realm."

Shangguan Ce's smile deepened even further:

"If breaking through to the Qi Sensing Realm were so easy, there would be countless Qi Sensing Realm martial artists in the world."

Brother Chen, you failed to break through after taking three Qi-Gathering Pills. What about five, ten, or twenty?

Chen Chi raised his head and stared at Shangguan Ce in disbelief.

"As long as you serve Steward Yang faithfully, Steward Yang will naturally guarantee your breakthrough to the Qi Sensing Realm."

Even the legendary Innate Realm is not impossible.

"Did Steward Yang say this himself?" Chen Chi was so excited that his breathing became heavy.

"Of course," Shangguan Ce said slowly after a slight pause.

"Brother Chen, it's time for you to make the decision."

Chen Chi glanced casually toward the door.

Youzhou Prefecture City is Yang Jin's firmly controlled territory. Even though he is a martial artist at the Transformation Realm, he can hardly cause any trouble.

If he doesn't agree to serve Yang Jin tonight, it's questionable whether he'll even be able to return to Changqing County tomorrow.

"I am willing to serve Steward Yang with my life, even at the cost of fire and water!"

Chen Chi took a deep breath and solemnly bowed.

A satisfied smile appeared on Shangguan Ce's face:

"Brother Chen is indeed a wise man. With Brother Chen's help, Steward Yang's great achievements are just around the corner."

Then, he took out a blue jade bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table:

"There are five Qi-Gathering Pills here, a special gift from Steward Yang."

A look of joy appeared on Chen Chi's face as he pulled the cyan jade bottle closer to himself.

"I will forever remember Chief Steward Yang's kindness!"

Shangguan Ce glanced at Chen Chi's withdrawn arm, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"To make it more comfortable for Brother Chen to be an official, Chief Steward Yang has decided to arrange for you to take up a post in your hometown of Changqing County."

After Brother Chen returns to Changqing County, he can simply wait at home for the official documents.

Shangguan Ce stood up and cupped his hands in greeting.

"I wish you a safe journey, Brother Chen. I should head back now."

After seeing Shangguan Ce out of the house, Chen Chi closed the door, his face immediately turning cold.

He stared at the blue jade bottle on the table, his suspicion growing stronger.

After Shangguan Ce learned that he had taken the Qi-Gathering Pill, he completely relaxed.

That fleeting reaction, though brief, was keenly captured by Chen Chi.

This Qi-Gathering Pill probably has a serious problem.