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

After finding the silver paper, Master Zhao gracefully left Changqing County.

Chen Chi devoted himself wholeheartedly to studying the incomplete version of the Tranquilizing Mind Technique, and his proficiency improved rapidly.

Just as his life returned to normal, one late autumn day, Chen Erhu's wife, Wu, knocked on the door of the Qin residence.

"Erhu is seriously ill and wants to see County Magistrate Chen one last time before he passes away."

Wu burst into tears, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

Chen Chi frowned, finding it unbelievable.

Chen Erhu was physically strong from a young age and almost never got sick.

The last time we met, he was full of energy. How did he collapse in the blink of an eye?

Chen Chi put on casual clothes and returned to Chen Erhu's house with Wu.

On the bed, Chen Erhu was pale and emaciated, his whole body so thin that he was unrecognizable.

His son, only four or five years old, stood blankly by the bedside, his eyes vacant as he looked at Chen Chi who had entered the room.

Meanwhile, her two-year-old daughter stood by, smiling foolishly, unaware of the extent of her father's condition.

Wu asked her son to take her youngest daughter outside, then bent down and whispered a few words in Chen Erhu's ear.

Chen Erhu struggled to open his eyes and saw Chen Chi standing in front of him. His expression became increasingly sorrowful.

"Erhu." Chen Chi grasped Chen Erhu's outstretched hand.

Chen Erhu suddenly started coughing violently, as if he was about to vomit blood.

With a thought, Chen Chi felt a surge of energy, and the pure energy in his dantian flowed slowly down his arm into Chen Erhu's body.

After a series of heavy breaths, Chen Erhu's spirits recovered slightly, and he was finally able to speak.

"Brother Chi... I'm about to die..."

Chen Chi was slightly taken aback.

The scene before me seemed strangely familiar.

Qin Shan looked just like this before he passed away.

"Erhu, you're so foolish," Chen Chi sighed softly.

He had just used his pure energy to determine that Chen Erhu's body was completely broken down, his internal organs were old and frail, and there was no way to save him.

"If you're having a hard time and come to me for money, do you think I won't help you?"

Chen Erhu looked at Chen Chi and forced a smile:

"Brother Chi, I... can't rely on you forever."

Chen Chi turned his head and looked at Wu Shi beside him, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"Did you tell Erhu not to come find me?"

Upon hearing this, Wu immediately burst into tears and said:

"Lieutenant Chen, you are wise enough to know better. How could this woman do such a thing?"

"Brother Chi..." Chen Erhu shook his head, "It has nothing to do with her."

"This is my own opinion."

Chen Chi looked at Chen Erhu, a determined look appearing on his haggard face.

Chen Chi suddenly remembered the disappointed look on Chen Erhu's face when Chen Erhu asked him for money the last time, and Chen Chi pretended to be in a difficult position.

At that moment, he realized that he had never regarded Chen Erhu as a real man.

Chen Erhu has his own ideas and his own dignity.

"Is it worth it?" Chen Chi asked in a hoarse voice.

Chen Erhu nodded, then shook his head.

"Brother Chi, please help me again..."

Chen Chi glanced at Wu Shi beside him, then turned back to look at the two children outside the house.

"Don't worry, I will take good care of them."

Upon hearing Chen Chi's promise, Chen Erhu smiled.

Just then, Chen Erhu's son suddenly ran in, his face pale.

"Mother, they're here again!"

Wu's face showed a moment of panic, but then she remembered that Chen Chi was standing inside the room, and she immediately felt relieved.

Chen Chi looked at Madam Wu: "Who are they?"

Just as Ms. Wu was about to answer, she was interrupted by the commotion outside.

"Mrs. Wu, if you don't pay the rent and grain you owe the Li family today, I'll take this little girl away!"

"No!" Wu screamed and rushed outside.

Chen Chi had already slipped outside and saw two burly men at the Blood Realm walking towards Chen Erhu's youngest daughter.

Chen Chi picked up Chen Erhu's daughter and looked coldly at the two burly men in front of him.

The two burly men stopped and, seeing Chen Chi hand the girl to Wu Shi who had just come out, a cold smile curled at the corner of their lips.

"So that's why you dared not pay rent and grain tax, it turns out you found a lover to back you up!"

"Mrs. Wu, Chen Erhu isn't dead yet!"

After hearing this, Wu glanced silently at Chen Chi beside her.

"Go back inside first," Chen Chi said to Wu.

Ms. Wu nodded, picked up her daughter, went into the house, and closed the door.

"Hey kid, you've got guts. You dared to take on this mess?" a burly man exclaimed in amazement.

Chen Chi glanced at the two of them and said calmly:

"What's the story behind Chen Erhu's outstanding rent and grain rations?"

The two burly men exchanged a glance, and then one of them spoke:

"Since you really want to get ahead, we'll tell you."

This year, Chen Erhu rented fifteen mu of land from Master Li's family. According to the agreement, Master Li was to collect four thousand five hundred jin of grain from Chen Erhu.

Considering Chen Erhu's serious illness, Master Li kindly asked for only four thousand catties of grain, but Madam Wu kept delaying and refused to hand over even a single grain of rice.

"Boy, if you really want to be Wu's lover, you'd better hurry up and pay back the grain they owe you."

Chen Chi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Who is this Master Li you're talking about?"

"You've never even heard of Master Li's name? I doubt you can pay back the grain. Get out of here!"

As they were talking, a burly man stepped forward, intending to teach Chen Chi a lesson.

Chen Chi casually kicked out, and the big man had no time to dodge. He screamed and flew straight away.

"I'll ask you one more time, who is this Master Li you're talking about?"

The remaining burly man looked at Chen Chi with a look of horror, only then realizing that Wu's lover's martial arts skills were far beyond his ability to deal with.

"Yes...Master Li Youcai," the burly man said, swallowing hard.

"It really was him," Chen Chi thought to himself.

He nodded and said in a cold tone:

"My name is Chen Chi. Tell Li Youcai to come to the city to find me tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, the burly man's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

The blue-clad man before them was none other than Chen, the county magistrate who had reached the Transformation Realm.

No wonder his martial arts skills are so amazing.

Upon realizing this, the burly man's legs went weak, and he immediately knelt down.

"This humble subject was blind! Magistrate Chen, spare my life!"

"Get lost," Chen Chi uttered a single word.

"Yes, yes, this humble subject will get out of here now."

The big man immediately got up and ran away. The other big man, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead, also immediately got up, afraid that Chen Chi would kick them to death.

Chen Chi turned back into the house and asked Wu about the specific situation.

Ms. Wu quickly explained.

It turns out that ever since Li Youcai annexed the land of the Sun family, Chen Erhu has become Li Youcai's tenant.

Initially, Li Youcai and Chen Erhu agreed that Chen Erhu would give 40% of his annual harvest as rent.

Starting last year, Li Youcai proposed a new method for paying rent.

Regardless of Chen Erhu's harvest, Li Youcai only harvested 300 jin of grain per mu.

Under this new lease, Chen Erhu rented ten acres of land from the Li family in one go, and worked from dawn till dusk every day, carefully tending to the crops in the fields.

Last year, Chen Erhu had a bumper harvest from his ten mu of land. After paying rent and the grain for his family, he also earned more than four taels of silver.

Having tasted success, Chen Erhu disregarded Wu's advice and rented another five mu of land this year.

As a result, Chen Erhu's body completely collapsed shortly after he started the pregnancy, and he needed Wu's care day and night.

The crops in the fields were neglected, and as a result, weeds grew wildly, taller than the crops, naturally leading to a dismal harvest and an inability to pay the rent to Li Youcai.

Upon hearing this, Chen Chi couldn't help but sigh.

Erhu wanted to change his family's dire situation on his own, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

"Leave this to me. You just focus on taking care of Erhu," Chen Chi said slowly.

Wiping away her tears, Ms. Wu repeatedly thanked Chen Chi.

Chen Chi glanced at Erhu, who lay on the bed with his eyes closed and a weak expression.

Erhu doesn't have many days left to live.