Chapter 134: Chapter 103: Steward

Wu Manqing was in her study reviewing the accounts, the waters of Dingbo Lake glittering outside her window.

Although the matter of the Five River-Flipping Flood Dragons was settled and Chen Qing’s fearsome reputation had deterred many scoundrels, the waters of the Prefecture City ran deep, and the Wu Family’s foundation was still shallow.

Ultimately, she lacked a certain sense of security.

Just then, her personal maid, Xiaohuan, rushed in, her face flushed with excitement. “Ma’am! Ma’am! Great news! Wonderful news!”

Xiaohuan’s excitement was still written all over her face. “It’s Elder Chen! Elder Chen… he broke through! Embracing Pill Force! Elder Chen has broken through to the Embracing Pill Force realm!”

“Broke through?”

Wu Manqing didn’t react at first. “What breakthrough?”

“The Embracing Pill Force realm, Ma’am!”

Xiaohuan’s voice was filled with irrepressible joy. “We just received confirmed news from the Cyan Wood Institute! After several days in seclusion, Elder Chen successfully condensed his True Qi and has officially stepped into the Embrace Pill Realm! It’s absolutely true!”

Wu Manqing shot to her feet, her beautiful eyes wide as she stared directly at Xiaohuan.

“Embracing Pill Force? Are… are you sure?”

Her voice held a barely perceptible tremble.

In Yunlin Prefecture City, reaching this realm meant one had truly arrived, joining the ranks of the masters!

It was in no way comparable to the Transmutation Force realm!

“It’s absolutely true, Ma’am!”

Xiaohuan nodded emphatically.

“Good! Excellent! Wonderful!”

A look of immense joy spread across Wu Manqing’s face. She then ordered, “Go and prepare two lavish gifts immediately! One to congratulate Brother Chen on breaking through to the Embracing Pill realm! The other is a deposit for his increased stipend! We can’t call it an annual salary anymore; it must be a Tributor’s share! Go to the counting house at once and withdraw twenty thousand taels in silver flying tickets!”

Stunned by this grand gesture, Xiaohuan’s mouth fell slightly agape. She quickly replied, “Yes, Ma’am! I’ll go at once!”

Embracing Pill Force!

What did it mean for Chen Qing to reach the Embracing Pill Force realm at just nineteen years old?

It meant his future potential was limitless!

It meant the prestige of his status as an Inner Courtyard Disciple of the Wutai Sect had skyrocketed!

They might both be Inner Courtyard Disciples, but Transmutation Force and Dan Jin were completely different.

’The disdain from other powers in the Prefecture City? The seemingly insurmountable threshold of the Yunlin Commerce Association?’

A poised smile touched the corners of Wu Manqing’s lips, as radiant and captivating as the sun emerging from behind the clouds.

“The Yunlin Commerce Association…”

She murmured to herself. “With Brother Chen around, it seems getting into the Yunlin Commerce Association won’t be much of a problem.”

…

「For the next few days.」

The gate to Chen Qing’s small courtyard was never quiet.

The Wu Family and Yang Zhicheng each sent people with gifts.

Compared to the Wu Family’s extravagant gift, Yang Zhicheng sent a detailed map of Yunlin Prefecture, which included the boundaries of Qianchuan Marsh and other waterways.

Luo Xinyi also sent someone with five Elixirs, her friendly intentions perfectly clear.

Chen Qing accepted the gifts and noted the favors, but he spent most of his time immersed in stabilizing his realm and cultivating the Mountain Prison-Suppression Spear.

He had read through the Fishery documents several times, now just waiting to take up his post in three days.

However, just a wall away…

Bai Ming stood by his window, his gaze complicated as he looked through a gap in the foliage toward Chen Qing’s courtyard gate.

The Wu Family’s lavishly decorated carriage had just departed, leaving behind a faint, fragrant dust.

His expression flickered with uncertainty.

“Embracing Pill Force… Fishery Steward…”

A bitter look crossed Bai Ming’s face. “He actually did it!”

Zheng Xiuhong stood behind him, her lovely face filled with disbelief.

’The neighbor from a humble background, once dismissed by her own husband as having “mediocre Root Bone and limited prospects,” had actually stepped into the Embrace Pill Realm in the unpromising Cyan Wood Institute?’

’And he even landed the lucrative position of Fishery Steward?’

’This was simply like a dream.’

Zheng Xiuhong murmured to herself, her voice dazed, “From Transmutation Force to Embracing Pill… in the Cyan Wood Institute… how did he do it?”

She recalled her husband’s dejection after his own repeated failures to break through to the Embracing Pill realm. She also thought of the hardships he endured, venturing into the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp again and again just for resources.

The stark contrast between the two left her with a swirl of complicated feelings.

“Four Forms Root Bone! The Cyan Wood Institute! On what grounds?!”

Bai Ming’s voice was thick with suppressed resentment. “I’m in the Geng Metal Institute! I have a master’s guidance, I can exchange pointers with fellow disciples, and my resources are far better than the Cyan Wood Institute’s! I tried to break through four times! And all four times I fell short at the last moment! On what grounds did that Chen Qing succeed on his first try?!”

He remembered the last time he had invited Chen Qing to the swamp and the clean, decisive refusal he’d received.

At the time, he had only thought Chen Qing was timid and afraid of trouble, that he was missing a great opportunity.

Looking back now, the man had probably had a solid plan all along, aiming straight for the Embracing Pill realm with a clear goal!

And here he was, patting himself on the back for some meager gains from the outer swamp, thinking he’d found a shortcut!

Zheng Xiuhong sighed inwardly. She took a step forward and tried to console him gently, “Brother Ming, everyone has their own destiny. Perhaps Junior Brother Chen’s talent and perseverance are a cut above, and his luck is better. We…”

“Luck?!”

Bai Ming cut her off harshly, his fists clenching unconsciously. “I’ve never believed in luck!”

A fanatical glint flashed in his eyes. “Xiuhong, I’ve made up my mind! My Fire Seed is almost condensed. I can’t wait any longer! I’m going back into the depths of the swamp! That’s the only place to find the Treasure Medicine that can truly help me break through! A Seven-Heart Lotus! Or the even rarer Earth Fire Lingzhi! If I can just find a five-year-old plant, I can trade it for enough Top-grade Condensing Truth Pills and Quenching Essence Pills! I could even get Senior Brother Yan to personally guide me and act as my Protector!”

Hearing this, Zheng Xiuhong’s face went deathly pale. “Brother Ming! You can’t! The depths are too dangerous! Last time, you ran into a Poison Horned Deer Herd just in the outer areas and lost men. The inner depths are rumored to have Exotic Beasts that can spit Poisonous Miasma! Even a master at the Late-stage Embracing Pill realm could perish there! We… we can accumulate resources slowly, be more cautious…”

“Cautious?”

Bai Ming sneered, pointing toward the neighboring courtyard. “Look next door! Being ’cautious’ means waiting to be left far behind! It means watching him soar while we’re stuck in place, maybe even having to grovel before him later? This time, the three senior brothers in the Embracing Pill realm got a taste of success, and they want to go deeper too. With them leading the way, the risk is great, but the opportunity is even greater! Fortune is found in danger, Xiuhong! This time, I, Bai Ming, will break through to the Embracing Pill realm! The next time someone comes to congratulate a new breakthrough, they’ll be coming to *my* courtyard!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep