Chapter 66: Chapter 62: Madman

Chen Qing left the Zhou Institute, walked south along the bluestone path, and arrived at Renhe Hall.

“Shopkeeper, I’ll have three Blood Qi Pills.”

He lifted the door curtain, and the scent of medicine mixed with dried tangerine peel washed over him.

Behind the counter, the Shopkeeper was flicking beads on his abacus. He looked up, saw it was him, and stopped. “Master Chen, were the three pills from last month enough?”

“Not enough.”

Chen Qing took out his coin purse. “Get some more ready for me this month.”

He was now at the threshold of Transmutation Force, and he calculated that buying more medicinal supplements would help him break through sooner.

Just as Chen Qing was about to pay, the Shopkeeper suddenly lowered his voice and tapped the counter with his knuckles. “Master Chen, have you ever heard of the Blood Gathering Pill?”

As he spoke, he pulled a palm-sized porcelain bottle from his robes, its body carved with cloud patterns. “It’s thirty percent stronger than a Blood Qi Pill, but only seventy percent of the price. The disciples from several Martial Arts Halls in the Inner City have been scrambling to buy them. I’m almost out of stock.”

Chen Qing’s brow twitched slightly. “Blood Gathering Pill?”

He had never heard of this elixir.

The Shopkeeper gave a placating smile. “Many of our regulars have tried it, and they all say it’s great! We have a lot of repeat customers. If you buy more, I can give you a better discount.”

Chen Qing pushed the porcelain bottle back. “Maybe next time.”

He remembered a disciple from the Zhou Institute who, in a desperate attempt to find a cure, had taken an unknown elixir that was supposed to help him break through. In the end, his meridians were blocked for half a month.

’What kind of miracle drug comes without a catch?’

After leaving Renhe Hall, the evening wind, carrying the fishy smell of the river, snuck into his collar.

Chen Qing detoured to a street corner to buy a sweet cake before heading home.

From the small courtyard with its blue tiles and white walls, the aroma of rice mixed with the smell of firewood drifted out.

“Mother, I’m home.”

Chen Qing pushed open the thick wooden door, and the fragrance of rice and the faint scent of firewood washed over him.

In a corner of the small courtyard, Ms. Han sat on a low stool, using the faint light from the unextinguished stove fire to focus on mending Chen Qing’s training clothes.

“You’re back?”

She looked up at the sound of his voice, her gaze gentle, and smiled. “You must be tired. There’s porridge simmering on the stove. It’s still warm.”

Chen Qing walked over to the simple earthen stove and lifted the lid of the clay pot. Steam rushed to his face. The porridge was much thicker than before.

He ladled a full bowl, sat on the small wooden stool next to his mother, and began to drink it down in big gulps.

Watching her son gulp down the porridge, Ms. Han felt both relieved and a little wistful.

She put down the clothes in her hands and began, probing carefully.

“This afternoon, your Aunt Zhang from next door—the one from Captain Zhao’s family—came over for a visit. We talked for quite a while.”

She paused, observing her son’s expression. “You know her, she’s warm-hearted. She said that you’ve grown into a promising young man—handsome, well-built, a good seedling—so she was thinking of playing matchmaker for you.”

Chen Qing slowed his drinking and looked up at his mother.

Ms. Han continued, “She was talking about the daughter of Shopkeeper Liu from the Heji Shop on the East Street Corner. Her name is Qiaolan. As for her age, she just turned sixteen, a bit younger than you. Aunt Zhang praised the girl to the heavens, saying she’s pretty and has a gentle temperament. And the rarest thing is… she’s literate! She’s studied painting and calligraphy, and she even knows how to use an abacus and keep accounts. She’s their only treasure at home, and Shopkeeper Liu and his wife are looking for a steady, reliable young man for her.”

Chen Qing spoke up, “Mother, why don’t you find out more about it first, and we can talk then.”

Many matchmakers had come to their door recently, and he had politely refused them all.

For one, he felt his own foundation wasn’t stable enough, and he had no thoughts of starting a family yet. For another, matchmaking in this life was different from his previous one; if both parties liked what they saw, it often led directly to an engagement, with little time to get to know each other and work through differences.

He had refused so many times that Ms. Han, seeing this, grew anxious.

“Alright! I’ll go ask around tomorrow!”

Seeing that her son seemed to be softening, Ms. Han’s face lit up with a smile.

「The next day, early in the morning.」

After practicing his Fishing Toad Force, Chen Qing finished his routine and stepped into the Zhou Institute.

Just as he entered the courtyard gates, Song Yufeng rushed over in a panic. “Brother Chen! Something’s wrong! Senior Brother Qin… Senior Brother Qin has gone mad!”

’Mad!?’

Chen Qing looked toward the sound and saw a figure staggering and roaring by the Meihua Poles. His coarse cloth clothes were tattered like cotton fluff, stained with mud and dark brown medicinal blotches.

His bare feet trod on the icy ground, completely oblivious to the cold.

It was none other than Qin Lie.

“Do you know who I am? I passed the Military Examination!”

he howled hoarsely, his excitement laced with a terrifying madness.

The other disciples kept their distance, not daring to get close.

Chen Qing moved to Sun Shun’s side and asked in a low voice, “Brother Sun, what exactly…”

“I’m not too clear on it either.”

Sun Shun gave a bitter smile. “I took him home last night and left. This morning, he showed up here again, looking like this. I’m afraid… he couldn’t take it and snapped.”

“Insolence!”

Qin Lie seemed to have heard Sun Shun’s words and bellowed, “I passed the Military Examination! How dare you speak of me like that?”

“See this? My Saber Technique! Sweeping Thousand Troops! PWISH! PWISH! PWISH!”

He spun around abruptly, sweeping a dry branch as if he were truly striking down countless enemies, a triumphant smile plastered on his face.

The next second, he suddenly threw himself to the ground, digging his fingers deep into the cold earth. His body trembled violently as he let out a wretched scream. “No! My major tendons! Ah! You villains! You schemed against me! The arena… the arena wasn’t fair!”

He jerked his head up, staring malevolently at the sky, his eyes filled with bone-deep hatred.

Zhou Yu watched the Qin Lie before her, her feelings a tangled mess.

Matters of the heart could not be forced.

She was not made of stone. She had wrung her hands and sighed over Qin Lie’s misfortune, her heart filled with pity.

Every disciple in the courtyard was profoundly shaken.

’Qin Lie has gone mad!?’

Just a few months ago, he had been the shining star of the Zhou Institute, dazzlingly brilliant.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!”

Zhengzi Bridge sneered, his tone exceptionally caustic. “If he’d known this would happen, maybe he shouldn’t have been so arrogant back then. It just goes to show you, what goes around comes around.”

“He stinks!”

Luo Qian covered her nose and walked away. “Stay away from me.”

Qin Lie’s miserable state completely validated her decision to ’cut her losses,’ and the last wisp of guilt in her heart vanished into thin air, leaving only undisguised disgust.

The other disciples in the courtyard all wore different expressions.

Chen Qing took it all in and thought to himself, ’This Qin Lie must really be mad.’

’He doesn’t have the acting skills or the cunning to fake this.’

’Acting requires talent and experience.’

Qin Lie muttered strange words to himself, then suddenly lunged toward Chen Qing.

“Your Excellency, have mercy! Your Excellency, please see the truth! I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong.”

He cried and wailed, forcefully slamming his forehead against the ground with resounding THUDS, instantly adding new wounds to a brow already caked in mud and filthy blood.

Qin Lie alternated between loud sobs and wild laughter, quickly alerting Zhou Liang in the back courtyard.

He strode out and, seeing Qin Lie’s state, paused for a moment. It was a good while before he spoke. “Sun Shun, have his sister come get him.”

“Yes!” Sun Shun replied and hurried off.

Before long, Qin Lie’s sister rushed over.

It was Chen Qing’s second time seeing her. Although she had changed into a slightly more presentable cotton-padded jacket, her face was even paler than the last time.

“Lie’r… my Lie’r… WOO… WOO… WOO… How did it come to this… How did it come to this…!”

She looked at the Qin Lie before her, her cries heart-rending.

Their parents had died early, and their family was poor. Qin Lie, whom she had raised single-handedly, was her only hope.

Everyone in the courtyard shook their heads grimly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep