In a side room at the Cyan Wood Institute, a mountain of silver notes was piled on the table.

Yu Bao’Er was counting them quickly, the large-denomination notes rustling softly in her hands.

Her eyes grew wider and wider, and she unconsciously held her breath.

"One hundred fifty thousand... one hundred eighty thousand... two hundred ten thousand... twenty-five thousand seven hundred taels!"

Yu Bao’Er shot her head up and gasped, her voice trembling. "Chief Disciple! It’s a full twenty-five thousand seven hundred taels! Heavens... This... this is like a dream!"

She stared at the pile of silver notes, her head spinning.

Twenty-five thousand seven hundred taels!

’How many years would it take for the Yu Family to earn this much silver?’

Chen Qing sat to the side, his expression calm.

He took the register from Yu Bao’er, its pages densely packed with names and amounts.

When he saw the thirty thousand taels next to Nie Shanshan’s name, Chen Qing paused. ’Thirty thousand taels, just like that,’ he thought. ’The resources of the Gui Water Institute’s Chief Disciple are truly extraordinary.’

Besides Nie Shanshan, there was Elder Sang with thirty thousand taels and Shen Xiuyong with twenty thousand taels. The three of them accounted for the lion’s share.

Chen Qing carefully committed all the names and amounts to memory, then closed the register.

"Is that everything?"

"Yes! I didn’t miss a single one!"

Yu Bao’Er nodded emphatically.

Chen Qing’s actions had completely upended her understanding of the world.

’Raising over twenty thousand taels of silver in a single day... is this the power of a Chief Disciple?’

"You’ve worked hard running back and forth for this."

Chen Qing pulled out a silver note. "Here are five hundred taels for your trouble. Take them."

"Huh?!"

Yu Bao’Er frantically waved her hands, shaking her head like a rattle. "No, no! Chief Disciple! This is too much! I... I just ran some errands and relayed a few messages. It’s my duty to help you!"

Chen Qing pressed the silver note into her hand. "Just take it."

"Th... Thank you, Chief Disciple!"

Yu Bao’Er looked at him earnestly. "Rest assured, Chief Disciple! If you need anything in the future, just give the word. I’ll make sure it’s handled perfectly for you!"

At that moment, her admiration for Chen Qing soared to new heights.

Chen Qing’s mind was racing.

This seemingly enormous debt was not merely a burden in his eyes, but a unique kind of social bond.

There was an art to borrowing money. It might have seemed like he had incurred an astronomical favor, but that wasn’t really the case.

He was now tied to everyone on that list by the delicate relationship of debtor and creditor, and he knew he would have to manage it with great care.

「Two days later, at the Old Knife Master Inn in the western part of the city.」

A private rear courtyard.

Chen Qing arrived as promised.

In the courtyard were Jiang Bohong and an unfamiliar couple.

The man was in his early forties, tall and powerfully built. His temples bulged, and he wore dark blue martial attire. A soft whip was coiled at his waist, its tip shaped like a scorpion’s tail, giving off a vicious air. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The woman, by contrast, appeared far more gentle and graceful. She had a pretty face, but her knuckles were prominent and the pads of her fingers were covered in thick calluses, a clear sign of her formidable skill.

A narrow Soft Sword in a simple scabbard hung from her waist.

"Chen Xiaoyou, you’re here!"

Jiang Bohong said with a smile, "Come, let me introduce you. These two are the Liu Mansion’s newly hired Tributors, Yue Shan and Liu San Niang. They are the ones seeking the Bone Transformation Pill for their gifted son."

As Chen Qing’s gaze swept over the couple, something stirred within him.

’Liu Family Tributors?’

’Ever since the fall of the Zheng Family, the Liu Family has been the sole power in the Yunlin Commerce Association. Their influence has expanded rapidly, and they’ve been recruiting many experts.’

’The True Qi flowing from these two is immense; they’re no nobodies. Judging by their auras, they must be Late-stage Embracing Pill experts.’

’But I’ve never heard of them, so they probably aren’t from Yunlin Prefecture.’

Chen Qing clasped his fist in a salute. "I am Chen Qing. It is a pleasure to meet you both."

Yue Shan laughed heartily and said with enthusiasm, "I’ve long heard of the great Chief Chen. Seeing you today, you are a young hero indeed!"

The Wutai Sect was one of the Four Great Sects of Yunlin Prefecture, and the Chief Disciple of one of its Five Institutes held a revered position.

’Befriending him would be a valuable connection.’

Liu San Niang simply nodded and offered a faint smile. "Greetings, Chief Chen."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, all eyes turned to the antique-style pill furnace in the courtyard.

Jiang Bohong’s expression turned solemn. "The hour has come and the medicinal ingredients are all prepared. I will now begin the alchemy! This pill is difficult to refine, and the control of the heat can change in an instant. I must ask you all to remain silent and watch from a distance, lest you disturb the process."

Yue Shan and Liu San Niang immediately held their breath and focused, their eyes filled with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.

Chen Qing also took a step back, his gaze fixed on the pill furnace.

Jiang Bohong sat down cross-legged and infused a stream of pure True Qi into the base of the pill furnace.

With a low HUM, the furnace fire shifted from dark red to incandescent white, and the surrounding temperature spiked.

He carefully opened the furnace lid and precisely added the three prepared primary ingredients—the Yin Condensing Flower, the Earth Dragon Blood Ginseng, and the Three-leaf Fire Heart Grass—along with dozens of supplementary herbs, following a specific order and measurement.

The lid closed. Jiang Bohong was completely focused, his hands moving like butterflies dancing through flowers as he constantly manipulated his True Qi to control the furnace’s heat.

A peculiar medicinal fragrance began to seep from the seams of the pill furnace. At times it was cold as frost, then scorching as fire, then dense as earth. The three medicinal properties clashed violently within the furnace, even as they attempted to fuse.

Time trickled by.

Sweat beaded on Yue Shan’s and Liu San Niang’s temples. They clenched their fists, their anxiety palpable.

It had taken them years of saving to gather these three primary ingredients, and only they knew the hardships and risks involved in acquiring them.

Chen Qing stood a short distance away, watching with bated breath.

Suddenly, the pill furnace shook violently, emitting a jarring, high-pitched HUM!

The furnace fire flickered violently, shifting from incandescent white to a dangerous, dark red. A wisp of acrid black smoke even spewed from the seam of the lid!