Chapter 44 - 43: The Genealogy Starts With You

Chapter 44: Chapter 43: The Genealogy Starts With You

On the way back to the Xiang’s Pill Workshop, Zhao Ci listened to Zhu Li complain the entire trip.

She had an endless stream of complaints, none of which she repeated.

But it could all be summed up in one sentence: ’Because you, my boss, insist on being so low-key, I, your employee, have been seriously wronged, and you need to stick up for me.’

An employee this audacious was truly one of a kind.

Still, she was a good person. She normally wore her heart on her sleeve, so it was a wonder she’d managed to hold back for so long.

RUMBLE...

The carriage stopped.

Zhu Li was still chattering away.

Zhao Ci found it a little funny. "Are you really that angry?"

"What do you think?"

Zhu Li fumed, "You have no idea how they used to bully my father and me!"

Zhao Ci smiled. If his memory served him right, Zhu Li, as Zhujiang’s only daughter, had been sent to Lingge at a very young age. Father and daughter had been separated for over a decade, and Zhu Li had been all alone during that time. Yet she was still so protective of her father. It was clear their bond was deep.

’Still, if the Patriarch’s daughter is in such a sorry state, Zhujiang’s situation must be truly grim.’

When Zhao Ci remained silent, Zhu Li couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you going to stick up for the top alchemist in your service?"

"Stick up for you? What for!"

Zhao Ci laughed. "The Gongdan Conference is in just a few days. What’s the point of me running my mouth? Wouldn’t it be more satisfying for you to crush them yourself?"

Zhu Li considered this and felt he had a point. But then she counted on her fingers—the Gongdan Conference was still half a month away.

In other words, she had to hold it in for another half a month.

She’d go crazy by then!

She subconsciously rubbed her chest.

Seeing her counting on her fingers and rubbing her chest, Zhao Ci quickly said, "Life is long. You can’t expect to get your kicks every single day, can you? We’re playing the long game so we can reach greater heights later on."

Zhu Li asked, "How high can we go?"

Zhao Ci took a deep breath. "When they get to your page in the Zhu Family’s ancestral records, they’ll have to start a whole new volume just for you."

GASP...

Zhu Li gasped, tilting her head back slightly to look at Zhao Ci, her eyes filled with a blazing fervor.

’You man.’

’You have ignited my will to fight.’

Zhao Ci grinned. "I’ll be busy with my Alchemy of Wine at home for a while, so I won’t be coming to the Pill Workshop much. You don’t have to worry about anything else. Just come in every day and help Tributor Zhang and the others with their alchemy."

He then added, "They really can’t do it without you!"

Zhu Li’s spirits instantly lifted. "Don’t you worry! I’m the backbone of Xiang’s Pill Workshop. I won’t let them down!"

With that, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing pale, slender forearms, and marched energetically into the Pill Workshop.

Zhao Ci chuckled, got back into the carriage, and left. The carriage swayed gently as it headed for the northern part of the city.

Compared to the bustling West Market, the atmosphere in the northern part of the city was far more austere. Most of the residents here were craftsmen, and those with the financial means to settle in Lingge City were typically master blacksmiths.

Thus, seventy percent of the buildings here were either blacksmith shops or the homes of blacksmiths.

Ten percent were taverns where blacksmiths went to shoot the shit, and the remaining twenty percent were a hodgepodge of other things.

Of course, even master blacksmiths had their specializations. Some forged kitchenware and farming tools, while others made conventional weapons.

A select few specialized in forging and maintaining military armaments for the Court. These were all renowned great clans, the largest of which were naturally the Yellow Sea Gongshu Clan, the Ba Shu Zhuge Clan, and the Jing Chu Xiang Clan.

The work of the Gongshu and Zhuge clans was quite similar, as both dealt with intricate mechanisms, though their applications differed slightly.

The Xiang Family was much simpler. They mostly forged powerful, heavy-duty weapons and armor. Because they had the fewest assets in Lingge, their Artifact Refining Shop was also the smallest of the three.

The carriage stopped in front of Xiang’s Artifact Refining Workshop.

Zhao Ci leaped from the carriage and barged through the door, yelling, "Ninth Uncle, Ninth Uncle! Is my spear finished yet?"

Just as his voice rang out...

...a gruff voice cut in. "Stop all that shouting! Just call me Uncle from now on. ’Ninth Uncle, Ninth Uncle’... doesn’t it make your skin crawl just saying it?"

Soon, a towering, barrel-chested man carrying a forging hammer emerged from the refining room.

[Xiang Yunzhan’s Current Wish: For that kid Zhao Ci to be a bit more mature and steady. Only then will he have a hope of living a long, peaceful life. Reward for completion: Insight +100. Available skill to acquire: Health-Nurturing Fist.]

This was Zhao Ci’s ninth uncle, Xiang Yunzhan. He was Xiang Tiange’s cousin. However, Xiang Tiange was born of a concubine, whereas Xiang Yunzhan was from the Xiang Clan’s direct lineage.

There were status divisions within the clan, but back in the day, Xiang Yunzhan had been one of Xiang Tiange’s most die-hard followers. He was seriously wounded right before that battle eighteen years ago; otherwise, he would have died on the battlefield long ago.

Xiang Yunzhan could have returned to his ancestral home in Jing Chu, but he chose to stay in Lingge. He knew that with no one from her maternal family around, Princess Consort Jing and her son would be easily bullied.

He held no official position within the clan and usually just spent his time smithing, but his status was quite high.

’This is the only elder I can rely on!’

This was the conclusion Zhao Ci drew after seeing the wish. He found it rather absurd that the person he could rely on most was a cousin of his mother’s.

’Unfortunately, the condition for completing this wish is a bit harsh.’

’At least in the short term, I have no intention of acting mature and steady. Besides, if I wanted to learn that Health-Nurturing Fist, it wouldn’t be difficult.’

"Uncle! Hehe, is my spear ready?"

Zhao Ci casually placed a roasted chicken he had bought in the West Market on the table.

"Been ready for ages!"

Xiang Yunzhan snatched the roasted chicken and led Zhao Ci into the backyard. He tore off a drumstick with one bite and pointed to the long spear in the corner. "Go on, see if you can even lift it," he mumbled through a mouthful of meat, scraping it clean from the bone.

"Alright!"

Zhao Ci nodded and hurried to the corner. The long spear looked unremarkable, a standard-issue Xiang-style Long Spear—a beast in a one-on-one duel and a godsend in a melee.

However, it was forged from Profound Tungsten Steel, a material Zhao Ci had specifically requested, and even had a lead core. Both its hardness and weight were terrifyingly high. This was a weapon fit only for a true beast of a man.

He gripped the spear’s shaft with both hands.

He let out a grunt.

He barely managed to lift it before his grip failed. It fell to the ground with a loud CLANG, nearly crushing his foot.

Startled, Zhao Ci hastily retreated several steps.

Xiang Yunzhan sneered. "You’re getting ahead of yourself, kid. A spear of this caliber isn’t something just anyone can lift. To wield it as if it were weightless, you’d need to master either the Emperor’s Extreme Body Refining Technique or the Tyrant Body Refining Technique."

In the Physical Body Realm, one’s cultivation during the Body Refining Stage determines their physical Qi Power.

Among Physical Cultivation Techniques, while the Xiang Family’s Tyrant Body Refining Technique was slightly inferior overall to the Emperor’s Extreme Body Refining Technique, it was actually a notch stronger in terms of pure Qi Power.

"I haven’t even started my Body Refining yet, have I? Just wait. After my first session, I’ll be twirling this thing around like a toothpick!"

Zhao Ci gave a shameless grin and sidled closer. "Uncle, have any of my mother’s people come looking for you recently?"

"They have! They even asked what you were here for last time."

Xiang Yunzhan swallowed a greasy mouthful of meat. "I just used the spear to put them off. They didn’t press the issue."

’Just as I thought!’

Zhao Ci nodded slightly. ’Gu Xiangzhu is not to be underestimated. Good thing I was prepared, and even better that Xiang Yunzhan is trustworthy.’

The main issue was his "mother." She had gone to an Immortal Mountain to cultivate at a young age and had already become Princess Consort Jing by the time she returned.

Xiang Yunzhan had wanted to help Xiang Tiange look after his sister, but in truth, they weren’t that close. Conversely, the unpopular Zhao Ci often used this place as a sanctuary, which made his relationship with his uncle even closer.

"What are you up to, you sneaky brat?"

Xiang Yunzhan frowned. "And you have to do it behind your father and mother’s backs. You’re not getting into trouble, are you?"

"Of course not!"

Zhao Ci laughed. "What I asked you to make is just a little trinket, nothing presentable. What trouble could I possibly cause with it? To be honest, this thing is to help the Xiang Clan make some money. Just look at the young men of our Xiang Family! They’re all so broke they’ve been forced to be chaste until their faces turn green. As their cousin, I just can’t bear to see it!"

"Make money? At Xiang’s Pill Workshop?"

Xiang Yunzhan’s thick brows shot up.

Zhao Ci acted surprised. "Whoa! You know about it too, Uncle?"

Xiang Yunzhan snorted. "I heard a thing or two about what happened at the auction house last night. You’ve really lost your mind, kid. Rushing headfirst into the pill business... are you just trying to get yourself killed?"

Zhao Ci’s brows furrowed. "Uncle! You don’t believe in me either?"

Xiang Yunzhan gave him a helpless look. "This has nothing to do with whether I believe in you. Even if Xiang’s Pill Workshop succeeds, it doesn’t really matter much to the rest of us. At most, we get a share of the profits. But it’s different for you. Do you have any idea what path you’re walking down?"

Zhao Ci nodded. "Of course I know!"

Xiang Yunzhan was silent for a moment. He didn’t try to persuade him further, but simply patted Zhao Ci’s shoulder. "You know, living a quiet, stable life isn’t a bad thing."

"Let’s not talk about that!"

Zhao Ci changed the subject. "Help me with one more thing, Uncle. I need a Mansion Official for my residence. Can you find someone for me?"

"Who?"

"My cousin!"

"Zeran? I already tried talking to her for you on the day you established your mansion. She absolutely refused."

"Why?"

"She said she’d starve to death if she worked for you!"

"..."

"I asked her again this morning. She got so scared that she ran off overnight to become a Mansion Official for the Heir of King Lie. Her name is probably already on his official roster. They’re planning to head straight for the frontier to take assignments directly from the Ministry of War and get out of Lingge. Don’t bother asking anyone else. This is about their future prospects. None of the Xiang Family in Lingge would dare follow you."

GASP...

Zhao Ci felt a throbbing headache coming on. He never realized his reputation was this terrible.

Today, he had tragically lost a cousin named Xiang Zeren.

He chatted idly with Xiang Yunzhan for a while longer, repeatedly reminding him to keep everything a secret. Then he called for his driver, and the two of them hauled the long spear onto the carriage.

On the way back to the Tenth Prince’s Mansion.

Zhao Ci felt a little melancholy. In all of Lingge, a city this vast, almost no one believed in him.

’Life is as lonely as snow!’

...

In the days that followed, Lingge grew much livelier.

The major Pill Workshops all transferred their top Alchemists to Lingge. Convoys transporting alchemy ingredients streamed into the city one after another as every Pill Workshop entered a state of intense preparation.

After all, pills had always been a resource controlled by the Court in the Great Yu.

It didn’t matter how many pills each clan produced. On their own turf, as long as they were supervised, they could sell as many as they liked. However, the number of people within their spheres of influence who could afford pills was limited. To sell them across the land at ideal prices, they had to go through the Court-controlled channels.

They were participating in the Gongdan Conference precisely to compete for access to those channels.

Everyone was so busy that they didn’t even have time to mock Zhao Ci anymore.

Zhao Ci, on the other hand, was living a life of peaceful tranquility. Aside from cultivating, he would visit the Imperial Palace daily to chat with Zhao Huan, then go cook for Gu Xiangzhu. He played the part of a filial son to perfection, and his relationship with his parents warmed considerably.

Zhao Huan was a man of great tact. He only asked about Zhao Ci’s daily life and never uttered another word about the Alchemy of Wine.

Gu Xiangzhu, for her part, grew increasingly kind to Zhao Ci. The only problem was the "Seize the Alchemy of Wine technique" wish perpetually hovering over her head, which annoyed him to no end. It radiated aggressive intent, but since no opportunity presented itself, he could only hold the line with shoulder rubs and bide his time.

Finally...

Half a month passed.

On the first day of the autumn equinox, the Gongdan Conference was held as scheduled. The event was set to begin at Noon, right at the Vermilion Bird Gate of the Imperial Palace.

Zhao Ci had been planning to sleep in, since the event didn’t start until noon. But just as dawn was breaking, his door was kicked open.

"Your Highness, Your Highness!"

Zhu Li’s voice trembled with excitement. "Today’s the day we make our name! How can you still be sleeping? Hurry up! Her Ladyship wants us to go to Wangshu Palace to see her immediately. Your Highness, Your Highness, I’m just going to pull back the... AHH! Why do you sleep naked?!"

Zhao Ci: "???"

He hated employees with no sense of personal space.