Chapter 137 - 87: Endure a Moment of Humiliation, Bear a Moment of Pain!

Chapter 137: Chapter 87: Endure a Moment of Humiliation, Bear a Moment of Pain!

Zheng Jun let out a sigh of marvel.

He had now stepped into the "Refining Gang" stage of Qi Storage, officially making his push toward the Outer Gang realm. A sliver of Gang Qi had already been nurtured within his body. However, it currently coexisted with his True Qi; if he were to use it in combat now, it would likely cause a certain degree of chaotic backlash.

Therefore, he had to wait until his True Qi had completely transformed into Gang Qi before he could officially transition from a Qi Storage Martial Artist to an Outer Gang Martial Artist. But regardless, his current strength was already noticeably greater than before.

At this thought, Zheng Jun felt incredibly refreshed.

Just then, the two maids finished dressing him. Zheng Jun looked at himself in the mirror and couldn’t help but smile at the elegant, dashing figure reflected back at him.

The man in the mirror wore a finely crafted Official Robe with tightened cuffs that fit him perfectly. The hem of the garment was embroidered with cloud patterns in gold thread, and a matching cloud-patterned belt was tied around his waist, accentuating his tall and straight posture. Paired with jade-brocade boots, he looked quite the part of a Noble Young Master.

He looked clean, crisp, and incredibly graceful and luxurious. Looking at himself, Zheng Jun found it quite a novel experience. But if given the choice, he wouldn’t dress like this.

"There’s no need for this. Just tie my hair into a martial topknot," Zheng Jun said with a light chuckle to the two maids. "I’m not some Noble Young Master. I don’t need to be so particular about my appearance."

Hearing this, the two maids, Bai Zhi and Banxia, were slightly surprised, but they obediently followed his orders, changing his hairstyle into that of a military general.

The grace of a noble was indeed quite nice; it gave him the illusion of being a dashing Hero wandering the Jianghu. But he wasn’t actually a dashing Hero. His subordinates were either County Soldiers or members of the Tongzhou Association. His foundation was in Black Mountain County, not in Bozhou City, and certainly not in the Capital City.

If he put on the airs of a noble, how was he supposed to mingle with his men? He had started from the bottom, rising from humble beginnings. He was no Noble Family aristocrat! He could not forget his original intentions.

Once his hair was changed back into the martial topknot he was more familiar with, Zheng Jun turned to Qingdai and asked, "Qingdai, how much silver did that medicinal bath and incense cost earlier?"

"To answer the Young Master, most of the medicinal herbs used in the bath are quite common and don’t cost much silver," Qingdai answered obediently. "However, the Celestial Fragrance Leaf and Qinghe Liuzi are very expensive, costing about one thousand two hundred silver taels. The incense burned was Concentration Incense, which costs three hundred taels per stick."

She then added, "Young Master, the medicinal bath and incense were a gift from Shopkeeper Shang. He admires Young Master Zheng for being a young hero, so there is no charge."

"I know this one was free." Zheng Jun nodded and continued without a moment of hesitation, "I want to set it up two more times—tomorrow night and the night after. Will that be difficult?"

"Ah?" Hearing this, a flash of shock crossed Qingdai’s beautiful eyes, filling them with disbelief. "Young Master, are you in such a hurry?"

Absorbing the Blood Soul Qi Fiend was incredibly painful every single time. Because of this, Martial Artists who absorbed the Blood Soul Qi Fiend usually only did it once a month. Although continuously absorbing the Blood Soul Qi Fiend wouldn’t diminish its effects or cause any lingering side effects, the sheer agony was enough to make many Martial Artists flinch away. Even those who persevered would need to rest for a few days before their next absorption.

Yet Zheng Jun was actually booking the next two nights back-to-back to absorb the Blood Soul Qi Fiend, intending to use up his entire supply in one vigorous push. Qingdai had never seen a Martial Artist like this before!

"Shopkeeper Shang probably won’t treat me this time, so I’ll pay for it myself." Zheng Jun coughed lightly and pulled out a thick stack of silver notes. Looking at Qingdai with absolute trust, he said, "Here is ten thousand taels. From now on, deduct the estate’s Pill expenses from this. If it’s not enough, let me know.

"My Pill supply cannot stop. At least one Qi Storage Pill every day, and one Leopard Tendon Pill every seven days. In addition, deduct the cost of one Blood Nourishing Pill every seven days for my brother-in-law."

Accepting the stack of silver notes Zheng Jun handed over, Qingdai—the plain-skirted girl who normally felt she had everything under control—suddenly felt at a loss.

"What is going on with our Young Master?" she wondered. "Isn’t he afraid I’ll run off with this ten thousand taels of silver? Does he really trust a stranger this much?"

Although she had no intention of running away, Qingdai didn’t quite know how to respond to this sudden display of profound trust.

Zheng Jun, however, was perfectly calm.

It was just ten thousand taels. At worst, he could just go to the neighboring county and "borrow" some from the local Gentry. If the neighboring county didn’t have any, there was always the neighboring Commandery. And if the neighboring Commandery didn’t have any, wasn’t there a neighboring State?

Since Qingdai was from Jishi Hall anyway, what was the point of pretending? They were just taking what they needed from each other; she could simply act as his liaison. It was a pretty good arrangement.

Qingdai and the other six girls helped him wash clothes, cook, and manage the household, and they could even prepare the exact proportions for things like his medicinal baths. How much time and effort would that save him? Granted, Zheng Jun didn’t usually have to wash his own clothes or cook anyway, but could the rough hands of the Military Department compare to the care of deft, dedicated maids?

"Young Master, the medicinal bath and incense for the next two days can be arranged, but..." A hint of hesitation appeared in Qingdai’s eyes, but she still spoke up, "Aren’t you rushing things a bit too much? Although absorbing the Blood Soul Qi Fiend has no lingering side effects, the needle-like piercing pain is absolutely beyond what an ordinary person can endure. You..."

"Time waits for no one." Zheng Jun replied calmly, "Since I have devoted myself to Martial Arts, I must remain fully committed to the very end. The idea of slacking off for even half a day has no place on the path of Martial Arts!"

"Yes, Young Master." Hearing this, Qingdai couldn’t help but silently conclude that Zheng Jun was an absolute martial arts fanatic. Her estimation of him rose significantly as she quickly excused herself to go prepare the medicinal baths for the next two days.

As for Zheng Jun, he let out a long breath.

Supplementing the absorption of the Blood Soul Qi Fiend with a medicinal bath indeed yielded remarkable results. But it really, really hurt! However, Zheng Jun had to maximize his combat strength as much as possible in the near future.

After all, the news of True Man Yuan Yi, an Outer Gang Elder of the Vast Sea Sect, defecting with his eight disciples had genuinely put him on high alert. Although he had Slashed an Outer Gang expert before, it had been when the opponent was already heavily injured—he had essentially gotten lucky.

Against an Outer Gang expert at their absolute peak, Zheng Jun truly didn’t have the confidence to secure a certain victory.