Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”Third Son...”

Old Chen, having recovered some of his spirit, chimed in with his own advice.

”I’ve lived to this age. I may not understand much, but I can still tell the strong from the weak. The Black Wolf Gang has deep roots in this area. Do you think they can be toppled just like that?”

”That boy, Chen Cheng... he’s made something of himself, I’ll grant you. But at the end of the day, he’s young and naive. The Jianghu is treacherous, and he can’t possibly fathom its depths.”

Chen Yong also frowned and chimed in.

”Third Brother, Hao now not only has connections with the Black Wolf Gang leaders, but today he’s even running an errand for the Patrol Office!”

”If he earns their favor and gets a position in the Patrol Office, he’ll be as good as a public official! After that, what couldn’t he do to look out for you? Can Chen Cheng even compare to that?”

Chen Yong paused, his tone growing heavier.

”What does your wife, a mere woman, understand? How can you let her call the shots on a matter this important? Listen to your big brother’s advice: switch it to Hao’s name. Don’t be a fool who can’t tell a winning hand from a losing one!”

”Well... I...”

Chen An swallowed hard, his expression deeply conflicted.

His wife was afraid he had truly been swayed, but she never expected him to make his decision so quickly.

”My branch of the family will stay registered under Chen Cheng’s name. I’m not changing it.”

The moment she heard this, her furrowed brow relaxed. ’Her husband had finally acted like a real man for once in this family.’

...

「After lunch.」

Chen Cheng went to a small room next to the store’s warehouse.

He first started brewing some Blood-Nourishing Grass in an iron kettle. As the clean yet bitter medicinal fragrance began to fill the air, he took a stance in an empty part of the small room and began practicing his Health Tai Chi.

After his high-intensity training of the Hidden Dragon Fist at the Martial Arts Hall that morning, he needed to use the Health-Preserving Traits to soothe his muscles and bones and restore his physical and mental energy.

For a long time, Chen Cheng had been deliberately increasing the time he spent practicing Health Tai Chi. Consequently, the training progress recorded on the mark’s panel increased much faster than that of his Hidden Dragon Fist.

This was because the Health-Preserving Traits didn’t just have a restorative effect; they also nourished the body, healed injuries and illnesses, and gently cultivated the Divine Marrow.

The most tangible effect was the cultivation of his Divine Marrow.

His five senses and six perceptions grew stronger daily. That feeling of his Perception Power, insight, and control over his surroundings increasing, drop by tangible drop, was utterly addicting for Chen Cheng.

The healing effect on injuries and illnesses was just as impressive.

Old ailments accumulated from his early life of hardship, and even the hidden injury from his direct clash of fists with Zhao Shan, were gradually being eliminated by the daily recuperation, on their way to a complete recovery.

His physique was like a piece of ancient jade undergoing a slow purification, gradually shedding the accumulated afflictions of time as it approached a clearer, more primordial state.

As for the effect of nourishing his physique, it was the least obvious but most indispensable. It constantly strengthened the foundation of his Blood Qi, making it more solid and robust than that of other Martial Artists in the same Realm.

This not only meant an absolute advantage against those in the same Realm, but it also continually fortified his foundation, allowing the future upper limits of his Martial Arts to be far higher and broader.

A while later.

The sound of a door opening came from the warehouse next door, followed by the faint, hushed conversation of Shen Mi and Granny Ding.

”Master, that old bastard Zhang Gu is jacking up his price. He’s not only demanding a raise but is also insisting on hiring two more apprentices...”

Granny Ding said resentfully.

”I quietly asked around. They’re both some of Zhang Gu’s dirt-poor, distant relatives! They don’t have a single skill. They’re just here to collect a paycheck for doing nothing and serve as Zhang Gu’s personal slaves!”

Granny Ding paused, her voice now laced with obvious anxiety.

”We absolutely can’t let this happen... Otherwise, he’ll only get more audacious. Before you know it, he’ll be trying to stuff his own dogs in here to serve as the caravan’s watchdogs!”

”...Of course I know all this.”

Shen Mi said, her voice full of gloom.

”But at a time like this, where am I supposed to find a new accountant? Even if I could, how could I dare entrust all our books to someone whose background is a mystery?”

”Fuchang Trading Company... they’ve been eyeing us like a tiger. If they use this opportunity to plant a spy, to have someone working with them from the inside, the consequences would be unthinkable.”

”Well...”

Granny Ding was at a loss for words. After pondering for a moment, she couldn’t help but spit.

”For Zhang Gu to be stirring up this much trouble, he’s clearly got something to fall back on... Could it be that someone outside offered him a higher price? I bet... it’s Fuchang Trading Company!”

Shen Mi didn’t deny it, as she had obviously already considered this possibility.

But in the short term, she had no way to resolve this. After racking her brain, she could only conclude that she had to be careful not to make things worse. She would have to personally put on a smile, meet all his demands, and respectfully invite Zhang Gu back.

At the thought, a wave of humiliation and bitterness surged up from the bottom of her heart, getting caught in her throat. She could neither swallow it down nor spit it out.

Her husband had been dead for over ten years, her daughter had fallen out with the clan and refused to return to help, and the clan, in turn, had distanced themselves from and isolated her over the matter.

As a result, no matter what happened, no matter how humiliating or heartbreaking, she could only bear it all by herself.

The feeling was suffocating, at times pushing her to the brink of despair.

’Sometimes, looking back, I don’t even know how I made it through...’

”Master.”

”Chen Honored Elder... Can I help you?”

Seeing Chen Cheng’s sudden appearance at the warehouse entrance, Shen Mi hurriedly composed her expression and tone, unwilling to let this young Martial Artist with limitless potential see her distress.

Chen Cheng said calmly, ”I see Mr. Zhang has been on sick leave for a few days. I imagine that Master and Steward Ding must be overwhelmed. Perhaps I can lend a hand.”

”You?”

Shen Mi was taken aback, a trace of helplessness clouding her beautiful, limpid eyes.

There were some things she couldn’t bring herself to say, but Granny Ding understood her unspoken thoughts and spoke up in a low voice.

”It’s kind of you to offer, Chen Honored Elder, but accounting matters are not a Martial Artist’s forte. Besides... you can neither read nor do calculations... We shouldn’t trouble you with this.”

”You may not be aware of this, Steward Ding.”

Chen Cheng smiled. ”After I left the store, I learned how to read and do arithmetic. I even know a thing or two about bookkeeping. I just need the Master to walk me through the complete process once, and I should be able to get the hang of it.”

”This...”

Granny Ding’s eyes went wide, her face filled with disbelief.

Even the ever-composed Shen Mi clearly lost her composure. Her beautiful eyes were wide and her lips trembled slightly. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

Ordinarily, she would never have believed him so readily.

After all, Chen Cheng had left the Yongsheng Store for three months at most. Unless he were a prodigy born with innate knowledge, how could he possibly learn so much in such a short period?

But then she had another thought. Chen Cheng’s progress in the Martial Arts was divinely fast, which had to be due to a Comprehension that surpassed that of ordinary people. With such a boon, he could be considered a genius. It was only natural that he would learn other things more quickly than normal.

Ultimately, Chen Cheng simply couldn’t be measured by common standards.

The moment she had this thought, the last shred of doubt in Shen Mi’s heart vanished into thin air.

”Very well. We’ll do as you suggest, Chen Honored Elder. I’ll begin by walking you through the entire specific process: reading the ledgers, recording entries, and auditing the numbers...”

Chen Cheng nodded, stepped into the warehouse, and stood beside the mountain of account books.

Shen Mi took a deep breath, cleared her mind of all distracting thoughts, and began to clearly recite from memory the rigorous yet complex set of accounting rules and their specific operational methods.

About two hours later.

The Vertical Eye Mark suddenly flared with heat, bestowing upon Chen Cheng a new Skill that it had thoroughly deciphered.

[Bookkeeping and Calculation]: Entry Level (0/300)

—