Chapter 42: Propriety

Chen Yuan looked at the white jade pill bottle handed over by Hall Master Qi and asked in surprise

"Only one bottle of Hunyuan Pills?"

Hall Master Qi replied with a conciliatory smile

"Please forgive me, Hall Master Chen. The medicinal ingredients used for Hunyuan Pills are extremely precious. Shennong Hall's monthly production is only two or three bottles. The Sect Leader uses one, one must be offered to General Wang of the Yuzhou Army, and the remaining bottle is intended for sale to other provinces. However, since you have asked, I cannot let you return empty-handed even if it means sacrificing our business, but I truly have no more beyond this."

Chen Yuan frowned, took the pill bottle, and said

"Then I must trouble Hall Master Qi to give me four bottles of Jingyuan Pills instead."

Since there weren't enough Hunyuan Pills, he could only make up the difference with Jingyuan Pills.

The medicinal potency of three Jingyuan Pills was only equivalent to one Hunyuan Pill, which was why he asked for four bottles upon speaking.

Hall Master Qi did not dare to refuse and immediately sent someone to fetch four bottles of Jingyuan Pills and hand them to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan asked a few more questions regarding the Sanjiang Gang before rising to take his leave.

Hall Master Qi escorted him all the way to the door with a respectful attitude, as if he were facing Luo Zhenwu.

Although he was over fifty and Chen Yuan was younger than his own son, Chen Yuan was now a Huajin expert, which prevented him from acting overbearingly.

After Chen Yuan left, Hall Master Qi did not dare to delay and immediately rushed to Luo Zhenwu's residence.

...

Not long after Chen Yuan returned to his manor, Luo Zhenwu came calling.

Inside the Chen manor's reception hall, the two sat down, one as host and the other as guest.

Luo Zhenwu repeatedly scrutinized Chen Yuan, unable to hide the shock in his eyes, and said

"To reach the Huajin stage before the age of twenty... even the martial arts myth '逍遥剑' (Carefree Sword) Xie Qingping falls far short of this. Hall Master Chen, your talent is extraordinary and unparalleled in the martial world. Heaven blesses our Fuhu Gang! With a young genius like you, there is no time to lose. I invite you to take up the position of Vice Sect Leader tomorrow to boost the gang's morale and sweep away the Sanjiang Gang in one fell swoop!"

Chen Yuan cupped his hands and said

"I thank the Sect Leader for his appreciation, but this matter cannot be rushed."

Luo Zhenwu frowned and asked

"Why do you say that, Hall Master Chen?"

Chen Yuan said solemnly

"I heard from Hall Master Qi that Huang Xiuzhi has lingered at the peak of Huajin for a long time. In his exchanges with you, Sect Leader, there have been both victories and defeats. I have only just broken through the Huajin bottleneck and am still far from Huang Xiuzhi's level. Even if we join forces, we might not necessarily be able to stop him. It would be better to wait a while longer. Once I have fully mastered the Red Sun Sword Technique, it will not be too late to act."

Luo Zhenwu nodded slightly, lowered his head in thought for a moment, and said

"Hall Master Chen has a point; I was inconsiderate. Let us do this: keep your breakthrough of the Huajin bottleneck a secret for now. Once you have fully mastered the Red Sun Sword Technique, we shall use thunderous means to flatten the Sanjiang Gang. How does that sound?"

"That is exactly my intention. I ask the Sect Leader to give me six months. After six months, it will be the time for the Sanjiang Gang's destruction."

...

After seeing Luo Zhenwu off, Chen Yuan returned to the backyard to continue his martial training, but he did not practice the Red Sun Sword Technique.

He intended to walk the path of cultivation; the Red Sun Sword Technique was useless to him.

What he needed to do now was to continue accumulating True Qi to reach the peak of Huajin, convert the True Qi in his body into Dharma Power, and take the opportunity to attempt to break through the fourth level of Qi Refinement.

His previous explanation was merely to stabilize Luo Zhenwu and ensure that Shennong Hall would continue to provide him with pills.

Of course, Chen Yuan also wanted to destroy the Sanjiang Gang. After all, he had personally killed Yang Huaizhan and had formed a mortal enmity with them; he had to pull them up by the roots.

Once he reached the fourth level of Qi Refinement, his strength would be comparable to a Xiantian martial artist, making the destruction of the Sanjiang Gang an easy task.

But before that, he would not rashly involve himself in the conflict with the Sanjiang Gang to avoid any accidents that might affect his cultivation.

If it weren't for the fact that the potency of Jingyuan Pills was too low after breaking through to Huajin, and that his martial training required Hunyuan Pills, he wouldn't have even mentioned this matter.

...

Over the next few months, the Fuhu Gang continued to suppress the Sanjiang Gang, while Chen Yuan remained behind closed doors, practicing diligently with rapid progress.

However, just as before, as his physical strength increased, the amount of energy required after the Starlight Infusion grew larger, and the rate at which he consumed pills accelerated.

During the first two months of breaking through to Huajin, Chen Yuan consumed less than one bottle of Hunyuan Pills and four bottles of Jingyuan Pills per month.

In the third month, his consumption of Jingyuan Pills increased to nearly five bottles.

In the fourth month, it exceeded five bottles.

In the fifth month, it exceeded six bottles.

This time, Hall Master Qi could no longer sit still.

He did not dare to provoke Chen Yuan, but Chen Yuan's monthly consumption of six bottles of Jingyuan Pills was truly killing Shennong Hall.

The Hunyuan Pills were manageable; they used to be sold to other provinces and were no longer sold externally, so there was no major impact.

However, there were many Gangjin martial artists in the Yuzhou Army, and their demand for Jingyuan Pills was significant.

After the destruction of Jishi Hall, Shennong Hall was the only provider of Jingyuan Pills on the market, and demand far outstripped supply.

With Chen Yuan alone using five or six bottles of Jingyuan Pills, Shennong Hall had to stop external sales. They were unable to earn silver while the supplies for the various Hall Masters and Vice Hall Masters of the gang were also significantly reduced.

But they knew Chen Yuan had broken through the Huajin bottleneck; even if they had grievances, they did not dare speak out, instead placing all the pressure on Hall Master Qi.

Unable to hold on, Hall Master Qi went to Luo Zhenwu to complain.

Luo Zhenwu could only soothe him patiently

"Please endure a little longer, Hall Master Qi. In another month, it will be the deadline I agreed upon with Hall Master Chen. Once we sweep away the Sanjiang Gang and our gang completely controls the medicinal herb business in Yuzhou, what will a few bottles of Jingyuan Pills matter?"

Since Luo Zhenwu had spoken, Hall Master Qi could only comply and prioritize the pill supply to Chen Yuan.

But when he arrived at Chen Yuan's manor with the next month's supply, Chen Yuan refused

"Hall Master Qi, take the pills back. From now on, you no longer need to send me any more pills."

Hall Master Qi felt as if a great weight had been lifted. He thanked him repeatedly, restored the pill supplies to the various Hall Masters and Vice Hall Masters, and resumed external sales of Jingyuan Pills. The business of the Shennei Hall immediately became booming.

At the same time, Chen Yuan went to Luo Zhenwu's manor to bid farewell, stating that he needed to leave the prefectural city for a period of time.

Luo Zhenwu did not ask for the reason and agreed immediately, even gifting Chen Yuan a Thousand-Li Horse for his travels.

Chen Yuan was quite surprised; the explanation he had prepared had not been useful at all.

Luo Zhenwu even added

"If Hall Master Chen requires anything, just say the word. Our gang has thousands of members at your disposal."

Chen Yuan cupped his hands and said

"I appreciate the Sect Leader's kindness, but I shall go alone on this trip. Having more people would only be inconvenient."

Luo Zhenwu nodded and said solemnly

"I do not know the purpose of your journey, Hall Master Chen, but I have a few words from the heart that I hope you will take to mind."

Chen Yuan said seriously

"Please, Sect Leader."

Luo Zhenwu said slowly

"Looking back at all the past Sect Leaders of our gang, there has never been a tradition of father passing to son; the position is always passed to the most capable. Thus, our gang has stood firm in the Yuzhou martial world for nearly a century, remaining the leader of Yuzhou through all storms."

"Hall Master Chen, you are under twenty and have already reached Huajin. You are a rare genius of the world. Once the Sanjiang Gang is swept away, I will follow the gang rules and pass the position of Sect Leader to you. Whether our Fuhu Gang can dominate the martial world in the future depends entirely on you. Therefore, you must be careful on this trip and do not take unnecessary risks."

His expression was grave and his words sincere. Hearing this, Chen Yuan showed a look of surprise and cupped his hands

"I am deeply grateful for your generosity, Sect Leader, but my ambitions lie elsewhere. I ask that you choose another capable person. However, please rest assured; since I have made a promise, I will not break it. When I return, I will join forces with you to wipe out the Sanjiang Gang and reclaim the Yuzhou martial world for our gang."

Hearing this, Luo Zhenwu sighed softly and said with a bitter smile

"Very well. Hall Master Chen has lofty ambitions; I was being presumptuous."

Afterward, Luo Zhenwu said no more, nor did he ask what Chen Yuan's ambitions were, even though he had overlooked the position of Sect Leader. He escorted him out of the manor.

Upon parting, Chen Yuan gave Luo Zhenwu a deep look and led his horse back to his manor.

...

Chen Yuan packed his luggage and set off on horseback, reaching Leping County in just one day.

The Thousand-Li Horse gifted by Luo Zhenwu was extraordinary, possessing great endurance that far surpassed ordinary horses.

While it could not travel a thousand miles in a day, traveling several hundred miles was effortless.

Passing through Leping County, Chen Yuan did not enter the city but instead followed the highway toward Yuanping Pass.

He did not stop when passing through Chen Family Village, only staying at an inn by the roadside when the sun began to set.

It was a large inn that catered to merchant caravans traveling to and from Yuanping Pass; it also accepted individual travelers, though at a much higher price.

Chen Yuan naturally did not mind and requested a superior room.

He could have traveled through the night, but the horse needed rest; he had to stay for one night before entering the mountains.

After dinner, Chen Yuan returned to his room, lit an oil lamp, and took out the *Red Flame Manual*, flipping through it with an extremely serious expression.

His reason for leaving the prefectural city this time was to convert all the True Qi in his body into Dharma Power and truly step onto the path of cultivation.

Over the past five months, Chen Yuan had practiced tirelessly, day and night. Finally, three days ago, he reached the peak of Huajin. His dantian was filled with True Qi, and his Six Yang Technique had reached its absolute limit.

His physical strength had also increased significantly; Jingyuan Pills were no longer sufficient to replenish his energy after the Starlight Infusion.

Even Hunyuan Pills required three to barely replenish his energy once, which was extremely wasteful.

At this stage, he could finally follow the methods recorded in the *Red Flame Manual* to convert his True Qi into Dharma Power and use it to attempt to break through the fourth level of Qi Refinement.

However, converting True Qi into Dharma Power required a long time—at least ten days, and at most half a month.

Furthermore, during this process, he would be inspecting his internal state and would be completely defenseless against the outside world. If anyone harbored ill intentions, it would be extremely dangerous.

Being naturally cautious, Chen Yuan would not perform the conversion in the prefectural city.

He needed to go to an absolutely safe place to prevent any accidents, which was why he had bid farewell to Luo Zhenwu.

He had prepared a set of excuses, but he had not expected Luo Zhenwu to be so reasonable—not asking for reasons and even offering him the position of Sect Leader.

If he had used his status as a gang leader to pressure him, Chen Yuan would not have been polite.

After emerging from the Red Mang Mountain Range, having undergone nearly a hundred Starlight Infusions, his immense strength had become terrifying. Even among those at the peak of Huajin, he was by no means an equal to Luo Zhenwu.

Yet, Luo Zhenwu's sense of propriety and restraint had surprised Chen Yuan.

He did not know if Luo Zhenwu had seen something, or if he simply did not want to offend a fellow Huajin expert, or if he truly felt a genuine appreciation for talent.

But since Luo Zhenwu could restrain his greed and not pry into his secrets, Chen Yuan would reciprocate by helping him sweep away the Sanjiang Gang.

(End of Chapter)