Zhou Liang also walked over and patted Chen Qing's shoulder. "Not bad. Keep up the good work."
Chen Qing quickly cupped his fist and said, "Yes, Master."
It had been a long time since he had spoken with his master alone.
Zhou Liang said a few simple words, then turned and left.
After all, taking more than two months to reach Manifest Force meant his future potential was truly limited.
Afterward, the other disciples also dispersed.
Sun Shun asked with a smile, "Junior Brother Chen, how do you feel?"
"Not bad," Chen Qing nodded. After breaking through to Manifest Force, he felt his blood and qi flow smoothly, and his strength had increased considerably.
Sun Shun smiled. "I'll spar with you over the next few days to help you get used to using your Power."
"Thank you, Brother Sun." Chen Qing pondered for a moment before asking, "Brother Sun, about this retainer position..."
Sun Shun immediately understood. For a disciple from a family like Chen Qing's, the first thing to do after breaking through to Manifest Force was to find a faction to take a retainer position with. That was the only way to earn enough money to continue paying the gift.
He hesitated. "The big factions like the Weapon Forging Shop, Wangyuan Escort Agency, and Renhe Hall have a pretty high bar for retainer positions, which makes it a bit tricky. But other places aren't as difficult. I'll keep an eye out for you in the coming days."
The Weapon Forging Shop and Wangyuan Escort Agency were long-established names in Gaolin County, filled with their own experts. Their requirements for retainers were extremely strict, and they usually only accepted elite disciples from Martial Arts Halls or under the tutelage of a Martial Artist.
Chen Qing cupped his fist again. "Then I must thank you for your trouble."
Sun Shun hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Junior Brother Chen, if you're open to it, you might want to interact more with the other disciples from wealthy families. Perhaps... you could get some sponsorship."
A trace of confusion appeared in Chen Qing's eyes. "Sponsorship?"
Sun Shun said slowly, "There's a saying: 'Thirty percent training, seventy percent nourishment.' The most important things for practicing martial arts are actually meat and medicinal supplements. Take the Blood and Qi Powder that Junior Sister Zhou just gave you. If you took it daily, you could increase your Cultivation speed by thirty percent. And then there are the even more precious Blood Qi Pills... For me, I spend five taels of silver on medicinal supplements alone each month. How could the small salary from a retainer position possibly be enough?"
Seeing Chen Qing's silence, Sun Shun continued, "Now that you've reached Manifest Force, you have the chance to participate in the Martial Arts Examination. You're like a bamboo shoot that's broken through the soil. A wealthy family might want to invest in you, providing you with meat and supplements. What leaks from between their fingers would be enough to cover your gift for half a year."
Hearing this, Chen Qing instantly understood.
He had long heard that some wealthy households and great clans in Gaolin County would sponsor Martial Artists, providing money and resources to help them participate in the Martial Arts Examination, all for the sake of fostering favorable connections.
They would sponsor dozens of people; if just one of them succeeded in the examination, it would be a profitable investment. Besides, even if the others didn't pass, these Martial Artists would still owe them a favor, expanding their network and leaving them with a good reputation.
Sun Shun said patiently, "Look at Junior Sister Luo and Junior Brother Zheng. They're both from rich families. They have another reason for coming here to practice martial arts: to scout for promising prospects."
"The Luo Family, which Junior Sister Luo belongs to, is one of the Five Great Races of the Inner City. They're incredibly wealthy, and the amount they sponsor is far beyond that of an ordinary rich household. However, her standards are quite high. Junior Brother Qin receives the Luo Family's sponsorship, so he hardly has to worry about meat or medicinal supplements. And Junior Brother Zheng is from the Zheng Family, which also has a substantial fortune."
"For example, I've always relied on sponsorship from Guo's, and it's never been cut off."
Chen Qing looked in the direction Sun Shun was pointing.
Luo Qian and Zhengzi Bridge were the wealthy disciples in the courtyard. You could tell just by watching them practice on a normal day; a crowd of people always surrounded them.
"Forget it."
Chen Qing shook his head.
'When I broke through just now, neither of them even gave me a second glance. They obviously look down on my aptitude.'
'Even if I shamelessly went over to them, I doubt I'd be met with anything but a cold shoulder.'
Sun Shun was about to persuade him further, but Chen Qing had already said with a serious expression, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Brother Sun. I think it's more practical to find a retainer position first."
Seeing that his persuasion was fruitless, Sun Shun could only sigh and pat his shoulder.
.....
Today, Chen Qing didn't do any extra training and headed home early.
After passing through a narrow alley filled with the stench of fish and damp wood, the familiar silhouette of the interconnected houseboats of Mute Bay came into view.
"Search! Search every single boat!"
Several vicious-looking members of the Jinhe Gang were at the wharf, interrogating fishermen. The man in the lead, whose face was covered in bumpy pockmarks, darted his triangular eyes from side to side.
This man was none other than Liu Laizi, the gang leader's trusted subordinate.
They called it a search, but it was just an excuse to extort another hefty sum from the locals.
Chen Qing impassively lowered his head, sticking to the shadows as he quickly skirted around the men and returned to his family's dilapidated houseboat.
Pushing open the CREAKING cabin door, he saw his mother, Ms. Han, wringing her hands anxiously in the dim light.
"Mother, I'm home."
Chen Qing kept his voice as level as possible. "What are the men from the Jinhe Gang doing?"
Ms. Han sighed and lowered her voice. "What else? They're interrogating everyone over and over, saying they need to find the person who killed Qian Biao... What a miserable life this is..."
Chen Qing nodded, his expression impassive, but ripples of unease spread through his heart.
'I killed Qian Biao with my own hands. I thought I was clean, that I'd wiped away every trace. It should be next to impossible for these gangster minions to find any clues.'
'But what if? In this world, is anything ever truly perfect?'
'For Liu Laizi to be searching Mute Bay so openly... could he be coming for me?'
The feeling was like thorns pricking his back. Chen Qing never left anything to chance.
He always prepared for the worst-case scenario.
"Why are you back so early today?"
Ms. Han put down the shuttle in her hands, glanced at Chen Qing, and said in a trembling voice, "Ah Qing... the color in your face looks different. Have you..."
There was a significant difference between someone with Manifest Force and an ordinary person. Their abundant blood and qi made their skin rosy and lustrous, and their eyes bright and sharp—so much so that ordinary people didn't dare to meet their gaze.