Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Opportunity

’Fallen from favor?’

The words failed to stir any emotion in Chen Cheng.

Fatty Fang only praised him on occasion because his technique had reached the perfect Entry Level, leaving no room for criticism or beatings. ’What favor was there to begin with?’

In contrast, the new girl who had arrived today was the one who had truly caught Fatty Fang’s eye.

The girl looked to be no more than thirteen or fourteen. She was undersized, thin and small, and the overly large, gray cloth robes she wore only made her look more frail.

Her dull, yellow hair was barely held back by an old strip of cloth, revealing a pointed chin and a pale, bloodless face.

Her eyes were very bright, constantly filled with a cautious vigilance, yet she tried hard to appear obedient.

Chen Cheng had observed her closely. The girl’s Pile Skill was flawless, and she had held the posture for far longer than he had on his first try.

This meant her Comprehension was extremely high, and her Root Bone was at least mid-to-high grade.

Fatty Fang had hovered around her all morning, showing rare patience, explaining and demonstrating with a voice that was noticeably softer...

’It’s not impossible that she has a Top-Grade Root Bone!’

Chen Cheng retracted his gaze and continued lifting the Stone Locks.

"Heard she’s a pitiful one, too..."

Shi Lei, that big gossip, started spilling the details without being asked.

"Her family was so poor they couldn’t put food on the table. Her parents got the idea to sell her to a secret brothel to entertain clients... a secret brothel in the slums, that’s a place that can drive a good person mad..."

"She ran away in the middle of the night. Somehow, she heard that Dragon Mountain Hall was recruiting and came knocking on her own. She signed a Death Oath Contract, and only then did her parents give up."

Chen Cheng was silent for a moment and didn’t reply.

’In this world, is there anyone who isn’t pitiful?’

To have earned a Death Oath Contract with her Comprehension and Root Bone was a stroke of luck amid her misfortune.

So many people never even get such a chance.

"There’s going to be a good show in the middle of next month," Shi Lei said, raising his eyebrows with a playful look.

"How so?" Chen Cheng asked.

"In the middle of every month, the courtyard provides a dose of Blood Refining Powder as a subsidy for the strongest disciple of the month," Shi Lei whispered.

"Wang Han and Ma Zhao’s six months are almost up. This is their last chance to get the Blood Refining Powder, so they’ll definitely fight for it like their lives depend on it. And now with today’s little genius... Tsk, it’s going to be exciting just thinking about it!"

Chen Cheng nodded and asked casually, "Senior Brother Shi, aren’t you going to compete for it?"

From his idle chats with Shi Lei over the past few days, Chen Cheng already knew that Wang Han and Ma Zhao were the two most outstanding youths, their Hidden Dragon Fist both nearing Minor Achievement.

As for Shi Lei, he appeared boisterous and lackadaisical on the surface, but in reality, his strength was not far off from those two.

With more than half a month left, it wasn’t impossible for him to put up a fight.

"Wang Han and Ma Zhao are my buddies. I already promised them I wouldn’t compete this time."

Shi Lei looked completely unconcerned, his tone nonchalant.

"What? You got ideas?"

". . . Me?"

Chen Cheng just smiled and said no more.

Shi Lei was taken aback for a second, then felt he had been overly sensitive.

With Chen Cheng’s Root Bone, and without any external supplements, he’d be lucky not to be broken down and crippled by the training.

How could he possibly compete with Wang Han, who ate meat with every meal? Even Ma Zhao got to eat a big meat dish every few days.

Besides, those two had already been training in the Lower Courtyard for four or five months. How long had Chen Cheng been here? He didn’t stand a chance!

"I know you’re short on cash, kid..."

Shi Lei leaned in closer, his lips barely moving as he whispered.

"I’ve got a way. Tonight, the Qinghe Gang is going to clash with the Black Tiger Gang. We can go be muscle for the Qinghe Gang..."

"Just standing there and doing nothing gets you Thirty Wen. If a fight breaks out, win or lose, you get at least this much..."

He cryptically held up one finger.

’One Hundred Wen?’

Chen Cheng shook his head with almost no hesitation. "Thanks for thinking of me, Senior Brother, but that money’s not easy to earn... Let’s talk about it again when I’m stronger."

The so-called "being muscle" was when two Gangs had a dispute, and the weaker side would temporarily hire people to bolster their numbers and put on a show of force.

If no fight broke out, you could just stand there and get paid. It was fine.

But once a fight did start, when did it ever end without someone getting killed?

When Chen Cheng first met Shi Lei, he had assumed the scar on his neck was from a woman’s nails.

In reality, it was from a pitchfork during a brawl. Half an inch deeper, and his windpipe would have been torn out.

Shi Lei had told him all this himself.

Even if he was exaggerating, the danger was still plain to see.

There was a saying from his past life that Chen Cheng deeply believed in: a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.

Unless absolutely necessary, he would never willingly place himself in a dangerous situation he couldn’t control, where his life and death depended on someone else’s whim or a stroke of luck.

At the end of the day, he was currently weak and of low status. A single misstep would lead to utter ruin.

"Alright then. Can’t go wrong playing it safe..."

Shi Lei wasn’t surprised by Chen Cheng’s refusal. He patted Chen Cheng on the shoulder and turned to leave.

In the distance, Wang Han, Ma Zhao, and a few other disciples they were close to were gathered by the well.

Seeing Shi Lei return, shaking his head, they exchanged glances, their faces showing they’d expected as much.

"Tch, what a coward."

Ma Zhao shot a contemptuous look at Chen Cheng from afar and snorted with undisguised disdain.

"He doesn’t even dare to eat the meat served right to his mouth. Serves him right if he starves to death."

Wang Han crossed his arms, a mocking sneer on his lips.

"With a Root Bone that rotten, who is he trying to impress, putting on that lukewarm act all day?"

"Every single one of us has a better Root Bone than him. When we get a chance, don’t we all do whatever it takes to get ahead?"

"But him? Does he really think he’s a vegetable that can grow its own Blood Qi with just a little water and sunshine?" a tall, thin youth beside them also sneered.

"When his six months are up, if he can’t even refine One Pillar of Blood Qi, with his Root Bone, he probably won’t survive a single mission... No matter how safe he plays it now, won’t he just end up dead anyway?"

"Knock it the hell off, both of you!"

Shi Lei walked over, his face unusually stern, and cut off their increasingly nasty discussion in a low voice.

"We’re all brothers here. Did Chen Cheng do something to you? Is it fun, badmouthing him behind his back like this?"

Ma Zhao and Wang Han exchanged a look, pursed their lips, and fell silent.

Both of them had their minds on the Blood Refining Powder in the middle of next month. It wasn’t worth getting into a conflict with Shi Lei over a few words.

The other disciples, who were a notch weaker, certainly didn’t dare to get on Shi Lei’s bad side and sheepishly averted their gazes.

However, when their eyes swept over Chen Cheng again, the condescending disdain and contempt had not diminished in the slightest. In fact, it had grown even stronger.

In their eyes, someone like Chen Cheng, with neither a good Root Bone nor any drive, was completely unworthy of being their fellow disciple.

Only an idiot like Shi Lei, who valued loyalty above all else, would even treat Chen Cheng like a human being.

A similar thought surfaced in each of their minds almost simultaneously.

’One’s an idiot! The other’s a coward! They can both go die!’

...

「Night, Kuqiao Village.」

A cold wind carried the pungent stench of rotting garbage and excrement from the gutters, scouring the alleyways.

At the mouth of the alley, the crooked-neck old tree’s branches thrashed in the wind. The bleak moonlight cast menacing, constantly writhing shadows on the ground.

Chen Cheng was crouched in a dark corner, not too far and not too close.

The spot was cleverly chosen. It offered a clear view of the small, adobe courtyard under the tree, while he himself remained hidden and unseen in the deep shadow of a dilapidated awning.

It wasn’t that Chen Cheng didn’t cherish opportunities. On the contrary, he craved them more than anyone.

However, in his eyes, only something with near-zero risk and overall controllability could be called an opportunity. Anything with too much risk that he couldn’t control was just a gamble.

For the past seven days, he had been sneaking here after nightfall to lie in wait.

Like an old, patient wolf, silently observing its prey.

He had already figured out the situation in the small courtyard under the tree.

Besides Lai Tou, three other grunts from the Black Wolf Gang lived in the courtyard.

Lai Tou had a broken right leg and hardly ever went out, while the other three would always return before dark.

Chen Cheng had already achieved perfect Entry Level in his Hidden Dragon Fist. With the strength he had gained over the past few days, taking on one grunt was no problem, but he stood no chance against three.

So, he had been waiting. Waiting for a perfect opportunity like tonight.

The Black Wolf Gang was set to clash with the Qinghe Gang, and the three men who lived with Lai Tou had not returned!

Chen Cheng hesitated no longer, a large, sharp-edged Spear Stone clutched in his hand.

He crouched low and approached the courtyard, using the twisted branches of the old tree as cover to slowly climb onto a limb.

After finding the right angle, he leaped.

His movement was full of light Harmony. He subtly absorbed the impact with his legs, and his entire body landed silently in the courtyard, like a feather on still water.

All was quiet, save for the vulgar, obscene songs Lai Tou was humming, which drifted from his room. The bean-sized flame of an oil lamp cast his shadow on the window paper, head bobbing back and forth, looking perfectly content.

It was as if Chen Cheng had rehearsed this moment countless times in his mind.

He walked straight to the flimsy wooden door and kicked it open with a BANG.

At that moment, Lai Tou was lolling on his bed, a crude ceramic wine bowl still in his hand.

The loud noise made him jolt. He looked over with drunken, hazy eyes. When he clearly saw Chen Cheng standing silhouetted against the light at the door, his expression blank, the lewd smile on his face froze instantly.

"You..."

The word had barely left his mouth.

Chen Cheng had already sprung into action. His body moved in perfect sync with the transitions of the Hidden Dragon Pile Skill. The explosive, short-distance lunge was so fast that Lai Tou couldn’t react at all.

Lai Tou only instinctively leaned back, simultaneously reaching for the short dagger hidden under his pillow.

But Chen Cheng’s movement was just as instinctual.

The Hidden Strength had been building within him for a long time.

Without the slightest delay, a Hidden Dragon Seal unleashed all of his Power.

This was the most explosive move in the Hidden Dragon Fist, with almost no set forms or variations, designed purely for maximum speed and destruction.

Like a great dragon lowering its body, its claw-print descending from above!

Chen Cheng gripped the Spear Stone with both hands and slammed it down abruptly.

Infused with a twisting, drilling Power meant to shatter Hard Skills and Penetrating Armor, he didn’t just smash it toward Lai Tou’s head—no, he drove it down!

"BAM!"

Lai Tou didn’t even have time to scream before the Spear Stone pierced his skull, half of the rock embedding itself within.

Chen Cheng took a step back, dodging the spray of blood.

Lai Tou wasn’t dead yet. His eyes bulged as his body convulsed violently. He tried to scream, but only a GURGLING, airy sound escaped his throat, accompanied by the THUD-THUDDING of his limbs hitting the bedframe.

Chen Cheng’s body and mind recoiled, but his gaze remained resolute. He grit his teeth and forcefully suppressed his discomfort.

He pulled out the dagger from under Lai Tou’s pillow, first slitting his throat, then plunging it into his chest cavity.

The room fell into absolute silence.

Only the faint CRACKLE of the oil lamp’s wick occasionally broke the quiet.

Chen Cheng released the dagger and wiped his blood-soaked hands on the bedding.

His eyes quickly swept over the room’s simple furnishings. Other than a bulging old Money Bag under the pillow, there was nothing else of value.

Without any hesitation, he snatched the Money Bag and stuffed it into his robes.

Next, he went to the other three rooms. After a quick search, he found nothing in two of them, but in the third, he discovered a clay jar used to hide money.

He smashed the jar open. Inside were three strings of copper plates and about a dozen Big Blade Coins, each worth a hundred.

He took it all, stuffing it into his clothes. The heavy weight pressed against his skin.

Returning to the courtyard, Chen Cheng ladled some bone-chillingly cold water from the cistern and carefully washed the remaining blood from his hands.

He had dodged in time, so he was only spattered with a few drops and remained relatively clean.

Afterward, he stood in the small courtyard, now thick with the smell of blood.

His gaze swept meticulously over every corner, confirming that he had left no trace that could point back to him.

He then pulled open the courtyard gate and quickly vanished into the thick darkness, as if he had never been there at all.