Chapter 43: Joy and Sorrow

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Standing by the door of the inn and watching the carriage drawn by the ferghana horse vanish into the distance, Lu Qinghu was still in a state of shock, and it took him a long while to come to his senses.

A lesser-grade offensive technique… and a bottle of qi-gathering elixir that can help me break through the bottleneck?

He had taken a look at the lesser-grade martial art that the youth had written out and passed to him, and it was indeed genuine.

This confirmed that he had made the correct decision… It was better to be friends than enemies with this youth.

However, can this bottle of qi-gathering elixir really help me break through the bottleneck of level-three of Qi-gathering? If I really manage to break through, I will directly attain level-four of Qi-gathering!

Muttering to himself, Lu Qinghu fished out a small medicine bottle from his pocket and looked at it with suspicion.

Far from him being unwilling to believe that youth, but what the youth had told him was simply too shocking.

He, the first among the three elite lesser families of Yunfeng prefecture, at level-three of Qi-gathering, had long ago practiced to his limit, just a step shy of level-four of Qi-gathering.

However, it was precisely that particular step that had proven so difficult time and again.

After such a long period of time, that step had become a bottleneck that had proved impossible to break through.

No matter what, I have to try… what if it really does work?

Although he could not quite believe it, Lu Qinghu nevertheless hurried back to the Lu family residence and consumed the qi-gathering elixir once he got back to his room and began to practice.

This qi-gathering elixir… increases the sensitivity to qi by at least ten percent!

After practicing for some time after consuming the qi-gathering elixir, Lu Qinghu opened his eyes, which were now filled with shock and disbelief.

I remember… even the best qi-gathering elixir formulated by the superior-level medicine master in the Imperial Court of Yunyang could only increase the sensitivity to qi by twenty percent.

And the Lu family had no way to obtain even that standard grade of qi-gathering elixir… Otherwise, I would have attained level-four of Qi-gathering long ago.

No wonder… no wonder he said that a bottle of qi-gathering elixir could help me break through the bottleneck and attain level-four of Qi-gathering. This qi-gathering elixir can increase my sensitivity to qi by forty percent!

Lu Qinghu no longer dared to doubt Zhou Donghuang’s words.

Even using a qi-gathering elixir that increased his sensitivity to qi by twenty percent, he was fairly certain that he would be able to break through the bottleneck and attain level-four of Qi-gathering.

Now, with a bottle of qi-gathering elixir, he might as well commit suicide by banging his head against the wall if he still could not break through.

…

One day and night later.

“Hahahaha… hahahahahaha…”

Gales of hearty laughter coming from Lu Qinghu’s room could be heard far and wide.

Soon, Head Elder Lu Pinglan and Second Master Lu Bao of the Lu family, who both lived nearby, hurried over along with two other elders of the Lu family.

“I’ve broken through and attained level-four of Qi-gathering.”

Lu Qinghu had already stepped out of his room when Lu Pinglan, Lu Bao, and the others arrived in the courtyard, beaming radiantly.

“Congratulations to the patriarch!”

“Congratulations to Big Brother!”

Lu Qinghu’s words stunned Lu Pinglan and the others at first, but they recovered, and unbridled joy began to spread across their faces.

An advancement level-four of Qi-gathering implied the birth of a preeminent family.

From this day on, the Lu family would be a preeminent family!

“Head Elder, Second Younger Brother, please stay. Third Elder, go to the Fang family and invite the patriarch of the Fang family over. Fourth Elder, go to the Ma family and invite the new patriarch of the Ma family over.”

As soon as Lu Qinghu finished speaking, the two elders left to carry out his instructions, their faces still flushed with excitement.

From this day on, they were no longer elders of a lesser family.

They had become elders of a preeminent family!

“Big Brother, how did you break through so suddenly? From what I know, level-three of Qi-gathering has been a bottleneck for you for many years.”

Although Lu Bao rejoiced at his big brother’s breakthrough, he felt that the breakthrough was extremely sudden.

“Patriarch, you haven’t slept last night because you were gathering herbs for Zhou Donghuang… and yesterday morning, you went to give him the herbs and money?”

Lu Pinglan looked at Lu Qinghu suspiciously. “Your breakthrough… doesn’t… doesn’t involve him by any chance?”

“Head Elder, if it doesn’t involve him, why do you think I broke through at this particular time and not at any other time?” Lu Qinghu countered with a smile.

Without waiting for Lu Pinglan and Lu Bao to reply, he took a piece of paper out from his pocket, passing it to them both. “Have a look at this.”

Lu Pinglan took the paper, and both of them were captivated by it at first glance.

“Lesser Weighted Sand Palm, a lesser-grade technique?”

It took only a moment to confirm that it was indeed a lesser-grade technique that was recorded on the paper. Lu Pinglan and Lu Bao were so excited that their faces were flushed.

“Patriarch, could this be…?” Lu Pinglan looked up at Lu Qinghu and asked with some difficulty.

She had not yet finished her question when Lu Qinghu interrupted her, “Exactly! This technique is from Zhou Donghuang.”

Evidently, Lu Qinghu knew what Lu Pinglan was about to ask.

“Besides that, the reason I broke through the bottleneck so smoothly in just a day and a night to attain level-four of Qi-gathering is that he gave me a bottle of qi-gathering elixir,” Lu Qinghu continued.

“He… he even has the qi-gathering elixir formulated by the Imperial Court’s superior-level medicine master that increased the sensitivity to qi by forty percent?” Lu Pinglan was surprised.

A qi-gathering elixir that increased the sensitivity to qi by forty percent?

Lu Qinghu snorted at what Lu Pinglan had said because Young Master Donghuang had not given him merely a qi-gathering elixir that increased his sensitivity to qi. However, he did not elaborate on this because he knew revealing too much would not be wise.

A lesser-grade technique was fine; it was the entitlement of preeminent families.

A preeminent family that did not have martial art techniques could send a level-four adept of Qi-gathering to present himself to the Regent to request for a lesser-grade technique.

Of course, they could only ask for a lesser-grade offensive technique or a lesser-grade defensive technique.

Lesser-grade swiftness techniques were only given to preeminent families that had level-five adepts of Qi-gathering.

A qi-gathering elixir that increased the sensitivity to qi by forty percent was a different matter.

If this was exposed, even the Imperial Court would take notice.

It was a truly magnanimous gesture of grace that Young Master Donghuang gave me such a precious bottle of qi-gathering elixir… I absolutely will not spread the word that he can produce such a high-quality qi-gathering elixir because it would endanger him.

This was what Lu Qinghu thought.

He did not even intend to tell his own younger brother, Lu Bao, about this, never mind Head Elder Lu Pinglan.

“From this day on, any one of the Lu family who dares to offend Young Master Donghuang, no matter if he is of the direct lineage or a side branch… kill them without mercy!”

Lu Qinghu declared solemnly in the presence of Lu Pinglan and Lu Bao.

…

The Lu family had advanced to the status of a preeminent family because of their newly minted level-four adept of Qi-gathering. The whole Lu family compound was gaudily decorated to celebrate the occasion, and everyone was in a festive mood.

The mood in the preeminent Li family, however, was at the other extreme.

This was because Second Young Master Li Pingyun and Ninth Elder Li Yan were dead.

Li Yan’s death alone would not have had a huge impact because he was after all just a level-three adept of Qi-gathering, and he did not have the talent to advance to level-four of Qi-gathering.

It was entirely different for Li Pingyun.

As the son of Patriarch Li Jingyu of the Li family, Li Pingyun’s talent was prodigious, and he was certain to attain level-four of Qi-gathering if all went as planned.

Besides, Li Pingyun was destined to be the next patriarch of the Li family.

Now, he was dead.

“Who did this?”

In the spacious front courtyard of the Li family mansion, the patriarch of the Li family Li, Jingyu stared at the curly-whiskered man kneeling on the ground before him. The iciness of his voice made it feel like the temperature had dropped several degrees.

Li Jingyu was a good looking middle-aged man of average build dressed in a green robe. He had on a threatening expression.

Many elders of the Li family were present as well, looking extremely foul. Killing the second young master of the Li family was akin to giving them a slap in the face, and this had shamed them greatly!

There were several junior Li family members in attendance as well.

“Second Young Master… has been killed?”

Li Rui was among the Li family juniors, looking lost and pale-faced, and unable to believe that it was all real.

How could Second Young Master be dead? She was still hoping to pair up with the second young master, and rise like a phoenix to the top.

Now the second young master was dead, and her dreams with him.

“Father!!”

With a gut-wrenching cry, a figure dashed to the already decomposing corpse of Li Yan. It was Li Yan’s son, Li Hui.

“Patriarch, it’s… it was Zhou Donghuang! It was the owner of Yunxuan Restaurant in Qingshan town, Zhou Donghuang!”

The curly-whiskered man trembled as he said, “He killed Second Young Master and Ninth Elder some time ago, but because he was headed towards the prefecture capital, I did not dare to return lest I run into him.”

“Although I could have sneaked back on my own to report this, I was afraid that the bodies of Second Young Master and Ninth Elder would be eaten by wild beasts.”

“Today, I saw his carriage leave from outside the city gates, so I finally dared to return with their bodies,” the curly-whiskered man continued.

“Zhou Donghuang?!”

Li Rui and Li Hui were stunned speechless when the heard the curly-whiskered man mention Zhou Donghuang’s name.

It was a while before they recovered and shouted in unison, “It can’t be!!”

Their shout succeeded in drawing the attention of everyone present.

“Why can’t it be?” Li Jingyu looked at Li Hui with a cold and piercing gaze.

“Patriarch, the owner of Yunxuan Restaurant in Qingshan town, Zhou Donghuang, is a martial invalid… he could not possibly have the ability to kill my father and Second Young Master,” Li Hui said. “Moreover, even if he was not a martial invalid… do you think a seventeen-year-old youth could have the ability to kill both my father and Second Young Master?”

“Patriarch!” Seeing suspicion in Li Jingyu’s eyes as he considered what Li Hui had said, the curly-whiskered man began to panic.

“I swear to heaven, it was Zhou Donghuang himself who killed Second Young Master and Ninth Elder with his own hands!”

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