Chen Anshun stopped in his tracks. With his senses sharpened after regaining his strength, he could feel the persistent gaze behind him, carrying a cold, doubtful air.
He slowly turned halfway and glanced at Tian Yang.
"That kid seems to be hiding something," a thought flashed through Chen Anshun's mind.
Over the years, Tian Yang had been currying favor with Zhao Chengqi, the Third Young Master of the Zhao Residence.
Zhao Chengqi, born to the Third Madam of Assistant Magistrate Zhao Guangfeng, was the most favored but was a good-for-nothing dandy, spending his days with lackeys like Tian Yang, indulging in idle pleasures.
Tian Yang's eagerness was nothing more than an attempt to have the Third Young Master whisper some guiding words to the Third Madam, hoping to replace him as the head stablehand.
"Heh, a petty clown," Chen Anshun withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention.
He had no time to deal with such small fry now. The urgent task was to quickly restore his strength.
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With the terrifying effect of the "Octogenarian Reverse Scale" allowing a day's recovery to equal a year's, it would take about half a month to return to the peak of a third-rate level.
First, he needed to stabilize for this half month.
Watching Tian Yang and Xiaochen lead the horses to the paddock, Chen Anshun turned and walked back to the stable.
He picked up a shovel and began cleaning the manure, his movements several times more efficient than before. After shoveling the manure, he laid fresh hay to prevent the prized horses from catching a chill.
After finishing the work in the stable, he returned to his straw hut, closed the door, and began practicing the Hongyang Stance Art, which he had honed all his life to build his strength.
He could clearly feel his power growing at an incredible speed.
Every inch of bone, every muscle, greedily absorbed the medicinal power and qi and blood, becoming more resilient and powerful.
The sensation was so comfortable that he almost moaned aloud.
...
Meanwhile, the more Tian Yang thought about it, the more something felt off. He tossed the reins to Xiaochen and dashed out of the Zhao Residence, heading straight for the herbal shop in the market.
"Shopkeeper!" Tian Yang stormed in, full of momentum.
The shopkeeper with the goatee was fiddling with an abacus. Hearing the commotion, he lifted his eyelids, saw who it was, and lazily lowered them again.
"The arsenic you sold me yesterday was fake!" Tian Yang slammed his hand on the counter.
The shopkeeper's abacus beads stopped. He slowly raised his head and rolled his eyes.
"My shop has a century-old reputation, fair to all. The arsenic is genuine, dissolving instantly. If you don't believe it, go home and try another packet yourself."
"You!" Tian Yang's face turned red with anger, a breath stuck in his chest. As a mere servant, he had little weight outside.
He took a deep breath and brought up his backing.
"You black-hearted shop! Just wait, I'll tell the Third Young Master to bring people to shut down this den of fake medicine!"
The mention of the "Third Young Master" revealed the undeniable influence of the Assistant Magistrate's residence.
The shopkeeper's expression changed slightly. He put down the abacus, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.
"Young man, don't get upset. The arsenic is definitely real."
He paused, glanced outside, and then continued mysteriously, "But, early this morning, old Chen came here."
Tian Yang was taken aback.
"He bought a whole set of Qi Replenishing Powder for ten taels of silver without batting an eye."
The shopkeeper gestured with a finger, "I heard that the old man practiced the Virgin Boy Skill when he was young. Maybe his skills have matured, counteracting the arsenic's poison. The poison didn't kill him, but it drained him, so he urgently bought the Qi Replenishing Powder to sustain his life."
Virgin Boy Skill mastery?
Tian Yang was skeptical.
That old geezer, always looking like he was on the brink of death, could he really have mastered some divine skill?
But aside from this explanation, there seemed to be no other possibility.
He snorted, leaving a "better be true" before turning away with a sullen face.
Leaving the herbal shop, he didn't return to the Zhao Residence but instead turned into a deeper, darker alley, heading north of the county.
Since the poison didn't work, he wouldn't hesitate to use more ruthless methods!
...
Chen Anshun was unaware of all this.
In the days that followed, his life became extremely routine.
Straw hut, the butcher's meat stall, herbal shop, stable, a four-point routine.
Every day before dawn, he would eat twenty pounds of beef stewed with a whole set of Qi Replenishing Powder, then head to the stable for work. The rest of his time was spent practicing stances.
The hundred-plus taels of silver he had were being consumed at an alarming rate.
Two taels of silver for twenty pounds of beef, ten taels for a set of Qi Replenishing Powder. Twelve taels spent in a single day.
The wooden box wrapped in oilcloth was visibly deflating.
But in contrast, Chen Anshun's body was undergoing a dramatic transformation.
In just fifteen days.
On this day, Chen Anshun slowly finished his practice in the straw hut.
He stood up, walked to the center of the room, sank his legs slightly, and assumed a standard horse stance. Then, he tightly clenched his right fist, powered through his waist and back, and punched forward fiercely!
Whoosh!
The punch stirred the air, creating a deep, resonant sound!
He could feel a tremendous force rising from his feet, twisting through his waist and hips, and finally exploding from his fist!
"It's done!"
"A thousand pounds of force!"
He had not only regained his peak strength from when he was sixty but had even slightly surpassed it!
A surge of ecstasy filled his heart, but the next second, the harsh reality brought him back to calm.
He reached into his bosom and pulled out the wooden box that once held his life's savings.
Opened it.
Inside, it was empty, save for a few pitiful copper coins clinking at the bottom.
One hundred eighty-six taels, gone in half a month.
Chen Anshun sat on the heated brick bed, feeling the surging power within him, yet his heart was empty.
"No money."
No money meant no beef, no Qi Replenishing Powder.
Without fuel, the furnace he had painstakingly reignited would soon go out.
His strength would stagnate once more.
The thought was unbearable.
"Where to get money?"
Steal? Rob?
The Zhao Residence had treated him well, and besides, it was heavily guarded with many experts, so that was out of the question.
His thoughts raced, scenes from the past flashing through his mind. Finally, they settled on the murky river and the bustling docks.
Water Gang.
In his early days roaming the jianghu, he had spent some time with the Water Gang in Qingquan County, relying on his strength and ruthlessness to make a few life-and-death brothers.
But after becoming a constable and joining the Zhao Residence, he had gradually lost contact.
He wondered how many of those old friends were still around.
Chen Anshun's gaze fell on a piece of burnt wood at the corner of the table.
He walked over, picked up the charcoal, and slowly drew a pattern on a piece of worn straw paper.
A surging wave, with three dots lined up underneath.