Chapter 192: Chapter 143 Rebellion
The first time Chen Ku met this senior brother from Medicine King Hall, their hands clasped together.
However, feeling the terrifying force transmitted from the other’s palm, his eyebrows twitched, and he couldn’t help but increase his own strength.
CREAK~~
The air surrounding their clasped hands was instantly squeezed with a booming sound.
Qin Sheng had initially thought it was merely a friendly handshake between the two Young Shopkeepers. But seeing the air currents burst from between their palms like a gale, whipping their clothes into a flutter, his eyes instantly widened.
It was then clear that while it appeared to be a handshake, the two had actually begun a contest of strength.
Hm? Chen Ku wondered.
His Root Bone of the Power of Sixteen Elephants, though diminished by the Power of Three Elephants because his Centipede Viper Incarnation had been dispatched, still retained the Power of Thirteen Elephants thanks to the Flower Fox Mink within him. So, even not at his peak, he still possessed the Power of Thirteen Elephants.
With such strength, even without the enhancement of Inner Qi, he could crush an iron ball into scrap.
Yet this senior brother, Kou Ming, was actually able to withstand his force.
Just as Chen Ku’s eyebrows rose, preparing to apply his Qi Power to put some pressure on this senior brother, Kou Ming spoke.
"No wonder you’re famed for your Divine Power, Junior Brother Chen," Kou Ming said, smoothly withdrawing his hand without a trace of exertion. A warm, spring-like smile graced his face. "To be honest, besides practicing the ’Five Elements Qi Needle’ from our Medicine Hall, I also cultivate my family’s Unique Skill, the ’Iron Palm Technique.’ These hands of mine can be said to have reached the Perfection Realm. Yet, they couldn’t shake your Divine Power, Junior Brother Chen. I truly admire that."
After the other party released his hand, Chen Ku was also slightly moved by his words.
Iron Palm Technique?
Perfection Realm?
This sounded like another ’Unique Skill’ that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Six Ultimate Skills of Medicine King Hall.
He hadn’t seen anyone in Medicine King Hall who practiced two ultimate skills until now. And this senior brother not only practiced two... he’d cultivated one to the Perfection Realm!
What did that mean?
As far as Chen Ku knew, among all the ultimate skills of Medicine King Hall, only his master Yang Luochen had cultivated the nine forms of the Furious Ape Mighty Staff to the Perfection Realm. The other ultimate skills, such as the Black Tiger Butcher Knife, Medicine King’s Pursuit Fist, and Sky Eagle Eight Arrows, even when practiced by masters like Shang Yunfang, Instructor Chai, and Master Nong Baosen, had at most reached the Great Achievement Stage.
And this senior brother, merely in his mid-twenties, possessed such terrifying talent?
This talent probably surpassed even Yang Luochen’s in his youth.
Yet Chen Ku’s expression gradually turned solemn as he asked, "Senior Brother, your talent is indeed admirable. But was the first thing you did, having just returned, to test me?"
"Junior Brother Chen, please don’t misunderstand," the scholar in the green robe immediately waved his hand, saying, "Indeed, I intended to test you when we shook hands, but there was no ill will. It’s just that the county’s guild coordination meeting is in two days, and you and Junior Sister Huo are the ones chosen to accompany me. Therefore, I wanted to understand the extent of Junior Brother Chen’s strength. Only then can I know how assertive our Medicine King Hall can be before the other trades this year."
?
Chen Ku was momentarily stunned.
He’s assessing my strength to decide how to deal with the other shops?
Isn’t that a bit too blunt?
Chen Ku couldn’t help but cough lightly before asking, "Then, Senior Brother, what do you think of my strength? Is it reassuring enough for you?"
"Not bad, truly not bad," the scholar in the green robe said, shaking his somewhat sore hand. He looked at Chen Ku, his eyes now glowing with warmth. "Junior Brother Chen’s strength is indeed as reputed. This year, I can finally let loose and act according to my temperament without holding back. You don’t know, but four years ago, because Zhang Renfeng and Lan Fuxi were so useless, I had to suppress my temper and keep a low profile in front of our peers from the other major families. This year... it will be different."
Chen Ku listened to these words, and it took him a while to slowly digest the scholar’s temperament. Then, he cautiously asked, "May I also inquire, Senior Brother, about your plans for the assembly on the Lantern Festival?"
"For that, you and Junior Sister Huo join me for a small meeting tomorrow, and you will know," the scholar in the green robe said with a gentle smile.
"A small meeting?" Chen Ku inquired. "Isn’t it supposed to be a large assembly?"
"Having a small meeting before the large one is quite normal," the scholar in the green robe said with a gentle smile. "Junior Brother Chen, haven’t you heard the saying, ’Major issues are decided in small meetings, minor issues are announced in large assemblies’? The large assembly on the Lantern Festival involves people from all trades. The small meeting we’re holding is for ’our own people,’ those aligned with our Medicine King Hall. Only by unifying our interests in the small meeting can we present a united front at the large assembly."
Chen Ku was slightly astonished.
So this was how the major powers operated behind the scenes.
He understood. He nodded slightly and said, "Alright, then I will prepare in advance and accompany you, Senior Brother, when the time comes."
"The time is set for tomorrow noon. We’ll meet in the courtyard, and I’ll take you and Junior Sister Huo to the location then," Kou Ming stated, finally adding, "Alright, I’ve just returned from the Prefecture City and still need to pay my respects to the various masters and the Shopkeeper, so I’ll take my leave first."
"Take care, Senior Brother."
Chen Ku watched as the scholar in green robes walked away.
He turned to look at Qin Sheng, the question clear in his eyes, and couldn’t help but ask, "Didn’t everyone say this Senior Brother is a scholar with a very gentle and refined personality? How is it that he now seems even more of a man of passion than my master, Yang Luochen?"
Qin Sheng scratched his head and chuckled good-naturedly. "Junior Brother Chen, this is your first time meeting Senior Brother, so you wouldn’t know. He’s very gentle with us, his own people. Towards outsiders, well... he’s always been assertive."
Chen Ku couldn’t help but turn his head to look in the direction where the scholar in green robes had departed.
He had to admit, though this was his first meeting with Kou Ming, the man’s words, actions, and character had already impressed him. It made Chen Ku feel that Kou Ming truly deserved the unanimous approval of the seven key seats on the day of the representative election.
This fellow seemed like a natural-born ’perfect successor.’ Whether it was his character, martial arts talent, management skills, or his approach to external affairs, he could easily draw everyone to his side and unite them.
Chen Ku felt that with the aid of the Transformation Diagram, his cultivation was no weaker than this person’s. But in other aspects, he truly couldn’t hold a candle to him.
「A short while later,」
Before the Store Manager, the scholar in green robes, after paying his respects, also mentioned his earlier meeting with Chen Ku.
"Master, Junior Brother Chen is a very good person."
"Oh? You’ve met Chen Ku since your return? How is he? What’s your detailed assessment of him?" Qin Sifan asked curiously.
The scholar in green robes slightly lifted his head and said, "If I were to choose someone from Medicine King Hall to join me in taking our Hall to the Prefecture City, it would undoubtedly be him. In my view, his future has already surpassed that of his master, Yang Luochen. The Prefecture City will be his stage in time to come."
"You rate him so highly?" Qin Sifan exclaimed in shock.
The scholar in green robes stated, "Master, aren’t you the same, calling him a Divine Dragon? I find it quite fitting. Perhaps, in the future, if Medicine King Hall is to advance further, Junior Brother Chen’s presence will be an indispensable component."
"Advance further... During your trip to the Prefecture City, did you manage to gain support from the various Owners?" Qin Sifan’s eyes brightened slightly.
The scholar in green robes slowly said, "One must be mindful of danger even in times of peace. It is the way of the world that what has long been divided will unite, and what has long been united will divide. The world is in turmoil, and so are the trades within Medicine King Hall. For over a hundred years, Medicine King Hall and the other two major powers have formed a tripartite balance, equally sharing the wealth of Baojiao County. For this past century, order has been maintained through ’coordination assemblies,’ but these were merely more civilized ways to pursue development and expansion, which have always been the underlying objectives. The other two powers have also been making similar preparations for over a hundred years; it’s just an unspoken understanding among all parties. It’s only a matter of who will strike first and succeed in unifying the entire county, becoming the true ’Lord of Baojiao County.’"
Qin Sifan asked gravely, "Did you discover any clues?"
The scholar in green robes softly replied, "The Fish and Dragon Association is still well hidden, but the Firewood Iron Shop has revealed some things. I’ve received news that they are secretly manufacturing the ’Divine Force Crossbow’."
"Divine Force Crossbow?" Qin Sifan’s voice grew heavy as he asked, "Is this news reliable? Is there evidence?"
What was the Divine Force Crossbow? It was a standard-issue divine artifact of the army.
The Daji Dynasty revered martial strength, permitting commoners and Jianghu forces to privately manufacture sabers, spears, swords, halberds, and bows. However, it strictly prohibited two items: ’Armor’ and ’crossbows’. This was because these two items, if mass-produced, would become formidable weapons capable of threatening the stability of the local Imperial Court’s authority.
Even the lowest-tier ’Divine Force Crossbow’, in the hands of a Martial Practitioner at the Perfection of the Strength Training Realm, with a team of ten, could, from an ambush several hundred yards away, fire repeatedly and potentially assassinate a Martial Practitioner at least at the Jade Skin Peak of the Third Realm.
So, Qin Sifan instinctively asked if there was evidence.
If there were evidence, he could report the matter to the government official Shangguan Yun and easily have the Firewood Iron Shop suppressed as traitors, eliminating this major player without mobilizing a single soldier.
"There is evidence, but we can’t report it because..." the scholar in green robes’ eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "the Baojiao County Yamen is fully aware of this. In other words, it is with their tacit approval that the Firewood Iron Shop obtained the right to forge weapons. The news I received in the Prefecture City is that the Baojiao County Yamen intends to support the Firewood Iron Shop and establish them as the ’Red-robed Merchant’ of Baojiao County."
In the Yamen, red signified importance; thus, wearing red robes often symbolized official status. A Red-robed Merchant, therefore, is a merchant with a government identity.
"What? The Baojiao County Yamen wants the Firewood Iron Shop to unify all the trades in Baojiao County?" Qin Sifan’s scalp tingled slightly, and his heart went numb. "Where exactly did you get this information? This is no joking matter!"
Firewood Iron Shop secretly manufacturing the Divine Force Crossbow is indeed rebellion. But if they have the backing of a Red-robed Merchant, then it is entirely unrelated to rebellion.
The scholar in green robes calmly said, "From the Prefectural Government. Although County Magistrate Shangguan Yun isn’t personally in charge of this, County Magistrate Qi Wanshan is. He’s the one who stamped the approval for the Firewood Iron Shop’s manufacturing of the Divine Force Crossbow, sending it to the Qiu Dragon Mansion Yamen for the Prefecture Yamen’s final approval. Although this matter is secret, Master, you know my family has some informants within the Prefecture Yamen, which is how I received this information so promptly."
"Qiu Dragon Mansion Yamen..." Qin Sifan’s body trembled; he no longer doubted the veracity of the information.
Then, looking at Kou Ming, he said, "Then, what is the consensus among the various Owners?"
The scholar in green robes turned and looked out of the hall towards Baojiao County, saying, "Plan ahead, and strike first."