Veil of Qi and Blood

Lin Zheyu knocked lightly on the door, but no one answered from inside. "Excuse me, is Old Master Chen home? I was referred by Physician Wu of Jihe Tang, and I have a few things I'd like to ask you about," Lin Zheyu called out. Still, there was no response from within. He knocked for about ten minutes, yet the house seemed deserted. "Stop knocking. Old Man Chen isn't in; he's rarely home," a middle-aged woman called out as she stepped out from the neighboring house. "Hello. May I ask where Old Master Chen might have gone?" Lin Zheyu inquired. "Who knows? Old Man Chen is an odd, eccentric sort who keeps to himself. He barely associates with anyone, so nobody knows what he's up to," the woman said, shaking her head. Pondering for a moment, she added, "Still, Old Man Chen has three great hobbies: fishing, listening to storytellers, and visiting pleasure houses. If you really want to find him, you can check Zeyi Lake or Bidan Teahouse. If you can't find him at either, he's probably at the Hundred Pavilions." "Alright, thank you," Lin Zheyu expressed his gratitude. If not for this woman, his trip might have been completely in vain. However, even knowing a few places Chen Peijun frequented, finding him would still be difficult since Lin Zheyu didn't know what he looked like. There were no photographs in this era; he couldn't very well go there and shout at the top of his lungs for Chen Peijun to come out and see him. *Wait!* Lin Zheyu had an idea. He headed to a nearby Feihong Gang post, produced his gang token, and found one of the Feihong Gang lackeys. "Do you know the old gentleman living in that house?" Lin Zheyu asked. "No, I don't. That house's door is shut year-round, so I've barely seen him," the lackey replied, shaking his head. Pondering a moment, he added, "Though A'le should know him. His family lives right around here." "Go fetch A'le," Lin Zheyu instructed. "Yes, Brother Yu." The lackey gave an affirmative nod and scurried off to call the man. Joining the Feihong Gang had indeed been a wise decision; having plenty of hands on deck spared Lin Zheyu a great deal of trouble. Before long, a young man came running over, panting for breath. "Brother Yu, you were looking for me?" A'le asked. "Yes. Do you know Old Master Chen Peijun, who lives in that house?" Lin Zheyu pointed toward Chen Peijun's courtyard. "I know him," A'le nodded. "Very good. Do you know where Old Master Chen might be at this hour?" Lin Zheyu followed up. "Not sure, but I've heard the old fellow is an old degenerate who doesn't act his age and loves frequenting pleasure houses. Maybe he's at the Hundred Pavilions," A'le suggested. Chen Peijun was an aloof, solitary man who had almost no contact with his neighbors. Yet there was no shortage of rumors about Old Man Chen among them, all claiming that he was an old lecher who had a particular fondness for brothels. "Let's check Zeyi Lake first," Lin Zheyu said after a moment's thought. If he was at the Hundred Pavilions, finding him would be tricky—he might be in the middle of "business" inside some private room. According to the woman earlier, Old Master Chen had three great passions: fishing, listening to storytellers, and visiting pleasure houses. Storytelling at Bidan Teahouse usually took place in the afternoon, while pleasure houses were generally more lively at night. Thus, at this hour, the likelihood of finding him fishing by the shores of Zeyi Lake was the highest. "Alright. Zeyi Lake is this way; I'll lead you there," A'le nodded. Zeyi Lake was not far, roughly three li to the north. The lake offered fine scenery. Many young gentlemen and ladies were out enjoying the view, and quite a few people sat with fishing rods in hand. "See if Old Master Chen Peijun is around here," Lin Zheyu told A'le. "Understood, Brother Yu." A'le nodded and began walking along the lakeshore to search. Zeyi Lake was fairly large and packed with anglers. Circling the entire lake would take A'le nearly half an hour. Lin Zheyu found a spot nearby to sit down. He didn't know what Chen Peijun looked like and couldn't help with the search, so he could only wait for A'le's findings. Ten-odd minutes later, A'le came running back out of breath, his face brimming with delight. "Brother Yu, I found him! I found Old Man Chen!" "Lead the way!" Lin Zheyu's eyes lit up; he had really managed to track the man down here. Fishing out a hundred copper coins from his robes, he handed them over. "A reward for you. Well done." "Thank you, Brother Yu!" A'le exclaimed excitedly. A hundred copper coins was no small sum to him. As a patrol lackey for the Feihong Gang, his daily earnings didn't even reach fifty coins. Following A'le to the opposite side of the lake, Lin Zheyu finally laid eyes on Old Master Chen Peijun in person. "Brother Yu, that's Old Master Chen Peijun right there." A'le pointed toward a man who was fishing. Chen Peijun did not look at all like an old man in his sixties. His complexion was hale and hearty, his hair pitch-black, and his face radiant with vigor. His body was robust and muscular, clearly belonging to someone who had practiced martial arts. With such excellent upkeep, it was no wonder he could still visit brothels so often. *It's him!* Lin Zheyu had an impression of this man. Back when he told stories at Bidan Teahouse, Chen Peijun had been one of the regulars. He recalled most of the familiar faces that appeared frequently, even if he hadn't known their names. Observing Chen Peijun closely, he noted that the old gentleman possessed considerable strength, his aura reaching the mid-Bone Tempering Realm. This was already after his strength had declined due to advancing age and waning stamina. In his prime, he might have reached the early Viscera Tempering Realm. Dismissing A'le, Lin Zheyu walked up to Chen Peijun and took a seat beside him. "Well, isn't this Young Mister Lin? Did you come looking for this old man?" Chen Peijun eyed Lin Zheyu and said with a smile, having already noticed him approaching. As a regular at Bidan Teahouse, he had a vivid impression of this young storyteller. "I am Lin Zheyu. Greetings, Old Master Chen. "This is a letter of introduction from Physician Wu. I wish to learn toxicology from you, Old Master. I wonder what terms you would require to teach me?" Lin Zheyu handed over the letter and cut straight to the chase. "Oh?" Chen Peijun was somewhat surprised. He unfolded the paper and looked it over; it was indeed a letter of recommendation penned by Old Man Wu. "If I recall correctly, you joined the Feihong Gang, didn't you? Doesn't the gang provide poison powders and poison-laced hidden weapons? Why go to the trouble of studying toxicology?" Chen Peijun put the letter away and asked with curiosity. "What I wish to learn is how to identify and prevent poisons, to keep from succumbing to someone else's poison through carelessness. What use is buying poison powders and hidden weapons? Knowing how to guard against them is what truly matters," Lin Zheyu said. "As expected of Young Mister Lin—quite discerning. What a pity, though: I don't take disciples, nor do I intend to teach you," Chen Peijun chuckled. Ignoring Lin Zheyu, he turned his attention back to his fishing. Lin Zheyu: "..." Lin Zheyu was rendered somewhat speechless. It turned out Physician Wu had been boasting and talking big just to scam him. Where was that promised rapport, that guarantee that presenting the letter would grant him some face? And Physician Wu had dared to charge him a full tael of silver for this! Lin Zheyu vowed he would give the old man a good thrashing when he went back. "Is it really impossible?" Unwilling to give up, Lin Zheyu said, "Physician Wu took a whole tael of silver from me, claiming you would show him some face." "Haha, that old bastard hasn't changed a bit," Chen Peijun laughed heartily upon hearing that. Physician Wu had indeed done him a kindness in the past, but the fellow had used that shred of debt to fleece him more times than he could count. "Fine, then. But he should have told you that I have an eccentric temperament and only act as my mood strikes me, right? "Teaching you isn't out of the question, but I need you to do something for me," Chen Peijun said. "Please speak, Senior," Lin Zheyu replied. "Help me kill someone: Zhao Guanbin, the leader of the Nine Stars Gang," Chen Peijun stated, shooting a sidelong glance at Lin Zheyu. "What?" Lin Zheyu froze. He never expected this old man would ask him to commit murder, let alone assassinate the chief of the Nine Stars Gang. The chief of the Nine Stars Gang was a prominent figure in Songyi City whose strength was on par with Xu Jingwu—a Qi and Blood Realm master. For a moment, Lin Zheyu couldn't help wondering whether his Turtle Breathing Art had failed to mask his abilities and the old man had seen through to his true strength. "Senior, you must be joking. With my measly Bone Tempering Realm strength, how could I possibly kill Chief Zhao? He is a powerhouse of the Qi and Blood Realm. "If you are unwilling to teach me, you can just say so. Why make such an absurd demand?" Lin Zheyu said, his expression darkening. "I didn't tell you to kill him right now. You can do it when your strength is sufficient," Chen Peijun replied nonchalantly. "I want you to swear a solemn oath in the names of your parents, your ancestors, and your master: once your strength is great enough, you will kill that old scoundrel Zhao Guanbin." A flash of deep resentment flitted through Chen Peijun's eyes as he spoke. Back then, the deaths of his family members were inextricably linked to the leader of the Nine Stars Gang. Unfortunately, the Zhao family was heavily guarded, and Zhao Guanbin possessed formidable martial prowess. Even with Chen Peijun's attainments in toxicology, he had been unable to kill him. "And what if I am never able to reach the Qi and Blood Realm? "Or what if, after attaining sufficient strength, I refuse to carry out the oath? After all, it's merely a vow without much binding power," Lin Zheyu pointed out, finding it hard to comprehend. "You need not worry about that. "I trust Liang Song's eye for picking disciples. Anyone he regards highly enough to take as an apprentice surely possesses remarkable talent. Furthermore, I trust your character," Chen Peijun said placidly. Having listened to stories at Bidan Teahouse for so long, he had a fairly good read on Lin Zheyu. Someone capable of writing tales like that, who also knew how to repay kindness, generally placed immense value on promises and oaths. "You know Master Liang?" Lin Zheyu was taken aback, surprise rising in his heart. This was far too coincidental. "We worked together for a time in the past. We're fairly familiar with each other," Chen Peijun said with a smile. "Senior, could you tell me what Master Liang used to do?" Lin Zheyu couldn't resist asking. Master Liang had always been shrouded in mystery, and now an expert versed in toxicology had popped up out of nowhere, seemingly well-acquainted with him. This only stoked Lin Zheyu's curiosity further. He had asked Senior Brother Han before, but even Han hadn't known Master Liang's true identity. "It seems Liang Song kept plenty of things from you. Here I thought he told you a few things, which prompted you to seek me out, but that wasn't the case after all. "Go ask him yourself. Anything he refused to tell you, don't expect me to disclose either," Chen Peijun chuckled slyly. "Very well. Then may I ask why you want Zhao Guanbin dead?" Lin Zheyu asked. "He slaughtered my entire family. Is that reason enough?" Chen Peijun replied coldly. "Yes." Lin Zheyu nodded, asking no further questions. Pondering for a moment, Lin Zheyu continued, "Senior knows me, but I know nothing of Senior. How can I trust that the knowledge you teach is worth assassinating Zhao Guanbin for?" "Believe it or don't. It's not as though I'm begging to teach you." Chen Peijun shrugged dismissively. "The title of Liang Song's disciple holds little weight with me—it's hardly as useful as that slip of paper from Old Man Wu." Lin Zheyu: "..." Taking a deep breath, he quelled the irritation in his heart. It was true that he was the one asking for a favor. Lin Zheyu reflected for a brief moment and resolved: if what the man taught wasn't worth the price, he simply wouldn't fulfill the oath. He was hardly a pedantic fool. However, since the old man dared to make such a condition, the toxicology knowledge he possessed was bound to be extraordinarily precious. That thought filled Lin Zheyu with a touch of anticipation.