In the blink of an eye, several days slipped by.
Outside an elegant meditation room in the Huang Manor, Master Huang Xunjiu paced slowly with his hands behind his back. His face was somber, outwardly calm, yet the slight trembling of his clasped hands betrayed the unrest churning within.
"Master, Qian'er has been in seclusion in the meditation room for two full days now without coming out. Could something...?"
Dressed in a brocade gown, He Yunrou wore a fretful expression, her hands nervously wringing a silk handkerchief.
Huang Xunjiu frowned. "What are you panicking for? Drawing qi has always been an ordeal. Even with a Qi Gathering Pill to aid him, surmounting this hurdle takes a day or two at least. Back when I guided spiritual qi to transform it into true qi, it took me a full four days to succeed. You could never understand how grueling and perilous it is."
Indeed, the reason they waited outside the meditation room was that Huang Qian was inside, ingesting the pill and drawing qi.
Hearing Huang Xunjiu's words did not comfort He Yunrou in the slightest; if anything, she grew even more anxious, letting out a low sigh.
"Why are you sighing? You're souring his good fortune for nothing!" Huang Xunjiu chided softly. "Besides, who do you think forced Qian'er into such a rush to take the pill and draw qi? In the end, isn't it your fault?! If you hadn't indulged the second and third boys in bullying the fourth, breeding resentment in him... With the fourth's talent, if he were on good terms with Qian'er and the others, why would we ever have to worry about our Huang family's fortunes failing to rise? Nor would Qian'er be burning with anxiety, desperately rushing to break through..."
To Huang Xunjiu's scolding, He Yunrou offered no verbal retort, but she fumed silently in her heart: *And now you blame me? Who was the one who despised Huang Tian and his mother in the first place, treating them like lowly slaves? If you hadn't loathed them so deeply, would I ever have docked their allowances...?*
In her view, if anyone was the chief culprit, it was Huang Xunjiu. She was secondary at best.
Seeing her eyes lowered with an unmistakable hint of stubborn defiance, Huang Xunjiu readily guessed her thoughts. A twinge of embarrassment welled up, and with a cold snort, he said no more, turning back to gaze anxiously at the closed door of the meditation room.
Over these past few days, life had been hard on the Huang family. Their clan businesses were being suppressed out of nowhere—no, not out of nowhere; he knew full well that those people were merely joining hands to crush the Huang family's trade in order to curry favor with Huang Tian.
Not only that, but the Huang family's relatives by marriage across various government offices were facing ostracism to varying degrees, and some had even been dismissed and driven out by their superiors!
Such a thing had been completely unthinkable in the past. Even if one didn't respect the monk, one respected the Buddha; upon learning that a subordinate was related to the Huang family by marriage, officials usually treated them with some leniency. Scoldings were rare, let alone outright dismissal.
Yet times had changed.
The stronger Huang Tian became and the greater his potential grew, the more people sought to win his favor. Under the blows of so many influential figures, the Huang Manor's intricate web of connections showed signs of unraveling.
This was precisely why Huang Xunjiu had spent a fortune to acquire a Qi Gathering Pill and back his eldest son, Huang Qian, in drawing qi.
Once qi was successfully drawn, even if he wouldn't immediately break through to the middle three ranks, the highest hurdle would be cleared. The rest would simply be patient grinding; in a few months at the shortest or roughly a year at the longest, Huang Qian would steadily advance to the sixth rank!
A sixth-rank martial artist at twenty-five or twenty-six, though indeed unable to match Huang Tian's potential, could still be counted as a modest prodigy. Reaching the fifth rank in the future was guaranteed, and the chances of achieving the fourth rank were considerable as well.
Such promise might give pause to those pressuring the Huang family. Of course, this might only be wishful thinking; he understood that unless Huang Tian died prematurely, those people would not stop crushing the Huang Manor.
If Huang Qian successfully drew qi, it would at most buy the Huang family some breathing room. Still, that was enough. As long as the Huang Manor was not snuffed out in one blow, there was always hope. What if, one day, Huang Tian was assassinated...?
Thoughts churning in his mind, Huang Xunjiu was fidgety with unrest.
Clack—
A soft sound rang out as the door to the meditation room was pushed open.
Huang Xunjiu and He Yunrou's hearts leaped. Both looked toward the room to see Huang Qian emerging, looking slightly pale, yet his eyes shone with excitement.
Huang Xunjiu was overjoyed. "Qian'er, did you succeed?!"
Huang Qian nodded slowly, a faint, lingering dread touching his smile. "Though there were a few close calls, I have ultimately succeeded in drawing qi."
During the two days he had spent in secluded cultivation after ingesting the pill, he had truly trodden on thin ice, drawing tiny wisps of spiritual qi into his body with extreme caution.
With the Qi Gathering Pill in effect, the spiritual qi entering his body was less violent, yet it still battered his sinews and bones.
Fortunately, through repeated tempering, his skin, flesh, sinews, and bones gradually adapted to the spiritual qi. As his vital blood merged with the spiritual qi, the first strand of true qi was born within him! With this single strand of true qi, the gateway to the middle three ranks was thrown wide open to him!
"Good, good, good!" Huang Xunjiu repeated three times, his elation plain on his face.
He Yunrou breathed a heavy sigh of relief, asking with tender concern, "Qian'er, you haven't touched a drop of water or food for two whole days. You must be starved and parched. I will have someone bring you refreshments right away."
"Thank you, Mother." Huang Qian patted his stomach; he truly was feeling famished.
"Qian'er, your success in drawing qi is a momentous occasion," Huang Xunjiu said with a smile. "Your father has decided to host a celebration banquet, inviting all of our Huang family's kin, old acquaintances, eminent clans, and high officials of the commandery to join in the festivities."
"A celebration banquet?"
Huang Qian's heart stirred. He knew the true purpose of the banquet was not merely celebration, but to swiftly spread the word of his success to the outside world, giving their detractors second thoughts. Even if it did not force them to abandon their pressure on the Huang Manor entirely, it could at least slow their movements while boosting the morale of the Huang family and its close associates.
"It is a good idea, but I fear many will not show up when the time comes."
Having succeeded in drawing qi, Huang Qian considered himself a modest prodigy, but he was self-aware enough to know that his potential was far beneath Huang Tian's.
If even he could see this, the prominent clans and powerful experts certainly saw it too. Many of them would never risk offending Huang Tian by attending to offer congratulations, and might not even send a token gift.
"No matter. If they do not come, the Huang family's relatives and old acquaintances will. The primary purpose of this banquet is to steady people's hearts."
Huang Xunjiu made his decision. "The date shall be set five days from now. We will send invitations far and wide to kin, old friends, powerful figures, and prominent clans, washing away our Huang family's recent run of bad luck!"
In just a single day, the news that Huang Qian, Eldest Young Master of the Huang Manor and Merit Recording Officer of the Martial Restraint Guard, had successfully drawn qi—and that the Huang Manor would be hosting a celebration banquet—spread through more than half the commandery city.
The prominent clans and the officials of every government office caught wind of it.
Naturally, Huang Tian learned of it as well.
Yet he remained entirely unmoved. He went about his business as usual, staying in the Company Office to temper his vital blood and breathe spiritual qi in and out, seemingly undisturbed by the outside world.
In truth, he genuinely did not care whether Huang Qian had succeeded in drawing qi, because according to his own perception, he was only a few days away from breaking through into the middle three ranks.
Four days if fast, six days if slow. At such a critical juncture of breakthrough, why would he spare attention for such a trivial matter?
Whoosh—whoosh—
Inside the hall of the Baoqing Ward Company Office, Huang Tian closed his eyes. Moving like a swimming dragon, he drew the spiritual qi into his body like an incoming tide, accompanied by wave upon wave of low hums...
Chapter 81