That evening, Chu Qiguang returned to the Wang household to “treat” Wang Cailiang once again.
The moment they met, the two exchanged knowing smiles. Wang Cailiang warmly took Chu Qiguang's arm, giving his wide sleeves a flourish as he said, "Come, come! It so happens I haven't had dinner yet. Brother Zhou, join me for some wine."
Turning to a manservant nearby, he barked, "What are you standing there gaping for? Go bring the food and warm the wine!"
Chu Qiguang affectionately patted Wang Cailiang on the shoulder. "Brother Wang is too polite."
Noticing how Wang Cailiang kept flicking his sleeves, he took the cue and asked, "Brother Wang, where did this fine robe come from?"
Wang Cailiang beamed with pride at once. "This long gown was tailored from zhuanghua brocade bought at the county's Fengxiang Silk and Satin Shop. I hear it was made by the Donghaizhou Imperial Weaving Bureau. Decades ago, it would have been tribute silk! This single outfit cost my mother twenty taels of silver."
*Damned filthy-rich landlord, what a waste of money,* Chu Qiguang cursed inwardly, though his face registered pure admiration. "So it is Donghaizhou zhuanghua brocade! No wonder the pattern is so splendid and refined, beautiful as clouds in the sky."
After interacting with him over the past couple of days, Chu Qiguang had gradually figured out Wang Cailiang's character.
He wasn't truly wicked, nor was he as stingy and exploitative as his father. Beyond his fondness for wining, dining, and seeking amusement, his main joy was showing off and bragging with his worthless cronies.
Sure enough, upon hearing Chu Qiguang's praise, Wang Cailiang beamed with delight. "Brother Zhou truly knows his stuff! How could ordinary country bumpkins ever appreciate the subtle elegance of this garment?"
Chu Qiguang chuckled. "You flatter me, you flatter me."
"Flattery? Not at all!" Wang Cailiang said. "With your fine bearing and character, Brother Zhou, you are bound to pass the martial examinations in the future and become a pillar of the state."
Chu Qiguang replied, "With Brother Wang's talent and natural gifts, after just a few more years of cultivation, the title of Martial Top Scholar will be practically in the bag. When we serve as officials in the imperial court together in the future, please do look after me, Brother Wang."
"Hahaha! But of course, but of course!" Wang Cailiang laughed heartily. He thoroughly enjoyed flattering and being flattered by Zhou Ergou. Other friends often failed to keep up with his pace, but Zhou Ergou could match his wild boasts and spin them even bigger.
Wang Cailiang continued, "The northern demon barbarians bully our dynasty, thinking we have no men of valor! In the future, we two brothers shall lead the imperial army north and reclaim three thousand li beyond the pass!"
As the two drank wine and traded over-the-top boasts, it wasn't long before Wang Cailiang proposed becoming sworn brothers, which Chu Qiguang smoothly deflected.
Perched on the eaves nearby, Qiao Zhi thought to himself: *These humans… can sure talk a lot of shit.*
Then he paused and reconsidered: *Though Wang Cailiang is just talking out of his ass, Chu Qiguang might actually intend to do it…*
When they finished their wine, Wang Cailiang asked, "Brother Zhou, why do I pass out every time you treat me?"
Chu Qiguang explained, "To purge the canine poison from your body, I have to temporarily cut off a portion of your blood flow. That deprives your brain of sufficient blood, so naturally, you faint."
Wang Cailiang nodded, only half-understanding. Chu Qiguang then began that day's treatment. Qiao Zhi launched a sneak attack from behind, striking without a sound and pressing a paw down to knock Wang Cailiang out cold once again.
Chu Qiguang spoke to Qiao Zhi in his mind: *He's practiced martial arts for several years, hasn't he? If we use the Heavenly Demon Foundation Establishment Method on him, he should be able to break through to the first stage very soon, right?*
Qiao Zhi replied casually, "After all, he's cultivated for a few years. Though he can hardly be called exceptionally diligent, the Wang family never skimps on his food or drink, so his body has a solid foundation. Once his foundation is established, even if he doesn't break through right away, it won't take more than a few days."
With that, Qiao Zhi began patting and striking Wang Cailiang's body.
However, according to Chu Qiguang's plan this time, Qiao Zhi was not merely stimulating or suppressing demonization; he was initiating the actual foundation establishment of the Heavenly Demon Foundation Establishment Method.
The cat's paws landed on Wang Cailiang again and again. Deft force guided the circulation of his blood and the motion of his muscles, gradually refining Wang Cailiang's constitution bit by bit.
Yet Qiao Zhi did not help Wang Cailiang complete his foundation establishment in one go today. Following Chu Qiguang's instructions, he divided the foundation establishment over ten days.
Although this significantly lowered the efficiency of the foundation establishment, it allowed Wang Cailiang's physique to improve imperceptibly and steadily, without arousing too much shock or suspicion on his part.
Once he finished executing the Heavenly Demon Foundation Establishment Method, Qiao Zhi said with some fatigue, "It's a pity we only gave him ordinary rat blood. If we could use the blood of a rat demon to stimulate his bloodline next time, his progress would surely be far greater."
Chu Qiguang chuckled at this. "We can switch to rat demons later. Besides, how could once ever be enough for foundation establishment? Aren't there different tiers among rat demons? Later on, we'll divide them into several more tiers for Wang Cailiang and let him establish his foundation another eight or ten times."
Qiao Zhi reminded him, "Establishing a foundation eight or ten times yields the exact same result as using the highest-grade rat-demon blood just once."
"So what if the result is the same?" Chu Qiguang countered. "Tell me, when someone feels their physical constitution improve after foundation establishment, are they happy or not?"
Qiao Zhi nodded. "Naturally, very happy."
Chu Qiguang said, "Then if it can clearly bring him happiness eight or ten times, how could we let Wang Cailiang experience that joy only once?"
Qiao Zhi frowned. "But..."
Chu Qiguang cut in, "No 'buts.' You have to understand how customers think. A pampered son of a wealthy landlord like Wang Cailiang—once his foundation is established and he feels the great results and his rapid physical improvement, why do you think he'd come back to us? To get stronger?"
Qiao Zhi said, "Is he not?"
"Of course not," Chu Qiguang replied. "If he just wanted to get stronger, couldn't he just train harder himself? If he seeks us out, it's to get stronger without putting in the effort. What he enjoys is the thrill of lying there doing practically no work while his body automatically shoots up in power."
"..." Qiao Zhi stroked his whiskers, finding this surprisingly convincing.
Chu Qiguang continued, "If you gave it to him all in one go, wouldn't you be robbing him of that joy?"
With that, Chu Qiguang inspected Wang Cailiang's body before asking, "By the way, Master Qiao, if a person's martial arts are crippled after foundation establishment, can they undergo the Heavenly Demon Foundation Establishment again?"
Qiao Zhi answered, "No..."
Chu Qiguang shook his head and sighed. "What a pity. It seems the old saying is true: good times are always fleeting."
*Chu Qiguang has no heart. What a devil!* Qiao Zhi grumbled inwardly. *For the rise of the cat clan, I must cling tightly to this devil's coattails.*
About the time it took to drink a cup of tea later, Wang Cailiang slowly came to. He immediately felt that after today's treatment, his entire body was thoroughly relaxed and brimming with energy.
At his side, Chu Qiguang explained, "Those three hundred taels of silver have already been converted into Naobaijin. Starting today, I am administering the medicine to treat your condition. While purging the canine poison, it will also improve your physical constitution as a side effect. All of this is completely normal and reasonable, so there's no need to feel nervous."
How could Wang Cailiang possibly feel nervous? Feeling the changes in his body, he was only thrilled, wishing he could lie here every day and have his constitution grow just like this.
Chapter 29