Hearing the name "Naobaijin," Jin Fugui and the other two looked completely blank.
Chu Qiguang trotted out the same spiel he had used on the Wang household to bamboozle them, before cautioning, "However, this medicine of mine is only effective before the second stage. Once your martial arts break through to the second stage, its potency drops drastically, and the physical stamina boost becomes barely better than nothing."
At these words, Jin Fugui and his companions mentally sighed with regret, but on second thought, it seemed only natural.
If something this effective worked into the second stage as well, the big shots would have carved it up long ago. How could small-time landlords like them ever get a piece?
Chu Qiguang said this deliberately to downplay the medicine's importance in their eyes, preventing too many people from coveting Naobaijin. After all, neither his strength nor his faction was yet formidable enough; at most, he could dip his toes into the market for first-stage martial artists.
Of course, once he became powerful enough in the future, Naobaijin could be upgraded—perhaps followed by a Golden Liquor or something similar. When that time came, it would target the second or even third stage, catering to much more powerful clients.
After another round of introduction, Chu Qiguang noticed Wang Cailiang yawning non-stop off to the side, and whispered, "Brother Wang, thank you for your hard work today. I'll prepare your medicine tomorrow and hand over your silver as well. Go on and get some rest."
Wang Cailiang truly was exhausted. Chu Qiguang had poured plenty of liquor into him at the banquet, and having held out this long, his eyes were bleary with sleep. Delighted to hear he would have silver coming in tomorrow, he headed back to his room with a beaming face.
Chu Qiguang led the three landlords' sons into his own room, looked at them, and said, "For physical tempering effects like the ones just now, I charged Wang Cailiang fifty taels per session. A full course of ten sessions cost him five hundred taels in total."
Hearing the price of five hundred taels, all three men showed shock. Even Jin Fugui, the wealthiest among them, could not help saying, "That's too expensive!"
"Who knew Wang Cailiang's family was that rich?"
"Our families don't have that much surplus either. That amount is simply too huge. A portion of Hundred-Refined Ointment costs only thirty-some taels, yet you want fifty taels? That really is a bit steep, isn't it?"
Listening to their complaints and grumbling, Chu Qiguang merely smiled faintly and remarked casually, "However, the results on my end are far better than Hundred-Refined Ointment. You get stronger just lying down."
The Heavenly Demon Foundation Establishment Method wielded by Qiao Zhi could certainly have let the recipient feel an even more dramatic surge in stamina and physical transformation within a single day, but that would be far too conspicuous.
That was why Chu Qiguang had Qiao Zhi stretch the foundation establishment method over ten days, making the physical growth less abrupt, yet still superior to applying Hundred-Refined Ointment. Even so, it held immense appeal for martial artists.
After all, it meant they would have an extra means of growing stronger compared to the other students at Yinglue Academy, giving them a sharper edge in the upcoming martial examinations.
Finally, Chu Qiguang added, "To tell you the truth, I procure the medicinal herbs from outside and refine them myself, but the Naobaijin alone costs nearly four hundred taels of silver. Right now, I only have two portions on hand."
Seeing their eyes instantly go wide and round, Chu Qiguang put on a pained look. "If the three of you find it too expensive, I'm willing to sell a course for four hundred and fifty taels of silver."
Jin Fugui gritted his teeth and blurted out, "Four hundred and fifty taels of silver—I'll take it!"
The other two were a step too late and could only scramble for the remaining one. In the end, one named Lu Ming bought it for five hundred taels.
The last one, named Qiu Wen, sighed repeatedly. His family circumstances were comparable to Wang Cailiang's, but he was not an only son; he had no confidence he could coax five hundred taels out of his father.
Chu Qiguang said, "Brother Qiu, don't fret either. Once new stock arrives, you'll be the very first person I notify."
Jin Fugui's small eyes darted about slyly as he probed, "Brother Chu, how did I pass out just now? I didn't even taste what the medicine was like."
Chu Qiguang said with a smile, "While massaging your qi and blood, I cut off part of your blood flow, causing insufficient blood supply to your brain. Naturally, you fainted." At the same time, he thought to himself, *I need to find time to learn the Heavenly Demon Foundation Establishment Method myself soon. Having Qiao Zhi perform it every single time will always be inconvenient.*
Seeing Jin Fugui nod thoughtfully, Chu Qiguang continued, "Now that this business is settled, the three of you should understand my background as well.
"Those who know, know. Right now, war is brewing in the north, and supplies from all sides are heading toward the Yunzhong Military Garrison north of our Lingzhou. But there's always some unusable surplus or seconds. The waters run deep here, and my own interests are tied to it, so I won't go into details.
"However, as you can see, my supply of this medicine is unsteady—available at times, gone at others. Using it also involves some secret techniques, so I need the three of you to keep it confidential."
Hearing Chu Qiguang's words, the trio let their imaginations run wild, linking Chu Qiguang directly to the military garrison north of Lingzhou. Phrases like drawing fake payrolls, bleeding the troops dry, and reselling military provisions flashed through their minds one after another.
Seeing their know-it-all expressions, Chu Qiguang added, "By the way, I sold this medicine to Wang Cailiang for five hundred taels. Don't go mentioning the four-hundred-and-fifty-tael deal to him.
"Also, the medicine is in short supply. It's best not to let word get out, or I won't be able to hold any for you."
Jin Fugui and the others immediately caught his drift and nodded. They knew that if word of the medicine's effects spread, wouldn't even more people come to compete with them? How could they allow that? One by one, they swore solemn oaths and mutually agreed never to speak a word of it.
Next, they agreed to bring over the silver tomorrow and return every evening for the next nine days to receive the treatment, before going their separate ways.
After seeing the three off, Chu Qiguang watched their departing silhouettes.
*That means by tomorrow, I'll have over thirteen hundred taels of silver. At one application a day, that should cover about forty days of Hundred-Refined Ointment.*
Pondering his upcoming plans, Chu Qiguang called Qiao Zhi over to inquire about certain matters in the county town.
"Are there any demons, ghosts, or monsters around this Qingyang County?"
Qiao Zhi's heart sank upon hearing this. He knew that while Chu Qiguang was networking with respectable society, he hadn't forgotten about targeting the monsters of Qingyang County.
Qiao Zhi thought to himself, *Good thing I prepared in advance. I must get Chu Qiguang to focus entirely on dealing with other demons and monsters, especially dog monsters, so he stops constantly tormenting cats.*
With that in mind, Qiao Zhi said aloud, "I asked around today. I heard there's a pack of stray dogs in the county town that often groups up to attack townsfolk and constantly steals goods from street vendors. Outside the city walls, there are even reports of people being bitten to death by wild dogs. I reckon there are definitely dog monsters stirring up trouble among them."
"Dog monsters?" Chu Qiguang nodded. "What else?"
Qiao Zhi said, "The stray cats in Qingyang County are all so pitiful. They can't get enough to eat or stay warm, and people often beat them.
"I also heard there was a corpse transformation case in the city recently; the Daoist monastery and the county yamen runners are investigating it together.
"Several desiccated corpses were found outside the city, stripped of their clothes with their valuables taken. No one knows what killed them.
"Over by the docks, a fisherman fell into the water and drowned. Onlookers claimed they saw a dark shadow beneath the surface.
"A few days ago, someone suffered qi deviation while cultivating, ran mad in the streets, and killed people before the Daoist priests from the monastery captured him."
Chu Qiguang marveled, "There really are quite a few demons, ghosts, and monsters in this world."
Qiao Zhi looked at Chu Qiguang's gleaming eyes, wondering which poor soul was about to face misfortune.
Chu Qiguang reached out, stroked the cat's belly, and said offhandedly, "Then let's first investigate the background of this pack of dog monsters. Ideally, we can capture a couple alive for questioning."
Chapter 42