Chapter 23

"Bold scoundrel, daring to block the carriage, seeking death."

With a cold snort, a long whip carried by the wind whistled towards Longchen.

The whip was incredibly fast, its angle devious, clearly wielded by a master. Longchen could have dodged it, but he was holding a little girl, making it difficult to move.

Anger welled up in his heart. It was too late to dodge now. He held the little girl in his arms, channeled spiritual energy to protect his body, and prepared to take the blow with his arm.

At that moment, a huge figure blocked Longchen.

"Crack"

A loud sound echoed as Ahman, who had stepped in front of Longchen, grinned, having used his back to shield the whip.

"Rumble"

Longchen's eyes turned cold. When he tried to see who had attacked, the carriage had already sped away.

However, a light exclamation came, indicating that the attacker was also surprised by Ahman's appearance but did not stay.

"Ahman, are you okay?" Longchen suppressed his anger and asked.

"Brother Long, I'm fine. I've been beaten up many times since I was a kid, so I'm used to it," Ahman said nonchalantly.

However, his back was already torn, a long bloody wound from which blood was slowly flowing.

At this moment, a woman suddenly rushed over, picked up the little girl, and burst into tears, hurriedly thanking Longchen and Ahman.

Ahman smiled foolishly, and after Longchen gently comforted the little girl, they left.

However, Longchen was seething with anger. How dare someone lash him in broad daylight in the city? He wanted to see how much courage this person had.

Although Ahman's wound looked terrifying, it was just a superficial injury, not serious.

This made Longchen marvel at Ahman's formidable physical strength. The attacker was extremely powerful, yet Ahman only suffered a minor scratch.

As they walked, Ahman's stomach suddenly rumbled loudly, like thunder. Longchen was taken aback but then realized what was happening. A bun shop nearby was emitting a delicious aroma.

Ahman's face turned awkward, "Brother Long, I'm not hungry."

"It's fine, I'm hungry. Let's have a snack," Longchen said.

Ahman quickly added, "Brother Long, I really don't need to eat. Actually, I only eat rice."

Because countless times, people who saw him eat ended up breaking ties with him. Ahman was afraid of repeating this.

"Ahman, you shielded me from the whip, you are my brother. I, Longchen, can also shield you from the whip. So, don't say things that brothers shouldn't say," Longchen said seriously.

For someone who was willing to take a whip for him after just meeting, Longchen considered him a true brother.

"Brother Long... I..."

Ahman suddenly covered his face and burst into tears. After so many years of hardship, he felt warmth for the first time, and someone treated him so well.

"Good brother, don't cry. From now on, we will only sweat and bleed, never cry. Crying is for cowards," Longchen patted Ahman's shoulder and said.

"Okay, Brother Long, I'll do whatever you say," Ahman wiped his tears and said.

Longchen wanted to tell him to have some backbone, but remembering how Ahman once turned a well into a chimney, he held back.

At this moment, the bun shop owner brought over a large steamer. Longchen smiled, "Ahman, eat as much as you want. I have plenty of money, no need to save."

"Okay."

Ahman nodded and started eating, devouring fist-sized buns one after another, like shooting stars.

Despite being prepared, Longchen was still shocked by Ahman's appetite. He ate over three hundred meat buns, and still seemed unsatisfied.

The bun shop owner looked worried. All the buns were gone, and it would take too long to make more.

Three hundred buns cost only six silver coins. When the owner tried to give change to Longchen, he had already left with Ahman.

Back home, Longchen introduced Ahman to his mother. Lady Long was initially surprised by Ahman's size but was reassured by his honest and loyal demeanor. After hearing Ahman's story, she agreed to let him stay.

After settling Ahman, Longchen started refining medicines. At home, he didn't need to be cautious, so he maximized his soul power and refined at the fastest speed possible.

After three days, Longchen emerged from his room. He had refined nearly a hundred Wind Mansion Pills, all of medium quality.

Besides Wind Mansion Pills, he also refined Blood Coagulation Pills, Qi Gathering Pills, and Poison Avoidance Pills, which were in high demand in the market. These would be sold to the guild to offset the cost of the ingredients he had borrowed.

As soon as Longchen stepped out of his room, Baor began to look uneasy. Longchen asked, "Baor, what's wrong?"

"Master... this...," Baor said hesitantly.

"Speak your mind," Longchen smiled.

"It's like this, the house... has no... food left," Baor said uneasily.

Ahman ate so much that Lady Long had the kitchen prepare extra food. In three days, they had consumed almost a month's worth of food. Lady Long secretly took out a piece of jewelry to sell.

Baor thought it best to discuss this with Longchen, so she came to find him.

Longchen laughed, pinched Baor's cheek, and said, "Good girl, you're getting smarter. I'll take care of this."

Baor was Longchen's personal maid. Despite the family's decline, she stayed, and Longchen treated her like a sister.

"Master, there's no dinner tonight," Baor reminded him. She was essentially the family's little manager, and the accountant had left, seeing no future in the family.

"Alright, I'll take care of it."

Longchen still had a few gold coins. He called Ahman and they headed to the Alchemist Guild.

He didn't have a specific purpose in bringing Ahman, but he wanted to train his mind. Intelligence comes from experience and needs to be improved.

At the Alchemist Guild, Longchen went straight to the pharmacy. When he handed over dozens of full, plump pills to the apprentice, the apprentice was almost shocked speechless.

He remembered that Longchen had only taken the ingredients three days ago. How could he return with pills so soon? Normally, it took six months to a year to return pills.

Despite his shock, the apprentice diligently inspected each pill with professional equipment.

Seventeen medium-quality pills and thirty-six low-quality pills. Even with his confident inspection skills, he almost doubted himself.

After confirming the results, the apprentice deducted the cost of the ingredients Longchen had borrowed, leaving some pills.

"Teacher Longchen, do you want to exchange the remaining pills for more ingredients or gold coins?" the apprentice asked respectfully.

Being called "teacher" felt good. Longchen said, "Exchange them all for gold coins."

"Sure, please wait."

The apprentice quickly flipped through a ledger with the latest pill prices and calculated the amount.

"Teacher Longchen, the total is 8,170,000 gold coins," the apprentice said.

Longchen nodded. The Alchemist Guild, a non-profit organization, offered a fair price, slightly lower than the market but with many benefits.

"Give me two crystal cards, one for 2 million, and the rest in one card," Longchen said.

When Longchen returned home, Baor was waiting at the door.

"Master, Young Master Shifeng has sent you an invitation," she said, handing him a red invitation.

Longchen opened it and smiled. Shifeng had broken through to the Blood Coagulation Realm and was hosting a banquet at the Juying Tower. The timing was about right.

"Baor, here, take good care of the house. I'll provide you with a generous dowry and marry you off with honor," Longchen smiled, handing her a crystal card.

Baor's face turned red, but when she saw the amount, she covered her mouth in disbelief.

"Little rich girl, from now on, the task of improving the Long family is yours. Also, go and redeem all the jewelry Mother pawned, even if it costs ten times the price," Longchen said.

"Okay, Master, I'll do my best," Baor patted her chest and promised.

Longchen nodded and headed to the Juying Tower with Ahman.

The Juying Tower was a famous restaurant in the capital, frequented by the wealthy and powerful. The name was grand, the food was excellent, and it was a favorite gathering place for nobles.

At the top floor, a large round table was filled with various delicacies, but the guests were chatting and hadn't started eating.

Suddenly, a figure entered, and everyone stood up.

"Brother Long"

"Brother Long"

"Lord Long"

Shifeng and Yu Fat called him by different names, but they were all surprised by Ahman's presence.

"Let me introduce you, this is my brother Ahman."

Everyone greeted Ahman, but he only nodded and smiled foolishly.

With Longchen's arrival, everyone sat down. Shifeng raised his cup, "Brother Long, no more words, I'll drink first."

Shifeng deeply appreciated Longchen's help. He had advanced to the Blood Coagulation Realm much earlier than expected, which would greatly benefit his future.

"We'll also drink to Brother Long."

Yu Fat led everyone in standing up. They had received the medicinal liquid from Longchen and quickly sensed the spiritual energy. Yu Fat and Hou Tianming had both reached the first level of Qi Gathering.

All of this was due to Longchen's efforts, and they were grateful to him.

"Alright, cheers."

Longchen laughed. No matter what, these people had helped him in times of need, and he considered them friends.

After a few drinks, everyone opened up, except Ahman, who was busy eating.

Longchen specifically asked Shifeng to order more dishes, but Ahman had already eaten a lot before coming, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone discussed their current status, feeling proud. They could now cultivate, and their status in their families had improved.

More importantly, the news that Longchen was an alchemist had spread throughout the capital, and everyone knew his relationship with Yu Fat and the others.

So, their families were secretly encouraging them to build a good relationship with Longchen, making them feel proud.

As they were talking, footsteps were heard. Shifeng frowned, "I clearly told the owner to reserve the entire floor. Why are there still people coming up?"

"Let it be, more people means more fun," Yu Fat, who was clearly tipsy, said.

At that moment, a voice rang out, "Make everyone here leave. I don't want to dine with a bunch of lowlifes."

Longchen, who had been drinking calmly, suddenly turned cold, his veins bulging.