Isn’t this just throwing your life away…

Those words were blurted out. Not only did the kneeling, loyal hound Dragon One turn to rigidly glare at Gu Zuo, Tianheng also couldn’t help but take pause. Then, he supported his forehead as he began to laugh.

Gu Zuo took a step back as he heard this, feeling mocked.

His words seemed to be too straightforward just now… Ahaha.

Gongyi Tianheng beckoned him over with a wave of his hand: “Ah Zuo, come here.”

Gu Zuo froze mid-step.

…Come over?

He looked at his patron’s current appearance: a pallid face, dark eyes with a mysterious glint, and a hard-pressed and over-worked heart.

With his disposition, he shouldn’t want to beat him up if he went over…

Tightly hugging that patron with a trusted personality, Gu Zuo nevertheless approached him.

Then, Tianheng lifted his hand and pet his hair. His smile was profoundly handsome: “Rest a.s.sured. Naturally, I won’t be throwing my life away.”

Gu Zuo’s face was painted red.

He could only gape like a fish. He nodded his head and quietly uttered: “…Oh.”

Gongyi Tianheng wasn’t embarra.s.sed in the least by this bashful kid. He lightly tapped his shoulder: “During the Clan War, hold off on refining. I’ll take you with me. Also, you need to familiarize yourself with my parents.”

Gu Zuo nodded again, and dazedly wandered back to his pharmacy — He suddenly reacted: meeting his patron’s parents? Just what was he planning in the end?

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Over the following days, Gongyi Tianheng didn’t explain anything further. He was in his study, bossing everyone around every day. The people of the Tianlong Guard would quickly receive their orders and vanish one after the other.

Presently, Gu Zuo was already able to refine six cauldrons worth of herbs every day. According to Tianheng’s specifications, four were the Qi Generating Pill and two were the Rejuvenation Pill. And all of them were distributed to the Tianlong Guard.

Until one evening, Tianheng was taking another serving of Gu Zuo’s meal of organic harmony. After he was drenched in sweat, he told Gu Zuo: “Ah Zuo, remember to get up early tomorrow. You’ll be coming with me to the main household.”

Gu Zuo only felt that there was a peal of thunder and lighting ringing in his head: “We’re leaving tomorrow?!”

Tianheng laughed: “Don’t worry, Ah Zuo. You’ll pretend to be my book boy [1] and it’ll suffice going forward. It’s unlikely that your ident.i.ty as my pharmacist will be revealed. Let’s say you were previously wronged and had a fated meeting. You obtained a prescription and searched for me to gain asylum. Afterwards, everything in the past was a like a dream [2]…is what we’ll leak.”

Gu Zuo was thinking about this, and suddenly startled.

Being wronged and so on; did his patron know his real ident.i.ty? Ah, that’s incorrect. It’s Qi Tianyou’s ident.i.ty.

However, he thought again. He was a total stranger who popped out of nowhere. It would be odd if his patron didn’t investigate… Moving on, after he pondered over the meaning of his story, he gave a big thumb’s up in his heart.

His patron really was worthy of his IQ!

Appropriately revealing a good thing can conceal a deeper secret.

However, Gu Zuo frowned and asked: “Then, which prescription should we use?”

Gongyi Tianheng smiled faintly: “The Five-Element Meridian Replenishing Decoction.”

Gu Zuo: “Eh? Very good!”

The pill refining techniques of the Tianwu continent pharmacists were very simple. The process of creating potions would lead to pill refining. If the potion didn’t produce pills, a person could soak themselves in the potion to strengthen their physique.

Five-Element Meridian Replenishing Decoction was a medicinal decoction totally unlike a common, impurity-filled potion. However, its material attributes were indeed of the five elements. Contrary to what one might expect, it was possible to disguise this decoction as a successful potion.

In addition, its function was to make the meridians pliable and tough through the qi of the five elements. It’s medicinal force was slightly powerful, so it really was a suitable cover.

As a result, they resolved this matter handily.

Gongyi Tianheng copied down the prescription and ordered Dragon One to safeguard it. Then, he merely waited for the trip to the main household tomorrow.

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The next day, Gu Zuo switched out his clothes for the distinctive book boy uniform of the Gongyi household. He approached his patron and stationed himself a few steps behind him in a well-behaved manner.

Dragon One, wearing black clothes with a decorative dragon design, was stationed on the other side of Gu Zuo.

Behind both of them in the rear, trailed two hundred Tianlong guards with the same black uniform. However, the dragon design was not like Dragon One’s golden color. Instead, it was a comparatively subdued silver. Every one of them carried an austere and harsh air about them, which made the atmosphere seem very fierce.

They would be cla.s.sified as the secret guards of a Clan’s descendants. Only the descendants with exceedingly outstanding accomplishments could have these guards. They devoted their heart and soul to their master. In and of itself, their apt.i.tudes were quite valiant; so much so that it made some of the outstanding young masters of smaller Families seem feeble. However, besides the Clan’s usual training, when all was said and done, they were re-educated [3] such that whatever their outer appearance, one would see that they had the ability to follow their master. And in this way, they obeyed their master from the bottom of their hearts.

Because Gu Zuo resolved the issue with the medicinal qi, he was in a very relaxed mood. Ordinarily, besides refining medicine, he also had some interest in understanding the circ.u.mstances around him.

And Tianheng generously gave him these explanations.

After Gu Zuo learned about the existence of the secret guard, astonishment welled up from deep within.

The Tianlong Guard… Ah, his patron was so heroic! Moreover, he could see that the guards today all held his patron in the highest esteem.

At last, he realized that even though Tianheng had no martial strength, his ability to win the hearts and minds of his men was top-notch.

No wonder there were so many reputable rumors about him…

After leaving the courtyard, Gu Zuo suffered a fright.

On the desolate and vast lands outside, a violent atmosphere was swirling about and a.s.saulting the senses [4]. It would practically suffocate a person.

Gu Zuo’s heartbeat skyrocketed [5] and he hastily took a few steps back.

Dragon One conducted himself as a loyal hound and always kept his young master’s thoughts in mind. So, he quickly moved his body in such a way that as he slightly leaned in front of Gu Zuo, he alleviated that crushing pressure.

Gongyi Tianheng stood there in front: back straight and hands clenched.

His body was weak and he couldn’t practice martial arts. With his kind of looks, one could hardly expect resistance. Yet, at this moment, only his fingers tightened and nothing more. Even though his knuckles whitened, he never cowered one bit.

Meanwhile, Gu Zuo was mentally prepared and ventured out to see just what those things were that emitted such an intimidating air.

They were a herd of strange…horses.

Every horse was roughly three and a half meters tall and seven meters long. All four hooves were as white as snow and its entire body was covered with densely packed scales. It’s physique was incredibly strong. Their manes were very long and looked like a blazing trail of fire. Their metallic-gray scales reflected the light and would give a person a kind of pa.s.sionate feeling.

These beautiful horses shocked Gu Zuo and he felt that they looked like celestial horses out of a mythological story. His heart was full of antic.i.p.ation [6]. Although he was still only a young man and didn’t normally have much entertainment, he was still very interested in these precious horses.

He momentarily forgot his fear and scampered over to his patron. He raised his head and asked: “Young master Tianheng, what are these horses?”

Gongyi Tianheng took in measured breathes and replied: “These are dragon-scaled horses. They are grade three wild beasts.”

On the side, Dragon One knew that his young master was under great strain, and followed through with giving Gu Zuo his explanation: “The Five Clans of the imperial capital all have their own wild beast pastures. These dragon-scaled horses are raised and tamed by the Gongyi Clan through a supreme beast raising method. Although the other four Clans raise their own beasts, they can’t compare with the dragon-scaled horses. They have the blood of ancient dragons running through their veins. Their ferocity is unmatched.”

Gu Zuo’s eyes widened as he heard this.

Don’t even mention that he was a guest from another world. Even with the native Qi Tianyou’s memories, he’d never heard these kinds of things. On one hand, it was only natural that Qi Tianyou, who was solely focused on refining medicine, would have very little experience. On the other hand, the so-called Qi Family didn’t have these kinds of a.s.sets from the beginning — their head of house only used a grade two wild beast as a mount, that’s all. And don’t even think about mentioning stuff like ancient bloodlines.

Sure enough, those rumors were not exaggerations… Gu Zuo had some lingering fear.

Truly, his luck was exceptionally good, so he would steadily depend on his patron.

Tianheng’s Clan was truly fearsome.

Afterwards, Gu Zuo saw his patron lift his arm and give a slight wave.

In an instant, all the Tianlong guards simultaneously shot out, grabbed their respective horse’s bridle, and climbed on. Unexpectedly, those incredibly scary dragon-scaled horses only issued a few neighs, and obediently allowed the guards to ride them.

Tianheng slowly made his way forward.

Gu Zuo hurriedly kept pace with Dragon One and made a straight line to the center of the procession. There he discovered an unadorned and imposing, ancient bronze chariot. It looked simple, but still gave him an inexplicable feeling.

It was very…very ominous.

Tianheng got on the bronze chariot and extended a hand: “Ah Zuo, come on up.”

Gu Zuo hesitated.

His patron’s body was no good. Just now, his appearance was a little unstable. Was he able to pull him up?

Tianheng’s smiling expression stopped, and he quietly called again: “Ah Zuo?”

Gu Zuo only felt that the hairs on his back stood up and his heart went numb. He immediately grabbed his hand to get on.

How could he forget? A man’s ultimate taboo was to be looked down upon by others! In any case, he was completely reliant on his patron right now. He couldn’t offend him at all. Worst comes to worst, they both would fall off. En, he must be careful to act as his patron’s seat cushion [7]. At most, at most he would only suffer a small sc.r.a.pe or bruise.

Bearing this kind of determination, Gu Zuo nervously prepared himself. He only had to get on while Tianheng was unstable.

But before he finished mulling over these thoughts, a power that wasn’t small at all was transferred through his hand and easily pulled him up onto the chariot.

— Eh.

It seemed like his patron’s strength wasn’t as weak as he thought. Ahaha.

After getting on, Gu Zuo directly faced Tianheng’s eyes, which were filled with laughter.

The corner of his mouth wobbled. Don’t start that; he was very embarra.s.sed.

It looked like his patron saw through him again. After this, he’d better sincerely place his trust in his patron…

The ancient, bronze chariot was very steady. Dragon One rode on the second dragon-scaled horse, following the leading horse in front.

That leading horse had two dragon horns on its head, which were each about one hundred fifty centimeters long. It signified that its bloodline was even richer than the other dragon-scaled horses. It held a prestigious aura that could awe the whole herd and make the horses follow it.

Of course, this kind of leading horse should have been subdued by the young master. However, Gongyi Tianheng couldn’t practice martial arts. So although this horse was given to him, it was merely a display of his represented status. That’s all.

The Gongyi Clan resided in the southern parts of the imperial capital. The entire Clan occupied an extremely bustling main street, with countless residences and crowds of servants and guards.

This was Cangyun Country’s first-cla.s.s Clan.

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[1] 书童 – Shu tong, book child. Something similar to a page (for a knight), a tag-along who will carry his books or belongings, an attendant with a greater status than a servant.

[2] 过眼云烟 – Guo yan yun yan, an idiom.

[3] 调教成 – Tiao jiao cheng, while jiao cheng means to successfully teach, I’m treating tiao to refer to an adjustment of behavior, as how a regiment obeys their superior’s orders.

[4] 扑面而来 – Pu mian er lai, literally to hit someone in the face.

[5] His pulse was 108 bpm; changed for ease of reading.

[6] The literal translation was that his heart was a little itchy, 心里都有点痒痒的 which means he wanted to do something.

[7] 垫背 – Dian bei, sacrificial victim or scapegoat, but it can also mean seat cushion. In other words, should Tianheng not have enough strength to lift Gu Zuo onto the chariot, they would both fall backwards. Gu Zuo intended to act as a landing cushion for Tianheng.

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T/N: h.e.l.lo, everyone. Happy New Year!

Another poll here: Do you think I should keep using book boy or something like attendant or retainer?

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