Back home, Zhou Changqing entered his bedroom and rummaged through a cabinet in the corner, pulling out an inconspicuous wooden box.
Taking a key from his person, Zhou Changqing unlocked it.
Click.
As the lid lifted a crack, a faint golden light seeped out.
When he opened it fully, he saw that the box was almost overflowing with gold coins.
He carefully took the ten gold coins from his robes and placed them inside before returning the box to its original spot.
Returning to his bed, Zhou Changqing fell back and stared at the ceiling.
Four hundred and eighty coins. At my current rate of income, I'll probably need to save for another ten years.
Thinking of the gold coins in the box, Zhou Changqing felt a wave of melancholy.
Qi Methods were one of the most precious treasures on the Dou Qi Continent. Even a Low-Level Huang Rank Qi Method could cost thousands, even tens of thousands, of gold coins.
To put it in perspective, twenty gold coins were enough for a common family to live comfortably for an entire year.
Four hundred gold coins was already a massive fortune for an ordinary household.
But for his current needs, it wasn't even halfway there.
And this was only because half the money in the box had been left to him by his adoptive parents.
Even though his monthly income of ten gold coins was higher than ninety percent of the people in Wu Tan City, after accounting for the cost of iron and daily living expenses, he could only save fifty or sixty gold coins a year.
It was safe to say that for a commoner to cultivate Dou Qi was a near-impossible dream.
Sometimes, Zhou Changqing wondered if he should get involved in some shady dealings or risk a trip to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts to make some quick cash.
But after thinking it over, he realized that with his current strength, such ventures were just a death wish.
Besides, unless he was absolutely desperate, he didn't want to abandon his principles.
What's the point of thinking so much? I still have today's work to do. I'll just take it one step at a time.
He sat up abruptly, shaking off the stray thoughts, and went out to start forging.
No matter what, life had to go on. He couldn't just give up in despair because his goal seemed impossibly far away.
Time flew by.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Zhou Changqing's life remained peaceful. His days were spent either forging, cultivating, or tinkering with some of his own design ideas.
One thing was different, however: he hadn't seen Xiao Yan at all in the last half-month.
Nor had Xiao Yan come looking for him.
Zhou Changqing had a good idea why.
In the past half-month, news that the third young master of the Xiao clan had been publicly humiliated—his engagement broken by Nalan Yanran, the young mistress of the Nalan clan from the imperial capital and the Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect—had spread throughout all of Wu Tan City.
The news caused a massive stir, almost as if someone was intentionally fanning the flames.
Xiao Yan's reputation as a "cripple" was dredged up once more, making him a hot topic of gossip and the talk of the town.
When Zhou Changqing heard the news, he knew the plot had begun.
Right now, Xiao Yan was likely training like a madman under Yao Lao's guidance.
Zhou Changqing was envious.
He wished he could have his engagement broken too, then gain a golden finger, soar through the ranks of cultivation, and finally show off and put everyone in their place.
For a fleeting moment, Zhou Changqing even considered leveraging their three years of friendship to ask Xiao Yan for a Qi Method to solve his current problem.
But after thinking it over, he decided against it.
Even though Xiao Yan now had Yao Lao backing him and Qi Methods were no longer an issue, the man didn't owe him anything.
Besides, the friendship of gentlemen is simple and pure. Whether from the perspective of maximizing his own benefit or from a personal, emotional standpoint, Zhou Changqing didn't want to ask.
To cash in on their friendship so easily while Xiao Yan was still weak would be the height of foolishness.
As long as he maintained this friendship, even if he did nothing, he believed Xiao Yan wouldn't forget him once he rose to power.
At that point, forget a Huang Rank Qi Method; Xiao Yan would probably give him a Di Rank Qi Method without a second thought.
After all, a famous saying from his previous life went: Better to be Xiao Yan's little brother than Tang San's brother.
It was a testament to Xiao Yan's outstanding character.
He was sure the man would be more than happy to give him a hand.
One day, Zhou Changqing was forging in his courtyard as usual.
The rhythmic clang of the hammer was incessant. The combination of the hot weather and the forge's heat had him drenched in sweat.
"Old Zhou! Old Zhou! Open up! Your old man is here!"
Just as Zhou Changqing was swinging his hammer with vigor, a cheeky shout came from outside the small courtyard.
His movements paused. Hearing that familiar voice, his face darkened.
Putting down the hammer, Zhou Changqing rolled his sleeves up even higher and marched toward the gate.
A pipsqueak in the Dou Zhi Qi stage dared to provoke him, a Dou Zhe expert?!
Today, he was going to teach this brat a lesson about who was really the old man here!
Creak!
He yanked the gate open forcefully and saw Xiao Yan standing outside.
Xiao Yan was dressed in his usual black training clothes. The only difference was that the gloomy, listless air about him seemed to have completely vanished.
In its place was a sense of restrained sharpness.
But Zhou Changqing didn't care about that. He knew exactly what had caused the change.
Right now, all he wanted was to stretch his muscles.
"You brat! Who are you calling 'old man'?!"
Before Xiao Yan could say a word, Zhou Changqing bellowed and lunged, his fist flying toward the other boy's face.
Seeing this, the still-grinning Xiao Yan was startled. "Whoa! Old Zhou, what are you doing?! No hitting the face! Don't you know the rules of the Jianghu!"
"Heh, my rules are the only rules!"
"Stop! Hold on! Wait a minute!"
Just as the fist was about to connect, Xiao Yan quickly threw up a hand to call for a timeout, so panicked that he even blurted out a phrase in Japanese from his past life.
At the same time, his other hand pulled two jade scrolls from his robes.
"What gibberish is that? Speaking in tongues won't save you..."
"Huh? What's this...?"
Zhou Changqing was still grumbling, but in the next second, his eyes locked onto the scrolls in Xiao Yan's hand. He froze, his attack halting mid-air.
As he got a clearer look at the scrolls, his breathing grew ragged.
Seeing Zhou Changqing's reaction, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief, thankful he had dodged a beating.
Then, he immediately started to get cocky again.
"Little Qing, what were you about to do just now? Hmm?"
"Old Xiao, are these..."
But Zhou Changqing had no time for Xiao Yan's teasing. His eyes were glued to the scrolls as he asked, his voice uncertain.
A flicker of pride flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes as he nodded. "That's right. It's exactly what you think. Qi Methods. Two of them, both High-Level Huang Rank!"
Gulp.
Swallowing hard, Zhou Changqing's eyes seemed to blaze with a brilliant light. He found it difficult to tear his gaze away from the scrolls.
In that instant, a thousand thoughts raced through Zhou Changqing's mind. He guessed Xiao Yan's purpose in bringing them.
It gave him the strange feeling that the protagonist himself was his golden finger.
A moment later, he suppressed his intense desire, shot Xiao Yan a complicated look, and turned back into the courtyard.
"Come in and talk."
Xiao Yan stared at Zhou Changqing's back, a little confused.
Just a moment ago, it was like he wanted to grow a second pair of eyes to stare at the scrolls. Why was he acting so indifferent now?
He knew how much his friend had suffered just for a chance at a Qi Method. Now that one was right in front of him, he was actually able to resist the temptation.
Xiao Yan couldn't help but be impressed, and also a little smug.
See, this is my friend, Xiao Yan's friend. No ordinary man!
Entering the courtyard, the two sat down at a stone table.
Xiao Yan placed the two scrolls on the table, pushed them toward Zhou Changqing, and said, "Don't say I'm not a good brother. This is the best I can do for you right now."
Zhou Changqing didn't reach for the scrolls. Instead, he sized Xiao Yan up and down, his expression unreadable.
"Don't look at me like that. I know you're curious where I got these, but I can't tell you. Just pretend I stole them from the clan's treasury."
"And don't refuse. I'm not short on these things, so just take them. If you don't, you're disrespecting me, Xiao Yan."
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under the intense stare, Xiao Yan coughed twice and adopted a magnanimous air.
Clearly, Xiao Yan had misunderstood him.
Did he not know where these two Qi Methods came from? They were obviously from Yao Lao.
Zhou Changqing was just surprised that after becoming Yao Lao's disciple, Xiao Yan had specifically asked for Qi Methods and personally delivered them to him.
Damn it, Yan, you're really touching my heart.
Nodding, Zhou Changqing reached out, tucked the two scrolls into his robes, and looked at Xiao Yan with a solemn expression.
"I won't be pretentious with you. 'Thank you' is too cheap a phrase for this. In the future, if you need anything, just say the word. I'll be there."
"Good! You can bet I won't be polite."
Seeing Zhou Changqing's earnestness, Xiao Yan's smile faded, and he nodded firmly.
In the next second, they looked at each other and broke into laughter.
"Quick, quick! It's been half a month since I've had your plum wine. I'm dying for a sip."
"Fine. For the sake of the Qi Methods, I'll let you drink your fill today. Want a couple of side dishes to go with it?"
"Is that even a question?"
Instantly, the small courtyard filled with lively energy.
Neither of them could have ever imagined that the events of this day would later become a famous historical event on the Dou Qi Continent.
It would be known in the annals of history as: The Friendship of Two Emperors.
And Xiao Yan would be jokingly referred to by later generations as the Dou Qi Continent's very first angel investor.