Chapter 0006: Malaria Patient

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There are too many powerful people in the National Master Manor, and Qi Tian is just a low-level external disciple. If he accidentally offends someone he shouldn't offend, he might not see tomorrow's sun. Also, Qi Tian always worries about the possibility of his identity being leaked. If someone discovers his secret, he probably won't escape death.

Qi Tian is always thinking if he could preserve his identity as an external disciple of the National Master Manor while leaving the National Master Manor to avoid attention. After a year or two when most people at the National Master Manor who knew his former identity have almost forgotten him, returning to the manor would be a better choice.

As luck would have it, at that time, the Imperial Master issued a law decree to select some disciples from inside and outside, to be representatives of the National Master Manor and keep watch in the local area.

After arriving at the local area, with the National Master Manor as a backup, you will have a very high status there. Even local officials like the Prefecture Magistrate and County Magistrate have to show respect when they see you. And as a representative of the National Master Manor, you only need to return to the National Master Manor two or three times a year. This can avoid meeting people familiar with Qi Tian's past life as much as possible, and after arriving at the local area, you can practice cultivation without worrying about exposing your secrets, which can be said to have multiple benefits.

Of course, it's not without drawbacks. The National Master Manor has rich cultivation resources, which can't be compared with the local area. This is like being a government official, the closer you are to the emperor and the central government, the more chances you have to get promoted. Similarly, in the National Master Manor, the closer you are to the National Master, the more opportunities you have to receive cultivation resources, and the more resources, the greater the likelihood of improving your strength and realm.

But for the sake of his own life, Qi Tian believes that temporarily leaving the National Master Manor is the best choice. He used to worry that this would slow down his cultivation speed, but this worry disappeared after he obtained the Heavenly Dao Engine.

However, Qi Tian didn't have the Heavenly Dao Engine at that time. After much deliberation, he decided to sign up, only to find out that this job, even if many people don't want to leave the National Master Manor, isn't open to everyone who wants to go.

At that time, the National Master issued a notice, informing the National Master Manor that today was different from the past. If anyone wanted to go out to be a County Master, they had to pass two levels. The first level was registration. If you want to be eligible to register, you must pay 10,000 taels of silver. The second level was the martial arts level. No matter how many people register, they all need to undergo tests after registration. Only those who pass the tests and prove they won't embarrass the National Master Manor can go out and be the County Master. If they fail, even if there aren't ten people registered, the National Master will never let them go. You can forget about getting your registration fee back.

Qi Tian's previous identity was a poor man who didn't know how to make money. And even when he did manage to earn some money, he used it all on cultivation resources. That is to say, Qi Tian needs to come up with the 10,000 taels of registration fee himself.

10,000 taels of silver is not a small amount. You should know that in Zhangshui City, you can buy a small courtyard of over 100 square meters, and the most expensive one only costs a few thousand tales of silver, and a cheaper one can be bought for just seven or eight hundred taels.

In order to collect this huge registration fee, Qi Tian racked his brains to find tasks with a reward offered by the government. He rushed about killing bandits, wicked people, and mountain bandits who were wanted by the government. It wasn't until yesterday that he took the heads of the four leaders of Dalong Mountain to the County Government Office in Guangfu County that he finally collected 10,000 taels of silver.

Today is the first day of February, the eve of "February two", and the deadline for registration at the National Master Manor. If you don't sign up today, you won't know when the next similar opportunity will appear.

Qi Tian touched the root of his thigh. For safety's sake, he tied more than half of the silver notes there. The rest of the silver notes were kept in his bosom, and the scattered silver and copper coins were put in his bag.

Qi Tian took a deep breath and headed towards Zhangshui City.

Zhangshui City is the North Capital of Great Zhao. The city walls are built high and magnificent. The City Gate Tower has three floors and a wide view. Standing at the top of the gate tower on a clear day, one can see some scenery ten miles away from the city gate.

At this time, there is a person sitting alone and drinking in the City Gate Tower. There are people standing beside him and at the entrance of the tower looking out of the city gate. When Qi Tian is still some way from the city gate, that person sees him and quickly enters the tower.

"Sir, I seem to have seen Qi Tian of the National Master Manor."

"Qi Tian? I heard this boy seems to be interested in signing up for the County Master selection. This unsupported kid is trying to bite off more than he can chew, he really doesn't appreciate his fortune." The man drinking said.

"Sir, I'll have someone go take care of him."

"Go ahead, be swift and clean, and don't hurt him. After all, he's from our National Master Manor. If things get too serious, it won't be good for anyone."

Qi Tian has already come to a place about ten meters outside the city gate. There are a lot of people here, and there are people doing small trades on both sides of the road. Qi Tian took out two big coins to buy a baked bun, took a bite, and it was crispy and fragrant.

At this moment, a man ran out from the city gate, looking back furtively as he ran as if someone was chasing him. He unexpectedly collided into Qi Tian, whether by accident or design. He hastily pushed himself off Qi Tian, apologized, and took a panicked look towards the city gate. He seemed ready to bolt at any moment.

Qi Tian reached out to grab the man who had bumped into him. The man, feeling like his arm was held in a vice, looked at Qi Tian in fury, saying, "What are you doing? It was my fault for bumping into you, but why are you grabbing me? Are you going to hit me?"

Qi Tian tightened his grip on the man's arm, and the man's face quickly turned pale. "Ouch! Let go! You're gonna break my arm," he cried.

"Shut up, or I'll disable you," threatened Qi Tian with a cold tone.

Just then, several people rushed out from the city gate. They pointed at the man in Qi Tian's grasp and yelled, "That's him! Don't let him escape!"

These people encircled Qi Tian and the man he held. One of them said to Qi Tian, "Young man, thanks for catching him for us. You probably weren't aware. He's got malaria which is contagious. We were about to take him to a doctor for treatment, but he managed to slip away. Please, let us take him, we need to isolate him to avoid spreading the disease. Be careful not to get infected yourself."

With that, they tried to take the man suffering from malaria from Qi Tian's grasp.

"Back off," said Qi Tian curtly.

"Come on, kid, it's no joke, his disease could be fatal. Hand him over to us right away," said the person who had spoken earlier. He continued to coax Qi Tian and motioned his companions to move forward and snatch the man.

Reacting swiftly, Qi Tian kicked the men spreading towards him. With a few resounding thumps, the men who came to snatch the sick man flew backwards, clutching their stomachs and rolling on the ground in pain.

"You... why are you hitting us? We were just trying to help you," rebuked the person who tried to reason with Qi Tian.

"Who are you to advise me? Stay off me or I'll disable you," retorted Qi Tian. He turned his gaze back to the man in his firm grip and said, "You've got quite the nerve."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man replied, turning pale.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's get your opinion on this," the man who had tried to reason with Qi Tian earlier, shouted. Clearly, he was trying to rally the crowd and put public opinion against Qi Tian. "My brother here is infected with malaria. Not only can it spread to other people, but also it requires timely treatment. My intention was to get him treated and isolated from others. But this young man resists any intervention, not only that he even attacked people who tried to help. Has anyone encountered such an unreasonable person?"

When the word "malaria" dropped from the man's mouth, the crowd, who had initially gathered to enjoy the spectacle, backed away in fear. Some people hastily dispersed while others stood at a distance and pointed at Qi Tian. Some of them urged Qi Tian to release the sick man and arrange for him to be taken away as soon as possible to avoid them getting infected. Some people criticized Qi Tian for getting violent.

Qi Tian paid no heed to the criticism from the bystanders. He only stared coldly at the man in his firm grip. "Don't test my patience."

"I really don't know what you're talking about," the man replied, clearly becoming restless under the increasing grip of Qi Tian. He had hoped that under the pressure of public opinion, Qi Tian would let him go. But it seemed like that was a futile hope, so he decided to try to save himself and yelled, "Help! He's going to kill me!"

"Stubborn fool," Qi Tian shook his head. He tightened his grip prepared to give the bothersome man an experience of the agony when a bone breaks. Just then, a voice from the crowd shouted, "Enough! Qi Tian, stop now!"

The crowd instantly parted to let through a handsome, tall young man who was a little older than Qi Tian. Many from the crowd seemed to recognize him.

"It's Mr. Kuang Zhiliang from the National Master Manor. He's the son of the Kuang family of Northern Land County. He started cultivating at the age of twelve and reached the second level of Qi cultivation just as he turned thirteen."

Your information is old. I heard that Mr. Kuang has already reached the peak of the second level of Qi cultivation. He's just a step away from breaking through to the third level."