Chu Qiguang was lying on the roof of Zhou Ergou's house in the Wang Clan Village, looking up at the moon in the sky. He was completing his daily meditation while listening to Qiao Zhi relay all of the information that the cat and dog fiends had gathered recently.

"Wang Cailiang has barely set foot outside his room since returning to the Wang Clan Village. Apparently, he's still not feeling well. Fish Egg went to check on Wang Cailiang once, and he said that Wang Cailiang didn't seem to be doing very well. It seems like the Daoist temple wasn't able to completely cure him.

"The Chen Clan sent a few people to investigate the matter of that wujuren. They suspect that you played a role in his disappearance, but they have no evidence. Development on the graveyard in the Wang Clan Village is also going very smoothly. Even people from other villages have begun coming to Wang Clan Village for employment.

"The Daoist priests of the Daoist temple are all still busy setting up the Virtue Treasury, and the Wu Clan is also pulling some strings in the county. Right now, all the prominent clans in the county are waiting to invest as soon as the Virtue Treasury is up and running.

"Abbot Chen Zhu has received three more Seven Treasure Pills, and asked Chen Gang to ask you if you want them. Chen Gang has been communicating with the Hao Clan, and they believe that you've only just become a third-state martial artist. The martial examination is going to take place this month, and if you want to participate, then you'll have to go and see Hao Yongtai."

"The martial examination is finally here," Chu Qiguang sighed. "Once I gain an official title, many things will become much easier."

The final thing that Qiao Zhi had to report was their current financial situation.

"Right now, we only have two thousand seven hundred and thirty-two taels of silver left! Those fiends are eating way too much! We need to think of a way to earn more money as soon as possible!"

"You seem like a very capable accountant, Master Qiao," Chu Qiguang remarked. "From now on, I'll have you manage all of my silver."

Rather than keeping a firm grasp on everything at all times, Chu Qiguang preferred to delegate resources and duties to people he deemed reliable. Only then could he accomplish his objectives faster without stretching himself too thin.

Previously, he had already noticed that Qiao Zhi was very sensitive to finances. Recently, he had been busy managing Hidden Fiend Village, so he had left it to Qiao Zhi. Sure enough, Qiao Zhi had been keeping a very close eye on things, managing Chu Qiguang's finances in an almost obsessive fashion.

He must've lived through a period of poverty in the past to be so fixated on money, Chu Qiguang thought to himself.

"Are you still going to buy those Seven Treasure Pills? That's another one thousand five hundred taels of silver down the drain! It's way too expensive!" Qiao Zhi protested.

"Don't worry," Chu Qiguang consoled. "Once we figure out the water-powered spinning machines and looms, we'll have plenty of money. Time is much more important to us right now. The sooner I can reach the Dao Comprehension state, the better, so if we can buy time with money, then it's always a good deal."

All of a sudden, Chu Qiguang heard a faint sound nearby, and he turned to discover that Ergou's sister had also climbed onto the roof.

"What do you want?" Chu Qiguang asked in an exasperated manner.

"Is your name Chu Qiguang now?" she asked.

Chu Qiguang nodded without saying anything, hoping that his cold demeanor would be enough to drive her away.

However, instead of leaving, Ergou's sister approached him with a fawning look on her face and praised, "That's a really good name. It's much better than your old one."

She racked her brains, trying to think of more adjectives to express how much she liked this new name, but in the end, she could only think of "good".

"What do you want?" Chu Qiguang repeated.

Fish Egg had been trailing along behind her this entire time, and he also jumped onto the roof and jeered, "She hates her name, so she wants you to help her come up with a new one! Ha! Zhou Sanmei! What a terrible name!"[1]

"You're one to talk!" Zhou Sanmei snapped as she kicked Fish Egg off the roof, then turned back to Chu Qiguang with a hopeful expression. "I really want a new name too, one like Chu Qiguang!"

"I don't wanna waste my energy thinking of a name for an idiot," Chu Qiguang scoffed.

"Don't be like that, big bro," Zhou Sanmei implored as she grabbed Chu Qiguang's arm and began swinging it back and forth.

Chu Qiguang looked up at the moon in the sky, and he recalled a certain poetry phrase describing a beautiful maiden with skin as fair as jade standing under a full moon. With that as his inspiration, he said, "You can be called Zhou Yujiao[2] from now on."

Zhou Sanmei was naturally not well-versed in poetry, nor did she understand what the name meant, but she felt that it was much better than her old one.

"Alright! From now on, my name is Zhou Yujiao!"

Fish Egg climbed back onto the roof, then dusted himself off and said, "I want a more badass name too."

"What's wrong with Fish Egg?" Qiao Zhi snapped. "You want to renounce the name that I gave you just because it doesn't sound badass enough? What do you wanna be called then? Dragon Egg? Just be content with the fact that you have a name at all!"

Fish Egg rolled his eyes in exasperation, but he didn't dare to argue with Qiao Zhi. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The next day, Chu Qiguang instructed Fish Egg to continue keeping an eye on Wang Cailiang, then returned to the county town and arrived outside Wise Hero Academy to register for the upcoming martial examination.

He had already informed the Hao Clan that he had reached the third state, so Wise Hero Academy had promoted him to the advanced school.

Upon arriving at the training ground for the advanced school, Chu Qiguang discovered that several students were already cultivating there, one of whom was Hao Yongtai. As soon as Chu Qiguang arrived, Hao Yongtai led him to a side hall.

***

"Have you truly already reached the third state, Brother Chu?" Hao Yongtai asked with a skeptical expression. "Didn't you only reach the second state three months ago?"

Chu Qiguang offered no explanation. He merely smiled as he drew upon his qi and blood. As soon as he did so, the faint yet audible sound of flowing blood rang out from within his body, and a wave of heat surged out of his skin.

"This is incredible!" Hao Yongtai exclaimed. "It's only been three months! You must be a martial arts prodigy!"

At the same time, a hint of envy appeared in his eyes. He had only reached the third state at twenty-three years of age, yet Chu Qiguang had gotten there at just fifteen.

"Even though you've reached the third state, I don't advise you to take part in this edition of the martial examination," Hao Yongtai sighed.

"Why?" Chu Qiguang asked.

"While third-state martial artists are entitled to take part in the martial examination, there are two tests that you must undergo," Hao Yongtai explained. "The county-level test shouldn't be a problem, but the one at the Northern Mountain Manor requires you to fight against third-state martial artists from other counties, most of whom have already been at the third state for many years. You've only just reached the third state, so you're most likely going to struggle against them. Not only am I advising you not to take part in the martial examination this time, I'll also be doing the same."

1. Zhou is the surname, while Sanmei translates to third sister, denoting the fact that she's a girl and the third-oldest child in the family. If you recall, the Ergou in Zhou Ergou's name literally translates to second dog, so there's clearly a rather careless naming scheme going on here. ☜

2. Yujiao (玉娇) loosely translates to beautiful jade maiden. ☜