You're Strong But Now You're Mine
Chapter 147 - 146: Heroic Joy

Chapter 147: Chapter 146: Heroic Joy

Jing Garden, Gathering Residence.

"Cough cough, cough cough cough——"

The old butler entered the room to see the bedridden Jing Qingfu sitting up and coughing, his frail body shaking uncontrollably like sieved straw.

He hurried over to put the mouthpiece of the water pipe into the master’s mouth. Jing Qingfu took a few deep puffs of the milky white smoke, his aged face flushing with an unhealthy red, and his coughing immediately ceased, even the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.

"Master, you cannot stop this smoke." The old butler sighed, pressing Jing Qingfu’s back to help ease his breathing: "A few days ago, you went out once and lost a lot of primordial energy. If you don’t take a few more puffs to replenish it, your body won’t hold up."

"Cough cough..." Jing Qingfu’s eyes were gloomy, and he took several harsh puffs of the milky smoke, his bony right hand tightly clutching the pillow beside him, leaving deep marks in the Amber Pillow: "It’s hateful... so hateful! Qin Xiao, Qin Xiao, you died too early!"

The old butler sighed and quietly waited for the master to finish his outburst.

The Qin Xiao that the master spoke of, the old butler was naturally familiar with—over thirty years ago in Xuanzhu County, Qin Xiao was a prominent figure among the young generation, sent to Dongyang District at a young age as the Grain Transport Inspector. He naturally joined the Silver Blood Association, mingled effortlessly with various guild presidents, and the merchant heirs of Jing Qingfu’s generation certainly needed to curry favor with him even more.

Tobacco was introduced to Huiyao over a hundred years ago, but due to geographical reasons, its production has always been low, and many people were aware of the harms of tobacco. Any martial artist practicing combat techniques was highly sensitive to such plants containing toxic substances that secretly harmed the body, both physiologically and mentally, triggering alarms. Only the lower strata of the populace could smoke tobacco without concern.

Although many people enjoyed the physical discomfort from this kind of stimulation, much like many enjoy spicy food, most nobles’ children would only try it sparingly and not consume it heavily or regularly, just as ordinary people wouldn’t eat hot pot every meal, every day.

However, at that time, Qin Xiao introduced the so-called refined water pipe smoking that was popular among the elite in ’Yanjing.’

The tools required for water pipe smoking were luxurious, and it didn’t have the harshness of regular tobacco. Moreover, since the water pipe tobacco was mixed with Luminous Stone, Qin Xiao claimed that smoking the water pipe could prolong life and many believed him—Luminous Stone was good stuff, everyone had a Luminous Stone chip implanted in their nape, so consuming more Luminous Stone should indeed be beneficial!

The water pipe, being both a status symbol and pleasing to smoke, quickly became all the rage among the elite circles of Xuanzhu, but due to its high cost, ordinary people found it hard to access.

Initially, smoking the water pipe had no apparent effects, but after a decade, that generation of daily water pipe smokers started dying young one after another, causing many to become alert and immediately cease their smoking habits.

Yet, shortly after quitting the water pipe, various adverse effects appeared: listlessness, fatigue, coughing, spiritual exhaustion... neither treatment by medical officers nor enduring it proved effective, and some even directly died of old age from having gone too long without smoking the water pipe.

Yes, dying of old age!

It wasn’t about addiction. Most noble heirs were martial artists with some cultivation, making it difficult to control them via poison—a few might be possible, but a large group would quickly notice something amiss.

However, the water pipe had been popular in the upper echelons of Xuanzhu for over a decade and continued to sell well, indicating that it did not contain strong toxins. In fact, many found their spirits and bodies both improved after smoking—until they died of old age.

The old smokers of the Silver Blood Association could self-regulate and refrain from smoking the water pipe, but too long without it would lead them to die of old age, whereas smoking it actually allowed them to ’prolong their lives’ and live a bit longer.

From this angle, Qin Xiao’s statement wasn’t entirely untrue.

Yet, those old foxes of the Silver Blood Association did not spread this information and instead brought knowledgeable medical officers to analyze the water pipe, quickly uncovering the problem:

The tobacco itself was not the issue; at most, it would only damage the lungs and throat.

The reason the water pipe led to an early demise was due to the Luminous Stone within it.

Since few people consumed Luminous Stone, not many knew it could slowly enhance physical fitness and spiritual power. Consuming in the steady stream fashion like with water pipe smoke could even improve a person’s martial artist aptitude, making a progression from an R Card to an SR Card over ten years not an exaggeration.

The water pipe could sell and become popular because it indeed had significant benefits for the body, this was half-truth.

But where blessing and curse intersect, improved physical quality meant a faster cell renewal rate. Huiyao people had short lifespans, with most living to just fifty years without sickness, knowing their Celestial Mandate fate, while the ’superior people’ with their privileged lifestyles living to sixty or seventy wasn’t outrageous.

Yet with the water pipe, they effectively drew on their future lifespan in advance.

These individuals from twenty to forty years were truly radiant, able to remain energetic with just four hours of sleep each day, all becoming masters of time management, but this was the result of them borrowing from their future quality of life.

When they passed forty, their lives quickly reached an end, one after another dying of old age. Quitting the water pipe was futile because the vitality spent could not be replenished, quitting would only hasten their demise.

The only way was to continue smoking the water pipe regularly to squeeze out as much of their life potential as possible, barely clinging to life.

Upon uncovering the true nature of the water pipe, the Silver Blood Association did not stop its sales; rather, they sought ways to lower its price and promote it to the wider populace. For the ruling class, this life-draining water pipe was unnecessary, but for those who couldn’t even live to forty, it served as a stimulant to increase their work efficiency, didn’t it?

Moreover, the Silver Blood Association not only concealed the perils of the water pipe but even hid the truth from internal members, encouraging them to smoke it too. Naturally, their intentions were apparent without explanation—

If I die early from it, why should you get to live longer than me?

Jing Qingfu, for instance, didn’t even tell his own son.

They might even entertain thoughts like: genuinely, the water pipe is effective, allowing someone to maximize their work efficiency in their youthful prime, quickly retire with age, and make way for young blood, completing generation after generation of renewal.

However, when they realized they were the generation to be replaced as ’old blood,’ how could they harbor no jealousy or resentment towards the ’new blood?’

Though Jing Qingfu didn’t tell his son, he also didn’t encourage him to smoke.

What they hated more was Qin Xiao, who brought the water pipe to Dongyang.

After investigating, the Silver Blood Association was astonished to find that Qin Xiao hadn’t lied at all: water pipe smoking was indeed popular among the upper nobility in Yanjing, and remains a popular item today.

So the first batch of high-ranking nobility quickly died of old age, and yet the new batch continues to smoke the water pipe, but whether or not it’s still mixed with Luminous Stone, no one knows.

And after leaving Dongyang District, Qin Xiao, because of aligning with the wrong party in an imperial court factional struggle, implicated his entire family and was tortured to death in prison.

After spending a huge amount of money, the Silver Blood Association finally investigated and found out that there seems to be a secret organization behind Qin Xiao called the ’Brilliant Four Guards’. Bringing water smoke to the aristocrats of Yanjing and Xuanzhu County could be a conspiracy by the secret organization, or it might be... a royal decree.

Reaching this point in the investigation, the Silver Blood Association neither had the ability nor dared to continue the inquiry. And as the first generation of water smoke users, they could only resign themselves to fulfilling their family missions honestly.

After taking a few puffs of milk smoke, Jing Qingfu asked, "Where is Zhengwei now?"

"The eldest young master has already left Jing Garden, it seems he has gone home."

"What about the others?"

"The second, third, and fourth young masters are all still in the Purple Bamboo Pavilion, they haven’t left yet."

Jing Qingfu let out a long sigh: "It seems... our Jing Family cannot escape this fate of fratricide."

The old butler was puzzled: "Why does the master say this? The eldest young master has always been out of touch with his other brothers, isn’t it normal for him to leave early?"

"I specifically urged them to attend this family banquet, yet he did not appear. Do you think they don’t understand its significance?"

Jing Qingfu coughed twice and said, "As things stand, Zhengwei has gained external support through the ’Youth Daily’ and the patrol team. Moreover, he himself is the eldest legitimate son, and few in the family oppose him, which makes it an inevitable trend. The other three sons are at most defenders, unable even to maintain the status quo—you’ve seen those reports, the factories they manage are constantly having problems and are getting worse!"

The old butler carefully articulated his words: "Master, about those factory accidents, I think..."

"Are you going to say that others are trying to frame them?" Jing Qingfu sneered, "But didn’t they also try to frame Zhengwei? Was that attack on Zhengwei really just the doing of the Yitian Gang being out of their mind?"

"They can’t defeat him openly, nor secretly, yet they still think they can win?"

"I called them back this time for a reason, to give them a chance for reconciliation. Either Zhengwei gives them a way out, winning over the three brothers and rightfully taking the patriarch’s seat, or Zhengwu and the others voluntarily back down, abandon their illusions, and support their brother in continuing to serve the family."

"And now, it’s the worst outcome—Zhengwei leaves early, preparing to eradicate; Zhengwu and the others secretly discuss, their ambition hasn’t died!"

The old butler was shocked, quickly saying, "I will immediately go find the eldest young master and inform him of your intentions, master. Maybe the eldest young master will..."

"No need." Jing Qingfu waved his hand, "Zhengwei harbors deep resentment towards me, his brothers, and the Jing Family... With his intelligence, how could he not see the significance of tonight’s banquet? Yet, not only did he use the excuse of being busy with newspaper affairs to avoid coming, even today when I urged him repeatedly, he just brushed me off with no intention of reconciling with his brothers."

The old butler: "Perhaps the eldest young master can’t let go of his pride..."

Jing Qingfu sneered, "Pride? To Jing Zhengwei, pride is the least of his concerns! If he really wanted to gain the support of his brothers, he would definitely put on the appearance of a ’good brother’ to win them over... But since he hasn’t done so, it just proves one thing—"

"The patriarch’s position is a must for him; as for the three brothers, he won’t leave a single one!"

The old butler couldn’t utter a word, silently patting the master’s back for comfort, but still couldn’t help saying, "But if the second young master..."

"Absolutely impossible!" Jing Qingfu decisively said, "At other times, it wouldn’t matter if Zhengwei or Zhengwu inherited the position of the patriarch, but now? Cough, cough, there’s chaos in the Celestial Mandate, the throne is vacant, and all regions are in turmoil... This is a time of great contention. Zhengwu is more than capable of being a commerce guild patriarch, but the Jing Family needs more than just a patriarch!"

"Fude, you shouldn’t worry, you should be grateful, because after my death, the Jing Family will grow stronger and its reputation will resound brilliantly. Our Xuanzhu Jing Family will be deeply engraved in history."

"Because the next Jing Family patriarch, is someone thick-skinned, vicious and merciless, yet without a single flaw—"

Jing Qingfu coughed up a mouthful of black blood, his eyes flashing with a dying radiance:

"A hero!"

...

...

"Ha-choo."

Qing Lan looked at Le Yu in surprise: "Master, do you feel cold?"

"No." Le Yu also found it strange, sneezing in such hot weather, could it be he caught a summer cold?

"Do you want to go back?"

"No, let’s listen for a bit more."

Le Yu and his companions were at a storytelling stall on Stone Street at the gate, but now the storytelling stall didn’t narrate stories but vividly reenacted various articles from ’Youth Daily’. For instance, the storyteller Luan Jiba in front of them was recounting the answers from the ’Knowledge Discussion Area’ of the fifth issue of ’Youth Daily’.

It must be said, his portrayal of the respondents was quite vivid, whether it was the revolutionary respondent, the Soldier King respondent, or the Imperial Court official respondent, they all sounded so convincing. Le Yu was listening to this kind of storytelling for the first time, eating stinky tofu and sipping ice-cold sweet honey Five-Flower Tea, thoroughly enjoying it.

Qing Lan said shyly, "Let’s stop listening... the answer he’s reading was written by me, and I feel very embarrassed."

Le Yu instantly understood Qing Lan’s feeling, as he also felt embarrassed when someone occasionally read aloud something he wrote, so he stood up and said, "Then let’s go watch others play cards!"

Qing Lan laughed, "Master really likes playing cards."

"Hey, it’s mainly because there’s not much entertainment in Luminous Stone. Besides playing cards, I don’t have much else to do." Le Yu complained. "If it weren’t for publishing the newspaper being so interesting, I wouldn’t bother with running a newspaper. But now that I think about it, after starting the newspaper, my gaming time has decreased so much, truly man’s plans can’t match heaven’s."

"The thing I regret most in my life was founding the ’Youth Daily’."