Start with a red name

Chapter 166 Emperor Yuan asks three questions, Wang Hu flies to the sky

Finally, Geng Xuan confessed one thing to Luo Qing.

“Among the families that came this time, there are two families that are quite special.

One of them is Shi Jun’s family member…”

As Geng Xuan spoke, Luo Qing vaguely recalled the days when he hid in the basement of Kangle Village like a rat.

If Shi Jun could live until now, Wang Xi might not have had the chance to ascend to the throne.

His status in the gang is the same as his, Teng Yu and Ding Yong.

It’s a pity that he died in the battle with Zhong Yuanba.

The situation of the other family was even more special. They were injured by a pervert who liked to smear feces and urine on their weapons. They were seriously injured and difficult to treat, and were in critical condition. In the end, they were killed by the gang leader himself.

When he died, he was not yet a member of the Giant Bear Gang.

Fan Qi was naturally unaware of this. He simply gathered all those who had hidden underground with him and whose families were in Kangle Village and sent them to the carriages.

Now, it’s not easy to send people back.

If this is the case, the ending will be quite tragic for this family.

After explaining the situation clearly, Geng Xuan said to Luo Qing:

“There were a total of thirty-seven people who hid underground together.

Although they joined the gang in different orders, except for a few who unfortunately died at the beginning, everyone joined the Giant Bear Gang.

If they hadn't died, they would have eventually become members of the Giant Bear Gang.

So, my opinion is that we don’t need to be too clear about this matter.

They are all treated as gang members' families and should be given the treatment they deserve.

Their current situation should be treated according to the pension standards."

Luo Qing responded seriously: "Yes."

Immediately afterwards, Luo Qing took the opportunity to inquire about the specific pension standards.

In this regard, Geng Xuan had no idea of being innovative and planned to follow the market's pension standards for guards.

He also specifically asked Fang Jintang about this.

There are two common ways of providing pensions.

One is to give the family of the deceased a monthly allowance for one year, which is equivalent to buying out the matter.

Because the monthly allowance set by Geng Xuan far exceeded that of other forces, the actual pension received was far more than that of other forces.

Take Shi Jun as an example. When he died, he was at the Blood Refining Realm. Like Luo Qing and others, he was one of the four guardians.

Even without the contribution medal, his monthly allowance included sixty taels of silver and six blood-replenishing pills.

The annual pension is 720 taels of silver and 72 blood-replenishing pills.

This is an extremely huge sum of money for Shi Jun's family.

Second, if there is a suitable candidate in the deceased's family, he will be recruited into the Giant Bear Gang after investigation.

The choice depends on the attitudes of the two families and whether there are children in the family who are suitable to join the gang.

……

It is also worth mentioning that these twenty or so people brought a total of 416 points of good luck and 42 points of bad luck to Geng Xuan.

On average, the good luck per person is less than sixteen points, and the bad luck is less than two points.

If we look at it specifically for individuals, and pick out those whose red name concentration on their heads exceeds twenty points, among the remaining people, most of them have a red name concentration on their heads that does not exceed fifteen points.

This is even cleaner than most members of the Giant Bear Gang.

Ever since the "Flint Bead" completed deep refining.

All the consequences of the murders committed by all members of the Giant Bear Gang were focused on Geng Xuan.

The concentration of their own red names no longer increases.

Before the "Flint Bead" completed its deep refining, he was the one who did the killing, while the members of the Giant Bear Gang were just doing hard labor and playing bystander.

In other words, the red names above their heads were all the sins they committed before joining the Giant Bear Gang.

In dealing with this matter, Geng Xuan did not take the perspective of a "scavenger", but the position of the "leader of the Giant Bear Gang".

……

Half an hour later, Geng Xuan returned to the room and was looking through the list left by Wang Xun, which recorded the 405 existing martial arts techniques in the gang, as well as a simple summary of their purpose.

Luo Qing came to report the choices of the two families.

The result surprised Geng Xuan a little, but not too much.

Shi Jun's family took 780 taels of silver and 78 blood-replenishing pills, and left without staying for a moment.

——Among them, 720 taels of silver and 72 blood-replenishing pills were compensation, and the other 60 taels of silver and 6 blood-replenishing pills were the monthly allowance for the month when Shi Jun died.

Luo Qing was obviously emotional when introducing the family's situation.

It was obvious that this family treated this place as a "den of thieves" and avoided it as much as possible, which made Luo Qing feel a little hurt.

Geng Xuan didn't care about it.

What surprised him was the other family's choice.

The deceased was not a member of the Giant Bear Gang, but he had the opportunity to receive compensation because of his special words.

But they made a choice that was completely opposite to that of the Shi family.

The deceased's younger brother, a young man who had just entered the Flesh Refining Realm, chose to join the Giant Bear Gang.

For this reason, Geng Xuan even asked, "What's your name?"

"Mayongshu."

Geng Xuan nodded and said, "Then teach him well."

After putting this matter aside, Geng Xuan continued to immerse himself in the list of martial arts in his hand.

The Giant Bear Gang currently has 405 sets of martial arts techniques in stock, which seems like a lot.

But at least half of them are very superficial.

It is only suitable for those who are still lingering on the threshold of skin refining. At most, they can be cultivated to the realm of flesh refining, and then they must be replaced and eliminated.

As the foundation for entry into cultivation, this is indispensable.

In the past, Geng Xuan would have just glanced over this part and passed it by.

However, this time, Geng Xuan looked at it very carefully and seriously, which was unusual for him.

Not only did he go through the list of exercises one by one, he also read the summary of the purpose of each exercise carefully.

It was not until late at night that Geng Xuan turned the last page and closed the list of martial arts in his hand.

The names of several martial arts techniques have been deeply imprinted in his mind.

Iron Arm Kung Fu

Iron Knee Charge

Iron Eagle Claw

"Iron Shirt"

《Mountain-shattering Steel Fist》

Geng Xuan wants to replicate the path of Meng Tiexin of the Chixin Gang.

What surprised him was that he directly found the Iron Arm Kung Fu technique among the 405 techniques in his inventory.

But neither the Iron Leg Skill, nor the Iron Back Support or the Iron Head Skill created by Meng Tiexin were found.

Geng Xuan is not a rigid person. If he wants to "replicate" Meng Tiexin's path, it does not mean that he has to copy it exactly.

What he really wants to replicate is the idea.

As for the specific path, Geng Xuan believed that with his cheat, he would reach his destination even if he did not follow the path that Meng Tiexin had personally explored.

Moreover, although he did not find the Iron Leg Kung Fu, Geng Xuan found several other Kung Fu techniques that were equally compatible with him.

In terms of the quality of the skills alone, Geng Xuan judged from his own experience that "Iron Knee Charge", "Iron Arm Kung Fu" and "Iron Sand Palm" are at the same level, and the upper limit of their intention is only at the master level.

In addition, the two skills, "Iron Eagle Claw" and "Iron Shirt", have higher intentions. Geng Xuan judged that their upper limit could reach the Grandmaster level.

The last one, "The Fist That Destroys Mountains and Breaks Steel", is the most meaningful of the five martial arts he selected.

It is at the same level as the "Yin Feng Hua Gu Palm" and can even be classified separately as a "Marrow Refining Realm Kung Fu".

Only practitioners at the marrow refining level can truly grasp its essence and maximize its power.

Because the core foundation of this type of exercises involves the mobilization and transformation of marrow-refining power.

After carefully reading the main idea of "The Fist That Destroys Mountains and Breaks Steel", Geng Xuan also discovered.

From the perspective of complexity and sophistication, the "Yin Feng Hua Gu Palm" is naturally superior.

However, in terms of compatibility with the marrow-refining method of "Wanjun Jin", the "Mountain-Destroying and Steel-Breaking Fist" is actually better.

And this "Mountain-Destroying and Steel-Breaking Fist" happens to be one of the many martial arts techniques exchanged with Bajiajiafang.

……

The next day, November 26th.

Geng Xuan spent half a day learning the "Iron Knee Charge", "Iron Arm Kung Fu", "Iron Eagle Claw" and "Iron Shirt".

Among them, "Iron Knee Charge" and "Iron Arm Skill" each consumed only one point of luck, while "Iron Eagle Claw" and "Iron Shirt" each consumed two points of luck.

In the afternoon, Geng Xuan spent nearly three hours and expended three points of luck to complete the mastery of the "Mountain-Smashing and Steel-Breaking Fist".

Geng Xuan has made up his mind. For the next period of time, he will make sure to continue refining his marrow every day.

The rest of the time and energy are invested in these five exercises.

Geng Xuan also discovered that when he poured all his energy into these techniques, combined with the master-level Iron Sand Palm and the grandmaster-level Iron Skin Skill.

Refer to each other and verify each other.

As a result of the successive introduction of the five exercises, all the gains that were "accumulated" in the mind and "blocked" in the body were quickly digested and absorbed, turning into real gains.

Around seven o'clock in the evening, his brain and body had completely digested all that he had learned from the introductory stages of the other four cultivation techniques, except for the "Mountain-Smashing and Steel-Breaking Fist".

Geng Xuan did not delay and immediately used up another 12 points of luck to upgrade all four cultivation techniques from entry level to minor success level.

Except for the "Iron Shirt", these four training methods, whether it is the "Iron Knee Charge", "Iron Arm Kung Fu" or "Iron Eagle Claw", are all body-strengthening types.

In other words, this was intentional on Geng Xuan's part.

This is a characteristic that has been passed down from Iron Skin Kung Fu and Iron Sand Palm.

It is for this reason that even though the upper limits of "Iron Knee Charge" and "Iron Arm Skill" are not high, when they are improved, the burden they bring to the body is no less than that of "Iron Eagle Claw".

Geng Xuan only felt a continuous strange sensation from his knees, to his arms, to his palms and claws, from his bones to his muscles to his skin.

The body's consumption also increases rapidly.

Geng Xuan took two Essence Pills in a row before he could make up for the deficiency in his body.

Just when Geng Xuan was planning to make a concerted effort and continue to focus his mind on practicing these skills.

The sound of a dog barking was heard again outside the door.

Along with this, there were also reminders and messages that came into Geng Xuan's mind.

Geng Xuan was full of doubts. When he went out, he saw Luo Qing standing far away. When he saw Geng Xuan coming out, he said:
"Boss, Fan Hongsheng, Wei Wanzong and the others are here to pay their respects."

Geng Xuan frowned, looked at the already dark sky, and said, "Now?"

Luo Qing nodded and said, "Right now. I asked them to come back tomorrow, but they insisted. They are already waiting in the hall."

"?"

Geng Xuan was confused, but he still went to the hall.

As soon as he entered the hall, before he could even sit down, Geng Xuan's attention was attracted by the six booklets pushed to him by Fan Hongsheng.

Opposite him, Fan Hongsheng, Wei Wanzong, Chai Ye, and the heads of the other five Jiafangs were all there.

Everyone looked very serious.

"What are you doing?" Geng Xuan asked in confusion.

Fan Hongsheng said solemnly:

"This is a small token of our appreciation. Please don't think our family is too shabby, Boss Su."

"..."

Geng Xuan was stunned for a moment, did not reply, and continued to look at Fan Hongsheng who was still talking.

"...From the time of Yixianxia until now, Gang Leader Su, you have solved countless problems for us.

If it weren't for you, we can't even imagine what the Bajiafang would be like now.

We want to express our gratitude to you. We have worked together for a long time to put together this pile of odds and ends. We hope that Boss Su will not despise us."

Geng Xuan, who originally hadn't expected them to thank him for anything, became interested after hearing this.

He cast his eyes on the six books on the table, some thick, some thin, some new, some old.

Geng Xuan stretched out his hands and gathered them all together. After seeing the name of the first book, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Bone Shrinkage

Isn’t this the bone-refining technique that Changpingfang obtained from that rapist?

Geng Xuan immediately shifted his gaze to another book nearby.

The Art of Disguise

Geng Xuan was even more stunned and surprised.

By the way, in the list of skills exchange provided by Changpingfang this time, there is indeed no trace of the bone shrinking technique and the disguise technique.

At that time, Geng Xuan was still thinking that Mr. Chai and the others might have done this to cover up the news that the man had died in Changpingfang.

But at this moment, he couldn't help but wonder, could these two techniques contain any deeper secrets that he hasn't yet comprehended?
Speaking of which, Geng Xuan had also been puzzled many times about the skill of disguise.

Initially, his doubts came from the fact that this skill seemed to consume a bit too much luck.

Because from the perspective of luck consumption, the level of the art of disguise is equivalent to that of the art of earth walking.

Once, because his luck was limited and his disguise skills were sufficient after being upgraded to the Grandmaster level, Geng Xuan did not consume his luck to continue upgrading.

To date, this disguise technique is still at the grandmaster level, one step away from perfection.

Since he felt it was enough, he did not push it up any further.

Geng Xuan had come into contact with this ability a long time ago.

He subconsciously felt that this kind of skill should be very common and widespread.

Now, Geng Xuan's vision is no longer what it was before.

He had hundreds of martial arts techniques in his hands, and had discovered a few disguise skills, but they were far from the "disguise technique" he originally obtained.

The upper limit of those skills is limited to "disguise" and "changing skin".

Physically, there are few changes, and they are superficial.

Most of the time, the purpose of "changing one's appearance" is achieved with the help of external objects and exquisite techniques.

To be more precise, these skills should be called "makeup skills".

The "disguise technique" that Geng Xuan practiced not only changed his appearance and face, but also reached the level of changing his bones and shape.

In the end, Geng Xuan attributed the cause more to the bone-refining technique of "bone shrinking".

Because even with the "disguise technique" he mastered, it was impossible to change bones and shape alone.

To achieve the goal, one must master the bone shrinking method at a sufficiently high level.

With these thoughts turning in his mind, Geng Xuan calmly moved his gaze to the side.

This time, it was finally not a skill he was familiar with.

Instead, it is a unique body movement technique called "Hongbo Youshen Fa".

The reason why it is said to be peculiar is that this body movement technique is not used on land, but in water.

According to its general outline, if one masters this skill, not only can one swim in any water area, but one can also freely roam in rivers, lakes and ponds.

Even if there are raging floods, rolling waves, dangerous rapids, you can still swim freely in them.

“It’s actually a swimming skill.”

Seeing this, Geng Xuan really became interested.

In his previous life, he was always upset about the fact that he had not learned to swim.

I couldn't help but think that if I could master the water skills like a white shark in the waves by using this "Hongbo Swimming Skill", it would be a very happy thing.

Geng Xuan's gaze continued to move.

Look at the fourth book.

When Geng Xuan saw the name, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"Turtle Breathing Technique"

Like "Hongbo Youshenfa", this is another martial art that does not appear on the martial art exchange list.

Seeing this name, Geng Xuan was stunned.

His eyes could not help but shift to "Hongbo Youshen Fa" and stayed there for a moment, as if he had realized something.

Soon, Geng Xuan took the "Turtle Breathing Technique" in his hand and turned to the general outline page.

After reading less than a page, Geng Xuan's heart couldn't help but pound.

Simply put, this "turtle breathing technique" is a skill that teaches people how to breathe.

It’s not the “tidal breathing” method, which strengthens the body through “breathing”.

It is the act of "breathing" itself.

According to the general outline of "Turtle Breathing Technique", when one first learns this skill, it can only extend a person's breathing intervals.

According to Geng Xuan's own understanding, the body makes greater use of each breath.

As your skills improve, the time interval between each breath will become longer and longer.

The end of this skill is to "practice this technique to the point of perfection, returning to the original simplicity, and achieving the true meaning of walking, sitting, and lying down. Only then can you understand the true meaning of this technique. From then on, the nose is no longer necessary for breathing, and all 48,000 pores in the body can be used for breathing."

The general outline also describes the many wonderful things that come after reaching this level.

Geng Xuan didn't look at it carefully, as he was thinking that this technique and the "Hongbo Youshenfa" were a perfect match.

Once he has mastered these two skills to the highest level, wouldn't he really be able to transform into a fish swimming in the water?
Geng Xuan couldn't help but look forward to what surprises the last two books would bring him.

He put down the "Turtle Breathing Technique" and his eyes fell on the fifth book.

The moment he saw the title of the book clearly, Geng Xuan was stunned again.

Because this book was not the martial arts method he thought it was, but a notebook called "Yonghe Yuankao".

Geng Xuan's gaze couldn't help but move again, looking at the last book.

"A Study on the Origin of Tianrun"

This is the name of the last book.

Seeing these two notebooks, Geng Xuan easily thought of a book called "Changping Origin Research" that he had seen in the underground secret room of Li Qun, the abbot of Changpingfang.

Therefore, Geng Xuan could easily guess that these two notebooks should come from Fan Hongsheng's Yonghefang and Tianrunfang, which is also one of the Eight Directions.

"XX Origin Research" is the history book of each neighborhood, or it can also be called a "myth book".

It records the historical origins of the family's hometown, as well as some events and stories that the author believes are important and worth mentioning.

Many of the stories are full of mythical and legendary elements.

For example, in the "Changping Origin Research" that Geng Xuan had read, it started with the word "it is said" and went straight to the "Tomb of Emperor Yuan".

Geng Xuan was curious about what was recorded in "Research on the Origin of Yonghe" and "Research on the Origin of Tianrun" that made Fan Hongsheng and others present them to him with such great care.

Geng Xuan first took "Yonghe Yuankao".

As soon as he took the book in his hand, before he turned the page, a certain page in the book appeared automatically, because a thin gold leaf was placed on this page as a bookmark in advance. Geng Xuan's eyes fell on the words in the book.

"...

In the ninth year of Emperor Yuan's reign, he toured the country for the third time and recruited 100,000 laborers. My district selected and sent more than a thousand laborers.

Because of their clean backgrounds and outstanding performance, thirteen residents of the district had the honor of accompanying Emperor Yuan during this tour.

……

In April, the emperor left Yuanjing and toured the north to the north of Xuanzhou. He saw the aurora borealis and stopped there, and erected a stone to commemorate the event.

When he traveled east to the east of Minzhou, he saw the vast ocean and turned south, intending to visit Cangzhou.

One day, a whale was seen floating on the ocean, and a goshawk landed on it and then flew away.

The emperor looked at it for a long time, sighed deeply, and said:

'It is said that human beings live between heaven and earth and are the spirits of all things.

Since I can't fly into the sky, I can't fly with the eagle.

Nor can one enter the earth, for one will see thick earth and yellow springs.

If you try to swim across the water with all your strength, you may drown and be eaten by fish or shrimp.

Being trapped on the earth all day long, how is it different from cattle, sheep, dogs and horses?
Is this the spirit of all things? Is this the spirit of all things? !

The emperor was disappointed and led his troops back west.

In December, he arrived in Yuanjing.

The third imperial tour ended here."

"..."

Geng Xuan stared at this content and read it over and over again.

Finally, he silently closed the book "Research on the Origin of Yonghe" and put it aside.

He reached out and took another copy of "Tianrunyuankao" in his hand.

He didn't need to turn the page specifically, as the gold leaf bookmark that had been inserted in advance would display the content that Fan Hongsheng and others wanted him to see in front of him.

This is different from the "Yonghe Yuankao", which records the experiences and observations of the thirteen residents during their tour with Emperor Yuan in a solemn, historical-like manner.

"Tianrun Origin Research" records a strange person and strange events that happened in Tianrunfang, the capital of Yuan Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Yuan.

Before this strange man and strange event, there is a very long "background" containing a huge amount of information.

The incident was also related to the fact that during Emperor Yuan's third tour, he suddenly became depressed after seeing a giant whale and flying birds, and turned back halfway.

It is said that in the ninth year of Emperor Yuan’s reign, he sighed by the sea, “I can neither go up to the sky nor into the earth, and even when I go down to the water I am bullied by fish and shrimps. Is this the spirit of all things? Is this the spirit of all things?”

People all over the world, anxious to share Emperor Yuan's urgent needs, began to compete to find ways to go to the sky, into the earth, and into the water.

Emperor Yuan's casual complaint became the famous "Three Lines Question".

That is, "the movement of heaven", "the movement of earth" and "the movement of water".

In the 16th year of Emperor Yuan’s reign, a group of grave robbers showed off their prowess and were the first to come up with a method of “walking on the ground”.

Although, that "earth-walking" method was far from what people expected.

It is far from being as easy to walk under the earth as it is to walk on it.

But at least this earned face in front of Emperor Yuan. Many people who were originally on the wanted list not only had their previous crimes cleared, but were also conferred titles.

The one who made the greatest contribution was even given a mountain, and Emperor Yuan personally promised to allow him to establish his own sect and be honored as the ancestor.

Emperor Yuan's move immediately caused an uproar throughout the world.

Originally, Emperor Yuan’s “Three Lines Question” was a hot topic throughout the world, and it became even hotter thereafter.

Moreover, everyone who wants to answer this question has a sense of urgency.

Because one of the "Three Questions" has already been barely answered, this means that the chances of people in the world have been reduced by one third.

And everyone's attention was temporarily focused on "Water Journey".

There is no way. Compared to this, everyone thinks that "Questions of Heaven's Movement" is the most difficult to deal with.

Starting from the 17th year of Emperor Yuan’s reign, countless people claimed every year that they had answered the “question about water movement”.

However, after verification in the first three years, none of them met the standards expected by Emperor Yuan.

Unlike his leniency towards the "Earth Element", Emperor Yuan's standards towards the "Water Element" became extremely strict.

Those who “can swim underwater for half a day” will not be able to pass.

It has to be exactly the same as the fish swimming in the water.

Even so, four years later, the "Question about Water Movement" was answered.

It has been proven that those who have mastered the "water walking" method can stay in a designated turbulent water area for ten days and ten nights without surfacing once.

The limbs become like frog feet, changing into a structure similar to duck webbed feet.

The body shape also becomes like a swimming fish, which makes it easier to move underwater.

The person can also breathe like a fish and eat fish and shrimps at the bottom of the water.

It can be said that this “water-walking” method meets the most stringent requirements and is truly exactly the same as a fish swimming in water.

The person who offered this answer was a prince of a vassal state from Cangzhou. He had been an enemy of Emperor Yuan when he was fighting for the Nine Provinces, and had even sent people to assassinate Emperor Yuan. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he was finally forced to live on an island as the remnant of a fallen nation.

Because of his contribution in answering the "question about water movement", not only did Emperor Yuan personally forgive the sins of him and his clan, but he also directly gave him the island, allowing him to be the owner of the island, gather people, and preserve the ancestral temple for sacrifices.

——This was the first time that Emperor Yuan was so tolerant towards his enemies and enemy countries.

For people of that era, there was no greater tolerance in the world than preserving the ancestral temple sacrifices of successive monarchs of an enemy country.

The answer to this "question about water movement" once again made the world excited, but also made the world's ambitious people despair.

Because everyone knows that "The Question of Heaven's Movement" is the most difficult of the three questions.

Similarly, this is what everyone desires deep down in their hearts.

Flying in the sky like a bird, who hasn’t had such a dream?

This is almost everyone’s dream “wish list”.

However, of the “Three Questions about the Movements”, only the “Question about the Movements of Heaven” has not been answered. Whether one is willing or not, this is the only choice.

However, no matter how strong the enthusiasm is, it will eventually cool down after repeated setbacks.

By the 25th year of Emperor Yuan's reign, people's enthusiasm for this issue had been exhausted.

But there are always exceptions.

After two pages of "background information", "Tianrun Origin Research" finally talks about a strange person and event that happened in Tianrunfang during the same period.

It is said that there was a night watchman named Wang Hu in Tianrunfang who had neither parents nor a wife or children.

This is an ordinary person who has no talent for cultivation.

Apart from night watch, his only hobby is flying.

He was different from those people who started to catch the trend after hearing Emperor Yuan’s “Three Lines Question”. Long before Emperor Yuan asked this question, he had already worked hard on the word “fly” for many years.

The most sensational one was in the sixth year of Emperor Yuan’s reign, which was three years before Emperor Yuan asked the “Three Questions”.

This Wang Hu made a huge kite and tied himself to it.

Then let people ride fast horses to fly kites.

As the kite flew high in the sky, he himself flew up with it.

Wang Hu followed the kite and flew very high into the sky.

At the end of this first successful "flight", some accidents finally occurred.

The kite was in the wrong posture in the last distance before landing, and it fell to the ground with a thud.

Wang Hu also broke one leg and one hand.

Some people say that he has bad luck, but more people say that he has great luck. This guy named Wang played like this and yet he didn't even die.

Later, after years of recuperation, the hand was barely recovered and it could basically function without any problems as long as he didn't lift heavy objects.

The broken leg did not fully recover, leaving him with lifelong disability.

However, despite his disability, he was not affected by it.

Instead, I regarded it as a successful attempt, and was even more encouraged and motivated, and immersed myself more wholeheartedly in this great cause.

In the nineteenth year of Emperor Yuan's reign, which was also the time when the "Three Lines Question" was at its most heated, Wang Hu also joined in the fun.

Another attempt to fly into space began.

This time, he no longer made a big kite, nor did he let people pull it around.

Wang Hu used silk cloth, light wood and a small amount of iron nails and copper wire to make a strange object that looked like a big kite or a pair of big bird wings when opened.

Although this thing looks strange, according to "Tianrunyuan Kao", it was not something Wang Hu came up with behind closed doors.

After the successful experiment of the big kite, Wang Hu begged for mercy and became an apprentice to a skilled carpenter in Tianrunfang, even though his hands and feet were not fully recovered yet.

However, Wang Hu did not covet the carpentry skills of the old master.

But the ancestor of this carpenter was a very famous person in Kyushu, Master Lupan, a man who was said to be able to make a wooden kite and make it fly in the sky for three days and three nights.

Of course, all carpenters in the world regard Lu Pan as their ancestor.

A master craftsman with superb carpentry skills in Tianrunfang claimed that he was a direct descendant of Master Lu, and there was no doubt about that.

What Wang Hu wanted to learn was the skill that Master Lu had, which was to make a wooden kite and make it fly for three days and three nights.

Tianrunyuankao does not say whether he learned this skill or not, but it does tell another interesting story.

After seeing that Wang Hu finally made a strange thing that looked like neither a kite nor wings, the carpenter master expelled him from his apprenticeship.

They also scolded him for his poor skills and for using nails and copper wire, saying that continuing to stay in the sect would only bring shame to his ancestors.

Wang Hu didn't care. With the fruits of his years of learning, he chose a clear and cool autumn day with a howling autumn wind, climbed the highest mountain next to Yuanjing, and stood on the edge of the steepest cliff.

Then he lay on the strange thing he made, jumped up, and jumped down.

Finally, he succeeded again.

Anyway, he didn't die from the fall.

Escorted by the whistling autumn wind, Wang Hu, who was lying on the thing, glided for nearly five miles before landing on the ground.

Although Wang Hu suffered some injuries, he did not lose any limbs.

It is said that someone brought this incident to Emperor Yuan and told it as a joke.

Some even asked if this counted as "flying".

Emperor Yuan immediately shook his head and gave the standard for "flying" for the first time. One must rely on oneself, not on external objects, and must be able to fly at least a hundred miles away.

Instead of relying on the help of wind, it slowly slides down and continues to lower.

Wang Hu didn't care about this.

Life goes on, and so does flying.

Wang Hu, who had "successfully" experimented again, immediately plunged into new "research".

This time, his idea coincided with Emperor Yuan's. As he grew older, he realized that he might not have many more opportunities to try his luck, so he also wanted to abandon external help and fly for real.

At first, he had no idea.

But in the very next year, the "question of water movement" was answered, and some related details became widely circulated in Yuanjing.

Can the human body become like a fish?
Can hands, feet and limbs actually grow webbed feet like frog feet and duck feet?

Wang Hu was inspired at that time.

An idea immediately came to his mind.

What if the changes were not in the hands and feet, but in the armpits, making the skin look like the membranous wings of a bat.

Spread your hands and they become wings.

The body then makes some corresponding adjustments to become more conducive to flying in the air.

Wouldn't that person be able to fly in the sky on his own?
Wang Hu really wanted to follow the example of a carpenter and become his apprentice to a master carpenter, so as to secretly learn the craft.

Unfortunately, this time, he was disappointed.

Not to mention stealing other people's skills, he didn't even know which direction the door faced.

What's more, he had no talent for cultivation and was nearly forty years old. Even if he really found the right mountain and got the right method, he would not be able to master it.

Later, with only the "question of the will of heaven" left unanswered, people in the world gradually became discouraged and stopped paying attention to this issue.

Wang Hu was still immersed in his dream of flying.

Before Emperor Yuan asked the "Three Questions", Wang Hu was immersed in his dream.

After Emperor Yuan's "Three Questions", Wang Hu was still immersed in his dream.

His dream did not change or shift because of Emperor Yuan's question.

Nor is it affected by anything.

It just happened that, by chance, an ordinary commoner and an eternal emperor had the same dream at the same time.

The thirty-eighth year of Emperor Yuan’s reign.

Wang Hu, who had just celebrated his 55th birthday, once again climbed the mountain he had climbed fourteen years ago on a clear and windy autumn day, and stood on the edge of the cliff from which he had jumped fourteen years ago.

He undressed himself, revealing the results of more than ten years of painstaking exploration.

Knowing that he could not truly master that magical transformation technique, Wang Hu slightly adjusted his plan.

He "pretended" that he had mastered such skills.

Then he put on a set of carefully selected clothes made of animal skins and with great toughness.

In order to show that this membrane was his skin, he used the stickiest glue he learned when learning carpentry to stick it firmly to his body.

The kind that once stuck, you can never pull it off.

If you try to pull it off by force, you will have to tear off the skin as well!
He opened his hands, and his armpits and body were connected into a whole by a perfect layer of membrane.

Not only his legs and armpits, he also did similar work between his legs in order to increase the contact area with the air as much as possible.

After making all the preparations, he took a deep breath.

Leap forward and leap forward.

This time, he was not as successful as the previous two times.

The residents of Tianrunfang who followed him and stood on the cliff, under the cliff, and anywhere they could see him jump off the cliff, as well as some spectators who came to see what was new because of his previous two deeds.

I witnessed the entire process from Wang Hu jumping off the cliff to his death.

Wang Hu's wing-like arms had just spread out when his body flipped violently several times in the air uncontrollably.

Then, his head hit the hard, exposed rock of the cliff behind him.

Soon, Wang Hu's body, like a broken toy, fell into the rugged and dangerous ravine below.

Except for a little bright red blood on the stone, all traces of Wang Hu quickly disappeared from the eyes and hearts of all witnesses.

Because Wang Hu was alone, without parents, wife or children, naturally no one would risk their lives to collect his body.

Just as Wang Hu's head hit the hard rock hard.

Many spectators seemed to have gotten what they wanted, and uttered "humph" and "hehe" sounds as if they had expected this to happen, then turned around and left.

This excitement is just a topic of conversation for them in the next three to five days.

While talking about it, you also have to belittle and ridicule it.

The residents of Tianrunfang felt it even more.

Some of those who had close relations with the royal family took out some incense, candles, money and paper they had brought with them and built a simple altar on the edge of the cliff.

This matter was requested by Wang Hu himself.

He seemed to have anticipated his failure long before he even attempted it.

After returning, the residents of Tianrunfang continued with their own lives.

Wang Hu, the strange night watchman, gradually disappeared from their lives and memories.

But someone still remembered him.

Treat it as a fun story or an anecdote and tell it to the kids at Tianrunfang.

Six years later, in the forty-fourth year, Emperor Yuan died.

The world is in chaos.

Four years later, the Overlord entered Yuanjing and burned the thousand-year-old capital into ruins.

The 480 neighborhoods and wards of Yuan capital were scattered.

During this period, so many horrific things happened that even though "Tianrunyuankao" did not mention a single word about them, the emotions of depression, heaviness, and despair were still revealed between the lines.

Eventually, the only one left of Tianrunfang took root in the new land.

An old man who was fortunate enough to hear the story of Wang Hu Feitian told by his relatives during the most peaceful and tranquil years, at the most tender and innocent age, and then went through decades of hard struggles that were difficult for outsiders to understand, and finally lived to his twilight years.

Looking back on his life, he threw aside the suffocating pain that was like a mountain and a sea in his long life without mentioning a word.

But he told the story of Wang Hu Fei Tian in detail over and over again.

Tell it to his children and grandchildren, as well as other innocent children in the neighborhood.

So, this story was preserved in "Tianrunyuan Kao".

Later, Yuanzhou went through hundreds of years of turmoil, and Tianrunfang experienced prosperity, desolation, division and integration.

Now, there is more than one Tianrunfang in Yuanzhou.

Every Tianrunfang has its own historical context.

However, every copy of "Tianrunyuankao" records the story of Wang Hu Feitian in detail.

……

After a long while, Geng Xuan calmed down and raised his head again, praising softly, "It's really amazing!"

Everyone on the opposite side was silent, not knowing how to respond.

They didn't even know who Boss Su was referring to when he said "amazing".

Geng Xuan didn't elaborate. His eyes fell on Fan Hongsheng and the owner of Tianrunfang, and asked:

"Are these two books for me?"

It is also possible that they just showed him the information, so he wanted to confirm it.

The two nodded.

Fan Hongsheng said: "Of course, these six books are prepared for you."

Geng Xuan nodded and said solemnly, "Thank you. I received your kindness."

He put away the two books of origin and the other four books of skills.

But he did not end the topic. Instead, he looked at Wei Wanzong, Chai Ye and others and said:
"Can you also give me a copy of the source examination of your six families?"

From this "Changping Yuankao" and the two original studies he had just obtained, Geng Xuan fully realized its important value.

Not subtle at all, just ask for it directly.

Before anyone else could reply, Master Chai nodded and said:
"Of course, but the records of our Lifang's source research are often careless, exaggerated, and even contradictory. It would be bad if it misleads you."

Geng Xuan nodded and said, "It's okay, I can figure it out."

As for Mr. Chai's evaluation of "Changping Yuankao", Geng Xuan felt that some things were better left to one's own knowledge.

　I don't think I have a talent for sensationalism, nor do I know how to use it in a plot. If I try to do so deliberately, it will only appear awkward.

　　When I wrote this plot, I had no intention of being sentimental. But after writing the passage about Wang Hu, I inexplicably burst into tears. After all these years of writing, I can't remember the last time I felt this way.

　　There are many similar emotional experiences. For example, when reading the poem "The child is determined to leave his hometown, and will not return until he becomes famous. Why bury my bones in my hometown? There are green mountains everywhere in life." Coupled with the back of the scholar who is walking away with an umbrella, in his prime and full of vigor, it is simply a tear-jerker. For example, when watching some documentaries about the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Aid Korea, similar emotions can easily arise.

　　But this time, I wasn’t sure whether it was the extra associations in my mind that weren’t put into words that caused me to react this way, or the story itself.

　　I can't tell the difference, I really can't tell the difference. I am confused myself.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)