Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 3 Breakthrough to Ming Jin, Golden Attribute: [Hundred Steps Piercing Yang]!
Time flies like an arrow; the capital city has moved from late autumn into the depths of winter, and the first snow has arrived, covering the city in a blanket of white.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In the backyard of Ningguo Mansion, a figure sometimes leaped up and sometimes jumped down, moving nimbly.

It could be a tiger pouncing on its prey, fierce and powerful; or a white deer leaping across a ravine, elegant and agile; or a bear striking down, domineering and ferocious; or a monkey climbing, light and graceful with the wind; or a white crane spreading its wings, swift as lightning.

Suddenly, Jia Yan had a flash of inspiration and threw a punch. "Crack!" The wind from the punch whistled, and a crisp sound of air being torn apart rang out all around, like a whip lashing the air.

"Congratulations, sir!"

The four maids serving nearby—Jingzhe, Mangzhong, Bailu, and Xiaoxue—all stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

"Hahaha!"

Jia Yan laughed heartily. After a month, he had finally broken through to the Ming Jin level.

Ningguo Mansion is not only the location of the Jia family ancestral hall, but also a treasure trove of martial arts classics collected by the two Dukes of Ning and Rong in the past. It is a pity that the later generations are content with enjoying life and no one practices martial arts to strengthen their bodies. The dust in the martial arts room is already a finger joint thick.

He selected the Five Animal Frolics, compiled by Hua Tuo during the Three Kingdoms period, as the foundational martial art. The Five Animal Frolics is a guiding exercise that cultivates both internal and external strength. It imitates the ferocity of the tiger, the comfort of the deer, the steadiness of the bear, the agility of the monkey, and the lightness of the bird. It has the effects of promoting blood circulation, activating meridians, and prolonging life.

Ordinary people who learn the Five Animal Frolics can live to be over ninety years old, with sharp hearing and eyesight, and strong teeth, which shows its superior benefits.

Since learning the Five Animal Frolics, Jia Yan, at the age of fifteen, has experienced further physical development, and his energy and spirit have reached a level that ordinary people cannot match.

"Take the bow!"

Jia Yan reached out and shouted.

"Master!"

Xiaoxue quickly presented the copper-bodied iron-backed bow with both hands.

'Shuh! '

Without saying a word, Jia Yan picked up the bronze-bodied iron-backed bow, nocked an arrow, and drew the bowstring to its fullest extent.

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

With a series of whooshing sounds, three-edged arrows shot out, piercing through targets a hundred paces away.

"You're awesome, sir!"

She opened her cherry-like mouth wide and clapped and cheered as she read the names of the solar terms: Awakening of Insects, Grain in Ear, White Dew, and Minor Snow.

"Ah."

After shooting a whole quiver of arrows, Jia Yan frowned, put down the bronze-bodied, iron-backed bow in his hand, and stared at the target in the distance, somewhat dissatisfied.

The copper-bodied iron-backed bow is a three-stone bow, usable by both infantry and cavalry, with an effective range of 300 meters. However, he could not hit the target every time within half of that range, which is a shortcoming in his archery skills, and he needs to further improve this aspect.

In early 18th century East Asia, the destructive power of bows and arrows far exceeded that of firearms. For example, the Qing bows of the Later Jin Dynasty generally had a draw weight close to one stone, which could penetrate heavy armor within thirty paces and could fire at least six arrows per minute. At the same time, the effective range of the matchlock gun was about 100 meters, and the reloading time was about one minute.

This is why the Qianlong Emperor did not attach much importance to firearms, and his level of firearms was even inferior to that of the Ming Dynasty. This was also related to the surrounding enemies, including the Later Jin, Khalkha Mongols, and Khoshut tribe, who generally preferred to use bows and arrows against their enemies.

"System, upgrade the selected attribute [Exquisite Archery Skills (Blue)]!"

Without hesitation, Jia Yan chose to use his upgrade opportunity for the month.

Immediately, a dazzling golden light appeared before his eyes, causing him to gasp for breath. It exploded! The blue attribute had been upgraded to a golden attribute.

[A Hundred-Pace Arrow Through a Willow Leaf (Jin Dynasty): In the state of Chu, there was a man named Yang Youji, skilled in archery. He could shoot a willow leaf from a hundred paces away, hitting the target every time.]

This attribute directly gave him strength comparable to Yang Youji, and its effect is not only applicable to bows and arrows, but also to firearms.

"Grain in Ear, White Dew." "Move the target back a hundred paces."

"Yes."

The two maids quickly moved the target two hundred paces away before returning to Jia Yan's side, holding their breath and staring intently ahead.

At this moment, Jia Yan drew his bow again and nocked an arrow. A three-pronged arrow shot out like a meteor, piercing straight through the bullseye two hundred paces away.

"Great!"

This scene left the four maids dumbfounded. When they came to their senses, their faces lit up with excitement, and they exclaimed in delight.

'All done!'

A slight smile curved Jia Yan's lips, revealing a satisfied expression.

"Master."

"There's news from the Western Prefecture."

Jingzhe stepped forward and reported: "My aunt, who married into Suzhou, has passed away. My husband, Lin, has sent someone to the capital to deliver the news."

"The old lady was so grief-stricken that she fainted several times, and the whole household was filled with sorrow."

"I heard that the old lady arranged for someone to go to Yangzhou, saying that she wanted to bring her great-aunt's only daughter to the capital for education."

"Oh?"

Jia Yan raised an eyebrow, his expression suddenly hardening.

With Jia Min's passing and Daiyu entering the Rongguo Mansion, the main plot of the Dream of the Red Chamber world is about to begin, and it seems that the Xue family's journey to the capital is not far off.

However, he was more concerned about the actions of Emperor Yongping. This true dragon emperor, who had been trapped in the Qianqing Palace for six years, was bound to cause a great upheaval when he made a move. The current military governor of the capital, Wang Ziteng, was someone who had been promoted by the Jia family and had never had a deep relationship with the founding line. He was an excellent pawn.

After the Yuan Congyi campaign, the founding lineage had already declined and was far inferior to the Yuan Cong nobility. The Yuan Cong nobility's power was not only in the capital, but also in the nine border regions.

In the original storyline, during the journey of Xue's mother and son to the capital, Wang Ziteng had already been promoted to the position of Commander-in-Chief of Nine Provinces and ordered to inspect the border. From then on, Wang Ziteng took the opportunity to curry favor with Emperor Yongping and rose through the ranks to become the Inspector General of Nine Provinces and a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, wielding immense power in the court.

However, this was just a lure. Emperor Yongping used Prince Teng as bait to plunge the Jia family into an abyss of no return. Prince Teng and Yuan Chun died suddenly one after another, less than a month apart. The Ning and Rong mansions were successively raided and their assets confiscated, the empty national treasury was filled, the deeply rooted nobles were eliminated, and the country was renewed.

The seeds of disaster sown by the Jia family were not so much so that Wang Xifeng was the only one. If the death of Qin Keqing was the last straw that broke the back of the Ningguo Mansion, then the secret collusion between Jia She and his son with the military governor of Ping'an Prefecture and their involvement in the rebellion of the Prince of Beijing's Mansion foreshadowed the destruction of the Rongguo Mansion.

Thinking of this, Jia Yan's mood grew increasingly heavy; he didn't have much time left.

"Jingzhe."

“From tomorrow onwards, you no longer need to conceal yourselves and should use the public channels for all your affairs.”

Jia Yan made a comment with a half-smile.

"Yes."

The four girls exchanged glances, their faces beaming with joy.

They were not weak women; they were people personally selected by Jia Jing to protect Jia Yan, and they had practiced the Eight Pieces of Brocade since childhood.

The Eight Pieces of Brocade originated in the Northern Song Dynasty. Its movements are graceful and elegant, making it most suitable for women to practice. In addition, women are generally of good physical constitution and have all reached the Ming Jin level. In the past, they did not show their skills in order to avoid being discovered by outsiders.

Now that Jia Yan himself has revealed this, there's no need to be timid during the Awakening of Insects, Grain in Ear, White Dew, and Minor Snow seasons; they can openly and honestly practice martial arts.

PS: One stone is equivalent to 120 jin (60 catties), and one step is about 1.5 to 1.6 meters. According to ancient records, Yang Kan could draw a bow with a stone of twelve shi.

(End of this chapter)