Water elemental became a god, ultimately becoming the master of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers

Chapter 194 Moving House, Revolution (Bonus Chapter, Please Subscribe and Vote)

I was absent from work for one day.

Twilight Quadruple.

Chen Shunan only went to Wohujing when his shift was about to end.

After settling today's accounts and collecting the money from selling water, they found Manager Li to plan tomorrow's Ganlin gambling business.

Seeking the Way to cleanse oneself of worldly dust, one can practice the "Mercury Dragon Lead Tiger Red Pill Method," which is beneficial for suppressing negative karma and corpse energy.

But selling water is equally important.

Chen Shunan naturally wouldn't show favoritism.

Having learned from Cheng Bin's experience, Chen Shunan now avoids anything of dubious origin, even girls from brothels and pleasure houses, as much as possible.

I will never get involved unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, Chen Shunan felt at ease knowing that Qingchen was all alone, pure and innocent, and had simple interpersonal relationships.

Chen Shunan straightened his clothes and headed towards Chaodou Hutong.

For some reason, halfway through the journey, Chen Shunan felt a little guilty.

After checking himself repeatedly, he found no trace of the fragrance left by Qingchen.

Then he stopped in front of a stall selling rouge and face powder.

"Sir, would you like to bring a box of face powder for your wife? It's newly arrived Yangzhou goose egg powder, it's very smooth and delicate."

The stall owner was a clever woman. As soon as she saw Chen Shunan's attire, she immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Take two boxes."

Chen Shunan threw down the silver.

So, on the short journey home...

When they arrived at Chaodou Hutong, Chen Shunan carried rouge and face powder in one hand, and pine nut candy and poria cocos cakes, Wan Niang's favorite food, in the other, with a few bolts of new cloth tucked into his arms.

However, upon seeing the familiar door in front of him, Chen Shunan suddenly regained his composure, then chuckled and shook his head, saying...
"Really, what's there to be ashamed of..."

Push open the door and enter the house.

Wan Niang was sweeping snow. Although the roof ridge had been renovated some time ago, with the replacement of some rotten beams and purlins and the replacement of new tiles, the roof was still under renovation.

But after so many years, exposed to wind and sun, the roof must be cleared of snow every day during heavy snowfalls, otherwise the house may collapse under the weight of the snow.

Every year in Wuqing County, a considerable number of people are killed in their sleep by collapsing houses.

This year, Wan Niang had heard about many similar incidents much earlier than expected.

He met Chen Shunan.

Wan Niang was somewhat surprised.

"Why did you buy yourself so many gifts today, young master?"

Chen Shunan moved swiftly and lifted Wan Niang down from the stairs.

"No need for repairs or snow removal."

Chen Shunan said with a smile, "We're moving tomorrow to a bigger house."

……

The next day.

With the protection of the auspicious deity of the Jade Hall, the family enjoys peace and harmony.

Suitable for construction, relocation, and raising of the roof beam.

Early in the morning, a street full of neighbors gathered in front of Chen Shunan's old courtyard.

He was directing several maids to move the last box of valuables when Li Shi pulled Li Dongyang over and handed him a red cloth bag embroidered with "Longevity and Wealth".

Inside was a small handful of grains, Li said cautiously.

"Brother Chen, congratulations on moving to your new house... When you leave your old house, you must scatter this: rice, millet, sorghum, wheat, and beans. Scatter them on the threshold of the old house, and then scatter them in front of the stove in the new house. I guarantee you will have a bountiful harvest!"

Chen Shunan smiled and said, "Thanks, Sister Li."

He grabbed a handful of grains from the red cloth bag, scattered half of it in front of the stove, and then walked to the threshold and scattered the rest of the grains through the crack in the door.

A layer of fine, golden dust immediately settled on the snow.

Chen Shunan hesitated for a moment, then took out a thread-bound martial arts manual from the wooden box behind him. It contained his own experience and insights gained from practicing martial arts.

It doesn't involve specific moves, but it implicitly contains the principles of martial arts and the true essence of the Three Refinements.

Even so, given Chen Shunan's current vision and strength, this commentary is equivalent to a martial arts encyclopedia.

It would be no problem to establish a martial arts school and ensure its continued prosperity for generations to come.

Chen Shunan handed the annotation to Li Dongyang and said with a smile,
"From now on, don't eavesdrop anymore. Others aren't as magnanimous as your Master Chen. Be careful or I'll cripple your martial arts! Keep this book safe. It was written by me personally and must not be divulged except by your closest confidants."

Li Dongyang received it with both hands, hugged it tightly to his chest, bowed deeply, and his voice trembled slightly.

"Thank you, Mr. Chen!"

The neighbors watched, some pursing their lips, others kicking the snow with their heads down.

The large Chaodou Hutong is home to nearly twenty households.

Seeing the Chen family move now, I heard that it was once the Mianyi Residence of the nine major families in the east of the county.

Envy, jealousy, melancholy, and sourness were the majority of the feelings expressed.

Only the Li family truly felt genuine joy.

This is also human nature.

Let alone strangers or neighbors with no blood relation, even close relatives will reveal their ugly side when someone achieves great success. There will be many who are jealous and few who support them.

However, almost every household gave Chen Shunan a gift, as a custom of "not forgetting the sweetness of the old nest even after leaving the nest".

Chen Shunan returned the gifts one by one, not wanting to take advantage of the situation.

When they arrived at Zhang San Niang's family, they accepted the Poria cocos cakes and Beijing-style eight-piece dishes from Chen Shun'an, which were clearly several times more expensive than the gifts they had received from their own family.

Zhang San Niang's smile seemed somewhat uneasy.

Zhang Wangyue stood silently beside Zhang Sanniang, opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something to Chen Shunan.

Seeing this, Zhang San Niang immediately pulled him behind her.

Zhang San Niang forced a fawning smile and said,
"Mr. Chen, about what happened before..."

Chen Shunan waved his hand, turned around without a care, and mounted his horse.

Chen Shunan had long since stopped caring about the petty squabbles and grudges among the neighbors.

After bidding farewell to Madam Li and inviting her to visit Mianyi Residence for tea whenever she had time, Wan Niang also boarded her carriage.

"drive!"

The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage wheels started moving.

Chen Shunan turned around and saw that the snow was falling even more heavily.

The neighbors stood in the snow, most of them looking pale and wearing patched clothes, occasionally coughing.

Although there were a few martial artists, they showed almost no desire to improve or become brave. Instead, they were worn down by the hardships of life and their eyes were somewhat numb.

Li Dongyang lowered his head, flipping through the annotations given to him by Chen Shunan, his face showing surprise and delight, his eyebrows dancing with excitement, as if he were talking to Zhang Wangyue beside him.

Zhang Wangyue remained silent, quietly clenching her fist.

Watching Chen Shunan, a prominent figure who rose rapidly through the ranks from Chaodou Hutong, depart.

Some are worried, some are happy, and some are resentful of each other.

Every household seems to have its own joys and sorrows, but all of them are covered and obscured by the snow falling like jade and cotton.

Then, Chen Shunan looked up at the sky again.

During the summer, there were long, dry days with dark clouds for half a month, but no rain fell.

Winter brings scorching heat and snow, sudden drops of extreme cold, and the heat never seems to subside.

Times are tough.

Without desire, how can one live?

……

"Chen Shunan moved house, why didn't you go to see him off?"

Inside the Fried Bean Martial Arts School, Bai Manlou glanced out the window, then looked away and silently wiped the blade of his sword, maintaining its precious condition.

Xiao Qingchou added some charcoal to the brazier, placed a kettle of boiling water beside it, and said in a deep voice,

"Neither you nor I are innocent people, so why get entangled with the innocent and risk being implicated? It's better if he moves out of here, so we won't bother each other."

Bai Manlou shrugged, the cloth sliding from the tip of the sword to the hilt, without saying much.

Xiao Qingchou's gaze was deep, and he seemed lost in thought, as if he were pondering something.

Even now, Xiao Qingchou has some doubts about Chen Shunan's identity. Or rather, he feels that this person has a different identity.

Chen Shunan's rise to power was too fast, and too... inevitable.

Every time he makes a name for himself, it seems to be accompanied by some major event.

The same principle applied to the incident where the spirit official intercepted the corpse, and it was also the same when he retrieved the exposed body.

Just right.

In addition, Xiao Qingchou has a unique destiny, which is the Killing-Inviting-Food-Controlling type, and he can briefly wield the [Divine Might Purple Thunder Cannon].

Occasionally, she would suddenly realize that Chen Shunan was silently watching her and Bai Manlou.

His gaze held a strong sense of scrutiny, probing, and even...

It means to look down from above.

It seems that Chen Shunan had already figured out their identities.

Then, an idea quietly surfaced in Xiao Qingchou's mind.

"call……"

Xiao Qingchou snapped back to reality, his breathing becoming somewhat heavy. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, before suppressing the absurd speculation in his mind.

After a moment, Xiao Qingchou glanced at Bai Manlou and said,
"The palace has replied."

Bai Manlou's movements suddenly stopped, and his long sword clattered back into its sheath.

He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with urgency: "What do you mean?"

Their purpose in coming to the capital this time is twofold: first, to eradicate the upstream channels of the hibiscus oil smuggling operation; and second, to deliver the evidence they have collected regarding the South China Sea Thirteen Factories' collusion with the Qianning Kingdom in smuggling hibiscus oil to the Emperor through an inside agent in the palace.

However, the palace has not replied for more than two months.

Xiao Qingchou lowered his head, his expression complex, and said in a deep voice,
"The man in the palace said... He once saw Fei Mo Hanyu, a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and a Grand Councilor, with a glass pipe at his waist and a lotus-shaped cigarette holder in his hand. He repeatedly introduced the benefits of this item to the other ministers in the palace. Then, he walked out of the palace unscathed."

Upon hearing this, Bai Manlou's face froze.

The Holy Dynasty has stood for nine hundred years, establishing four halls and two pavilions, one of which is the Wenyuan Pavilion.

As for Fei Mo Hanyu, he held a high position and wielded great power. Not only was he a native of Baishan, but he also came from Yueshan Taoist Academy.

It is likely that they already had intricate connections with forces such as the Duifang and Tianxuan Saintess.

The most important thing is...

The palace was heavily guarded, and no one could escape the Emperor's notice.

But Fermaud Hanyu dared to promote the use of hibiscus ointment in the palace, and even received the emperor's tacit approval...

Moreover, since Fermo Hanyu is promoting the hibiscus oil.

This proves that by smuggling matchsticks and bypassing customs inspections, they found another way to replace the "Qinggang Matches".

In an instant, all the experiences of the past few months flashed before Bai Manlou's eyes like a slideshow.

He risked his life to enter the capital, disrupted the Lingguan Dharma Assembly, bombarded Zheng Shicheng, and fought fiercely against the Heavenly Xuan Holy Maiden...

One event after another, one face after another.

Some were their own, some were those of the righteous warriors who died in battle, and some were those of the mysterious master who appeared and disappeared unpredictably and secretly helped them on many occasions...

In other words, their nation would pay a heavy price, lose its brothers' lives, and receive secret assistance from many righteous individuals...

It only delayed the rampant demand for hibiscus ointment by a few months.

The general trend cannot be changed.

Bai Manlou vaguely understood something, closed his eyes in pain, and gritted his teeth, saying...

"The old methods of saving the country can no longer save our holy dynasty. Only a drastic measure can save our people!"

It is about saving the people of the nation, not saving the holy dynasty.

Xiao Qingchou vaguely understood something, and his expression changed slightly.

"You mean..."

"Slay the foreigners! Slay the Qianning Mission!"

"You're crazy!!"

Xiao Qingchou stood up in shock, instinctively looking outside, afraid that someone would hear such treasonous words.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries do not involve the killing of envoys.

If it really was the Qianning Kingdom's envoy, then something unexpected happened on the Holy Dynasty's territory, especially in the capital region.

That would affect more than just the people of one state or one region.

Rather, it's a matter of national destiny for both countries; they are destined to completely break off pretenses and declare war!
The rampant burning of hibiscus oil will only slowly drag down the holy dynasty, wasting resources and manpower, and it will take decades to see results.

But if the Qianning delegation were actually killed, it would be like flipping the table, and everyone would be out of the game.

"The revolution of Tang and Wu was in accordance with Heaven and the people!"

Bai Manlou drew his sword, the wind from which swept the charcoal ash from the brazier flying everywhere.

He spoke with a murderous aura and a chilling tone.
"Born in the end times, how can we be indecisive! Rather than watching them drag the Holy Dynasty to its demise... let the people of the world choose for themselves!"

At this point, he subconsciously looked down at the sword in his hand.

He learned swordsmanship from a young age and later learned the "Zhou Tian Liu Qi Sword" from a reclusive master.

By now, Bai Manlou had already made his own guess.

That reclusive master is probably the legendary Sword Immortal of Mount Shu.

Xiao Qingchou remained silent for a long time, then said in a cryptic tone,
"This matter... is beyond our control. We need to discuss it with Master Hongwu."

Fifth Master Hong?
When the topic turned to Hong Wuye, Bai Manlou frowned slightly.

Hong Wuye suddenly disappeared a couple of days ago.

Along with her, the Holy Maiden Tianxuan also disappeared.

They also went to Swallow's Nest, but only found the scene of a fierce battle.

The three people remained in the same spot, their presence lingering.

Two of them were naturally from Master Hong Wu and the Holy Maiden Tianxuan.

The third dish, however, was completely unfamiliar.

It is also magnificent and vast, and extremely powerful.

Fortunately, Fifth Master Hong's life was not in danger.

Within the Guolu Society, there are methods to sense the vital energy and life force of Master Hong Wu.

Just a few days ago it was on the verge of extinction, but now it is breathing heavily and as strong as ever.

There is even a trend of breaking down the old to establish the new, and stepping into a new world.

However, the person has disappeared.

"Master Xiao, I'm here to practice my boxing."

At that moment, a clear voice rang out.

Then Li Dongyang stepped into the martial arts school through the ankle-deep snow, lifted the curtain, and came in.

He first went inside and bowed to the two masters, then placed his personal belongings, a basket of eggs, and the commentaries given to him by Chen Shunan on the cabinet.

Xiao Qingchou nodded without saying anything more.

In the courtyard, the snow was swept to a corner and piled into a small mound. A thin layer of ice covered the exposed bluestone pavement, making it very slippery.

Li Dongyang was only wearing a thin blue outfit, and the chill instantly pierced through his clothes, making him shiver.

He took a deep breath of the cold air and slowly assumed a boxing stance.

In this freezing weather, coupled with soaring prices in the county, even basic necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt have seen their prices increase by several times.

The number of young men who come to practice martial arts in Chaodou Hutong every day is very small.

Among them, Li Dongyang was the only one who persisted the longest and came every day.

Inside the room, Xiao Qingchou glanced at Li Dongyang's boxing stance and saw that he had grasped the essence and had a solid foundation, so he withdrew his gaze and stopped looking at him.

He casually picked up the anonymous commentary left by Li Dongyang that was placed on the wooden cabinet.

He glanced through it briefly, unimpressed, and even scoffed.
"This kid always buys books of unknown origin on the street, always thinking they're some kind of unparalleled martial arts or cultivation method, really..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was as if his throat had been choked, and he swallowed the rest of his words, his eyes fixed on the open page, frozen in place.

Bai Manlou sensed something amiss and leaned closer to examine the book. He saw that on the rough pages, lines of hastily written yet powerful characters were penetrating the paper, drawn in charcoal. The opening line was—

"When I was fifty, I realized that I had practiced wrong for the first forty-nine years. In one day, I had an epiphany and saved others from a hundred years of hard work."

So loud?
Bai Manlou couldn't help but chuckle, then his gaze shifted downwards to the diagram of human meridians that followed the text.

It has nine orifices and a hundred meridians, three hundred and sixty joints, and eighty-four thousand pores, detailed and meticulous to a degree that is almost unimaginable to ordinary people.

Even the most skilled martial artists would find it difficult to find this meridian chart!
(End of this chapter)