Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

At 11:15 AM, Jia Tang, who had just returned from the West Mansion, passed through the side gate of Ningguo Mansion and returned to Ruihu Courtyard.

Along the corridor, palace lanterns cast an orange glow. On the benches under the lanterns, Qingwen chatted and laughed with several maids and servants. When she saw Jia Tang, she ran up to him and called out sweetly, "You're back, Master! The medicinal bath is ready."

Jia Tang nodded and went straight into the west wing. The maids and servants around him greeted him and then went back to the front yard to rest.

Under the bright moonlight, the doors and windows of the west wing were slightly ajar. Moisture and energy from inside slowly drifted out through the doors and windows. Through the cracks, one could see shadowy figures behind the screen in the wing, a petite and graceful figure busily working.

Inside the room, Qingwen's face flushed with a delicate blush as she smiled and combed Jia Tang's hair, her bright eyes sparkling with captivating light.

Jia Tang, nestled in the arms of the pretty maid, suddenly asked, "Why weren't you waiting for me at the West Mansion?"

Qingwen's hands didn't stop moving, and her clear voice came from behind Jia Tang: "Because Master said eight years ago that without Master's guidance, I should try not to go out at night. Relying on Master's power, if I want to leave, no one in the West Mansion will stop me."

Eight years ago, Jia Tang, who had just merged with the memories, knew that the Jia family was in deep trouble and was afraid that they would be harmed. So he told the only maidservant by his side not to go out at night, and if she did go out, she had to go with him.

From then on, whenever Qingwen heard the evening drum sound in the city, she would return to Ruihu Courtyard to wait for Jia Tang.

Jia Tang pinched Qingwen's smooth, fair face and said earnestly, "Once I return from the border, you can go wherever you want without worry."

Qingwen's face was being pinched, and her hands continued to move. She mumbled indistinctly, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll just wait for you, Master. Unless you don't want me anymore, then I'll find a small courtyard, raise chickens, ducks, and geese, and live alone, waiting for you to remember me."

This was the first time in Jia Tang's two lifetimes that he had heard such simple yet sincere words. His heart was deeply moved, and even his hardened heart softened.

"By the way, during the hundred-plus days I was away, did you stop your martial arts training?"

Upon hearing this, Qingwen's face flushed red. She glanced at Jia Tang, who was smiling, and lowered her head, saying softly, "Master, this servant is about to start bone-strengthening."

"Fast? How many times does that require the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Technique)?"

"three times…"

"When I left the capital, you did it three times, didn't you?"

"...Master, I was wrong. I was too busy playing with the maids."

Jia Tang sneered, sat up straight, and patted the water in the bathtub: "Come in and be punished."

With her rosy cheeks, Qingwen shyly took off her clothes, wearing only a small undergarment and panties, and entered the bathtub, her fair little hands tightly gripping the tub's sides.

"Sir, be gentle."

Jia Tang ignored her and slapped the pretty maid's pert buttocks hard with his large hand.

"Snapped!"

Qingwen shuddered as a burning pain shot through her buttocks, accompanied by a strange tingling sensation that reached her heart. She couldn't help but shudder and let out a soft, seductive moan.

"Hmm~"

Looking at the pretty girl with her beautiful eyes trembling slightly and her face as red as a peach blossom, Jia Tang was not in a hurry to eat her.

After so many years of companionship and closeness, this kind of punishment is nothing more than a tacit understanding between the two of them.

"Did I make a mistake?"

"Wrong... wrong..."

"Those who make mistakes and don't correct them deserve even more punishment!"

"Please...please punish this servant, sir..."

"Snapped!"

···

At 3:45 AM the following day, various groups invited Jia Tang to the Ministry of War to discuss the matter of imprisoning scholars.

But Jia Tang had already led his men to the manor outside the city, leaving everyone empty-handed.

Jiajiazhuang, located at the foot of Shijingshan Mountain in Wanping County, west of Xianjing City.

Jiajiazhuang, located next to the Shijingshan Mountains near Beijing and connected to the Lugou River, is rich in natural resources and has fertile soil. It was originally an imperial estate and was granted to the Jia family of Xianjing by Emperor Anwu when the country was founded, which has been more than a hundred years ago.

Thanks to the vigorous development of Ning and Rong prefectures, this village has become a continuous stretch of houses, with more than 550 households and 10,000 mu of cultivated land, where the superior grain, Jinyu wheat, is grown once a year.

Golden Jade Wheat is quite beneficial for martial arts practitioners below the fourth realm to temper their bodies. The price of one catty in a grain shop is about three and a half taels of silver, and it is even higher on the black market, but it is rarely sold outside, as it is monopolized by the Jia family and the founding lineage.

You should know that gold and silver are worth more now than ever before!

The world is rich in primordial energy, the mountains have risen, the land has expanded, and the yield of various crops has greatly increased. Although there are occasional primordial stone veins, they are small in scale and almost impossible to mine. Most of them can only be obtained from secret realms.

Yuan Stones are currently mostly used to replenish the energy of formations, serving as state-controlled resources and the foundation of powerful clans. They do not circulate in the market, leading to more frequent circulation of gold and silver.

One tael of silver was enough for a family of five to live in Xianjing for a month, which shows the value of Jin Yumai.

It was just past the Dragon Boat Festival, and the sun was shining brightly. The fields were covered with a golden sea of ​​wheat, swaying and gleaming.

A gentle breeze carried the lingering aroma of realgar wine, and the golden wheat, as if drunk, tumbled and rolled, rising and falling, rippling with layers of golden waves.

At 1:15 AM, a squad of tiger guards, dressed in black armor adorned with tigers and carrying long knives, patrolled the gates of Jiajiazhuang.

Under the stable on one side, more than twenty warhorses, each about ten feet tall, with full muscles and a blue coat, were grazing with their heads down, occasionally snorting.

In the center of the village, two square formations are divided on two dark stone platforms, each ten feet high. On one side are eighty burly, muscular soldiers dressed in black with gilded and crimson tiger heads embroidered on the cuffs of their robes. They are the reserve force of the Golden Fire Double Tiger Guard.

On one side are Jia Yu, Jia Guang, Jia Heng, and Jia Ying, and Jia Chang, Jia Ling, Jia Zhen, Jia Zao, Jia Heng, Jia Fen, and Jia Fang, among others, from the Yu generation.

Previously, no one in the two mansions paid attention to the various branches and collateral branches; they only cared that the eldest son could cultivate himself.

After Jia Tang learned of this, he recalled that those mentioned in the original work who were of good character and capable of cultivation were all brought to study martial arts with the soldiers. At present, there was also Jia Yun, who worked in the Imperial Guard, and Jia Lan, who loved literature and was studying away from home.

At this moment, the soldier sits cross-legged, hands overlapping, palms together, little fingers and knuckles aligned, forming a triangle. He places his hands on his lower abdomen (Dantian), thumbs interlaced, palms slightly tucked inward, forming a spherical shape, as if holding a ball.

The surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) surged into the bodies of the warriors from all directions, causing their meridians to undulate constantly, like small snakes wriggling.

In front of the stone platform, Jia Tang, surrounded by a group of fierce guards, was methodically instructing the soldiers to circulate their internal energy: "Swallow the elixir."

"Gulp..."

The "blood-generating pill" that Wu Zu was holding under his tongue was swallowed, and its rich medicinal power burst forth instantly. It was quickly absorbed into his body, and his martial blood began to grow.

"Guide the blood and vital energy from the Yongquan acupoint, passing through the Rangu, Taixi, Dazhong, and Shuiquan acupoints... First, follow the Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, then the Taiyin Spleen Meridian, and finally the Jueyin Liver Meridian. The three Yin Wu Meridians of the foot run from the toes to the abdomen and chest cavity, flowing into the three Yang Wu Meridians of the hand. First Yin, then Yang, tempering the blood and vital energy until they converge in the Dantian before advancing to the stage of blood refining."

As Jia Tang shouted, the soldiers absorbed vital energy in turn, increasing their martial blood and refining their blood essence.

As time went on, everyone's faces began to flush, and large beads of sweat began to appear.

Jia He glanced at the water clock beside him and realized that it was already 9:45 AM. He shouted, "The time has come! Get up quickly and go to the west side to practice martial arts one by one!"

As the soldiers fought in pairs, Jia He whispered, "General, it's getting late, we should head back."

Jia Tang nodded, led the group around and walked out of the manor. When they reached the stable outside the manor gate, they met up with the guards on duty at the gate. The group mounted their horses and rode off towards Xianjing in the east.

···

At noon, in the front hall of Ningguo Mansion,

A large octagonal table was set up in the hall, upon which a sumptuous feast was laid out. Jia Tang, dressed in a black military robe with gold trim, sat at the head of the table, with the city patrol censor Sun Che sitting beside him.

The two toasted each other and chatted happily.

A short while later, after the meal was finished and the leftovers were cleared away, the maids served tea. Jia Tang then began to probe, "Where is Lord Sun from?"

Sun Che replied, "My ancestral home is Suqian in Huai'an Prefecture. I once went north alone to study. Fortunately, I received financial assistance from Taishan and was able to make a living by adopting a courtesy name. Later, I was fortunate enough to pass the imperial examination and enter the Censorate. Now I have settled down in Huoxian County, Shuntian Prefecture, and my life is not bad."

"Oh? If it weren't for the support of the gentry, the position of the Five City Patrol Commissioner, which only the thirteen circuit inspectors could hold, must have some hidden story?"

Sun Che sighed and said, "You don't know this, but after I first ascended the throne, I sold my wealth in Mount Tai and presented 60,000 taels of silver to the then Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. That's how I got into the capital and was recognized by His Majesty. To this day, my father-in-law and mother-in-law still live with me in the same courtyard."

"Unfortunately, I, Xiuwen, have yet to understand the principles of governance. As an official, I have neither a background nor a political affiliation. So far, I have been merely going around in circles within Xianjing, from the south of the city to the south of the city, and from the west city to the east city."

Jia Tang stared intently at him: "You're lying. How could you listen to music with Xu Yuan and the others if you have no connections?"

His voice was indifferent, and his eyes were like knives.

Seeing the other party's gaze, Sun Che hurriedly explained, "It's common knowledge within the Censorate that Lord Lü's nephew has come to the capital for business. I heard that Minister Xu's son and the eldest son of a prominent family in Jiangnan were also there, so I planned to surrender. Who knew that Lin Jibai was..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Tang's face showed a hint of apology, and he bowed, saying, "Ah, this is truly a coincidence. Otherwise, given our cooperation last year, I would never have interfered with Lord Sun's path to advancement."

Sun Che took a deep breath, stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "I only hope that Lord Jia will not despise my meager abilities and talents, and I am willing to serve as a clerk under your command."

Jia Tang laughed heartily, helped him up, and said cheerfully, "Lord Sun is a man of both virtue and talent, learned in the classics and upright in conduct. It is a blessing for the Jia family to have Lord Sun."

After speaking, he hesitated for a moment and said, "I wonder if Lord Sun is aware of the conduct of us military officers, which has always been... towards traitors."

Sun Che's expression turned serious, and he bowed as he replied, "I know that the Tu family was wiped out. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but all I want now is to lead my parents-in-law, who have been so kind to me, and my wife to a good life. I don't care about anything else."