Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

On the fifth day of the fifth month of the fourth year of Changwu, at the third quarter of Chen hour, at Zhangjiawan Wharf in Tongzhou.

Since the Liao and Jin dynasties, Zhangjiawan has gradually developed into a vital waterway and land transportation hub due to the opening of the Luhe River and the Tonghui River, and is known as the "First Wharf of the Grand Canal".

After the primordial energy of heaven and earth was restored, the land continued to expand, the Grand Canal became wider and the water flowed swiftly and rapidly, and Zhangjiawan, which is adjacent to the capital, was expanded many times.

Merchant ships coming and going, grain transport ships, and passenger ships traveling by boat—official vessels and passenger boats—gathered here, their music and singing filling the air, making it a truly prosperous place.

At this moment, on one side of the Zhangjiawan official ship dock, a two-story official ship bearing the flags of "Rongguo Mansion", "Gusu Forest" and "Salt Patrol" slowly moored at the shore.

The strong servant put down the board, and many rough-looking women and young servants hurriedly carried the goods and loaded them onto the carriages.

A moment later, as the goods were loaded onto the cart, a graceful and elegant woman, leading a delicate and slender young woman, slowly stepped off the cart with the help of maids and servants. They entered a waiting sedan chair and set off for the capital.

At 1:15 AM, a convoy carrying the Rongguo Mansion's banner slowly entered Xianjing City.

The bustling crowds and prosperous scene along the way prompted the mother and daughter inside the sedan chair to lift a corner of the curtain and gaze intently at the sight.

The elegant noblewoman's eyes were filled with emotion. She hadn't been here for twenty years, and the capital city had become increasingly prosperous. Even the sickly beauty in her arms was looking around with great curiosity.

Suddenly, a troop of cavalrymen dressed in silver uniforms embroidered with eagles roared past on the street ahead, leaving behind a series of loud roars that echoed in all directions.

"Jia Tang, the deputy commander of the Western Division, destroyed another large bandit stronghold at Jianshan, a branch of the Taihang Mountains in Baoding Prefecture, the day before yesterday, rescued 107 citizens of Dazhao, and beheaded more than 1,000 bandits."

"Lord Jia's campaign to suppress bandits in the capital lasted for more than four months. He destroyed a total of 38 bandit strongholds in the mountains and forests, 26 bandit strongholds in rivers and lakes, and 12 bandit markets in the mountains. He also beheaded more than 20,000 bandits, which has completely eliminated the bandit problem in the capital region."

"The name of Jia Yuyin, the fierce tiger of Ningguo Prefecture, terrifies the entire northern bandit community."

···

The Rongguo Mansion was quite noisy today, because relatives and guests had arrived.

Jia Min, the eldest daughter of the family who married into Yangzhou, returned to the capital with her cousin to visit relatives, much to the delight of the family, young and old.

The old lady hurriedly ordered her granddaughter-in-law, Wang Xifeng, to lead a large number of servants and maids to clean the side rooms and courtyards, which was done in a lively and bustling manner.

She immediately sent someone to find Jia Baoyu and the three sisters of the Spring Festival, so that they could come and get to know Jia Min.

When Bao Geda learned that a graceful and noble aunt had come to the mansion and had given birth to a beautiful younger sister, he excitedly entered Grandmother Jia's courtyard. However, a short while later, he covered his face and ran out in a panic.

Inside Rongqing Hall of Rongguo Mansion, Grandmother Jia sat on the high seat of the soft couch, embracing her daughter Yu'er, while Jia Min sat beside her with an unfriendly expression.

To the left sat Jia She, who had a half-smile, and Madam Xing, who was gloating. To the right sat Jia Zheng, whose face was flushed, and Madam Wang, whose face was ashen. Below them were the three sisters of the Spring Festival, who dared not breathe.

Jia Min looked at the silent Jia Zheng and his wife and sneered, "Second brother, look at the fine son you've raised! Tsk tsk tsk, he comes up here wanting to read his younger sister's palm, ask for her birth date and time, and even wants to give her a courtesy name. Does this kind of fool deserve to be the legitimate son of my Jia family, worthy of the name Baoyu?"

Jia Zheng's face was flushed red, and his hand stroking his beard was still trembling slightly: "I will beat this wretched child to death, beat this wretched child to death."

"No, don't do that. Otherwise, outsiders will say that I, as the aunt, don't tolerate my young nephew."

Jia Min waved her hand, her tone sarcastic: "I suppose my second brother is too busy being an official and hasn't properly raised him. He's the good son my second sister-in-law raised."

"Good sister-in-law, how much has my nephew Baoyu studied? Has he even finished resolving his doubts? Or how many years has he practiced martial arts, his muscles and bones resonating?"

Thanks to the restoration of the primordial energy of heaven and earth, people obtained ancient cultivation methods from the secret realms of heaven and earth.

The orthodox cultivation system recognized by the dynasty is divided into two paths: civil and military.

Among them, martial arts are divided into refining the mortal realm and ascending to immortality, while literature is divided into attaining enlightenment and passing down knowledge.

The martial arts path of refining the mortal realm is divided into five stages: skin, flesh, tendons, bones, and blood. These stages are all based on the quality of the methods used, where the physical body is tempered with vital energy to transform it into a martial body.

The path to immortality consists of three stages: first, Qi Refining; second, Qi Condensation; and third, Qi Integration...

The Way of Literature is divided into two categories: Unwavering Understanding and Passing Down Through Generations. Unwavering Understanding has five stages: Enlightenment, Quiet Reading, Cultivating Character, Self-Cultivation, and Understanding Principles.

These five realms represent the stages in which a scholar comprehends his own philosophy. Although they enhance his wisdom and spirit, and sharpen his hearing and vision, they offer little boost to his combat power.

The path to transmission is as follows: first, calligraphy; second, text compilation; third, scripture engraving...

···

As Jia Min continued to question her, Madam Wang's lips trembled, but she remained silent, lowering her eyes and letting Jia Min speak.

Twenty years have passed, and Jia Min remains her nightmare, but alas...

Seeing this, Jia She was so happy that he sipped his tea with a loud smacking sound, looking completely content.

Grandmother Jia glared at Jia She, then said to Jia Min, "What nonsense are you spouting? You've only just entered the manor and you're already playing around with your brother and nephew."

"Baoyu is still young; once he settles down, he'll surely be able to..."

Jia Min waved her hand to interrupt, stating bluntly, "Eighteen is still young. You can try to make yourself happy, but I don't want to hear it."

The old lady was taken aback, but fearing that Madam Wang would offend Jia Min, she instructed, "Eldest daughter-in-law and second daughter-in-law, take the three maids to help Feng. I don't need anyone to serve me."

Lady Wang and Lady Xing accepted the order and led Sanchun and many maids and servants away.

After everyone left, Grandmother Jia's expression changed, and she hurriedly asked, "Min'er, what exactly happened? It's your first time returning to the mansion after twenty years of marriage, and it's all so abrupt."

Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Jia Min's eyes immediately reddened. She got up and knelt in front of the old lady, sobbing, "Mother, Ru Hai was assassinated. Ten of the Lin family's old servants are gone. Fortunately, they were saved by the help of other forces."

"I intend to take Yu'er under your care for a while during this trip to the capital, so that she can serve you in my place."

Grandmother Jia and Lin Daiyu were stunned upon hearing this, while Jia She and his companion also widened their eyes and exclaimed in surprise:

"How dare this brat bully the Rong family!"

"Huh? My Jia family's reputation can't keep out these petty scoundrels?"

Kneeling on the ground, Jia Min, with tears in her eyes, retorted, "Since that great calamity, what have you brothers done to protect the Jia family's reputation? Did you expect your second brother to indulge in refined pursuits, or did you expect your eldest brother to live a life of debauchery?"

The two were speechless after being rebuked. Jia Min continued, "Five years ago, Yu Yin from the East Mansion sent me a message asking me to pay attention to the food in the backyard. It was discovered that an old maid who had followed me south had poisoned me. Fortunately, the amount was small, and it took three years to finally remove the poison from my body."

"What? A servant poisoned him?"

The three were taken aback. Those who could accompany the young lady to her husband's family were all elders of the household, not to mention her personal maids.

"He was a suicide soldier; he hanged himself as soon as he was discovered."

Jia Min then tearfully recounted: "Two years ago, when Ru Hai was collecting salt taxes in various prefectures of Lianghuai to make up for the deficit, who would have thought that it would attract bandits and heretics? Fortunately, Yu Yin had written to the commander of Yangzhou Guard in his early years, and he helped to kill the bandits in time. Afterwards, he often led the guards to patrol the surrounding area, and with his help, we had two years of peace."

"Now the Fragrance Sect has attacked again, with numerous assassination attempts. My daughter is powerless and has no choice but to return to her parents' home for help."

After saying this, he looked at Grandmother Jia and the other two, and tearfully pleaded, "I earnestly request that Mother and my two elder brothers take care of Yu'er for a while, and also allow me to take one of my servants south to help Ru Hai."

Just then, a timid voice came from Grandmother Jia's arms: "Mother, don't you want Yu'er anymore?"