Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

"Can I go first?"

The somewhat immature words echoed in the ancestral hall, causing Jia Zheng to pause in surprise, even his hand stroking his beard froze. He had never expected his grandson to have such courage.

Upon hearing this, Jia Tang showed his approval and smiled, "That's fine. The Ning and Rong families are all the same; it doesn't matter who goes first."

Jia Lan bowed in thanks, stepped forward to take the dripping cold knife, and watched as the Tiger Guard placed a Tartar in the hall, making him kneel with his head bowed, exposing his neck.

Jia Lan took a deep breath, slowly gathered his long sword, and then slashed down fiercely.

"Pfft~"

The long sword suddenly slashed at the Tartar's neck, but Jia Lan was too young and weak, causing the blade to get stuck in his neck bone.

As the Tartars struggled, crimson blood gushed out continuously, staining Jia Lan's face with a layer of blood mist.

"Ah~"

Upon seeing this, Jia Baoyu screamed in fright and suffered another bout of hysteria, muttering something unintelligible. Jia Huan and the others beside him were no better off, their bodies trembling like leaves.

Jia Lan glanced helplessly at Jia Tang, then met his encouraging gaze. Gritting his teeth, he kicked Jia Tang in the head, drew his sword, and swung it down in a wide arc.

That didn't work either, so I drew my sword again.

After three attempts, the Tartar's head was finally cut off.

Jia Lan was covered in blood, his long sword hanging limply. As he collapsed, the Tiger Guards helped him up and took him aside to rest.

Seeing this, Jia Tang clapped his hands and exclaimed with a smile, "Lan'er has such a spirit! She is truly a fine orchid of our Jia family."

"I hereby bestow upon you the title of Commander of the Fourth Generation of the Jia Family, the eldest son of the Fifth Generation of the Rong Mansion's Second Branch, Lan, who is of refined character and outstanding talent, possessing exceptional courage and wisdom in ancestral rites and is a model for the direct line. I hereby grant you three retainers from the Fifth District and a squad of warriors from the Fourth District, to be employed by the manor. In addition, I grant you three opportunities to select treasures from the manor's treasury. I hope that you will advance in both literary and military arts!"

"Whoosh!"

Whether they were legitimate sons or collateral relatives, they were all greatly surprised upon hearing this.

They actually rewarded the retainers of the Five Realms and the soldiers of the Four Realms!

Not to mention these illegitimate sons and collateral branches, there aren't even any legitimate sons from the two households.

They might be able to seek help from their elders when they encounter trouble, and be mobilized, and then return to their ranks afterward. But this kind of retainer who directly belongs to the family is unprecedented since the establishment of the Jia family.

But when they looked at the corpses on the ground and the blood flowing everywhere, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over their heads, extinguishing the fire in their hearts.

Jia Lan's eyes widened, her breathing became rapid and labored, and the flush on her face gradually spread throughout her body.

Jia Tang looked at the remaining people silently. After waiting for a while and still not seeing a second person come out, he nodded coldly to the Tiger Guard beside him.

Afterwards, Jia Lian, who was already married, Bao Geda, who was mingling in the inner quarters, Jia Huan, who had sloping shoulders and a slanted eye, Jia Cong, who was timid and cowardly, and Jia Rong, who was fierce in appearance but weak in reality, were all brought onto the stage by the Tiger Guards.

When they were at a loss, the Tiger Guards stepped forward one by one to help them by pressing the knife and beheading them.

Afterwards, they burned incense and prayed, chanting praises to their ancestors.

Afterwards, the collateral branch went to the flower hall to wait for the banquet, while the men of the Ning and Rong mansions returned to the main hall. The women in the hall, seeing that everyone was in a daze and their robes were stained with blood, dared not say a word.

Killing prisoners as gifts was not a custom practiced by just one family or household.

Grandmother Jia sighed as she looked at her grandchildren's lingering fear, then stepped forward and said, "When going to war, elders wear armor, and brothers hold the saddle and lead the horse. When returning home, mothers and aunts remove their armor, and sisters gather their weapons and change into their clothes."

"Eldest daughter-in-law, second daughter-in-law, Zhen'er, take off your armor and weapons."

"The three maids, Yingchun sheathed her sword, Tanchun put away her bow, and Xichun changed her clothes."

It was called changing clothes, but it was really just bringing over brocade robes on a tray, since they hadn't bathed yet.

Lady Xing, Lady Wang, and Lady You rushed forward. After removing his armor and helmet, several crisscrossing wounds were visible on Jia Tang's inner robe, with dried bloodstains clearly visible on them.

Everyone was startled. Jia Zheng couldn't help but ask, "Yu Yin, you have external protective energy and internal armor, how... how could you be so badly injured?"

Jia She, standing to the side, said irritably, "It's not like you can't penetrate the protective energy and armor. Once a battle starts, it's continuous. The strength of the protective energy can't be recovered in time, and stray arrows and hidden arrows are even more difficult to defend against. Two of the late-stage first-level Tartar leaders have been killed. Anything is possible. Fortunately, they came back unharmed."

Jia Zhen, looking terrified, replied, "When I first heard Steward Xia read out the memorial of the Marquis of Pingliao in the mansion, I didn't think much of it. But seeing my second brother's injuries like this, I'm truly filled with dread."

Jia She retorted with a disdainful look, "Only you, He Zheng, who has never known anything about military affairs, could say such stupid things."

The two blushed and almost covered their faces as they fled.

Jia Tang sighed, "Fortunately, I had three generals with Tiger Guards to protect me, but eight of the thirty Tiger Guards who accompanied me on the expedition were lost, which is very painful for me."

The main reason for the huge losses was that there were several internal martial arts practitioners hiding in the two battalions of the Miaohua camp. They took advantage of the fierce battle to launch a sneak attack on the Tiger Guard and break the military formation, which led to such a huge loss!

Eight people with golden bodies and golden blood at the fifth level—if they advance to the next level, they can stand alone.

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia comforted him, saying, "It is worthwhile that you have returned, and it is an honor for them to die for their country. This time, the compensation will be paid from the public treasury of the two mansions, one thousand taels per person, fifty mu of original farmland, and one hundred and fifty mu of high-quality paddy fields. If the descendants want to study, they can be enrolled in the clan school; if they want to carry on their father's legacy, they can be taught by the family servants. The wives, children, and elderly parents will all be supported by the mansion."

"The clan school... I'll pay for the relief myself; there's no reason for the two government treasuries to pay for it."

"What nonsense are you talking about? You haven't even settled down and started your own household yet. This old woman will handle this matter. There's no need for you to say anything more."

The old lady slapped Jia Tang in displeasure and said, "Go take a bath quickly. Yuanyang, go help Qingwen wash your Master Yu."

Behind Grandmother Jia, wearing a half-new silk jacket of a matching color, with a wasp waist, slender back, and a few freckles on her oval face, Yuanyang walked gracefully behind Jia Tang, picking up a tray containing robes, amidst the envious gazes of the surrounding maids.

After thinking for a moment, Jia Tang nodded: "Then please take care of me, Grandmother. I'll go take a bath and change my clothes first."

Jia Tang led Yuanyang toward Ruihu Courtyard. He was wondering why he hadn't seen his little maid, but as soon as he entered the inner courtyard, he saw Qingwen sitting on a small stool, guarding the door of the west wing room, her cheek resting on her hand, staring at the hanging flower gate. Steam rose from the room behind her.

As soon as Qingwen saw Jia Tang, she ran over and threw herself into his arms. Seeing the wounds on Jia Tang's inner robe, her eyes welled up with tears, and she sobbed uncontrollably.

Jia Tang smiled gently, rubbed Qingwen's little head, and hugged her quietly for a while before saying, "Alright, I'm back now. The old lady and the others are still waiting upstairs."

After thinking for a moment, he whispered in Qingwen's small, fair ear, "After the New Year, I will take you into my room."

On the third day after she merged with his memories, Qingwen was given to him by Lai Sheng's mother after consulting with Grandmother Jia. Now, almost ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and she is no longer young.

In the Great Zhao Dynasty, ordinary women could only get married after the age of fifteen, and generally married around the age of twenty. Women over twenty-four were considered "leftover women," which damaged their reputation and required them to pay fines.

After entering the first level, both literary and martial cultivators can extend their lifespan by two Jiazi (60 years), so cultivators get married relatively later than ordinary people.

After feeling the warmth and words in her ear, Qingwen blushed and got out of Jia Tang's arms. She then followed Jia Yan and Yuanyang into the west wing room.

A moment later, Jia Tang, having bathed and changed his clothes, rushed to the main hall with two maids.

After chatting for a while in the main hall, everyone moved to the flower hall, where they began to congratulate Jia Tang and held a grand family banquet.

Inside the hall, many men sat together in groups. Passing through the screen, they found themselves at one table with Grandmother Jia, Madam Xing, Madam Wang, and Madam You, while Shi Xiangyun, the three sisters-in-law, and their niece-in-law shared another table.

Jia Tang had been in the army for more than half a year and hadn't had such a lavish meal in a long time. After filling his stomach, he went to the inner room to offer wine to Grandmother Jia, but was pulled away and not allowed to leave. Several of his sisters, two granddaughters-in-law, and a great-granddaughter-in-law took turns offering him wine, which made Grandmother Jia laugh heartily.

Jia Tang also took this opportunity to carefully observe Qin Keqing, who died in the Tianxiang Tower in the original novel. He saw that she was graceful and charming, delicate and slender, and every move she made exuded charm.

Looking at it, I couldn't help but feel a chill in my heart. Would Jia Zhen still be as absurd as in the original story?

There was no time to think about it now, so I could only drink the wine in my glass and figure out a solution later.

As everyone feasted and toasted, the moon slowly rose high in the sky, and two squads of soldiers led an old man with white hair and beard out of the city and headed south.

···

Meanwhile, in a secret place in Xianjing.

A middle-aged scholar dressed in a robe inscribed with landscapes and a crown adorned with the vastness of the sea stood alone, playing chess before a table with an incense burner.

A portrait hangs on the wall in front of us. The portrait depicts a scholar wearing a blue turban, a blue-collared robe with wide sleeves, large ears with exposed rims, relaxed eyebrows and beard, and slightly lowered eyes, with his hands clasped inside his sleeves.

The middle-aged scholar, holding a black chess piece, made the first move and said with a deep expression, "According to the latest intelligence, Jia Tang is suspected to have entered the late stage of the first level of Qi cultivation while hunting beasts in Liaodong. His body is completely covered with internal and external Qi, and he even hunted a second-level Yuan Beast with three of his generals. Now that he has been granted the title of Earl, it is time to lure him to Jiangnan to make a move."

From the dark, silent passage behind, a voice rang out in response: "Yes, sir!"