Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

Inside Rongqing Hall,

Lin Daiyu, already in tears, gripped Jia Min's hand tightly, her eyes resolute, and whispered, "How can a daughter abandon her parents and live alone?"

Grandmother Jia hugged the beautiful woman in her arms with heartache, but instead pulled Jia Min up and scolded her: "What are you talking about, talking about life and death? Go to the ancestral hall and ask an old temple elder to come south to protect you. That will ensure your safety."

Jia Zheng pondered for a moment: "Should we invite another scholar from the East Mansion to come south?"

Upon hearing this, Jia She shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Although it's true that you can't write two Jias with one stroke, have you calculated how many generations of mourning have you done for Rong'er? Besides, Yu Yin has already helped my sister's family many times."

"Alright, send one of the retainers south with a squad of bone-forging warriors trained by Hu'er. Also, draw twenty strong soldiers from the manor; that should be enough to quell this matter," said Grandmother Jia, interrupting the two brothers.

In this era where the primordial energy of heaven and earth has been restored for more than two hundred years, and cultivation resources and advancement methods are controlled by the imperial court, powerful clans, and aristocratic families, those at the fourth or fifth level of the Refining Mortal Realm are already rare elites.

"Mother, the elite soldiers are one thing, but the martial soldiers were trained by Yu Yin with all the resources of the Eastern Prefecture. As the Tiger Guard reserves, our Western Prefecture has hardly contributed any resources. I'm afraid this matter is..."

Grandmother Jia sighed, "Yu Yin is a good man. When he returns to the manor, I will talk to him and he will surely understand my difficulties. I will then use some resources from my private treasury to subsidize him."

After saying that, he got up and walked into the inner room.

Jia Min looked at her two elder brothers with a puzzled expression. The Jia family's Blood Refining Tiger Guard, Bone Forging Warrior, and Tendon Changing Warrior trilogy can be said to be the cornerstone of the East and West Prefectures. Why did only the East Prefecture produce resources?

Jia She glanced at Jia Zheng, who was fidgeting and looking away, and said indifferently, "Because there were no resources left to support them, Yu Yin took over everything after he found out."

Looking at their expressions, Jia Min thought for a moment and realized what was going on. She couldn't help but angrily curse, "That Jia Wangshi! Is she my Jia family's daughter-in-law or an unmarried Wang family girl? I never thought that after my father passed away, even the Wang family would start sucking our blood."

"I've been married into the Lin family for twenty years, and this is the first time I've ever asked for help. Years ago, when my young son died, I didn't say a word, but she's already eating and taking it. What a shameless Wang family woman! I suspect the old maid who poisoned her is also involved."

"You wicked woman, you foolish woman! Second brother, why don't you divorce her and send her back to the Wang family after seeing her actions?"

"Your son is also a good-for-nothing. Why not demote the legitimate wife to a concubine and elevate her to the status of a principal wife to raise children?"

Jia Zheng lowered his head and remained silent.

Hearing the commotion from inside the room, Grandmother Jia came out carrying a box carved from fire jade. She took off the tiger-head hairpin from her head, inserted it into the lock of the box, and gently turned it.

After opening it, he took out the fiery red, menacing tiger token and handed it to Jia She: "Go and invite a retainer to accompany Min'er south soon."

Jia She took the token, got up, and led Jia Zheng out of the room.

After sitting down, Grandmother Jia hugged Yu'er again and gently patted Daiyu's back to comfort her. Looking into Jia Min's eyes, she said, "There's no need to scold her. This was decided by your father when he was alive. At that time, our family was in trouble, so we made a plan to push Prince Teng to the position to protect the Jia family's stability for a while, and wait for the family to rise to power after four generations."

"So after your second brother married a woman from the Wang family, the eldest son of the first branch of the family also married a woman from the Wang family three years ago. I allowed her to access resources, but unfortunately, she has become an ingrate."

"After Feng'er married into the family, she dared to test our limits through the second son's wife. Truly, people's hearts are hard to fathom..."

"Fortunately, the East Mansion produced a tiger cub; he's someone who can't tolerate any nonsense."

Jia Min was somewhat puzzled: "Although Yu Yin is exceptionally talented, it seems a bit of a stretch for him to deal with the Wang family now."

Grandmother Jia scoffed, "Barely? The power of the founding line is now dominated by the Niu, Liu, and Hou families, but their direct descendants, including the descendants of the remaining dukes and the twelve marquises, are all gathered around Hu'er. Moreover, he holds the list of our Jia family's military protégés and former subordinates."

"Right now, it's just that we can't afford to break ties with the Wang family, and Hu'er hasn't really gone all out because of your second brother."

"Once he has a legitimate reason to act, things will be hard to say. After all, his nickname wasn't given for nothing."

Jia Min was taken aback upon hearing this, then recalled the roar of the Flying Eagle Cavalry that echoed throughout the capital when they entered the city, and nodded thoughtfully.

···

At 1:15 PM, a burly troop marched from the northwest straight towards the capital, Jia Tang, who was returning from suppressing bandits.

Upon arriving at the city gate, we avoided the crowded passageways and entered the city through Xunqi Gate, heading towards the western district of Xianjing.

Jia Tang led his household guards, the Tiger Guard, slowly along the bluestone-paved streets of Fucheng.

The streets are lined with houses, carved beams and painted rafters, and flags fluttering in the wind.

Merchants constantly called out their wares as they came and went, vendors set up stalls to sell martial arts manuals, and peddlers pushed carts while tapping bamboo tubes.

And in a teahouse, there was a silver-haired old woman dressed in red and green, very pretty, selling her energy soup while clapping her clapper and chanting. The noise was loud and bustling.

This is the bustling prosperity that can be seen everywhere in the capital city!

Jia Tang and his party passed through Jiqingfang, went through the archway, and entered Jinchengfang, the ancestral home of the Jia family's direct descendants and collateral relatives. From a distance, they could see the tall and magnificent "Ningrong Street" archway standing in front of them.

The streets inside the neighborhood were filled with burly men in tight-fitting clothes, their foreheads bulging and their eyes gleaming, patrolling the area with their hands on sharp blades.

These are the strong soldiers from the Jia family's "Tiger, Warrior, and Warrior" trilogy. They are the eyes and ears and guards on the outermost perimeter of the mansion, and the most regular armed force in the neighborhood.

Inside the archway, the magnificent mansion stretches for about two li in length and one and a half li in width, covering an area of ​​over a thousand acres. Every five steps there is a building, and every ten steps there is a pavilion. The red roofs and green tiles are layered with terraces and pavilions, and the corridors are winding with the eaves soaring high.

Two stone tigers are placed at the main entrance in a fighting posture, and above them, a red ironwood plaque is engraved with the words "Imperial Construction of Ningguo Mansion".

Above the mansion, colorful light shields appeared and disappeared intermittently, and the silhouette of a giant tiger-shaped beast could be seen flashing by. It was truly a magnificent mansion for noble families and people of high status.

Upon seeing Jia Tang and his entourage return, the burly soldiers guarding the gate, their faces lighting up with joy, quickly bowed and clasped their hands in unison, shouting, "Our lord has returned! Open the main gate!"

A loud shout, as clear as a bell, resounded through the sky, causing the guards behind the gate to hurriedly lower the doorposts and crossbeams and pull open the heavy, sturdy gate.

When they go out to suppress bandits and restore the prestige of our clan, they should be welcomed with the honors due to their military achievements!

Jia Tang dismounted at the gate, straightened his robes, and strode confidently through the central gate.

The two generals, Jia He and Jia Ping, behind them were able to lead the Tiger Guard through the side gate!

The group made their way to Ruihu Courtyard amidst greetings from maids and servants.

Halfway there, they faintly heard loud shouts coming from the training ground, so they turned back to the training ground.

In the center of the spacious martial arts training ground stood a tall flag, with the word "Jia" engraved in gold in the upper left corner, and in the middle embroidered a giant tiger with slightly closed golden eyes and a white body lying horizontally, perched on a sacred mountain shrouded in clouds and mist.

The flags shimmered with multicolored light, connecting with the array flags at the four corners of the Ning and Rong mansions to form the Five Elements Tiger Guard Array.