Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

Upon entering the courtyard, the spring plum blossoms blooming in the bitter cold come into view, hanging gracefully on the branches and swaying constantly in the cold wind.

Li Wan led Jia Lan to stand in front of the house, waiting for Jia Tang, who would come to the banquet at this time every year.

Wearing a floral-patterned green gauze dress and a plain velvet embroidered jacket, Li Wan's pretty face was free of makeup. She wore a red-gold filigree willow-leaf headband, and a white jade hairpin with eight treasures and pearls adorned her black hair. A pair of purple jade hibiscus earrings hung from her small, crystal-clear earlobes. She had a gentle smile on her face and bright, sparkling eyes, like a blooming orchid, so stunning that one could not look away.

Jia Tang first exchanged a glance with Li Wan, then bent down and patted Jia Lan's head, taking out a box from his pocket: "Lan'er, this is your gift for this year."

Jia Lan accepted the gift with great enthusiasm, put one hand behind his back and the other hand facing inward, and said proudly, "Please have some wine, Uncle."

With a smile in his tiger-like eyes, Jia Tang took the lead and walked into the room. He saw a square wooden table in front of the tables and chairs in the main room, on which various kinds of dishes were displayed. A pot of yellow wine, the finest daughter's red wine, was warming in a copper basin next to it.

Although Jia Tang had just returned from a banquet at the Duke of Liguo's mansion, he always left room in his stomach for this most special day of the year, just so he could have another meal here. Besides, as a martial arts practitioner, he wouldn't feel full even if he ate ten more meals.

Next, as Jia Lan kept urging him to drink and Li Wan kept adding dishes, Jia Tang clearly ate with great relish.

A short while later, after the banquet ended and the maids and servants were summoned to clean up the leftovers, Jia Tang took a sip of fragrant tea and asked, "Has Lan'er been trying to regain her figure this year?"

The third of the five realms of Wendao Buhuo is self-cultivation, which emphasizes cultivating oneself and establishing virtue, and winning people over with virtue.

In Jia Tang's view, the Way of Literature is very mysterious. It is a process of constant self-brainwashing, unlike martial arts where one can simply practice martial arts step by step. The Way of Literature requires one to understand the principles at all times, and these principles must be in line with one's own heart. Only when one's heart is thoroughly enlightened can one enter the next realm.

Jia Lan replied, "I am currently studying the moral standards for teachers."

Jia Tang shook his head, saying that all scholars in the world were the same.

"Although I am not knowledgeable in literature and philosophy, you must remember that virtue cannot be measured by things, it is not something that can be bought and sold and has a clear value. It is a person's character and cultivation, which you need to grasp yourself. But in all things, strive for a clear mind and a smooth and satisfactory life."

"Yes, Lan'er understands."

Jia Tang nodded slightly, feeling quite reassured about the intelligent Jia Lan.

Then Jia Tang began to ask questions one by one, and Jia Lan answered them in detail.

A moment later, Jia Lan got up and went back to his room to rest, leaving only Jia Tang and Li Wan, whose face was gradually turning red, in the room.

Jia Tang chuckled, took out a box from the side, and handed a jadeite plum blossom bracelet to Li Wan, saying with a smile, "Why aren't you wearing the necklace I gave you two years ago?"

During the three Spring Festivals before Jia Tang joined the army, he gave Jia Tang a hairband, earrings, and a necklace respectively.

Today, the first two items were neatly worn and dazzling, but the necklace was nowhere to be seen.

Li Wan gave Jia Tang a charmingly disdainful look and said shyly, "How can I dress up and go out after you treated me like that?"

Jia Tang chuckled and stopped pursuing the matter. He took Li Wan's slender, fair, but calloused hand and put the jade bracelet on her wrist.

"Gong Cai, you don't need to be so hard on yourself. You raised Lan'er and owe no one anything."

Li Wan's maternal clan was far more powerful than the Wang family behind Wang Xifeng. The Li family was descended from a collateral branch of a prince in the late Tang Dynasty imperial family. To this day, they have upheld the clan's principles of integrity and strict adherence to rules. The clan is renowned for both literary and martial arts, and has a history of continuous major renovations.

His father, Li Shouzhong, was the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy and the head of the third branch of the Li family. He was a late-stage first-order scholar.

Li Wan was the eldest daughter of the Li family, of noble birth. Unfortunately, she was raised by the somewhat conservative Li Shouzhong from a young age to have a quiet, indifferent, elegant and dignified nature, like an ancient well without waves in a deep alley.

After Jia Zhu's death, he was not valued by Jia Wangshi and suffered a lot of grievances, which made the relationship between Rong Mansion and Li Shi, who were originally related by marriage, become stiff and indifferent.

Although Li Shouzhong believed that a good woman should not marry twice, and disregarded the calls within the clan to bring Li Wan back, he also refused to associate with Jia Shi, displaying a very arrogant attitude.

Fortunately, in recent years, whenever the soldiers were active in the capital region, they would eventually detour to Yuhe Academy to visit Jia Lan on behalf of Jia Tang, bringing him some food and money, which eased their relationship with Li Shi somewhat.

After all, Jia Tang was a fourth-generation general of the Jia family and had a great reputation in the north. Whether it was for show or his true intentions, Li had no choice but to accept his high regard for a nephew who was good at literature.

Since Jia Tang started helping her a few years ago, she has become much more agile and her face has become more human.

"I wasn't being harsh on myself, I just didn't want to."

"Since you're unwilling, you might as well go home. That way you won't have to pay your respects to your mother-in-law every morning and evening and suffer this injustice for no reason."

Li Wan smiled gently: "If I go home, what about Lan'er? The Rong family will never let Lan'er return to the Li family with me."

"Lan'er is studying and only gets a few days off a year."

"Even though Lan'er is currently studying away from home and only takes a few days off a year, we still won't be able to see each other frequently once she gets married and starts her own family. I can't bear to part with her."

"Why can't we meet? With me here, who can stop us?"

Li Wan shook her head slightly and remained silent, her watery eyes as calm as a clear spring.

Jia Tang sighed helplessly, stepped forward and embraced Li Wan's soft and delicate body, burying his head in her neck and quietly inhaling her faint fragrance.

The palace official embraced Jia Tang, gently massaging his temples with her jade-like fingers, her tranquil eyes filled only with his image.

A beautiful woman in my arms, her fragrance soothing my soul.

Jia Tang was somewhat distracted, his hands wandering over the other person's smooth and delicate skin.

Li Wan bit her lip lightly, and gave him a shy glance with her watery eyes.

Feeling the other person's increasingly audacious actions, she reluctantly pressed down on the mischievous hand and said in a trembling voice, feigning annoyance:

"Here we go again, Lan'er hasn't gone to sleep yet."

Upon hearing this, Jia Tang did not pull his hand away, but he also stopped kneading it.

The two remained silent, simply nestled together quietly.

Time passed slowly until the moon hung high in the sky.

The candlelight cast a glow that could be seen through the wooden window: a tall figure embracing another graceful body, striding toward the inner room.

Outside the courtyard, Jia He leaned against the wall, bored out of his mind, and used his internal energy to plug his ears to avoid thinking about any unpleasant images.

···

The eighth day of the first lunar month, at 9:00 PM (Hai hour).

Jia Tang had just returned from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. He deliberately refrained from drinking that evening and, in a cheerful mood, led Jia He and the others into Ruihu Courtyard. Only after everyone had returned to their rooms to rest did he step into the inner room of the main hall.

Qingwen was seen bending over, her round, pert bottom sticking out, as she made the bed. Ever since the Spring Festival, Jia Tang had been carrying her to bed and cuddling her. Although she hadn't been defiled yet, making their bed every morning and evening made her happy.

Hearing footsteps, Qingwen turned around and found Jia Tang smiling at her. Her cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head shyly to sit on the edge of the bed.

Jia Tang shook his head and chuckled. This girl had already seen everyone naked, yet she was still so shy. He teased, "Quickly serve your master to take a bath. Today, I'll grant your wish."

Although it was Qingwen's wish, it was also Jia Tang's own wish. The reason he didn't drink alcohol at the banquet today was because he felt unwell after drinking.

Yesterday, Li Wan couldn't relax without drinking; she was only at her best when she was slightly tipsy.

With her rosy cheeks, Qingwen got out of bed and slowly walked outside. Upon seeing this, Jia Tang picked up the delicate and exquisite maid and strode towards the west wing room.

Before long, the two of them quickly washed up and got into bed together. Qingwen immediately buried her head under the covers and curled up into a ball, but she still tightly clutched a clean white silk handkerchief in her hand.

This handkerchief is to be given to the first wife to prove her innocence when she is carried into the house in the future.

Jia Tang's heart burned with desire. He reached out and pulled the pretty maid's delicate body over, then slowly pressed himself against her.