Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

On the east side of the training ground, the dark red Lanqi is somewhat empty, with a few scattered weapons, mainly swords, spears, and shields, as well as some bows and crossbows.

In front of Lan Qi, a group of tiger guards, dressed in tiger-embroidered armor and with long swords at their waists, were grinning gloatingly and pointing at each other from time to time.

At this moment, howls of wolves filled the training ground. More than thirty tall, muscular men, some sitting, some lying down, and some even piled on top of each other, were all red-faced and sweating profusely, panting heavily. Scattered around them were some sabers and shields with sharp blades wrapped in thick oilcloth.

Only four men remained in the arena, their arms and legs swirling with crimson blood energy as thin as gauze. They repeatedly urged their remaining blood energy to barely hold on against the relatively casual attacks of the three generals, Jia An.

Jia An, with his long face and bulbous nose, was also dressed in a satin robe with gold tiger patterns, except that the tiger embroidery on his robe was crimson. At this moment, he was shouting angrily, "Stir up your martial blood, urge the blood energy in your dantian to cover your fists and feet, and enhance your strength."

"Gather your strength and strike quickly to accelerate the flow of martial blood, absorb the medicinal power of the blood-building pill to increase martial blood, and then, after being cleansed by vital energy, transform it into blood energy stored in the dantian."

"Make your move! Martial arts, martial arts! Training and cultivation must be combined to achieve true martial arts; combat and fighting are the true path. How can you all succeed by merely cultivating without actually fighting?"

When everyone saw Jia Tang lead his men into the training ground, they lined up, knelt on one knee, and greeted him, saying, "General."

Jia Tang nodded slightly and asked Jia An, "What is this?"

Jia An bowed and replied, "Reporting to the general, these are the people who broke through their realms after you left the capital. Four people advanced from Golden Bone to Blood Refining, and seven others forged Golden Bone. Most of the remaining people are preparing to begin their seventh forging of Gold, so I gave them extra training."

"Currently, out of the two hundred warriors, twenty are of Blood Refinement, forty are of Gold Bone, sixty are of Iron Bone, and eighty are of Bronze Bone."

"Good, let's continue."

"only!"

Jia Tang gave a thumbs-up, watched quietly for a while, and then returned to Ruihu Courtyard.

Ruihu Courtyard is a three-courtyard compound located behind the You family compound and east of Tianxiang Tower. Jia Tang moved in when he was six years old and began learning martial arts.

Stepping through the main gate of Ruihu Courtyard, passing through the screen wall and the hanging flower gate, one arrives at the covered walkway.

At the end of the corridor was the west wing, which was filled with warm, misty air. A pretty young girl of about sixteen stood at the door and immediately ran to greet him with a smile that made her eyes crinkle.

This is a girl with an oval face, wearing a jade hairpin with openwork carving, a green brocade butterfly dress with cloud patterns, fair skin like jade, and a stubborn temperament.

The pretty maid Qingwen, with her bright, curved eyes and rosy cheeks, said sweetly, "Welcome Master back to the manor, let him bathe and change his clothes."

This girl is two years younger than Jia Tang. She was sent here not long after Jia Tang had integrated his memories. Although she is younger than him, she has always managed his Ruihu Courtyard inside and out in an orderly manner.

Upon entering the west wing room, a wave of heat emanated from the bathtub behind the screen.

Qingwen first rolled up her sleeves and stretched out her delicate little hands to stir the bath tub, instructing the maids and servants around her to add the Yuan medicine developed by the Imperial Medical Academy's Martial Medicine Department into the tub, causing the hot water to gradually turn blue and green, with rich Yuan energy gathering in the medicinal bath.

After dismissing everyone, Jia Tang removed his robes under Qingwen's clothes and entered the bathtub. The medicinal bath, rich in vital energy, instantly enveloped his body, causing him to let out a long, comfortable sigh.

Jia Tang leaned against the tub wall, sitting on the bath stool, his head gently resting on Qingwen's rather large purse, letting the pretty maid handle it.

As usual, Qingwen helped Jia Tang untangle his hair, chatting idly as she did so.

"Master, the West Mansion is quite lively today."

"What's wrong? Is your little one being difficult again?"

Upon hearing the words "precious gem," Qingwen's big eyes narrowed with delight, and she said in a crisp voice:

"Aunt Min, who married and moved to Yangzhou, is coming home to visit relatives today..."

Jia Tang was taken aback upon hearing this. Jia Min? Returning to the manor?

"When did you enter the palace?"

Around noon.

Jia Tang frowned slightly. During the time he was away suppressing bandits, something great must have happened in the south.

Before receiving a reply, Qingwen continued, "After Bao Er Ye entered the inner room, he first stared blankly at Aunt Min, and then chased after her to ask about Miss Biao, only to be slapped away by Aunt Min."

"He just can't think straight, and Aunt Min won't let him get away with it."

Jia Tang stopped thinking about the south and quietly enjoyed the moment. Looking at Qingwen, whose cheeks were slightly flushed and whose face was like a peach blossom, he couldn't help but smile.

"That's enough washing. Go get your official robes; we need to go to the yamen later."

Qingwen hurriedly ran to the inner room to fetch her official robes and helped her change.

Before long, Jia Tang appeared, wearing a black silk turban with iron underneath and a double-horned turban on top. He was dressed in a blue military robe with a black horned belt around his waist, a ivory plaque on his left and a jade pendant on his right. The robe was also decorated with a tiger, which, combined with his tall and strong body, made him look heroic and full of noble air.

After Jia Tang dressed in his military officer's uniform, he left the west wing and entered the east study.

The study was a forbidden area of ​​the East and West Mansions. Except for specific personnel, no one else was allowed to enter without being summoned. Anyone who entered without permission would be beaten to death.

In the antique-style room, at the far end, there is a bookshelf that connects to the beams and is embedded on the left and right sides. It is filled with neatly arranged books and letters that gleam softly.

In front of the bookshelf are chairs and tables carved from huanghuali wood. A bundle of incense sticks is inserted into the incense burner on the table, and the faint fragrance of the burning incense fills the entire room.

Jia Tang sat down in a chair, picked up the secret letter on the table, and began to read it with a blank expression.

"January 20th..."

"..."

"On March 18th, the exploration team clashed with scholars and writers under the Kong family in Quzhou County, Guangping Prefecture, resulting in the loss of four members from four different regions."

"On March 21st, the Fragrance Cult launched a night attack on Lord Lin after he left the yamen. Lord Lin's old servant and yamen runners were overwhelmed by the thieves, so we secretly came to his aid and killed the thieves."

"On March 24th, the Three Nine Secret Realm of Luoma Lake in Huai'an Prefecture will open, and the most valuable item is the Six Blood Refining Methods."

The Zhou, Liu, Lin, and Lü families of Jiangnan, along with the He family of Shunde Prefecture, the Li family of Hejian Prefecture, and the Su family of Baoding Prefecture in the north, clashed violently. The Taoist sect, which relied on incense offerings, tried to take advantage of the situation but was ultimately defeated by the combined forces.

In this battle, a total of fifty-three cultivators at the fourth realm, nine at the fifth realm, and one at the first level perished on the spot. The cultivation methods were divided among the Lin, He, and Li factions.

"At midnight on April 1, the first-level leader of the Fragrance Sect appeared at the Lin residence and threatened the master. Afterwards, the Yangzhou Guard sent troops to garrison the surrounding area, but since the last attack, more than ten days have passed and the imperial court has not sent any cultivators to help."

"At the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) on the second day of the fourth month, Lady Lin Jia boarded a salt administration official ship and headed north to the capital, presumably seeking assistance?"

"On April 16th, the Dushan Lake Secret Realm in Yanzhou Prefecture, Shandong Province, opened. The Kong family occupied it exclusively, and it is suspected that they were searching for Yuan soldiers, or damaged ones."

"On May 3rd, the Han Lake No. 19 Secret Realm in Pei County, Xuzhou Prefecture, opened. The exploration team fought against many parties and obtained a box of 348 Yuan Stones and a book of the Water Phase Five Refinement Blood Method. Twenty-eight people in the third realm, twelve people in the fourth realm, and three people in the fifth realm were lost. They have been replenished."

"On the fifth day of the fifth month, Lin Jiashi entered the mansion with her young daughter. They were followed by someone, but after arriving in the capital, an unknown force covered their tracks, and they were lost!"

After reading all the secret letters, Jia Tang's expression turned thoughtful: "Jia Min has been in the capital for over a month, and arrived today. Despite being secretly followed, she has caused no trouble along the way."

"Is the imperial court using the Lin family as bait, by not taking any action?"

Subsequently, some replies were issued, namely:

The Dharma Gate was displayed in the Exploration Team's Hall of Merit, and the Yuan Stones were transported to the capital.

"Dispatch a team to secretly guard the Lin residence; the rest remain unchanged."

He disregarded the loss of manpower. Having worked as a cleaner in Central Africa in his previous life, he had hardened his heart to the core. Moreover, now that he was in an ancient dynasty that was recovering its vitality, human life was even more worthless.

According to the secret realm's records, this world is a flat earth with a round sky, and it is vast and boundless. In ancient times, it was rich in primordial energy, abundant in resources, and a hundred races competed for supremacy. Myriad paths clashed, and powerful beings from all races emerged one after another, capable of overturning rivers and seas and chasing stars and the sun. It can be described as a golden age of cultivation.

Later, the primordial energy of heaven and earth dissipated, all paths were extinguished, and disasters continued to occur as the sky collapsed and the earth caved in. Many powerful beings traveled through the starry sky in search of a way out, but they never returned.

Seeing this, the powerful beings of various races attempted to open up secret realms in order to survive, but ultimately died in despair as their vital energy dissipated and their spiritual power faded, exhausting their lifespan.

Ultimately, the ancient continent shattered, with only the central plate remaining, evolving to the present day.

After the Tumu Crisis of the previous dynasty, the Oirat Mongols attacked the capital, launching a fierce siege for 27 days until the city fell and the Oirat Mongols were massacred.

Afterwards, various barbarian tribes broke through the passes and invaded the sea, rushing into the Central Plains to burn, kill, plunder, and commit all kinds of atrocities, leaving rivers of blood flowing.

At this critical moment, a celestial change occurred, with the sun and moon suddenly appearing in the sky, moving in parallel.

Between the moon and the sun, countless yin and yang threads emerged, hanging down in abundance. Tides of primordial energy surged between heaven and earth, causing the earth's surface to expand, mountains to rise, vegetation to grow rapidly, and dilapidated secret realms to appear in various places.

Under such drastic changes, the various barbarian tribes changed from killing to looting, capturing Han men as slaves and women to breed with in order to enrich their tribes.

In the Han Dynasty, powerful clans and aristocratic families established themselves, built up their armies, guarded their territories, developed secret realms, and studied martial arts.

The Han people and the nomadic tribes then engaged in a protracted war that lasted for more than a decade, turning the north into a meat grinder, truly a place where "corpses piled up and grass and trees smelled foul, and blood flowed red in the rivers and plains."

Eighteen years later, Chen Wei of the Jiangnan Chen Clan was the first to enter the fifth realm of the Mortal Refinement stage. He refined his blood seven times, covering his body with blood energy, and commanded 50,000 armored soldiers. He then marched south from the Huai River region to recover various places.

When he unified the south, he raised the banner of resistance against foreign tribes, and people from all over the country flocked to respond.

"When people are suffering, we must rise up; when our country is in peril, we must save it."

From this point on, the horn of counterattack was sounded. Chen Wei led his troops to first quell the sea disturbances, then suppress the wild beast rebellions, and then march north to kill the Hu people and slaughter the grasslands.

After nineteen years, the Han lands were unified, and a state was established in the capital, named "Zhao," meaning to drive out the Tartars, to declare the Mandate of Heaven to the Yellow Emperor, and to spread its power and virtue far and wide.

The Great Zhao Dynasty was established by inheriting the system of the Ming Dynasty. It adopted the reign title Anwu and took the character "Xian" as its capital, which was called Xianjing.

In the same year, a grand banquet was held to reward the officials. Those with powerful clans, outstanding martial prowess, and great merit were enfeoffed as four kings, eight dukes, and twelve marquises. It was said that Wu Xun was one with the dynasty, sharing both joy and sorrow.

The Jia family's achievement of having two members become dukes was the most remarkable in the Great Zhao Dynasty, and the Jia family's prosperity began from this point.

The Jia family has existed under Emperors Anwu and Chongwu to the present Changwu, establishing a lineage of 104 years. They are the leading figures of the military-founded dynasty, renowned and powerful in their region.

Unfortunately, it suffered a setback eighteen years ago, and its momentum was cut short.