Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

After reviewing the intelligence, Jia Tang left Ruihu Courtyard and led his household guards, the Tiger Guards, out of the mansion to the yamen to submit the dossier about the bandit suppression operation.

Logically, the Western City Military Command was only responsible for guarding the western district of Xianjing and was not involved in or allowed to go out to fight. However, there are always exceptions. Since the soldiers of the Western City Military Command could not go out, the military officers and generals could be transferred from the Beijing Garrison to lift the restrictions.

Since the person was transferred, there must be records. Submitting the case file is a process to complete the initial and final steps.

As the only authority in the western part of the capital city of Xianjing that does not require approval from higher authorities to deploy troops, the Xicheng Military Command is located in a standard four-courtyard compound at the northern end of Xixie Street in the southern part of Mingyufang.

The entire structure is built of large bluestones, with thick black tiles and flying eaves at the top corners. Inside the courtyard, pavilions and towers are interspersed, and armored soldiers stand guard back and forth, making it appear particularly solemn and dignified.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

Passing through the vermilion gate guarded by stone lions, Jia Tang stepped into the courtyard. He heard the greetings from the soldiers on duty at the gate and the armored soldiers moving back and forth in the courtyard as he arrived at the third courtyard.

The main hall and the east and west side halls of the third courtyard served as the offices of the commander and two deputy commanders. Jia Tang went straight to the main hall to pay his respects to Qiu Liang, the commander of the western division.

Qiu Liang was an old relative of the Jia family, a descendant of the Marquis of Jingtian, one of the eight dukes and twelve marquises who founded the dynasty.

Qiu Liang, a lean and somewhat unruly man, stepped forward to help Jia Tang up, pulled him to sit down, and laughed loudly, "Good Tiger, you've made quite a splash on your first trip out of the capital to suppress bandits, bringing great honor to your uncles."

Jia Tang waved his hand and replied, "It's all thanks to Uncle Qiu and all the other uncles' kindness; otherwise, how could I have such influence?"

"You, you're good at saying nice things."

Qiu Liang chuckled: "Now that you've done a good job in suppressing bandits, others can't keep it to themselves. You have no idea how ugly those old fogies in the Ministry of War look."

Jia Tang narrowed his eyes and said sarcastically, "Now that there's no one in the Ministry of War sitting down, all that's left is a bunch of corrupt scholars shoveling food into their own bowls. I suppose with my uncles helping me out, I won't suffer any losses."

"Hahaha, he's just a parasite. Besides, who would dare to let you, the leader of four generations of the founding family, suffer a loss? Your uncle will crush his balls."

Qiu Liang waved his hand dismissively, then his expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "You revealed your cultivation level outside, and Jia He also entered the Inner Strength realm, which led to the giant bandits attacking and killing you instead."

"Once you're in the capital, they'll have a hard time making their move. They might try something malicious, probably trying to lure you out of the capital."

Jia Tang nodded slightly and said solemnly, "As long as it's Liaodong, there's no need to stop them."

Qiu Liang hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Don't push yourself so hard. Our three generations of fathers can still hold out until your fourth generation rises to power. Why don't you just stay in Xianjing?"

Jia Tang shook his head. How could he break through quickly while staying in the capital? The solemn and majestic capital was too dangerous. Besides, once he entered the first level, he could barely protect himself.

Having lived two lives, Jia Tang, due to his special job in his previous life, particularly values ​​his own martial prowess and the armed forces of his direct descendants.

In his previous life, Jia Tang was a cleaner in Central Africa who made a living by cleaning up fish on the list of those who were about to die. After finishing his work one day, he went to a black bar in the south of Jinxia City to have some fun and release the anger in his heart. After returning to his residence, he fell into a deep sleep and never woke up, his consciousness in a daze.

It wasn't until Jia Tang in this life was twelve years old and forged his jade bones that he awakened his memories of his past life, and realized that he had come to this world of "Jade Belts Hanging in the Forest, Golden Hairpins Buried in the Snow," a world of "A Thousand Red Flowers Weeping, Ten Thousand Beauties Grieving Together," a world of revival and martial arts fantasy.

In this life, he is the second legitimate son of the fourth generation of the Ningguo Duke's Mansion in the capital of the Great Zhao Dynasty. His father is Jia Jing, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the year Yimao, his elder brother is Jia Zhen, a hereditary third-rank general, and his younger sister is Xichun, one of the three sisters of the Spring Festival.

Born in the year of Grain Rain in the thirty-fifth year of Chongwu, he is now twenty years old in the fourth year of Changwu. His courtesy name is Yu Yin, which means Jade Tiger.

Born with a golden body and abundant blood and energy, he was established from a young age as the fourth generation general of the Jia family and the leader of the founding line of the dynasty.

He currently holds the position of Deputy Commander of the West City Division of the Five Cities Military Command, and is responsible for maintaining order, fire prevention, and dredging the Ju Canal and streets in the West City River Channel West Ward, Mingyu Ward, and Xianyi Ward.

Over the past eight years since awakening and merging memories, he has upheld the foundation of the Ningguo Prefecture, trained his personal guards and cultivated a core group of soldiers, and secretly established an intelligence agency.

At the same time, he also cultivated diligently. With his innate talent and unique cheat ability, he successfully broke through the path to immortality at the beginning of the year, entered the first level of Gang Qi Realm, reached the peak of Inner Gang Qi, and added 60 years to his lifespan.

What is Gang Qi?

Gang Qi is a martial arts energy with special attributes, formed by the continuous tempering of blood and qi through the internal organs and the transformation of primordial qi through the internal organs.

It is a protective aura that naturally emerges when a martial artist's internal organs are strengthened to a certain extent.

There is a song that goes: "When the Qi rises to the Five Palaces, evil spirits will melt away. When the generals of the Six Palaces arrive, the fierce spirits will shatter the clouds." This is exactly what it means.

In the early stage of the Gangqi Realm, the internal organs are refined into inner Gangqi, and the five senses are filled with Gangqi. Gangqi can be attached to weapons, allowing for brief levitation.

The third stage of the intermediate refinement is the external force, which connects to the four limbs and allows the force to be released outwards, enabling flight by controlling the force.

The later stages of the three refinements involve the body being enveloped in protective qi, leaving nothing flawed, both internally and externally.

Once the Qi is perfectly unified, one can open the Niwan Palace and break through to the second stage of the Divine Soul.

After Jia Tang broke through to the first level, his top-notch cultivation techniques, combined with his naturally strong physique and astonishing foundation of reaching the limit of all five realms of mortal cultivation, gave him the confidence to leave the capital.

Just then, a soldier was ambushed and killed by bandits, giving Jia the opportunity to wipe out the bandits in the capital region and restore the Jia family's prestige.

"Really, it's alright, Uncle Qiu."

"Alright, you're a smart kid. Your old man can't make decisions for you. By the way, come back to the manor with me after the yamen. Your sister keeps saying she misses her brother Yu Yin."

Jia Tang politely declined Qiu Liang's invitation to dine at his residence, mainly because Qiu Liang's daughter was too young and clingy.

He got up and returned to the side hall, preparing to handle some accumulated official business before leaving the office.

Upon entering the west hall, Jia Tang saw several dashing young men calmly sipping Yuan tea on two rows of round chairs below the main seat, putting on quite a show.

Everyone gathered Jia He and his personal guards, along with a few others, at a tea table at the end of the seating area, discussing recent developments in the capital.

Upon seeing this, Jia Tang looked surprised: "You've all come together."

"We just came back from hunting in the Western Hills, and as soon as we entered the city, we heard that you had returned to the capital. We were planning to have a welcome dinner for you tonight."

As soon as Jia Tang entered, everyone in the hall stood up. The person who spoke stood at the lower left, wearing a brocade robe with a picture of a bull crushing a mountain. He was Niu Chengxian, the second son of the Duke of Zhenguo, one of the eight founding dukes.

The remaining sons, from right to left, are Liu He, the eldest son of the Duke of Liguo; Hou Zunqi, the eldest son of the Duke of Xiuguo; Chen Chong, the second son of the Duke of Qiguo; and Ma Yong, the second son of the Duke of Zhiguo.

These five individuals, all around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old and possessing the first level of Immortal Ascension cultivation, held official positions in the Immortal Capital's Martial Guard and government offices, and were the fourth-generation leaders of the various prefectures of the Eight Dukes.

Dressed in a magnificent robe embroidered with sacred trees, Liu He smiled and replied, "Brother Tiger, did you enjoy the bandit suppression this time? How were the spoils?"

"We had a good time, but the bandits didn't have anything of value in their treasury."

Before Liu He could reply, Hou Zunqi pushed his way forward and asked, "The prefecture said you've reached the first rank, is that true?"

"The promotion I received at the beginning of the year."

"Okay, okay!"

Hou Zunqi clapped his hands excitedly and shouted, "Such a rapid breakthrough in the Jade Body High Refinement Blood Realm! Brother Tiger is a peerless genius of our time, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people!"

Chen Chong, standing to the side, egged him on: "Monkey, Tiger Brother has advanced to the next level, why don't you two spar a bit?"

"What's the point of fighting? Just get beaten up."

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this. Everyone present had been beaten down by Jia Tang, but the fact that Hou Zunqi had been beaten the most times because of his younger brother made them laugh whenever they thought of it.

Five years ago, the fourth son of the Duke of Xiuguo's family was beaten up by Jia Tang for speaking rudely. Hou Zunqi, as the elder brother, felt he had lost face and vowed to teach Jia Tang a lesson in the future.

At that time, Jia Tang had just completed his third blood refinement, and his blood and qi were in a state of agitation. He grabbed the Xuanhu Cudgel and blocked the entrance of the Duke of Xiu's mansion, beating down four generations of his descendants from the bottom to the top.

Hou Zunqi, who had undergone six blood refinements, was unconvinced and challenged Jia Tang three times in a one-on-one fight, a group brawl, and a sneak attack. Each time, he failed and was beaten up. From then on, he was completely convinced of Jia Tang's abilities and respected him in every way.

Hou Zunqi was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed by the laughter, and said angrily, "Alright, alright, what are you laughing at? It's like you've never been beaten before."

Ma Yong said with a sly grin, "I lost to Brother Tang once because I wasn't careful, unlike some silly monkey who got beaten up many times over."

Chen Chong added, "And they were even defeated by the weak."

Liu He, who had just taken a sip of tea, burst out laughing, spraying tea all over Ma Yong's face. He was overjoyed.

After a round of laughter and joking, Chen Chong suggested, "Let's go to a concert tonight and introduce Tiger Brother to the courtesan I've recently taken a liking to."

Niu Chengxian asked, "The one from Xiangyu Garden?"

"Yes, I haven't redeemed her yet."

Upon hearing this, Liu He retorted, "Come on, every time you take a fancy to someone, you redeem them, play with them for a year, and then release them back home as free men. You've ruined the reputation of our founding military hero's fourth-generation heir for his debauchery."

Chen Chong scoffed, "What do you know? Who else is like you, only caring about the maids in the mansion all day long, and even more so about the courtesans outside? Some of them may not be virgins, but they know a lot."

"..."

Before Ma Yong could speak, Chen Chong launched the first attack: "And you, you're no better. You go to the brothel every month on your day off and don't even redeem the women from their servitude. You're a beast!"

"..."

Chen Chong then looked at Hou Zunqi, remembering that he was a martial arts fanatic. He pursed his lips and then turned to look at Niu Chengxian.

When Niu Chengxian saw Chen Chong staring at him, he was shocked and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Alright, alright, I'll treat you tonight."

Upon seeing this, Jia Tang burst into laughter, for this old ox also had a peculiar habit, a family tradition passed down through generations.

"Let's go then, we've been out here for four months and our mouths are practically watering."