Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

Jia Tang held the list, his eyes gleaming, and his tone was somewhat excited: "There are quite a few good things here, and quite a lot of them are second-tier."

But some doubts remain: "The name doesn't seem to fit with your Golden Fire Tiger's techniques, so can they all be used?"

The most fundamental difference between Jin Huohu's two secret manuals and his Heavenly Chapter lies in the internal and external aspects of the Five Elements.

The essence of Tianzhang's cultivation is not bound by any distinction between Yin and Yang in terms of primordial energy or qi; it can all be comprehended through visualization diagrams.

Secret texts are not suitable. Although practitioners can comprehend other visualization diagrams, their own qi is so violent and sharp that they cannot learn any of the yin, yin, cold, or desolate aspects.

For those at the second stage of martial arts cultivation, the most important thing is visualization. Whether it's condensing martial patterns or condensing qi into liquid, it's indispensable.

Visualization diagrams are further divided into those inherited within the cultivation method, belonging to a continuous system, and those obtained separately from secret realms outside the cultivation method, which are categorized as self-examination and supplementation.

Jia He smiled wryly, nodding and then shaking his head: "It can be used by force, but it's not handy. It doesn't belong to the same type of Qi, so it's only more durable than our Xuanjin Blade."

"So it's only good for close combat, but not for ranged attacks like unleashing sword energy?"

That's how it is right now.

Jia He sighed and added, "We have no shortage of methods for refining mortals, nor of second-order visualization diagrams. What we lack is a method for tempering the corresponding Qi."

"What visualization diagrams are in the esoteric texts you practice?"

Upon hearing this, Jia He glanced at his general with a puzzled look, realizing that the general must not have reviewed the Golden Fire Manual after reaching the second rank.

"Gengxi Extreme Killing Diagram, Sharp Metal Breaking Evil Diagram, Mountain Lord Suppressing Qi Diagram."

He added, "The third and fourth brothers possess the Li Nan Chi Hui Diagram, the Ding Huo Lian Mo Diagram, and the Shan Jun Yu Qi Diagram."

They are both metal and fire.

Jia Tang frowned slightly and asked, "Have you fully comprehended the three visualization diagrams obtained in the secret realm: the Taiyin Star Chart, the Imperial Sword and Moon Chart, and the Frost Sword Piercing the Stars Chart?"

"Even the offerings have been enlightened, but unfortunately we are too dull-witted to comprehend even a fraction of it."

"Then let's do it. Since they're all incomplete anyway, getting some Yuan weapons is better than nothing."

The only Yuan soldiers in the house are the Tiger Demon Extermination Banner and the Golden Rainbow Boat. The Xuanjin Blade, the Melting Gold Blade, the Fire Demon Bow, and the armor are all precious weapons.

This is already quite good in organized battles across the land, but it doesn't provide any boost to individual retainers. All of the above relies on a solid foundation to fight against enemies wielding Yuan weapons, and now it can be considered as barely making up for the lack of means to deal with the enemy.

Jia Tang pondered the usefulness of these things and, after much thought, decided that the best way to maximize their value would be to wait until Lin Daiyu's cultivation level improved and then have her train her own female guards.

Once this thought arose, without further consideration, he left the study and, with the two maids in tow, headed towards the West Mansion's flower hall.

Upon arriving at the flower hall, the masters of both households arrived together, with the men outside and the women inside. Jia Tang originally intended to stay outside, but was called into the inner room by the old lady to be with the sisters.

The women around started to lift the curtains, set up the backrests, lay out the mattresses, and arrange the tables and chairs.

After everyone took their seats, the maids stood by holding whisks, rinsing bowls, and towels. After everyone rinsed their mouths and washed their hands, Li Wan served the rice, Wang Xifeng set out the chopsticks, and Qin Keqing held the plates, and they began to eat.

Seeing Lin Daiyu's cautious manner while eating, Jia Tang turned to the three sisters and said, "Since this is a family banquet, there are no strict rules. Please eat as much as you like, sisters."

Xichun breathed a sigh of relief, grinned at Jia Tang, then relaxed her shoulders, shifted her bottom back, bent slightly, picked at the food in front of her, and happily ate, shaking her little head.

Yingchun and Tanchun relaxed their sitting postures slightly, and Lin Daiyu secretly observed the three sisters' behavior and quietly made some changes accordingly.

Xue Baochai, on the other hand, was dignified and beautiful, and every move she made was that of a lady of exceptional refinement.

Grandmother Jia put down her white jade and ivory chopsticks and complained to Jia Tang, "You, you just spoil them. No matter how well this old woman teaches them, it's not as good as how well you, their older brother, spoil them."

Jia Tang didn't argue, and happily put a piece of tender lamb steamed with milk on Jia Mu's plate.

The old lady was amused and, after shaking her head helplessly, began to eat.

After the meal, everyone rinsed themselves with warm water and returned to the main hall. Jia Tang, recalling the plot of the original novel, asked, "Has Lin Daiyu's accommodation been arranged?"

The old lady laughed and said, "You little rascal, you even reminded me to come. Look at you, you're only a little older and you already want to be in charge. Everything is settled, all thanks to your sister-in-law Lian."

Jia Tang then turned his gaze to Wang Xifeng's face. The fiery-looking woman looked somewhat puzzled: "The old matriarch originally wanted me to clean up the back of the green gauze cabinet, but then she instructed me to clean the same courtyard as two years ago."

Grandmother Jia chuckled and added, "I originally wanted Baoyu to move out, but this old woman feels that it's better for a young lady to stay close to her sisters."

Jia Tang looked at the old lady suspiciously, wondering if her actions that morning had changed her mind.

"That would be best. My sister is in mourning and living with you means she cannot set up a memorial hall to fulfill her filial duties."

Having said that, seeing that everything was finished, he chatted for a while longer before getting up and leaving.

Those inside the room, seeing his thoughtful expression as he walked away, all sensed Jia Tang's deep protectiveness towards Lin Daiyu.

···

One month later, on May 10th, at the garrison of the Three Thousand Camps north of Xianjing City.

The Beijing garrison had three locations: the Fifth Army's Xishan Camp, which housed the field troops west of the city; the Shenji Luhe Camp, which housed the long-range troops south of the city; and the Sanqian Pingyuan Camp, which housed the raiding troops north of the city.

In the camp of Marquis Wu Ying, Jia Tang stood on the command platform in full armor, with three square formations of soldiers below him, all wearing armor and helmets, their expressions solemn.

After looking around, Jia Tang shouted, "After more than a month, the newly added third battalion has been fully recruited. Today, all three battalions under my command are fully equipped and their personnel are ready to be assigned to their respective battalion headquarters."

"The First Light Cavalry Battalion's guerrilla general is Xu Yunshan, and the captains are Ma Yong, Lin Jimin, and Chen Chong. The rest remain unchanged for now."

"The guerrilla general of the 2nd Infantry Battalion is Niu Chengxian, and the captains are Li Shui, Zhang Kedi, and Wang Tian."

"The third cavalry battalion's guerrilla general is Liu He, and the commanders are Liu Ruoniu, Hou Zunqi, and Xu Peng."

"Start training today, with training at sunrise and rest at sunset for three months, with one day off per month."

"Food is plentiful, meat is served every day, and pay is double. You should know that although we are in the Beijing garrison, we are paid the pay of the border army. Therefore, with such generous treatment, all military laws are strictly enforced."

"A battalion-level competition will be held in March. The strong will rise and the weak will fall. Even your battalion commanders can be challenged."

"So take this opportunity to cultivate quickly and rise to the challenge."

"Beat the drums, drill!"

"only!"

The voices of nearly ten thousand people blended into one, like a thunderclap.

Afterwards, each battalion began to train. In the morning, they first had an hour and a half of cultivation, followed by physical training, which included weightlifting, wrestling, and physical fitness exercises. These were methods that Jia Tang combined with some knowledge from his previous life, such as frog jumps and push-ups.

In the afternoon, there were two hours of martial arts training, and in the evening, there was weapon and formation training. In the early stages, the main focus was on learning the marching in formation from the previous life, followed by square formations, circular formations, goose formations, and so on.

"Boom boom boom!" The war drums thundered across the azure sky.

Led by their military officers, the soldiers began their arduous training, chanting slogans. If they could stand out in the competition three months later and become military officers directly, then even dying would be worthwhile.