Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

In the study of Ruihu Courtyard, Jia Tang received two secret letters from the Jia family. He initially thought they were about matters in Jiangnan, but they turned out to be about changes in the Northwest.

One document is from the Northwest Gui Branch of the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce Exploration Team, Gui Chou Squad: "On August 28th, all 67 members of the Sun family, both legitimate and illegitimate, were accounted for."

On September 1st, while passing through Chijianling, southwest of Lan County, Shanxi Province, I happened to discover a hidden stronghold of the incense-burning sect.

On September 5th, a sorcerer allegedly bewitched the common people of the surrounding counties and towns, causing them to kowtow and climb the mountain, seemingly on a devout pilgrimage?

"On the ninth day of the ninth month, we prepare to delve deeper into the mountains for exploration..."

Another document belongs to the Gui-Mao squad of the Northwest Gui branch: "On September 20th, Gui-Mao arrived at the Gui-Chou stronghold, which was destroyed. They found a hidden mark in the earthen wall of a house in the southwest and deciphered the code: There is a deep cave on the mountain, the earth inside is scarlet, with a strange and sweet fragrance, and a mound of earth that looks like there are remains..."

On September 25th, to avoid further alerting the enemy, the officers and soldiers of the Gui Si and Gui Wei periods were stationed at key points in Lan County, Lin County, and Xing County to gather information and gather intelligence.

"On September 27th, more than ten commoners from each of the three counties entered Chijian Ridge, but none of them came out again..."

Jia Tang finished reading the secret letter with a furrowed brow. Another squad was gone?

In such moments, disappearance is death.

The Qingyun Chamber of Commerce's exploration teams are divided into two major teams and ten sub-teams based on the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, each led by a ten-member manager.

Furthermore, the system is based on matching Yang stems with Yang branches and Yin stems with Yin branches. Each team is divided into six squads, totaling sixty squads. Each squad has two captains and two deputy captains, each with a five-realm leader, and members with a four-realm leader and substitutes with a three-realm leader.

These people were all elite warriors created by the five great elders using secret methods and abundant resources. Although they progressed quickly, their combat strength was average.

Although the force appears large, it is unable to make any waves in the vast expanse of the Zhao Kingdom, which is rapidly expanding. It can only establish a foothold in some important cities and passes, explore the surrounding secret realms, and cooperate with the ten escort teams of the official merchant guild to transport resources.

The Wuyin team from Lianghuai was wiped out a while ago, and now another team has been lost in Shanxi!

"Located in Taiyuan? Within the territory of Sanguan Town, our territory of the Eight Prefectures of Xianjing has been infiltrated to this extent?"

"Pilgrimage? Worship of the Holy Church?"

"Weren't these sorcerers all wiped out by the first Duke Ningrong? It was only later that their leader, who had escaped, committed a self-destruction-style suicide attack in the later years of the two dukes."

The Holy Worship Sect was one of the three major religions of Taoism. It was a heretical sect that arose during the period of confrontation between the Han people and foreign tribes before the founding of the nation. Its methods were extremely bloody, and it was wiped out by the founding line, especially the two brothers of the Jia family in their early years.

"Is it a resurgence, or just a pretense?"

After pondering for a while, Jia Tang shook his head, his eyes cold and piercing. If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't think about it anymore; he would search through his thoughts first.

"Jia He, send word to the Duke of Liguo's mansion about this matter, and have Uncle Liu send a suicide squad to investigate the situation here, and also have the garrison cultivators of the Three Passes Town provide remote support."

"Then have the Ministry issue a document to the newly established Taiyuan Left Guard, starting from Mengjiayu, to strangle the bandits in the major mountain ranges to the east. It's a good opportunity to train the troops. Inform Wu Gang to keep a close eye on any suspicious activity in the mountains and forests."

The Shanxi Military Commandery was under the jurisdiction of the Rear Army Commandery, and the Sanguan Town was part of the founding lineage. Liu Fang, as the Vice Commander of the Rear Army Commandery, could mobilize both the general commander of the military town and the garrison in Shanxi.

The previous commander of the Taiyuan Left Guard died during the suppression of the rebellion in Shanxi by Prince Teng. The newly appointed commander is Wu Gang, the third-generation nobleman of the Chuanning Marquis's Mansion, one of the twelve marquises, and is indeed one of their own.

"only!"

"By the way, what's the situation in Fengyang Prefecture?"

The deputy banner commander of the Tiger Fiend Banner, who was originally assigned to Cui Shulin, the fifth official, to relay messages, had long been taken back, leaving him without a means of real-time communication.

Later, he secretly sent the elders of the Niu clan to Liaodong so that they could be informed immediately of any changes.

The other deputy flag was taken by Jia Ping as a backup.

Jia Tang often wondered why, among so many secret realms, they couldn't uncover any ancient methods of long-distance communication.

Upon hearing this, Jia He pondered for a moment, sorting through the various pieces of information in his mind, and replied, "The secret letter was sent three days ago. The Grand Elder signed an alliance with the Li family on your behalf, and then sent three great scholars, including the head of the second branch of the Li family, south."

"Judging from past experience, when the Second Elder sees strong reinforcements, he will not sit idly by and wait for death. He will take the initiative to set bait to lure the other party into a trap. I expect news will come soon."

Jia Tang nodded, then asked, "Where are Jia Ping and Jia An?"

"We've emerged from the pass; battle reports are expected soon."

Jia He then suggested, "General, with you in charge of the capital, along with my colleagues from the other eight prefectures, we are sure to be safe and sound. Why don't we let the fourth brother also come out of seclusion to cooperate with the second brother to expand the results of the battle and accelerate the collection of the blood and qi needed for other comrades to break through to the second stage?"

Jia Tang shook his head and said calmly, "The entire court is watching us. If our two families sneak out of the pass to kill some foreign tribes, even if we are discovered, no one will say anything. After all, foreign slaves are more valuable, and we are all bloodthirsty. But if we kill too many, it will be hard to explain."

Jia He's lips twitched. Given the second son's personality, how could it be just a little?

"only!"

"Order the Gui Mao squad to act according to the circumstances if a battle breaks out at Chi Jian Ridge, and to withdraw immediately if nothing happens in the next ten days."

"only!"

Jia He nodded in agreement, then said, "General, why do I feel that you've been acting more cautiously lately, especially after the trip to Shanxi?"

Based on his own general's past style, he should have already marched south and slaughtered Fengyang and the surrounding prefectures and states.

Jia Tang rubbed his temples and sighed, "I thought that once I reached the second level, I would be invincible, or at least be able to suppress the imperial court. But some time ago, Uncle She told me something secret. The Chen family has been playing a big game since the founding of the dynasty."

"But there's no rush. I have other opportunities to deal with this matter. We just need to wait for Jia Ping to return, so we should play it safe."

Jia He seemed to be deep in thought, nodded slightly, and said nothing more.

At noon, after having his meal, Jia Tang went to the underground secret chamber to cultivate and contemplate the diagram.

It has been almost a year since the breakthrough to the second stage during the New Year Festival, and the Qi condensation liquid is less than 10%.

Although he could sense that the concentration of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was still rising, it was still not enough for his foundation, which was pushing him to his limits step by step, leaving him with a feeling of being stuck in a dried-up pond.

As for supernatural abilities, second-tier cultivators in both the literary and martial arts paths can only condense nine supernatural ability patterns, but these supernatural abilities can be replaced or changed before breaking through to the third-tier talismanic stage.

Jia Tang's nine martial runes have all been condensed. The next step is to continuously enhance his supernatural powers while transforming his internal energy into liquid.

This feeling is somewhat like Jia Tang's understanding of building a house in his previous life. Refining the mortal realm is like laying the foundation. The larger, deeper, and thicker the foundation, the more stable it will be. The first stage is like selecting high-quality building materials, the second stage is like selecting load-bearing walls, and the formal construction begins when you enter the third stage.

Calming his mind and clearing his chaotic thoughts, Jia Tang immersed himself in the fantasy image until he had about 30% of his consciousness left and was feeling slightly tired before withdrawing.