Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

"Brother, are you just saying sweet nothings to coax your sister?"

Jia Tang, his face serious and earnest, said, "The color, aroma, and taste of the soup—the first two alone are very pleasing to the eye..."

He paused for a moment, noticing that Lin Daiyu's face was flushed with shyness, making her delicate and refined features appear even more charming.

Did Lin Daiyu think he was using objects to symbolize people?

It was a lucky accident.

"It tastes good."

Jia Tang picked up the soup, took a small sip, praised it, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, before smacking his lips with obvious enjoyment.

"My sister's soup is very good, but it's a pity there's not enough."

Lin Daiyu, with her clear and bright eyes, smiled and said, "Brother, don't worry, I'm here..."

She paused, then chuckled softly, "But I cooked a whole pot of it! Knowing you like it, how could I not let you enjoy it to your heart's content?"

"Zijuan, go to the small kitchen and bring the soup pot."

Jia Tang's face stiffened. Although the soup Lin Daiyu had cooked tasted pretty good, she had discarded all the ingredients, leaving him with nothing but water.

Lin Daiyu noticed his unusual behavior, but her smile remained unchanged as she asked, "What's wrong? Brother, you don't want to drink anymore?"

"No, I love soup the most."

Lin Daiyu nodded in satisfaction: "Putting everything else aside, I'm sure you'll have plenty of soups and dishes here to drink your fill."

"..."

In the days that followed, Jia Tang experienced both pain and joy. Lin Daiyu went to great lengths to cook soups and meals for him, ostensibly to show her concern for her brother.

On the other hand, perhaps because of Xue Baochai's actions, rumors of a perfect match began to circulate within the household.

It seems that the second wife of the Rong Mansion repeatedly praised Baochai for being a proper and elegant young lady, and often boasted about the gold lock around her neck, which, along with Jia Baoyu's jade pendant, was a rare treasure.

These actions sent subtle signals to the wives and housekeepers in the inner quarters, allowing those below to spread unsubstantiated rumors.

This made Jia Tang, who had plenty of water to drink every day, even more miserable.

In mid-October, Jia Tang, who had just returned from the camp outside the city, received the latest intelligence from Lianghuai and the Northwest.

Jia Tang looked indifferently at the information recorded in the secret letter: "The Huang family of Fengyang was the most prominent family in Fengyang Prefecture during the reign of Emperor Taizu. In the winter of the forty-third year of Emperor Anwu's reign, unknown forces from all directions launched a night attack on the Huang family's territory."

"In this battle, the Huang clan's patriarch died tragically, all the cultivators in the clan were wiped out, ordinary clan members were slaughtered, and the remaining collateral branches fled."

"Huang Zhentao, originally a son of a collateral branch of the Huang family, is now the current head of the Huang family. He is a mid-stage second-tier martial arts practitioner. He joined the army in the 31st year of Chongwu. Starting from the Jiangnan Grand Camp, he rose to the rank of third-grade guerrilla in ten years. After being ennobled, he was transferred to the position of commander of the Yingtian Army Guard. In the next eight years, he served as commander-in-chief, assistant general, vice minister of the Ministry of War, chaplain, and advisor, and has been in office ever since."

"Huang Zhenhai, a senior elder of the Huang clan, is a second-stage early-stage martial artist and the elder brother of the clan leader... The Huang clan's territory was searched without success."

"The man on the left of the three scholars at Qingyun Tower in Yangzhou is Huang Qinglin, son of Huang Zhentao. His whereabouts are still unknown, and he is suspected to be a first-level literary cultivator?"

"Of the remaining two scholars, the one on the right, after repeated verification and comparison of the portrait, is Zhang Moyun, son of Zhang Hongbo, the Minister of Justice of Xianjing. His current whereabouts are unknown. Is he a first-rank scholar?"

"The young scholars in the middle of the country have made many inquiries but have been unable to find the answer."

"Furthermore, on October 4th, a second-tier literary cultivator was killed. After verification by the Li family and the Grand Elder, it should be the cultivator from the Southern Confucian Academy."

Jia Tang's eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing this; the person behind this had emerged with considerable power.

A branch of a once-powerful family that fled, instead of living in constant fear and hiding, managed to advance to the second rank, openly join the imperial army, and even rise to the highest rank in Yingtian.

There was also Zhang Hongbo, the Minister of Justice. He had always been a neutral figure in the court, upholding justice and being incorruptible. I never expected that he was one of them.

There are also people from the South of the Confucian family. The Confucian family can be described as a huge family that spanned the entire feudal dynasty. It is said to be divided into the North and the South. But today, the world has changed drastically. Given the background of the other side, it is still unknown how powerful they really are.

Moreover, there is another young scholar who has not yet been identified.

They are truly not to be underestimated.

These people were the ones who pushed Jia Min to her death. Could they also be the people behind the calamity twenty years ago?

It is highly likely.

What exactly is the role of the Scent of Incense Cult in all of this? Are they the ones doing the dirty work? Are they connected with the Chen family?

If they are connected, where should the power of incense be, and where should the power of fortune be?

"Phew~"

Jia Tang exhaled a breath of stale air, clearing his mind of all distractions. Why think so much? He was still not strong enough. If he were strong enough, he would have slaughtered them all without a doubt.

Fortunately, the situation in Fengyang Prefecture has been brought under control. Although there is still fighting, the intensity has decreased significantly.

He put down the secret letter from Fengyang, then picked up a letter about the Northwest. After quickly glancing through it, his expression gradually darkened.

In the northwest, there's a blood-soaked cave that's actually guarded by a second-tier master cultivator.

Of the two teams of assassins sent by the Liu family, only three survived. If it weren't for the cultivators from Sanguan Town providing support from the rear, probably none of them would have survived.

Subsequently, the Three Passes Town sent a team of advanced cultivators to explore Chijian Ridge, but unfortunately, the place was already deserted, and even the walls inside the cave had been scraped off.

Jia He frowned, puzzled, and said, "We haven't found anything out about the Northwest, but it feels like the waters within our borders are getting deeper and deeper."

Jia Tang said calmly, "That's because we're standing on high ground, but not high enough."

Jia He was taken aback by what he heard, and remained silent, but his expression grew increasingly cold.

On the other hand, Jia Kang's eyes were filled with a murderous intent that seemed almost tangible, flashing with extreme coldness.

"Then let's make an exchange. With you here, General, we can't cross the border here. Let me lead the Tiger Guards out and give them a chance to kill me. We need at least a few mid-stage Grandmasters to do it!"

"I'll take on three for one. The four of us brothers, along with our junior commanders, will wipe them out one by one. I refuse to believe that none of their second-tier enemies will survive!"

Upon hearing this, Jia He scolded, "Fool! The opponent only needs to send out one third-tier unit to kill you from a distance. This is a waste of effort. This isn't how you exchange pieces. Don't let anger cloud your judgment. Calm down!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Jia Kang's head, forcing him to take a deep breath and slowly suppress his murderous intent.

Seeing this, Jia Tang shook his head. Everyone in the mansion thought that the taciturn Four Generals were aloof and calm, but in fact, his tyranny was no less than Jia Ping's; he was just often suppressed by Jia He.

Despite their tyranny, the two never overstepped the bounds and only followed orders.

Jia He then added, "Fourth brother, hold on. I communicate with the second and third brothers daily through the Tiger Fiend Flag. They are now deep inside the grassland royal court, and wherever they go, people and animals die."

"Once they return, and we have a few more second-tier allies, we can go all out."

When Jia Ping and Jia An led the Tiger Guards into the grasslands, it was like tigers entering a flock of sheep; all the small tribes near Da Zhao suffered.

Furthermore, due to the problem of the Tiger Tally absorbing the power of blood and qi, all the alien races were drained dry and turned into dust, which was seen by the alien races as a mysterious disappearance.