Divine Tang Era

As dusk fell, a large, colorful rooster flew onto the roof, puffed out its chest, and crowed loudly.

"Oh...oh...oh..."

"Ooh ooh ooh, I'll swear to your mother! If you dare to make another sound, I'll kill you today!"

It was only four in the morning, and it was still dark. Xu Dan was sound asleep when he was woken up by the crowing of a rooster, which made him furious.

He bought this rooster a while ago, along with a hen, to test the effects of the insect powder he had produced on his rooster. After drinking water infused with the insect powder, the rooster grew bigger and bigger, its plumage became increasingly vibrant, and even its crowing became louder and louder. Now its crowing is deafening, several times louder than other roosters, drowning out the crowing of nearby roosters.

Now, every morning, as long as it doesn't crow, none of the roosters in the neighborhood dare to crow.

It was powerful, but Xu Dan suffered.

I suffer from its noise every morning, making it hard to sleep.

It's a pity the weather is getting hot now, so we can't eat roosters. If we could, Xu Dan would have slaughtered it long ago; why let it crow so early in the morning? The hen is much better. After drinking water infused with insect pill powder, she lays eggs non-stop, and the eggs even have a special fragrance.

Xu Dan felt this business was worthwhile and planned to buy a few more to raise, so that Yun Niang wouldn't have to keep buying eggs from outside to eat.

This lousy rooster's noise made it impossible for me to sleep, so I just got up.

By the time I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and went downstairs, the rooster had vanished without a trace. Otherwise, I would have given it a good beating. I've warned it countless times before, but that lousy thing still crows every day and doesn't understand human speech.

"Brother Xu".

Little Magpie came running over all dressed up. Today, her mother had styled her hair into a Nezha hairstyle, which made her look very cute.

Xu Dan patted her little head, picked her up, jumped onto the roof, and began to breathe deeply.

After absorbing the purple qi in the morning and the moonlight in the evening for a period of time, Xiao Que'er gradually sensed a flow of qi within her body, making her feel warm and very comfortable. Therefore, she now practices diligently every day without needing Xu Dan to remind her.

Xu Dan sensed the internal energy even earlier than her, and as the time spent absorbing the essence of the sun and moon increased, he also clearly felt the internal energy growing stronger.

According to the books I read in my previous life, once my internal energy has grown to a certain level, I can then challenge the meridians and acupoints.

Unfortunately, although Taibao Shenquan records the meridians and acupoints and methods for nourishing internal energy, it does not contain methods for impacting the meridians.

According to the boxing manual, this set of boxing techniques also includes a matching external strength training method. Once mastered, one becomes impervious to water and fire, and invulnerable to swords and spears. However, to cultivate this external strength training method, one must go to the main branch of the Qin family to learn it, and the method for breaking through the meridians should also be there.

After all, the Taibao Divine Fist in Xu Dan's hands is just the simplest and most basic foundation-building method for children.

The owner of the Sansheng Bookstore even said that the man's descendants were unworthy, which was why they put the boxing manual out for sale. Little did he know that the man was a truly intelligent person who wanted to recruit the best talents in the world for his own use.

Xu Dan knew he needed to break through his meridians, but he didn't know the specific method. He couldn't just rush into it, lest he injure his meridians. So he needed to ask someone, or he'd have to go to a martial arts school to learn.

Jingning County is located in a remote and desolate area, far from the prosperous land of the Tang Dynasty.

The local people are known for their fierce and martial arts tradition, and almost everyone here is a martial artist. Therefore, there are several martial arts schools in the county. Besides teaching martial arts, these schools also provide services such as bodyguarding and home protection.

While strolling around the city, Xu Dan passed by several martial arts schools. There were shouts and a lot of people practicing, but he didn't know the specifics.

If you really can't find the answer, you'll have to spend money to learn at a martial arts school.

After dinner, Xu Dan went to the market with Yun Niang and her daughter to buy a hen. Shopping is something women are better at. The rooster and hen he bought last time looked fine at the market, but when he brought them back, they were listless and looked like they were about to die.

If I hadn't drunk the water in which the powder scraped from the worm pills was soaked, I would be in the Western Paradise by now.

Today is market day, and the market is bustling with people selling all sorts of things.

Yunniang was very familiar with the place and led the way, with Xiao Que'er following closely behind, carrying the black bear. The black bear had grown a bit and was a little heavy to carry, but she still refused to put it down and held it tightly.

Xu Dan walked around, looking at things he hadn't seen before, planning to buy some unfamiliar items to take home and eat.

Although Jingning is located in a remote border region, it is not desolate, but rather very prosperous.

Because behind Jingning City lies Jinshan Mountain, whose name implies abundant gold, an army was stationed there year-round to guard the gold mines and deter the surrounding wild tribes.

Long ago, this place belonged to the Turks and Uyghurs, but now, these tribes that once dominated the grasslands have vanished.

Because countless battles took place here in ancient times, countless bones, weapons, armor, and valuables are buried beneath the thick plateau soil, including treasures that even cultivators would covet.

In addition, the gold mine in Jinshan made Jingning City a paradise for treasure hunters.

Although the Jinshan area was guarded by the military, the mountain range was too vast to be properly monitored. The military only protected the large veins under mining; they couldn't oversee other areas, which gave gold prospectors an opportunity.

Many people who were penniless in the prosperous lands of Shentang made a fortune in less than a year after coming here.

Of course, there are dangers along the way, and some people are buried far from home.

Yunniang walked through the crowd and came to a row of people selling poultry, where she began to choose.

Little Magpie clung tightly to her mother, clutching the black bear. Seeing the chirping chicks and ducklings in their cage, she became interested and squatted down to pet them. The stall owner didn't mind, letting her touch them.

This place sells not only chickens, ducks, and geese, but also piglets, lambs, and puppies. A little further on, there's a place for buying and selling large livestock.

Laying hens are expensive, so Yunniang bought two and didn't buy any more. She then turned to Xu Dan and discussed buying some chicks to raise, so as not to waste money.

Xu Dan didn't ask her to buy chicks. Although the inn's backyard was large, it had to be kept clean, otherwise, how could they run a business in such a dirty place? So, he asked her to buy two more hens instead. Yun Niang was a little disappointed, but she did as she was told.

After buying their things, the three continued to browse the market.

Today is the big market day, which only happens once a month and lasts for three days. They sell all sorts of things; you can find almost anything. Other times, the market is a smaller market, selling only everyday items, and not as diverse as today's.

Behind the poultry sellers, they sell small livestock such as piglets, lambs, and puppies.

Xu Dan was tempted when he saw the piglets and wanted to buy two to raise and eat, but he had to give up the idea when he thought about the strong smell of their excrement.

Little Magpie hugged the black bear, completely unmoved by the little dogs and lambs that bleated and barked at her.

Further on was the area selling large livestock, and the smell inside was incredibly pungent. Xu Dan glanced at it a few times, then stopped looking and headed towards the other side where they sold pots and pans. Since his wife was now the main cook at home, Xu Dan told her to buy whatever she needed. But when she came back, she hadn't bought anything, saying she had everything she needed at home.

Xu Dan also felt there wasn't much to buy, so he walked back with Yun Niang and her daughter.

I bought some vegetables on the way, and luckily I saw someone selling honey.

Honey is extremely rare in this area, and even when it is sold, it's usually bought up by wealthy families. Xu Dan took one look and bought it all. This stuff is very useful whether you soak it in water or use it in cooking, and you don't have to worry about it spoiling; you can keep it and eat it slowly.

"Young master, wait a moment."

They hadn't gone far when an old butler caught up with them, panting heavily.

They said their little master had been clamoring for honey water for days, even asking for it in his sleep, but unfortunately, no one had been selling it. Today, they heard someone was selling it and rushed over, only to have Xu Dan beat them to it.

The old steward begged to sell him some so he could take it back to satisfy his young master's craving.

Xu Dan didn't care and sold half of it to him.

The old housekeeper, being shrewd, immediately doubled the price and bought it. Xu Dan was pleasantly surprised to find he could make money. Yun Niang's face was also beaming with joy, because with the money from the honey sale, the chicken they bought today was practically free.

On the way, Xu Dan passed a butcher's meat stall and bought half a mutton.

I went to the pharmacy and bought some Chinese yam, planning to stew it with mutton and goji berries to nourish myself.

Little Magpie practices boxing very hard every day, so he can't afford to develop health problems because of poor nutrition. As for himself, he's as strong as a little tiger, so it doesn't matter whether he takes supplements or not.