Pursued by the Heavenly Dao, first level up in the courtyard.

As winter approaches in the northern part of the city, snow and ice cover the ground and temperatures drop.

Qi Bing used the intent of the sword as a medium, and after incorporating the concepts of Yin, Yang, metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, and destiny, he named it the Conception of Heaven and Earth. According to his vision, the Conception of Heaven and Earth will also integrate various other concepts.

"Congratulations on becoming a level 17 human."

The system's pleasant and melodious voice rang in his mind once again.

His human system didn't have any Q&A function; it only provided prompts each time he leveled up.

Upon entering the Xuanhuang World, Qi Bing stepped into the Humanity Xuanhuang Tower.

Countless orbs of light floated within the tower.

"It's a pity I can only choose one orb of light each time. If I could choose more, I might have become an immortal long ago."

Qi Bing grabbed a ball of light and was teleported outside the Humanity Xuanhuang Tower by invisible energy.

"Congratulations on acquiring Xiaoyaozi's medical skills."

A flood of information rushed into Qi Bing's mind, and in an instant, he had digested Xiaoyaozi's medical skills.

As a level 17 human, his potential is seventeen times that of a level 1 human.

"By integrating Xiaoyaozi's medical skills, the shortcoming of lacking practical medical experience instantly disappeared."

"I am now the most skilled doctor among all doctors."

The Qingnang Book contains various medical techniques of Hua Tuo, including traditional Chinese surgery.

Xiaoyaozi's surgical skills are even better than those described in the Qingnang Book.

"In the world of Tianlong, Xiaoyaozi is the master of Wuyazi, Wuxingyun, and Li Qiushui. Wuyazi is also the master of Xuzhu. Theoretically, Xuzhu's medical skills are not as good as Wuyazi's, and Wuyazi's medical skills are not as good as Xiaoyaozi's."

With this idea in mind, Qi Bing used his synthesis skill to create thirty-six classic Chinese medicine texts.

Back in the east courtyard outside, Qi Bing continued to contemplate various artistic conceptions.

Upon hearing that Liu Haizhong had bought three houses in the yard, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but ask, "Old Liu, didn't you already have three houses? Why did you buy three more?"

Liu Haizhong said smugly, "Old Yi, I have three sons. Guangqi will come back later, and Guangtian and Guangfu will get married too. There aren't enough houses for everyone!"

Hearing the veiled criticism that he had no descendants, Yi Zhonghai was furious, but he pretended to be calm and said, "Old Liu, Guangqi has been gone for several years and hasn't come back. I'm afraid he won't be coming back."

Liu Haizhong forced a smile and said, "Old Yi, even if Guangqi can't come back for the time being because of work, I still have two sons at home."

In the verbal battle, Yi Zhonghai gained no advantage, and Liu Haizhong also failed to win.

Seeing Yan Bugui cleaning the house, He Daqing asked, "Old Yan, you also bought three houses?"

Yan Bugui said helplessly, "Old He, I have three sons, and there are only three rooms in the back of the house. It's not enough for us."

Upon hearing that Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui had both bought three houses in the courtyard, Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu couldn't sit still any longer.

The Jia family's side room was divided into two rooms. Banggeng, Xiaodang, Qin Huairu, and Jia Dongxu slept on the kang (a heated brick bed), while Zhang Cuihua slept on a small bed in the living room. When the temperature dropped in winter, all five members of the Jia family squeezed onto one kang.

Jia Dongxu looked at Qin Huairu and then said, "Mom, why don't you take out some money and let's buy two houses?"

Qin Huairu quickly chimed in, "Mom, Banggeng is growing up so fast, our house isn't big enough for him."

Zhang Cuihua said, "What money do I have? One room costs three hundred, two rooms cost six hundred, and a decent room costs five hundred. I don't even work to earn money, where would I get the money to buy you houses?"

After Jia Dongxu joined the steel rolling mill, he would give Zhang Cuihua three yuan every month without fail.

During Jia Dongxu's nine years of work, Zhang Cuihua received more than 300 yuan. Including the more than 1,000 yuan she had, Zhang Cuihua had saved nearly 2,000 yuan.

If Zhang Cuihua hadn't been robbed while exchanging large sums of money for smaller sums in Tianjin, she would definitely have more than three thousand in savings.

Jia Dongxu sighed, "Mom, when Banggeng grows up, how will he get married if we don't have a house?"

"Dongxu, Huairu, we don't need to buy a house. Yi Zhonghai is relying on Dongxu to support him in his old age. The deaf old lady's house belongs to Yi Zhonghai, and all of Yi Zhonghai's houses belong to our family."

"When Bang Geng grows up and becomes a factory worker, the factory will allocate housing for him. I also want to buy a house, but I don't have any money. Our house is barely big enough for us."

As soon as Zhang Cuihua finished speaking, she brought up the incident of being robbed while exchanging money in Tianjin.

Thanks to proactive disaster relief measures, the purchase of grain from outside sources, the handling of scum, and the reduction of rations, almost no one in the Xia Kingdom fled the famine.

With the mass production of chemical fertilizers, the advent of agricultural machinery, and the development of irrigation canals and wells, the grain output and reserves of the Xia Kingdom have increased significantly on the original basis.

Reducing food rations by 10% will only result in insufficient food intake, but it won't lead to starvation.

The pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and potatoes planted in the area matured and were harvested in succession, and then transported to various parts of the Xia Kingdom.

In areas with rain, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and potatoes have been planted in front of and behind houses, on hillsides and in forests.

Even if the yield is low, there is still some harvest.

The factories and workshops that were illegally brewing wine were all shut down by the Comprehensive Management Bureau.

The goal set by the Qi army for itself was to prevent the people from starving.

He will not show mercy to individuals or forces that run counter to his goals.

Qi Bing only needs to issue some orders occasionally; the General Administration Bureau will handle the rest.

Some self-righteous intellectuals, with their incessant moral blackmail, were all struck down by the Qi army's preemptive strikes.

Labeling certain words and actions as enemy agents in advance is like digging a pit and waiting for the prey to jump in. Even if a scoundrel is eloquent, once they've fallen into the pit, it's useless; they're still an enemy agent even if they aren't.

As time went by, the school began its winter break, which lasted for two weeks.

Apart from schools, other organizations give employees a one-week holiday at the end of the year.

Originally, the holiday was only three days long, but Qi Bing said that was too short and extended it to a week.

For places a bit further away, three days of annual leave isn't even enough for the journey.

The Xia Kingdom is still very weak. Otherwise, the Qi soldiers would most likely suggest taking a half-month vacation at the end of the year.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Yi Zhonghai sat at the door, looking at the He family not far away.

A few minutes later, Yi Zhonghai got up and walked towards the He family's house. He knocked on the door and went inside. "Old He, tomorrow is the New Year. How about we celebrate together?"

He Daqing refused without hesitation: "Yi Zhonghai, I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore. There's no need for us to spend the New Year together, lest we make each other unhappy."

Yi Zhonghai dared not give up and advised, "Old He, we've known each other for decades, we both live in the Central Courtyard, we see each other all the time. We've already settled the previous matter, there's no need to hold onto it."

He Daqing didn't budge an inch. "You should go back. Don't waste your time here."

Yi Zhonghai wanted to say something more, but He Daqing said coldly, "Yi Zhonghai, I have things to do, so I won't chat with you anymore."

Yi Zhonghai said, "Old He, I genuinely want to repair our relationship, so please don't be so disrespectful."

He Daqing said calmly, "When you did those things back then, why didn't you think about giving me face?"

Yi Zhonghai was speechless, but forced himself to say, "Old He, I was wrong about what happened in the past. I apologize to you."

He Daqing angrily retorted, "Yi Zhonghai, stop talking nonsense! My family will not spend the New Year with yours. I belong to the He family, and you belong to the Yi family. We don't even share the same surname. Don't even think about spending the New Year together!"

Not long after returning to the courtyard house, He Daqing heard He Yushui talk about spending the New Year together.

Previously, He Yushui and He Yuzhu celebrated the New Year with the Yi family, the Jia family, and the deaf old lady. As a result, they produced a lot of grain and meat. He Yuzhu was also in charge of cooking, but in the end, they didn't get to eat much. The Jia family ate almost all the meat.

He Daqing, who was as clear-headed as a mirror, knew that if he agreed to spend the New Year with the Yi family, the deaf old lady and the Jia family would definitely be there.

How could he possibly agree to spend the New Year with Yi Zhonghai when he already harbored hatred for him?