Chapter 166: Chaos Upon Chaos

He Chunhua and the others were moved: "Really?" "Really." He Lingchuan pressed his fist, smugly, "Who let me be gifted?"

Others really had no objection. Last night, Imperial Flow Fluid descended, and everyone shared the dew; except for a very few lucky ones, the essence shared by all living creatures was so little that it wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.

The luckiest ones only gained a few dozen days of cultivation, but He Lingchuan used such a little Imperial Flow Fluid to successfully lay the foundation in one fell swoop; if he wasn't gifted, who was? He Chunhua stroked his chin and laughed: "You are young, your body has little filth, and it's easy to wash clean; like me and Deputy General Wu at this age, even if we got three or four times the Imperial Flow Fluid, we wouldn't be able to wash the marrow and strengthen the muscles."

Wu Shaoyi sighed: "Alas, this is fate!"

Imperial Flow Fluid last appeared sixty years ago, and he was already luckier than most people; although he barely caught up, he was over fifty, unlike the He brothers who were in their prime.

Being young means more opportunities.

Youth is everything.

He Yue's envy was overflowing: "Brother, how much cultivation did you gain?"

"At least three or five years?" He Lingchuan turned to urge He Chunhua, "Old Dad, the cultivation technique you promised me!"

His foundation was becoming more solid, but he didn't have a handy cultivation technique, and he had been wasting time. Now that he had found hope from Panlongcheng, he wanted to try his old dad.

He Chunhua laughed: "None of them suit you, collect them when you go to Xiazhou! Who would have thought you would rise up suddenly?"

He Yue offered advice: "I heard that the Chuanyun Pavilion based in Xiazhou has a great reputation, advocating that disciples practice both techniques and martial arts, and high-quality talents have appeared under its sect over the years. Why doesn't Big Brother go there and try?"

He Lingchuan became interested: "You mean, let me join a Taoist sect?"

"Why not?" He Yue's eyes shone, "General Wu Di, who pacified Woling Pass, was a disciple of the Jianyang Sect, a student of Master Qianyun. All royal courts have people from Taoist sects, and the number is quite large."

Taoist sects pass on arts, roughly divided into two paths: techniques and martial arts. Chaotic times value martial arts, and many famous generals entered the Tao through martial arts and practiced martial arts. As for mages, that goes without saying, and even children of noble families have to dabble in it to cultivate some divine abilities to seek longevity.

In this world, if divine abilities are used to nourish the body well, living to one hundred and thirty or forty years old is not a problem.

Of course, poor families don't deserve such an opportunity.

He family's advisor, Mo Zhejingxuan, also clapped his hands: "The second young master is right! Taoist sects like Chuanyun Pavilion have been entrenched in Xiazhou for a long time, with deep roots; if the eldest young master joins its sect, it will be a great help to the master!"

He Lingchuan secretly thought that this guy was eating his family's food, and sure enough, he was considering everything from his old dad's position.

He Chunhua was just about to take office as General Manager of Xiazhou, having no foundation there, and all relationships had to be managed from scratch; if he could get the support of a powerful local Taoist sect, he could definitely gain a foothold faster.

"Moreover, the talents under the master's command in the future may also need to be searched from Taoist sects like Chuanyun Pavilion."

He Chunhua listened with lowered eyelids, noncommittal.

He Yue and the others didn't know what attitude their father had, but He Lingchuan raised his eyelids: "So joining a Taoist sect can provide help to Old Dad! Then should I also carefully screen my future wife? As long as she has power and influence, even if she is a two-hundred-jin fat woman, it's fine?"

Mo Zhejingxuan's expression froze: "Eldest young master, such a sacrifice is unnecessary."

He Lingchuan curled his lips, and He Yue laughed.

Then Mo Zhejingxuan added: "Xiazhou has good mountains and waters, among the local wealthy and noble, there are plenty who raise their daughters to be as beautiful as flowers and as gentle and elegant as jade!"

"No two-hundred-jin fat woman?"

He Yue couldn't help but interject: "The advisor doesn't know, my brother doesn't fancy weak and gentle women."

He Lingchuan looked sideways: "Is that so? I don't fancy them?"

Heh, he didn't know that himself?

Having been here for so long, let alone being surrounded by beauties, he hadn't even touched a girl's little hand a few times!

It was truly a failed time-travel.

"No, no." Mo Zhejingxuan knew this little ancestor was unhappy, so he had to apologize, "Eldest young master, it was my slip of the tongue, don't take offense!"

They chatted here, and He Chunhua didn't make a sound until everyone stopped talking, then he spoke slowly: "Even if Chuan'er joins a Taoist sect, he must be cautious. Chuanyun Pavilion has less than two thousand people, and its reputation doesn't reach the south of Yuan. If he has unlimited prospects in the future, just joining Chuanyun Pavilion is a waste of talent."

"That's right, Old Dad has a big pattern!" He Lingchuan's eyes lit up, "The capital is the place where all the gods fight!"

"Yes, my He family will eventually return to the capital, and will not be confined to Xiazhou." Xiazhou was definitely not their final stop, He Chunhua looked at the distant mountains, "This matter cannot be rushed, it must be carefully selected."

Wu Shaoyi also said: "Martial arts and magic are very different; mental methods, moves, and martial skills are just the foundation, but the most important thing is actual combat. Magic divine abilities can be cultivated and nurtured, but martial arts must be tempered in thousands of troops and horses, proving the Tao with killing! Big young master, look at me, look at Lu Yao; in fact, neither of us came from a martial arts class, but we have killed seven Yuan generals. Do you believe it? Our foundation is not as solid as theirs."

Others couldn't take these words; after all, this guy killed his own generals.

"The so-called Great Tao is simple; just be able to win and kill." Wu Shaoyi laughed, "We have the protection of Yuan power, which is the nemesis of general magic divine abilities; if the opponent's Yuan power is not strong, the mage is a weak chicken in front of us. Why do we need so many fancy tricks?"

He Chunhua also agreed: "Whether it is military books or governance strategies, they are just those few books back and forth. If reading and reciting them were useful, how would people distinguish between high and low? The key still depends on one's own understanding. Chuan'er, don't worry, we will have a plan."

When the words reached this point, everyone had no objection, and He Lingchuan smiled secretly.

Next, He Chunhua urged Zeng Feixiong and others: "If Imperial Flow Fluid still remains in the world, its efficacy will end by morning, and there will be less trouble for boats on the Hongchuan River. We will set off at dawn to take a boat at Fengling Ferry." He sighed, "Imperial Flow Fluid appears once in decades, and it really came at the wrong time."

"What do you mean?" He Lingchuan didn't understand, "Imperial Flow Fluid is a treasure of heaven and earth; it's never too late whenever it comes."

He pointed to Wu Shaoyi: "Look, even Old Wu can live a few more years."

Walking over just now, he saw Wu Shaoyi's complexion was rosy, and the green energy on his forehead had faded a lot. This guy used a secret technique to exchange for serious injuries, but didn't escape the death calamity, just extended it to three or five years later.

But Imperial Flow Fluid came, and even if the amount was small, it poured another mouthful of living water into his exhausted origin.

Wu Shaoyi nodded: "Yes, heaven is merciful, I might be able to live another two years."

He didn't care about fighting and killing in the past, but suddenly the time left in his life began to count down, and he felt that every breath of air he inhaled was sweet.

"Among the five insects, only humans talk about etiquette and keep order, but even so, Shuanghe Town died quite a few people last night. Imperial Flow Fluid suddenly appeared, and birds, beasts, insects, and fish competed to eat it; I'm afraid that before long, there will be demon disasters in Great Yuan. Like the killing of the County Magistrate Lake water spirit and the entry of new demons, it will happen one after another."

At this time, the cook brought the tray over: "Master, there are not many leftovers in the kitchen, only a few pancakes were baked."

Besides a dozen pancakes, there was also a dish of bean paste.

He Lingchuan didn't stand on ceremony, picked up a pancake the size of a palm, tore it open, dipped it in sauce, and sent it to his mouth.

The cook watched him intently, and He Lingchuan said unhappily: "What are you looking at, do you like watching people eat?"

The cook chuckled and ran away.

He said earlier that the materials were not enough, but the pancakes were kneaded and mixed several times, and he was willing to put oil, so the pancakes were fragrant and crispy, with four or five layers, and there were minced meat and pickled mustard greens inside.

He Lingchuan took two bites, delicious, but felt something was missing.

He stood up and rummaged in the kitchen.

Turning around, the smile on his face was gone.

He made up his mind as soon as he woke up to learn mental methods from Panlongcheng. He just mentioned this matter as a test, and sure enough, Old Dad pushed it off again.

This wasn't the first time. Why didn't He Chunhua want his son to enter the hall and practice martial arts? He Chunhua also continued: "The effect of Imperial Flow Fluid on beasts and demons is immediate, faster than humans. Ignorant wild beasts open their wisdom, and demons with Taoist practice increase their cultivation again, I don't know how much trouble it will cause the local people."

Wu Shaoyi thought for a while: "Feathered and beastly creatures just turned into demons, lively and arrogant, not knowing the laws of the human kingdom, sometimes they will eat people. When I was young, I lived in Yunpo Continent; it wasn't peaceful there, but the local mountain gods strictly restrained them, and demons and humans lived in peace for decades. But suddenly one day, several villagers in Yunpo Continent were killed, and their remains were gnawed. The county sent people to verify, and determined it was the work of fierce beasts with fine teeth. The county organized a wolf-hunting team and killed dozens of wolves in the mountains. But not long after, people were killed again."

He Lingchuan adjusted the situation and walked back, holding a green onion in his hand.

Pancakes wrapped in green onions, that's the taste.

He took a bite, crunching, as if nothing had happened: "The wolf is innocent?"

"It happened four times in total. At first, the murderer only appeared at night and attacked in remote places. Later, after eating more people, it became bolder and actually attacked the village in broad daylight. Survivors came to report, and people knew that the man-eater was not a wild beast, but a giant salamander that had just cultivated a demon body in the swamp! No wonder looking for the mountain god was useless; it turned out to be a monster living in the water."

"Imperial Flow Fluid is naturally a good thing, but looking at the records, there must be turmoil within half a year after the appearance of Imperial Flow Fluid; if it's not a human disaster, it's a demon disaster, which is called good and evil depending on each other." Mo Zhejingxuan sighed, "If Great Yuan was still at its peak, it could suppress these things with luck alone, making them dare not make trouble. But now..."

There was no need to say everything; everyone understood.

He Yue also said in a low voice: "If the country is not prosperous, demons will surely be born."

Only He Lingchuan could eat and drink, not caring at all: "Stop sighing, what does that have to do with us directly? The sun will still rise from the east tomorrow; if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up."

This kind of heartlessness was very He Lingchuan, and others were used to it; only He Chunhua glanced at him: "I'm afraid we have to hold it up this time."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 167 =====