Chapter 170

When snow began to drift on the Hongchuan River, He Chunhua's support army finally arrived at Shi Huan City by boat. The bustling warehouses, the noisy wharves, and the accents from all over the country made everyone who had just disembarked immediately feel the great difference between here and Woling Pass.

Shi Huan City is one of the most important strongholds in the hinterland of Great Yuan, only fifteen li away from the capital.

If Hong Xiangqian's insurgent army could have successfully crossed the river westward at Woling Pass and landed from Shi Huan City, it would have been equivalent to a dagger stabbing directly into the heart of the Yuan Nation, and then piercing through the gates of the capital, daring to teach the sun and moon to change to a new sky.

However, history never says "if."

The support army traveled from afar, exhausted from the journey, and hurriedly looked for a place to rest after disembarking. As a water and land hub, Shi Huan City under the feet of the Son of Heaven was exceptionally prosperous, and it was easy to accommodate these hundreds of people.

The soldiers who had been rushing about for more than twenty days finally had warm beds to sleep on.

He Lingchuan even heard his father tell Old Mo to book guest rooms, saying not to rush and to book for a few more days.

He Chunhua himself had something on his mind. After arriving at the inn, he first wrote a letter, let the steward Old Mo send it out, and only then went to bathe, change clothes, drink tea, and eat.

He Lingchuan's mind had been entirely on cultivation these past few days. He had just finished a few bowls of rice in a messy way and was about to walk out when he unexpectedly saw Lady Ying walking toward him with the Zhu woman. When the latter saw him, she smiled and bowed humbly.

He Lingchuan was the first benefactor who saved her from the wolf's den, and she was exceptionally polite to this teenager in his teens.

Young Master He clapped his hands: "Sister Zhu is truly beautiful! What happy event is there today?"

Zhu Xiuer had been exhausted and worn down over the past few years; her face had darkened, her hands had become rough, and she was as thin as bamboo. When He Lingchuan saw her in County Magistrate Village, her spirit was very poor. However, she was only in her early twenties, her vitality was flourishing, and after being raised by Lady Ying's side for a few days without seeing the sun, her complexion gradually became rosy, and her chin was not so sharp anymore.

At this time, she lightly applied rouge and changed into good clothes. Although she could not compare to the young ladies of wealthy families, she was already a different person from the village woman at that time.

Zhu Xiuer bit her lip. Before she could speak, Lady Ying interrupted and asked: "Where are you rushing to?"

"Going out to buy something."

"Buy what?"

"Tofu."

Lady Ying held Zhu Xiuer's hand and glared at him, "The sun hasn't set yet, and you're already drunk?"

He Lingchuan scratched his head: "I'm just going to walk around the market; I won't cause any trouble."

Just as he finished speaking, the steward Old Mo walked in quickly to report: "Master, Madam, distinguished guests have arrived!"

He Yue happened to walk out and looked at his brother, both feeling strange: their group had just arrived in Shi Huan City, and their butts weren't even warm yet, so how could there be visitors? The three visitors were all covering their heads and faces with cloaks, and several servants followed behind.

They stepped into the inn's private room and came face to face with Zhu Xiuer. Both sides were stunned and motionless.

He Lingchuan suddenly understood.

Immediately after, one of the guests pulled off her cloak and said with a trembling voice: "Xiuer!" and rushed up to hug Zhu Xiuer.

This was a middle-aged beauty approaching forty, whose facial features were somewhat similar to Zhu Xiuer's.

The other two also took off their hoods, but they were an elderly couple with graying hair and luxurious robes, their eyes filled with hot tears.

Zhu Xiuer wept with her mother, then turned and threw herself into the arms of the two elders, saying sadly: "Grandfather, Grandmother, Xiuer is back!"

The old lady couldn't help but cry out loud.

The old man still had a sickly look, but he patted her shoulder and said: "It's good to be back, it's good to be back!"

His gaze swept over the others in the room and immediately turned to He Chunhua: "Is this the General Manager He from Xiazhou?"

He Chunhua said solemnly: "Is Lord Zhu well?"

The old man in front of him was none other than the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Zhu Xiyan!

He bowed to He Chunhua: "Xiuer being able to return home, General Manager He has a great kindness to my family!"

He Chunhua returned the salute: "Helping family reunion is part of my duty."

Afterward, he led his family to withdraw, leaving this small hall to the Zhu family who had been separated for seven years.

Only then did He Lingchuan know that his father had written to the Zhu family, calling them to recognize their relative.

The Zhu family's main residence was in Shi Huan City, where they could trace back four generations. Zhu Xiyan himself usually lived here, and only entered the capital when the Royal Court held a morning meeting.

In any dynasty, the scene of civil and military officials gathering together is actually not common. If the emperor wants to find someone, he just pulls them aside for a meeting, and he doesn't like to make a big fuss.

The emperor is also a human and finds it troublesome.

Over the past year, Great Yuan had natural disasters and man-made disasters, but the morning meetings of officials were only held four times in total.

Zhu Xiyan was also getting old and had recently caught a cold, so he was asking for sick leave at home. But when he received He Chunhua's letter, he couldn't sit still and brought his daughter-in-law over.

As for Zhu Xiuer's father, he had passed away three years ago.

After more than two quarters of an hour, the emotions of the Zhu family finally calmed down. Zhu Xiyan was also an old man in the temple, so he turned around and came out to find He Chunhua, first expressing his gratitude fiercely, and then asking about the cause of all this.

He Chunhua naturally did not hide anything and told him one by one.

The three members of the Zhu family listened in a daze and could not speak for a long time.

Zhu Xiuer wiped her tears on the side: "If it weren't for the righteous help of Lord He's family, my daughter would have been killed by the rebel army in County Magistrate Village long ago!"

Lady Ying smiled with gratification, and He Lingchuan secretly gave a thumbs up:

Truly sensible!

Zhu Xiuer's grandmother, Sun Yuhua, hesitated several times before finally asking: "Where are the two children Xiuer gave birth to?"

The granddaughter had two children, but they didn't see them here. What He Chunhua had just said didn't even mention the whereabouts of the two children.

Lady Ying sighed: "Xiuer exposed the enemy's treacherous plot, and the rebel army used the children to retaliate against her."

Zhu Xiuer cried bitterly, and Zhu Xiyan and his wife looked at each other and sighed.

"Forget it, it's good that the person is back. There will be children in the future."

Zhu Xiyan said to He Chunhua again: "General Manager He, I have something to entrust to you."

He Chunhua stood up: "It's better to talk in detail inside."

Next, the women of the Zhu family took a carriage back first, while the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the newly appointed Xiazhou General Manager He Chunhua entered the room, closed the door, and discussed separately.

Zhu Xiuer bid farewell to Lady Ying and the two He brothers, her eyes red, and she left, looking back every three steps.

When the Zhu family's carriage disappeared around the corner, He Yue murmured: "Why do I feel that the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is not very sad about the death of his great-grandson."

"You didn't feel wrong; they are relieved." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder; his younger brother was still too young, "Cutting off future troubles is the best thing for the Zhu family."

Everyone in this family knew it clearly, including Zhu Xiuer.

The excitement was over, and He Lingchuan pressed his neck and walked out: "I'm going to handle some business, I will definitely be back at night!"

￥￥￥￥￥

When the sun set, He Lingchuan returned, but He Chunhua had not returned from going out.

After the three of them had dinner together, He Lingchuan yawned and said he was sleepy, wanting to return to his room to rest.

Having lived in the cramped cabin for many days, the brothers didn't want to wrong themselves after arriving in Shi Huan, so they each asked for a large guest room. He Lingchuan bolted the door and took out two jade bottles from his storage ring.

This evening, he walked around the city, bought some medicinal materials, and boiled them into pills in the pharmacy.

The newly acquired "Zi-Wu Formula" has its own characteristics. No matter what you practice usually, the Zi and Wu hours are especially important in the early stages of learning the formula. The Zi hour is when the yin energy is heaviest, and the Wu hour is when the yang energy is strongest. He Lingchuan had to practice the formula during these two hours to collect yin and yang energy for his own use.

He was very surprised when he saw this introduction at the time, because the Zi hour was easy to say, as moonlight has always been the focus of practitioners and monsters. But the solar fire during the day is not something everyone can handle; light cases lead to qi deviation, and heavy cases lead to self-immolation. There are countless bloody precedents for this.

However, he looked at the formula carefully and realized that it did not require beginners to collect solar fire directly, but to take yin powder and yang powder during the Zi and Wu hours respectively, and use the timing of heaven to refine it.

Originally, the method of extracting spiritual energy from heaven and earth to practice is the simplest and most stable, but it is also the slowest, which is the so-called long-term effort. Human life cannot wait, so various techniques and various drugs must be invented to break through quickly.

Of course, there are also production methods for two kinds of medicine powders here. He Lingchuan went to buy these in the evening.

As a free mental cultivation method that all Panlongcheng residents can learn, the difficulty of preparing medicine for beginners of the "Zi-Wu Formula" is very low, using common medicinal materials from major pharmacies, and the price is also very cheap.

But this difficulty increases level by level, and even He Lingchuan was stunned when he saw the prescriptions behind. No wonder military merit is so important; some medicinal materials in Panlongcheng cannot be bought with money at all.

He Lingchuan is a little happier than the people of Panlongcheng; he lives in the Yuan Nation, which is relatively rich in resources. But the price of some drugs, even if he could sell all the He family's industries, I'm afraid he couldn't afford them.

Is cultivation so expensive? He Lingchuan felt that his "rich second generation" persona couldn't stand up.

Fortunately, he didn't have this trouble yet. Beginners' medicine could even be boiled in a medicine pot. When He Lingchuan squatted in the back hall of the pharmacy waiting, he thought that sooner or later he would have to get a pill furnace.

This is the disadvantage of fighting alone. Daoist disciples have less trouble; there are people to refine pills, people to build weapons, and people to draw talismans. The sect has complete supporting facilities, so they can practice with peace of mind; as for He Lingchuan, he has to handle everything himself, big or small.

Refining pills and weapons requires attention to technique and heat, and none of it can be achieved overnight. His trouble is far from coming.

Then he will practice the "Traction Technique" as a primer. Once the Zi hour arrives, he will first swallow a dose of yin powder and then practice the "Zi-Wu Formula."

The key point of this period is to induce the yin energy from the outside world and the pills to enter the bubbling spring acupoint at the sole of the foot. This is the position farthest from the heart and in contact with the ground, suitable for yin energy to turn into a snake, specifically walking the yin path.

This is from bottom to top.

Tomorrow at the 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM period, take the yang powder again to induce yang energy into the chest center acupoint, specifically walking the yang meridian.

This is from top to bottom.

When these two yin and yang snakes can meet in the Qi Sea, it means the first stage is successful.

The most interesting point of the "Zi-Wu Formula" is that it does not require sitting upright or five hearts facing the sky during practice, as long as the qi circulation is maintained. Because the two hours of Zi and Wu are very special, people are either busy or sleeping.

He Lingchuan practiced for a full hour and then fell asleep.

In his dream, he entered Panlongcheng again.

Oh, forgot to say Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone! Fortunately, it's still within the holiday.

(End of chapter)