Chapter 171

Meditating and regulating breathing in a dream does not contribute to cultivation in reality. But the proficiency accumulated by honing martial arts is synchronized with reality, and it won't be lost when you wake up. He Lingchuan was overjoyed when he confirmed this point, because this means he has at least twice the time of ordinary people to practice martial arts, reality + dream.

He also heard the allusion of "a dream of yellow millet," where someone slept while cooking yellow millet and dreamed of the rest of his life. He also hoped that a certain day in the Panlong dream could be extended indefinitely until all his techniques were mastered.

However, he thought too beautifully. No matter how much he longed for it, he seemed to stay in the dream for only ten or so hours.

He Lingchuan also noticed that his ability to enter and exit the Panlong dream normally seemed to start from breaking into the immortal's cave. In the few months before this, he had only entered the dream twice in total.

Of course, the beginning of all this started with the broken blade.

But what did the divine bone necklace do to the immortal's cave, causing the latter to close immediately, while the Panlong dream began to open to He Lingchuan frequently.

By the way, there is also the black talisman obtained from Lu Yao, which he also gave to the divine bone necklace to eat.

What is this, a reward?

That is to say, from now on, any strange things he finds must be tasted by the divine bone first?...

Early the next morning, a palm-wide snow had accumulated on the ground, and the weather was particularly cold.

The Zhu family sent someone to deliver an invitation, inviting the He family to attend Zhu Xiuer's welcome banquet tonight.

"It shouldn't have been so hasty, but Lord Zhu knows that General Manager He will not stay in Shi Huan City for too long, so time is tight." The messenger also stayed.

This person's surname is Liu, and he is a helper. Zhu Xiyan took away his granddaughter who had been separated for many years, and turned around to send a helper to the inn for the He family to use.

The so-called "helper" means helping people handle things. They don't work exclusively for the Zhu Mansion, but are the know-it-alls of Shi Huan City, having contact with everyone from high-ranking officials to the three religions and nine schools. Things that wealthy families are not convenient to come forward for are often handled by helpers.

When outsiders come to Shi Huan City, their needs are nothing more than eating, drinking, playing, buying, selling, and visiting. Senior helpers can handle everything properly.

This kind of person also exists in Heishuicheng and is called an errand runner.

The Zhu family knew that He Chunhua was unfamiliar with the place, so they specially found a person who was like a jack-of-all-trades, which could be said to be very thoughtful.

He Chunhua originally wanted to go out for a walk, but before he could take a step, the steward Old Mo sent several visiting cards.

Lady Ying asked strangely: "Zhu Xiuer only returned home last night, how come someone knows our master arrived in Shi Huan City today?"

He Chunhua waved his hand: "Not strange, I ordered people to register at the government office yesterday."

He is now a local high official, and if he is not ordered, he cannot enter the capital privately. Even if he comes to Shi Huan City, he must report it as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be serious.

Helper Liu smiled: "This is under the feet of the Son of Heaven, and news is very well-informed. First-class families knew last night that the new General Manager of Xiazhou found the granddaughter for Lord Zhu; second-class families might only know this morning; those who received the news after this evening are all below third-class families."

It seems that this set of rules is the same everywhere.

He Chunhua and his wife couldn't get away, so He Lingchuan threw a silver ingot to Helper Liu: "I'm new to Shi Huan, take me around."

Helper Liu took the silver and patted his chest: "With me here, Young Master, just treat Shi Huan as your own backyard!"

As soon as the two left the inn, Mao Tao didn't know where he jumped out from, wanting to be a follower for He Lingchuan: "Young Master, where are we going to play?"

The prosperity of Shi Huan City had long made him eager to try.

"Handle business first." He Lingchuan said to Helper Liu, "I heard that Shi Huan is famous for its craftsmanship. My beloved blade is broken, and I need to find a brilliant craftsman to repair it, which is very difficult."

It is easy to find a craftsman's shop in Shi Huan City, but it is difficult for an outsider like him to find the most superb craftsman.

This is when the helper comes in handy. Helper Liu immediately smiled: "No problem, Young Master, follow me!"

The carriage was already waiting at the inn entrance.

The carriage body was made of mahogany, without an exaggerated hollow-carved appearance, but the soft decorations inside were very comfortable. The three big men sat opposite each other and could stretch their legs without feeling cramped.

As the carriage moved, Helper Liu introduced: "Shi Huan is one of the auxiliary capitals. There are famous craftsmen everywhere and many weapon sects, but the best among them must be the Songyang Mansion."

Songyang Mansion? The other two said they hadn't heard of it.

"Songyang Mansion is also a Daoist sect, established for more than fifty years. The first-generation Mansion Master was a prince rewarded by the founding emperor of our Great Yuan. He established the sect with an official status, and his sect is particularly good at refining weapons, which are mostly sold to military officers and upper-class children."

It turns out that this Songyang Mansion follows the upper-class route and has half an official background, so it's no wonder it can remain invincible in the highly competitive Shi Huan City.

He Lingchuan suddenly realized, but smiled: "I always felt that Daoist sects were hidden in the deep mountains, very mysterious. I didn't expect them to open directly in the marketplace."

"What you are talking about are Immortal Sects! Immortal Sects that only appear in legends." Helper Liu said casually, "Now there are only Daoist sects. The high-and-mighty Daoist sects, except for those with a long history, cannot hold their airs. Although both Immortal Sects and Daoist sects have supernatural powers, do you know the difference between them?"

"Tell me about it." These helpers are indeed old oilers; they can talk about anything.

"The immortals of the past rode swords to fly, went high and low, were indestructible, and could take people's heads from a thousand miles away. Who wouldn't worship them?" Helper Liu pointed to the sky, "Look at the martial artists and mages now. At most, they have some supernatural powers. They will bleed if they are cut by a blade, die if their heads are cut off, rely on four hooves to run when going out, and cannot live forever. They can't beat the Wang Ting's army, and they are scrambling to be canonized by the Wang Ting... To say something disrespectful, there is no difference between them and us ordinary people."

Mao Tao nodded repeatedly: "That's the truth."

If you are not strong enough, you will fall off the altar.

He Lingchuan's heart moved, and he remembered the corpse in the immortal's cave at County Magistrate Lake, once again curious about the cause of his death.

They looked out from the carriage window. The streets of Shi Huan City were much wider than those of Heishuicheng, and the neatness and cleanliness were far superior. The main road was even paved with blue square stones, which could accommodate at least ten carriages side by side.

Shi Huan is a water and land hub, and half of the capital's materials have to be transshipped here, so commerce is very developed. He Lingchuan looked all the way, and the buildings were like scales, with no lack of magnificent mansions. In addition to regular facilities such as restaurants, taverns, and gambling houses that every city has, Shi Huan City also has many entertainment venues. He Lingchuan saw a shop hanging a wooden sign with several red-painted characters "Soul-Confusing Array," which was particularly eye-catching.

"What is that?"

"A maze." Helper Liu explained to the two country bumpkins, "These are arrays opened by mages and monsters for guests to play. Some are also equipped with illusion arrays, with flowers, birds, insects, and fish, which are very popular with girls."

He chuckled: "There are also special arrays called 'Soul-Dissipating Arrays,' where there is singing and dancing, specifically for us men to enjoy. They are very popular and need to be booked in advance. I have seen guests stay inside for two days and refuse to come out."

Mao Tao asked strangely: "The illusion arrays are all fake, how can they compare to the red-light districts where you can touch and feel."

"You don't understand. Sometimes not being able to touch is the best." Helper Liu blinked, "The women in the illusion arrays are as beautiful as you want, as noble as you want, as pure as you want, and as charming as you want, as long as you pay. The red-light districts can't do that, right?"

Mao Tao listened with yearning, wishing he could jump out of the car now to see it.

At this time, the carriage also turned from the main road into a secondary street.

Although it is a secondary street, it is as wide as the main road of Heishuicheng, and the storefronts on both sides are at least four-door wide, and the signs are wiped very bright.

"This whole street is a storefront opened by the weapon sect." Helper Liu opened the door, "The old shop of Songyang Mansion is here; it has been open for the longest time."

He Lingchuan got off and looked, well, it is indeed imposing. "How many shops does Songyang Mansion have in Shi Huan City?"

"Two." Helper Liu added, "There are three more in the capital." After saying that, he took He Lingchuan and the two into the shop.

The shop is elegantly decorated, but all four walls are decorated with weapons, which is very distinctive.

In the middle of the hall is a large bronze tripod, as high as Mao Tao's shoulder, and guests coming and going often stop here. He poked his head to look, and the bottom of the tripod is a miniature landscape with mountains and water, fields, and small bridges.

What's rare is that white mist floats near the mouth of the tripod, which is clouds in the tripod.

He asked curiously: "Oh? There are fish in the river, and they actually move!"

Fortunately, his eyesight was good, and he could see things moving in the river at the bottom of the tripod. He looked closely and saw that they were actually swimming fish.

Helper Liu introduced: "This is the treasure of the old shop of Songyang Mansion, the Mountains and Rivers in the Tripod. It was made forty years ago."

He Lingchuan also praised: "Lifelike."

"This is a living landscape." Helper Liu smiled, "We living people can go in. I have visited it, and the scenery is quite spiritual and beautiful."

Other guests heard it and were also amazed.

The old shop of Songyang Mansion is divided into three parts: the front for display, the middle for storage and negotiation, and the back for a large space for casting weapons.

Helper Liu walked inside familiarly and soon found a Manager Zhao, introducing He Lingchuan to him: "This is the eldest son of the new Xiazhou General Manager, Lord He. He came to your shop specifically to repair his precious blade. Young Master He has looked for many craftsmen, but none could repair it."

"The material is extraordinary, please sit down, gentlemen." Manager Zhao immediately led the two to sit down and serve tea, and turned to find someone.

This person is over fifty, with bright eyes and dark skin.

"This is the chief master craftsman of Songyang Mansion's inner furnace, Li Fubo."

Li Fubo didn't exchange pleasantries with He Lingchuan, took the broken blade and slowly drew it out of the sheath, and his forehead was immediately illuminated by the cold light of the blade. His apprentice placed a wooden board on the ground, and Li Fubo slashed down with the blade.

Nothing happened, the wooden board was fine.

Mao Tao couldn't help but touch his nose, but Li Fubo returned the broken blade to its owner: "It's your turn."

(End of chapter)