Chapter 7: Crevice

Facts have proved that being a prodigal is also a technical job. He Lingchuan tried his best to spend money, but only spent two hundred taels in a month. In this border area, one hundred taels is enough for an ordinary family of four to live comfortably for five or six years! Ying Hongchan coughed lightly: "Lingchuan, I was just about to tell you, the expenses in summer and autumn are too high, and the mansion also has to tighten its belt. From next month, your expenses must be reduced to within eighty taels." After saying that, she glanced at her husband.

He Chunhua hadn't expressed his position yet, and He Lingchuan was already shouting: "Eighty taels, it'll be gone after two trips to the Red Cliff Building!"

Ying Hongchan's face sank: "He... your brother doesn't even use twenty taels a month at home."

"He..." He Lingchuan was unconvinced, "He eats and drinks at home, what money can he spend? I have so many people following me, and the relationships in the city have to be maintained. It costs money to maintain them, and this is not just for me!"

"What relationships to maintain?" Ying Hongchan sneered, "Those people flatter you, but their eyes are all on the Master. Do these relationships need to be maintained? Our family doesn't lack guard dogs."

She didn't give He Lingchuan a chance to answer: "The situation is turbulent, and money and food must be used for the right path. Lingchuan, your father and I don't ask you to worry for the family, but just add less trouble."

This was a bit heavy, and He Lingchuan felt blocked in his heart, and he was dissatisfied.

This was not his own emotion.

In fact, every time the family ate together, he could feel the "unpleasantness" coming from the depths of his brain, which was almost an instinctive reaction of the body.

The original body didn't like such scenes. Given that He Chunhua loved him, this emotion should mainly correspond to the mistress of the house.

"Old man." He turned to his father very simply.

He Chunhua pondered for a moment, but still said: "Madam is right, but eighty taels..." is still a bit small, "Let's raise it to two hundred taels."

One hundred taels is enough, so he doesn't have to spend money too hard. He Lingchuan was unhappy: "This is too little! Three hundred taels!"

The mother and son argued for a long time, He Chunhua played a supporting role on the side, also known as mud-mixing, and finally Mrs. Ying bit to death, and it was set at one hundred and eighty taels.

Ying Hongchan gave her husband a reproachful look. She wanted to do subtraction for her eldest son, but the old man couldn't bear to be cruel, and after arguing, it was only twenty taels less than last month!

Really don't know the price of firewood and rice without being the head of the house.

"Saving more than six hundred taels of silver every month." He Yue blinked, "You can buy dozens of sets of fine armor, or several fine war horses, at least recruit sixty people into the army."

As soon as he finished speaking, He Lingchuan slapped the table and stood up: "I'm full!"

Before striding out of the dining hall, he didn't forget to scoop a stewed pear from the brass basin and eat it while walking.

This pear was stewed with rock sugar and Sichuan pepper for more than an hour. It was sweet, crisp, soft, and rotten, and had the effect of clearing the heart and removing fire, which was just right for reducing the dryness of people who had eaten lamb.

And no one stopped him.

When he walked out of the garden, He Lingchuan looked back and saw the three of them still sitting around the table eating and discussing, harmonious and happy.

He shrugged and walked quickly back to his residence.

In all fairness, He Chunhua was really good to this eldest son. He Lingchuan occupied the largest, quietest, and most beautiful courtyard in the east, with black pines, white peaches, winding water, and pavilions, and even a small martial arts practice field.

He Yue's residence was also in the east, but the area was only half of his brother's.

The only servant in the courtyard came upon hearing the sound and was waved away by him.

He Lingchuan took off his coat and practiced boxing in the moonlight for more than half an hour until he was refreshed.

The original body was not good at literature, but he liked martial arts since he was a child and was not afraid of hardship, which is relatively rare among aristocratic children. The He family ancestors also produced military generals and had a set of body-refining techniques, which were passed down to the eldest son by He Chunhua.

When practiced to the fullest, the strong muscles were shrouded in a layer of light white mist, but it was only obvious in the moonlight.

This was just right, He Lingchuan hurriedly collected his fists and sat down to regulate his breathing.

The white mist was re-absorbed through the mouth and nose bit by bit.

This completed a cycle.

What he practiced was the ancestral supernatural power of the He family, called "Traction Technique."

He Lingchuan used the body-refining technique to force the true qi out of the body, making it come into close contact with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, especially the moonlight, and then took it back through breathing, removing the dross and keeping the essence.

In this way, one movement and one stillness, one out and one in, one pull and one lead, it was completed.

Of course, it is no problem to complete a cycle by yourself with the "Traction Technique," but starting with body refining can stimulate the cold, dirt, and disease accumulated in the body, and the true qi purification effect is better.

After finishing the breathing, He Lingchuan felt refreshed and went to take a bath with a white towel.

The hot water was also put by the servant, who was an honest man in his thirties.

He Lingchuan soaked in the hot water and let out a long breath. It would be comfortable if someone could scrub his back.

As a transportation hub, Heishuicheng naturally has bathhouses, called "Bath Houses." In addition to soaking in the bath together, scrubbing the back and repairing the feet are also regular items. However, that is in the bathhouse, and the Young Master He cannot enjoy the back-scrubbing service provided by little girls at home.

Because he has no maids.

Teenagers, twenty-somethings, and even thirty or forty-year-old maids... none at all.

If you want to get twice the result with half the effort and benefit for life by practicing the family martial arts of the He family, you must ensure a virgin body.

He Lingchuan was ignorant when he first learned it and didn't know its disadvantages. After growing up, he saw a group of fox friends and dog friends enjoying themselves, so he went to question He Chunhua. As a result, the old man beat his chest and stomped his feet.

He Lingchuan was obsessed with martial arts and naturally was not reconciled to giving up halfway, so he endured it.

However, He Chunhua didn't want to deliberately test his eldest son's determination, so he didn't put females in his courtyard.

He Lingchuan sat in the large wooden barrel, thinking about the sand leopard in the Western Mountains, thinking about the Donglai Mansion guards caught by the Red and White Path, and the miscellaneous items hidden in the leopard teeth.

When will the Donglai Mansion discover that the guards sent to Heishuicheng have lost contact? How will they react? How will the Prefect respond?

He instinctively picked up the necklace on his chest and looked at it twice, then suddenly took it off and threw it hard toward the garden in the distance.

The necklace drew a parabola in the air and flew over the wall.

A few breaths later, he felt something different in his chest, looked down—

The necklace came back on its own, hanging perfectly fine around his neck.

Sure enough, no matter how many times he threw it, this thing could return on its own.

He carefully examined it many times. Although it looked very similar, this thing was not jade, but a bit like ivory.

After all, the composition of ivory and bone is very similar.

On the day he fell off the cliff, he heard the leopard roar a new term:

God Bone.

This pendant that refused to let him go, could it be the God Bone?

After the meal, He Yue took his leave, and He Chunhua and his wife went back to wash up.

Ying Hongchan then had the opportunity to nag her husband: "You are too indulgent to Lingchuan. His expenses alone account for the majority of the mansion's monthly expenses! Look again, his attitude of slapping the table and leaving!" How arrogant! "It won't be like this next month." He Chunhua comforted her, "He just suffered a serious injury, and we reduced his expenses, so he is inevitably unhappy."

Mrs. Ying wanted to say more, but He Chunhua had already changed the subject: "Do you see any changes in Lingchuan recently?"

"Recently?" Mrs. Ying thought carefully, then shook her head, "Except for spending less money, it seems there is no change."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 8 =====