Chapter 1351

The Son of Heaven's southern tour drew the eyes of the world, with frequent stops along the way—some for inspection, some for leisure—but all matters of eating, drinking, relieving oneself, and handling state affairs took place aboard the imperial barge.

The imperial barge was a temporary palace on the move; the Son of Heaven's first stop was not in South Zhili but in Pingyang Prefecture, a great honor and opportunity.

Since news arrived in March, Su Guguan has been overwhelmed, unable to rest properly for the past two days.

Yesterday at midnight, the envoy arrived to announce that the imperial procession would reach Lan Prefecture. Lan Prefecture is the gateway to South Zhili, and once there, Pingyang Prefecture is already very close.

For a marquis, welcome at thirty li; for a prince, welcome at three hundred li; for the Son of Heaven, welcome at three thousand li. He rose early, tidied himself, and led the officials of Pingyang Prefecture to prepare to go to Lan Prefecture to welcome the procession—only to find Liang Qu had not come?

"Strange affair——"

On Qingstone Street, crowds surged, heads bobbing, reed fences and green walls swaying in the river breeze, cool and refreshing. Such scenes used to appear only three days before festivals, but this year they began as soon as June arrived—hard to imagine what the scene will be like when the Son of Heaven arrives, and the June sixth sacrificial rites reach their peak.

Officials of all ranks sat in their carriages, stuck in traffic for a while, then hurriedly rushed to the prefectural office.

"Prefect, I haven't seen hide nor hair of the Prince of Huai."

"Could it be a traffic jam? When I came this morning, it was a sea of people, gongs and drums thundering, impassable—over ten li, and the carriages took half an hour to move! Uh, what's wrong? Why are you all staring at me?"

Everyone turned in unison; the speaking official, momentarily unresponsive, after a long while blushed and hastily raised his sleeve to cover himself.

Su Guguan twirled his long beard, vexed: "That brat takes a rest day every three days, a grand holiday every five, and at twenty already dreams of retiring to collect free grain, doing nothing with enthusiasm—except zealously currying favor with the Son of Heaven. Why the sudden change today?"

"Could it be the envoy didn't inform him?" someone guessed.

"How could the envoy not inform him? If he didn't, the matter would be serious—perhaps something went wrong. Why not have the prefect send someone to call him? We don't even know where the Prince of Huai is. Ah, Elder Yang has arrived—he's the Prince of Huai's master; let's ask him!"

"What's happened?" Before the official could speak, Yang Dongxiong scanned the crowd, spotted the issue: "The Prince of Huai hasn't come?"

"Yes, Elder Yang, we're anxious—we're all waiting to depart for Lan Prefecture to welcome the procession. Do you know where the Prince of Huai went?"

Yang Dongxiong pondered: "In mid-May, he once told me he'd sent someone to the imperial capital to fetch the Treasure Elixir and was cultivating at home."

"Hey, cultivation has no fixed schedule—surely Prince Huai just mismanaged his timing!"

"Very well, then he must be at the Wang Fu, within a few dozen li. I'll go check. Zhongshi, you take the men and go first to Long Hekou to board the boat."

"Yes."

"Wait." Yang Dongxiong stepped forward, "I'll go with you."

"Ha, ha."

Rough breathing echoed in the silent chamber, completely dehydrated, shriveled to a fragment of "brown deadwood"—Liang Qu struggled to sustain life, forcing his cultivation technique, utterly unaware how long he had been in a daze or how long he had endured, like a long journey, finally at the brink of collapse, he regained a sliver of awareness, drew a deep breath, and the nearly choking smoke backflowed into his lungs.

He opened his mouth.

A waft of burnt smoke drifted out.

After a few coughs, Liang Qu twitched his index finger, then moved his hand, wrist, arm, and finally his torso; he staggered up from the futon, only to discover that at some point, the futon had burned to a pile of ash.

As his movements grew larger, debris continually fell from his body, his whole form like something fished from a bonfire, fresh flesh and blood regrowing from the blackened husk, moisture in the air rapidly filling his body.

Liang Qu stood unsteadily, instinctively grabbing the desk to support himself.

"Scrape."

Pale smoke drifted.

The palm pressing the desk exploded into a ball of flame.

Liang Qu incredulously raised his hand, staring at his own palm.

Though he had never cultivated any fire-attribute technique, merely his body's residual heat was enough to scorch a large pit into the fine sandalwood desk.

That charcoal-like skin, when exposed to the outside, would surely frighten many—he opened the Ze Kingdom, and instantly, thick water vapor evaporated, seeping into his desiccated flesh, but this bit of vapor was a drop in the bucket, utterly insufficient, so Liang Qu directly diverted the vortex water.

Boom—

Inside the silent chamber, a torrent surged, slanting and rebounding off the walls.

"Splash."

Silver bubbles floated; Liang Qu fell into the water mass.

He opened his mouth, buried his head, and gulped greedily—he didn't care whether this water had been stewed by Ah Fei or the old toad, only like a dehydrated sponge, frantically absorbing liquid; his withered body rapidly swelled, intense tingling and itching surging from within.

Crack-crack.

Flesh writhed anew, the arm pressed against bone swelling, the cracked "brown bark" pried open, falling debris increasing in frequency, they encircled Liang Qu, floating up a layer of washed charcoal ash.

It was as if a coal ball had been tossed into water to be washed.

However.

The vortex water could replenish bodily dehydration, but could not mend the cracked Lower Dantian soil.

Inner vision of the self.

Yellow earth cracked, immortal isle auspicious clouds vanished without trace, the Bodhisattva relic diminished by a ring, dim and lusterless.

The peach tree resembled a ginseng fruit tree felled by a club—completely toppled, collapsed, withered into a sapling, deathly still.

After consuming a single Horse King Elixir, Liang Qu's Lower Dantian had become a ruin of broken walls!

"Elder Sister Eying, we'll be late soon—will the Elder come to harm?" Long Yao urged anxiously.

Long Eying shook her head: "No need to worry excessively—cultivation outcomes are never certain."

"But Prefect Su didn't say today we'd go together to Lan Prefecture to welcome the procession?"

"I'll stand in for the welcoming party—the Son of Heaven knows my husband took the elixir——"

"Indeed, something has happened?"

Su Guguan and Yang Dongxiong hurriedly entered.

"Master, Uncle."

Su Guguan raised his hand: "No need for formalities—when did he begin cultivating?"

"May seventeenth."

"Thirteen or fourteen days already." Su Guguan's teeth ached: "What's the situation? Taking an elixir requiring such time—does he plan to breakthrough the Crucible? If not breakthrough the Crucible, he's in trouble, you know?"

Normally, refinement takes only two or three days before one can resume normal activity, but to avoid wasting medicinal power, they extend seated meditation—"chew slowly, swallow thoroughly"—yet if after thirteen or fourteen days one still cannot move, then something must have gone wrong.

"What now?" Yang Dongxiong asked.

"I'll receive His Majesty on my husband's behalf — will explaining things clearly work?"

"It would work, but it's not proper enough. His Majesty will certainly understand and won't mind, but others won't see it that way — those censors and inspectors won't think so either. They'll only say King Huai relies on his great merit and slights the imperial carriage; the Sage Emperor comes in person, yet he refuses to receive him personally on the grounds of cultivation."

"Then what would count as proper?"

Su Guishan frowned, pacing in place.

A good long while.

"If you want it completely proper, then postpone the River God Festival — that's the only way."

"Postpone the River God Festival?"

"Exactly. Just citing cultivation as the reason lacks solemnity. Outsiders don't understand cultivators' twists and turns; they can't see that you've spent several nights in seclusion, what you've lost, what's been affected. Postponing the River God Festival gives a pretext."

"Hasn't that kid Liang been clamoring for a fixed schedule, to cultivate some user habits? A sudden postponement will inevitably bring a flood of complaints — everyone came on the appointed day, and he'll take a huge loss."

"In others' eyes, it becomes a genuine unavoidable difficulty rather than intentional contempt. Their contempt is arrogance; you suffer a loss yourself and still show contempt — that's not arrogance, it's being a fool — eh, where did this water come from?"

Su Guishan lifted his foot.

They were anxiously discussing countermeasures and hadn't noticed the environmental changes at all.

At some unknown time, a shallow layer of water had actually accumulated beneath his feet.

Following the winding direction of the water pool, Su Guishan and the others arrived at the quiet room's door.

"How is there so much water? That kid Liang is inside —"

Before he could ask clearly, the door directly opposite Su Guishan suddenly bulged, cracked, and seeped clear water, not giving him time to react.

Boom—

Water burst through the wooden door; fragments smashed into his nose bridge, knocking Su Guishan back a few staggering steps.

"Ow, who's so lacking in martial virtue, coming to cheat, to sneak attack!"

The flood spread, rapidly scouring everything.

A loud shout rode the current and burst out the main gate together with the water.

"Can't postpone! Absolutely cannot postpone! I'm fine!"

Long Yao and Long Li turned at the sound, first stunned, then their pupils dilated, crimson clouds rising along their cheeks, both covering their faces with their hands.

"Ah!"

"Good thing you came out, otherwise I'd have thought you were breaking through the Crucible. Strange though — you've only been in seclusion half a month, how come you seem quite a bit fairer?"

"Haha, disappointing you, Uncle Master. Had a bit of a mishap — clothes burned away, exchanged some flesh and blood. Made everyone worry, but it's alright, not too late. Taking my ship is fast, we'll make it in time."

"What mishap? No bad effects, right?" Yang Dongxiong asked.

"There are definitely effects, but I can't quite see them clearly for now. Master needn't worry either — I have a sense of it, shouldn't be bad, just needs time to recover."

"Good then. I don't understand Yalong cultivation. I came with the Sage Emperor this trip, and there's also the Dragon Elephant King. You get along well with him — discuss the Great Dao cultivation more."

"Understood, Master."

In the Wang Fu courtyard, Liang Qu sat by the tree pool, pants and inner liner on, draped in his royal robe. Long Yao carried over a pair of boots, Long Li brought ornaments, Long Eying took the boots and half-knelt to put them on Liang Qu.

Su Guishan watched the dragon women on both sides and curled his lip: "Sometimes I really envy you, kid. Thirty this year, right? At the age when others are in the thick of war, you've got the Yalong Wu Sheng title, dragon queen consorts — everything. Supreme good fortune, nothing more."

"Heh. What's there for Uncle Master to envy about me? I envy Uncle Master — finish work each day, come home and eat whatever you want, do whatever you want. Leisure time, go with Longevity Master to the West Water to shoot the breeze, pack some local specialties — that's top-tier peaceful fortune, harder to enjoy than grand fortune."

Su Guishan widened his eyes: "Peaceful fortune harder to enjoy than grand fortune? You're joking, kid?"

"Not a joke at all. I heard a story once." Liang Qu also picked up a boot — Eying put on the left foot, he put on the right. "A man of great merit died and was about to reincarnate in the underworld."

"The King of Hell said:"

"With your merit, you could be born into a family of bells and tripods, seek power over all under heaven; or into a family of wealth surpassing the world, a life of glory and splendor — your choice."

"The man heard this and said:"

"This little one just wants a few acres of good land, to read a bit each day, family free from want, family free from illness and disaster, no mental or physical toil."

"Master, Uncle Master, guess what the King of Hell said? Did he agree?"

"He definitely agreed." Long Li didn't hesitate, fastening Liang Qu's belt. "A rich man's single meal could buy hundreds of acres of good land — how could it compare?"

Su Guishan and Yang Dongxiong shook their heads.

"Should be so, but since you're asking like this, kid, he definitely didn't agree."

"Heh, the King of Hell said: 'Your merit is high, but this kind of peaceful fortune — you still can't enjoy it.'"

The courtyard fell silent.

Su Guishan savored it, then burst out laughing: "Can't argue with you."

Husband and wife, one shoe each, a full set put on.

Liang Qu jumped down and stomped a bit.

"So you see, most people don't actually want much, and they have what they want. It's just that inside, there's always unease."

"Outside changes too fast — today's two acres, tomorrow a disaster hits and maybe you can't eat. Afraid of losing what you have, you want two more acres to hedge risk. But with two more, neighbors aren't happy, the village head comes to meddle. So you want to be village head — no one bothers you. Become village head, and you have to take orders from county clerks."

"Every step up brings the risk of the step above. Always uneasy, always wanting more. That's why they say the three realms are like a burning house — no place of peace."

"What's with you today?" Su Guishan eyed him suspiciously. "Not like you had an epiphany, right? Planning to become a monk?"

"Become what monk? I can't bear to." Liang Qu laughed loud. "Just a bit of insight after this seclusion. Alright alright, let's go."

The Zaoren treasure ship cleaved waves and chased the surf, heading straight for Lanzhou.

Liang Qu stood at the bow; the relaxed cheerfulness from leaving had vanished without trace. He raised his hand and drew a silver line, immediately feeling a portion of his physical strength vanish.

"As expected, the Boundless Sea is gone —"

Liang Qu frowned, expression grave.

Good news.

Divine abilities and the Creation of Hell technique became usable, not as utterly severed as before.

Bad news.

It became the state of Entering Zhen Xiang; using divine abilities requires consuming the Qi Sea.

Nurturing Qi and blood while hunting tigers; at Entering Zhen Xiang, essence, Qi, and spirit unite as Six Heyi, relying on the Qi Sea; at Heavenly Dragon, connecting with heaven and earth, the Qi Sea becomes a Boundless Sea, no matter how much it is used, it is inexhaustible, the size of the Boundless Sea equals output power.

When the Qi Sea is empty at Entering Zhen Xiang, one feels fatigue and loses body regions.

But this situation, no matter what, is impossible, and should not appear on a Wu Sheng; this is a massive blow to Liang Qu's combat strength!

"What situation————"

He raced against time, wanting to advance his nurturing reliance a bit before the Holy Emperor's southern tour, never expecting this blind surge to cause a major problem.

Introspecting his own "barren" Lower Dantian, fertile soil turned to arid land, peach trees toppled, from teeming with vitality to riddled with scars, only a single Horse King Pill away.

"It definitely isn't just because of relying on the Horse King Pill; it's the accumulation of my nurturing reliance up to now, detonated by the Horse King Pill————"

In this horrifying barren prison, perhaps there is one and only one thing that has achieved astonishing growth.

Standing on the yellow earth, Liang Qu raised his head to the sky.

At some unknown time, another sun appeared in the sky, yellowish, like a cooked egg yolk.

That sun is originally the flat peach on the peach tree, plundering the fertile soil, plundering the peach tree, combining everything, flying into the sky.

Cultivating to this day, Liang Qu doesn't understand nothing, nor does he need to rely on others to tell him everything.

The more one nurtures reliance, the less there is an optimal template; the path must be groped by oneself, deduced by oneself.

"The Boundless Sea wouldn't disappear for no reason; my realm hasn't fallen."

The Root Sea is like a water pipe, connecting heaven and earth, providing the support needed for divine abilities, but now, the pipe doesn't produce "water" anymore, causing his Root Sea to become a barren wasteland, unable to supply divine abilities, requiring consuming body regions; then where did this "water" go?

What thing needs that much "water"?

Could it be————

"Gulp."

Liang Qu raised his head upward, bracing against the yellow sun, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

"Could it be the prototype of a self-nurtured Xiang Fruit?"

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