Chapter 781

"Three trips to the capital, all in winter..."

The River Patrol Office was brightly lit. Liang Qu stood under the eaves, stretched, and gazed at the Great Lake.

The stars and moon were cold and clear, the cold wind desolate.

Fishermen in the town wore bamboo hats, coming and going in a hurry, taking advantage of the clear light to set sail and catch fish.

The Beginning of Winter had arrived, the temperature was gradually dropping, and there were still traces of fish schools in early November.

By the end of November or early December, when the true cold winter arrived, they would run to the deep water areas one after another. A day of sailing might not yield much, and with the strong winds on the river, falling in and catching a cold would be more trouble than it was worth.

Winter was cold and desolate after all; everyone huddled at home, unwilling to go out.

The south was already afraid of the cold, let alone the north.

"I wonder when I will be able to see the magnificent sight of elephants washing in the Accumulated Water Pool."

The Eight-Clawed King matter was finished, and all the benefits had fallen into his bowl.

Liang Qu felt calm and leisurely.

Hearing is not as detailed as seeing, and seeing is not as thorough as living there.

Life is long; it always feels a pity not to see more of the world.

"Going home to sleep!"

The main gate of the Liang Prefecture.

"Hahaha..."

Wulong leaped out of the courtyard, wagging its tail, panting, and rubbing against his legs.

Digging out the keys from his pocket, Liang Qu originally intended to open the door, but then thought it was troublesome to open and close it, so he simply circled to the back of the residence to jump over the wall. Unexpectedly, before he could move, he bumped into a "sneaky" figure in the horse stable nearby.

Wulong sat quietly, and the 【Tree Soldier】 remained rooted and motionless.

Liang Qu called out the identity of the figure.

"Xinglai!"

The figure was startled, lost balance while half-crawling on the wall, and fell to the ground.

"Master?"

Liang Qu looked up at the sky: "In the middle of the night, there's a door you don't use, why climb the wall? Secretly going to see a lover?"

Fan Xinglai's face turned red.

"Oh, really?" Liang Qu raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, "Chen Xiu?"

Chen Xiu, the daughter of Mother Zhang in the kitchen, had a monthly wage of nine qian and two fen, close to one tael.

She usually helped out in the kitchen, doing whatever was needed, helping wherever there was a shortage.

Fan Xinglai scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

"Not bad, when was it?"

Liang Qu opened the side door, sat on the threshold, and patted the stone steps.

Fan Xinglai followed and sat on the steps: "End of September? I just remember when the crabs first hit the market..."

"What were you doing when you just went to see her?"

"She said she would give me a pouch..."

The two and the dog bathed in the moonlight, squatting on the steps chatting.

Fan Xinglai's father, Fan Xianfa, was a horse-rearing expert in the Yang Prefecture. Fan Xinglai was considered half a household servant; he came to Liang Qu's house to raise horses when he was twelve or thirteen, and also did odd jobs, fed the dog, and raised chickens.

Except for holidays, the small hut next to the stable was his home.

Later, as he grew two years older and there were more women in the house, to avoid suspicion, the hut was moved from the west side of the stable to the east side, separated by a wall.

In the blink of an eye, he was sixteen or seventeen. The boyish look of the past had changed greatly; he was much more mature, full of vigor. Although the world was different and there were fewer channels to learn, the instinctive urges of a growing, taller body could not be faked.

When Wulong was in season, it also ran out every few days to sniff dog butts.

Self-taught.

It was no surprise that the two had gotten together.

Fan Xinglai's appearance was ordinary. He had just started practicing martial arts this year and hadn't achieved anything yet. Apart from a bit of cleverness and knowing how to raise horses, there was nothing special about him, but his character wasn't bad, and he had a bit of resilience.

Chen Xiu wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but at least her features were regular. When she first came, she was definitely rough and dark, but after working in the Liang residence for more than two years, eating well, sleeping well, and not doing tiring work, her skin was fair and not rough. In the surrounding towns, she was considered a top-tier beauty.

The two were well-matched in social status; they didn't even need to develop freely, as both sets of parents would be very happy to facilitate it.

Listened for a while.

There wasn't any special story in the middle, or rather, pure affection is not something that needs anything to push it forward.

After being together for a long time.

They caught each other's eyes. "Going to find the girl in the middle of the night every day, don't do anything bad and get someone pregnant; that would be a huge loss of face."

"That's impossible!" Fan Xinglai stiffened his neck, "I'm not a playboy, how could I act recklessly? If I really caused trouble, my father would probably break my legs."

"Just a joke." Liang Qu laughed loudly, patted Fan Xinglai on the shoulder, "Go to the martial arts school, practice hard, strive to become a second or third-tier martial artist, or even better, a fourth-tier martial master. Once things are truly settled, I will go propose for you and help you catch wild geese for the betrothal."

Fan Xinglai was overjoyed: "Master, are you serious?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Master is in a good mood today and said it casually. If I take it seriously later, wouldn't it be embarrassing?"

"Blind worry!" Liang Qu reached out and hit the back of his head, "I mean what I say. Alright, go get some rest. By the way, did you feed the night feed tonight?"

"Fed, fed! No matter how urgent, I can't neglect Master Chishan. I fed the night feed before I went out!"

The night was hazy.

Fan Xinglai happily went back to his room to sleep. Liang Qu watched for a moment and closed the small door.

Chen Xiu and Fan Xinglai.

A small interlude in life.

Mid-November.

Long Yao and Long Li packed their luggage, waved and urged from the bow of the boat, and Quan Tou stuffed the cut-up Eight-Clawed wrist into the cabin. Liang Qu carried the official documents of the River Patrol Office and set off for the Imperial Capital.

Early December.

The sky was a deep, purplish blue.

The Imperial Capital had a light snow last night, and the suburbs were yellow earth, half yellow and half white.

Long Yao and Long Li cleaned the room and packed the bedding.

Liang Qu reported to the official residence, bathed and changed clothes. While waiting for the summons from the palace, he organized the booklet and had Quan Tou take out all the Eight-Clawed King's wrist, cutting off about two-fifths vertically.

This part.

He intended to "offer it as tribute."

The Eight-Clawed King's connecting wrist was not a treasure exchanged for great merit, so he couldn't get the alchemical subsidy that the imperial court gave to "outstanding youth" under its jurisdiction. Finding an alchemist to refine it would be expensive, and the corresponding auxiliary medicines were also costly.

For example, the Luan Dian Feng Dao Pill; the auxiliary medicines worthy of a Great Medicine must at least be Great Medicines themselves; anything else wouldn't qualify!

Therefore, Liang Qu wanted to borrow the east wind and use this small half of the wrist to offset all other costs!

It seemed like a loss, but actually, counting the value of the auxiliary medicines, it was at worst a one-for-one exchange, neither gaining nor losing.

Plus, given the characteristics of the wrist, if the Holy Emperor was happy, there would likely be a profit!

Reasonably speaking.

If someone else came to do this, it might not necessarily work.

Things cannot be given away casually; whether it is appropriate depends on both the receiver and the giver.

If it were someone who frequented flower houses, had a reputation, or was a middle-aged person in their thirties or forties, offering this item would seem lewd and greasy. If they met someone who didn't like such things, it would only cause displeasure, and if it accidentally spread, there would be a possibility of being impeached.

Liang Qu was different.

He was in his early twenties, his original yang was intact, a pure young man, completely unrelated to the aforementioned behavior!

Even if the person receiving it didn't like it, at most they would just laugh it off!

Qinzheng Hall.

Liang Qu waited in the hall, staring at his reflection on the gold bricks, observing his nose and heart.

The Great Eunuch waved away the attendants and whispered in his ear.

The Holy Emperor's expression was strange.

"Eight-Clawed King... connecting wrist? Like deer blood, an aphrodisiac?"

"Your Majesty, you misunderstand. It is not that kind of item. Aphrodisiacs and tonics that boost yang are harmful to the body if used too much, acting like poison. But this item from the Eight-Clawed Great Demon does not stimulate desire; it is rumored to have the miraculous effect of returning the acquired to the innate and growing to perfection. Even for someone like this subject, it can regrow severed limbs. A Demon King's item, I fear..."

The Holy Emperor was silent.

The great merit of the sea merchant matter was accomplished, and there was the major event of the White Ape's surrender. Having an allied Demon King and Great Demon appear in the water at the same time was worth celebrating. He should have said a few words of encouragement, but the tribute item at the end of the booklet suddenly drew all his attention away.

"Used for alchemy, which is the best prescription?"

"Innate Pure Yang Pill. Grandmaster Zhao of the Alchemy Workshop has considerable experience. It just so happens he has a furnace of Great Medicine about to be finished. He can start before the end of the month. He is the only choice."

The Holy Emperor raised his eyes.

The Great Eunuch understood and retreated slowly, entering the side hall to make arrangements.

The attendants climbed the steps and surrounded him.

Liang Qu caught a glimpse of movement and raised his head slightly.

"Stop looking around." The Holy Emperor laughed, closed the booklet, "Go, send your portion to the Alchemy Workshop as well."

Done!

"Many thanks, Your Majesty!"

(End of chapter)