Chapter 418: Seclusion and Breakthrough, a Tapering Arrest, Let Your Family

Xia Xia Yu Yao and Xia Xia Yu Sheng are, after all, only five years old. It is perfectly normal for their personalities to change after being exposed to certain things and influenced by them.

The Battle of Hong Sect was actually fine; given their age and experience, they likely only saw a rough outline. Apart from knowing they had defeated Yang Zun, they were unaware of anything else. But the post-battle political assembly in the Great Hall was different. Over six hundred high-ranking officials of Great Xia gathered in one place; that scene, both in terms of momentum and atmosphere, was enough to leave a deep impression on the two little ones.

When Xia Hong brought the two children into the Great Hall to participate in the assembly, he actually had the intention of observing their reactions, wanting to see how they would respond after entering such an occasion for the first time.

He saw very clearly at the time that their first reaction upon entering the Great Hall was nervousness. Given their young age, this was not strange.

But after the nervousness passed, their performances were vastly different.

The younger son gripped his arm tightly, while the elder daughter, Xia Xia Yu Yao, had an expression of excitement, even boldly sizing up the people in the hall at the time.

A person's subconscious actions can expose their hidden inner personality.

Following this deduction, the younger son's personality is somewhat dependent, while the elder daughter appears more independent and bold—even, to put it severely, showing signs of a desire for power at such a young age.

If it was only a guess at the time, then based on the various behavioral changes of the two siblings over the half-month since returning from Hong Sect, Xia Hong was certain:

"In terms of personality, my son takes after me, and my daughter takes after her mother!"

Xia Hong considers himself someone who truly pursues stronger strength or a higher cultivation realm rather than power. From this point of view, his son, who had been pestering him for Soul-Returning Pills, is clearly more like him.

So, the saying "daughter takes after father, son takes after mother" isn't that accurate after all...

While deep in thought, Xia Hong had already arrived at the Star-Gazing Terrace from his living quarters.

Li Ying Xuan Ling, who was on the Enlightenment Divine Lotus, sensed his arrival and opened her eyes, her gaze burning as she stared at the pill bottle in his hand, clearly realizing something.

There is only one situation in which others can use the Enlightenment Divine Lotus: Xia Hong expends resources to activate the lotus's special function, "Technique Transcendence." Therefore, although Li Ying Xuan Ling is sitting on it, she cannot actually enjoy the lotus's fivefold cultivation speed boost.

However, if one looks closely, they would find that the roughly one-square-meter area beneath the divine lotus is clearly different from the surrounding floor. That is a small section Xia Hong dismantled from the Martial Arts Pavilion's cultivation area and kept specifically at the Star-Gazing Terrace, so she still has the Martial Arts Pavilion's threefold cultivation speed boost.

"This is the Rising Yang Pill refined with Heavenly Yang Fruit as the main ingredient. You can crush it and take it with Yang Origin Pills to raise your final 10 jin of strength, and then you can use it to break through to the Manifesting Yang level!"

Xia Hong did not beat around the bush and directly took out the pill bottle and retrieved one.

Although the Rising Yang Pill is a pill for bone tempering, its medicinal properties are essentially the same as the Yang Origin Pill, and it can also be used for restructuring flesh. However, its medicinal potency is at least ten times that of the Yang Origin Pill, so before reaching the peak of Frigid Defense, it can only be crushed and taken with Yang Origin Pills.

Xia Hong had tested the potency before coming, so he knew clearly that he should crush the Rising Yang Pill in his hand into three parts before giving it to Li Ying Xuan Ling.

Li Ying Xuan Ling was clearly impatient; she stepped off the divine lotus, took the pill bottle, and immediately opened it to peek inside, only then looking up at Xia Hong.

"Chengfeng refined a total of 36 pills in the first batch; there are 15 here. I have calculated that you will likely need two pills to break through to the peak of Frigid Defense. How many you need afterward depends on your bone constitution; at most, it shouldn't exceed 6..."

Upon hearing Xia Hong's words, a look of excitement instantly appeared on Li Ying Xuan Ling's face. He was just about to say something, but he realized that Xia Hong had already sat upon the Divine Lotus, closed his eyes, and begun to cultivate in a cross-legged position.

Li Ying Xuan Ling clutched the pill bottle, standing in place with a hesitant expression.

"If I gave it to you, it's yours. How you use it is your business!"

Hearing these words from Xia Hong, a look of being moved appeared on her face. She turned her head and opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she did not speak and turned to walk quickly out of the Star-Gazing Terrace.

"Sigh..."

After his wife had walked far away, Xia Hong opened his eyes and sighed softly.

Xia Hong knew very clearly that Li Ying Xuan Ling was so excited when she saw the Rising Yang Pill not for herself, but for her second uncle, Li Li Tiancheng.

As for the reason for Li Ying Xuan Ling's hesitation, both of them knew it in their hearts.

Li Li Tiancheng is already ninety-five years old; his age is truly too great...

Breaking through to the Manifesting Yang level is not an easy task. In fact, as long as it involves cultivation, nothing is easy. For example, the Earth-Digging Realm's restructuring of skin membranes, the Frigid Defense level's restructuring of flesh, and then the bone tempering when breaking through to Manifesting Yang—each item is accompanied by huge risks.

Even the young and strong suffer immensely, let alone Li Li Tiancheng, whose lifespan is nearing its end.

When Xia Hong saw Li Li Tiancheng at Hong Sect last month, he noticed that his flesh state had already shown signs of decay. To be honest, the possibility of breaking through to the Manifesting Yang level in this physical state is already minimal.

Unless there is a pill that can increase Li Li Tiancheng's lifespan. Xia Hong had also said this when comforting Li Ying Xuan Ling last month.

One doesn't need to think to know how precious pills that increase lifespan are. Let alone the Jiuzhen, Xia Hong feels he has to put a question mark on whether even the Chen and Cai vassal towns have them.

"Even if those two vassal towns have them, I don't know how to get there!"

Recalling the promise he made to Li Ying Xuan Ling last month to comfort her, a look of helplessness appeared on Xia Hong's face.

Apart from knowing the locations of the Chen and Cai vassal towns are in the north, he knows nothing else. He can't just keep blindly searching northward, right?

Manifesting Yang level cultivation is considered quite good among humans, but it is definitely not at the level where one can run around the Frozen Abyss at will.

The Sumeru Nightmare on Mount Shuanglong is a living lesson.

In any unfamiliar area, breaking in blindly will come at a price.

Losing one's life is not impossible!

Furthermore, the fact that the Chen Cang and Cai Qiu vassal towns have not sent large-scale personnel south to the Jiuzhen territory already speaks for itself.

Of course, from the fact that Cai Qiu could plant spies in the Jiuzhen territory and that Chen Cang could send three Manifesting Yang level experts to assist the Northern Three Towns in dealing with the Great Awakening Temple this April, it can be seen that there must be some special route in the north connecting the two towns.

The only difficulty in going to the vassal towns right now is the exact route.

Great Xia has only caught one Cai Qiu spy, Han Peng, but that Han Peng is a person from Jin Shan Town and has never been to Cai Qiu. Although Seeing Mu Longhe has seen the three Manifesting Yang level experts from Chen Cang, he knows nothing about Chen Cang, let alone the route to Chen Cang. The only thing he knows is that Yang Zun, Qin Feng, and Shangguan Yang should have a good understanding of Chen Cang.

"Could it be that I really have to go and ask Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang?"

Xia Hong's brows furrowed slightly. Yang Zun is definitely out of the question, and the possibility of Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang telling him is also not high, after all, the two were severely humiliated by him at Hong Sect last month.

Therefore, asking these three about the route is basically a dead end.

"There are two other ways. One is to ferret out the middle-aged man in black who killed the people of the Three Towns Chamber of Commerce and sowed discord in the Jiuzhen. He must know, but judging from the news brought back by Xia Chuan, that person acts extremely cautiously, and coupled with his means of tampering with memories, I'm afraid it won't be easy to ferret him out."

"Secondly, we can start from Han Peng of Jin Yang Village, or ferret out more vassal town spies like him!"

Han Peng said that he meets his handler from Cai Qiu twice a year, once in March and once in August. Lu Yang has already taken Han Li as a disciple and brought him to Dongling. Han Peng definitely wouldn't dare to defect. When we catch the handler he meets next March or August, we will know how to get to Cai Qiu."

Great Xia certainly wouldn't let Han Peng go easily after discovering his identity as a Cai Qiu spy. Coincidentally, through Han Feng, Great Xia had long since grasped the situation in Jin Yang Village and knew that Han Peng had a precious grandson named Han Li, so they notified Lu Yang in advance to find an excuse to bring Han Li to Dongling.

Han Peng is now the only clue Great Xia has to the Cai Qiu vassal town, so they are naturally cautious to prevent him from defecting again.

"By the way, there is also this newly appeared Chu Yan'er, who should also be someone who has killed monsters. I don't know which vassal town she came from. Let's see if Xia Chuan can squeeze some useful information out of her!"

In short, there is no need to ask the Northern Three Towns. At the very least, Great Xia can use existing clues and means. It's just a matter of time, but as long as we can figure out the location of Cai Qiu, finding the other vassal towns won't be a problem.

"The most urgent task is to cultivate. Before setting off for the vassal towns, I must improve my strength again!"

Actually, strictly speaking, Xia Hong only officially broke through last September. It has been exactly one year now. That his strength could steadily increase from just over 10 jun to 11 jun would probably be considered a fantasy in the outside world.

But don't forget, with the double superposition of the Enlightenment Lotus Platform and the Martial Arts Pavilion, he has an eightfold cultivation speed boost. Moreover, Seeing Mu Longhe and Xiang Fuhai's injuries have not yet healed. In the entire Great Xia, he is the only Manifesting Yang level expert who can cultivate normally. All the Bone-Condensing Pills and Bone-Gathering Pills are used by him, so resources are not a problem at all. Adding the bonus of the Twelve Blood Scripture Technique makes it even more exaggerated.

So, although it seems he has only cultivated for one year, the actual time is far more than that.

"According to my estimation, it will take at least two more years to break through to the middle stage. Currently, my cultivation can only rely on Bone-Condensing Pills and Bone-Gathering Pills. It depends on whether Mount Mo'ao can bring some unexpected surprises..."

Xia Hong cast aside the groundless thoughts in his mind, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and as the lotus platform emitted a burst of fluorescence, he also began to enter a state of cultivation.

………………

Just as Xia Hong was immersed in cultivation at the Star-Gazing Terrace.

In the North Fifth District of the Outer City, the atmosphere suddenly became murderous.

The Outer City actually only has 22 districts, which are the 18 districts of the East City and the 4 districts of the North City.

The so-called North Fifth District is actually set up temporarily, specifically for accommodating the immigrant population.

Ever since the opening of Hong Sect in July, Great Xia decided to open up to the outside world, and people from other towns and village-level camps have come to Xia City one after another, and there is no lack of people from outside the region, coming here for the name. These people either visit, join, trade, or even lurk to spy. In short, their purposes are varied.

No matter what purpose they hold, since Great Xia has decided to open its doors, it naturally must properly accommodate these people, both for the sake of reputation and safety, so the North Fifth District was set up specifically for them to live and work.

Of course, it all costs money!

Those who dare to travel thousands of miles from other places to Xia City are naturally capable people. Previously, those who could live in the North Fifth District had at least the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm, but after the 18th of last month, the situation changed.

Many people who originally only intended to complete transactions in Hong Sect City and return, because they witnessed the confrontation between Great Xia and the Six Towns on the 18th, all had the idea of coming to Xia City to find out the truth. Therefore, starting from the 18th of last month, more and more people followed the north bank of the Ying River to Xia City.

The North Fifth District is not like other areas of Xia City and there is no need to set up the subordinate Eight Departments. Previously, to meet the trading needs of these people, Qiu Peng specifically set up the Camp Needs Department here, but as the population grew, order also needed to be managed, so Li Li Tiancheng also set up the subordinate Prison Department here and appointed Hou Ming as the head of punishment.

As of the 5th of October, according to Hou Ming's statistics, the population of this area has reached more than 63,000, of which 20% are at the Frigid Defense level, and the rest are basically all at the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm, with very few at the ordinary Earth-Digging Realm level.

More than half of the immigrant population chose to join Great Xia, but some chose to leave. Although the entire area is coming and going, the population is basically in a state of flux, but the overall trend is constantly rising.

As the population continues to rise, the difficulty of management naturally becomes higher and higher.

Moreover, these people come from all directions, with different temperaments and habits. The vast majority are here for business, which is prone to conflict, and some are simply enemies who want to fight as soon as they meet. Coupled with some people with ulterior motives, the degree of chaos can be imagined.

Not to mention quarreling, even with Great Xia's strict prohibition, fighting almost happens every day, and even every few days, a murder case will occasionally occur. The pressure on Hou Ming, the new head of punishment, is naturally unbearable.

Originally, according to Great Xia's regulations, a station head of punishment could only be equipped with three Silver Order prison officials. He really had no other choice, so he transferred twenty Silver Order prison officials from the Inner City headquarters in one breath, which barely met the needs of the North Fifth District.

You know, the patrol mission of the North Fifth District is carried out by the Feipeng and Qingjiao armies, who have just completed the population migration of Bashang and are currently stationed in Xia City, taking turns. And the prison officials are only responsible for investigating and handling cases.

From this, one can see how chaotic the North Fifth District is!

Coincidentally, Seeing Xiang Liang is one of the 20 Silver Order prison officials transferred.

Seeing Xiang Liang is currently following his superior, Hou Ming, with a nervous expression. Beside him are twenty-two Silver Order prison officials such as Bai Bai Shan Ning, and behind him are more than a hundred Iron Order prison officials. A group of more than a hundred people is fully armed and is rushing toward a house on the inner side of the North Fifth District.

The reason why the atmosphere in the North Fifth District suddenly became murderous is because these hundred-plus prison officials were dispatched at the same time.

"All the prison officials have been dispatched. What are they going to do?"

"Something big must have happened. It should be a murder case!"

"A murder case doesn't need so many people to be dispatched. It's not like it hasn't happened before. I'm afraid a lot of people died at once?"

"It's possible. Let's follow and take a look!"

…………

Many pedestrians along the street saw so many prison officials dispatched at the same time and immediately guessed that something big had happened. Some timid ones went straight back to their residences, but there was no lack of bold ones who not only discussed it but even followed behind the team of prison officials, intending to watch the excitement.

"That Chu Yan'er has a problem. How could she have a problem!"

However, at this moment, Seeing Xiang Liang, whose expression was extremely nervous, had no mood to pay attention to those outsiders.

Just now, he received a notification from the head of punishment, Hou Ming, at the Prison Department, saying that all seven people in Chu Yan'er's group had problems. He was completely stunned.

Knowing Chu Yan'er was completely an accident. On the 19th of last month, when escorting Seeing Mu Longhe back from Hong Sect, they actually ran into Chu Yan'er's group again on the way from Baiyang to Songyang Ridge, and the other party was entangled with two high-level Snow Ridge Foxes. If they were in the outside territory, they could ignore it, but it was definitely not allowed in Great Xia territory.

As a result, he followed Xiang Wentian and Bai Bai Shan Ning and others to take action.

It is said that with Xiang Fuhai there, there is no need for them to take action against two high-level Snow Ridge Foxes. It was Xiang Fuhai who intended to train his grandson, Xiang Wentian, which gave the five of them a chance to take action.

After saving the seven people, they learned that in order to reach Xia City earlier, they did not take the straight road, and because they were unfamiliar with the road conditions, they mistakenly broke into the hunting area of Songyang Ridge and were targeted by two high-level Snow Ridge Foxes.

The seven people who were rescued were naturally grateful to them. Later, when they learned that they were also going back to Xia City, they immediately begged to travel together.

Thinking that they had checked the information of these seven people in Qinghepu before, Seeing Xiang Liang and Bai Bai Shan Ning and others did not have any doubts, so they agreed.

Because in the process of driving away the two Snow Ridge Foxes, Seeing Xiang Liang personally saved Chu Yan'er, the only woman among the seven, Chu Yan'er was very enthusiastic about him and kept talking to him on the way back to Xia City. After coming and going, the two became familiar with each other.

The subsequent development was a bit of a twist!

Don't look at Chu Yan'er's plain appearance, but she has exquisite painting skills that even Bai Yunzi, the chief painter of the Craftsman Department, bows down to. She made a great reputation within a few days of coming to Xia City.

Coincidentally, Seeing Xiang Liang was transferred to the North Fifth District by Hou Ming, and the relationship between the two became more and more familiar. Moreover, because of the life-saving grace, Chu Yan'er not only gave him a large sum of silver but also specially painted a portrait for his wife, Wang Yuxiu, for free.

He also lived in the Inner City. When he learned that Lady Yuan wanted to find a powerful painter for the eldest son Yuan Shao's birthday, he introduced Chu Yan'er to Lady Yuan out of the intention of returning the favor.

Who would have thought that this introduction would cause such a big thing!

"All seven people in Chu Yan'er's group have big problems, and it has alarmed the Lord. Chu Yan'er has already been caught in the Yuan Mansion and is now locked in the Prison Department's Great Hall. The Secretary just gave the order for us to hurry up and catch the remaining six."

This is what Hou Ming said when he summoned them at the Prison Department just now.

Ask Seeing Xiang Liang at this moment, how can his heart not be nervous!

It's just that no matter how nervous he was, he didn't dare to ask again at this moment. He could only follow Hou Ming, and soon a group of prison officials arrived at the door of the house rented by the seven people in Chu Yan'er's group.

"Surround it!"

The houses in the North Fifth District, although specifically for outsiders to rent, are still built according to the regulations of other districts, considering that they will be used for future urban expansion, all of which are 10 meters by 10 meters.

At Hou Ming's order, more than a hundred Frigid Defense level prison officials immediately dispersed, either jumping onto the courtyard wall, pushing open the door, or bypassing to the back of the house, and some even jumped to the second floor, quickly surrounding the whole house tightly.

"Chu Dongning, Chen Qing, He Yang, Zhu Dong, Chen Yu, Chen Huang, your companion Chu Yan'er intended to commit misconduct in the Inner City and has been caught by Secretary Yuan of the Jurisdiction Department. This head of punishment advises you six to surrender immediately and follow me to the Prison Department. As long as you honestly explain your origin and purpose, this head of punishment will never make things difficult for you!" ===== CHAPTER 419 =====