Chapter 138: Controlling Facing Sun, Late Night Transfer of Merit

The next day,

At the transition between the Yin and Mao hours,

At the moment when day and night met, the sky gradually grew dim,

Torch-bearing troops, like moving fire dragons, swiftly sealed off every street, big and small,

At this moment, the atmosphere inside Facing Sun City suddenly grew tense,

After a two-hour period,

"Sir, we've searched every street inside and out several times, but found no trace!" Hu Zaixing reported with a solemn face,

The person before him was an elderly man over seventy, his face ashen, unable to hide his inner anger—none other than Jinghu Regional Commander and Prefect of Facing Sun, Zhao Fang,

He is currently the chief administrator of the Great Song's Capital Southwest Circuit, Jinghu North Circuit, and Jinghu South Circuit,

Although Zhao Fang is old and a civil official by background, his gaze is sharp and intimidating,

Regarding tonight's incident, after thinking for a while, he already sensed something suspicious,

After looking at Hu Zaixing before him, he suddenly shouted at the guards on either side: "Seize him!!"

"Clang!", "Clang!", "Clang!"

Just as his words fell, before Hu Zaixing could decide whether to resist, the guards on either side drew their long blades and swiftly placed them on his shoulders,

Faced with this sudden change, Hu Zaixing felt tense inside but kept a calm face, asking in a deep voice: "What is the meaning of this, Lord Zhao?"

If it weren't for some reservations, with just these few people before him, it would be impossible to approach him so easily,

He hadn't expected that his newly appointed superior would be so decisive,

Could someone have leaked the information?

Thinking of this, his heart tightened again,

Just then——

"What meaning?"

A heh-heh laugh suddenly sounded in their ears: "Lord Zhao is obviously preparing to take you to report; Commander Hu, you say what is this meaning?"

Zhao Fang's face drastically changed,

Just as he was about to call the guards, he felt a sudden pain in his waist, his whole body instantly stiffened, and then he could no longer make a sound,

And the several guards opposite,

seemed to be the same,

Immediately after,

A greenish shadow with a ghostly face, appearing and disappearing like a deity, instantly appeared before several people,

Hu Zaixing hesitated a moment, then stepped forward, clasped his fists in salute, and said in a deep voice: "Subordinate pays respects to the World Honored One!"

Seeing this, Zhao Fang could no longer fail to realize that his surroundings had been infiltrated by rebels; he was so angry his old teeth chattered and his eyes seemed ready to spit fire,

After a glance, Niu Dingtian said lightly: "Commander Hu, why not take Lord Zhao back to rest?"

"Lord Zhao is old and his health is naturally not perfect; let him rest well at home. Remember, no one is allowed to disturb him!"

Also, remember to find Lord Zhao's official seal, and with Commander Chen quickly take control of the Facing Sun garrison to avoid disturbance,

Hu Zaixing's face showed some complexity; after taking a deep breath, he clasped his fists and said: "Yes!"

——

After daybreak,

Suddenly, news spread from the prefect's office that Lord Zhao Fang had fallen ill and was resting,

and entrusted all military affairs of Facing Sun City to Meng Zongzheng, Hu Zaixing, and Chen Xiang to manage together,

Initially, many people were strongly dissatisfied, requesting to visit Lord Zhao,

But before the next day arrived, these voices suddenly died down,

Facing Sun City also returned to its former tranquility,

The situation before him was something Niu Dingtian had not anticipated,

He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly; if following the original plan, at the latest he would have to wait until year's end to gain control of Facing Sun City's forces,

"The Manichaean Sect and the eunuchs deserve credit for this." Niu Dingtian looked at the rosy clouds on the horizon and chuckled lightly,

Now the situation is excellent; as long as he doesn't openly raise the banner of rebellion, the whole of Facing Sun City is under his say-so,

If other high-ranking members of the Manichaean Sect came to seize power, setting aside Hu Zaixing and Chen Jin'er for now, Meng Zongzheng would absolutely not agree,

"Brother Niu, hurry over! Sister Sha Gu has awakened!" Miss Huang came running in a panic,

Since that afternoon when Sha Gu drank the Spirit Spring Water, she has been sleeping in a daze for two days,

Upon hearing this, Niu Dingtian's spirit was shaken; he swiftly flew, leaping over the roof eaves, and flashed over to a courtyard to the west,

Entering the room,

Chen Jin'er and several others were present,

Seeing the 'foolish' younger sister on the bed again, Niu Dingtian couldn't help but feel a dazed sensation,

At this moment, Sha Gu's eyes were clear and bright, her lively radiance charming; there was no trace of her former dazed and confused appearance,

Upon seeing Niu Dingtian enter, her pretty face's smile paused slightly,

Then, unable to hide her excitement, she rose and slowly walked up to him, pressing her lips as she nearly cried out: "Brother!"

Niu Dingtian affectionately rubbed her head and said softly: "It's good that you've recovered."

After a moment, as if thinking of something, he asked: "Little sister, do you still remember your name? If you don't have one, I'll give you a name later."

Since you've now returned to normal, you should also have a proper name; we can't let outsiders keep calling you "Sha Gu"

Hearing this, Sha Gu's mood suddenly sank; after a moment of sullenness, she softly said: "Before my father passed away, he called me Sha Gu Xiu'er"

She suddenly thought of the relative who had raised her since childhood; back then, he did nothing but drink alcohol and stare blankly into the distance all day

But he had been in a muddled dream, and when he woke up, the scene before his death seemed right before his eyes.

"Qu Xiu'er?" Niu Dingtian murmured to himself.

Soon the corners of his mouth gradually curled up, obviously very pleased with that name.

Sha Gu hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Once, many people broke into our home, and when Father fought them, I injured my head, and gradually I became a bit foolish."

"One night, Father got into a fight again at the tavern, and afterwards the two of them went into a secret room and stayed there a long time without coming out. When I went in and saw the corpse, I became completely foolish and never regained my senses."

"Not long after that, Sha Gu met her brother and sister-in-law."

Upon hearing this, the several people in the room suddenly felt a bit heavy-hearted; of those past days, Chen Jin'er felt it most deeply.

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian did not continue the topic, comforting her: "It's all in the past now; sister, you still have your brother and sister-in-law, from now on you shall be called Qu Xiu'er!"

"From now on, follow me and study martial arts diligently; after a while, I'll take you back to Niu Clan Village to have a look—your father's remains are buried behind your home's tavern."

Back then he brought Qu Lingfeng's remains out of the secret chamber just for today.

The ancients stressed burial for peace; even though back then they didn't even have a coffin board, at least they had a resting place.

Now that his sister has returned to normal, he no longer has any worries, and from now on he should devote himself wholeheartedly to his career.

In the time that followed,

Niu Dingtian did not indulge in the gentle embrace of the female hero Han, but instead directly had Chen Jin'er and Bao Shijie set aside the mundane affairs of the manor, then wholeheartedly helped the two improve their martial prowess.

In the days to come, whenever another person who lacks martial arts appears by his side, to some extent he gains an extra burden.

This is a very realistic problem.

At least, if one day he is gone, I believe they can rely on their own abilities to survive in this chaotic world.

As for relying on others?

Heh~

If they keep relying on others, they'll likely be coveted for their bodies.

This point, to him as a fellow man, is crystal clear.

When teaching martial arts,

Compared to Bao Shijie, who has no martial arts foundation at all, Chen Jin'er at least is already familiar with the method of circulating the North Darkness Divine Skill.

Therefore, after drinking the spiritual spring water, her progress can be described as rapid.

But in front of Bao Shijie, Niu Dingtian suddenly felt at a loss.

This is just like him back then—a complete novice who doesn't even know the meridians and acupoints.

For several consecutive days, he could only teach by hands-on guidance, feeling his way over her body.

As for internal energy, seeing Bao Shijie's slow progress, Niu Dingtian began to occasionally personally transfer a bit into her body.

Meanwhile,

Chen Jin'er again began to probe, bringing up Yan Huai xi in front of Niu Dingtian.

This is a future daughter-in-law she had long ago picked out for this brat, and she has already subtly sounded out the father and daughter.

But the current situation is indeed somewhat awkward.

One day,

After arriving in the courtyard, seeing Niu Dingtian still lounging carelessly in the pavilion's rattan chair, taking the cool, Chen Jin'er's anger just wouldn't come out.

She then stepped lightly, flashed to his side, and directly flicked her sleeve to slap him, saying angrily: "Huai xi sister, you're just going to ignore this? Rong er and the two of them— which one are you really going to choose? Give me a definite answer quickly!"

Leaving aside what she herself thinks, the ages of these two young ladies are most suitable.

She feels that Miss Huang is indeed not bad; this is a signature beauty she has never seen before.

But she has long been prejudiced in favor of Yan Huai xi, and moreover, it was she herself who first meddled and revealed her feelings to that father and daughter.

And now this brat has brought people home—does he really intend to ignore and not care about them?

Niu Dingtian slowly opened his eyes; the fragrant breeze that had just brushed past his nose left him with a faint sense of loss in his heart.

"Which one to choose?" He seemed a bit surprised, asking softly: "Why must I make a choice?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jin'er blinked slightly, still not grasping the meaning of his words.

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian said with an inscrutable look in his eyes: "Only children make choices; now that I've grown up, I naturally want all of them!"

Chen Jin'er was stunned upon hearing that,

"All of them?"

"What does this brat mean?"

After regaining her composure, seeing him staring at her with a fiery gaze, Chen Jin'er's face flushed red in an instant.

Flustered and annoyed, she widened her eyes, swung her sleeve to slap his face again, and snapped harshly: "I can't be bothered with you!"

Saying that,

she fled in panic toward the outside of the pavilion.

That night,

Niu Dingtian once again quietly came to Bao Shijie's room.

The familiar scent in this room has recently begun to captivate him.

Because during the day people constantly come and go in the courtyard, he also couldn't stay inside all the time giving hands-on instruction.

Actually he himself doesn't mind, but out of consideration for Bao Shijie's thin skin, the two can only meet late at night.

From this it can be seen that Bao Shijie is still very eager to improve.

"Have you come?"

"I've come,"

"Then hurry up!"

"Senior sister, bear with it a bit—I'm here!"

As streams of warm true qi surged into her body, Senior Sister Bao's complexion gradually flushed, and she gritted her silver teeth, enduring the waves of pain inside.

Because she had never cultivated internal energy before, the meridians and acupoints in her body were relatively more blocked.

Although Niu Dingtian could continuously pour internal energy into her, the internal energy inevitably scours the meridians as it flows and circulates within the body.

Thus, some slight pain is unavoidable.

And the growth of internal energy and the breaking through of realms can also bring a feeling of refreshment.

So, for Senior Sister Bao, this is a process that is both painful and joyful.

After an hour, the transmission of skill ended.

Perhaps because the night was too long, Senior Sister Bao was already drenched in sweat, her strength gradually failing.

Seeing her delicate body about to topple backward, Niu Dingtian hesitated not, directly catching her around the waist.

Hiss—

How could there be such a test for subordinates!

The already somewhat amorous atmosphere let this warm fragrance in his embrace instantly ignite, and Niu Dingtian couldn't help but become excited.

Senior Sister Bao's whole body stiffened; she subconsciously wanted to break free, but she had not a shred of strength.

Time seemed to stand still; after a while, Senior Sister Bao difficultly whispered: "You…… still not going back?"

Niu Dingtian remained silent without speaking, but the silence was not tonight's sheng and xiao.

Senior Sister Bao's face was struggling with difficulty.

After a good while, she trembled and whispered softly: "Only… just this once…"

——

The next day, before dawn, Niu Dingtian slipped away quietly.

Over the following days,

He originally only wanted to properly transmit skill and teach martial arts, but Senior Sister Bao refused. The reason was simple: she wanted to rely on herself!

Niu Dingtian, helpless, could only temporarily let it be, and thus began to arrange for Yan Huixi, who had been silently contributing all along.

Miss Huixi originally had no interest in martial arts, but seeing that everyone in the manor already knew martial arts, her already wandering thoughts became even more wandering.

Thus, when faced with the choice, she directly said to Niu Dingtian: "The ancients said medicine and martial arts are not separate; Huixi also wishes to advance further, please teach me, Elder Brother Niu!"

A young lady's face is thin; she originally intended to address him as Young Master Niu, but after Chen Jin'er's hint, she stubbornly changed it to Elder Brother Niu.

It hadn't been two days before this address came naturally.

Niu Dingtian said with a smile: "Miss Huixi, you're being polite; your understanding of the body's meridians and acupoints far surpasses that of many martial artists in the jianghu."

"As long as you start formal martial arts training from now on, your progress and achievements will likely be beyond what ordinary people can reach."

These words are not empty talk,

Many martial practitioners merely study the meridians and acupoints simply, so as not to make mistakes when cultivating.

But regarding the understanding of resonance between different acupoints, they mostly have not conducted deep research.

Those who delve deep into research are mostly people with great insights, and they often can create new martial arts manuals.

Therefore, in Niu Dingtian's view, Miss Huixi possesses innate talent!

Thus,

Under Niu Dingtian's praises, Miss Huixi harbored the dream of becoming a master and embarked on the martial path.

One month later,

It was already midsummer.

In the days when the blazing sun hung high, the whole of Xiangyang seemed to become a furnace.

Seeing that Han Xiao Ying and others' martial arts had already gotten on track, Niu Dingtian brought his sister Qu Xiu'er and returned to Niu Clan village in Lin'an Prefecture.

Upon entering the village, his first thing was to eagerly go take a look at his family's old house.

What made him slightly wistful was that the old house remained the same, but the people from before had become strangers to each other, smilingly asking where the guest came from.

After Qu Xiu'er finished paying respects to her father, the two began their leisurely return.

Two months later,

Niu Dingtian alone came to a mountain valley in the suburbs of Xiangyang. (End of chapter)