Cultivating the Inverted Dragon and Phoenix Art!

Accompanied by warmth and fragrance, Zhu Youning spent about ten days traveling before finally arriving at Qingzhou, the administrative center of Pinglu.

Although the carriage ride was smooth and the soft embrace of his companions provided a cushion against the bumps, the journey itself was far from peaceful.

The reason was the sheer number of starving refugees along the way.

This era was undoubtedly a chaotic one; from the Huang Chao Rebellion at the end of the Tang Dynasty to the founding of Great Liang, countless wars had been raging incessantly.

Take Zhu Wen alone: from the moment he joined the army to the day he ascended the throne, he had fought no fewer than sixty major battles.

For instance: the Battle of Chang'an, the various Battles of Hezhong, the Battle of Dengzhou, the defensive Battle of Dengzhou, the Battle of East Wei Bridge, the Battle of Fuping, the Battle of Tongzhou, the Battle of Xiguan Gate, the Battle of Luyi, the Battle of Wangmandu, the Battle of Yinshui, the Battle of Banqiao, and the Battle of Chigang.

In his military career spanning over thirty years, Zhu Wen fought over sixty major battles, suffering seven defeats, failing to conquer in six, and winning forty-nine, which laid the foundation for the Liang State.

Listing so many examples not only illustrates Zhu Wen's exceptional military talent but also reflects the frequency of warfare in this era.

Natural disasters combined with the chaos of war had created countless starving refugees.

Though Zhu Youning rarely stepped out of his carriage, he had long since taken note of the sallow, emaciated faces of the refugees.

This matter had to be resolved!

Upon arriving in Qingzhou, Li Zhen, the high-ranking official left in charge of the city, intended to host a welcoming banquet for Zhu Youning that very evening, but Zhu Youning declined, citing fatigue from the journey.

However, despite refusing the banquet, Zhu Youning followed official protocol and sent a gift to Li Zhen.

The gift was nothing more than silver, and Li Zhen did not refuse; after accepting the money, his attitude toward Zhu Youning became even more respectful.

Zhu Youning's reason for refusing the banquet was not a lie.

Having spent over ten days in a carriage, while his body was not particularly exhausted, his mind was truly weary.

Therefore, what he wanted most at that moment was not to satisfy his appetite, but to sleep.

Thus, Zhu Youning settled into the new prince's mansion that Li Zhen had arranged for him.

It had to be said that Li Zhen's arrangements were indeed excellent.

Although this new mansion was newly built, everything was already in order, and there were even several servants and maids, which was more than enough to attend to his needs.

The reason Li Zhen hadn't arranged for too many maids was that he feared Zhu Youning's suspicion.

It was always most appropriate for a prince to arrange his own household staff; if everything were handled by others, there would always be the suspicion of planted spies.

Inside the room, Zhu Youning sat in a chair while maids continuously brought over roasted almonds, hazelnuts, and various snacks and tea. Zhu Youning ate a little, found the taste quite acceptable, and then took a sip of tea.

After the bumps of the long journey, Zhu Youning could finally relax.

As the saying goes, "full bellies lead to lustful thoughts." This era lacked many forms of entertainment, so once he grew bored of the snacks, he called Miaocheng Tian over.

In all honesty, he had called her over this time primarily to attend to serious business.

Miaocheng Tian soon arrived in the room, performed a graceful curtsy, and said softly, "This servant greets the Prince."

"No need for formalities. Sit down."

Miaocheng Tian said softly, "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Hmm." Zhu Youning made a sound, then stared at Miaocheng Tian and, with a very sincere tone, got straight to the point: "Miao'er, I can actually cure your Innate Severed Meridians!"

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise appeared in Miaocheng Tian's eyes. "Your Highness, are you joking?"

"I am certainly not joking."

Zhu Youning's tone was resolute, which left Miaocheng Tian somewhat stunned. After a moment of contemplation, she still felt it unlikely that Zhu Youning could have the ability to cure her Innate Severed Meridians.

"Your Highness, it is not that this servant does not believe you... it is just that in my youth, I sought out every famous doctor and found no solution, and even..."

Miaocheng Tian paused here, "Even the most renowned divine doctors could not cure it. Miao'er gave up long ago."

Zhu Youning said earnestly, "What if I really can cure it?"

Miaocheng Tian was slightly moved upon hearing this and said, "This servant's life already belongs to the Prince; I truly cannot think of any way to repay you."

"Then remember these words: if this Prince truly cures you, then your life will belong to this Prince."

Miaocheng Tian seemed to hear the confidence in Zhu Youning's words, yet she still felt it was impossible.

Even the Empress had no way to cure her Innate Severed Meridians, so how could Zhu Youning possibly do it?

Zhu Youning, however, was full of confidence. He took a secret manual from his robe and handed it to Miaocheng Tian.

Miaocheng Tian took the manual. "Your Highness, what is this?"

"See for yourself."

Miaocheng Tian looked closely and discovered five characters written on the manual: Inverted Dragon and Phoenix Art!

Miaocheng Tian's pretty face turned red instantly.

This name did not sound like a proper one! She immediately understood what this manual was for.

"Your Highness, how could you have something like this?"

"Open it and look carefully first, never mind what it is."

Miaocheng Tian had no choice but to open the manual and examine it carefully.

It didn't matter until she looked, but once she did, Miaocheng Tian realized the miraculous nature of this Inverted Dragon and Phoenix Art.

This was a dual-cultivation technique; while it wasn't some peerless divine art, it was a lifesaver for her.

Because during dual cultivation, this technique not only increased the internal energy of both practitioners but also slowly reshaped and expanded their meridians, provided that the internal energy generated during the process was sufficiently powerful.

"Your Highness, is this Inverted Dragon and Phoenix Art the method you mentioned to cure my condition?"

"Correct." Zhu Youning nodded.

He had brought out this Inverted Dragon and Phoenix Art specifically to help Miaocheng Tian treat her Innate Severed Meridians.

Of course, Zhu Youning could actually teach the Wedding Dress Divine Art to Miaocheng Tian, in which case her symptoms of Innate Severed Meridians would certainly be resolved.

This was because the Wedding Dress Divine Art inherently possessed the ability to reshape meridians. A very classic example was the practitioner of the Wedding Dress Divine Art, Yan Nantian.

Back then, Yan Nantian had his martial arts crippled by the Five Great Villains through sinister schemes and repeated abuse; despite eight of his fourteen meridians being destroyed under severe injury, he was ultimately able to achieve the effect of cleansing his marrow and shedding his mortal skin by re-cultivating the Wedding Dress Divine Art.

Logically speaking, the Wedding Dress Divine Art was actually the optimal solution for Innate Severed Meridians.

But Zhu Youning would not teach it to Miaocheng Tian, at least not for now.

Because Miaocheng Tian was a member of the Huan Yin Workshop and held no loyalty toward Zhu Youning; teaching her a divine art would only be aiding an enemy.

If Miaocheng Tian could abandon the Huan Yin Workshop, turn to him with unwavering devotion, and work for him, he would certainly teach her the Wedding Dress Divine Art.

But at this moment, Miaocheng Tian's intentions were unclear, and Zhu Youning would not assume she would be devoted to him just because they had shared a bed.

Therefore, for now, he would just use the Inverted Dragon and Phoenix Art to resolve it slowly.