Questioning

"Before leaving the palace, I did something unnecessary. I had the young eunuch His Majesty send to supervise me."

Xu Qi'an relayed the "script" he had taught the young eunuch to Wei Yuan verbatim.

Seeing Wei Yuan deep in thought, Xu Qi'an quickly said, "This humble servant acted without permission; please, Duke Wei, offer your analysis."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Although it was done on your own initiative, it was well done. His Majesty is suspicious and adept at maintaining balances. Your words, if they reach his ears, will make him suspicious of Consort Chen."

"This led to a re-examination of the entire Consort Fu case, considering the pros and cons of all parties involved, as well as the balance he had been painstakingly maintaining."

Xu Qi'an was still dissatisfied and said in a somewhat uncertain tone, "What if His Majesty finds out? Or, will that young eunuch confess to His Majesty that he accepted money from me to deliver my message?"

"What you said was flawless; it was all based on actual events," Wei Yuan said with a smile.

"As for the latter question, being honest with His Majesty would only expose that I accepted bribes, resulting in a blunder without any merit. Who would want to shoot themselves in the foot? Those who serve in His Majesty's palace, while not necessarily the most intelligent, are certainly not too stupid."

"Hehe, I know all that." Xu Qi'an said admiringly, "Duke Wei is exceptionally intelligent; I admire him greatly."

Wei Yuan gave him a deep look, then shook his head and chuckled.

Then, he returned to the tea room in a relaxed mood, personally poured two cups of tea, and said, "You have entered the Spirit Refining Realm. Do not stop refining your Primordial Spirit until your extra meridian acupoints swell. Then you can start refining your physique ahead of schedule."

Extraordinary acupoints, oh, the temple.

Xu Qi'an was stunned for a moment before he realized that the extra meridian points referred to the temples, but there was no such thing as a temple in this world.

Extraordinary acupoints—it sounds high-end and sophisticated. Xu Qi'an himself didn't like the term "temple" because he always felt it was a verb.

Upon hearing this topic, Xu Qi'an knew that his actions had yielded positive results, and Wei Yuan was in a good mood, intending to reward him for his meritorious service.

Wei Yuan could see through that seemingly "apology" but actually a plea for credit at a glance, but leaders like subordinates who flatter them like that.

Even the exceptionally intelligent Wei Yuan was no exception.

If Xu Qi'an had just said, "Duke Wei, I've done another great service!", hahaha.

The feedback would be completely different; Wei Yuan might even criticize him, telling him to guard against arrogance and impetuosity and to be calm.

"To hone one's physique?" Xu Qi'an countered.

Strengthening the body is the main focus of the Essence Refining Realm stage, which involves both aerobic and anaerobic exercise, pushing physical limits time and time again. Every three days, a doctor must be consulted to relax muscles and improve blood circulation, relieving muscle strain. In addition, one must constantly eat large amounts of meat and fish, as well as some mild tonic Chinese medicine.

Xu Qi'an spent a hundred taels of silver a year, which was almost half a year's income for his second uncle.

After reaching the Spirit Refining Realm, the methods used in the Essence Refining Realm would definitely be ineffective, Xu Qi'an didn't know how to temper his physique.

"As I told you before, the martial arts system wasn't established overnight; it was the result of continuous exploration and refinement by our predecessors that led to the current nine ranks of martial artists."

As Wei Yuan sipped his tea, the conversation deepened, and he said, "The initial copper skin and iron body were forged by hammering away, like a blacksmith's hammer, turning a piece of iron into refined iron. This process is extremely long, and because vital parts are often struck, if the foundation isn't solid, one will die a violent death."

Duke Wei, when you say you've struck a vital point, is that what I mean? Hmm, a complete disaster?!

"Later, someone created a medicinal bath, using special heavenly materials and earthly treasures as the main ingredients. People were placed in a large cauldron and boiled. Martial artists would breathe in the cauldron to resist the high temperature and absorb the medicinal power, thus achieving the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm."

"What's the mortality rate?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"The danger is just as great; sometimes, while cooking, the person gets cooked too," Wei Yuan replied.

"."

A scene immediately flashed into Xu Qi'an's mind: he was sitting in a large cauldron, surrounded by boiling water, while Chu Caiwei, who was well-versed in pharmacology, kept adding ingredients to the cauldron: fennel, green beans, cinnamon, and scallions.

Xu Lingyin stood to the side, tears streaming from the corners of her mouth.

"Is there a safer way?" He swallowed hard.

"With the birth of generations of geniuses, someone finally created the first cultivation method based on Qi Refinement and supplemented by body tempering. The core of this method is to temper the body from the inside out through a special Qi circulation method, and when combined with tapping or cooking, the danger will be greatly reduced."

Wei Yuan unfolded a sheet of Xuan paper, picked up his brush, and wrote the three characters "Hun Yuan Gong," saying:

"The most advanced technique in the Nightwatchers's office is called Hunyuan Gong, and every Golden Gong uses this technique. Ha, if it were thrown into the martial arts world, it would cause a bloodbath."

Xu Qi'an once again realized the benefits of joining Wei Yuan's side and becoming Nightwatchers. Here, there were top-notch Cultivation Method and the most luxurious resources. Resources that were out of reach for ordinary Rogue Person were readily available to Xu Qi'an.

Including that visualization diagram, it's also a top-quality item.

His ability to quickly reach the Spirit Refining Realm was certainly due to his amazing talent, but it was also inseparable from the resources provided by Wei Yuan.

The martial arts system is truly a laborious profession. Using modern knowledge, the ninth-grade Essence Refining Realm is also called the "Bricklaying Realm," the eighth grade is Qi Refinement while laying bricks, the seventh grade is working yourself to the bone, and the sixth grade is even more extreme—it's like breaking a boulder on your chest! Xu Qi'an sighed and asked:

"Duke Wei, is there a method of cultivating qi that can produce a body of copper and iron without cooking or beating with sticks?"

"Have!"

Wei Yuan's answer surprised Xu Qi'an. He was initially delighted, then tentatively asked, "In a dream?"

Wei Yuan looked at him, remained silent for a few seconds, and said gently, "The Buddhist School has similar methods. Some people say that the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm of martial artists is derived from the Vajra Realm of Buddhist School."

"Some say that the Buddha drew inspiration from the martial arts system and created a new path within the Buddhist School system, called the warrior monk."

In other words, the monk system has a method to cultivate a body of iron and copper without cooking. That's easy. We can just trick Number Six and get it from him for free. Xu Qi'an unconsciously revealed a pure smile.

The emperor's bedroom.

Emperor Yuanjing sat cross-legged on the couch, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. A stick of sandalwood incense burned at the corner of the bed, its wisps of smoke rising straight and thin.

The old eunuch stood to one side, head bowed and eyes downcast, not making the slightest sound.

Just then, footsteps came from outside, and a young eunuch stopped outside the palace.

Glancing at Emperor Yuanjing, who was becoming increasingly engrossed in his studies, the old eunuch shuffled to the doorway and lowered his voice, "What is it?"

"Godfather, the Daoist priest from Lingbao Temple has come to invite His Majesty," the eunuch whispered.

The old eunuch was clearly taken aback. He calculated the time with his fingers and thought to himself that the date was correct. These few days every month were when the Imperial Preceptor was unwell and in seclusion to recuperate.

Even His Majesty could not be disturbed; he could only breathe in his own bedchamber.

"Understood, you may leave."

After dismissing the young eunuch, the old eunuch slowly returned to the bedside and whispered, "Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanjing opened his eyes.

The old eunuch said, "The Imperial Preceptor has sent someone to invite His Majesty to come and meditate on the Dao."

Emperor Yuanjing was slightly taken aback, and then his usually calm eyes shone with a light that was brighter than ever before.

"Prepare the carriage and depart immediately!"

The Imperial Preceptor suffers from karmic fire every month, with his seven emotions and six desires churning endlessly. Therefore, he will be in seclusion for the next few days, and no one is allowed to enter Lingbao Temple.

But Emperor Yuanjing knew that if one day the Imperial Preceptor agreed to cultivate with him, it would definitely be within the next few days.

Emperor Yuanjing had been waiting for this day for a long time. Although his black hair had grown back and his body was strong, making him look like a man in his prime, he still could not live forever.

If one wishes to advance further, the only way is to cultivate with the Imperial Preceptor and absorb her spiritual essence. Only then can one live ten thousand years and become the eternal emperor of the Great Feng.

Leaving the palace and boarding the imperial carriage, Emperor Yuanjing urged them on all the way, and soon they arrived at Lingbao Temple.

But when he met the female national teacher, he was disappointed to find that she had only invited him to meditate and practice breathing exercises, just like she always did her homework.

A beautiful female imperial advisor, with a dot of vermilion between her brows, sat cross-legged on a futon, her voice soft and alluring. "Your Majesty, please sit."

Her jet-black hair was tied up with a lotus crown, highlighting her stunningly fair face, which was spotless with not a single strand of hair hanging down.

Emperor Yuanjing was unwilling to give up and said in a deep voice, "Since the Imperial Preceptor is unwilling to cultivate with me, why did he invite me here at this time?"

Luo Yuheng closed his eyes and said calmly, "Since I am spared from the karmic fire this month, I promised to teach Your Majesty the art of immortality. I will remember my promise and dare not slacken for even a day."

Emperor Yuanjing remained silent for a moment, then sat down on his designated prayer mat. Without immediately closing his eyes and practicing breathing exercises, he said:

"Imperial Preceptor, the ingredients for the Rejuvenation Pill are ready. I will send someone to deliver it to Lingbao Temple tomorrow."

Luo Yuheng opened his eyes, studied Emperor Yuanjing, and suddenly sighed, "Your Majesty's black hair has grown back, and after years of cultivating the Dao, you are already immune to all diseases. There is no need to refine the Four Seasons Divine Elixir anymore."

Emperor Yuanjing ignored him and closed his eyes to breathe deeply.

Emperor Yuanjing refined four batches of elixirs throughout the year, each batch being completed during the four solar terms of the spring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox, and winter solstice.

Each batch of elixirs is priceless, equivalent to three years' worth of tax revenue for a wealthy county.

In addition to the four large batches of elixirs, there were also thirty-six small batches. The amount of silver consumed was staggering.

These funds were not diverted from the Ministry of Revenue's treasury; they were all drawn from Emperor Yuanjing's own private treasury. As for where the funds in Emperor Yuanjing's private treasury came from, everyone in the court knew it, yet kept it a secret.

The enlightenment session with the Imperial Preceptor ended as dusk fell.

Emperor Yuanjing was in a bad mood. After returning to his palace, he became silent and withdrawn. Remembering that the case of Consort Fu was not yet over, he said impatiently:

"Daibatsu, go and have the Cabinet draft an edict. The case of Consort Fu has been dragging on for over ten days. Order the Three Departments to provide a result within two days."

The result given was whether the Queen was guilty.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The old eunuch hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Xu Qi'an came to the palace again today."

Emperor Yuanjing frowned. "What is he doing here? Nightwatchers watchman's office tomorrow to retrieve the gold token."

The Empress has confessed, and the case of Consort Fu is almost closed. There's no need for that little gong to come to the palace anymore.

The old eunuch nodded and said softly, "Do you still want to question this servant today?"

Emperor Yuanjing thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Summon them!"

The old eunuch left the palace and, less than a quarter of an hour later, returned with the young eunuch who was supervising Xu Qi'an.

The little eunuch stood obediently with his head down and back bent.

Emperor Yuanjing sat behind his desk, looking down at the young eunuch. "What did Xu Qi'an investigate at the palace today?"

PS: Still 10,000 words today. It's 2:30 now, so I'll update one chapter first. I'll make up the word count in the next chapter.

Update first, then revise.