The Lady of Anyang's Mansion is located near the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, less than a hundred steps from Stone Bridge Alley where Luo Xuanqing is.
Because An Yurou's mother came from one of the " Seven Eminent Confucian Families " and her father was the successor of the Heaven-Observing Decree, the mansion was quite large, a three-courtyard house with a garden, and had no less than a hundred servants. The surrounding area was also An Clan property.
As dawn breaks, in the guest rooms of the outer courtyard of the mansion.
Ye Xingge lay on the bed, his robe, which looked like it had been chewed by a dog, had been removed, and a brand-new brocade robe was placed on the table. Two maids were waiting for his orders.
An elderly doctor with a gray beard sat on a stool beside the bed, slowly and methodically treating the injury, while also muttering something:
"I just heard from that old scoundrel Zhang that you single-handedly broke through the Forgetful River Mouth Pass and even killed Gold-Chasing Gentleman. I figured you must have lost at least an arm or a leg, so I didn't dare let my apprentice treat you. Now that I see it, I'm really not comfortable taking your treatment fee..."
Ye Xingge was swimming at the Forgetful River Mouth when he was stabbed in the chest. Protected by his chainmail, the injury was not serious. After being bandaged and given medicine, the wound scabbed over.
At this moment, Ye Xingge noticed that the old doctor, with his otherworldly air and refined demeanor, was not an ordinary person and looked somewhat familiar. He inquired:
"May I ask who you are, sir?"
The old doctor glanced at Ye Xingge:
"We met thirteen years ago. I haven't changed much. Don't you recognize me?"
Thirteen years ago...
Ye Xingge was initially puzzled, but after taking a closer look at the old doctor's appearance, he remembered his identity:
When he was six years old, he couldn't find the little green bottle, the little ring, or anything else. In order to stand out from the crowd, he had no choice but to resort to the ancient trick of "the early bird catches the worm"!
His parents and uncles were very supportive of his martial arts training. In order to build a strong foundation for his physique, they made a special trip to the capital to find a famous doctor. At that time, they found the " Earl of Remaking " Sun Wang.
Sun Wang's ability to be given such a title must be extraordinary. He has been practicing medicine for eighty years, and his resume is simple and clear: half of the martial artists in Yongzhou Prefecture were given body-strengthening prescriptions by him in their childhood, including Mei Wuchang, Ruan Jinyu and others.
Upon seeing each other again, Ye Xingge was naturally surprised that the other party recognized him first.
"So it's Mr. Sun. No wonder you looked familiar. I really didn't expect you to come in person. My apologies for not being here sooner."
"Many years have passed, and I can't remember your name or face, but this bone structure and body-strengthening formula were written by me, so it's hard to mistake it. It must have been quite an achievement for your parents to follow the formula exactly all these years."
Old Divine Physician Sun finished speaking, he looked at Ye Xingge's physique again:
"However, your physique is quite different from what I saw back then; it seems you've gone astray a bit."
"Um?"
Ye Xingge knew the " Earl of Remaking's" abilities; if he said the foundation was crooked, then it could never be straightened.
If one's foundation is not solid from a young age, it can be a fatal flaw in martial arts!
It is said that there was once a person who, due to incorrect training methods in childhood, developed flaws in his physical constitution, resulting in him being unable to reach the highest rank (First Rank) for half his life. He eventually resorted to drugs to forcefully break through this bottleneck, and...
"Open it!"
The spine exploded on the spot; the scene was extremely gruesome!
Upon hearing this devastating news, Ye Xingge's expression immediately turned solemn:
"Is there something wrong with my health?"
Sun Wang frowned, felt his pulse, and pondered for a moment before saying:
"There's no problem, but the Ren and Chong meridians are stronger than average. The Ren meridian is the sea of Yin meridians, governing the body's Yin fluids; the Chong meridian is the sea of blood, governing the accumulation and release of Qi and blood throughout the body. It seems to be acquired..."
the day after tomorrow...
Ye Xingge slightly puzzled.
Fortunately, Great Beauty was also listening in and provided an explanation directly:
"[ Blissful Illusory Body ], from the moment your body was recognized as the master of the divine weapon, it gradually underwent a complete transformation..."
Ye Xingge listened to the explanation and quickly understood the meaning:
Some attributes on divine weapons can enhance physical strength, such as [ Blissful Illusory Body ] and [ Gluttony and Lust ].
These miraculous effects don't follow the weapon; rather, once the weapon recognizes its master, it unlocks the genetic lock, and the weapon's body will grow in the predetermined direction.
The specific effects of the Blissful Illusory Body are roughly as follows:
1. When your skill level increases, it will strengthen the Ren and Chong meridians, making your dual cultivation ability stronger.
2. After each training session, the user will receive feedback on their skill level based on their opponent's "favorability," a two-way effect.
This effect is absolutely amazing!
A person with abundant vital energy and vigorous blood will inevitably live a long life.
Both sides in the cultivation process will inevitably resort to any means to maximize the "favorability" of their opponent, and Ye Xingge doesn't even dare to imagine what kind of bliss they could achieve!
Even just putting your hair up in an updo is like an appetizer...
But that's clearly not the point.
Strengthening the Ren and Chong meridians is based on the growth of one's skill level.
The higher the quality of his Daoist partner, the faster his cultivation grows, the more his physique is nurtured, and the higher his partner's affection for him naturally becomes, thus creating a virtuous cycle.
But when paired with the Fate-Robbing Saber, it's a different story.
The effect of Devour Ten Thousand Powers is to increase one's power after defeating an opponent.
The Blissful Illusory Body is used to nourish the body while enhancing one's power.
The combination of these two factors results in the following: the more opponents he defeats, the faster his skill grows, and the more robust his physique becomes.
This is a "greedy" collaboration, making it easy for him to be greedy to the end, starting with an unparalleled power or taking on multiple opponents without being drained of his resources!
But without a Daoist partner to nurture it, one's physique will definitely feel a bit restless.
Furthermore, the Filth-Severing Whip does not restrict cultivation methods.
Therefore, the effect of the opponent's "favorability" can theoretically be triggered by the Fate-Robbing Saber, thus allowing the Filth-Severing Whip to provide an additional reward.
However, if someone stabbed by the Fate-Robbing Saber could generate a "thunderous" level of goodwill, then Ye Xingge probably wouldn't dare to strike again!
So it's a bit of a shame that this collaboration doesn't work out...
After Ye Xingge understood the meaning, he was amazed and wanted to try it with Great Beauty, but since Doctor Sun was still there, he could only reply:
"My mother often makes me nourishing and warming dishes, maybe she's overdoing it."
Sun Wang had no doubts about this, but simply gave the instructions:
"There's nothing wrong with having abundant qi and blood, but thoughts arise from the heart, and the heart arises from desire. Those with abundant qi and blood are bound to be fond of carnal desires and are easily seduced by beauty. Young people who aren't careful are prone to making mistakes. You know Liu of the Twin Sabers from Hedong, right?"
"I've heard of him, the master of the Eight-Slash Saber, what happened to him?"
"Just because he couldn't control his appetite for a couple of ounces of meat, he ended up divorcing his wife, losing half of his inheritance, and even having to give up one of his twin swords. Now he's practicing with a single sword..."
"What?! Is that true?!"
"That's for sure..."
Just as the old and young were gossiping like this, footsteps suddenly came from outside:
Tap tap tap~...
The footsteps were quite high-pitched, sounding like bouncy springs bouncing over.
Ye Xingge looked up and saw Eldest Miss Shen, dressed in lantern pants, suddenly peeking out from the doorway with her hair in double buns and her big eyes blinking:
"Young Master Ye, how are you?"
Ye Xingge, who was shirtless, felt this was inappropriate and responded:
"It'll be ready soon, Miss Shen. Would you like to wait a moment? I'll be right out."
Shen Yueyao helped carry a bag of things back home. With Sister Yurou present, she remained relatively restrained.
Now that An Yurou has gone to prepare the meal, she has shown her usual liveliness, glancing at the package on the table:
"It's alright, let Mr. Sun heal his injuries at his own pace. May I try to treat these renowned soldiers?"
Ye Xingge had received a lot of help from Magistrate Shen in the past, and knowing that the other party was the magistrate's daughter, she treated her like a younger sister and responded quite generously:
"Miss Shen, please feel free to look around."
"Hehe~"
Upon seeing this, Shen Yueyao ran into the house, untied her bundle, picked up the " Dust-Returning Robe " and put it on. Then, her petite and exquisite figure in the yellow dress disappeared without a trace in the room.
"Huh?"
The two maids standing beside them both looked surprised upon seeing this.
Ye Xingge was also observing, but soon he couldn't figure out where Eldest Miss Shen had gone. A short while later, he heard something in the distance:
"Ah--"
"There's a ghost..."
"Quickly, call Steward Hou..."
?
Ye Xingge shook his head and smiled, then continued chatting with the older generation about gossip...
On the other side, the basement.
Inside the room, which was about two zhang square, there was a large desk.
An Yurou, dressed in a silver dress, sat in the main seat, one hand supporting her forehead, a hint of worry on her face.
After all, she really hadn't expected Ye Xingge to be so formidable, single-handedly retrieving the Fate-Robbing Saber.
After thinking for a moment, An Yurou looked up and asked:
Do you think this kid has a chance of getting into the First Rank?
Four other people were sitting around the long table: Hou Chou'er the Iron Rooster), Draft), A Fei (the Nine Sabers), and Chen Dahai Leafless Willow Xiyue).
Some of these people were talents sent to her by the Later Zhou Dynasty, while others were her own trusted confidants. Their official identities were housekeeper, errand boy, cook, and head maid, but their nicknames were given by Shen Yueyao.
Hou Chou'er, a staff member, responded while holding a white paper fan:
"If this boy had the Filth-Severing Whip, and practiced diligently day and night with a balance of work and rest, his chances would be quite high. But he doesn't, so we still have at least ten years."
An Yurou felt somewhat relieved.
"That's good. Even if Chancellor Wu this kid in ten years, he still can't surpass Cao Xiong?"
"If the ranking can be improved by one or two places, Cao Xiong and Long Zaiye will be the ones in a hurry."
"As for this child, our current focus should be on 'turning him to the enemy.' If successful, we can not only bring back the Fate-Robbing Saber, but also recruit a future First Rank fighter. Do you have any brilliant ideas?"
The four guardian deities looked at each other in bewilderment.
Nine Sabers (Chen Dahai) is the head chef at the mansion. He is quite straightforward. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"What our Great Zhou can give, Great Yan can give too. The only thing this boy can't guard against, I reckon, is a 'honey trap'!"
"Um?"
An Yurou sat up straighter, feeling that she shouldn't have let Chen Datou discuss things in the first place—what an outrageous idea!
But then again!
To win over figures from opposing forces, the methods are nothing more than "seduction, bribery, sowing discord and coercion, and winning hearts and minds with favors and righteousness".
Ye Xingge made it clear that he had a bright future ahead of him, and that bribery wouldn't work.
Sowing discord would kill Ye Xingge, which didn't meet her expectations. Besides, Ruan Jinyu couldn't dig up any dirt on him, so what could she possibly sow discord about?
As for the power of gratitude, it would be difficult for her to leave Ye Xingge with the kind of debt of repaying her with his life.
Therefore, the most efficient way right now is—if you want to become a general's wife, you should start putting your hair up in a bun when the general is still a common soldier...
Ye Xingge was young and ambitious, just beginning to emerge, while she was of noble birth, extremely wealthy, and exceptionally beautiful.
If this person were to put their hair up and kneel before you, this kid probably wouldn't be able to handle it...
Even though An Yurou wanted revenge, she wasn't about to give up on anyone she met, so she ignored the suggestion.
The maid Xiyue was not a spy from the Later Zhou Dynasty, but a maid who grew up with An Yurou.
The nickname " Leafless Willow," given to him by Eldest Miss Shen, wasn't due to his superior martial arts skills, but rather because his figure resembled a willow, yet he had no hair...
Exactly like the head of the family!
Because of her extreme loyalty, Xiyue used to run errands for An Yurou when she secretly contacted Later Zhou.
Seeing the patriarch's predicament, Xiyue interjected:
"Using a honey trap directly is a bit too hasty. In my opinion, the head of the family should make more contact with him, find out what Young Master Ye is interested in, and then prescribe the right medicine."
Draft A Fei shook his head and said, "This kid is no ordinary person. Approaching him rashly to try and get information out of him might make him wary, which would be counterproductive."
Nine Sabers (Chen Dahai ) began to ponder again:
"Hmm... As the saying goes, 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' This man was born in a humble shop in the city, so he probably hasn't had any experience with royal delicacies."
"I'll use my real skills, and I guarantee that after three meals, this kid will be thinking about coming to my house all the time."
"When you've eaten someone's food, you're bound to feel indebted; once you're well-fed and satisfied, it's easy to say or do something rash..."
An Yurou thought this made more sense and nodded in agreement.
"You can give it a try, Dahai. Go and prepare a few dishes, but don't be careless. If they don't like the taste, they might not come next time we invite them."
"Don't you trust my skills, Master?"
Full of confidence, the fat, big-eared Chen Dahai immediately turned around and went back to the kitchen...