As Xu Qi’an finished relaying the “script” he had taught the young eunuch to Grand Secretary Wei, he hastily added, “This subordinate acted without permission. I humbly request Grand Secretary Wei’s analysis.”
Hearing this, Wei Yuan smiled and nodded, “Although you acted on your own initiative, you did well. His Majesty is suspicious by nature and skilled at maintaining a balance of power. Your words, when they reach his ears, will plant seeds of doubt about Imperial Consort Chen in his mind.
“This will lead him to reconsider the entire Imperial Consort Fu case, weighing the pros and cons for all parties involved, as well as the delicate balance he has been struggling to maintain.”
Still not entirely satisfied, Xu Qi’an asked hesitantly, “Won’t His Majesty see through it? Or what if that young eunuch confesses to His Majesty about accepting my silver to deliver the message?”
“Your words contained no flaws; they were all based on actual events,” Wei Yuan said with a smile. “As for your second concern, confessing to His Majesty would only expose the eunuch’s own acceptance of bribes – a thankless task. Who would be foolish enough to shoot themselves in the foot? Those who serve in His Majesty’s chambers may not be the brightest, but they’re certainly not that stupid.”
Hehe, I knew all that… Xu Qi’an thought to himself, but outwardly expressed his admiration: “Grand Secretary Wei is incredibly intelligent. This subordinate is in awe.”
Wei Yuan gave him a long look and shook his head, chuckling.
Then, in a noticeably lighter mood, he returned to the tea room and personally poured two cups of tea. “You’ve already entered the Spirit Refinement realm. Don’t stop honing your spirit until your temples feel swollen. Then you can start tempering your physical body ahead of schedule.”
Temples… Oh, right, extra-meridian acupoints.
Xu Qi’an was momentarily confused before realizing that “extra-meridian acupoints” referred to what he knew as temples. This world didn’t have the concept of “temples” as he knew it.
Extra-meridian acupoints… Now that sounds impressive and sophisticated… Xu Qi’an himself didn’t like the term “temples” either, as it always felt more like a verb to him.
Hearing this topic, Xu Qi’an understood that his earlier actions had yielded positive results. Wei Yuan was in a good mood and intended to reward his meritorious subordinate.
Wei Yuan could see right through Xu Qi’an’s earlier act of “asking for punishment” while actually seeking praise. But leaders always appreciate subordinates who put them on a pedestal.
Even the brilliantly wise Wei Yuan was no exception.
If Xu Qi’an had said instead: “Grand Secretary, I’ve achieved another great merit, haha!”
The response would have been completely different. Wei Yuan might have even criticized him, telling him to remain humble and composed.
“Tempering the physical body?” Xu Qi’an asked.
Tempering the physical body was the main focus during the Body Refinement realm, which essentially involved aerobic and anaerobic exercises, repeatedly pushing the limits of one’s physical capabilities. Every three days, one had to consult a physician to soothe muscles and relieve fatigue. Additionally, it required constant consumption of meat and fish, along with some warming and nourishing Chinese medicines.
Xu Qi’an’s yearly expenses for this “diet” amounted to a hundred taels of silver, roughly equivalent to half a year’s income for his Second Uncle.
Now that he had reached the Spirit Refinement realm, the methods from the Body Refinement realm would certainly be ineffective. Xu Qi’an didn’t know how to proceed with tempering his physical body.
“As I’ve mentioned before, the martial arts system wasn’t created overnight. It’s the result of constant exploration and refinement by our predecessors, leading to the current nine ranks of martial artists,” Wei Yuan said, sipping his tea as the conversation deepened.
“Initially, achieving bronze skin and iron bones was done through repeated strikes with clubs and sticks, much like a blacksmith’s hammer forging raw iron into refined steel. This process was extremely lengthy, and because vital areas were often struck, those with insufficient foundations would die prematurely.”
Grand Secretary, when you say striking vital areas, do you mean what I think you mean… like, eggs getting smashed?!
“Later, someone invented medicinal baths. Using special rare herbs and materials as the main ingredients, people would be placed in large cauldrons to be ‘cooked.’ The martial artist would practice breathing techniques in the cauldron, resisting the high temperature while absorbing the medicinal properties, thus achieving the bronze skin and iron bones state.”
“What about the mortality rate?” Xu Qi’an inquired.
“The danger remained significant. Sometimes, people would end up fully cooked,” Wei Yuan replied.
“…”
Xu Qi’an immediately visualized a scene: himself sitting in a large cauldron surrounded by boiling water, while Chu Caiwei, skilled in herbal medicine, continuously added ingredients: fennel, green beans, cinnamon, spring onions…
Xu Lingyin stood nearby, tears flowing from the corners of her mouth.
“Is there a safer method?” he asked, swallowing nervously.
“With the emergence of generations of geniuses, someone finally created the first cultivation method that primarily focused on qi cultivation, with body tempering as a supplement. The core of this method is to use special qi circulation techniques to temper the body from the inside out, combined with striking or ‘cooking.’ This greatly reduced the dangers involved.”
Wei Yuan unfolded a piece of paper and wrote three characters: “Hun Yuan Gong” (Primordial Chaos Technique). He explained, “The most advanced technique in the Night Watchmen’s Office is called Hun Yuan Gong. Every Golden Gong uses this method. Heh, if it were to be released into the martial arts world, it would cause a bloodbath.”
Once again, Xu Qi’an realized the benefits of joining Wei Yuan and becoming a Night Watchman. Here, he had access to the most advanced techniques and the most luxurious resources – things that wandering martial artists in the jianghu could only dream of were readily available to Xu Qi’an.
This included the visualization technique, which was also a top-tier resource.
His rapid advancement to the Spirit Refinement realm was undoubtedly due to his own exceptional talent, but it was also inseparable from the resources provided by Wei Yuan.
The martial artist system is truly a laborious profession. Using modern knowledge to analyze it, the ninth rank Body Refinement realm could be called the “brick-carrying realm,” the eighth rank is qi cultivation while carrying bricks, the seventh rank is overworking and staying up late to carry bricks, and the sixth rank is even more extreme, directly entering the “chest-breaking rock” mode… Xu Qi’an sighed and asked:
“Grand Secretary, is there a qi circulation method that can achieve bronze skin and iron bones without cooking or being beaten with sticks?”
“Yes!”
Wei Yuan’s answer surprised Xu Qi’an. He first felt elated, then probed, “In dreams?”
Wei Yuan looked at him silently for a few seconds, then said gently, “The Buddhist sect has a similar method. Some say that the martial artists’ bronze skin and iron bones state is derived from the Buddhist Vajra state.
“Others say that Buddha himself drew inspiration from the martial artist system and created a new path within the Buddhist system, called the Warrior Monk.”
So, the Warrior Monk system has a method to achieve bronze skin and iron bones without cooking. That’s easy to handle. I’ll trick Number Six later and get it from him for free… Xu Qi’an’s face unconsciously broke into an innocent smile.
…
In the Emperor’s bedchamber.
Emperor Yuanjing sat cross-legged on his bed, his eyes closed in meditation. A stick of sandalwood incense burned in the corner, its thin smoke rising straight up.
The old eunuch stood to one side, eyes downcast, not making the slightest sound.
At that moment, footsteps were heard from outside, and a young eunuch stopped at the entrance of the bedchamber.
Glancing at Emperor Yuanjing, who was entering a meditative state, the old eunuch shuffled to the door and asked in a low voice, “What is it?”
“Foster father, the Daoist Master has sent a priest from Lingbao Temple to request an audience with His Majesty,” the young eunuch whispered.
The old eunuch was visibly surprised. He counted the days and thought to himself, the timing is right. During these few days each month, the Imperial Preceptor is indisposed and needs to retreat for cultivation.
Even His Majesty can’t disturb her and can only meditate in his own chambers.
“I understand. You may leave.”
After dismissing the young eunuch, the old eunuch slowly returned to the bedside and said softly, “Your Majesty…”
Emperor Yuanjing opened his eyes.
The old eunuch said, “The Imperial Preceptor has sent someone to invite Your Majesty for enlightenment.”
Emperor Yuanjing was slightly taken aback. Then, his usually calm eyes lit up with unprecedented brightness.
“Prepare the imperial carriage, quickly!”
The Imperial Preceptor suffered from the scorching of karmic fire every month, with emotions and desires surging uncontrollably. So during these few days, she would choose to retreat, and no one was allowed to enter Lingbao Temple.
But Emperor Yuanjing knew that if there ever came a day when the Imperial Preceptor agreed to dual cultivation with him, it would definitely be during these days.
Emperor Yuanjing had been waiting for this day for a long time. Although his black hair had regrown and his physique was strong, resembling a man in his prime, he still couldn’t achieve longevity.
If he wanted to progress further, the only way was to engage in dual cultivation with the Imperial Preceptor, absorbing her spiritual essence. Only then could he live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years, and become the eternal emperor of Great Feng.
Leaving his bedchamber and boarding the dragon carriage, Emperor Yuanjing urged haste all the way, soon arriving at Lingbao Temple.
But when he met the female Imperial Preceptor, he was disappointed to find that she had truly only invited him over for meditation and breathing exercises, just like their usual practice sessions.
The female Imperial Preceptor, with a red dot between her eyebrows and picturesque features, sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. Her voice was soft and alluring: “Please be seated, Your Majesty.”
Her lustrous black hair was tied up with a lotus crown, accentuating her stunningly beautiful and fair face, clean and neat, without a single strand of hair falling out of place.
Emperor Yuanjing, unwilling to give up, said in a deep voice, “Since the Imperial Preceptor is unwilling to engage in dual cultivation with me, why invite me here at this time?”
Luo Yuheng closed her eyes and said calmly, “This month, I am not afflicted by the scorching of karmic fire. This poor Daoist promised to teach Your Majesty the art of longevity, and I dare not be negligent for even a day.”
Emperor Yuanjing remained silent for a moment, then sat down on his designated meditation cushion. Instead of immediately closing his eyes to meditate, he said:
“Imperial Preceptor, the ingredients for the Rejuvenation Pill have been prepared. Tomorrow, I will send someone to deliver them to Lingbao Temple.”
Luo Yuheng opened her eyes and scrutinized Emperor Yuanjing. Suddenly, she sighed, “Your Majesty’s black hair has regrown, and you have been practicing meditation and Daoist cultivation for many years. You are already immune to all diseases. There is no need to refine the Four Seasons Divine Pills anymore.”
Emperor Yuanjing ignored her and closed his eyes to meditate.
Throughout the year, Emperor Yuanjing would refine four grand elixirs, to be completed respectively during the spring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox, and winter solstice.
Each grand elixir was worth a fortune, equivalent to three years of tax revenue from a county, and a wealthy one at that.
In addition to the four grand elixirs, there were thirty-six minor elixirs. The amount of silver spent was staggering.
These funds were not taken from the Ministry of Revenue’s treasury but came from Emperor Yuanjing’s own private coffers. As for the source of the silver in Emperor Yuanjing’s private coffers, everyone in the court knew but tacitly agreed not to mention it.
The enlightenment session with the Imperial Preceptor ended at sunset.
Emperor Yuanjing was in a foul mood. After returning to his bedchamber, he remained silent, then remembering that the Imperial Consort Fu case was still unresolved, he said impatiently:
“Old Companion, go and have the Imperial Cabinet draft an edict. The Imperial Consort Fu case has been dragged on repeatedly, and it has already been over ten days. Order the Three Departments to provide a result within two days.”
The result being whether the Empress was guilty or not.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The old eunuch hesitated slightly, then said in a low voice, “That Xu Qi’an came to the palace again today.”
Emperor Yuanjing frowned, “What else did he come for? Tomorrow, send someone to the Night Watchmen’s Office to retrieve the golden token.”
The Empress had already confessed, and the Imperial Consort Fu case was almost closed. There was no need for that little Bronze Gong to come to the palace anymore.
The old eunuch nodded and said softly, “Then, do you still want to question the slave today?”
Emperor Yuanjing thought for a moment, then slowly nodded, “Summon him!”
The old eunuch left the bedchamber and returned in less than a quarter of an hour, bringing the young eunuch who had been supervising Xu Qi’an.
The young eunuch stood with his head lowered and body bowed, appearing obedient.
Emperor Yuanjing sat behind his desk, looking down at the young eunuch from his elevated position, “What did Xu Qi’an investigate in the palace today?”