He Chunhua and the others were visibly moved. "Truly?"
"Truly." He Lingchuan cracked his knuckles, looking smug. "What can I say? I'm exceptionally gifted."
No one could dispute it. Last night, the Emperor's Flowing Dew had descended from the heavens, sharing its bounty with all. Yet aside from a rare few lucky souls, the essence allotted to every creature was pitifully meager—barely enough to fill the crevices of their teeth.
Even the most fortunate had gained only a few dozen days' worth of cultivation, yet with such a meager drop of Emperor's Flowing Dew, He Lingchuan had managed to lay his foundation in a single stroke. What else could it be if not exceptional talent?
Stroking his chin, He Chunhua laughed. "You are young, so your body holds few impurities and can be easily cleansed. At my and Deputy General Wu's age, even three or four times as much Emperor's Flowing Dew wouldn't cleanse our marrow or transform our sinews."
Wu Shaoyi let out a long sigh. "Such is fortune and opportunity!"
The last descent of the Emperor's Flowing Dew was sixty years ago. He was already luckier than most to have caught it, however narrowly. Yet he was past fifty—how could he compare to the He brothers in their prime?
Youth brought more opportunities.
Youth was everything.
He Yue's envy showed clearly on his face. "Brother, how much cultivation did you gain?"
"At least three to five years, I'd say?" He Lingchuan turned to urge He Chunhua, "Father, what about the cultivation technique you promised me!"
His foundation was growing more solid by the day, yet lacking a suitable technique, he felt he was only idling away his time. Now that he had found hope in Panlong City, he wanted to test Father He.
He Chunhua chuckled. "None of those suited you. We'll find something once we reach Xiazhou! Who could have predicted you'd suddenly rise like this?"
He Yue offered a suggestion: "I've heard that Chuanyun Pavilion based in Xiazhou is quite renowned. They encourage disciples to cultivate both spells and martial arts, and many talents have emerged from their ranks over the years. Why doesn't Eldest Brother try there?"
He Lingchuan grew interested. "You mean I should join a Daoist sect?"
"Why not?" He Yue's eyes shone. "General Wu Di, who quelled Woling Pass, was a disciple of the Jianyang Sect under Master Qianyun. There are quite a few sect members in the royal courts of every kingdom."
Daoist sects broadly divided their teachings into spells and martial arts. In troubled times, martial prowess was prized; many famous generals had stepped onto the Dao through martial arts, honing their martial path. As for spellcrafters, that went without saying; even noble scions dabbled in it, if only to master a few divine abilities in pursuit of longevity.
In this world, if one nurtured their body well with divine arts, living to one hundred and thirty or forty was no trouble at all.
Of course, poor commoners had no access to such opportunities.
The He family's advisor, Mozhe Jingxuan, clapped his hands in agreement. "Second Young Master speaks true! A Daoist sect like Chuanyun Pavilion has been entrenched in Xiazhou for a long time, with deep roots. If the Eldest Young Master joins them, it would be a tremendous boon to Your Excellency!"
He Lingchuan thought to himself that this fellow, eating their family's food, truly looked at everything from his father's perspective.
He Chunhua was about to take up his post in Xiazhou, where he had no foundation and had to build all his connections from scratch. If he could gain the backing of a powerful local sect, he would surely secure his footing much faster.
"Moreover," Mozhe Jingxuan added, "in the future, the talents under Your Excellency's command might also be recruited from sects like Chuanyun Pavilion."
He Chunhua lowered his gaze as he listened, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
He Yue and the others couldn't tell what their father was thinking, but He Lingchuan lifted his eyelids and drawled, "So joining a Daoist sect will give Father a boost! Does that mean when I choose a wife in the future, I have to be just as selective? As long as she's powerful and influential, even a two-hundred-jin tub of lard would do?"
Mozhe Jingxuan's expression froze. "Eldest Young Master, such a sacrifice is entirely unnecessary."
He Lingchuan curled his lip, while He Yue chuckled.
Mozhe Jingxuan quickly followed up, "Xiazhou has fine mountains and waters. Among the local nobility, there are plenty of well-bred ladies raised to be fair as flowers, gentle, and refined!"
"No two-hundred-jin fatsos?"
He Yue couldn't help chiming in, "Sir, you might not know, but my elder brother doesn't care for frail, demure women."
He Lingchuan glanced sideways at him. "Is that so? I don't?"
Ha, why didn't I know that?
In all the time he had been here, let alone surrounding himself with beauties, he hadn't even held a girl's hand more than a handful of times!
What a failed transmigration.
"N-No, of course not," Mozhe Jingxuan stammered, realizing he had ruffled this young master's feathers, and quickly apologized, "Eldest Young Master, my slip of the tongue. Please take no offense!"
As they bantered back and forth, He Chunhua kept silent. Only after everyone had quieted down did he slowly speak: "Even if Chuan'er enters a Daoist sect, we must proceed with utmost caution. Chuanyun Pavilion has barely two thousand disciples, and its reputation doesn't even reach southern Yuan. If his future proves limitless, putting him in Chuanyun Pavilion would only squander his potential."
"Father truly sees the bigger picture!" He Lingchuan's eyes lit up. "The capital is the real battleground where the true immortals clash!"
"Indeed. Our He family will return to the capital sooner or later; we won't be confined to Xiazhou." Xiazhou was by no means their final stop. He Chunhua looked out toward the distant mountains. "Haste makes waste in this matter; we must choose with great care."
Wu Shaoyi added, "The martial path is vastly different from spellcraft. Mental methods, combat forms, and martial arts are merely foundations; what matters most is actual combat. Divine spells can be nurtured in quiet seclusion, but the martial path must be tempered amidst thousands of troops and horses, validating the Dao through slaughter! Eldest Young Master, look at me, look at Lu Yao. Neither of us came from martial academies, yet we have slain seven military commanders of the Yuan Kingdom. Would you believe that our foundations were far less solid than theirs?"
No one knew quite how to respond to that, since the men he had slain were generals of their own kingdom.
"As the saying goes, the greatest Dao is the simplest: so long as you can win and kill, that is enough," Wu Shaoyi chuckled. "We have origin power to protect our bodies, making us the bane of ordinary spells and divine arts. If the opponent lacks strong origin power, a spellcrafter is nothing more than a sitting duck before us. What need is there for so many fancy tricks?"
He Chunhua agreed. "Whether military treatises or statecraft essays, there are only so many texts. If merely reading and memorizing them were enough, how could men ever be distinguished into superior and inferior? The key lies in one's own comprehension. Chuan'er, do not be anxious; we shall make our arrangements."
Having reached this point, no one raised further objection, while He Lingchuan smiled inwardly.
Next, He Chunhua instructed Zeng Feixiong and the others: "If any Emperor's Flowing Dew remains in the world, its potency will fade by morning, which should make sailing on the Hongchuan River less troublesome. We will depart after daybreak and board a ship at Fengling Ferry." With that, he let out a long sigh. "The Emperor's Flowing Dew appears once in decades, yet it truly came at the worst possible time."
"What do you mean?" He Lingchuan asked, puzzled. "The Emperor's Flowing Dew is a heaven-sent treasure. It's never bad whenever it comes."
He pointed at Wu Shaoyi. "Look, even Old Wu here gets to live a few years longer."
When walking over earlier, he had noticed Wu Shaoyi's ruddy complexion and that the bluish pallor between his brows had faded significantly. This man had traded away mortal injuries with a secret technique, yet hadn't truly escaped doom, merely postponing it by three to five years.
Yet the arrival of the Emperor's Flowing Dew, even in a small amount, had poured living water into his dried-up vitality.
Wu Shaoyi nodded. "Aye, Heaven has shown mercy. I might just get another two years."
In the past, fighting and killing hadn't bothered him in the least, but once the countdown on his remaining lifespan began, every breath of air drawn into his lungs tasted remarkably sweet.
"Among the five classes of creatures, only humans observe rites and keep order, yet even so, many people died in Shuanghe Town last night. With the Emperor's Flowing Dew suddenly appearing, beasts, birds, bugs, and fish all scrambled to feast upon it. I fear before long, Great Yuan will be plagued by demon calamities. Incidents like the Water Spirit of Xianling Lake being slain and a new demon taking dominion will become commonplace."
Just then, the cook arrived carrying a tray. "My Lord, supplies were running low in the kitchen, so I could only griddle a few flatbreads."
Aside from a stack of flatbreads, there was a dish of soybean paste.
He Lingchuan didn't stand on ceremony. He grabbed a palm-sized flatbread, tore it in half, dipped it in the paste, and popped it into his mouth.
The cook stared at him intently. He Lingchuan snapped irritably, "What are you staring at? You enjoy watching people eat?"
The cook chuckled foolishly and hurried off.
He had claimed supplies were running short, yet the dough had clearly been kneaded several times and fried generously in oil. The resulting flatbreads were fragrant and crispy, with four or five flaky layers packed with minced meat and pickled mustard greens.
He Lingchuan took two bites. It was delicious, but he felt something was missing.
He stood up and went into the kitchen to rummage around.
The moment he turned his back, the smile vanished from his face.
Ever since he woke up, he had resolved to learn cultivation methods from Panlong City. Bringing it up just now was merely another test, and sure enough, his father had brushed it off again.
This wasn't the first time. Why was He Chunhua so unwilling to let his son step through the threshold and master martial arts?
Over there, He Chunhua continued, "The effects of Emperor's Flowing Dew on beasts and demons are instantaneous—far faster than on humans. Ignorant beasts gain sapience, and demons with cultivation advance even further. Who knows how much trouble this will bring to the locals?"
Wu Shaoyi pondered and said, "When birds and beasts first become demons, they are wild and arrogant, ignorant of the laws of human realms, and sometimes feast on people. In my youth, I lived in Yunpo Isle. It wasn't an entirely peaceful place, but the local mountain spirit kept strict control, so demons and humans coexisted peacefully for decades. Then one day, several villagers on Yunpo Isle were murdered, their remains gnawed upon. The county sent examiners, who concluded it was the work of sharp-toothed beasts. The county organized wolf-hunting squads and killed dozens of wolves in the mountains. But not long after, more people were killed."
Having composed himself, He Lingchuan walked back over holding a fresh green scallion.
Flatbread rolled around a scallion—that was the right way to eat it.
He took a bite with a loud crunch, asking nonchalantly, "So the wolves were innocent?"
"It happened four times in total. At first, the culprit only emerged at night, attacking isolated spots. Later, having eaten more people, it grew bolder, actually attacking villages in broad daylight. Only when survivors came forward did people learn that the man-eater wasn't a beast, but a giant salamander in the marshes that had just cultivated a demon body! No wonder seeking help from the mountain spirit was useless—the monster lived in the water."
"The Emperor's Flowing Dew is naturally a wondrous blessing, but looking through historical records, within six months of its appearance, turmoil inevitably follows—be it human strife or demon plagues. As they say, fortune and misfortune go hand in hand." Mozhe Jingxuan sighed with feeling. "If Great Yuan were still in its prime, dynastic fortune alone would suffice to suppress these creatures and keep them from causing trouble. But now..."
He did not need to finish; everyone understood.
He Yue murmured in a low voice, "When a kingdom wanes, monsters and demons will surely arise."
Among those present, only He Lingchuan ate and drank with complete nonchalance. "Stop sighing. What direct bearing does that have on us? The sun will still rise in the east tomorrow, and even if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."
This carefree, indifferent attitude was classic He Lingchuan. The others were accustomed to it, but He Chunhua cast him a look. "I fear this time, we will be the ones holding it up."
Chapter 160