A Family Reunion

When snowflakes began drifting over the Hongchuan River, He Chunhua's Auxiliary Army finally reached Shihuan City by boat. The bustling warehouses, the roaring clamor of the docks, and the babble of accents from all corners of the land immediately impressed upon the disembarking crowd how vastly different this place was from Woling Pass. Shihuan City was one of the most vital strategic passes in the heartland of Great Yuan, situated a mere fifteen li from the royal capital. Had Hong Xiangqian's rebel army managed to cross the river west from Woling Pass and make landfall at Shihuan City back then, it would have been like driving a dagger straight into the heart of the Yuan Kingdom. A single thrust through the capital gates, and they might well have dared to turn heaven and earth on its head. History, however, never entertained "what-ifs." Having journeyed so far across the waters, the Auxiliary Army was thoroughly exhausted. After stepping ashore, they hastened to find lodgings to rest. As a bustling hub of both water and land traffic nestled at the foot of the throne, Shihuan City had no trouble accommodating these few hundred men. After over twenty days of relentless travel, the soldiers finally had warm kangs to sleep on. He Lingchuan even overheard his father telling Lao Mo when booking the rooms that there was no rush and to reserve them for several extra days. With a matter weighing on his mind, He Chunhua immediately took up his brush upon reaching the inn to compose a letter, sending Lao Mo off to deliver it before he finally went to bathe, change, drink tea, and eat. He Lingchuan had focused all his thoughts on cultivation over the past few days. After wolfing down a few bowls of rice, he was about to head outside when Madam Ying unexpectedly walked toward him with Zhu-shi in tow. Seeing him, the latter smiled and offered a modest, courteous curtsy. He Lingchuan was her foremost benefactor who had saved her from that den of wolves, so her manners toward this teenage youth were exceptionally meticulous. Young Master He clapped his hands. "Sister Zhu truly looks radiant! What good news has come about today?" Zhu Xiu'er had suffered years of grinding toil; her complexion had darkened, her hands had roughened, and she had grown as thin as bamboo. When He Lingchuan first saw her in Xianling Village, her vitality had been utterly drained. Yet she was, after all, only in her early twenties and naturally resilient. After resting out of the sun at Madam Ying's side for several days, color had gradually returned to her cheeks, and her chin was no longer so gaunt. Now, with a light touch of rouge and a fine change of clothes, she might not rival the pampered young ladies of affluent households, but she looked like a completely different person from the destitute village woman of before. Zhu Xiu'er bit her lip, but before she could speak, Madam Ying chimed in, "Where are you scurrying off to in such a rush?" "Going out to buy something." "Buy what?" "Tofu." Madam Ying took Zhu Xiu'er's arm and glared at him. "The sun hasn't even set. Are you drunk already?" He Lingchuan scratched his head. "I'm just going for a walk around the market. I won't stir up any trouble." No sooner had the words left his mouth than Lao Mo entered briskly to announce, "Master, Madam, distinguished guests have arrived!" He Yue happened to step out just then and exchanged a glance with his elder brother. Both found it strange: their party had only just arrived in Shihuan City, their seats barely warm, so how could there already be visitors? The visitors consisted of a party of three, their heads and faces concealed beneath cloaks, followed by several servants. As they stepped into the private parlor of the inn and came face-to-face with Zhu Xiu'er, both sides froze, rooted to the spot. He Lingchuan suddenly understood. Immediately after, one of the guests pulled back her hood and cried out in a trembling voice, "Xiu'er!" She rushed forward, throwing her arms around Zhu Xiu'er. It was a graceful woman nearing forty, her facial features bearing a slight resemblance to Zhu Xiu'er's. The other two removed their hoods as well, revealing an elderly couple with silver-streaked hair, dressed in lavish robes, their eyes brimming with hot tears. Zhu Xiu'er wept in her mother's embrace, then turned and threw herself into the arms of the elderly pair, crying out in anguish, "Grandfather, Grandmother, Xiu'er has returned!" The old lady could no longer hold back her tears. Though still bearing traces of illness, the old gentleman patted her shoulder. "It is good that you are back. It is good that you are back!" His gaze swept across the others in the room and instantly fixed upon He Chunhua. "Are you Chief Administrator He of Xiazhou?" He Chunhua assumed a solemn expression. "Greetings, Lord Zhu. I trust you have been well?" The old man before them was none other than Zhu Xiyan, the Minister of the Imperial Stud! He bowed deeply to He Chunhua, bending at the waist. "For Xiu'er to return home, Chief Administrator He has bestowed an immense kindness upon my family!" He Chunhua returned the courtesy. "Helping kin reunite is merely my bounden duty." He then led his family out, leaving the modest parlor to the Zhu family, who had been separated for seven years. Only now did He Lingchuan realize that his father had sent a letter to the Zhu family to summon them for a reunion. The Zhu clan's ancestral home was right here in Shihuan City, tracing back four generations. Zhu Xiyan himself usually resided here, entering the capital only when the royal court held grand assemblies. Regardless of the dynasty, the sight of civil and military officials gathered in full attendance was actually quite rare. When the emperor wished to consult someone, he would simply summon them privately for a meeting rather than mobilizing a massive assembly. Emperors were human too, and they loathed unnecessary hassle. Over the past year, Great Yuan had suffered both natural disasters and man-made strife, yet the court had convened grand assemblies of the civil and military officials a mere four times. Zhu Xiyan was advanced in years and had recently caught a chill, prompting him to take leave and rest at home. But upon receiving He Chunhua's letter, he could no longer sit still and rushed over with his daughter-in-law. As for Zhu Xiu'er's father, he had passed away three years ago. It took more than two quarters of an hour for the Zhu family's emotions to gradually settle. An experienced figure in the imperial court, Zhu Xiyan came out to find He Chunhua. After expressing his profound gratitude, he inquired about the circumstances behind everything. He Chunhua concealed nothing, recounting the entire affair step by step. The three members of the Zhu family listened in stunned silence, unable to speak for a long while. Wiping her tears at the side, Zhu Xiu'er said, "If not for Lord He and his family acting out of righteousness, your daughter would have been murdered by the rebel army in Xianling Village long ago!" Madam Ying offered a gratified smile, and He Lingchuan gave an inward thumbs-up. *She really knows how to play her part!* Zhu Xiu'er's grandmother, Sun Yuhua, hesitated several times before finally asking, "Where are the two children that Xiu'er bore?" Their granddaughter had given birth to two children, yet they saw neither of them here. Nor had He Chunhua mentioned their whereabouts in his account just now. Madam Ying sighed. "Xiu'er exposed the enemy's vile plot, and the rebels took revenge on her through the children." Zhu Xiu'er broke into heart-wrenching sobs. Zhu Xiyan and his wife exchanged glances, both letting out a sigh. "Enough. As long as she has returned, that is what matters. There will be other children in the future." Zhu Xiyan then turned to He Chunhua. "Chief Administrator He, there is a matter I must entrust to you." He Chunhua stood up. "Let us step inside to discuss the details." Following that, the female members of the Zhu family departed by carriage, while the Minister of the Imperial Stud entered the room with He Chunhua, the newly appointed Chief Administrator of Xiazhou, closing the door behind them for a private consultation. Zhu Xiu'er bid farewell to Madam Ying and the two He brothers, her eyes red as she looked back with every few steps before finally leaving. Once the Zhu family's carriage disappeared around the corner, He Yue murmured, "Why do I feel that the Minister of the Imperial Stud didn't seem very grieved over the deaths of his great-grandchildren?" "You aren't mistaken. They actually breathed a sigh of relief." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. His younger brother was still too naive. "Cutting off future complications is what's truly best for the Zhu family." Everyone in that family understood this clearly in their hearts, including Zhu Xiu'er. Now that the excitement was over, He Lingchuan rubbed his neck and headed toward the door. "I'm going out to handle some business. I'll be back tonight!" By the time the sun set, He Lingchuan had returned, though He Chunhua was still out. After dining with his mother and brother, He Lingchuan yawned, claimed to be tired, and retired to his room. Having been cooped up in cramped cabins for days, the brothers refused to shortchange themselves upon arriving in Shihuan City and had each requested a spacious guest room. Turning around, He Lingchuan bolted the door and drew two jade vials from his storage ring. That evening, he had taken a walk through the city, bought some medicinal herbs, and had them boiled down into pills right in the apothecary. The newly acquired Ziwu Formula had very distinct characteristics. Regardless of what one usually practiced, the early stages placed paramount importance on the hours of Zi and Wu. The Zi hour held the heaviest yin energy of the day, while the Wu hour held the most flourishing yang energy. He Lingchuan had to circulate the formula and practice during these two double-hours, harvesting the twin energies of yin and yang to take as his own. When he first read this description, he had been astonished. The Zi hour was manageable enough, as lunar essence was always a primary focus of harvest for cultivators and demons alike. But the true solar fire of daytime was not something just anyone could endure. At best, it caused cultivation deviation; at worst, it led to spontaneous combustion—a path paved with countless bloody precedents. Only upon studying the formula in detail did he learn that it did not require novices to directly absorb solar fire. Instead, they were to consume Yin Powder and Yang Powder during the Zi and Wu hours respectively, using the timing of heaven to aid in refining them. In truth, cultivating by drawing on the spiritual qi of heaven and earth was the simplest and sturdiest method, but it was also the slowest, requiring painstaking, protracted effort. Human lifespans could not afford the wait, which was why people invented all sorts of techniques and relied on various medicines to achieve rapid breakthroughs. Naturally, the manual included the recipes for making the two medicinal powders, which was precisely what He Lingchuan had gone out to purchase that evening. As a foundational mental art available for free to all residents of Panlong City, the initial concoctions for the Ziwu Formula were very easy to assemble. They used common herbs found in any major apothecary, and the prices were dirt cheap. Yet the difficulty ramped up with every tier, and even He Lingchuan had clicked his tongue in disbelief when looking at the later formulas. No wonder military merits were so crucial; certain herbs could not be bought with money in Panlong City at all. He Lingchuan was somewhat more fortunate than the people of Panlong City, as he lived in the relatively resource-rich Yuan Kingdom. Still, the cost of certain ingredients was so exorbitant that even if he liquidated all the He family's assets, he probably could not afford them. *Does cultivation cost this much?* He Lingchuan felt his persona as a "rich second-generation heir" slipping away. Fortunately, he had no such worries for the moment. The medicines for beginners could even be stewed in an ordinary medicine pot. While squatting in the back room of the apothecary waiting for them to finish, He Lingchuan had thought to himself that he would need to acquire an alchemy cauldron sooner or later. This was the drawback of going at it alone. Daoist disciples faced far fewer hassles—others refined their pills, forged their artifacts, and drew their talismans. With their sects providing complete logistical support, they could focus entirely on their cultivation. He Lingchuan, on the other hand, had to attend to every single detail himself. Refining pills and forging artifacts required meticulous technique and heat control; neither could be mastered overnight. His real troubles were still far from arriving. For now, he practiced the Guiding Technique to serve as a primer. Once the Zi hour arrived, he would swallow a dose of Yin Powder and begin practicing the Ziwu Formula. The key to this period lay in guiding the external yin qi and the yin energy within the powder into the Yongquan acupoints on the soles of his feet. Being the farthest points from the heart and in direct contact with the ground, they were ideal for shaping yin qi into a serpent that traveled exclusively along the yin pathways. This was an ascent from bottom to top. At the Wu hour the following day, he would ingest the Yang Powder, guiding yang qi into the Danzhong acupoint to travel exclusively through the yang meridians. This was a descent from top to bottom. Whenever these twin serpents of yin and yang could meet in his sea of qi, it would signify the completion of the first stage. The most intriguing aspect of the Ziwu Formula was that it did not demand sitting rigidly upright with the five centers facing heaven; one only needed to maintain the circulation of internal energy. After all, the two hours of Zi and Wu were rather unique, being times when people were either busy or fast asleep. He Lingchuan practiced for a full double-hour, then drifted off to sleep. In his dream, he entered Panlong City once again.