Chapter 00163: The Recipe for the Imperial Flowing Paste
# The Recipe for the Imperial Flowing Paste?
Chapter 163
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 163: The Recipe for the Imperial Flowing Paste?
He Lingchuan had nothing to say.
It seemed that Panlong City intended to turn everyone into the donkeys of a production team.
“Right now, a large number of outsiders are flooding into Panlong City, with no land and labor. They either work temporary jobs or become tenant farmers to rent land and support themselves,” Hu Min said with a smile. “So, you don’t have to worry about your fields being left uncultivated; both I and Pengcheng Office can help connect you.”
Upon hearing this, He Lingchuan immediately replied, “Then I’ll trouble you.”
Land and property were precious means of production, and in Panlong City, one could not buy them with money; only military or civil merits could be exchanged.
This was clearly a distribution system.
Those who came later had to contribute to the city to establish a foothold.
The soldiers of the Great Wind Army would inevitably accumulate a considerable amount of land from fighting enemies, and they usually lacked the energy to manage it themselves, so it was best to hand it over to tenant farmers for cultivation.
Landlords would gain profits, and tenant farmers could fill their stomachs; everyone would get what they needed.
In this sense, he had officially risen to the status of a landlord in the Panlong City of his dreams.
He Lingchuan patted his chest, feeling an inexplicable sense of pride.
It was truly strange; in reality, he was the eldest son of the governor of Xia Prefecture.
Not to mention a few acres of thin fields, he could buy any manor, restaurant, shop, or gambling house he wanted.
Why did he not feel as accomplished as he did in his dreams?
As for chewing tobacco, it was a type of tobacco leaf that was first smoked and then soaked in syrup.
When using it, one simply took a piece and chewed it without needing to light it.
The effects of tobacco need not be elaborated; the military allowed soldiers to use it to refresh themselves during missions, so it had always been a hard currency.
He Lingchuan planned to keep it and sell it when he needed money.
Of course, he wouldn’t forget the most important thing: “By the way, I want to practice archery. Can you give me some pointers?”
Hu Min’s archery skills were remarkable; he could hit wherever he aimed.
He Lingchuan recalled the battle in Xianling Village, where he had faced difficulties due to his lack of archery skills, which had increased the mission's difficulty passively.
He had to practice.
“Teaching you a few things is no problem at all,” Hu Min replied readily.
Since they were practicing, he sat down on a chair and had He Lingchuan take out the small cushion placed under the rice pot and nail it to the wall of the courtyard.
Today, he was accompanying He Lingchuan to collect the house, not to fight, so he hadn’t brought his bow and arrows.
But it didn’t matter; he pulled out a small knife from his waist and boot, handing it to He Lingchuan. “First, practice your aim. Whether it’s a flying knife or an arrow, you can stand inside the house and shoot.”
He Lingchuan took the knife, returned to the house, and aimed, throwing the knife!
A flash of cold light appeared.
The cushion was clean and empty.
It had hit the corner of the wall.
Facing Hu Min’s gaze, He Lingchuan’s face turned red, and he coughed, “I accidentally let it slip.”
“The error is too great; it seems we need to start from the basics,” Hu Min said realistically, not offering him any consolation, and began explaining how to exert force and coordinate from the shoulder, neck, arm, and fingers.
His insights came from real combat experience and were exceptionally valuable.
He Lingchuan listened intently.
With a master to guide him, such opportunities were rare.
Finally, Hu Min summarized, “There’s no need to think about how to aim or how to exert force. Wherever your vision reaches, wherever the knife or arrow goes, that is mastery.”
“If you practice throwing knives or shooting arrows a thousand times a day, you’ll gradually develop a feel for it.” He patted He Lingchuan’s shoulder. “By the way, what are your plans for the future? Although Panlong City is safe, it’s not easy to live comfortably here.”
He Lingchuan had actually thought of the answer to this question over a month ago and replied without hesitation, “I want to join the Great Wind Army!”
If he was going to join, he would join the best!
This was not only about sentiment, curiosity, and passion; he had deeper considerations.
After He Chunhua was promoted to governor of Xia Prefecture, he would also raise troops to support the northern war efforts, going to confront the Grand Marshal or the governor of Xun Prefecture.
He Lingchuan would have many opportunities to follow him onto the battlefield.
Compared to the battles he had experienced with bandits, the large army's combat was like child’s play.
For his own safety, he needed to adapt to the cruelty of war as soon as possible and accumulate combat experience quickly.
The losses from his dreams would not return to reality; how could he miss such a tremendous advantage?
Hu Min smiled, “Alright, I’ll talk to Captain Xiao tomorrow to see if he can recommend you. But you need to be mentally prepared; it’s not easy to get into the Great Wind Army!”
The Great Wind Army was the elite force of Panlong City, and the soldiers selected were the cream of the crop.
He Lingchuan had just thanked him when suddenly, the sound of gongs echoed from the street outside, and someone shouted, “Announcement at the street corner, announcement at the street corner!”
Upon hearing this, Hu Min said to He Lingchuan, “A set of four gong sounds means there’s an urgent matter to announce. Let’s go out and listen.”
Official announcements would be posted in designated areas with heavy foot traffic, but many people couldn’t read, so they needed specially assigned individuals to convey the official spirit and implement it.
The frequency of the gong also had its significance; the more frequent the sounds, the more urgent the matter.
He Lingchuan had good hearing and seemed to hear gongs sounding in the distance as well, indicating that the street corner announcements were being made in segments at various intersections and were being expedited over a wide area.
What could be so urgent?
The crowd was quickly drawn in by the sound of the gongs.
He Lingchuan accompanied Hu Min to the opposite street, where the announcement officer, with a voice booming like a bell, declared, “Within three days, the Imperial Flowing Paste will descend! Following the order of Commander Zhong, starting today for three days, Panlong City will be under curfew! From the hour of the dog to the hour of the rabbit, citizens must return home and not go out. Those who violate this will be treated as rioters and will lose a finger! Those who submit Imperial Flowing Paste to the Merit Department will be rewarded based on their contributions!”
This person was like a timekeeper bird, repeating the above content loudly every tea break, while also answering the common people’s questions in between.
After half an hour of this announcement, he finally left the street corner.
Upon hearing the words “Imperial Flowing Paste,” He Lingchuan became fully attentive.
The surrounding commoners were whispering among themselves, their expressions filled with joy and delight, not overly surprised.
What surprised He Lingchuan was that he turned to Hu Min and asked, “How do we know when the Imperial Flowing Paste will arrive?”
“You’ll have to ask Lord Zhong about that; I don’t know,” Hu Min shrugged. “Counting this time in the next three days, the Imperial Flowing Paste has already come four times in three years, and the forecasts have been quite accurate, with an error of no more than two days.”
Thus, the commoners basically confirmed that the Imperial Flowing Paste would arrive in the next three days and were all eagerly waiting.
As for the warning mentioned in the announcement, it sounded severe, as commoners would lose a finger for stepping outside their doors.
However, He Lingchuan had personally witnessed how the Imperial Flowing Paste stimulated human greed, so he felt it was necessary to issue a stern warning beforehand.
If precautions were not taken, there would undoubtedly be many tragedies and much hatred arising in the city.
Panlong City was constantly under the pressure of external invasion, so it was hoped that both the military and civilians would unite as one, minimizing internal conflicts.
“The curfew starts at the hour of the dog; you should buy your food and drink early and absolutely not go out. If you have time, go to the roof or the trees to collect the Imperial Flowing Paste; submitting it to the Merit Department can be exchanged for contributions,” Hu Min said with a smile. “It’s not easy for civilians who don’t participate in battles to gain merit, so everyone is quite happy.”
He Lingchuan scratched his head, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist drinking it.”
“Then you must hold back; how can you drink such a treasure directly!” Hu Min sighed. “At the very least, you should refine it into a medicinal powder for oral consumption; that way, its effectiveness will at least double.”
He Lingchuan was overjoyed: “Brother, good Hu Ge, do you know how to refine it?”
“Of course, this is not a secret. Panlong City has long announced the method for refining the Imperial Flowing Paste, and not just three or five times.”
He Lingchuan listened to the loud voice in the street center and found it hard to imagine that such a precious recipe was readily available in Panlong City, accessible for commoners to refine at will.
Hu Min couldn’t help but laugh, “What kind of expression is that?”
“I thought…” He Lingchuan felt embarrassed, “Right, there’s no way to enforce mandatory submission; it’s better to let whoever takes it use it freely.” The law does not punish the many; if everyone takes it for personal use, Panlong City would have no way to punish so many commoners.
It was better to announce the recipe, allowing everyone to use such a treasure properly without waste.
Commoners were the cornerstone of a city; their enhanced physiques and reduced illnesses were also a significant benefit for Panlong City.
Hu Min casually listed a series of medicinal materials, but halfway through, he stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, I’ll just take you to find A Luo,” Hu Min said, patting his head. “He lives nearby.”
“A Luo?” He Lingchuan was puzzled.
“Don’t you remember? He was the one who treated our wounds.”
He Lingchuan suddenly recalled that he had a fractured hand at that time, and it was that part-time medic teammate who had bandaged and stabilized it.
With such a military doctor around, the team’s sustained combat capability would greatly improve.
“He is the adopted son of the Grand Alchemist Helian Chen from the Alchemy Department and has learned quite a bit of medical skills and pharmacology,” Hu Min stood up. “The recipe I read to you is just a common one that everyone can use; A Luo can tailor a recipe for us, which will be even more effective.”
That sounded great.
He Lingchuan followed Hu Min as he led the way deeper into the street.
“A Luo has quite a bit of military merit, right? Why does he still live in such a neighborhood and such a house?” This neighborhood was full of low houses, tightly packed together, with a high density and a poor living experience.
Some roofs even had several patches of different colors, probably from not knowing how many times they had leaked.
The only commendable thing was that the external streets were flat enough to accommodate three horse-drawn carriages side by side, mainly for transportation during peacetime and troop movement during wartime.
“A Luo made a mistake and had to use all the military merits he had accumulated in the past to offset the punishment, so he didn’t get executed and had to start over,” Hu Min mentioned briefly but didn’t elaborate, only sighing, “The human heart is treacherous.”
He Lingchuan looked around; now there were many more people on the road than when they had come by carriage, several times more.
“Are there suddenly so many people on the road because of the Imperial Flowing Paste?”
“Of course, everyone knows the recipe, so they’re rushing to gather herbs and stock up, waiting to refine the Imperial Flowing Paste. It seems the prices of herbs in the shops will rise again. We need to hurry and buy; otherwise, the prices will change three to five times in a day.”
A Luo indeed lived very close, and Hu Min arrived before he got too tired from leaning on his crutch.
He raised his crutch to knock on the door, but before the head of the crutch could touch the door, the wooden door creaked open by itself, and someone stepped out.
The head of the crutch nearly poked into his mouth.
The person was startled and jumped back, and Hu Min quickly retracted his crutch, chuckling, “What are you doing?”
(End of Chapter)