Chapter 00170: Recognizing Kin
# Recognizing Kin
Chapter 170
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 170: Recognizing Kin
As the snow began to fall on the surface of the Hongchuan River, He Chunhua's supporting army finally arrived by boat at Shihuan City.
The bustling warehouses, the clamorous docks, and the diverse accents immediately made the newcomers feel the stark difference between this place and Woling Pass.
Shihuan City is one of the most important checkpoints in the heart of the Great Yuan, located only fifteen li from the capital.
If the rebel army led by Hong Xiangqian had successfully crossed the river at Woling Pass and landed at Shihuan City, it would have been akin to plunging a dagger directly into the heart of the Yuan Kingdom, breaking through the gates of the capital and daring to change the heavens and the earth.
However, history never speaks in "ifs."
The supporting army had traveled a long distance and was weary from their journey, so after disembarking, they quickly sought a place to rest.
As a water and land hub under the emperor's feet, Shihuan City was exceptionally prosperous, easily accommodating these few hundred people.
After more than twenty days of travel, the soldiers finally had a warm kang to sleep on.
He Lingchuan even heard his father tell Old Mo to book guest rooms, saying there was no rush and to book for several more days.
He Chunhua had something on his mind, so after arriving at the inn, he first took out a pen to write a letter, which he had the steward Old Mo send out before he went to bathe, change clothes, and have tea and a meal.
He Lingchuan had been focused on his cultivation these past few days and had only hastily eaten a few bowls of rice before wanting to head out.
Unexpectedly, he ran into Madam Ying, who was approaching with Zhu Shi.
Upon seeing him, the latter smiled and bowed politely.
He Lingchuan was her first benefactor who saved her from the wolf's den, so she treated this teenager, who was only a little over ten years old, with exceptional courtesy.
Young Master He clapped his hands: "Sister Zhu, you truly look beautiful! Is there some joyous occasion today?"
Zhu Xiuer had been worn down by toil over the past few years; her face had darkened, her hands had become rough, and she was as thin as a bamboo.
When He Lingchuan saw her in Xianling Village, her spirit was quite poor.
However, she was only in her early twenties, full of vitality, and after staying beside Madam Ying for a few days, her complexion gradually became rosy, and her chin was not as sharp as before.
At this moment, she had lightly applied rouge and changed into a nice outfit.
Although she could not compare to the daughters of wealthy families, she was already a far cry from the village women of that time.
Zhu Xiuer bit her lip, and before she could speak, Madam Ying interjected, "Where are you rushing off to?"
"Going out to buy something."
"What are you buying?"
"Tofu."
Madam Ying linked arms with Zhu Xiuer and shot him a glare, "It’s not even dark yet, and you’re already drinking too much?"
He Lingchuan scratched his head: "I just want to stroll around the market; I won't cause any trouble."
Just as he finished speaking, steward Old Mo hurried in to announce: "Master, Madam, esteemed guests have arrived!"
He Yue happened to walk out at that moment, exchanging a puzzled glance with his brother: they had just arrived at Shihuan City, and their bottoms hadn’t even warmed the seats yet, so how could there be visitors?
The visitors consisted of three people, all cloaked to cover their heads and faces, followed by several servants.
They stepped into the inn's private room and caught sight of Zhu Xiuer, both sides froze, motionless.
He Lingchuan suddenly understood.
Then one of the guests pulled down their cloak and trembled as they exclaimed, "Xiuer!" before rushing forward to embrace Zhu Xiuer.
This was a middle-aged beauty nearing forty, with features somewhat resembling Zhu Xiuer.
The other two also removed their hoods, revealing an elderly couple with graying hair and luxurious robes, both with tears in their eyes.
Zhu Xiuer wept as she embraced her mother, then turned to throw herself into the arms of the elderly couple, crying out, "Grandfather, Grandmother, Xiuer has returned!"
The old lady could not help but cry out loud.
The old man still bore signs of illness but patted her shoulder, saying, "It's good that you’re back, good that you’re back!"
His gaze swept over the other people in the room before turning to He Chunhua: "This must be General He from Xizhou?"
He Chunhua replied solemnly, "How is Lord Zhu?"
The elder before him was none other than Zhu Xiyan, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites!
He bowed deeply to He Chunhua: "It is a great kindness from General He that Xiuer can return home!"
He Chunhua returned the gesture: "Helping to reunite family is but my duty."
He then led his family out, leaving the small hall to the Zhu family, who had been separated for seven years.
At this moment, He Lingchuan realized that his father had written to the Zhu family, inviting them to recognize their kin.
The Zhu family's ancestral home was in Shihuan City, and they could trace their lineage back four generations here.
Zhu Xiyan himself usually resided here, only entering the capital when the royal court convened.
In any dynasty, the sight of civil and military officials gathered together was actually quite rare.
If the emperor wanted to summon someone, he could simply pull them aside for a private meeting; there was no need to make a grand show of it.
The emperor was also human and found it troublesome.
In the past year, the Great Yuan had faced both natural disasters and human calamities, yet the court had only convened four times.
Zhu Xiyan was getting old, and recently he had caught a cold, taking sick leave at home.
However, upon receiving He Chunhua's letter, he could not sit still and hurried over with his daughter-in-law.
As for Zhu Xiuer's father, he had passed away three years ago.
After more than two ke, the emotions of the Zhu family gradually calmed down.
Zhu Xiyan, being an elder in the court, turned around to find He Chunhua, expressing his gratitude profusely before inquiring about the circumstances.
He Chunhua did not hold back and recounted everything in detail.
The three members of the Zhu family listened in stunned silence, unable to speak for a long time.
Zhu Xiuer, wiping her tears, said, "If it weren't for General He and his family’s righteous assistance, I would have been killed by the bandits in Xianling Village long ago!"
Madam Ying smiled with relief, and He Lingchuan secretly gave a thumbs up:
Truly on the right path!
Zhu Xiuer's grandmother, Sun Yuhua, hesitated several times before finally asking, "Where are the two children that Xiuer gave birth to?"
Sun had given birth to two children, but they had not seen them here.
He Chunhua had not mentioned the whereabouts of the two children earlier.
Madam Ying sighed, "Xiuer exposed the enemy's plot, and the bandits retaliated against her by taking the children."
Zhu Xiuer cried out in anguish, while Zhu Xiyan and his wife exchanged glances, both sighing.
"Forget it, it's good that you are back. There will be more children in the future."
Zhu Xiyan then said to He Chunhua, "General He, I have a matter to entrust to you."
He Chunhua stood up: "We can discuss it in detail inside."
Next, the women of the Zhu family took a carriage back, while the Minister of the Ministry of Rites entered the room with the newly appointed General He Chunhua, closing the door to discuss matters further.
Zhu Xiuer bid farewell to Madam Ying and the two He brothers, her eyes red, leaving with a backward glance.
Once the Zhu family's carriage disappeared around the corner, He Yue murmured, "I can't help but feel that the Minister of the Ministry of Rites doesn't seem too saddened by the death of his great-grandson."
"You’re not mistaken; they’re relieved," He Lingchuan patted his shoulder, his younger brother was still too young, "To eliminate future troubles is the best for the Zhu family."
This family understood clearly, including Zhu Xiuer.
After watching the lively scene, He Lingchuan pressed his neck and headed outside: "I have matters to attend to; I will return at night!"
As the sun set, He Lingchuan returned, but He Chunhua had not yet come back.
After the three of them had dinner together, He Lingchuan yawned and said he was tired, wanting to go back to his room to rest.
Having cramped together in the small cabin for many days, the two brothers did not want to continue to suffer and each requested a large guest room upon arriving at Shihuan.
He Lingchuan locked the door behind him and took out two jade bottles from his storage ring.
This evening, he had walked around the city and bought some medicinal materials, which he had boiled into pills at the pharmacy.
The newly acquired Ziwu Jue had unique characteristics; regardless of what one usually practiced, the times of Zi and Wu were especially important during the initial stages of practicing the technique.
The Zi hour is when the yin energy is at its heaviest, while the Wu hour is when the yang energy is at its peak.
He Lingchuan planned to practice the technique during these two times, gathering the yin and yang energies for his own use.
At that time, he was quite surprised to see this introduction, as the Zi hour was understandable; the moonlight was always a focus for cultivators and demons alike.
However, the true fire of the sun during the day was not something everyone could endure.
The lightest consequence could lead to going astray in cultivation, while the worst could result in self-immolation, with countless bloody precedents.
However, upon closer inspection of the technique, he realized it did not require beginners to directly gather the yang fire but instead to take yin powder and yang powder at the Zi and Wu hours respectively, using the timing to refine them.
Originally, the method of drawing on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for cultivation was the simplest and most stable, but it was also the slowest, known as the long-term effort.
Human lifespans cannot wait, which is why various techniques and the use of various medicines were invented for rapid breakthroughs.
Of course, there were also two methods for making the powders, and He Lingchuan had gone out to buy these earlier in the evening.
As a free heart method that all residents of Panlong City could learn, the initial difficulty of the Ziwu Jue's medicinal preparation was very low, using common medicinal materials found in major pharmacies, and the prices were quite cheap.
But the difficulty increased step by step, and even He Lingchuan was taken aback when he saw the later prescriptions.
No wonder military achievements were so important; some medicinal materials could not be bought with money in Panlong City.
He Lingchuan was somewhat luckier than the people of Panlong City, as he lived in the relatively resource-rich Yuan Kingdom.
However, for some medicines, even if he sold all of the He family's properties, he might still not be able to afford them.
Is cultivation really this expensive? He Lingchuan felt that he could no longer maintain the persona of a "rich second generation."
Fortunately, he did not have such worries at the moment; the medicines for beginners could even be boiled out of a pot.
While waiting in the back hall of the pharmacy, He Lingchuan thought to himself that he would need to get a dan furnace sooner or later.
This was the downside of going solo.
Disciples of the Dao sect had fewer troubles; there were people to refine dan, make tools, and draw talismans, with the sect providing all the necessary support, allowing them to focus on their cultivation.
As for He Lingchuan, he had to handle everything himself, down to the smallest detail.
Refining dan and making tools both required attention to technique and timing; it was not something that could be achieved in one go.
His troubles had not yet begun.
Next, he planned to practice the Qianyun Technique as a precursor, and once the Zi hour arrived, he would first swallow a dose of yin powder and then practice the Ziwu Jue.
The key point during this time was to draw the external and internal yin energy into the Yongquan acupoint at the soles of his feet, which was the farthest point from the heart and in contact with the ground, suitable for the yin energy to transform into a snake, moving solely within the yin.
This was from the bottom up.
Then at noon the next day, he would take the yang powder to draw the yang energy into the Shanzhong acupoint, moving solely within the yang meridians.
This was from the top down.
When the yin and yang dual snakes could meet in the sea of qi, it would indicate the completion of the first stage.
The most interesting aspect of the Ziwu Jue was that it did not require one to sit upright and serious during practice; as long as the qi could circulate, it was sufficient.
Because the times of Zi and Wu were very special, people were either busy or asleep.
He Lingchuan practiced for a full hour before falling asleep.
In his dreams, he once again entered Panlong City.
Oh, I forgot to wish everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Fortunately, it’s still within the holiday.
(End of Chapter)