Many thanks to Mr. Hu!
Liu Qingyan and Old Mr. Liu hurriedly stood up, left their seats, and bowed.
The grace of imparting the teachings, we dare not forget!
No matter, no matter. Hu Yijun reached out to support them both, It’s not some secret technique, you may also pass it to your blood relatives.
Liu Qingyan and Old Mr. Liu thanked him again, then returned to their seats.
…
After lunch, Lu Zheng went straight to the cellar and brought out ten jars of Wuliangye.
He was about to call Old Huang to load the wine jars onto the cart, to deliver them to Hu Zhou’s home later, when Hu Yijun stopped him with a gesture.
Then, he stepped forward, lightly brushed his hand over the jars, and they vanished into thin air.
Storage equipment!
Essential gear for protagonists traversing the myriad realms!
But I don’t have it yet!
Lu Zheng clearly sensed the magical fluctuations emanating from what looked like a brass bracelet on Hu Yijun’s wrist.
Hu Yijun sniffed, nodded with satisfaction.
Lu Zheng asked, When are you planning to leave?
Nothing more to do here, Yuzhi says she’ll visit a few neighbours, we’ll leave this afternoon, Hu Yijun said, then brushed his right hand over the table, and several items appeared.
Hu Yijun said, Brother Lu is a disciple of Baiyun Temple, the renowned Innate Cloud Qi, I won’t make a fool of myself, but Zhou’er’s apprenticeship gift must be fulfilled, these small tokens are a gesture, Brother Lu, please don’t refuse.
Brother Hu is too kind, Lu Zheng naturally clasped his hands in thanks, it would be rude to decline.
Straightforward!
Hu Yijun nodded, explaining, These are three bottles of Jade Essence Pills, they aid cultivation, enhance the Three Treasures, one pill per year.
This is a manual, *Western Extreme Wind-Calling Incantation*, when mastered, it can summon the Geng Metal Divine Wind, or allow one to ride the wind, perfect for use with Brother Lu’s cloud techniques.
Lastly, this is my Dingfeng Mountain token, granting free passage within a thousand miles of Dingfeng Mountain, as if I were there myself, it carries some weight elsewhere too.
Ahem, of course, don’t flash it in my enemies’ territory.
You’re all welcome to visit Dingfeng Mountain, the scenery may not rival the grandeur of Dajing, but it has its own unique charm.
…
Hu Zhou and his family left.
Lu Zheng and the others saw them off at the entrance of Tongyi Lane, Hu Zhou even cried, then solemnly vowed to return in a few months.
When Lu Zheng and the others returned home, Old Mr. Liu said seriously, This Mr. Hu is a great figure, at least a thousand years of cultivation!
Liu Qingyan was startled, That high?
Old Mr. Liu nodded, I just looked at the *Nine Transformations Blood Refining Method of the Heavenly Demon* and the *Moon-Illuminating Scripture* he passed to us, complete with his insights and annotations, they’re far from ordinary.
In terms of knowledge, Old Mr. Liu surpassed Liu Qingyan, Thanks to Young Master Lu, we’ve gained access to such profound techniques.
Come now, what does this have to do with me? It’s Qingyan’s kindness, saving Sister, and teaching Hu Zhou to read and write, this is essentially his apprenticeship gift, Lu Zheng said with a smile.
Liu Qingyan and Old Mr. Liu received the techniques, but Lu Zheng didn’t receive any light of fortune, indicating Hu Yijun taught them due to their bond with Hu Zhou and his mother, Lu Zheng played no direct role, so the jade seal took no share.
So Lu Zheng was quite curious, wondering how much Liu Qingyan’s cultivation would improve from this.
…
That evening, Lu Zheng called Liu Qingyan over, and after some intimacy, he placed a Jade Essence Pill in her mouth.
Liu Qingyan didn’t refuse, only smiled shyly, gently hugged Lu Zheng, then revealed her fair skin, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to absorb the pill’s power.
This one pill can add ten years of cultivation, I’ve only digested less than a tenth so far, the rest will take months to fully integrate, Liu Qingyan said, No wonder it’s one pill a year, taking more would likely reduce its effect greatly.
So powerful, I wonder what these Jade Essence Pills are made of, Lu Zheng said.
Liu Qingyan smiled, All high-quality, aged herbs, jade lingzhi, thousand-year yellow essence, mysterious black fleeceflower root, and more, compared to them, the lingzhi horses you raise in Peach Blossom Ridge might not even qualify.
Lu Zheng was surprised, But the lingzhi horses have developed spiritual intelligence.
Liu Qingyan shook her head, Spiritual intelligence and potent medicinal power are different concepts, some thousand-year herbs may not develop intelligence, the lingzhi horses are only three hundred years old, their intelligence is just a matter of luck.
I see, Lu Zheng nodded, understanding.
Have the techniques been copied down? Lu Zheng asked, changing the subject.
They’ve been passed to Mother and Qingquan, Liu Qingyan said, No need to copy them, if they were lost, it’d be a disservice to Mountain Lord Hu.
You’re thoughtful, but aren’t you worried you’ll forget them over time? Lu Zheng said with a laugh.
Lu Zheng had once experienced having a technique, the *Earth Travel Technique*, directly imprinted in his mind by the cave elder.
He knew that over time, such mentally imprinted knowledge would fade.
There are four of us, and we’re not sharing it outside, we’ll master it quickly, Liu Qingyan said.
Alright, Lu Zheng nodded, dropped the topic of Hu Zhou’s family, and went to bed with Liu Qingyan.
…
In the following days, besides delivering a bottle of Jade Essence Pills to Shen Ying, Lu Zheng went to talk to Xin Zhanting about Hu Zhou, and inquired about Dingfeng Mountain’s reputation.
Never heard of it, South Xinjiang has countless factions, big and small, my knowledge isn’t that broad, not knowing doesn’t mean their mountain is small, it could just mean they’ve never clashed with the Dajing Dynasty, Xin Zhanting said, If you’re curious, you could ask the Anomaly Suppression Bureau, the City God Temple only handles the Netherworld, the Bureau oversees all cultivation matters, they’d know more about South Xinjiang.
Lu Zheng nodded, then shook his head, his ties with the Bureau weren’t as close as with Xin Zhanting, no need to bother them for this.
Over drinks, Lu Zheng and Xin Zhanting chatted about Hu Zhou’s family.
Speaking of which, Hu Zhou’s quite a talent for cultivation, in such a short time, his vitality’s robust, his swordsmanship fierce, he even fought a ghost general from Yelan Mountain and Broken Blade Mountain not long ago, I was thinking of recruiting him after his death, Xin Zhanting said.
Lu Zheng, …
Xin Zhanting shook his head, Now it’s no use, turns out he’s the son of a South Xinjiang great demon, by the time my ghost body dissipates, he might still be alive.
Lu Zheng could only offer a polite smile.
Ghost body dissipation was akin to human death, ghosts couldn’t live forever either, after a certain time, they’d disintegrate.
Of course, ghosts had longer lifespans than humans, and the higher the cultivation, the later the dissipation, minor ghosts with a decade or two of cultivation might last a century or two, while ancient ghosts deep in the Netherworld, who knows how long they’ve existed.
