After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 162: Chapter 163: A Formula for Emperor’s Liquid?

Hee Lingchuan was speechless. Panlong City was turning everyone into a beast of burden for the collective.

"Right now, a huge number of outsiders from the Panlong Wasteland are flooding into Panlong City. They have no land, only their labor. They have to take on long- or short-term jobs, or become Farmer Tenants and rent land to cultivate, just to feed themselves," Hu Min said with a smile. "So, you won’t have to worry about finding someone to farm your land. The Pengcheng Bureau and I can both help connect you."

Upon hearing this, Hee Lingchuan immediately said, "Then I’ll have to trouble you."

Land and property were precious means of production. In Panlong City, they couldn’t be bought with money, only exchanged for military or civil merit. This was clearly a distribution system. Newcomers who wanted to establish a foothold in Panlong City had to contribute diligently to the city.

The soldiers of the Great Wind Army, who fought on the front lines, were bound to accumulate a good deal of land. They usually didn’t have the energy to manage it themselves, so handing it over to Farmer Tenants to cultivate was the perfect solution.

The landowner gets a profit, the Farmer Tenant gets to fill their belly. Everyone gets what they need.

’So, in this dream version of Panlong City, I’ve officially become a landlord.’ Hee Lingchuan puffed out his chest, feeling a strange sense of pride.

’How strange. In reality, I’m the eldest son of the esteemed Governor of Xiazhou. Forget a few meager acres of land—manors, taverns, shops, gambling dens—I can buy whichever one I want, however many I want. Why don’t I feel this same sense of accomplishment as I do in the dream?’

As for the Chewing Tobacco, it was a type of tobacco leaf that was first smoked and cured, then soaked in syrup. To use it, you just popped a piece in your mouth and chewed—no fire needed. The effects of tobacco need no explanation; the army allowed soldiers to use it to stay alert during missions, so it had always been a solid form of currency.

Hee Lingchuan planned to hold onto it and sell it when he was short on cash.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten the most important matter. "By the way, I want to learn Archery. Think you could give me a pointer or two?"

Hu Min’s Archery was superb; he could hit whatever he aimed at. Hee Lingchuan recalled the battle in Xianling Village. On several occasions, his own lack of archery skills had passively increased the mission’s difficulty.

’I have to start training.’

"Giving you three or four pointers is no problem," Hu Min replied, exceptionally agreeable.

No sooner said than done. He sat down in a chair and had Hee Lingchuan take the small cattail cushion from under the rice pot and nail it to the courtyard wall.

He had come with Hee Lingchuan to take possession of the house, not to fight, so he didn’t have his bow and arrows with him. But that didn’t matter. He pulled a small knife from his lower back and another from his boot, handing them to Hee Lingchuan. "Let’s work on your aim first. Whether it’s Flying Blades or arrows, stand inside the house and shoot from there."

Hee Lingchuan took the knives, went back into the house, aimed, and threw!

A cold glint flashed.

The cushion was completely clean, untouched.

It had hit the corner of the wall.

Meeting Hu Min’s gaze, Hee Lingchuan’s face flushed. He coughed and said, "It just slipped."

"The margin of error is too wide. Looks like we have to start from the basics." Hu Min was matter-of-fact and didn’t bother consoling him. He began to explain how to exert force and coordinate everything from the shoulders, neck, arms, and fingers.

The insights he shared were all derived from actual combat and were exceptionally valuable. Hee Lingchuan listened with rapt attention. Opportunities to be guided by a master were rare.

Finally, Hu Min concluded, "You don’t need to think about how to aim or how to apply force. When your blade or arrow arrives wherever your eyes land, that is true mastery."

"Throw a knife or shoot an arrow a thousand times a day, and you’ll slowly get the feel for it." He clapped Hee Lingchuan’s shoulder. "By the way, what are your plans for the future? Panlong City may be safe, but it’s not easy to live comfortably here."

Hee Lingchuan had actually figured out the answer to that question over a month ago. He answered without hesitation, "I want to join the Great Wind Army!"

’If I’m going to join, I’m joining the best!’

This wasn’t just about sentiment, curiosity, or passion; he had a deeper consideration. After Hee Chunhua’s promotion to Governor of Xiazhou, he would also have to raise troops to support the northern war effort, facing off against the Grand Commandant or the Xunzhou Governor. This meant Hee Lingchuan would have plenty of opportunities to go to the battlefield. Compared to a war between grand armies, his experience fighting bandits as a government soldier was like child’s play.

For his own safety, he needed to adapt to the cruelty of war and accumulate combat experience as quickly as possible.

’Injuries from battles in the dream won’t carry over into reality. How could I possibly pass up such a massive advantage?’

Hu Min smiled. "Alright, I’ll talk to Mr. Xiao about it tomorrow and see if he can recommend you. But you need to be mentally prepared—the Great Wind Army is not easy to get into!"

The Great Wind Army was Panlong City’s ace Elite unit. The soldiers selected for it were the best of the best.

Just as Hee Lingchuan was thanking him, the sound of a gong, DANG DANG DANG, suddenly rang out from the street. Someone shouted, "Public announcement at the street corner! Pu-blic an-nounce-ment at the street cor-ner!"

Hearing this, Hu Min said to Hee Lingchuan, "A set of four strikes on the gong. The higher-ups have something urgent to announce. Let’s go listen."

When the authorities issued announcements, they would post notices and bulletins at designated high-traffic locations. But since many people were illiterate, they also had to dispatch special criers to ensure the government’s message was properly conveyed.

There was a system to the gong-striking, too. The faster the strikes, the more urgent the matter.

Hee Lingchuan had sharp hearing and could faintly hear similar gongs in the distance. It was clear the announcements were being made at various sections and intersections, a coordinated effort to cover a large area quickly.

’What could be so incredibly urgent?’

The gongs drew a crowd that gathered quickly. Hee Lingchuan accompanied Hu Min across the street. The announcer filled his Dantian with qi, and his voice boomed, "Within three days, the Emperor’s Liquid will descend from the heavens! By order of Commander-in-Chief Zhong, a curfew is hereby declared in Panlong City for the next three days! From 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., all citizens must return to their homes and not step outside! Violators will be charged with public disturbance and have one finger severed! Those who turn in Emperor’s Liquid to the Merit Department will be rewarded according to their contribution!"

The man was like a talking clock, loudly repeating the announcement three times every ten minutes and pausing in between to answer the commoners’ questions. After doing this for a full hour, he finally left the street corner.

When Hee Lingchuan heard the name "Emperor’s Liquid," he immediately focused his full attention.

The commoners around them were also whispering to each other, their faces filled with joy and delight rather than surprise.

Hee Lingchuan was the one who was surprised. As he turned away with Hu Min, he asked, "How do they know when the Emperor’s Liquid will arrive?"

"You’d have to ask Lord Zhong about that; I have no idea." Hu Min shrugged. "Including this one in the next three days, the Emperor’s Liquid will have appeared four times in three years. The forecasts have always been accurate, with a margin of error of no more than two days."

So, the populace was basically certain that the Emperor’s Liquid would arrive within the next three days, and they all waited for it with joyous anticipation.

As for the warning in the announcement, the punishment sounded severe—a commoner would have a finger chopped off just for stepping half a foot outside. But having personally witnessed how the Emperor’s Liquid could incite human greed, Hee Lingchuan felt that stating the harsh terms upfront was absolutely necessary. Without such precautions, there was no telling how many tragic incidents would occur or how much hatred would fester within the city.

Panlong City was under constant pressure from foreign invaders, so of course, it hoped its military and civilians would be united as one. The fewer internal conflicts, the better.

"The curfew starts at 7 p.m., so stock up on food and drink early, and whatever you do, don’t go out. If you have time, you can go to your roof or up a tree to collect the Emperor’s Liquid. Turning it in to the Merit Department can be exchanged for merits," Hu Min said with a smile. "It’s not easy for non-combatant civilians to earn merits, so everyone is thrilled."

Hee Lingchuan scratched his head. "I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist drinking it."

"You absolutely must resist! How can you drink such a treasure directly?" Hu Min sighed. "At the very least, you should process it into a Medicinal Powder to consume. That would at least double its effectiveness."

Hee Lingchuan was overjoyed. "Brother, my good Brother Hu, you know how to prepare it?"

"Of course. It’s not some big secret. Panlong City announced the recipe for Emperor’s Flowing Powder ages ago, and not just once or twice, but more like five or six times."

Listening to the booming voice from the street, Hee Lingchuan found it hard to imagine that such a precious recipe could be so readily available in Panlong City, free for any commoner to use.

Hu Min couldn’t help but laugh. "What’s with that look on your face?"

"I just thought..." Hee Lingchuan said, abashed. "Right, it’s impossible to force everyone to hand it in, so they just let whoever collects it use it." The law can’t punish the masses. If everyone kept it for themselves, Panlong City would have no way to punish so many commoners. It was better to just release the recipe and let everyone make good use of this treasure without wasting it.

The common people are the foundation of a city. If their constitutions were strengthened and they suffered fewer illnesses, it would be a major benefit for Panlong City as well.

Hu Min casually rattled off a string of medicinal ingredient names, but he stopped himself halfway through.

"What is it?"

"Ah, I should just take you to see Aluo." Hu Min slapped his forehead. "He lives nearby."

"Aluo?" Hee Lingchuan was confused.

"Have you forgotten? He’s the one who treated our wounds."

Hee Lingchuan immediately remembered. Back then, when he had a broken hand, it was that teammate, who was also their part-time medic, who had bandaged and set it for him. With a combat medic like that on the team, their sustained combat capability would be greatly enhanced.

"He’s the adopted son of Helian Chen, the Pill Bureau Chief Pharmacist, so he’s learned a lot about medicine and pharmacology." Hu Min stood up. "The recipe I was reciting is just a generic, one-size-fits-all version. Aluo can create a custom formula for us, which will be much more effective."

That sounded great. So, with Hu Min leading the way, Hee Lingchuan followed him deeper into the district.

"Aluo must have a lot of military merit, right? And he’s the adopted son of the Pill Bureau Chief Pharmacist. Why is he still living in a district like this, in this kind of house?" The district was filled with low-slung houses packed tightly together. The density was high, and the living experience was clearly poor. Some roofs even had several mismatched patches of different colors, likely from fixing leaks for the umpteenth time.

The only commendable feature was that the outer streets were level and wide enough for three horse-drawn carriages to travel side-by-side, a design primarily for convenient transportation in peacetime and troop movement during war.

"Aluo made a mistake. He had to use up all his past military merits just to avoid being beheaded, so now he has to start over." Hu Min only offered this brief explanation and didn’t elaborate, just sighing, "The human heart is treacherous."

Hee Lingchuan looked around. The streets were now teeming with people, several times more than when they had arrived by carriage earlier.

"Are all these people suddenly on the streets because of the Emperor’s Liquid?"

"Of course. Everyone knows the recipe, so they’re all rushing to buy and hoard herbs, waiting to prepare the Emperor’s Liquid. Looks like the price of herbs in the shops is going to go up again. We’d better hurry and buy ours, or the price will change three to five times in a single day."

Aluo did indeed live very close. They arrived before Hu Min, leaning on his crutch, grew tired from walking.

He raised his crutch to knock, but before the tip could even touch the Door Panel, the wooden door CREAKED open on its own, and someone stepped out.

The tip of the crutch nearly poked him in the mouth.

The person jumped back in alarm. Hu Min was quick to pull back his crutch and gave a dry laugh. "Where are you off to?"