After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 169: Chapter 170: Family Reunion

When snow began to fall over the Hongchuan River, Hee Chunhua’s Supporting Army finally arrived by boat at Shihuan City.

The bustling warehouses, the clamorous docks, and the cacophony of accents from all corners of the land immediately impressed upon the disembarking soldiers how different this place was from Woling Pass.

Shihuan City was one of the most important hubs in the heartland of the Da Yuan Kingdom, located a mere fifteen li from the National Capital.

If Hong Xiangqian’s Rebel Army had successfully crossed the river at Woling Pass and landed at Shihuan City, it would have been like plunging a dagger straight into the Yuan Kingdom’s heart. One more push to break through the Capital City’s gates, and they could have dared to overthrow the dynasty.

However, history does not deal in "ifs."

The Supporting Army was weary from the long journey by water and land. After disembarking, they quickly sought a place to rest. As a major nexus for both land and water travel, the prosperous Shihuan City, located so close to the Emperor, easily absorbed these few hundred men.

After more than twenty days on the move, the soldiers could finally sleep on heated beds.

Hee Lingchuan even overheard his father telling Old Mo to book the inn rooms, saying there was no rush and that he should book them for several days.

Hee Chunhua had a matter weighing on his own mind. Upon arriving at the inn, he first penned a letter and had the chief steward, Old Mo, send it out. Only then did he go to bathe, change his clothes, and have some tea and a meal.

Hee Lingchuan’s thoughts these past few days had been entirely consumed by his cultivation. He hastily scarfed down a few bowls of rice and was about to head out when he ran into Madam Ying and Mrs. Zhu. Upon seeing him, the latter smiled and offered a modest bow.

Hee Lingchuan was the primary benefactor who had rescued her from that den of wolves, so her courtesy toward the teenage boy was exceptionally thorough.

Eldest Young Master Hee clapped. "Sister Zhu, you look truly beautiful! What’s the special occasion?"

The past few years of exhausting toil had left Zhu Xiu’er’s face dark and her hands coarse. She was as thin as a bamboo stalk. When Hee Lingchuan had met her in Xianling Village, her Essence, Qi, and Spirit had all been weak. But she was only in her early twenties, and her youthful vitality was strong. After a few days of rest with Madam Ying, kept out of the sun, her complexion had gradually regained its rosy hue, and her chin was not quite so sharp.

Now, with a light touch of rouge and a change of fine clothes, she was a world away from the village woman she had been, though she still couldn’t compare to the young ladies of wealthy families.

Zhu Xiu’er bit her lip, but before she could speak, Madam Ying interjected, "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Out to buy something."

"Buy what?"

"Tofu."

Madam Ying, holding Zhu Xiu’er’s arm, shot him a glare. "It isn’t even dark yet, and you’re already drunk?"

Hee Lingchuan scratched his head. "I’m just going for a walk in the market. I won’t stir up any trouble."

The words had barely left his lips when Old Mo, the chief steward, hurried in to announce, "Master, Madam, honored guests have arrived!"

Hee Yue happened to be walking out and exchanged a glance with his older brother. Both were puzzled. ’How could they have visitors? They had just arrived in Shihuan City and hadn’t even had time to warm their seats yet.’

The visitors were a party of three, their heads and faces concealed by cloaks, followed by several servants.

As they stepped into the inn’s private room, they came face to face with Zhu Xiu’er. Both parties froze, motionless.

Sudden understanding dawned on Hee Lingchuan.

A moment later, one of the guests tore off her cloak and cried out in a trembling voice, "Xiu’er!" She then rushed forward and embraced Zhu Xiu’er.

She was a beautiful middle-aged woman, nearly forty, whose features bore a slight resemblance to Zhu Xiu’er’s.

The other two also removed their hoods, revealing an elderly couple. Their hair was streaked with white, their robes were luxurious, and their eyes were brimming with hot tears.

Zhu Xiu’er wept in her mother’s arms, then turned and threw herself into the arms of the elderly pair, crying sorrowfully, "Grandfather, Grandmother, Xiu’er is back!"

The old woman couldn’t help but sob aloud.

The old man, though still looking ill, patted her shoulder and said, "It’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back!"

His gaze swept over the others in the room, then settled on Hee Chunhua. "You must be the Governor of Xiazhou, Mr. Hee?"

Hee Chunhua replied solemnly, "Are you well, Lord Zhu?"

The old man before him was none other than Zhu Xiyan, the Minister of the Ministry of Imperial Stables!

He bowed deeply to Hee Chunhua. "For Xiu’er to be able to return home, my family owes Governor Hee a great debt!"

Hee Chunhua returned the bow. "Helping to reunite a family is simply my duty."

He then led his family out, leaving the small hall to the Zhu family, who had been separated for seven years.

Only then did Hee Lingchuan realize his father had written a letter to the Zhu Family, summoning them for a reunion.

The Zhu Family’s ancestral home was right here in Shihuan City, where their lineage could be traced back four generations. Zhu Xiyan himself usually lived here, only traveling to the Capital City when the Royal Court was in session.

In any dynasty, the sight of all civil and military officials gathered in one hall was actually quite rare. If the Emperor needed to speak with someone, he would just summon them for a private meeting, disliking grand and disruptive assemblies.

Emperors were people too, and they also found things to be a hassle.

Over the past year, the Da Yuan Kingdom had suffered both natural and man-made disasters, yet the full court had only convened four times in total.

Zhu Xiyan was getting on in years and had recently caught a cold, so he had been on sick leave at home. But upon receiving Hee Chunhua’s letter, he couldn’t sit still and had rushed over with his daughter-in-law.

As for Zhu Xiu’er’s father, he had passed away three years ago.

After more than two quarters of an hour, the Zhu family’s emotions gradually calmed. Zhu Xiyan, a veteran of the court, came out to find Hee Chunhua. He first expressed his immense gratitude before asking about the circumstances of it all.

Hee Chunhua did not hide anything and recounted the entire story.

The three members of the Zhu Family were dumbfounded, rendered speechless for a long time.

Zhu Xiu’er wiped her tears at the side. "If not for the righteous aid of Lord Hee and his family, your daughter would have long been killed by the Rebel Army in Xianling Village!"

Madam Ying smiled in gratification, while Hee Lingchuan secretly gave a thumbs-up.

’She really knows how to play the game!’

Zhu Xiu’er’s grandmother, Sun Yuhua, hesitated several times before finally asking, "The two children Xiu’er gave birth to, where are they?"

Their granddaughter had two children, but they hadn’t seen them here. Furthermore, Hee Chunhua’s account had made no mention of the children’s whereabouts.

Madam Ying sighed. "When Xiu’er exposed the enemy’s plot, the Rebel Army took revenge on her using the children."

Zhu Xiu’er burst into tears. Zhu Xiyan and his wife exchanged a look, and both sighed.

"So be it. It’s enough that she has returned. There will be other children in the future."

Zhu Xiyan then said to Hee Chunhua, "Governor Hee, I have a matter to ask of you."

Hee Chunhua stood up. "Perhaps we should discuss it in detail indoors."

Following this, the female members of the Zhu family left first by carriage, while the Minister of the Ministry of Imperial Stables and the newly appointed Governor of Xiazhou, Hee Chunhua, entered a room and closed the door for a private discussion.

Zhu Xiu’er bid farewell to Madam Ying and the two Hee brothers, her eyes red as she departed, looking back every few steps.

Only after the Zhu family’s carriage had disappeared around the corner did Hee Yue murmur, "Why do I get the feeling that the Minister of the Ministry of Imperial Stables isn’t too upset about his great-grandchildren’s deaths?"

"You’re not wrong. They’re relieved." Hee Lingchuan clapped him on the shoulder. ’My dear brother is still too young.’ "It eliminates any future trouble. This is the best outcome for the Zhu Family."

Everyone in the family understood this perfectly, including Zhu Xiu’er.

Now that the excitement was over, Hee Lingchuan rolled his neck and headed out. "I’m going to run an errand, I’ll be back by nightfall!"

***

Hee Lingchuan returned as the sun was setting, but Hee Chunhua was still out.

After the mother and sons had dinner together, Hee Lingchuan yawned, claiming to be tired, and said he was going back to his room to rest.

Having been cooped up in cramped boat cabins for many days, the two brothers had no desire to short-change themselves now that they were in Shihuan City, so they each took a large room. Hee Lingchuan bolted the door from the inside and took out two Jade Bottles from his Storage Ring.

This evening, he had taken a walk around the city, bought some medicinal ingredients, and had them processed into pills at an apothecary.

The newly acquired Meridian Technique had a unique characteristic: regardless of what one normally practiced, the hours of midnight and noon were especially crucial in the initial stages of learning the mantra. Midnight was when the day’s Yin Qi was heaviest, and noon was when its Yang Qi was most abundant. Hee Lingchuan needed to practice the technique during these two double-hours to absorb the Yin and Yang Qi for his own use.

He had been quite surprised when he first read this description. Midnight was understandable, as Moonlight had always been a key focus for Cultivators and Demons to harvest. However, the Taiyang True Flame of daytime was not something everyone could withstand. At best, one’s cultivation would suffer a qi deviation; at worst, one would self-immolate. There were countless bloody precedents.

But upon closer inspection of the technique, he learned that it didn’t require beginners to directly gather the Yang Flame. Instead, they were to take a Yin Powder at midnight and a corresponding powder for yang at noon, using the timing of the heavens to aid in refining them.

Originally, the method of absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for cultivation was the simplest and most stable, but also the slowest—what was known as achieving success through prolonged effort. A person’s lifespan couldn’t wait, which was why various techniques and medicines were invented for rapid breakthroughs.

Of course, the manual also included the recipes for these two medicinal powders, which was what Hee Lingchuan had gone to procure that evening.

As a free Heart Method available to all residents of Panlong City, the initial prescriptions for the Meridian Technique were not difficult. The ingredients were common and could be found in any major apothecary, and the prices were dirt cheap.

But the difficulty increased progressively. Even Hee Lingchuan was stunned when he saw the later prescriptions. No wonder military merits were so important; some ingredients in Panlong City simply couldn’t be bought with money.

Hee Lingchuan was more fortunate than the people of Panlong City; he lived in the relatively resource-rich Yuan Kingdom. But the price of some medicines was so high that he probably couldn’t afford them even if he sold off all the Hee Family’s assets.

’Is cultivation really this expensive?’ Hee Lingchuan felt his "rich second-generation" persona was starting to crumble.

Fortunately, he didn’t have that problem for now. The beginner’s medicines could even be brewed in a simple pot. As Hee Lingchuan squatted in the back of the apothecary waiting, he thought to himself that sooner or later, he would need to get a Pill Furnace.

This was the disadvantage of going it alone. Disciples of a Daoist Sect had fewer worries—pills were refined by others, artifacts were forged by others, talismans were drawn by others. The Sect provided a complete support system, allowing them to focus on their cultivation. As for Hee Lingchuan, he had to handle every little detail himself.

Both Alchemy and Artifact Refining required meticulous technique and control over heat, neither of which could be mastered in a single step. His troubles were far from over.

So, he would now practice the Traction Technique as a primer. Once midnight arrived, he would first swallow a dose of Yin Powder, then practice the Meridian Technique.

The key at this stage was to guide the Yin Qi from both the outside world and the Pill and Powder into the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of his foot. This was the point furthest from the heart and in contact with the ground, making it suitable for Yin Qi to form a serpent and travel exclusively through the yin pathways.

This was a bottom-up approach.

At noon the next day, he would take the Yang powder, drawing Yang Qi into the Chest Acupoint to travel exclusively through the yang meridians.

This was a top-down approach.

The first stage would be complete when these twin serpents of yin and yang could finally meet in his Qi Sea.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Meridian Technique was that it didn’t require one to sit in a formal, cross-legged meditation posture, as long as the circulation of qi was maintained. This was because the hours of midnight and noon were unique; people were either busy or asleep.

Hee Lingchuan practiced for a full double-hour, then fell asleep.

In his dreams, he once again entered Panlong City.