Immortality Path: From the Blind Man at the Pharmacy-Chapter 42 - . Pacify

Chapter 42: 42. Pacify

Chapter 42: 42. Pacify

An Chenyu said, as if he had heard movement outside the door, “Song, your wife is looking for you.”

“You should go out first, so she doesn’t worry. Prepare to move here.”

“As for Ling… did you sleep with her?”

Song Cheng shook his head.

An Chenyu said, “Then let her stand in the courtyard and reflect properly.”

Song Cheng agreed.

He then opened the door and dealt with the situation as An Chenyu had instructed, before returning to the room.

The young lady continued, “The matter with the county magistrate involves the real power structure of the Dashang Dynasty. Ordinary people don’t know, and the information known to our chamber is also very limited.”

“I’m telling you now.”

Song Cheng nodded and listened patiently.

An Chenyu said, “First, the Dashang Dynasty previously wasn’t a dynasty, but rather a mess of fragmented martial arts forces. Dashang… was the first dynasty to unify the martial arts world.”

…

“Second, the Dashang Dynasty’s imperial family originally came from two martial arts forces, the Divine Arms Hall and the Star-Viewing Tower. The fine blade in your hand is an arrow from the Huntian Poqi Crossbow created by the imperial family in those days. The Huntian Poqi Crossbow is a giant crossbow, so its arrows are long. Do you see the string-shaped groove on the handle of your fine blade? That’s for nocking the crossbow string. Have you seen a scabbard before? Actually, that’s not a scabbard, but an embedded design for the crossbow arrow. In those days, the imperial family’s iron cavalry stepped over the eight directions, and later the four-symbol guards established by the dynasty were also equipped with this kind of giant crossbow. Many martial artists died from these crossbow arrows, so they could often be seen scattered everywhere. However, the specifications of the Huntian Poqi Crossbow arrows vary greatly. The one in your hand isn’t ordinary, but it’s not top-grade either.”

…

“Third, when the Divine Arms Hall and the Star-Viewing Tower merged and transformed into the dynasty, other sects that expressed submission also followed suit and became the vassal lords of various provinces and prefectures. These sects range in size and complexity, officially appointed by the dynasty, but in reality… quite a few places are under the control of these sects. Hanping Prefecture is such a place. Hanping Prefecture bordering the Six Towns, was already a frontier prefecture, and among the eighteen counties here, each county’s magistrate is appointed by those hidden sects in Hanping Prefecture. However, Hanping Prefecture has three major sects.”

…

“White Camel Estate. The ‘Grass Sea Astonished Snake Form’ belongs to them, and this Shanghe County magistrate is also one of their people.”

“Pearl Mountain Taoist Temple. When the ghost tide arises, they enter the city; when the ghost tide retreats, they go back to the mountain. This sect seems extremely sensitive to evil spirits.”

“Shanhe Martial Arts Hall. Greatly concealed in the marketplace, ordinary people just consider it a martial arts hall at the center of Hanping Prefecture, not knowing they have the largest presence among the eighteen counties of Hanping Prefecture.”

…

Song Cheng nodded, then shared the information about “evil spirits skin people and sneak into the city” with the young lady, so both parties exchanged information.

…

By this time, it was already dark outside the window. The young lady was busy, as she went out to make arrangements regarding the “evil spirit infiltrating the city” and sent someone to inform the government office, especially about the evil spirit infiltrating Biliu Courtyard. The government office had its own experts, and guarding the county town was their duty. As for where the information came from? Could the Ruyi Commerce Chamber, being a power itself, not have its own sources of information?

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Meanwhile, Tong Jia moved the luggage to this courtyard. The servants and guards clicked their tongues in amazement, each with a strange look, asking questions. Soon, Wang Tianchuan, Wang Tianma, and the two brothers came running, looking for the young lady, seemingly wanting to persuade her. But the young lady evidently had her ways, and it was unknown what she said that made the two brothers obediently take up night watch.

Aside from the main house, the young lady’s courtyard also had east and west wing rooms, a central tea house, totaling five rooms and one tea house. Ling and Ying lived in the west wing. Song Cheng and Madam Tong, who moved in, lived in the east wing. After the young lady returned from her rounds, she also talked with Madam Tong for a long time before leaving.

The sky darkened, and Shanghe County seemed as usual, but tonight was destined to be sleepless. Song Cheng held his wife, lying in the new house on the new bed. Today, his wife wore a brand new moon-white silk camisole with red plum blossoms. When asked, it was a gift from the young lady. The young lady had a lot of unused new clothes, but her stature was tall, and the dresses were one size bigger than Madam Tong’s, yet the camisole fit just right. After some intimacy…

Madam Tong leaned in her man’s arms and suddenly said, “I really like Sister An.”

Song Cheng laughed, “Already calling her Sister An?”

Madam Tong said, “I asked, Sister An is four years older than us, and she seems very mature. She is calm, knowledgeable, well-spoken, remarkably intelligent…”

She counted on her fingers one by one.

Song Cheng: …

After praising her, Madam Tong sighed, “However, she really isn’t having it easy.”

Song Cheng asked, “What did she tell you?”

Madam Tong replied, “Just family matters and her thoughts. She is very ambitious and is determined to make the An Family undergo class transition to become a stronger family, so her children and the future An Family members can have a better starting point. But her father enjoys traveling around, and her elder brother is a Demon Lord of Mayhem, skillful in mischief but incompetent in doing good deeds…”

Song Cheng casually nodded and then glanced at the panel.

[Add Points: 40 points]

6.4% probability to deduce the Superior Technique from the “Xuanwu True Force.” Each deduction required 4 points. He was only one step away from the Superior Technique, which was why he previously displayed his methods calmly in front of An Chenyu. ‘Wait a bit longer until I’ve accumulated 20 deductions, then proceed.’

Song Cheng suppressed his current urge to add points. Today’s performance was a bit rushed. However, it was due to the young lady returning early and the sudden outbreak of the ghost tide. He had no choice. Because he could only bind An Chenyu. Just like An Chenyu had no choice but to bind him. Now, the survival environment was extremely harsh. Both he and An Chenyu needed each other. An alliance had to be formed to have a greater chance of survival.

Outside the window, the moonlight was clear, illuminating the county town, but outside the county town was surrounded by a ghostly gray fog. ‘Will the ghost tide really disperse?’

Song Cheng held his wife tighter, feeling Madam Tong clinging to him. In a world of despair, surviving wasn’t easy. He couldn’t care much about others, but at least he must become stronger to protect those around him.

…

…

The next day.

Ling stood until dawn.

The mansion received news that there had been a big fire at Biliu Courtyard last night, and the government office directed the county soldiers to encircle it tightly. Then, some saw those coquettish courtesans screaming bizarrely and twisting in the fire. Those who tried to escape were shot through with fire arrows, then burned one by one into monsters with only human skin and no flesh.

The government office acted swiftly, directly issuing a city closure order, prohibiting circulation in and out of the city. At the same time, all transactions and trades in the city were banned, each to return to their own home. Those with grain ate grain; those without but had money could buy grain from the government office or the Ruyi Commerce Chamber. Those without grain and money would receive help from the government office’s relief grain storehouse, collecting porridge at a set time each day. As for how thick the porridge would be, don’t expect much. It was just enough to keep you from starving.

Worried that the government office hadn’t killed them all and left a few escapees, Song Cheng grabbed his fine blade and wandered back and forth across Shanghe County twice. Interestingly enough…

He hadn’t found a single one.

Upon deeper inquiry, it turned out that the government office had even found and killed the young master of the Water Bird Martial Arts Hall and some scholars and literati. Clearly, the government had found an entire clue and solved the matter on its own, making Song Cheng feel rather redundant.

However, it was good that the government office could handle matters.

Apparently, the county magistrate, though greedy, was quite capable when he acted seriously.

After wandering around, when Song Cheng returned to the mansion, he found everyone from the Ruyi Commerce Chamber looking at him strangely, each with a shocked, odd, and surprised expression.

It wasn’t until Ying coughed that everyone quickly ran off to mind their own business.

Ding Kui, holding a big red “double happiness” window flower, ran to Song Cheng and said, “Brother, amazing, Old Ding respects you!”

Wang Tianchuan, Wang Tianma, and Gao Lin were the three Force Realm warriors brought here by the young lady. Each shot Song Cheng sideways glances from afar, their expressions peculiar as if they wanted to approach and ask questions, but when Ying gave them a glare, they all walked away.

After all, Ying was actually the strongest person here, though not as strong as Shi Yi, yet stronger than the other Force Realm warriors.

Ying glanced around, seeing no one, then coldly said, “Son-in-law, I want a test with the blade.”

Actually, Ying was the most unconvinced person. The young lady said Song Cheng was powerful, but Ying didn’t accept it.

Song Cheng nodded and took Ying to the side courtyard, then effortlessly knocked Ying’s blade away like bullying a child, leaving Ying frozen staring in shock while he walked out.

He glanced at his status:

[Strength: 49~98]

As the rust wore off, the data provided by that fine blade increased from “5” to “8,” but it seemed the value could rise further.

Song Cheng looked again at the remaining points.

47 points!

Able to deduce 11 times.

Still not enough.

He decided to wait patiently.

‘Still too weak.’

‘But Shanhe County doesn’t have a Form Realm presence. If, as the young lady said, the ghost tide doesn’t last long, I might just use this time to become stronger.’