Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 594 Painting Eyebrows and Discussing Family Matters, Healing at the Alchemy Clinic and Hiding Secrets

Headmaster Kang was not in a hurry to settle down at Yangming Mountain in Xianzhou. He only sent Ye Zhengwen and Yuan Jin to lead a group of disciples to set off first.

After asking Luan Gongfeng to get several doses of elixirs for Jiang Qing, he then took his junior brother and his wife to Xuanwei City to stay overnight.

All the vassals under the jurisdiction of the Fei family in Yingzhou were dismissed. However, several elders from Fei Tianqin down, the officers and soldiers of Yingshan Army, and the direct descendants of Sheshan Hall were all temporarily stationed in Xuanwei City to rest and recuperate.

As a result, the spiritual energy around Xuanwei City became scarce again.

Even though they knew these cultivators wouldn't stay long, it still greatly annoyed the officials in charge of Xuanwei City.

Currently, Duan Anle's eldest son, Duan Yunzhou, has taken on the post of guarding Xuanwei City. Although his cultivation level is not high, Xuanwei City is still considered the largest city in Yunjiao Prefecture under the Wuning Marquis's residence. Therefore, it is necessary to have a trustworthy person to guard it so that Kang Dabao can feel at ease.

Now that the battle is becoming increasingly intense, Kang Xiangyi, the head of the Kang family of Chenjiang, has completely given up the idea of ​​returning to Sizhou. He has willingly become the deputy of the Kang family's leader, Zhang Huangshi, the head of the Zhang family of Yungu, and Duan Yunzhou, a junior.

The city's defenses were also strengthened, and the local militia and volunteers who made meritorious contributions benefited, making their livelihoods much more secure.

Although these cultivators came from humble backgrounds, they still possessed some conscience. Remembering the kindness of Kang Dabao in taking care of these thousand or so mouths, they were willing to say kind words, which further enhanced the reputation of Kang Dabao as a benevolent leader.

The head of the city's garrison was chosen to be Yang Xun, the recently outstanding head of the Yang family.

This old cultivator has been putting in a tremendous amount of effort in battle lately, and he's also been pondering the matter of forming a false core. If he achieves his goal, he could provide another boost to Xuanwei City.

However, Yang Xun was not the only one in the Crimson Guard to gain the favor of Master Kang. The unknown newcomer You Xiaobao also found a future.

To be able to attain the position of deputy general of the city's garrison while only having a Qi cultivation level, and to become a disciple of Kang Xiangyi, is an extraordinary achievement. Regardless of who hears of it, they will all praise him, whether true or false, with words like "great fortune" and "bright future."

Kang Dabao didn't care about the joys and sorrows of these ordinary people; he was sitting next to his wife on the couch by the window.

Xuanwei City outside the window was very quiet, with only the occasional lantern of a night-patrolling monk passing by, casting dappled light and shadow on the window paper.

He took out a small gilded box from his storage bag, inside which was a light blue eyebrow pencil, which he had obtained from Wu Jian Shang Xiu of the Ghost Sword Sect some time ago.

This tiny box, no bigger than the palm of your hand, requires a hundred second-tier Green Snail Grasses to make. The price of these spiritual plants alone would take two or three ordinary cultivators ten years to earn.

Not to mention the labor costs for those who make incense and cosmetics.

It cost so much to refine it, yet it's just a small item used for drawing eyebrows and adding to the fun, offering no benefit whatsoever to spiritual practice; it's merely a tool for getting close to some woman.
This made the usually frugal Master Kang feel a little emotional, wondering how much capital he had saved up to afford such extravagance.

However, he was reluctant to spend spirit stones to make it, but he was willing to pick up an unopened box to please his wife.

In his memory, Fei Shuhe had become somewhat more reserved lately, and he had always loved this elegant color, so he had always remembered it. Even after several fierce battles, amidst the clash of swords, he had never forgotten her.

Fei Shuhe leaned against the soft pillow. When she saw him open the box, a faint smile appeared in her eyes. She raised her hand to tuck the stray hairs behind her ear and lazily watched him as he leaned closer.

Kang Dabao took a thin bamboo pen and dipped his fingertip in eyebrow ink.

At this moment, the fat man moved so gently that he was afraid of breaking something. He first tested the depth on the back of his hand before daring to bend down and get closer.

"In my entire life, I never imagined that I would live to see the day when my beloved draws my eyebrows."

Fei Shuhe chuckled softly, her breath brushing against his wrist, carrying the refreshing scent of spiritual tea and a touch of girlish charm: "Tell me, with this hand you can wield a halberd to slay a Golden Core cultivator and a third-tier demon, you must have more than a thousand pounds of strength, so how come you can't even hold a bamboo pen steadily?"

Kang Dabao smiled and gently traced her eyebrows with the tip of his pen: "That's different. What nonsense about Golden Core cultivation or third-level demon school? How can they compare to my wife's preciousness?"

Fei Shuhe knew perfectly well that these were just nice words, but she was still pleased.

After a few words and laughter, Master Kang suddenly slowed down, his gaze falling on her eyes, which seemed even warmer than the flame of a lamp.

“These days, my wife has been living in constant fear.”

"Where did you get that idea? The husband is the head of the household, it's just his duty." Fei Shuhe raised her hand and pressed down on his wrist to stop him from moving. "My lord is an unparalleled hero. Even if we women can offer some help, we shouldn't hold you back."

Kang Dabao knew she was unworthy of the title "unparalleled hero," so she just smiled and nodded, continuing to carefully shape her eyebrows by candlelight. The light blue color of her eyebrows, as the bamboo brush touched them, made her features appear even more gentle.

As soon as he finished painting, he took a water mirror and handed it over. The mirror reflected the two figures standing side by side, and even the wind outside the window seemed to have calmed down.

Fei Shuhe looked at herself in the mirror, then looked up at him.

The two have been married for nearly a century, and Master Kang looks exactly the same as when he lifted the curtain back then—ordinary and unremarkable. Yet, the words of the legendary beauty Xi Shi are not untrue. When Fei Shuhe looked at him again, she felt that half of her heart had already been given to him.

Fortunately, the sect leader's wife was looking at him with such affection, but Kang Dabao, who was standing to the side, did not notice anything amiss. Instead, he was oblivious to the romance and changed the subject.

"A letter has arrived from the Duke's Mansion, saying that the Liangyi Sect is currently severely weakened, and even if Zhaixing Tower were to forcefully urge them to come over, it would be difficult for them to regain their momentum."

After the Duke left the scene, the two sides temporarily ceased fighting. However, the Xianyu family and the Yunshui Sect were making little progress, having lost their top cultivator and alchemist. The disciples in their formation were terrified, and if it weren't for the beast tide providing support, they might have already suffered a defeat.

Therefore, there is no time to worry about anything else. At present, Yunjiao Prefecture is only concerned about the breach in the barrier of Hanya Mountain.

Previously, Feng Wenyao had suffered considerable losses, and even his capable lieutenant Zeng Zhangyao had nearly perished at the hands of the Duke. It would be difficult for Bai Canhong to persuade this old man to mobilize his subordinates again, simply by talking the talk, to do so.

"The Duke knows how bravely we've fought, so there's not much to worry about in this area for the time being."

Fei Shuhe knew all about what her husband was saying, but she just listened quietly, nodding her head occasionally, her beautiful eyes following his tone and expression as if she were supporting him.

However, Kang Dabao changed his tone after saying this, and his voice became slightly more serious: "When I went to pay my respects to the Heavenly Diligence Ancestor today, I heard him say that my aunt is going back to Yingzhou today. One reason is for Wan Qing's Core Formation, and the other is for her own cultivation?"

Fei Shuhe nodded for a moment and replied softly, "That is indeed the case. Auntie also said that she wanted to take Lingyi, Zhaoge'er, and Yange'er with her, so that we wouldn't have to pay for the trip in the future. The journey to Yingzhou is not short, so let's save some money where we can."

"Haha, my wife should be a figure in a painting, how did she get tainted by my money-grubbing ways?!" Master Kang chuckled upon hearing this, but when he spoke again, he agreed:
"It's a good thing that Auntie is willing to bring her three children to Yingzhou. You should find a time to pay her a proper visit and express your gratitude."

"Well, I'll go after I've spoken to my two younger sisters."

"Thank you for your trouble, my lady," Kang Dabao said, gently massaging her delicate shoulders. However, his grip on her jade-like skin was too loose; before long, his fingers slipped involuntarily into Fei Shuhe's open neckline. "Oh dear,"

When it comes to the skill of catching rabbits, Master Kang, who is deeply immersed in this art, is certainly a master.

With a gentle touch, she slowly picked up the petals, and twisted them, causing the snow-red petals between her fingers to swell slightly, making Fei Shuhe's face flush and causing her to exclaim in surprise.

"My love," Kang Dabao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his wife's sweet voice. Apart from the red candles on their desks, the lamps in the room immediately went out.

Amidst the fluttering of clothes, Master Kang held a candle and illuminated the large piece of white jade for a long time before snapping the candle off with his fingertips. He then laughed and said, "With so many children gone, the house is quite deserted. Madam, you should make it up to me."

"Giggle."

Hearing the commotion of fleshy waves, Wan'er, who was on duty outside the room, hurriedly activated another layer of sound-blocking barrier before she could feel at ease.

Just as the sun began to rise, Kang Dabao and his wife appeared before Wan'er, their faces radiant. The bird was as clever as ever, and immediately bowed in a crisp voice, saying, "Greetings, son-in-law! Greetings, young lady!"

The sect leader was in a good mood and rewarded him with a bottle of high-grade spirit-controlling pills, which he didn't know came from any golden pill bag. Then he bid farewell to his wife and went to visit the Fei family's old residence with Jiang Qing.

Although it is called an old house, apart from key figures such as Fei Nanying, the Sheshan Hall had not lived here for very long; at most, half a century would be considered a long time.

Kang Dabao is so busy these days that it's rare for him to even have a moment of tenderness with his wife; he has important business to attend to.

He used to come here to pay his respects even before he gained power.

Even after Sheshan Hall moved north to Shanbeidao and Chongming Sect moved to Xuanwei City, in order to show that their respect had not changed, the headmaster of the Fei family still specially sent his disciples to repair and maintain the old Fei family residence. Therefore, he was quite familiar with it.

However, Master Kang is no longer the insignificant repairman he once was. The Fei family members on duty address him as uncle and are very affectionate towards him.

It's likely that the elders of the Fei family had given instructions, and it's quite rare for this Fei family member to have the audacity to let Kang Dabao in without prior notice.

After arriving at the Fei family's residence, Kang Dabao did not visit the elders first. Instead, after sending a letter, he took Jiang Qing to the Fei family's alchemy workshop.

As Jiang Qing walked through the ginkgo courtyard of the old house, she paused slightly and unconsciously pressed her fingertips against her left chest.

Although the scabbed wound still ached faintly, the flow of spiritual energy in his body was extremely sluggish at his dantian. Luan Gongfeng was a third-level alchemist and was also very knowledgeable, which is why he described Jiang Qing's injuries as if they were nothing.

In fact, if it weren't for his solid foundation and the external elixir protecting his life, he might have fallen back down because of the progress he had made in his cultivation due to the Three Yuan Pill.

Kang Dabao walked beside him and saw that his junior brother's face was pale, so he slowed down: "If you can't hold on, let's rest for a while before we go to see Luan Gongfeng."

"It's alright." Jiang Qing shook his head, his voice soft but steady. "The sooner we ask Luan Gongfeng to examine us, the sooner we can recover from our injuries and attain the Golden Core stage."

The sect leader knew that he felt guilty about the loss of the ancestral land. Although he knew that being eager for quick success was not advisable, he did not say anything more.

As they spoke, they arrived at the entrance of the Danshe. The Fei family disciples, who had been sent there to learn martial arts, saw the two of them and quickly lifted the curtain. The aroma of medicine wafted out of the room.

In the Immortal Dynasty of David, alchemists are always half a grade higher than their peers, no matter where they are. Even on the battlefield of life and death, they can receive preferential treatment and do not have to risk their lives. Therefore, compared to the Kang and Jiang brothers, Luan Gongfeng was radiant with health.

The old man was sitting on a futon adjusting the alchemy furnace. When he saw them come in, he raised his hand to gesture for them to sit down.

The robe had already been removed, and although the bruises and swellings had mostly subsided, faint golden spiritual light could still be seen beneath the skin, like a thin veil wrapped around the muscles. This was the remnant of Wei Guze's palm strike.

"The 'Spirit Dispersing Pill' I gave you last time, you were told to take three pills every day, did you take them on time?"

Luan Gongfeng lightly placed his fingertips on Jiang Qing's wrist pulse. When his spiritual energy entered, he could clearly sense that faint golden light flickering in the meridians. Although it did not devour the body like a corrosive poison, it was like a stagnant stone, hindering the normal flow of spiritual energy.

Jiang Qing nodded, his voice more steady than when he arrived: "I dare not be negligent. I take one pill each at Chenshi (7-9 AM), Wushi (11 AM-1 PM), and Shenshi (3-5 PM) every day. However, after taking them, I always feel that my dantian is heavy and that my spiritual energy is still sluggish."

"That's right. Although Wei Guze died, he was still a late-stage cultivator. The fact that you managed to survive him is something worth writing about in the capital region."

If one's family is willing to spend some spirit stones and hire some busybodies to promote it, then even those so-called "prodigies" and "hidden dragons" lists can be made.

After making a joke, Luan Gongfeng took out a small bronze cauldron from his storage bag, which contained half a cauldron of pale green medicinal liquid:
“Take a warm bowl of this ‘Spirit Nourishing Soup’ before bed every day. After taking it, use the ‘Qi Guiding Technique’ to guide the medicinal liquid to your dantian, which will slowly dissolve that wisp of spiritual light.”

Kang Dabao sat to the side, listening attentively: "Lord Luan, how long will it take for my third son's injuries to fully heal?!"

"If we follow this method, most of it will be eliminated within half a year. The rest can be nourished by daily meditation and will not cause any major problems." Luan Gongfeng handed the small bronze cauldron to Jiang Qing, and a warm, gentle feeling emanated from the cauldron's surface.

"If we are to relocate, we will only place a 'spirit warmer' on the spirit boat. We will tell him not to force his spiritual power to be activated for a while, but to just do simple breathing exercises. That will be fine."

There is one thing to be mindful of: he should avoid taking shortcuts lately and focus solely on cultivating with the fasting pill. He should consume more high-grade spiritual foods to replenish his qi and blood.

Jiang Qing took the small cauldron, pausing slightly as his fingertips touched the rim: "Thank you for the offering, Luan. It's just that the other day, my disciple showed his filial piety by sending some 'Dragon Blood Cake,' and I ate two pieces myself."

"These are commonplace items, they have a fancy name but are useless," Luan Gongfeng smiled, then picked up a jade slip, on which were engraved several simple health preservation techniques:

"Practice this 'Slow Spirit Technique' for an hour every day when you meditate. The movements are gentle and won't aggravate your injuries. It can also help to smooth out the spiritual energy in your meridians. With your current body, you should avoid being impatient for quick results. You need to learn from Master Jia's temperament and accumulate knowledge day by day to achieve success naturally."

The two brothers thanked him again, and just as Master Kang was about to leave, he was stopped by Luan Gongfeng.

"Senior, this is..."

"Please wait outside for a moment, Fellow Daoist Jiang. I have some matters to discuss with Headmaster Kang privately."

Kang and Jiang exchanged a glance. The latter, though puzzled, did not ask. After bowing again, he stepped out of the Dan House.

Luan Gongfeng became much more cautious at this moment. After Jiang Qing left, he opened another layer of restrictions, adopted a profound and inscrutable expression, and asked:
"Does Sect Leader Kang know why Madam Han, the matriarch of the Sheshan Hall, has returned to Yingzhou?"

(End of this chapter)