I come to see Bai Yujing today

Chapter 6 Cleansing the Bones
Chen Zhian stared at the cup of ginger tea in front of him in a daze.

Next to the cup, there were twelve neatly cut slices of ginger.

"This piece of ginger from Kunlun Lake was cut into thirteen slices. I don't know if it's too thin or too thick."

Chen Zhian thought so in his heart. He picked up the cup with great anticipation. The tea had already turned into ginger yellow. There was clearly a piece of ginger in it, but the ginger dissolved completely as soon as it entered the water. It was quite magical.

He took a sip of ginger tea.

The ginger tea took a sip, and a warmth covered his mouth and tongue, then flowed into his throat and into his stomach.

Then, Chen Zhian was surprised to feel his whole body getting warm and he began to sweat in a very short time. He did not hesitate and drank the remaining ginger tea.

As a result, he felt hotter and hotter all over, and even felt that all the pores on his body had opened, and sweat kept pouring out of them. His gray coat was soon soaked through, and even dripped into the water.

But Chen Zhian didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, he felt light all over and felt more relaxed.

He spread out his hands and looked at the back of his hands, only to find that his skin had become much smoother and whiter.

This kind of white is not sickly pale, but rather very warm, just like a rough jade.

"This strange ginger really works, and the effect is very good."

Chen Zhian couldn't help swallowing and looked down at the twelve remaining slices of ginger on the table.

"It's a pity that there are only twelve slices of ginger...I can't drink it for a few days."

As he was thinking about this, he suddenly had an idea and visualized the [Map of Jade Capital in Heaven] in his mind.

As the map of Yujing in his mind slowly unfolded, Kunlun Lake continued to expand and turned into a mist. Chen Zhian stroked the twelve slices of ginger with his palm.

Among the twelve slices of ginger, the one on the far left suddenly disappeared.

"really!"

Chen Zhian's eyes lit up, and he clearly saw the disappeared ginger appear in the Kunlun Lake in the Yujing map, and was obscured by the mysterious mist in it.

He even clearly realized that the ginger he planted in Kunlun Lake was like a seed, beginning to take root and sprout in Kunlun Lake.

"The dense atmosphere in Kunlun Lake is like a fertile field. I can grow things in it, like this [Red Ginger]!"

"In that case, leave only one slice to drink tomorrow, and plant the rest of the ginger slices in the Yujing map."

As he thought this in his mind, his palm brushed across the table again.

All of a sudden, the ginger on the table began to disappear one by one, while in the Kunlun Lake in the Yujing map, more and more ginger appeared, which made Chen Zhian very happy.

Until... the fourth piece of ginger disappeared from the table and appeared in Kunlun Lake.

Chen Zhian only felt that he was becoming more and more sleepy, his body was becoming more and more tired, and his thoughts were becoming heavy, making him think more and more slowly.

At the same time, various information from the Yujing Map came one after another. Chen Zhian understood that the inexplicable drowsiness was not caused by the cup of ginger tea, but came from the Yujing Map.

“The Jade Capital Map and Kunlun Lake seem to be directly related to my physical strength and mental agility!
I planted red ginger in Kunlun Lake. Three pieces are my limit. If I plant more than three pieces, I will become increasingly sleepy and tired, and I will not be able to bear it at all. "

When Chen Zhian thought of this, he quickly moved his mind, and the fourth piece of ginger in Kunlun Lake quietly disappeared and reappeared in his palm.

But in a moment, Chen Zhian immediately felt much more relaxed, and the tiredness in his body and the slowness of his thinking disappeared for the most part.

"This Heavenly Jade Capital Map is too magical. Kunlun Lake, one of the five cities, can cultivate such exotic medicinal herbs. It's a pity that there is a limit to the amount of medicinal herbs that can be planted there."

"However, this upper limit is directly related to my physical fitness and mental agility. Does this mean that if I drink ginger tea every day to cleanse my bones and skin, the upper limit of what can be planted in Kunlun Lake will increase?"

Chen Zhian analyzed in his mind.

It was already past midnight, but his body was getting hotter and hotter, and he was sweating more and more.

So Chen Zhian simply took off all his clothes, lay naked on the ground, and fell asleep unknowingly.

In his hazy dream, he saw a woman in spotless white clothes, looking down at him. The woman had a kind smile on her face, tears in her eyes, and she stretched out her hand to him.

The tears dripped down and landed on Chen Zhian's face, and Chen Zhian truly felt a chill.

He woke up in this real coldness, and when he opened his eyes, the dazzling sunlight made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"What time is it?" Chen Zhian was shocked. He sat up and saw that the sunlight outside the window had climbed over the high courtyard wall and shone directly into his room.

"I'm afraid it's already noon. Have I slept so long?"

Chen Zhian was a little surprised, but luckily his room was close to the courtyard wall, so no one could see his naked body through the window.

He quickly got up, changed his clothes and went to wash up.

After quickly washing up, I saw Chen Shuijun walking out the door carrying two fish.

"Your Aunt Wang caught two carps from the Qingshui River. She met me on the road and forced them on me."

Chen Shuijun was also wearing a white dress. Chen Zhian felt that this white dress was somewhat similar to the white dress worn by the woman in white in his dream.

Over the past decade, Chen Shuijun has taken care of Chen Zhian silently and pragmatically.

He is indeed a good father.

"Dad, I think these two fish are the tuition that Aunt Wang gave me this month."

As Chen Zhian spoke, he skillfully drew a bucket of water from the well, as if he was familiar with the process. But today, Chen Zhian drew water too easily, his arms did not tremble at all, and when he lifted the bucket, there was no splash.

This made Chen Zhian a little absent-minded, and then he remembered the cup of ginger tea he drank yesterday.

"In just one night, his strength has increased so much? This red ginger is really amazing."

While Chen Zhian was pleasantly surprised at the changes in his body, he boiled water with ease and took out a kitchen knife, pots, bowls, and salt from the kitchen.

Chen Shuijun skillfully gutted the two big carps in the yard and removed their scales.

"Huh?" Looking at Chen Shuijun taking care of the carp, Chen Zhian suddenly let out a light exclamation.

From a short distance, Chen Zhian could clearly sense a breath on the bellies of the two carps.

Just like the energy of [Red Ginger]!
"These two fish...are a little strange." Chen Zhian was suspicious: "Did Aunt Wang really give these fish to me?"

"Don't just stand there, chop garlic and onions." Chen Shuijun called.

Chen Zhian came back to his senses and cut onions and garlic: "It's a pity that these two fish are dead. If they were alive, I don't know if they could be planted in Kunlun Lake."

He no longer worried about it. Chen Shuijun cooked while he helped. This father and son spent many leisurely days like this.

But today, Chen Zhian suddenly remembered the dream he had last night. While cleaning the scales on the ground, he casually said, "Dad, why didn't you mention my mom to me?"

Chen Shuijun was chopping fish. Her white clothes were still spotless and her hands' movements were orderly and neat.

But when he heard Chen Zhian's question, the kitchen knife in his hand deviated and landed on the fish's head.

The fish head was cut off, and the fish eyes burst out of the head, falling in the dust on the ground, staring at the sun in the sky.

Then, Chen Shuijun remained silent and did not say a word, and did not answer Chen Zhian.

Chen Zhian had long been accustomed to Chen Shuijun's silence. He vaguely guessed that there must be some twists and turns, but he stopped asking.

Chen Shuijun cooked the famous dish of Southern Jiangsu Province, Qingshui Carp. The carp comes from the Qingshui River and is stewed in clear water with only some salt added to give it the original flavor.

An old man and a young boy were eating in the yard.

The spring sun is not that scorching, it feels warm on the body.

"You didn't go to Huangmen today?"

"I painted a lot of portraits of important criminals yesterday, and the master allowed me to rest for a day."

"That's good too. It's a good opportunity to have a good rest for a day."

"Dad, why don't you let me study?"

Chen Zhian suddenly asked again.

Chen Shuijun's chopsticks, which were about to pick up the fish, paused for a moment.

This time he did not remain silent. He picked up a large piece of fish and put it in Chen Zhian's bowl, saying, "When did I stop you from reading? Aren't those books in your room all found by me? I just don't want you to read those rigid rules. The books in your room are enough for you to see the world and learn principles."

"I mean, why don't you urge me to take the imperial examination? You are a scholar, and I don't want to read the Four Books and Five Classics, so you really won't let me read them?"

"There's nothing good about the imperial examinations." Chen Shuijun said directly, his voice surprisingly powerful: "The court is full of evil spirits. The lowly ones cling to the powerful, the weak flatter the strong, the aristocratic families control the government, intermarry with each other to exclude the poor, the common people and bureaucrats, and prevent the practice of cultivation from spreading throughout the world. Some people who want to do something are excluded and can only leave in disgrace.

Not to mention whether you can pass the imperial examination, even if you pass and become an official, you will be eaten up by those aristocratic families. Instead of that, you might as well do something you like. "

Chen Shuijun was silent for two or three breaths, and then said: "If you insist on going to the imperial examination, I will not stop you. The most important thing in life is to be self-reliant and do what you want. You don't need to pay too much attention to it."

Chen Zhian shook his head, took a big bite of fish, and said with a smile: "I am not interested in being an official. My life is pretty good now. I will marry a wife in a few days, and we will honor you together."

As he asked, he became acutely aware of a strange aura lingering in his body, which was obviously the effect of the fish.

"I'm going on a long trip in a few days, and I may not be back for a year or two." Chen Shuijun suddenly spoke.

Chen Zhian frowned and was about to ask.

Just at this moment, the gate of the courtyard was suddenly pushed open.

Chen Shuijun and Chen Zhian turned around and saw that the alley, which was once crowded with people, was now deserted.

There were many people wearing black clothes and long swords on their waists standing outside the door.

Two people were standing in the distance, looking at this simple courtyard.

Chen Zhian looked carefully and saw that the man was dressed in purple, with long hair draped over his shoulders, a dignified face and a towering figure. He was standing there from afar, giving people a feeling as if a towering mountain was right in front of them.

He put his hands behind his back and his eyes swept over him as sharp as an eagle. Chen Zhian felt that he had nowhere to hide.

Beside this man there was a young man wearing a silver robe and jade belt, looking extremely handsome. He stood behind the man in purple, with a smile on his face, looking directly at Chen Shuijun who was standing beside Chen Zhian.

Chen Zhian opened his mouth and was about to stand up.

Chen Shuijun on the side said softly: "Don't pay attention to them, eat first."

Chen Shuijun's voice was as calm as ever. Chen Zhian glanced outside the door and then at Chen Shuijun.

"Who is my father?"

(End of this chapter)