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Chapter 449 Spring Fire and Wood Heart Fire (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Ma Tianshou was Xu Yuan's mentor, and the Fu and Song families supported Xu Yuan.

These are all our closest allies.

Aunt Wang straightened her expression and pointed out, "Do you know why the standard for the fourth-rate is fire-making?"

Xu Yuan humbly asked for advice: "I don't know, Auntie, please tell me quickly."

"Only after being tempered by fire can I be refined," Aunt Wang said. "The so-called refining of me... for example, you kill a flesh monster, and it has a trick similar to a martial arts secret technique. You are very envious of it. What would you do?"

Xu Yuan could answer without thinking: "Refine the strange pill."

"That's right, refine the Demon Pill. When you want to unleash this strange technique, you just need to release the Demon Pill."

Not all alchemists have the ability to seal unorthodox techniques into unorthodox pills.

This requires a lot of skill.

Xu Yuan can certainly do it.

Aunt Wang: "But you have to release the Ghost Pill first before you can unleash the Ghost Technique, which adds an extra step."

Furthermore, there is the inevitable decline of the Ghost Pill Society.

The so-called decline is the sealing of evil tricks or powerful attacks into the core.

With each use, the attacks within the core will become weaker and weaker.

The power of this pill comes from the cultivator himself.

When the pill is nurtured within the body, it unconsciously absorbs the power of the pill cultivator.

Power can be replenished, but it is not the same source power as the attack methods sealed within the pill.

The attack mark in the pill will inevitably be "worn out".

This will lead to decline.

Generally speaking, the Ghost Pill will completely collapse after being used hundreds of times.

Aunt Wang continued, "And refining me means that you can directly seal and refine this strange skill of flesh and blood on your palm."

This palm is your elixir.

Furthermore, you yourself are your Dan.

Xu Yuan suddenly realized the reason for Aunt Wang's condition.

Although the "fire in my abdomen" is powerful, it cannot refine me.

Xu Yuan pondered and asked, "Doesn't that mean... every bone, every tendon, every piece of flesh, and every skin on one of my hands can be sealed and refined into a strange technique?"

"Could countless unorthodox techniques even be sealed within my entire body?"

Just thinking about it is exciting.

Aunt Wang chuckled and said, "Theoretically, that's true, but no one can actually do it. Generally speaking, a part of the body, or an organ, can only seal one ability."

Aunt Wang raised her hand, mechanically turned it a few times, and gestured to Xu Yuan that this was how she did it.

"Because different abilities are sealed in the same part, they will also conflict with each other."

Even without using these abilities, they will still interact and react within your body due to the mutual generation and restraint of their respective attributes.

Unless you expend considerable effort monitoring these abilities every single moment, it's clearly not worth the effort.

Xu Yuan understood and nodded.

Even with its limitations, look at Aunt Wang; the enhancement that "Refine Me" provides to alchemists is terrifying.

Next, Xu Yuan needs to carefully plan his own "fire tempering".

Lord Xu wrote letters to Ma Tianshou, the Fu family, and the Song family, asking them if they had any clues about the various "fires".

On the other hand, the San Niang Society was the first gang in the entire southern Jiaozhi region to learn that the Ping Tian Society's top leaders had been wiped out.

This gave them a significant advantage.

Miao Yan immediately invited all the elders back: the matter of honoring the ancestral grandmother should be put aside for now.

Dear teachers, please shine once again! Let's fight for our ancestral master!
Third Sister's Society launched a full-scale attack across various cities in southern Vietnam, sweeping through all of Pingtian Society's industries...

San Niang will swallow up Ping Tian Hui.

The power of the San Niang Society has grown rapidly, making it the number one secret society in southern Jiaozhi.

Miao Yan is full of energy and his ambition has increased dramatically.

But to Lord Xu, these were all trivial matters.

Ma Tianshou was the first to reply to Xu Yuan, and the old man recommended a place.

Last year, in Pingli County, which is under the jurisdiction of Luocheng, someone saw a giant python in an ancient well in an abandoned village, spewing fire into the sky.

Upon receiving the report, the county official led his constables to investigate, but they found neither the giant python nor the ancient well.

The county officials reported the truth, and the people in the southern office speculated that there might be a "dragon's mouth fire" in the deserted village.

After Ma Tianshou instructed Xu Yuan to settle matters in Zhancheng, he ordered him to come to Luocheng and have someone take Xu Yuan to Pingli County for a visit.

Subsequently, Uncle Fu's fifth uncle specially sent his trusted servant to Champa to tell Xu Yuan: "My family has a forest in Lianwu Mountain in northern Jiaozhi. On the night of the full moon, the lumberjacks often see a flock of firebirds, like crows, floating on the top of an ancient tree that is ten thousand years old deep in the forest."

"The family suspects it might be wood heart fire. Fifth Master has already sent someone to confirm, and we should have concrete news coming back soon."

But Fifth Master also said, "If you can't wait, sir, I'll accompany you immediately. Everyone in the forest farm is at your command."

When Xu Yuan and Bai Huahun clashed, Fu Jing and the Song family clearly stated their willingness to support Xu Yuan in confronting Bian Lü.

It's not easy for you, Bian Lü, to cultivate a life cultivator, and you value your life cultivator so highly—aren't we the same?

Xu Yuan's victory over Bai Huahun further proved his own worth.

Although Bai Huahun was worse than a beast, his mastery of life cultivation was undeniable; otherwise, Bian Lü wouldn't have cherished him like a treasure.

In fact, the Fu family had secretly gathered a large number of precious cultivation materials as offerings for Xu Yuan this year.

Fifth Uncle was surprised when Xu Yuan suddenly sent a letter asking to refine fire!

This, in turn, disrupted the Fu family's arrangements.

It seems Lord Xu is about to be promoted to the fourth rank, while the things the Fu family prepared are only for the fifth rank.

Fifth Uncle was both happy and troubled.

All the preparations were in vain.

The faster Xu Yuansheng rose, the happier the Fu family became.

While Fifth Uncle was frantically preparing the fourth-rate supplies, he also dispatched capable people to the forest farm to confirm whether it was indeed "Wood Heart Fire".

Xu Yuan asked his fifth uncle's confidant to stay in Champa for a while.

Xu Yuan was waiting for news from the Song family.

The Song family arrived quickly, and they came immediately: "Please wait in Champa, sir."

The family has already identified a suitable spot for "spring fire" (a type of wild plant) and has dispatched capable people to harvest it, which will then be delivered to the adults.

Xu Yuan was quite surprised.

The Fu and Song families supported him, but the Song family always seemed somewhat "slow to react".

Uncle Wu always takes the lead in everything, and they get involved along with him.

But I never expected the Song family to be so attentive this time.

You don't need to lift a finger, we'll get it for you.

Fire-making is not a simple or easy task. Those fires are often hidden deep in remote and uncivilized places, appearing alongside powerful evil spirits, or are themselves eerie.

Clearly, defeating Bai Huahun was of great significance to Xu Yuan.

Given this situation, Xu Yuan naturally waited for the Song family to send over the "Spring Fire".

Starting a fire is dangerous, so it's best to have someone else do it.

The main focus is on stability; we avoid taking risks whenever possible.

Xu Yuan's idea received strong support from Aunt Wang: "That's how it should be. You're not like I was back then, I had no choice..."

Aunt Wang is getting old and enjoys telling stories.

"...Although these fires are not widely used, it is not common for several groups of people to fight over the same type of fire."

But those fires are not easy to harvest.

If, by sheer bad luck, you happen to encounter another alchemist who also needs this kind of fire, then it will truly be a battle for your path, an absolute fight to the death.

I was rather unlucky. Outside the 'mass grave,' I ran into the second son of the Yang family, the most powerful clan in northern Vietnam at the time. Luckily, I'm tough as nails. The second son of the Yang family had four retainers with him, so five of us were against me, but I took them all down and even stole his sword pellet..."

Xu Yuan silently made a mental note: If he goes to northern Jiaozhi in the future, he must be wary of the Yang family. The grudges of the previous generation will surely continue into his generation.

But Aunt Wang wasn't sure if this "Spring Fire" was suitable for Xu Yuan.

"In spring, fire is full of vitality and slowly spreads out, which is a rising trend with unlimited potential."

It might suit you, but I'm not sure if it's the best fit.

Xu Yuan then waited.

Half a day later, the stepmother emerged from seclusion.

Xu Yuan greeted her with great joy: "Lin Wanmo, you've worked hard!"

Lord Xu thought he was about to acquire a "thousand-arrow crossbow," but Lin Wanmo raised her hand and said, "It's not finished yet."

"Didn't you get it right?" Xu Yuan was puzzled. With your personality, why would you come out if it wasn't done?
"I need..." Lin Wanmo had just opened her mouth when she saw Qin Ze leading two young and beautiful sisters in.

Lin Wanmo's eyes lit up, and she pointed at the twin sisters, saying, "I want their brains!"

"Ah?!" The fox sisters turned pale with fright, trembling as they huddled together, their teeth chattering. "We...we're not monkeys! We're not smart, eating us will make us stupid..."

I've only ever heard of people eating monkey brains, how come they eat fox brains too?

Xu Yuan was both amused and exasperated, and protected the fox sisters: "What exactly happened?"

Qin Ze quietly withdrew.

He knew that his master had a close relationship with the two sisters, and even once thought that they were strong contenders for the title of "mistress".

So when the two sisters appeared outside the yamen, he took it upon himself to bring them in without prior notice.

But the old lady's words just now made Qin Ze feel that these two had no hope. They were not favored by the old lady and were destined not to be able to enter the Xu family.

Lin Wanmo rubbed his forehead; he had been racking his brains for the past few days, which had taken a huge toll on his energy.

“What I mean is, I need some brains to experiment with. If you’re willing to use that craftsman’s brain, that would be the easiest option, but I doubt you’d like it.”

Xu Yuan really didn't like it.

Although everyone in the Pingtian Society deserved to die, and that craftsman also deserved to die, Xu Yuan still felt uneasy about using his brain to control the "Thousand Arrows Crossbow".

"So the only option is to replace the brain. My initial idea was to use a large number of animal brains for breeding to cause infection and make these brains mutate. As long as there are enough of them, one or two will become very smart and can be used as the 'brain' of the Thousand Arrows Crossbow."

But then I suddenly saw the two of them, and it dawned on me that maybe I wouldn't need to go through all that trouble; I could just use the demon's brain.

The fox sisters were on the verge of tears, hugging each other and shaking their heads in perfect unison: "It's bad, it's bad."

Xu Yuan said, "I'll go to Ghost Witch Mountain and catch a few demons for you."

Lin Wanmo pouted, "Alright, preferably a pig demon, monkey demon, or fox demon, they're smarter." Xu Yuan nodded.

Xu Yuan won't do this himself.

The stepmother only wanted a smart enough brain; she didn't need a high-level demon, which her subordinates could simply hunt down.

You don't even need to go to Ghost Mountain; a search in Xiaoyu Mountain outside Champa or in the canals will yield results.

Sure enough, in the evening, Xu Miaozhi personally led a team of river soldiers to deliver several water monkeys to Lord Xu.

Xu Miaozhi heard about this and offered to help.

Having obtained the "material," Lin Wanmo went into seclusion again.

Xu Yuan invited Xu Miaozhi to dinner to express his gratitude.

No one was there to keep me company.

Because there was no one suitable to accompany them.

During the meal, Xu Miaozhi discussed business with Xu Yuan: "If the old lady succeeds this time, could our river management camp order twenty sets of Thousand Arrow Crossbows? The price is negotiable, and we will definitely satisfy the old lady."

Xu Miaozhi offered to help because she wanted to buy this kind of craftsmanship.

Whether placed on barracks towers for defense or mounted on wagons for offense, they are extremely lethal.

Xu Yuan shook his head helplessly: "It's not that we don't want to sell, but... the crafts made by the people of Hegong Lane cannot be sold outside."

"I see..." Xu Miaozhi said with disappointment.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "But I can ask my stepmother for the refining method, and you can hire a high-level craftsman to forge it yourself."

Xu Miaozhi's eyes lit up: "If that could be done, that would be wonderful."

She thought for a moment and said, "I can't take advantage of you for nothing. Let's do this business together."

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, and Xu Miaozhi continued, "My lord, there's no need to refuse. I'll explain it to you in detail, and you'll understand the enormous benefits involved. If you don't take even a tenth of it, I won't feel at ease."

But I can't give you too much, because it will involve too many things in the future..."

Xu Yuan nodded: "I'd like to hear the details."

"It is said that the Western Regions already possess rapid-fire muskets, which are extremely powerful. Half a year ago, the imperial army encountered them in the north."

It poses no fatal threat to high-level cultivators, but it can turn the tide of battle when used in the military.

The Northern Capital's Divine Machine Battalion is in discussions with the Armory Bureau regarding firearms, hoping to develop our own rapid-fire muskets as soon as possible, but progress is reportedly slow.

Xu Yuan suddenly realized: "This thing can counter the rapid-fire guns of the foreign devils?"

“That’s right.” Xu Miaozhi nodded: “If we can refine it in large quantities, the imperial court will definitely buy it. This is a really big business opportunity.”

My Xu family can't protect us; we need to find another powerful backer.

Moreover, as you know, Lord Xu, if the Divine Machine Camp buys our goods, they must use at least 30% of the profits to bribe officials and clerks within the Divine Machine Camp.

I estimate that at most 30% of the profits will end up in our hands.

You take 10%, and my Xu family takes 20%.

Xu Yuan secretly shook his head, not because he was dissatisfied with Xu Miaozhi's assignment, but because he was filled with resentment towards the prevailing atmosphere in the court.

"Let's divide it like this then," Xu Yuan nodded in agreement.

In this business, Xu Yuan's main role is to provide "technical support".

During the mass production of the Thousand Arrow Crossbow, Xu Yuan had to consult his stepmother about any problems he encountered.

This business is indeed very large, and the future profits will be astonishing.

But for Xu Yuan, this was just like the rise of the Third Sister Society to become the number one Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world) in Southern Jiaozhi—trivial matters that he would deal with when necessary.

After this meal, Xu Yuan's relationship with the Xu family improved even further, becoming second only to his relationships with the Fu and Song families.

A few days later, the Song family delivered the "Spring Fire".

It was personally escorted by a fourth-rate clan elder and placed in a special jade box.

This jade box serves a similar purpose to the fish-scented wrapper.

"Harvesting this item was no easy task. I personally led the team and lost three sixth-rate members before we finally obtained it," the elder said, feeling a pang of sorrow as he thought of the three younger members of the clan who had died in battle.

Xu Yuan solemnly accepted the jade box from the clan elder and said, "Xu Yuan will certainly not let the Song family down."

Open the jade box, and inside is a piece of yellow soil, in which grows a wild grass that is half withered and half thriving.

A surge of anger rose slowly and brushed across Xu Yuan's cheek.

Then the whole room was filled with a warm and cozy feeling.

This "spring fire" is concentrated in the roots of the grass; it is invisible and intangible, but it certainly exists.

"Great fire!" Xu Yuan exclaimed, closed the jade box again, and bowed to the elder, saying, "Thank you, senior."

After seeing the Song family off, Xu Yuan and Aunt Wang carefully examined the fire, but Xu Yuan said regretfully, "It works, but it's not the most suitable."

Xu Yuan was slightly disappointed, but Aunt Wang said, "It's a good thing. The more fire you have, the greater the benefits in the future. As long as you find the most suitable fire for you, you can refine all of these into it."

Xu Yuan nodded: "I still need to go out in person, but should we go to Pingli County first or the Fu family's forest farm first?"

While Xu Yuan was still hesitating, Fu Jingyu and Song Lu arrived together.

Fu Jingyu said, "A message came from home. The forest farm has confirmed that it is indeed 'Wood Heart Fire'. Fifth Uncle has personally led people to harvest it. Just wait two more days."

When the Fu family heard that the Song family had gone to great lengths to help Xu Yuan, directly getting the "Spring Fire" for him, they immediately decided that they could not fall behind the Song family.

So Xu Yuan waited a few more days, and his fifth uncle personally delivered the "Wood Heart Fire" to him.

Fifth Uncle was still injured—this was clearly an act for Lord Xu's benefit, but Xu Yuan really wanted to remember this favor.

Uncle Wu was busy with other matters, so he left "Mu Xin Huo" behind and went back, without staying in Champa for long.

"Wood Heart Fire" is a power that accumulates strength over time; though not vigorous, it is incredibly resilient and possesses enduring potential.

After careful examination, Xu Yuan and Aunt Wang came to the same conclusion: "It can be used."

Aunt Wang beamed with joy: "Now we have three kinds of fire. As long as we find one more main fire, we can refine them all into ourselves."

As far as I know, if more than three types of fire are fused during the refining process, the chances of successfully advancing to the third-tier level will double!

Xu Yuan's eyes lit up when he heard this.

Then, stroking his chin, he pondered, "Actually, from the very beginning, I felt that I absolutely had to make a trip to Pingli County."

The fire in the ancient well in that deserted village might be a "dragon's mouth fire," which also corresponds to my "Dragon Transformation Method."

This might be the perfect fire for me.

Xu Yuan then arranged the official business in Champa before preparing to set off for Luocheng.

The day before she left, Lin Wanmo emerged from seclusion.

“This time it really worked.” Lin Wanmo dragged out the Thousand Arrows Crossbow, placed it in front of Xu Yuan, and patted it: “Give it a try.”

Xu Yuan seized the opportunity and ordered Lang Xiaoba and Ji Shuangqiu to lift the Thousand Arrows Crossbow onto the cart and then take it outside the city to test its power.

In addition, Yu Yunhang was instructed to go to the Grand Canal Administration Office to inform Xu Miaozhi to come along.

The two sides met outside the city and then found a dense forest.

This type of forest is extremely common in the wilds of southern Vietnam.

The climate here is hot and humid with abundant rainfall, which allows trees to grow extremely fast.

In addition, the presence of evil spirits in the forest also serves as a form of protection for the forest.

"Ready." Xu Yuan raised his hand, then swung it sharply downwards: "Fire!"

Lang Xiaoba then activated the Thousand Arrows Crossbow, which instantly began to operate at high speed, firing a rapid-fire barrage of arrows.

A series of rapid, sharp sounds of impact echoed through the woods.

At first, nothing was noticeable, but gradually, one by one, trees as thick as a bowl were shot down.

The branches were shattered under the dense rain of arrows.

A clear path through the forest was cleared in front of everyone!

The evil spirits in the forest squeaked and fled.

I really don't understand why these powerful people would target me.
I didn't provoke him or do anything to him.
Xu Miaozhi couldn't help but clap her hands: "That's great!"

She went to the crossbow with a thousand arrows, touched and looked at it, and said with great satisfaction: "I will inform the family immediately, and we can start preparing for our business."

After Xu Yuan returned to the city, he was about to give the piece of cow horn to Lin Wanmo when Aunt Wang secretly stopped him: "Let Xiaomo rest for a while."

Xu Yuan looked up at Lin Wanmo and couldn't help but smile.

Lin Wanmo was sitting at the table eating, with big dark circles under her eyes. As she ate, her head started bobbing uncontrollably, and she was about to fall asleep on the table.

Xu Yuan put the ox horn away and walked over to ask, "What's good to eat today?"

Lin Wanmo forced a smile and said, "Anyway, I didn't make it, so let's just eat it."

Xu Yuan nodded: "You've worked hard these past few days, eat more. Here, let me get you a bowl of soup to nourish you."

Xu Yuan then instructed Yunhang to have meals delivered from outside restaurants every day.

The stepmother could order whatever she wanted to eat.

After finishing her meal, the stepmother was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. She yawned and walked towards her room, saying, "I'm going to take a nap."

But when they got into the courtyard, they saw Dafu squawking and flapping its wings as it took off and flew straight to the top of a carriage.

Dafu's eyes widened, it stretched its long neck, pushed its legs back, and used all its wings to create two small whirlwinds on the ground!
Lin Wanmo couldn't help but laugh: "Dafu, why are you using so much force..."

Dafu didn't just start doing this today. In fact, ever since "Dream Come True" was dragged back by Xu Yuan, it has abandoned its original home.

I've been wanting to crawl into the train carriage to sleep.

But the car doors were locked.

The car windows were also secured from the inside.

Dafu had no choice but to settle for second best and wanted to sleep on the roof of the car.

But "dreams come true" won't allow it.

The stepmother was in seclusion and didn't witness their "contest".

Dafu suddenly leaped up, and the carriage suddenly grew taller.

Dafu was also experienced in combat and had anticipated this move. He flapped his wings downwards again and forcefully climbed upwards in the air.

As Dafu flew higher, the carriage also grew taller.

Dafu's eyes were incredibly determined: I can fly higher and higher, I don't believe you can grow indefinitely!
Then the carriage suddenly sank down, returning to its original height.

Dafu exerted too much force and flew over the carriage. He panicked and flapped his wings and kicked wildly with his webbed feet, but he still couldn't stop his momentum and crashed into the opposite wall with a thud.

The flat-mouthed creature stuck itself into the wall, and poor Daifuku ended up hanging there...

The carriage swayed back and forth, and a series of smug clattering sounds came from inside.

The stepmother's eyes lit up, and all her fatigue vanished instantly.

(End of this chapter)