Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 98 Ancient Methods
Having not only successfully refined the pills for Shen Tang but also led to a breakthrough, Lu Xingzhou continued to refine pills for himself and A Nuo without leaving the house.

One fruit, combined with a large number of different auxiliary ingredients, can be used to refine many kinds of pills.

Everyone's needs are different, so they must be trained separately. The main focus for Shen Tang is to strengthen his bones and meridians, while minimizing any changes to his muscles, otherwise Lu Xingzhou would regret it terribly.

The method Lu Xingzhou trained himself, on the contrary, focused more on strengthening muscles.

Due to his long-term use of a wheelchair, Lu Xingzhou's physique is considerably thinner than the average person. His martial arts training primarily focuses on internal energy, and his muscles haven't been developed, making him a typical "weak scholar." However, this kind of martial arts training is unbalanced, failing to cultivate both internal and external strengths, and also lacking in physical aesthetics, relying solely on his appearance for a living.

Taking this pill can improve things a bit... You can refine multiple pills, but it requires combining it with external martial arts training and takes some time to see results.

Men in love go to great lengths to make their wives happy with their eight-pack abs.

The method given to Anuo was different: a complete accumulation of energy to fully activate the effects of the original fruit, increasing strength as much as possible.

Ah Nuo's body will not change at all because of these things, and all the energy can be effectively digested.

The master and disciple each received their pills, and in the end, Lu Xingzhou discovered that A Nuo had broken through, but he had not.

Ah Nuo had been at the fifth rank for quite some time, and these days he had been consuming a lot of pills. He was already on the verge of breaking through when he took this powerful pill and broke through to the fourth rank. His height also increased slightly by an inch...

Because he was refining multiple pills in order to build muscle gradually, the effects of the medicine were slower, but it still helped him reach the middle stage of the sixth rank.

This result exceeded expectations, and Lu Xingzhou was quite satisfied.

“Logically speaking, this kind of medicine that tempers bones and muscles is not the same as the energy required for cultivation, and it should not lead to a breakthrough in cultivation. It’s another matter if Anuo can break through. She has always been different from others. Isn’t our improvement a bit strange?” The young couple strolled in the mountains, and Lu Xingzhou casually discussed with Shen Tang.

“Actually, it’s not surprising,” Shen Tang said. “According to the records of the royal books, ancient martial arts practitioners should have a bone-forging stage… The bone-forging process was extremely painful back then, which led to the scarcity of martial arts practitioners. And Daoist practitioners are too focused on comprehension and innate talent, so although immortals were stronger than they are now, their overall numbers were much smaller than they are now, unlike the current situation where everyone is practicing cultivation.”

Lu Xingzhou listened with great interest: "And then?"

"Later, I don't know what changes occurred, but the methods of cultivation changed. Martial arts cultivation was not as painful, so there were more practitioners in this direction. You see, there are many practitioners today, but in fact, most of them are martial arts practitioners, and the proportion of Taoist practitioners is not high."

"Hmm..." The proportion of martial arts practitioners in the world is indeed high. Not to mention typical sword-cultivation sects like the Heavenly Sword Sect, even among acquaintances like the royal family, the Huo family, the Sheng family, the Demon Suppression Division, the Dongjiang Gang, and the Danxia Gang, the proportion of martial arts practitioners is high.

Shen Tang claims to cultivate both Taoism and martial arts, but in reality, she is also a typical martial arts cultivator. However, the Huangji Jingshi Jing is somewhat special, containing elements of magical power to control objects, which is why Shen Tang was able to use its talismans back then.

Shen Tang continued, "After the methods of cultivation changed, the distinction between martial arts cultivation and Daoist cultivation began to blur, and eventually even the concept of 'Bone Forging Stage' disappeared. Later, because no one reached the higher levels, no one even mentioned Daoist cultivation realms anymore. Otherwise, according to ancient times, if everyone cultivated to the point of death and only reached two or three realms, what would be the point... Thus, it gradually evolved into today's nine-rank system."

"I see……"

"So, taking me as an example, this pill strengthened my bones and muscles, unintentionally aligning with the ancient method of tendon and bone strengthening, and thus a breakthrough came." Shen Tang smiled and said, "Not only is it not strange, but it should be the right path."

Lu Xingzhou said, "That won't cause you pain, will it..."

Seeing that the man's first reaction was to care about this, Shen Tang felt a sweet warmth in her heart and smiled as she held his hand: "No. But you can move in that direction in your future cultivation. After all, you're only at the sixth rank now, but you've already forged both of your leg bones, which will give you an advantage over others."

Lu Xingzhou nodded. Following the ancient methods should be correct; this is the right path for cultivation.

The two were indeed shopping. It was the third day of the Lunar New Year, and most shops had already reopened. The couple, who had been dating for a long time, had never gone out shopping like ordinary couples. Today, they were too lazy to care about Pei Chuyun's behavior and just shopped on their own.

Their stroll was a bit awkward, though; the two wheelchairs rolling side by side attracted a lot of attention. Because they didn't want to be disturbed by the lanterns, no one was pushing the wheelchairs anymore, so they had to paddle themselves, which looked both arduous and comical.

The two men blushed slightly at the stares of passersby, secretly wondering if they were just asking for trouble by faking their limp.

Unfortunately, Shen Tang was genuinely faking it; there was no other way, unlike Lu Xingzhou who was purely trying to scheme against people.

"Mom, that couple in wheelchairs are so loving... They're disabled but stay together. I want to find a husband like that in the future."

"If you dare to find a cripple, I'll beat you to death."

"I didn't mean lame, I meant their kind of... kind of..." The little girl thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a suitable description, her face full of bitterness.

Although the mother criticized, she actually understood what her child meant, and that feeling of unwavering devotion was indeed very sweet.

Even though they're in wheelchairs, they still manage to free up one hand to hold each other's hands. Tsk.

The two wheelchair users then realized that the looks from passersby weren't malicious; in fact, the aunts were smiling more, so Lu Xingzhou's face stopped blushing and became all smiles. Shen Tang, on the other hand, blushed even more, and whispered angrily, "It's all your fault! Why did you even go shopping... I finally managed to build up a good reputation in front of everyone..."

She tried to pull her hand away, but Lu Xingzhou wouldn't let her, holding on tightly: "What's the big deal? Most people don't even know us..."

Before he could finish speaking, a patrolman from the Demon Suppression Division greeted them: "Hey, Sect Leader Shen, Mr. Lu, out for a stroll? Happy New Year!"

Shen Tang: "..."

Lu Xingzhou's face burned. He subtly withdrew his hand under the guise of New Year's greetings, cupping his hands in a forced smile: "Happy New Year... Has your new commander of the Demon Suppression Division arrived?"

“He was promoted before the New Year,” the patrolling constable said with a smile. “Mr. Lu knows him too; he’s the former Deputy Commander Zhang. We fought side by side in the Prefect’s Office, and he was promoted based on solid merit.” “Then everyone else must have been promoted one rank too?”

"Of course," the constable laughed. "We have to thank Mr. Lu for his help. If you need anything in the future, just come to us brothers."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

"But everyone still misses Commander Sheng... He was capable, responsible, and good-looking."

Lu Xingzhou laughed: "Even if Commander Sheng doesn't return to the capital, her achievements are enough to warrant a promotion, so she definitely won't stay in Xiazhou."

"Just saying. Hey, Mr. Lu, have you noticed that the spiritual energy in Xia Prefecture is a bit denser than before?"

The young couple exchanged a glance and smiled slightly.

The spiritual energy revival in Xia Prefecture didn't happen suddenly; it was due to changes in the earth's veins, a process that takes a considerable amount of time. The spiritual energy thickens slightly each day, imperceptible to those who aren't sensitive enough. It takes a long time before they realize, "How did things change?" So far, most people haven't noticed, except for the powerful members of the Demon Suppression Division who are somewhat perceptive.

This delayed reaction is actually a good thing for the Heavenly Sword Sect. By the time people discover that it is a sacred mountain, the Heavenly Sword Sect will be a completely different entity. Shen Tang is already at the third rank, and his confidence is much stronger than before. If he makes another large-scale breakthrough, he will be even more secure.

Lu Xingzhou casually agreed, "Xiazhou is a good place... Maybe you'll have a chance to see Commander Sheng in the future."

If Xia Prefecture is re-upgraded, and Sheng Yuanyao wants to be transferred out again, being a prefectural governor would be quite suitable.

After bidding farewell to the constables, the two looked at each other and burst into laughter, finally unable to hold hands and wheelchairs in the street any longer. Lu Xingzhou then turned to a teahouse and asked for a small private room: "This is the room that Sheng Yuanyao, Qingli, and I have sat in before..."

He realized something was wrong halfway through his sentence and carefully observed Shen Tang's expression. Shen Tang smiled enigmatically and asked, "What, Mr. Lu, are you feeling guilty too?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled apologetically: "What are you saying..."

Shen Tang said, "Are you trying to say that you have a completely innocent relationship with them?"

Given what happened between him and Xiaobai Mao, no one would believe him if he insisted on being innocent. Lu Xingzhou could only smile apologetically and pour tea, refusing to engage in the conversation.

Shen Tang's expression changed genuinely: "Oh, so you were with Sheng Yuanyao too?"

"No, you mean them..." Lu Xingzhou said helplessly, "Sheng Yuanyao and I are really innocent, okay?"

Shen Tang pursed her lips and didn't continue to be jealous.

In truth, she knew perfectly well that there was nothing between Lu Xingzhou and Sheng Yuanyao, but the thought of Sheng Yuanyao being in the capital immediately reminded her that Lu Xingzhou would also be going to the capital soon, which made her feel very bad.

After a long silence, he said instead, "If you really go to the capital, you should contact Sheng Yuanyao... With the Sheng family's influence behind you, at least the Huo family will be more hesitant to act against you. At the very least, you'll have a guide in your actions."

"I know what to do." Lu Xingzhou didn't say much, but simply took a piece of dessert and brought it to her lips: "Ah~"

Shen Tang was amused and her slightly depressed mood quickly dissipated. She rolled her eyes at him and took a small bite of the dessert.

The two sat side by side, taking turns eating the small dessert, but they couldn't finish it even after a long time.

The waiter who came in to pour tea glanced at her sideways, and his teeth almost ached from the grime.

Just then, a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect rushed over: "Sect Master, there is a letter sent using talismans, which seems to be very important."

The two had just finished a dessert, and Shen Tang was about to feed Lu Xingzhou a piece when she heard this and paused: "Where did this letter come from?"

"It's the capital city; the character 'Huo' is written on it."

Shen Tang's hand trembled slightly as Lu Xingzhou took the letter and opened it.

The text above contains only a brief sentence: "After the New Year, Huo Si will return to Menggui City."

There was no signature, but both of them knew it was Edward Yang.

He was announcing information about the Huo family members' travel plans.

Huo Lu, the fourth young master of the Huo family, will be visiting Dream City after the New Year...

Shen Tang turned to look at Lu Xingzhou's expression with concern. The gentle smile that Lu Xingzhou had been wearing these past few days had visibly disappeared, and an undisguised ferocity had reappeared in his eyes.

Shen Tang sighed softly, and finally held the dessert in her hand to his lips, saying gently, "From Xiazhou to the capital, Menggui City is just halfway there. You're going, aren't you?"

Lu Xingzhou was silent for a moment, then hummed in agreement.

Just as he was about to say something, Shen Tang stuffed a dessert into his mouth: "Your enemy is my enemy. If you want revenge, I will only help you. Why would I force you to stay by my side?"

(End of this chapter)