Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 21 Reward
Inside the courtyard, Lin Xuan was cultivating.

He is still in the initial stage of cultivating the second level of the Zhenyue Gong.

With his original talent, it took him three years to barely reach the peak of the first level of Zhenyue Gong. His talent was not particularly good, and the difficulty of cultivating each level of Zhenyue Gong almost doubled.

From the cultivation time of the first level, one can roughly estimate the cultivation speed of the subsequent levels.

Under normal circumstances, it would take him six years to cultivate and perfect the second level.

Thankfully, he's not abnormal.

His powerful mental strength allowed him to draw upon the primordial energy of heaven and earth to temper his body in a very short time.

Lin Xuan remained in the posture of a rock pillar when the gate to the courtyard was pushed open from the outside, and a figure walked in.

A Luo, carrying a shopping basket, smiled at Lin Xuan and said, "Brother Lin, I've bought the groceries for today."

Lin Xuan nodded and said, "You can put it in the kitchen."

A Luo smoothed her hair and said, "Then I'll go chop some vegetables first."

Lin Xuan and her beautiful neighbor have been cooking together for several days now.

After discussion, the two reached an agreement that all expenses related to meals would be split equally, with settlement made on the same day to avoid potential financial disputes.

This is a good idea for two single people.

This not only reduced expenses but also avoided the problem of cooking for one person being difficult.

As for Lin Xuan himself, when he was eating with a pretty girl, his depressed mood would be relieved.

And after the meal, he doesn't have to wash the dishes.

After spending a few days together, Lin Xuan had gained a certain understanding of A Luo.

According to her, she came to Sizhou to stay with relatives after her parents passed away.

Unexpectedly, his search for relatives failed, and he had very little money left to return home. He had no choice but to rent a house and settle down temporarily, making a living by selling pastries on the street.

My initial decision to approach Lin Xuan for a partnership was a desperate measure due to my limited funds.

Compared to A Luo, Lin Xuan is considered to have some wealth.

The flag officer of the Jingbian Division received a monthly salary of three taels of silver. Including his previous savings, the authorization fee for the "new salt law," and the division's compensation, he had more than 1,200 taels of silver in hand, not even counting the monthly dividends from the Tian family...

If it weren't for the threat from Nanzhao, Lin Xuan could have resigned from his post and lived a carefree and unrestrained life, just as Chen Baihu suggested.

Although A Luo calls him "Brother Lin", she is actually nineteen years old this year, one year older than Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan was initially a little reserved about dining with strangers, and A Luo was also relatively introverted.

However, after spending a few days together, the two had become relatively familiar with each other.

Lin Xuan has gotten used to having someone to eat with.

At the dinner table, after thinking for a moment, Lin Xuan looked at A Luo and said, "If you want to go home, you can get some travel money from me."

Even though they had only known each other for a short time, Lin Xuan still wanted to help this poor girl.

A Luo smiled slightly and said, "No need, I'm afraid I won't be able to pay it back."

Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "Consider it a gift from me, you don't need to return it."

A'Luo lowered her head, sighed softly, and said, "My parents are dead, and I have no home anymore. It's all the same no matter where I am. Besides, even if I went back, my relatives back home would force me to marry. Rather than being sold to them for a good price, it's better to stay here..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan said nothing more.

She was a woman, and so beautiful. Given that both her parents were dead, there was a high possibility that she would be exploited and left without any descendants.

He originally intended to respect A'Luo's wishes, and since she was unwilling to go back, he didn't need to say anything more.

I had just finished eating with A Luo when a figure knocked on the door and walked into the yard.

Stepping into the courtyard, he immediately bowed deeply to Lin Xuan, his expression obsequious, and said, "Young Master Lin, Commander Wu requests your presence at the headquarters. Is now a convenient time for you?"

This clerk from the Jingbian Division was no longer as arrogant as before, and he changed his address to "Lin Xiaoqi" instead of "Lin Xuan".

It's human nature to curry favor with the powerful and to fawn over the weak.

A'Luo said obediently, "Brother Lin, you go and attend to your official business. I'll take care of things here."

Lin Xuan merely glanced at the clerk and nodded, saying, "Let's go."

A moment later, the Jingbian Division.

Inside Wu Baihu's office.

As soon as Lin Xuan entered the duty room, Wu Baihu immediately stood up from behind his desk, came out and said, "Lin Xiaoqi is here, please sit down."

Wu Baihu gestured for Lin Xuan to sit down, his face beaming with smiles: "Congratulations! Your presentation of the new salt laws last time was meritorious to the country and beneficial to the people. The court's reward has arrived..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan's heart stirred slightly.

I wonder what the imperial court's reward will be?
Wu Baihu picked up a palm-sized brocade box from the table, handed it to Lin Xuan, and said, "Open it and take a look."

Lin Xuan reached out and took the brocade box, then slowly opened it.

Inside the brocade box, a dark green porcelain bottle lay quietly on a bright yellow soft cloth.

Seeing the familiar porcelain vase, Lin Xuan was overjoyed.

Bone Tempering Liquid!
Unexpectedly, the imperial court rewarded him with bone-tempering liquid.

This item has the effect of cleansing the marrow and strengthening the bones and muscles. It is not only remarkably effective for overcoming the bottleneck between the ninth and eighth ranks, but can also be used for daily cultivation improvement. It is a cultivation elixir that lower-rank martial artists dream of. Although he was overjoyed, Lin Xuan's face showed a blank expression. He looked at Commander Wu and asked, "Commander Wu, what is this...?"

The man in black robes had said that this small bottle of bone-tempering liquid was worth nearly a thousand taels of silver, and it was still priceless.

Given his status and wealth, he shouldn't have seen this item.

Commander Wu was not surprised by his performance and explained with a smile, "This substance is called Bone Tempering Liquid. It is made from a variety of precious medicinal herbs using the secret methods of the Nine Li tribe. One bottle of Bone Tempering Liquid is equivalent to several months of arduous cultivation. This substance is extremely expensive. Even a thousand taels of silver cannot buy this small bottle. The imperial court's reward for you is truly substantial..."

Looking at the dark porcelain bottle in Lin Xuan's hand, Wu Baihu's eyes showed a hint of envy.

Although the Bone Tempering Liquid had no effect on these experts who had entered the middle third rank, he could easily take out a thousand taels of silver.

However, if he had had a sufficient supply of bone-tempering liquid at Lin Xuan's age, his current cultivation level would not be limited to the sixth rank.

Now he has status and position, but he can never go back to what he was back then.

Lin Xuan gripped the bottle of bone-tempering liquid tightly, a perfectly measured look of excitement on his face. He then looked at Commander Wu and asked, "Commander Wu, where can I buy this bone-tempering liquid?"

Knowing that Lin Xuan must have received a benefit from the Tian family, Wu Baihu smiled and shook his head, saying, "The Bone Tempering Liquid is priceless; even if you have the money, you can't buy it. However, according to the court's custom, if you make great contributions in the future, this reward should be quite substantial..."

Lin Xuan clasped his hands and said, "Your subordinate will do his utmost to serve the court!"

Commander Wu nodded with satisfaction and said, "Go ahead. The instructions for using the Bone Tempering Liquid are written in that brocade box. Cultivate diligently; the imperial court will see your contributions..."

Lin Xuan put the bone-tempering liquid back into the brocade box, bowed, and said, "This subordinate takes his leave!"

After Lin Xuan left, Wu Baihu stroked his short beard, a hint of anticipation creeping into his heart.

Although the imperial court did not reward him with any material goods like it did Lin Xuan, he could still claim some credit for this achievement, and it was probably not far from him being promoted to the position of centurion...

……

After returning from Jingbian Division, Lin Xuan immediately filled the bathtub with water and poured the bottle of bone-tempering liquid into it.

He then quickly stripped naked and jumped into the bathtub.

Unlike the excruciating pain of the last time, this time, although the marrow cleansing was still somewhat painful, it was within Lin Xuan's tolerable range.

This is not because the pain of marrow cleansing has lessened, but because as his strength increases, his body's endurance also increases significantly.

Before long, when the emerald green medicinal water in the bathtub turned clear and transparent, Lin Xuan stepped out of the bathtub, dried himself off, and put on his clothes.

He clenched his fist and noticed a slight increase in his strength.

No wonder the Bone Tempering Liquid is so expensive. In less than 15 minutes, it is equivalent to several months of hard training for others. What's the difference between this and cheating?
That's cheating!
However, the effects of the Bone Tempering Liquid are limited to martial artists of the lower three ranks.

After advancing to the middle third rank, one transitions from body refinement to qi refinement, making it difficult for external aids to have any effect. One can only rely on one's own talent and hard work.

Even if it only works on the lower three ranks, it's enough to create a gap between martial artists.

Some people spend their entire lives cultivating themselves, yet still cannot break through to the lower three ranks.

For some, the starting line is the peak of the lower three ranks.

The way of martial arts is like this, and so is life.

……

In the afternoon, Lin Xuan ate alone.

A Luo seemed to have something on her mind. She had told Lin Xuan in the morning that she was going to buy ingredients for making pastries in the afternoon and wouldn't be back for dinner.

Lin Xuan has been having a very comfortable time these past few days.

He no longer needed to go to the Jingbian Division to handle official business; his days were filled with cultivation and cooking. In the past few years, he had rarely been so content.

Since the man in black robes took away the new salt law, he has never appeared again.

Lin Xuan wished he would never appear in front of her again.

Ideals are beautiful, but reality is often cruel.

When Lin Xuan finished his cultivation for the day, pushed open the door, and prepared to rest, the figure in black robes was already waiting by the table.

Lin Xuan paused, then turned around, closed the door, walked to the table, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

The man in the black robe sat in the chair, lightly stroking his sleeves, and two dark porcelain bottles instantly appeared on the table.

Lin Xuan's eyes lit up slightly!
Two more bottles of bone-tempering liquid!
The man in black robes spoke with satisfaction, his voice hoarse but full of praise: "The 'new salt method' you presented has been tested and proven to improve the production and quality of refined salt. From now on, the salt industry of Nanzhao will no longer have to depend on others. This is the reward the court has given you."

Lin Xuan suppressed his joy and clasped his hands in thanks again, saying, "Thank you, sir!"

The man in black waved his hand and said, "This is what you deserve. Although Nanzhao is not as wealthy as Yong, we will not treat you unfairly. In addition, with the three bottles of Bone Tempering Liquid given to you by the Yong court, you have a chance to break through to the seventh rank within half a year..."

Lin Xuan was slightly taken aback and asked, "Three bottles of Bone Tempering Liquid?"

The man in black robes looked at him indifferently: "According to the information we received, the Jingye Division secretly sent three bottles of Bone Tempering Liquid to Sizhou. If not for you, then for someone else?"

The Jingye Division was the military and political intelligence agency of the Dayong Dynasty, while the Jingbian Division was under its jurisdiction.

Lin Xuan stared blankly at the man in black robes, and said in astonishment, "But Commander Wu only gave me one bottle!"

The man in black robes was visibly taken aback. After a moment of silence, he spoke, "Wu Xianren probably wouldn't have the guts. It seems that two of the bottles were embezzled long ago. From the Commandery to the Southern Garrison Command, and then to the local garrison, someone must have taken advantage of the situation..."

Lin Xuan stood there, speechless for a long time.

His reward was two bottles for everyone else, but he was left with only one...

That's fucking black!

(End of this chapter)