There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 15 The entrance to a pill
The fact that Chen Xu was chosen that day clearly indicates it was the princess's personal selection! You almost let him go!

Upon hearing Dingbo Jun's words, those in the know secretly grumbled, but soon their focus shifted to the strategy proposed by Chen Qing.

"Chen Xu's strategy is to leverage existing forces and guide them for personal gain, which aligns with the principle of following the natural order. Zhou Renjing's strategy, on the other hand, is to forcibly distort people's hearts with extraordinary power! In fact, they each have their own focus, but we are not the imperial court after all, and we cannot afford too much expenditure!"

Zhou Renjing heard this and was initially displeased, but after a moment of thought, he sighed and said, "Compared to my plan, Fellow Daoist Chen's method is less costly, requires no great sages or experts, and can be carried out by ordinary soldiers. It is indeed easier to implement."

Seeing the other party's humility, Chen Qing also became polite: "He who subdues others with virtue becomes a king, and he who subdues others with force becomes a hegemon. Brother Zhou's strategy uses both virtue and force, which is the way of kings and hegemons!"

"..."

Zhou Renjing felt that something was wrong.

"It's more than just settling criminals; it's a grand strategy for governing the country and ensuring its stability!" Young Master Lu slapped the armrest of his chair and stood up abruptly. "Using someone's strength against them, using their advantage to drive away the tiger, it strikes directly at the heart of people's hearts!"

He took out a crimson token that was neither gold nor jade from his pocket, flicked his finger, and the token turned into a crimson light, falling into Chen Qing's hand.

"This is the Crimson Flame Token. Whoever holds this token is an honored guest of the Lu Clan! I apologize for my earlier offense and consider this a token of friendship. If you ever wish to leave Tingfeng City, the Lu Clan's doors will always be open to you!"

Upon hearing this, Dingbo Jun's expression changed: "Young Marquis, what you're saying..."

Before the man could finish speaking, Young Master Lu let out a long laugh and drifted away with his robes fluttering.

They arrived with great brilliance, but left with a calm and collected demeanor.

Zhou Renjing was not surprised. He cupped his hands to Princess Xiyao and Chen Qing and the others, saying, "I have gained a lot today. I will come to visit again in the future." After saying that, he couldn't help but glance at the princess again before leaving with the three servants from the Marquis's residence.

As soon as the group left, the tense atmosphere in the hall relaxed.

Princess Xiyao did not say much about Lu Qiyuan's departure, but instead said, "Today's test is over. What you have seen and heard is all confidential and must not be disclosed."

"Yes, sir!" Everyone's hearts tightened, and they responded in unison.

"You may leave now."

In the blink of an eye, only Princess Xiyao, Lord Dingbo, Lord Zhengshuang, the two female officials behind the princess, Qingluan and Yingyao, and... Chen Qing remained in the huge hall.

Princess Xiyao's gaze fell on Chen Qing.

"Chen Xu's plan is brilliant." The princess's voice was less distant. "Lord Dingbo, Lord Zhengshuang, what do you two think?"

Dingbo Jun stroked his beard and laughed loudly, his voice like a bell: "Divide and conquer, drive them with benefits, and intimidate them with threats—this is the way of the king through open strategy! I believe we should immediately submit this strategy, along with Chen Xu's name, to the capital in secret!"

Zheng Shuangjun nodded slightly, a rare flicker of emotion appearing on his withered face: "The details still need to be refined to ensure that there are no loopholes, so as to silence any dissent in the court and prevent anyone from interfering. Since this plan came from Chen Xu, he should be the main force in the subsequent refinement."

"Important military and national affairs should be decided by you all." Chen Qing politely declined. What use was a political title? Cultivation was the foundation. Showing off in front of others was just for immediate gains and to secure the money.

"You are indeed more devoted to cultivation." The princess seemed to have seen through his thoughts. "In that case, once the details are agreed upon, we will present them to Father Emperor through a secret talisman. After this plan has been implemented for some time and yields results, there will be rewards, and you will certainly be rewarded." She paused, then changed the subject, "I should also reward you for your contribution in offering this plan. Chen Xu, what reward do you desire? Cultivation techniques? Elixirs? Or perhaps, exoneration?"

The hall fell silent.

Chen Qing had been waiting for a long time, so he didn't stand on ceremony: "I have three requests."

"speak."

Chen Qing then said, "Firstly, I wish to study the art of painting. I request that the princess bestow upon me relevant classics and illustrations so that I may practice and study them in my spare time."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was stunned.

Among those who cultivate themselves, many seek techniques, elixirs, and magical treasures, but those who seek "minor arts" like painting are truly rare.

Princess Xiyao did not press further, but nodded and said, "Granted. Qingluan, select a few paintings and calligraphy books from the collection of the palace, along with a set of top-quality brushes, ink, paper and inkstone, and bestow them upon him. Then, take my name card and visit the masters of painting and calligraphy in the city to ask them to impart their insights."

"Thank you, Princess!" Chen Qing was overjoyed.

If the essence of this dream-visualized image could be depicted in reality using traditional Chinese painting techniques, it would greatly benefit the cultivation of the Great Claw and the Little Ray, and even the deduction of his own cultivation methods! "Secondly, I have reached a bottleneck in my cultivation of the 'Taiyue Tongtian Jue'. Are there any elixirs that can harmonize the five elements and condense the spiritual energy of the five elements to help me improve?"

This is the real benefit!
The threats from Xuanji Chess Academy and Haiyuan Temple are like thorns in his side; he must improve his real strength as soon as possible!
One-tenth of the spiritual energy condensed in dreams can be fed back to the physical body. It may not seem like much, but as the saying goes, every little bit counts. If you accumulate enough, it will surely amount to a considerable amount.

But more importantly, the harmonious energy can be fed back to the physical body outside of dreams, but what about the refined energy of the five elements?
If the refined Qi of the Five Elements can also be fed back to the physical body outside of dreams, wouldn't that save the hard work and time of collecting spiritual objects of the Five Elements?
"You're really not being polite." Dingbo Jun shook his head and smiled. If it were anyone else, he would have thought that these two requests in a row were insatiable. But now he found Chen Qing pleasing to the eye and thought that this was because he was unpretentious, informal, and genuine.

Princess Xiyao then spoke up: "Granted. Lord Zhengshuang, bring the Nine Aperture Pill."

The gray-robed old man, Zheng Shuangjun, nodded silently. With a flick of his sleeve, a warm, smooth jade bottle floated in front of Chen Qing.

The bottle stopper was slightly opened, and a delicate fragrance instantly filled the air, invigorating the senses and making every pore on the body seem to open up.

Chen Qing took the jade bottle with both hands. It was warm to the touch. He opened the stopper and saw a pill the size of a longan, perfectly round, and shimmering with nine-colored misty light lying inside. There were nine orifices on the surface of the pill that emitted spiritual energy.

Zheng Shuangjun said, "This is the Nine Aperture Meridian Opening Pill, which is made by combining nine kinds of spiritual essences of the five elements and supplementing them with thirty-two kinds of precious medicinal materials."

"Thank you, Princess!" He bowed deeply once again.

Princess Xiyao then asked, "And the third one?"

Chen Qing raised his head frankly and said, "I am offering this plan only to repay a debt of gratitude, to express my appreciation for the princess's rescue. If this plan is fortunate enough to win the Emperor's favor, I do not wish to get too involved. I only wish to continue my quiet cultivation in the mountain retreat."

After all, this is a dream. What's the point of conquering the world? Even if it were real, it would be something from countless years ago. Zhongling Continent has sunk. Everything else is just an illusion. It's better to have a place for cultivation.

At present, the Princess's residence seems quite suitable for me.

But this gesture only deepened the admiration in the eyes of Dingbo Jun and the others, and even the maid Yingyao, who had been silent all along, had her eyes flicker.

Princess Xiyao gazed at Chen Qing for a moment, her eyes curving slightly as if she were smiling.

"As expected of you, you truly are a devoted cultivator. Absolutely right!"

She paused, then said, "Chen Xu has rendered meritorious service by offering his advice. He shall be granted a sacred burial site... Select a sacred burial site in the villa and build a secluded courtyard for him to cultivate in. No one shall disturb his cultivation except when summoned by me. His required provisions shall be provided at double the standard. In addition, Qingluan, go to Xuanyu to clear Chen Xu's name from the list of sins. If Li Benji has any objections, let him come to me."

Chen Qing felt much more at ease. This protective talisman was enough to ensure his safe cultivation in his dream!
"The harvest is not small."

Upon returning to the mountain retreat, Chen Qing did not immediately swallow the Nine Aperture Meridian Opening Pill. Instead, he sat cross-legged on a futon with his eyes slightly closed.

Faced with the crucial medicine, he surprisingly remained calm.

"This elixir contains the essence of the five elements and has the ability to temper bones and refine blood, saving countless hours of trial and error! However, to bear its weight, one must first strengthen its foundation."

Within Chen Qing's sea of ​​consciousness, the majestic Mount Tai and the vast blue sea complemented each other, soothing and calming his mind and spirit, which had been slightly fluctuating due to offering advice and holding secret discussions. It was like a master craftsman polishing a rough jade, removing the dross and retaining the essence.

He sat there for three whole days.

On the fourth day, Chen Qing activated the spirit-gathering array in the courtyard, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged into the quiet room like a tide. It was absorbed by the pores of his body and transformed into resources to nourish his body and stabilize his foundation.

On the fifth day, following the method of medicine-saving deduction taught by his master, he repeatedly deduced the various changes after the elixir entered his stomach, so as to temper himself to the greatest extent and break through the barrier.

On the sixth day, Chen Qing's essence, energy, and spirit reached their peak through accumulation and refinement!
The seventh day.

As the first wisp of purple mist pierced through the window lattice, Chen Qing suddenly opened his eyes, flicked his finger, and the stopper of the mutton-fat jade bottle popped open!

"Om-"

Nine-colored rays of light burst forth, and the pure essence of the five elements erupted, instantly igniting and boiling the spiritual energy within the quiet room!
He opened his mouth and inhaled!
The pill transformed into a stream of light and went straight into his mouth!

　I heard that posting both together works better, so I'll adjust the update time tomorrow and post both around 8 PM...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)