Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

On the cloud carpet, several military officers stood at the front, looking down at Yingtian Prefecture below, their expressions even more excited than if they had won a battle.

Xue Lu squatted down and pressed his hand against the cloud's surface, his fingers sinking half an inch in. He looked up at Zhang Fu and grinned, "Old Zhang, you know, we've fought half our lives, and ridden at least a thousand or eight hundred horses, right? Sitting on this cloud is much more comfortable than riding a horse, and it's even faster!"

As he spoke, he sat down cross-legged, patted the cloud beside him, and gestured for Zhang Fu to sit down as well.

Zhang Fu wasn't as casual as him, but he couldn't help but stomp on it a couple more times: "Soaring through the clouds is a divine skill, what level is riding a horse?... No wonder so many people want to become immortals, flying is fucking awesome."

Zheng Heng sat down next to him, crossed his legs, patted the cloud's surface, and laughed, "That's right. If we win a battle in the future, it would be wonderful if we could ride back to the capital on a cloud. I can't even imagine what that would be like."

Yang Rong stood with the civil officials and heard the rough laughter of the military officers: "You military officers, can't you speak a little more elegantly? Sitting on these clouds, floating as if riding the wind, this is a refined affair. You should compose a poem to do justice to this scene."

Xue Lu turned to look at him, his eyes widening: "Composing a poem? Can your poem conjure up clouds? Wasn't it His Highness Prince Rui who conjured them up!"

Yang Rong was taken aback by his retort. Before he could retort, Jin Zhong leaned halfway out to look down, then quickly pulled back, waving his hand and saying, "Alright, alright, stop arguing. We're in the sky. If you start arguing and fall, you'll lose your life."

Several civil and military officials argued back and forth all the way, neither willing to give in.

Zhu Gaoxu was initially amused and wanted to interject several times, but he suddenly remembered that the old man was still standing next to him, so he swallowed his words back.

He glanced over furtively and saw Zhu Di standing on the cloud, quietly observing what was behind him, with his eldest and third brothers standing on either side, also looking back.

So he didn't interrupt, and the three of them remained silent, quietly listening to the group bickering behind them, all wearing the same expression of watching a show.

Zhu Gaoxu knew perfectly well that if he joined in now, he wouldn't be a spectator, but an actor. So he obediently kept quiet and watched the show along with everyone else.

The clouds drifted over the government offices and, amidst the gazing eyes of those who had been looking up, landed in the courtyard in front of the main hall of Prince Rui's mansion.

Little Snot was directing several eunuchs to move flowerpots when he looked up and saw a huge white cloud descending from the sky, with a large group of people standing on it.

Who else could that be but His Majesty at the head? Behind him are the Crown Prince, the Prince of Han, the Prince of Zhao, and then Zhang Fu, Xue Lu, Zheng Heng, Yang Rong…

He was startled, nearly dropping his whisk, and quickly tucked it under his arm: "Qiutang! Yuehe! Go quickly and report to His Highness! His Majesty has arrived with a large entourage!"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tang and Yue He quickly put down what they were holding. One of them lifted her skirt and ran to the backyard to report, while the other quickly came out to greet them and stood by her side.

Zhu Di descended from the cloud, looked around the courtyard, and didn't see Zhu Gaoxi. He turned to Little Snot, who was running back panting, and asked, "Where's the fourth prince?"

Little Snot quickly bowed and said breathlessly, "Your Majesty, as soon as His Highness got up this morning, he sent people out to find a gourd, saying he wanted to refine a magic weapon. Right now, he's in the back room, refining it behind closed doors, and told us servants to wait outside and not to disturb him."

Zhu Di raised an eyebrow slightly: "Magic treasure? What magic treasure?"

Upon hearing the words "magic weapon," Zhu Gaoxu couldn't contain himself and rushed forward, asking, "Fourth brother, are you forging a magic weapon again? Where is it? Take us there quickly!"

Zhu Di glared at him, his tone neither too loud nor too soft: "So impetuous, what kind of behavior is this?"

Zhu Gaoxu shrank back after being scolded, and awkwardly took half a step back to stand behind Zhu Gaochi.

Little Snot quickly led the way, guiding everyone through the corridor to the backyard. As they walked, she turned back to explain, "Your Majesty, you may not know, but His Highness sent people out to collect gourds this morning, and they've all been moved into that room. His Highness has been inside for almost an hour and hasn't come out, nor has he allowed anyone to go in."

A gourd? What kind of magical artifact is made from a gourd?

Zhu Di paused slightly and exchanged glances with his sons.

The father and his sons were surprisingly in sync, realizing that the fourth son was a disciple of the Dao Ancestor...

In traditional folk tales, Laozi is always depicted riding an ox, wielding a whisk, and refining elixirs. Now, the fourth prince, who doesn't care for other magical artifacts, insists on searching the entire city for gourds to refine magical treasures. What else could he be refining?

He's definitely refining an elixir of immortality! The Somersault Cloud is for transportation, the Heavenly Palace is for living, but the elixir of immortality can grant eternal life. If the fourth brother can really refine an elixir of immortality, then he'll have truly taken a giant step on the path to becoming an immortal.

Thinking of this, Zhu Di quickened his pace unconsciously, his excitement growing. His brothers quickly followed.

When the courtiers heard about the creation of magical artifacts, they were filled with curiosity, wondering what kind of magical artifact Prince Rui was creating.

The group walked through the corridor and turned into the garden. In the distance, they saw a separate house at the end of the courtyard. The doors and windows were tightly closed, and two eunuchs were guarding the door. Before they could get close, the closed door was pushed open from the inside.

Zhu Gaoxi stepped out, saw the crowd, and bowed to them.

Zhu Gaoxi looked at Zhang Fu, Yang Rong, and the others standing behind him, his tone tinged with surprise: "Father and my brothers have all arrived today. What brings you gentlemen here as well?"

Zhu Di's gaze swept over Zhu Gaoxi's shoulder and landed on the half-open door behind him.

The table was covered with gourds, some of which gleamed with a faint green light, while others had pale golden patterns flowing across their surfaces; they were clearly not ordinary gourds.

He withdrew his gaze, his expression remaining unchanged, and said, "Today we've come to discuss the provisions for the expedition. You previously stated that you would be in charge of the provisions and supplies, and I brought Zhang Fu and the others here to hear your plans. However..."

"Fourth brother, I heard from your people that you're refining a magic weapon? What's the significance of this full gourd?"

Zhu Gaoxi chuckled, offering no further explanation, and simply raised his hand to make a gentle gesture.

In the courtyard, everyone felt a blur before their eyes, and the gourds on the table, each gleaming with different colors, flew up and transformed into streaks of light, filing into the jade gourd hanging at his waist.

The jade gourd was no bigger than the palm of my hand, its surface was warm and smooth, with a few wisps of dark blue floating on its white background. Cloud patterns were carved on the gourd, and a red rope was tied around its waist.

This looks like an ordinary accessory, but who would have thought that it contains dozens of gourds?

Zhang Fu and Yang Rong exchanged a glance, both seeing astonishment in each other's eyes. Xue Lu's mouth dropped open, and he almost couldn't resist reaching out to touch it.

Zhu Gaoxi patted the jade gourd at his waist and said to Zhu Di, "Father, you need not worry about the grain supplies. I have already made arrangements. Since you gentlemen are here, why don't you go into the main hall and sit down, and we can talk slowly?"

After he finished speaking, he led everyone towards the main hall.

Along the way, the eyes of the civil and military officials behind him seemed to be fixed on the jade gourd at his waist, their eyes following it back and forth, their minds filled with the image of the gourds in the room turning into streams of light and flying into the small gourd.

Zhu Di and his three elder brothers walked in front of him, with Zhang Fu and others following behind. Several civil and military officials whispered among themselves, discussing the "gourd-in-the-gourd" trick they had just witnessed.

Zhu Di was also itching to try it after seeing the magic of collecting gourds. He glanced at Zhu Gaoxi, then at the group of civil and military officials behind him who were staring at the gourd at the fourth prince's waist, and thought that it was good that these old fogies were all here.

Then he deliberately asked, "Fourth brother, was that gourd-to-gourd magic you just used to store elixirs? Did the Dao Ancestor pass on the art of alchemy to you?"

Upon hearing this, the brothers' eyes lit up like lanterns, and several ministers behind them also leaned forward quietly, their ears perked up.

Zhu Gaoxu, the most impatient of all, urged Zhu Gaoxi before he could speak, "Fourth brother, hurry up and tell us! That trick of collecting gourds with gourds just now really made my second brother very eager to try it."

Zhu Zhanji was also very curious about the gourd magic weapon, and stood beside them staring at Zhu Gaoxi.

Zhu Gaoxi shook his head: "It's too early to refine elixirs now. This gourd..."

The moment the first half of the sentence was uttered, Zhu Di and his companions' dream of consuming the elixir of immortality was shattered, but upon hearing the second half, they knew there was still hope.

"Although I can't refine pills yet, this gourd is indeed for holding pills. I'll refine the gourd first, and then slowly figure out how to make pills."