Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Gaoxi smiled and waved his hand.

Xu Jingchang wiped his mouth, then suddenly remembered something and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Cousin, I just returned to Beijing today. I came in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare a gift for you. I'm really sorry. I'll definitely make it up to you tomorrow."

Zhu Gaoxi put down his drink and shook his head: "Cousin, you're too kind. I heard from Mother that you've been traveling around for months looking for medicine for her."

"This sentiment is more precious than any gift. You're good to my mother, so we're family. Family doesn't need to stand on ceremony. Cousin, you don't need to be so reserved at home from now on."

Xu Jingchang was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Empress Xu.

Empress Xu nodded slightly, looking at Zhu Gaoxi with tender eyes. She didn't say much, but her satisfaction was clearly written on her face.

Zhu Gaoxi then said, "It just so happens that Mother is here as well. Your son has something to give you."

He took out several gourds from the jade gourd at his waist and placed them one by one in front of Empress Xu.

The three small gourds were crystal clear.

One of them has a base of mutton fat white jade, with a warm and lustrous sheen.

One of them was pale gold, with faint sword patterns flowing across its surface.

One of them is two-tone, with the upper half being milky white and the lower half ice blue, making it exquisite and lovely.

Empress Xu took the gourds, held them in her hands, and examined them over and over. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, like a young girl who had just received new jewelry.

She now looks like she's in her early twenties again, and her mindset has become much younger. Before, she acted like an empress in Kunning Palace, and what good things hadn't she seen?

But these gourds are different. They are magical treasures that her son crafted himself. They are so small and exquisite, and the more she looks at them, the more she likes them.

Seeing his mother's delighted expression, Zhu Gaoxi was overjoyed, for there's a saying: "There's no one better than a mother in the world!"

Then he pointed to the three gourds and explained their respective attributes.

The white jade gourd is for nourishing the wearer, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The light gold gourd is for nurturing the sword, containing a sealed sword aura that can be activated with a thought to defend oneself in case of danger. The two-tone gourd is for water and fire, emitting cool air from the left hand and warm air from the right, keeping the wearer comfortable in both winter and summer.

Zhu Di: So you're treating me differently? You only give me one? And it's a single-attribute one at that?

Zhu Gaoxi: Old Deng, you're already being generous by giving it to me, and you're still being picky.

Empress Xu: Fourth Prince Zhu, kneel down before Little Fourth Prince Zhu.

Empress Xu's eyes widened as she listened, examining the two-colored gourd from left to right. She looked up at Zhu Gaoxi, her voice tinged with urgency, and asked, "Xi'er, how do you use this? Does it also require a blood oath? Quickly teach your mother how to do it!"

Zhu Gaoxi smiled, gesturing for her to calm down: "Mother, I know you're in a hurry, but please don't rush, I'll teach you right away."

Empress Xu paused for a moment and said, "I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush." ​​What does that mean?

But she was in a hurry to play with her new treasure and didn't care. Remembering how the Somersault Cloud had recognized its owner last time, she immediately stretched out her hand and urged, "Then what are we waiting for? Quickly help Mother with the blood recognition ceremony."

Seeing her even more anxious than Zhanji, Zhu Gaoxi couldn't help but laugh: "Mother, you've become younger, how come your temperament has changed too?"

Empress Xu glared at him with a smile: "You dare to laugh at your mother? Hurry up and help me identify this gourd as my owner."

Zhu Gaoxi stopped teasing her and raised his hand to draw out a few extremely thin strands of blood from her body and flick them into the three gourds.

A flash of light appeared, and the three gourds seemed to respond and recognize their owner, trembling slightly before returning to calm.

He then swept a gentle ray of light, imbuing the discomfort of the blood draw with complete clarity. In truth, he was lying; there was no discomfort at all.

Empress Xu immediately felt three strange connections appear in her mind.

She tried them one by one, and finally held the water-fire gourd in her hands, completely captivated by it.

With a thought, the lower half of the gourd, its icy blue section, flashed with a faint light, and a cool breeze blew out from the gourd's mouth, brushing against my face with a refreshing coolness. The sweltering heat of July was soothed by this cool breeze, making me feel much more comfortable.

Xu Jingchang, standing nearby, witnessed Empress Xu using the gourd magic weapon. He was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Staring at the gourd, his eyes shone brighter than when he had just seen the delicious food on the table.

She couldn't help but exclaim, "Aunt, this is amazing! My cousin truly lives up to his reputation as a disciple of the Dao Ancestor; I've never even heard of such a magical treasure before."

Zhu Gaoxi turned his head, glanced at him, and smiled.

He knew that his cousin was good to his mother, and that he had spent several months searching for medicine for her. He remembered this kindness.

And frankly, he has a system and supernatural powers; he can refine gourds at will and conjure somersault clouds with ease. Just like someone with hundreds of millions in assets doesn't care about a dollar or two, he wouldn't feel bad giving away an extra one, let alone a family member.

"Don't worry, cousin, you'll get a share too." Zhu Gaoxi took out a wooden gourd from his sleeve, and then drew a white cloud from outside the window, about one cubic meter in size, into the room, hovering in front of Xu Jingchang.

He handed the wooden gourd to Xu Jingchang.

This is a wine gourd refined from ebony wood. It is jet black and shiny, and it produces its own spiritual wine. Drinking a small cup every day can strengthen the body. In ancient times, if you didn't know what to give, you would just give wine. It was basically the same as today, where people relied on tobacco and alcohol to make a living.

He then briefly explained how to use the Somersault Cloud, and then helped him channel his essence and blood into the cloud.

"Someone like me has a magic weapon? I have a magic weapon! I have a magic weapon!" Xu Jingchang held the wine gourd and looked at the obedient white cloud floating at his feet. He was so happy that he almost fainted. At this moment, he really wanted to dance on the beach.

Empress Xu, standing to the side, smiled and said, "Jingchang, don't be so polite. Your cousin gave it to you, so just accept it. Don't you know yourself? You were practically bulging your eyes out when you saw this magic treasure. You're not an outsider."

Xu Jingchang blushed slightly when his aunt saw through his thoughts, and laughed, "My aunt is just teasing me."

Then he turned to Zhu Gaoxi, bowed solemnly, and said, "Thank you, cousin. I will remember your kindness. If you need anything in the future, please feel free to tell me."

"Cousin, you're too kind. I'm used to being carefree, and I'll need you to take care of all the affairs of the household in the future," Zhu Gaoxi said, waving his sleeve.

"What are you saying, cousin? This is simply my duty," Xu Jingchang quickly replied.

Empress Xu was very pleased to see the two brothers getting along so well. She smiled and said, "I knew you cousins ​​would get along. Your cousin is just like you were when you were little, a well-behaved child who never caused us any trouble."

After chatting for a while, Xu Jingchang took the initiative to ask, "Cousin, is there anything at home that needs to be taken care of? Since I'm here today, why don't I help out and get familiar with the situation at home?"

Zhu Gaoxi waved his hand: "Nothing major for now. It's just that the manor is currently collecting gourds, and we need to find high-quality old gourds, the older and with more inheritance, the better, because I want to use them to refine magic weapons. Cousin, please keep an eye out for me and bring back any good ones."

He thought for a moment, then said, "There's nothing urgent today. My cousin just returned to the capital, and there must be a lot of things piling up at his residence waiting to be dealt with. You can go back home and take care of things first, and then come back to work tomorrow."

Empress Xu nodded and said, "Since your cousin has said so, you should go back first. I know there must be a lot of things piling up at your residence without me even asking. Get a good night's rest and come back tomorrow."

Xu Jingchang stood up, bowed to Empress Xu and Zhu Gaoxi, carefully tucked the wine gourd into his bosom, glanced at the obediently floating somersault cloud at his feet, and silently withdrew.

As soon as he left the palace, he hurriedly stepped onto the Somersault Cloud and rode away. It was his first time using the Somersault Cloud, but he quickly got used to it. However, his riding posture was somewhat like that of a monkey, with his hands placed horizontally on his forehead.

Xu Jingchang is only sixteen years old this year, but his father, Xu Zengshou, died early. He inherited the title of Duke of Dingguo at a young age, which is much more mature than his peers.

Perhaps it was because of the heavy burden on his shoulders, or perhaps it was the composure honed from years of traveling around searching for medicine, but he looked to be around twenty years old, and his speech and actions exuded a mature air.

The Duke of Dingguo's mansion owns many properties, and since he has been away from the capital for many days, the affairs of the mansion are indeed waiting for him to return and handle.

Watching his receding figure, Zhu Gaoxi suddenly felt that this cousin was quite nice.

He is steady, sensible, and kind to his mother.

From now on, I can leave the miscellaneous affairs of Prince Rui's mansion to him, which will save me some trouble.