"Master, this badger still needs quite a bit of roasting time. Why don't you and Miss Yuhe take the opportunity to wash up and change into some comfortable clothes? Then you can come back and enjoy a delicious barbecue."
Faced with Han Li's suggestion, Xie An readily agreed. He took the two sets of clothes, giving the one with finer material to Yuhe and keeping the other for himself.
Although the clothes were men's, Yuhe didn't mind at all.
For the past four years, she had lived an inhuman existence down there. Now, having just come out, she had a decent set of clothes to change into. How could she possibly be picky?
The two of them took the clothes and walked side by side towards the distance.
"Master, I know there's a stream ahead with very clear water. It's the most comfortable thing to jump in for a swim in this hot summer weather," Yuhe said with a giggle as she led the way.
Having emerged from the dark dungeon, Yuhe's face was filled with more smiles.
After walking several hundred meters, they indeed saw a very clear river.
There was also a deep pool of two or three meters, with shimmering turquoise water. Sunlight sprinkled on the ripples, creating a dazzling display of light and shadow.
The edge of the pool was covered with lush green grass and reeds, thick and verdant, rustling in the wind.
"Yuhe, you wash first. I'll take a look around," Xie An said, leaving without giving Yuhe a chance to object.
Although Yuhe was nominally Xie An's maid, after four years of shared hardship, Xie An no longer regarded her as an ordinary servant. Naturally, he wouldn't put on the airs of a master.
She had risked her life to protect him for four years. If he still acted like a pompous old master... would he even be human?
After Xie An walked away, he strolled leisurely in the forest.
The shadows of the trees were intertwined, the birds sang, and wild animals occasionally passed by.
In the distance, several tigers stared at Xie An, baring their teeth and roaring at him.
Xie An didn't even glance at the tigers, still walking leisurely.
Tigers?
In Xie An's eyes, what difference was there between them and pet cats?
With a slight surge of qi and blood within him, the tigers let out two 'woof' sounds and retreated in fear.
Xie An continued his leisurely stroll, feeling the tranquility and peace of the place.
Before long, Yuhe's voice calling him came from a distance. Xie An was startled and hurried to the pool. He saw Yuhe wearing a loose robe, which, although not quite fitting, made her look refined and elegant, with a lot of charm.
"Master, it's your turn."
Xie An came to the edge of the pool but didn't go down, instead staring at Yuhe.
Yuhe understood and left with a smile.
After Yuhe had walked far away, Xie An took off his tattered and smelly clothes and jumped into the water with a "plop." He comfortably washed away the dirt from his body and then began to circulate the Clear Jade Skill.
"Since there's no one here, I'll try out the power of the Eighteen Section Clear Jade Skill."
When the Clear Jade Skill had run to the thirteenth section, Xie An already felt that he had reached an extremely high state. All five senses were opened, and he could clearly perceive everything around him.
Fourteenth Section, End of Heat.
His body improved further.
His muscles were noticeably stronger, and his bones were even harder.
His body seemed to have become a high-speed sports car, and his spirit began to become focused, with pressure.
Before the fourteenth section, Xie An was in a very relaxed state.
But after the fourteenth section, it was different.
Fifteenth Section, White Dew.
The qi sensation spread to twenty meters away, and everything here was within perception. As if he had opened God's perspective, even the slightest movement behind him could not escape Xie An's perception.
Sixteenth Section, Autumn Equinox.
The qi sensation expanded again to twenty-five meters.
His body became extraordinarily agile, powerful, and his strength also increased. The heat in his body was already surging.
Xie An needed to concentrate all his attention to control this state.
Seventeenth Section, Cold Dew.
His muscles and bones were buzzing, and his skin began to become somewhat crystal clear, with a bit of the visual sense of ice muscle and jade bones.
Between raising his hand and foot, he seemed to have mastered extraordinary power.
The surging heat in his body began to be released through his mouth, nose, and skin pores, forming a three-meter vortex around him.
Xie An could control the flow rate and direction of the heat around him through his consciousness. Although these high-heat air currents could not be directly used for attack, defense was no problem.
The rolling heat was very dense and the temperature was very high.
The water in the deep pool boiled, making a "poof poof" sound, and large bubbles kept emerging.
If ordinary people were in boiling water for a long time, they would soon be cooked.
But Xie An was unharmed and felt very comfortable instead.
After Xie An adapted to this state, he slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp light burst out from his pupils.
"What strong eyesight, perception, power... speed!
Let me try."
Xie An walked out of the deep pool and took a step forward, and he was as fast as thunder, appearing ten meters away in a flash.
Too fast!
Ordinary martial artists would probably not be able to react at all.
After rushing out a few more steps, Xie An's body quickly turned into a wisp of blue smoke, scurrying around in the forest, unbelievably fast.
Raising his hand to clap his palm, broken stones and broken wood.
Immense strength.
"Only seventeen sections are so miraculous, let's try another level."
Eighteenth Section, Frost's Descent!
Boom!
The muscles and bones all over his body made a "噼里啪啦" sound of fried beans.
Speed, strength, perception, reaction... all aspects improved to another level, almost reaching an extreme state, as if a sports car at its limit speed had become a truck.
When Xie An was running wildly on the ground, he was so fast that he only left a shadow.
Two little white rabbits were eating grass, and suddenly felt a remnant shadow swept past, slightly stunned, and continued to eat grass. They didn't even feel anything approaching... the next moment, a hurricane swept across, blowing the two rabbits tens of meters away.
Unbelievably fast!
If it weren't for Xie An's five senses and physical reaction abilities being upgraded to the same level, he would have crashed into a tree immediately.
Now, Xie An was not only able to maintain extremely high speed, but also able to accurately avoid all obstacles.
"Eighteenth Section Clear Jade Skill, too miraculous!"
Xie An couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.
At this speed, to kill a fifth or sixth level martial artist, I'm afraid the other party wouldn't have time to react... before their head would be crushed.
Even a seventh-level martial artist who can do internal energy release would definitely not be his opponent! Of course, unless the other party cultivates miraculous martial arts, or has other powerful weapons.
Even if facing an eighth-level martial artist, even if he can't beat them, Xie An is confident that he can save his life!
Ahead was a twenty-meter-high boulder.
Xie An deliberately did not evade and directly crashed into it head-on. Suddenly, with a "轰隆" loud noise, the boulder shattered at the touch, like being blasted open by a cannonball, with thousands of broken stones shooting everywhere.
But Xie An didn't feel the slightest pain.
Humanoid cannonball!?
"Too perverted!"
Afterwards, Xie An saw a banyan tree in front of him, Xie An did not avoid it.
"Let me see if I can control it freely."
He put away his strength, and suddenly felt his body as light as a swallow, his right foot gently tapping on the trunk... actually without causing the slightest vibration of the tree, his body lightly tapped on the trunk twice, and rushed to the top of the thirty-meter tree like a dragonfly skimming the water, standing on a chopstick-thick branch, overlooking all directions.
The mountain wind blew, fluttering Xie An's long hair, dancing fiercely.
He stared at the distant sun, the mountains and forests, and couldn't help but reveal a bright smile at the corner of his mouth.
"This is the power of the Eighteenth Section Frost's Descent! So, Li Changchun a hundred years ago was at this level. It took me, Xie An, eight years to reach this realm."
But Li Changchun is not dead yet.
And that high priest, I don't know if he's dead or not.
Thinking of this, Xie An's joyful mood suddenly decreased a lot, "I still can't be complacent... When I break through the eighteenth section, after entering winter, I can completely match the martial arts grandmaster. With the long life fate, it shouldn't take a few years."
Xie An had tried before, but after entering the Eighteenth Frost Descent, his rate of improvement was extremely slow. Even with the integration of the Longevity Life-Fate reaching an astonishing or more, it was still difficult to improve.
However, he could still improve steadily, and there should be no barrier to entering Winter.
Back then, Li Changchun feigned death specifically to enter Winter, placing his coffin in the yin waters of the earth veins to nourish it. With the cooperation of the High Priest, it took a hundred years to enter Winter and reach the nineteenth level.
It can be seen that the most difficult part of the Bright Jade Skill is entering Winter.
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For ordinary people, entering Winter is simply an impossible task.
But Xie An was not flustered.
He only needed to develop steadily to improve slowly.
He could afford to wait and endure.
“Chirp chirp!”
A burst of harsh bird calls pulled Xie An's thoughts back to reality. He turned his head and saw a crow perched not far away, staring intently at him.
He looked down…
He wasn't wearing any clothes.
“Go back.”
Returning to the deep pool, the water was still warm.
Xie An took a comfortable bath, then changed into Han Li's clothes, which fit quite well. He then took out the Immortal Box from his inner pocket, intending to put it in his new clothes.
Hmm?
He glanced at the palm print on the Immortal Box and was shocked to find that the lifeline on the palm print was different from the earliest time, with many more branches, almost forming a complete lifeline.
“It should be that after absorbing the national fortune power from the Great Bronze Bell, many more branches grew out.”
Four years ago, after absorbing the Imperial Seal script from the Great Bronze Bell, the situation was very urgent, and Xie An didn't have time to check the palm print on it.
Now, after careful inspection, he felt more and more that this Immortal Box was extraordinary.
Previously, seeing the Immortal Box absorb the power of national fortune and produce anomalies, Xie An had some trepidation in his heart. Now, with his strength soaring and his courage strengthened, he was not so apprehensive, but more open-minded and calm.
“In the future, I'll find a few more Imperial Seal scripts for you to absorb and see what you will become.”
Xie An picked up the Immortal Box and shook it.
It was very solid inside, with no sound.
However, the box had become a little smaller and lighter. It was even more convenient to carry.
After putting away the Immortal Box, Xie An left the deep pool and returned to Han Li. The raccoon dog was already roasted, and the golden-yellow skin was dripping with oil, looking very crispy.
Han Li took out a few small bottles from his bag and poured in salt and chili powder, making it even more fragrant and spicy.
Glug.
Xie An's stomach couldn't help but growl.
Yu He had been eating Baozhi, but Xie An didn't have that treatment and was very hungry after coming out of seclusion.
He Chunli tore off a raccoon dog's leg and handed it to Xie An, “Master, please try it.”
Xie An nodded, took it, blew on it twice, and then took a big bite.
It was crispy and delicious, full of oil, the saltiness was just right, and after chewing it a few times, it was quite chewy, and the meaty flavor was completely stimulated, and the taste buds were greatly satisfied.
He Chunli didn't eat it himself, but stared eagerly at Xie An, as if wanting to get Xie An's approval, “How is the taste?”
Han Li kicked him, “Didn't you see that Master is very hungry? Can't you wait for Master to eat a few more bites before asking?”
He Chunli's face was embarrassed for a while, and he quickly tore off another leg and handed it to Yu He. Yu He was also unambiguous, took it and started to eat it. Although Baozhi was very nourishing, how could its taste compare to grilled meat?
“It's very delicious, good craftsmanship. You guys know how to live. Don't just stand there, eat together. After eating, let's go down the mountain.” Xie An only had time to speak after eating a few bites, and naturally gave a high affirmation.
This simple sentence gave He Chunli and Han Li great satisfaction, and they happily shared the food.
Taking advantage of the gap between eating meat, Xie An asked about the recent situation of his two disciples.
He Chunli answered while eating, “Thanks to Master for letting Old Master Tang take care of us back then, we joined the Weisheng Martial Arts School in the county town…
It's just that our comprehension is average, and we are only at the Three Gates Iron Bone Realm so far. We have failed Master's expectations.”
Xie An said: “This progress is already very good. As long as you take the right path, you will definitely have great achievements in the future.”
Getting Master's approval again, the two disciples were very excited, especially He Chunli, who was overjoyed, “By the way, Master. The house you asked us to buy back then has already been bought through the brokerage. We have reserved the best courtyard for Master, just waiting for you to move in.”
Han Li added: “We are often not at home, so we bought a hunting dog to guard the house. I don’t know what breed the hunting dog is, it’s very spiritual, but it’s very arrogant. Even I can’t tame it. Wait for Master to go back and tame it.”
Xie An agreed with a smile, and then asked about the situation of the Demon Suppression Division's encirclement and suppression of the Corpse Refining Hall four years ago.
The two disciples didn't know much about this matter. But it also provided Xie An with amazing information:
The Demon Suppression Division in the county town has been upgraded to a Fifth-Rank Demon Suppression Prefecture Division, and a huge yamen has also been built, which took four years to complete.
Even the Thousand Household Office has been upgraded to an Upper Ten Thousand Household Prefecture.
Xie An was secretly stunned when he heard this.
This is a big deal!
According to the usual practice of the Great Qian, those with more than seven thousand soldiers are called the Upper Ten Thousand Household Prefecture; those with more than five thousand are called the Middle Ten Thousand Household Prefecture; those with more than three thousand are called the Lower Ten Thousand Household Prefecture.
What Han Li said was the Upper Ten Thousand Household Prefecture, which meant that it commanded more than seven thousand soldiers. It was already a very high-standard Ten Thousand Household Prefecture.
In fact, according to normal practice, even if the local military organization is upgraded, it will be given the title of a certain general's prefecture. The reason for using the Ten Thousand Household Prefecture is that the above has special intentions.
The Ten Thousand Commander has a position and official title comparable to that of a general commander, belonging to the Fourth Rank. The reason for using the Ten Thousand Commander is that it is inclined to the role of a front-line commander.
The Ten Thousand Commander holds military power in one area, has great power, and can even independently launch wars.
This usage is a bit similar to Xie An's previous life changing the military region to a war zone.
Xie An felt that the meaning above was obvious: Although the Corpse Refining Hall was destroyed, this Princess Consort felt that things were not over yet, or even bigger. That's why she upgraded the Thousand Household Office and the Demon Suppression Division.
Iron-fisted methods.
This also reminded Xie An: Qīngwū County is likely to be a time of real bloody storms next.
But Xie An was very curious.
Princess Consort made such arrangements just for that escaped Old Madam Jin?
That shouldn't be the case.
Dealing with an old woman, relying on human wave tactics is not very useful.
Thinking about it, I don't know what kind of medicine this Princess Consort is selling in her gourd.
But things must be very big.
Xie An gathered his thoughts, “What major events have happened in Qīngwū County in the past four years?”
Xie An's level is not enough to get in touch with Princess Consort's thoughts, let alone his two disciples. Xie An didn't expect the two to say anything secret, but he could ask about external major events.
Han Li said: “It seems that something happened inside the Tiger Wolf Gate, and Master's old subordinates are not doing well. Oh, by the way, I heard from Captain Liu Chun that the people from the Demon Suppression Division are looking for you…”
He Chunli's focus was more special, “Also… Madam Li is dying.”
Madam Li…
Xie An's thoughts were pulled back to a long time ago.
On a snowy night, that visit. That word of farewell. And the woman who beat her own son and husband in front of the pawnshop to protect the Li family.
Xie An put down the raccoon dog leg, “Go down the mountain and see Madam Li.”
Xie An spoke, and the others naturally echoed. After a simple tidying up, they left this place together and hurried towards the outside of the Corpse Refining Hall.
As soon as they walked out of the gate of the stronghold, they saw a man and a woman blocking the way on horseback.
The man held a silver spear more than a zhang long, and the tip of the spear shone with dazzling light when illuminated by the sun. The woman held a long sword as bright as autumn water, and was heroic and extraordinary.
Whoosh!
The man shook his spear and pointed at Xie An and the others, “Our Demon Suppression Division has sealed this place for more than four years, and no one is allowed to go up the mountain. Who are you?”
