Chapter 42

Around the third watch of the day (around 6 PM), Zhu Lingwu changed into a new set of clothes and then arrived at the central courtyard of the Tongshan County Government Office.

This place was where Zhu Junyan resided, and it was also the feng shui source of the entire Tongshan County, as well as the only location within a hundred miles where a spiritual vein was present.

In other words, the spiritual energy here was the most concentrated, with spiritual energy directly surging up from underground. The immortal master who was responsible for the urban planning of Tongshan County once said that this place might be connected to a large underground spiritual vein, which also implied the presence of a spirit stone mine.

Unfortunately, this place was too close to the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge. According to the immortal master's speculation, the main vein of the spirit stone mine should be inside the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, making large-scale mining impossible unless the demons in the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge were completely eradicated.

However, this was not something that could be easily achieved; it might even be a loss. The Ten Thousand Demon Ridge that was currently known was only the outer area. The demon monkey king, who was said to have established a demon kingdom in the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, had not even reached the transformation stage. However, the true power of the great demons deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge was still unknown.

Therefore, the Chong'an Kingdom only established a county here and did not take any further actions, not daring to covet the spirit stone mine.

Under the effect of special array restrictions, the spiritual energy surging from the spiritual vein was gathered into a spirit room within the county government office, with only a slight leakage of spiritual energy around it.

This spirit room was where Zhu Junyan usually sat in meditation and cultivated his qi, and it was also the source of the protective array's spiritual power for the entire Tongshan County. Zhu Junyan could use the array to protect the entire Tongshan County from within the spirit room.

The central courtyard of the county government office, where the spirit room was located, was naturally the most heavily guarded place in the entire Tongshan County. Liu Ping, who had reached the ninth level of the martial arts realm, usually taught Zhu Lingwu martial arts and was also responsible for Zhu Junyan's security here.

Of course, in addition to Liu Ping, there were also several martial artists at the seventh and eighth levels of the martial arts realm who took turns on duty, along with a dozen or so guards at the fourth and fifth levels.

Previously, when Liu Ping mentioned arranging sparring partners for Zhu Lingwu, he was planning to select people at the fourth and fifth levels of the martial arts realm from among these guards, which would be a suitable match for Zhu Lingwu.

When Zhu Lingwu arrived at the entrance of the central courtyard, a steward and some servants of Zhu Junyan were already waiting. The attendants who accompanied Zhu Lingwu were asked to wait outside, with only Liangcai continuing to follow him into the central courtyard.

Not long after, under the guidance of the steward, Zhu Lingwu arrived at a hall in the central courtyard. On the table inside, the servants had already prepared food for the evening.

The food was quite simple: a pot of clear wine made from spirit grains, some vegetables cooked with spiritual energy, and some meat dishes that were intentionally placed far away from the vegetables, perhaps to avoid the meat affecting the vegetables.

Cultivators did not need much food and generally did not like meat, as meat contained too many impurities that could affect the innate spiritual energy in their bodies. Eating too much meat would require them to expend effort to remove the impurities from their bodies.

The vegetables and other items here were originally grown on the land around the spirit room in the central courtyard, which was influenced by spiritual energy. They were not naturally grown but were specially supplied for Zhu Junyan's consumption.

The additional meat dishes were prepared specifically for Zhu Lingwu. In this era, cooking methods were simple, mostly steaming or boiling, with only salt added, and some sauces for dipping. The taste was generally average.

However, this already showed the father's care for his child. Zhu Junyan knew that he ate lightly, and Zhu Lingwu might not like it, so he specially prepared the meat dishes for Zhu Lingwu.

Given the culinary skills of the time, the meat dishes were well-prepared, tender, and had a natural freshness, with a fragrant aroma reaching Zhu Lingwu's nose.

"Prince Five, please wait a moment, the master will be here soon!" The steward bowed and said to Zhu Lingwu.

"Um, I understand."

Zhu Junyan had not arrived yet, so Zhu Lingwu naturally did not sit down to eat first. He just had Liangcai come over to help him tidy his clothes.

It didn't take long before Zhu Junyan walked in from the other side of the hall, followed by a concubine and some maids.

"Son greets Father!"

Zhu Lingwu respectfully bowed to Zhu Junyan, which was the most troublesome part of his etiquette.

"Hmm, that's good. Little Five, sit down and eat! Afterward, I have something to discuss with you!"

Zhu Junyan nodded, knelt on a cushion by the table, looked at the food, and said to Zhu Lingwu, "Little Five, I heard you like meat. Look, I prepared some boiled meat for you today. It's the best tender deer leg, marinated with a sauce made from spiritual herbs, which will be beneficial for your body!"

"Father, I prefer meat with a bit of chew. I heard that adventurers often eat raw meat when they can't start a fire. I want to try such a life in the future!"

Zhu Lingwu deliberately said this, using the language habits of the original owner of this body, an eight-year-old child.

"Hmph, nonsense. How can a scholar's son be compared to commoners? Well, well, eat first. You must be hungry after practicing palm techniques and footwork all afternoon. Sigh, you foolish child, it's really nonsense to have Liu Ping teach you these things. But never mind, if you want to take this path and become a general in the future, it won't be a waste of your body."

Zhu Junyan was about to scold Zhu Lingwu but then tacitly approved of his idea. For a high-ranking scholar family like the Zhu clan, their descendants could at least become a general in the Chong'an Kingdom.

As for someone like Liu Ping, a commoner from a humble background, he could only hold a subordinate position, and it was usually his responsibility to fight on the front lines, while someone like Zhu Lingwu could enjoy the benefits.

"No, I don't want to serve in the government. I just want to travel the world, be an adventurer, and explore all the places. That would be more interesting! By the way, Father, I need a cultivation technique. Today, I drank the blood of a spirit beast, but I can't seem to absorb the innate spiritual energy in the blood. Father, please teach me a cultivation technique!"

Zhu Lingwu didn't want to talk much about serving in the government, so he directly stated his intention for coming to see Zhu Junyan.

"Oh, that's right! Little Five, cultivation techniques are not something to be passed on casually. You must inform the family and find a suitable cultivation technique from the family before you can start practicing. Well, it's almost the end of the year. I can't leave Tongshan County easily, so you should go home and celebrate the New Year with your mother and siblings. Next year, you will stay at the family's ancestral land. Tongshan County is somewhat dangerous, and you can find a cultivation technique at the family's ancestral land and start practicing."

Zhu Junyan was not surprised to hear that Zhu Lingwu wanted a cultivation technique. However, there were rules in the scholar families, and cultivation techniques could not be passed on casually. He had already planned to send Zhu Lingwu back to the Zhu family's ancestral land in Chilong Prefecture at the end of the year, where he would stay.

But then, Zhu Junyan looked at Zhu Lingwu again, "Little Five, you've made a lot of progress this year. Hmm, when you go back, you might hear some talk. Don't let it get to you!"

Clearly, Zhu Junyan was worried that Zhu Lingwu might be mocked by the family members due to his bloodline.