"Before I left the palace, I did something unnecessary. I made the little eunuch who was sent by His Majesty to supervise...."

Xu Qi'an faithfully recounted the "plan" he taught the little eunuch to Wei Yuan.

Seeing Wei Yuan lost in thought, Xu Qi'an quickly said, "I acted without permission, please analyze it, Lord Wei."

Hearing this, Wei Yuan smiled and nodded, "Although it was unauthorized, you did well. His Majesty is suspicious and good at balancing. If he hears your words, he will doubt Consort Chen."

"Thus, he will reconsider the entire case of the Empress, considering the pros and cons from various aspects and the balance he has been maintaining."

Xu Qi'an was still unsatisfied and spoke with a lack of confidence, "Will His Majesty see through it? Or will that little eunuch confess to His Majesty and reveal that I bribed him to deliver the message?"

"Your words had no flaws, they were all real events." Wei Yuan smiled and said, "As for the latter question, confessing to His Majesty would only expose oneself to bribery and having achieved nothing. Who would throw a stone at their own foot? Those who can work in His Majesty's palace are not only intelligent but also not too foolish."

Hehe, I know all of this... Xu Qi'an sighed in admiration, "Lord Wei is incredibly intelligent, I admire you."

Wei Yuan looked at him deeply, shook his head, and chuckled.

Then, he returned to the tea room in a relaxed mood, personally poured two cups of tea, and said, "You have entered the Qi Refining stage, don't stop refining your primordial spirit until the extraordinary acupoints outside the meridians swell. Then, you can start refining your physique in advance."

Extraordinary acupoints... oh, the temple.

Xu Qi'an was stunned for a moment before realizing that the extraordinary acupoints referred to the temple. This world does not have the term "temple."

Extraordinary acupoints, it sounds high-end and classy... Xu Qi'an himself didn't like the term "temple" because it always felt like a verb.

Upon hearing this topic, Xu Qi'an knew that his previous actions had produced a good response. Wei Yuan was in a good mood and planned to reward him for his achievements.

Wei Yuan could see through Xu Qi'an's behavior of seemingly "apologizing" but actually seeking credit, but leaders always liked to elevate their subordinates.

Even the exceptionally wise Wei Yuan was no exception.

If Xu Qi'an had just said, "Lord Wei, I've made a great achievement again, hahaha."

The feedback would have been completely different. Wei Yuan might even criticize him and tell him to be humble and calm.

"Refining the physique?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Refining the physique was the main content of the Qi Refining stage, which involved aerobic and anaerobic exercises, repeatedly breaking through physical limits. Every three days, a doctor would be invited to relax the muscles and promote blood circulation, and Xu Qi'an would also have to eat a lot of meat and some warming Chinese medicine.

Xu Qi'an spent a hundred taels of silver a year on "eating," which was about half a year's income for his uncle.

After reaching the Qi Refining stage, the methods used in the Qi Refining stage would no longer be effective. Xu Qi'an didn't know how to refine his physique.

"I have told you before, the martial artist system is not achieved overnight. It is the result of continuous exploration and improvement by previous generations, which has led to the current nine ranks of martial artists."

While drinking tea, Wei Yuan's conversation became more profound as he said, "The initial stage of Copper Skin and Iron Bones is achieved through repeated strikes, just like a blacksmith's hammer forging a piece of iron into refined iron. This process is extremely long and, if the foundation is not solid enough, it can be fatal due to frequent strikes to vital areas."

"Lord Wei, when you say strikes to vital areas, do you mean... chicken flying and eggs hitting?!" Xu Qi'an asked.

Wei Yuan looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds before gently saying, "Later, someone created the method of medicinal bath. Using special natural treasures as the main ingredients, people are cooked in a large cauldron. Martial artists breathe and resist the high temperature in the cauldron, absorbing the medicinal power, thus achieving the Copper Skin and Iron Bones stage."

"What is the death rate?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"The danger is also great. Sometimes, while cooking, people get cooked." Wei Yuan replied.

"..."

An image suddenly appeared in Xu Qi'an's mind. He was sitting in a large cauldron, surrounded by boiling water, and Chu Caiwei, who was knowledgeable in pharmacology, kept adding ingredients to the cauldron: fennel, green beans, cinnamon, scallions...

Xu Lingyin stood by, tears flowing from the corners of her mouth.

"Is there a safer way?" he asked quietly, swallowing his saliva.

"With the birth of generations of geniuses, someone finally created the first set of cultivation techniques based on Qi Refining and supplemented by body tempering. The core of this technique is to refine the body from the inside out using a special method of circulating Qi, combined with strikes or cooking, greatly reducing the danger."

Wei Yuan unfolded a piece of paper, picked up a brush, and wrote the three characters "Mixed Yuan Gong," saying, "The top cultivation technique in the Nightwatcher's organization is called Mixed Yuan Gong. Every Golden Gongsman uses this technique. Heh, if it were to be spread in the martial world, it would cause a bloodbath."

Once again, Xu Qi'an realized the benefits of joining Wei Yuan and becoming a Nightwatcher. Here, there were top-notch cultivation techniques and luxurious resources that were beyond the reach of wandering martial artists. For Xu Qi'an, they were easily obtainable.

Including that visualization diagram, it was also a top-quality item.

He was able to enter the Qi Refining stage so quickly, not only because of his remarkable talent but also because of the resources provided by Wei Yuan.

The martial artist system was truly a laborious profession. Analyzing it with modern knowledge, the ninth rank of Qi Refining stage was like a brick-laying stage, the eighth rank was Qi Refining while laying bricks, the seventh rank was working hard and staying up late while laying bricks, and the sixth rank was even more extreme, directly smashing stones on the chest... Xu Qi'an sighed and asked, "Lord Wei, is there a Qi Refining technique that can achieve Copper Skin and Iron Bones without cooking or striking with a stick?"

"There is!" Wei Yuan's answer surprised Xu Qi'an. He was delighted at first, then cautiously asked, "In dreams?"

... Wei Yuan looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds before gently saying, "The Buddhist sect has a similar technique. Some say that the martial artist's Copper Skin and Iron Bones stage evolved from the Buddhist sect's Diamond Body stage."

"Some also say that the Buddha referred to the martial artist system and created a new path in the Buddhist sect called the Warrior Monk."

In other words, the martial monk system has a method that allows one to develop an iron body without the need for cooking. This is good news. I'll just have to trick Number Six into giving it to me... A genuine smile unconsciously appeared on Xu Qi'an's face.

..........

The Emperor's sleeping quarters.

Emperor Yuan Jing was sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating with his eyes closed. A stick of sandalwood incense was burning at the corner of the bed, its smoke thin and straight.

An old eunuch stood by, his eyes downcast, not making a sound.

At this moment, footsteps could be heard from outside. A young eunuch stopped outside the sleeping quarters.

After glancing at Emperor Yuan Jing, who was deep in meditation, the old eunuch moved to the door and asked in a low voice, "What is it?"

"Godfather, the head of the Taoist sect from Lingbao Temple has come to invite His Majesty," the eunuch whispered.

The old eunuch was visibly taken aback. He counted the days on his fingers and thought to himself that the date was correct. During these few days of each month, the National Teacher would be indisposed and in seclusion for cultivation.

Even the Emperor could not disturb her and could only meditate in his own quarters.

"I understand. You may leave."

After dismissing the young eunuch, the old eunuch slowly returned to the bedside and whispered, "Your Majesty..."

Emperor Yuan Jing opened his eyes.

The old eunuch said, "The National Teacher has sent someone to invite you to comprehend the Tao."

Emperor Yuan Jing was slightly taken aback. Then, his usually calm eyes lit up with unprecedented brightness.

"Prepare the carriage, let's go quickly!"

Every month, the National Teacher would suffer from the burning of karma, her emotions in turmoil. Therefore, she would choose to seclude herself during these few days, and no one was allowed to enter Lingbao Temple.

But Emperor Yuan Jing knew that if one day the National Teacher agreed to cultivate together with him, it would definitely be during these few days.

Emperor Yuan Jing had been waiting for this day for a long time. Although his hair had turned black again and his body was strong, like a man in his prime, he still couldn't achieve immortality.

If he wanted to go further, he would have to cultivate together with the National Teacher, seizing her spiritual essence. Only then could he live forever and be the eternal emperor of the Great Feng.

Leaving his sleeping quarters and boarding the dragon carriage, Emperor Yuan Jing urged them to hurry. Before long, they arrived at Lingbao Temple.

However, when he saw the female National Teacher, he was disappointed to find that she had only invited him to meditate, just like doing homework as usual.

The female National Teacher, with a cinnabar dot between her eyebrows and her eyes as beautiful as a painting, sat cross-legged on a cushion. Her voice was soft and charming, "Your Majesty, please sit."

Her beautiful black hair was tied up with a lotus crown, highlighting her stunningly beautiful and clean face, without a single strand of hair hanging down.

Emperor Yuan Jing was not satisfied and said in a deep voice, "If the National Teacher is not willing to cultivate with me, why invite me at this moment?"

Luo Yuheng closed her eyes and said lightly, "This month, I am not suffering from the burning of karma. I promised to teach Your Majesty the art of longevity. I must keep my promise and not slack off for a single day."

Emperor Yuan Jing was silent for a moment, then sat down on his cushion. He didn't immediately close his eyes to meditate, but said:

"National Teacher, the ingredients for the Rejuvenation Pill have been prepared. Tomorrow, I will send someone to deliver them to Lingbao Temple."

Luo Yuheng opened her eyes and looked at Emperor Yuan Jing. Suddenly, she sighed, "Your Majesty, your hair has turned black again, and you have been practicing Taoism for many years. You are already immune to all diseases. There is no need to practice the Four Seasons Divine Pill anymore."

Emperor Yuan Jing ignored her and closed his eyes to meditate.

Emperor Yuan Jing had to refine four large pills every year, which were completed during the four solar terms of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Each large pill was worth a fortune, equivalent to the tax revenue of a wealthy county for three years.

In addition to the four large pills, there were also thirty-six small pills. The cost was astronomical.

These silver taels were not taken from the Ministry of Revenue's treasury, but were paid out of Emperor Yuan Jing's own private treasury. As for how Emperor Yuan Jing's private treasury got its silver, everyone in the court knew, but they all kept silent.

After the comprehension session with the National Teacher ended, it was already dusk.

Emperor Yuan Jing was in a bad mood. After returning to his sleeping quarters, he was silent. Thinking of the unresolved case of the Consort Fu, he said impatiently:

"Grand Companion, let the Inner Court draft a decree. The case of Consort Fu has been delayed for more than ten days. Order the Three Departments to give a result within two days."

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The result was whether the Empress was guilty or not.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The old eunuch hesitated slightly, then said in a low voice, "Today, Xu Qi'an came to the palace again."

Emperor Yuan Jing frowned, "What is he here for again? Tomorrow, send someone to the Nightwatcher's office to take back the gold badge."

The Empress had already confessed, and the case of Consort Fu could almost be closed. There was no need for that little gong to come to the palace again.

The old eunuch nodded and said softly, "Does he need to be questioned again today?"

Emperor Yuan Jing thought for a moment, then slowly nodded, "Summon him!"

The old eunuch left the sleeping quarters. In less than a quarter of an hour, he brought in the young eunuch who was supervising Xu Qi'an.

The young eunuch stood there with his head down and his waist bowed, behaving obediently.

Emperor Yuan Jing sat behind his desk, looking down at the young eunuch from a high position, "What did Xu Qi'an investigate in the palace today?"

.........

PS: Today's chapter is still ten thousand words. It's two-thirty now, so I'll update one chapter first. The word count for the next chapter will be made up.

I'll make changes after updating.