Although Xie An and the Eldest Princess had spent a considerable amount of time together.
It was mostly a transaction, a mutually beneficial relationship. It was known that the Eldest Princess had a grand vision and good character. But as for how much trust they had in each other, it wasn't that much.
Moreover, Xie An still lacked understanding of this world. Faced with such a major event, Xie An still felt it was more appropriate to ask Tang Zhengyang for his opinion.
After all, Tang Zhengyang had lived in Qingwu County for hundreds of years and definitely had a deep understanding of Nanyang Prefecture and Nanzhou.
Having more information as a reference would also make it easier for Xie An to weigh his options.
Although Xie An's Bright Jade Skill had now reached the eighteenth level, and there might not be many opponents in the entire Nanyang Prefecture, the current situation in Qingwu County was complex, and he was in a chaotic world. He still felt the need to be cautious and prudent.
Many geniuses and prodigies, successful at a young age, shone brightly, but in the end, they all suffered misfortune because they were too high-profile, and they did not die a natural death.
Not to mention those comparable to eighth-level martial masters, even ninth-level martial masters, or even martial arts grandmasters… I'm afraid quite a few were killed.
Tang Zhengyang suddenly took a deep breath of cold air after seeing the letter of appointment.
"This Eldest Princess really values Fifth Brother. A letter of appointment for a fifth-rank chief commander is given just like that. This is a high-ranking official position that many martial masters wouldn't even dare to dream of in their entire lives. If it were someone else, they would probably be grateful and rush to take office. Fifth Brother can maintain his original intention and not be impulsive even after receiving this letter of appointment. Instead, he came to ask for advice. This state of mind alone surpasses countless people. To walk steadily and far, one should have such a prudent mindset."
Tang Zhengyang stared at the letter of appointment for a long time, finally giving his advice, "If Fifth Brother's strength is below the seventh level of martial master, I would advise you to give up this letter of appointment. But now…"
Before he could finish speaking, the water in the copper kettle on the stove had already boiled, making a sharp hissing sound, and the lid of the kettle rattled as the boiling water moved it. A few drops of boiling water splashed out from the gap in the lid, landing on the red-hot charcoal in the stove, making a sizzling sound, and thick smoke billowed.
Tang Zhengyang picked up the copper kettle and poured a full cup of porcelain for Xie An, then continued, "Qingwu County only has two relatively presentable Jianghu sects, the Tiger Wolf Gate and the Heavenly Saber Society. The top experts among them are only third-level martial masters. The leader of martial arts in Nanyang Prefecture should be the Tai'a Daoist Academy. Apart from the people brought by the Eldest Princess, they can't cultivate eighth-level martial masters either. Looking at the entire Nanzhou, only the Nanzhou Daoist Academy can cultivate eighth and ninth-level martial masters. And Fifth Brother has already reached the level comparable to an eighth-level martial master, so these sects… the resources they can give to Fifth Brother are very limited."
Xie An gently took a sip of tea, feeling that the information provided by Tang Zhengyang was very valuable.
Tang Zhengyang continued, "The Great Qian encompasses thirty-six states in the world, with a vast territory. History records five thousand years of brilliant civilization. Each state has its own opportunities, and there are also some unknown relics hidden deep within. It's too difficult to find them on your own, no different from searching for a needle in a haystack. A person's life is only a hundred years. If you can borrow strength, you still have to borrow strength.
And the biggest stage to borrow strength is the Daoist sect and the imperial court."
Xie An became more and more interested as he listened, "Please tell me more, Brother."
Tang Zhengyang said, "Each dynasty will spend considerable manpower and resources to find relics and opportunities left on this land. Sects, aristocratic families, and clans are all like this. And the largest organizations among them are undoubtedly the current imperial court and the Daoist sect."
Xie An suddenly understood something, "Could it be that Second Brother, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother are also traveling around all year round to find these relics and opportunities?"
Tang Zhengyang nodded, "Exactly. The world is full of wonders. All kinds of precious plants, precious fish, demonic beasts, precious medicines, etc. If you can get one or two, there is a possibility of changing your fate. It is said that the relics of immortals are still left on the land of the Great Qian. Many emperors are crazy about it. The corpse refining and soul refining secret techniques created by the former Eternal Life Sect were also learned from ancient books in the relics."
Speaking of this, Tang Zhengyang suddenly raised his head and looked at Xie An with a solemn expression, "The Great Qian has established the country for a hundred years, and respects the Daoist sect as the state religion. Over the past hundred years, the Daoist sect and the imperial court have spent a lot of manpower and resources to win over the relics and treasures of the world. For Fifth Brother, this is the largest resource library.
Fifth Brother is exceptionally talented, and it is only a matter of time before he cultivates the Bright Jade Skill. He can't be like our other four brothers who are just making small troubles. Fifth Brother's life should not be limited to the Bright Jade Skill. He should go to higher places and see more magnificent scenery.
Only the imperial court and the Daoist sect have enough vast resources to support Fifth Brother to go to higher places."
Splash!
Tang Zhengyang picked up the kettle and poured water into Xie An's porcelain cup. The spout was raised quite high, and the hot boiling water fell from the spout, forming a transparent water line, surrounded by misty air.
Just like Xie An's beating heart at this moment.
He naturally felt that Tang Zhengyang said these words because he really regarded himself as a brother and hoped that Xie An would live better than Tang Zhengyang.
Moreover, what Tang Zhengyang said was very profound.
It hit Xie An's heart.
Xie An had similar ideas before, but Tang Zhengyang just said them bluntly.
He held the porcelain cup, feeling the warmth brought by the hot water in the cup, and remained silent.
Tang Zhengyang chuckled softly, "I know that Fifth Brother has been a servant and devotee for half his life, and he is naturally cautious. He is unwilling to take any risks. But… I have given you everything I can give you. The Bright Jade Skill is just the beginning. Once Fifth Brother crosses the mountain of the Bright Jade Skill, the road ahead… will be unknown. Fifth Brother still needs to find a way out on his own. Walking on an unknown road has risks to some extent.
Moreover, now that the Eldest Princess values you, she is a real towering tree. Fifth Brother only needs to make good use of the resources of this big tree, which is enough for Fifth Brother to go further. Reach a height that I can't even covet in my life. At that time, Fifth Brother will be much more relaxed when exploring that unknown road."
Xie An agreed with what he heard, and his heart was settled a lot.
He had lived for only eighty years in two lifetimes.
The old master Tang was one hundred and forty years old.
With nearly twice the time, what he saw and heard was indeed different.
"So, Brother, you agree with me going to the Demon Suppression Division to take office?"
Tang Zhengyang's eyes were like torches, "If it's just a fifth-rank Demon Suppression Chief Commander, I don't agree. Because this place is Nanzhou, and you killed the seventh son of the Prince of Huainan, the Prince of Huainan won't let you have an easy time. But since you have the Eldest Princess behind you, then there's no problem. Moreover, with the title of Chief Commander, the Prince of Huainan can't easily touch you.
In addition, there are too many resources in the Demon Suppression Division. You can obtain different treasures and pills by obtaining different merits. Moreover, the Demon Suppression Division does not completely belong to the imperial court, but also belongs to the Daoist sect. In the future, if you have connections with the Daoist sect, you can leave the Demon Suppression Division at any time, and the imperial court can't do anything to you."
Xie An took out a purple token and handed it to Tang Zhengyang with both hands.
Tang Zhengyang took it and looked at it. It was about half the size of a palm, an irregular hexagon, with a circle of lotus patterns carved around it. The front was engraved with the words "Xie An". The back was engraved with "Taiyi Dao · White."
After seeing the inscription on the back, Tang Zhengyang was so shocked that he suddenly sat up from his chair, his eyeballs bulging out for the most part, "This is also… given to you by the Eldest Princess?"
Xie An nodded, "She said it was an identity token for a direct disciple of the Taiyi Dao. I have little experience, so please help me take a look, Brother."
Tang Zhengyang was silent for a long time, sighing repeatedly, "This Eldest Princess is really good to you. It is indeed an identity token for a direct disciple of the Taiyi Dao. No one in the world dares to forge this white character."
"Is there any special meaning to this white character?"
Tang Zhengyang said, "I, as your elder brother, have limited experience, but I roughly know that 'Bai' is the name of the Taiyi Dao Sect Leader. Even His Majesty Jingtai has to avoid using this word. It is the most terrifying word in the Great Qian Dynasty.
How extraordinary is this Eldest Princess to have such skills! Without needing to go through the Taiyi Dao's assessment, she was able to get a direct disciple identity token for my fifth brother."
He picked up the token, solemnly returned it to Xie An, "With this token, you can even better serve as the Demon Suppression Commander. You can resign and leave whenever you want, as long as you don't violate the rules and laws, no one can stop you."
Xie An accepted the token, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, big brother. I understand."
Tang Zhengyang smiled and said, "I've only lived a few more years than you and have a little more experience. But the imperial court is a deep pool. Although my fifth brother is steady, he still needs to be extremely careful."
"I understand," Xie An got up to bid farewell, "If big brother is ready to begin closed-door cultivation, please let me know. I live in the Xie residence not far away."
"Certainly. Also, that Eldest Princess… fifth brother needs to pay special attention to her."
After leaving the Zhongting courtyard, the last bit of hesitation in Xie An's heart disappeared.
Especially Tang Zhengyang's words "go to a higher place" struck a chord with Xie An.
It was an objective statement, and also something Xie An needed to face.
The imperial court and the Daoist sects scour the world for treasures, relics, and resources, undoubtedly the greatest stage for martial arts and longevity. And Xie An now holds a Taiyi Dao direct disciple token in one hand and a fifth-rank Demon Suppression Division appointment in the other.
It was time to step onto a bigger stage.
It was far better than venturing into the martial world alone, searching for a few meager resources.
It would be foolish not to take advantage of such a good stage.
However, everything has two sides.
Entering the imperial court is like entering a deep sea. Every step forward requires careful consideration.
He also understood that in this chaotic world, without relatives or a prominent family background, no elders would cover for him if something happened. If Xie An wanted to go far, he could only carve out a path for himself step by step.
That's right, with his longevity destiny, he could indeed hide somewhere and cultivate the Bright Jade Skill to perfection.
But then what?
The Bright Jade Skill alone cannot support his quest for immortality. Moreover, even if he cultivated the Bright Jade Skill to perfection, he would not be invincible in the Great Qian Dynasty.
With a longevity destiny, Xie An needed to obtain better life-nurturing techniques, better longevity secrets, precious medicines, and so on.
Living in the Great Qian Dynasty, completely breaking away from the Great Qian court to develop was unrealistic.
Now, with the Eldest Princess as a support, he could be stable for a while, taking the opportunity to use the Demon Suppression Division as a large stage to access more resources and treasures, which was what he should be doing.
Having made up his mind, Xie An no longer hesitated, and his mood became cheerful.
It was afternoon, the sun was scorching.
Although he had drunk a lot of wine, Xie An didn't feel tipsy. Not to mention that the Great Qian's distilled wine was not strong, at most only twenty degrees. Even if it was high-proof liquor, with Xie An's current Bright Jade Skill level, he could evaporate the alcohol with a little circulation of heat.
Before leaving the Tang Family Fortress, Xie An made a special trip to visit Little Red Sugar.
Little Red Sugar and Tang Linshi were gathered at the table, piecing together a pile of shredded paper.
Little Red Sugar kept reminding, "Mother, slow down, don't piece it wrong. This map can't be careless. If it's pieced wrong, what will happen if Little Grandfather gets lost again and wanders for a few more years?"
Tang Linshi was rendered speechless by Little Red Sugar, but she didn't have the heart to point it out, and still followed Little Red Sugar's lead, "Okay, okay, I'll slow down. Look, is this right?"
"Yes, that's right. It's okay."
Tang Linshi: "…"
Xie An stood at the door watching the mother and daughter so attentively, and felt a little warmth in his heart. He didn't go in to disturb them, but quietly left.
When he returned to the Xie residence, it was already late afternoon.
As soon as he entered the door, Xie An saw that the house had been completely transformed.
The originally withered flowers and plants had been replaced with new, lush green ones. Lanterns were hung on the gate of the residence, the inner gate, and the corridors. Carpets were also laid inside and outside the inner gate.
The not-so-grand three-courtyard residence had a completely new look. It was filled with a warm atmosphere of life and was also majestic.
Xie An felt good looking at it. Stepping into the inner gate, he came to the central courtyard, where he saw Han Li holding pruning shears, trimming a bed of chrysanthemums in the corner of the wall, while He Chunli was holding a stepladder, and Yu He was standing on the ladder, holding a hammer in one hand and a nail in the other, knocking on the beam under the eaves, and asking, "Little He, see if I hit it right, we'll hang lanterns later."
He Chunli glanced from time to time, "A little to the left, a little more to the left, okay, stop."
Clang clang clang!
Yu He confirmed the position of the nail, began to swing the hammer, hitting it with a "clang" sound.
Xie An leaned against the door frame watching them work, and felt more and more like a home, and couldn't help but smile.
The technological level of the Great Qian Dynasty was similar to that of ancient times in his previous life. The misconception that ancient buildings used mortise and tenon technology instead of nails had been around for a long time, but in fact, nails had been widely used for a long time.
As early as ancient Egypt, bronze nails appeared. As far as Xie An's previous life was concerned, nails existed in the Han Dynasty.
Although the mortise and tenon structure was strong, using nails on some small parts and thin components could more effectively fix and reinforce them. For example, the rafters on the roof beams, the sheathing on the roof, and the corner beams of ancient building ridges usually required specially customized nails to stabilize them.
Later, many buildings formed a connection method based on mortise and tenon joints, supplemented by wood tenon connections, iron nail connections, and material splicing.
After hammering in the nails, Yu He hung up the red lanterns, stepped off the ladder and looked at them from a distance, with a smile on her face, obviously satisfied with her masterpiece, "It looks much more comfortable this way. When the master comes back and sees it, he will definitely be happy."
He Chunli also smiled, "It's still Yu He who is clever. Han and I can't live such a prosperous life."
Han Li quipped at this time, "When will you marry Chunlan home then it will be okay."
Although He Chunli was looking forward to it, his face turned red, and he stubbornly said, "It's really boring to chat with you."
Suddenly, a familiar voice came, "I think what Han Li said is good, why is it boring?"
Everyone turned around.
He Chunli drooped his head, "What Master said is right."
Yu He stepped forward and took Xie An's arm, "Master. Do you think the house is well decorated?"
Xie An nodded with a smile, giving a very high evaluation, "Warm and elegant, with a strong atmosphere of life, it looks much more comfortable."
Yu He was extremely satisfied, "It's good that master likes it, I'll go cook dinner. Little He, Little Han, come and lend a hand."
The two disciples followed to the kitchen to get busy.
As dusk approached, the food was served.
The four people sat together and ate the first reunion dinner in four years. They also drank a little wine. Although there were not many words during the meal, it seemed extraordinarily warm.
After the meal, the two disciples also moved their stools to sit around Xie An, listening to Xie An talk about the past four years. And Yu He served fruits, and they talked until dawn before they dispersed to rest.
The next morning.
Xie An got up early to practice the Bright Jade Skill.
He did not become tired or lazy because of his good achievements, nor was he proud and complacent, but remained humble and diligent.
It's just a pity that the progress did not increase at all.
Fortunately, Xie An had expected this, so he didn't feel disappointed.
"Big Brother Tang is right, it's better to have more skills than less. The Bright Jade Skill improves slowly in the short term, so I should also practice martial arts and break through to Martial Master as soon as possible. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, it can also be considered an efficient use of time."
With this in mind, Xie An took out the brocade box that Tang Zhengyang gave him, ready to take a Internal Strength Pill to break through to become a Internal Strength Martial Master.
Just as he was about to take it, Yu He hurried in from outside, "Master. Liu Chunlai is looking for you."
