Chapter 105 Medicinal Bath
A chance to be reborn? Zhao Duan's eyes lit up:
"May I ask, Your Majesty, what exactly is it?"
Xu Zhenguan was too lazy to explain, he just glanced at him and snorted:
"I won't disappoint you in the end, just wait."
Immediately, the empress in white gently waved her sleeves. Zhao Duan's eyes blurred and he was shocked to find that he had retreated dozens of feet and was standing at the door of the Yangxin Palace.
Miraculous skills... Can this be considered a martial arts method?
Zhao Duan was fascinated, and then he covered his stomach with a bitter face:
"I haven't eaten yet."
…
After the empress spoke, Zhao Duan had no choice but to hide in the side hall and wait patiently, eating up all the fruits and cakes on the table.
Take this opportunity to sort out the follow-up:
"Well, after today, there will be some commotion in the Imperial Court. Two vacancies in the Criminal Investigation Department will be vacant, and new people will be needed to fill them. Hmm, so maybe my Lihua Hall can take advantage of this opportunity to move up the rankings."
But he just thought about it and didn't care about the ranking.
As for whether there are still rebels within the imperial court, it is not his concern.
Even if there are, they are probably just small fish and shrimps and will not amount to anything.
"But speaking of it, the Second Prince was defeated and died, and the Kuangfu Society didn't fall apart, but it still has such great power..."
Zhao Duan smacked his lips, thinking that the rumors might be true.
Behind the Kuangfu Society, there are definitely the "Eight Kings" supporting it.
This is the only way to explain why this group of rebels can’t be killed off.
Although the second prince is dead, they can still support a prince to ascend the throne, which is still considered as the merit of following the dragon.
"Forget it. This is too far from me. I am just a pawn charging into battle."
Zhao Duan has a clear understanding of his own positioning.
It seems glorious, but it is still a vine dependent on the bigwigs in the court.
After witnessing the terrifying strength of his cheap senior brother, he became more and more eager to master his own martial arts.
…
He waited like this until dark, when his stomach started to growl again.
As the sun set and the sky darkened into night, someone finally remembered him.
"Hai Gongsheng!?" Zhao Duan was shocked. "Why are you here?"
Outside the side hall, there suddenly appeared an old eunuch wearing a bright red python robe, with a slightly hunched figure, a ruddy face, and a strong aura.
The royal family’s chief priest, Lao Hai.
Eunuch Hai stood with his hands behind his back, followed by a eunuch holding a lantern.
This master of the inner court, who rarely left the "Martial Arts Hall" and appeared in other parts of the palace, seemed to smile at the corner of his eyes:
"Why, you don't want to see our family?"
Zhao Duan stood up to greet him with a bright smile:
"What are you talking about? My Lord has summoned me, and I dare not refuse."
Eunuch Hai seemed to enjoy his flattery. He looked at him and said with emotion:
"I heard that you have made great contributions again. Good boy, it hasn't been long, but you have already changed your skin."
The words refer to the official robes of the "Jisi" official.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Wherever I go, the innermost thing is the waist badge I offer to you."
Eunuch Hai was quite satisfied with this display of loyalty and scolded with a smile:
"Stop talking so sweetly. His Majesty sent us here to make some preparations. Let's go."
Having said that, he turned and walked out.
Zhao Duan hurriedly raised his legs to catch up.
He was immediately surprised to find that there were not just one or two eunuchs holding lanterns behind Eunuch Hai, but more than thirty eunuchs.
But he was not a tribute, just an ordinary eunuch.
These people stood in two rows neatly, each holding or holding something that looked like a food box.
Holding lanterns in their free hands, they followed silently behind. In the dark night, they looked like two red fire dragons.
"What are these..." Zhao Duan was puzzled.
The old eunuch in the dragon robe walked in front with his hands behind his back and said calmly:
"You'll know later. Haha, it's all prepared for you."
Damn, a bunch of riddlers... Zhao Duan didn't give up. He followed the old priest and asked him indirectly.
Eunuch Hai was annoyed by him and said helplessly:
"Why are you so talkative?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Father, please explain clearly what this Yijing marrow cleansing and rebirth is, and I will naturally not ask."
The group had now left the Yangxin Palace, but did not head towards the Wugong Palace. Instead, they turned a corner and headed towards the southwest corner of the palace.
After nightfall, the entire palace became a sea of lights.
The patrolling guards and the eunuchs and palace maids coming and going are like fireflies dancing in the summer night.
It is naturally dark in remote places and there is no light.
But Zhao Duan glanced and noticed that the direction they were heading to was particularly bright.
There are also several golden buildings that are very eye-catching.
"Forget it," Eunuch Hai sighed, "Young people are always impatient. Do you know where the road ahead lies?"
"I don't know." Zhao Duan shook his head frankly.
Eunuch Hai smiled and said:
"When this palace was built, it included a hot spring and turned it into a natural bathing area for the imperial family. It is now called the 'Tangquan Palace'."
Tangquan Palace... Zhao Duan had heard of this name.
Among the folk stories of the Qing Dynasty, there is a very popular one called "The Concubine Emerging from the Bath", which is based on the Tangquan Palace. It is said that its sales volume is extremely high.
Zhao Duan asked doubtfully:
"So? Your Majesty won't let me take a bath in the palace, will he?"
Eunuch Hai ignored him and continued:
"There are thirty-six hot spring pools of various sizes within the Tangquan Palace. Having been nourished by dragon energy for hundreds of years, the water is first-rate, especially for warriors."
Good water…Zhao Duan’s expression changed slightly.
He thought, could it be that he is rewarding me with drinking the empress's bath water... He was shocked by this perverted idea.
Eunuch Hai didn't know what he was thinking, so he said slowly:
"Since you've practiced martial arts for many years, you should know how important a strong physique is to a warrior."
Zhao Duan nodded and said:
"When I was learning martial arts, my master said that how far one can go on the path of cultivation depends heavily on the two words 'roots and bones'. 'Roots' refers to the spiritual roots of a sorcerer, and 'bones' refers to the skeleton of a warrior."
In the Dayu Dynasty, there were far more warriors than sorcerers.
Relevant knowledge is also more popular.
As the saying goes, "The poor are good at literature, but the rich are good at martial arts." Those who practice martial arts not only have to practice hard day after day for years, but also have to use a large amount of medicinal herbs to cultivate qi and blood, and nourish the body.
Abbreviation: body training.
Eunuch Hai said, "I have examined your bones and can only be considered average. You are not bad by nature, but the medicinal herbs you have used for physical training since childhood are very ordinary, so your physical foundation is not good enough.
You are still young now, so you cannot see it clearly. But when you reach a high level in your practice or grow older, you will know how crucial the quality of your physique is in influencing your practice.
Oh, I know, you might say that many powerful warriors in history also came from poor backgrounds, but you should also know that these warriors' lifespans were far shorter than those of fellow sorcerers. This is because their foundation was not strong enough.
It may seem like the pinnacle is brilliant, but in reality, it is life that is being overdrawn.”
Zhao Duan frowned:
"But I heard that once bones are formed, they cannot be changed."
Eunuch Hai corrected:
“It’s not impossible, but difficult.
The older you get, the harder it becomes to improve your cultivation. At your age and level, changing is already quite difficult, but it's still far from being difficult enough to reverse.
"And the so-called Yijing marrow cleansing is to use secret methods to help people rebuild their bodies and re-temper and solidify the foundation of a warrior."
The old eunuch in the dragon robe glanced at him and said:
"I don't know what great luck you have, kid. With the little merit you have achieved so far, it's far from enough to warrant a round of Yijing marrow cleansing, but His Majesty has granted you the permission, haha."
Zhao Duan finally understood and his heart began to pound.
The reward the empress gave him was actually an opportunity to be reborn and rebuild the foundation of his cultivation.
And from Eunuch Hai's somewhat bitter words, it is enough to know that this opportunity is rare.
Not to mention the impact on his future cultivation limit, the mere "increased lifespan" is enough to make him delighted.
…
As they were talking, the group stepped into the "Tangquan Palace".
I saw that there was a garden here, with white walls and black tiles around it, pine and cypress trees standing side by side, and in the center were hot spring pools.
The ground is paved with white stones, interspersed with bronze lampposts.
Although it was night, the hot air rising from the spring still formed a large amount of mist, like a fairyland.
"Is this the pool where the nobles in the palace bathe?" Zhao Duan was curious.
Eunuch Hai glanced at him, as if he could see what he was thinking, and said:
"Don't even think about it. His Majesty won't be in this open-air hot spring, but up ahead."
Zhao Duan looked up and saw an antique pavilion standing in the distance, with the words "Qingchi" written on a plaque in a flamboyant style.
The largest spring pool is inside the building, and those outside in the open air are obviously much lower-level.
At this moment, this area was empty. Eunuch Hai led him to a hot spring pool and waved his hand, saying:
"Let's get started."
Then, more than 30 eunuchs behind him surrounded the hot spring and opened the boxes in their hands.
All kinds of priceless and extremely precious natural treasures were poured into the pool, and the sound of splashing was endless.
“Wow—”
There were also eunuchs holding huge wooden spoons to stir the food.
In a moment, this hot spring pool has become a bathing tub for medicinal baths.
"Take off your clothes and go in." Eunuch Hai said lightly.
Zhao Duan was shocked by this generous move.
At a quick glance, any single herb is worth at least a thousand taels:
Tianshan Seven-Colored Lotus, Dragon Vein Six Dynasties Fruit, Golden Ganoderma Jade Leaf, Barbarian Song Flower, Ascension Immortal Grass...
The treasures among them are worthy of being taken out to the Yaozhitang in the capital to be passed down from generation to generation as treasures.
But at this moment, it was dumped into the pond at will, which was enough to make all the warriors in the world jealous and denounce it as a waste of resources.
"oh oh!"
Zhao Duan immediately tore off his clothes and jumped in without caring about the eunuchs around him.
"Take it off completely, leaving nothing behind." Eunuch Hai said calmly.
No... I'm just trying to save your face and take care of your mood... Zhao Duan looked at the only remaining shorts and raised his eyebrows.
He kicked it away cleanly, and the group of eunuchs immediately turned their heads away in sadness and inferiority.
I thought that it made perfect sense for His Majesty to choose Envoy Zhao as his concubine.
“Plop!”
Zhao Duan jumped into the hot spring and instantly felt every pore on his body breathing:
"Father-in-law, is it okay for me to just meditate and absorb the medicinal power?"
Eunuch Hai shook his head and said:
"To be reborn is an act that defies heaven. These natural treasures are merely supplementary ingredients. The most crucial thing is that you need a powerful person to give you enlightenment and rebuild your foundation."
Initiation... Zhao Duan's face showed some resistance:
"Did the eunuch do this for me?"
Eunuch Hai shook his head and said:
"Although we can do it, our cultivation is ultimately insufficient and we cannot achieve perfection. His Majesty is truly gracious to you and will personally grant you an initiation tonight. Just wait patiently."
After saying this, the old eunuch in the dragon robe waved his sleeves and led a group of eunuchs who were hurt by their sad past away, without taking away a trace of cloud.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Duan was the only one left in the entire Tangquan Palace.
He was stunned for a long time before he realized what was going to happen.
Suddenly I looked up at the brightly lit building in the distance.
I saw the door on the second floor of the pavilion suddenly opened.
A "fairy" dressed in white, with long black hair like a waterfall, and extremely beautiful, came on the wind and landed in the garden.
The Queen of Dayu seemed to have just finished bathing. Her skin was as white as steamed powder, with a hint of pink in her fair complexion.
Her long hair was loose and wet, hanging behind her neck in a very casual and lazy manner.
A pair of naked, white, delicate and slender feet stepped on the warm white stone, each toe curled up and then stretched out.
Just an inch from his feet were Zhao Duan's clothes scattered on the ground.
Xu Zhenguan was like a fairy descending to the earth. She lowered her eyes and looked down at Zhao Duan, who was soaking in the soup with only his head exposed. Her gaze was indifferent.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?!"
(End of this chapter)
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