In the imperial study.
Emperor Yonghe reorganized the memorials that he had messed up.
As an emperor, one cannot act on impulse, so if one loses control of his emotions, he must calm down afterwards...
The Feiyu Guards are the eyes and ears of Emperor Yonghe, but the best among them are those who are between the third and first level of spirit refining, and Chu Xing is a third level spirit refining person.
In the past few decades, there has been considerable progress in martial arts throughout the world, mainly referring to the Martial Saints and the Martial Arts Association.
The Great Yan Dynasty, as well as major sects such as Wudang and Shaolin that were destroyed by the Martial Saint, all practiced what the Wu Ji Hui called "ancient methods", and were still stuck in the old martial arts world of forty years ago.
Therefore, it is really beyond the scope to expect the spiritual warriors in Feiyu Guard to go deep into the capital city of Daqin and dig up intelligence from the King of Qin or the immortal cultivators behind the King of Qin.
Whether it is the mysterious Qiao family or the details of King Qin, Feiyuwei can't dig up the details...
"Your Majesty." At this time, Feiyu Wei Chuxing stepped in from outside the door:
"The herbalist has found the herb you requested."
"Oh?" Emperor Yonghe's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said quickly:
"Bring it up quickly, so I can take a look."
Chu Xing opened the jade box, and saw inside the box a snow lotus that was as crystal clear as a beautiful jade.
"This is a kind of snow lotus that grows in the extremely cold land of Beizhou. It is very precious and extremely rare. It is called Winter Snow Lotus." Chu Xing introduced:
"It blooms only once every ten years, and the blooming period lasts only a moment. Only when it is picked during that moment and stored in a special jade box will the medicinal effect not diminish."
"The herbalists waited for three months in the snowy mountains of Beizhou for the flowers to bloom... But the herbalists stayed in the snow for too long and their toes were frozen off."
Emperor Yonghe hesitated for a moment and said:
"Then you shall be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver."
"Your Majesty, should this winter snow lotus be dealt with as usual? Divide it into two parts, with three parts sent to Qianyuan Palace and seven parts sent to the Taoist temple of Da Dao Sect?" Chu Xing asked again.
"That's right." Emperor Yonghe nodded and sighed slightly.
Most of the natural treasures in this world are in the hands of immortal cultivators.
The remaining parts are basically located in some strange and dangerous places. They are either difficult to mine, or extremely dangerous, or guarded by monsters, or the dangers of the place itself are so great that even cultivators may die.
Thus, herbalists came into being.
Although immortal cultivators have long lifespans, if they were to collect herbs themselves, their efficiency would naturally be many times higher than that of ordinary people.
But it is more appropriate to let mortals do such tiring and dangerous work as collecting herbs.
Over the years, the imperial palace kept three-tenths of the various rare and earthly treasures it had confiscated for itself and paid seven-tenths as tribute.
As for the three points that the palace kept for itself... ..
"This main ingredient is extraordinary. With this ingredient, the furnace of Qi and Blood Medicine can be opened again. I wonder how many years of power it can increase this time? The ancestor has been waiting for many years, so it must be delivered immediately."
Emperor Yonghe thought about it and changed his words:
"Forget it, just put it down, I'll go there myself."
It just so happened that there had been turmoil in the Great Qin Prefecture recently, with the incident of the Da Dao Sect supporting the King of Qin. The Yonghe Emperor was really tired, and he also wanted to meet the ancestor who was the pillar of the royal family.
... ..
The imperial palace's kitchen.
A tall and muscular chef was swinging his knife vigorously. The knife in his hand easily cut into the gaps between the muscles and bones of the cow, and the whole cow was quickly dismembered under his knife.
He has excellent knife skills. The kitchen knife in his hands is like a butterfly flying through flowers, dazzling, fast and good.
"Xiao Hu, you are really good at knife skills. Why do you want to be a chef?" Other chefs also praised:
"It's not that the chefs in the imperial kitchen are bad. For a chef to be able to work in the imperial kitchen, that's really the top..."
"Honestly speaking, you are so good with a knife, but your cooking skills are only third-rate. If you enter the imperial kitchen, you can only be a meat cutter at best, which is a bit of a waste of your talent."
The young cook named Hu smiled slightly:
"I don't want to be a royal chef. My ambition is to learn martial arts."
"?" The other chefs and assistants were stunned for a moment.
"What are you talking about? Did you come to the wrong place? This is the imperial kitchen. We are completely different."
"You really don't want to be a warrior's helper. Isn't that a good cook? What you said is totally unrelated. How can the knife skills of cutting meat in the imperial kitchen be the same as the knife skills of a warrior?"
Amid the discussion, the young chef named Hu remained unmoved and even looked a little strange:
"Haven't you heard of it?"
"Decades ago, there was an imperial chef named Hu who walked into the imperial kitchen. After he put down his butcher knife, he immediately became the best swordsman in the world. His skill of butchering an ox with the butcher knife was unmatched in the world."
"Didn't he practice his sword skills in the imperial kitchen?"
"You believe this absurd rumor?" The others were speechless.
"Why don't you believe it? Cutting meat in the imperial kitchen is also a process of honing a warrior's character. He has been slaughtering cattle for decades and has become the leader in swordsmanship, ranking tenth in the world. I am just imitating my predecessors, so what's wrong with that?" said the young man surnamed Hu.
At this time, footsteps were heard outside the door. It was Chu Xing, the emperor's personal guard, who walked over.
"Prepare medicinal food for Qianyuan Palace... Huiling Red Fruit, Snow Bone Ginseng, Purple Smoke Fruit... Prepare all of these, as the medicinal food will be needed."
Chu Xing had no intention of chatting with these imperial chefs and left in a hurry.
But before leaving, he glanced at the young helper named Hu and shook his head secretly:
"This chicken soup is not something you can just drink casually."
"That swordsman named Hu in the past did become the leader of swordsmanship in the imperial palace's kitchen... But rumors are just rumors, only half of the truth. There is more to the truth than that."
"How is it possible that a chef in this world could suddenly realize the truth, put down his butcher knife, and become the leader of the sword art? Does he think that all other warriors are idiots?"
Chu Xing is not only the emperor's personal guard, but also a Feiyu Guard who is responsible for gathering information. He knows much more than ordinary people.
"When the former leader of the sword arts was still the imperial chef, he was a very good cook, and for this he won the favor of the old ancestor in the deep palace."
"The old man was in a good mood, and he saw that he was a talented man with a good understanding of martial arts, so he gave him some extra pointers on weekdays."
"So it's not that easy for this kid named Hu to imitate Qianren... It's not that easy to become the leader of the sword art."
“No matter how good your knife skills are, without the guidance of seniors, you will still be far from the right path.”
The top ten in the martial arts world over the past forty years were ten superb warriors.
The royal ancestor in the deep palace lived too long, so the martial arts he mastered were a little more than those of ordinary super-class warriors. It was more than enough for him to guide the younger generation.
After giving instructions to the imperial kitchen, Chu Xing went straight to the deep palace.
The existence of the royal ancestor is also a secret.
Ordinary people only know that there is a royal elder with a very high seniority in the deep palace, but they don’t know how long this royal elder has lived, or whether he has martial arts skills... In fact, Chu Xing is not too sure either.
But he was, after all, a martial artist who cultivated his spirits, and he had accompanied Emperor Yonghe for many years, so he could guess a lot of things.
...
It was morning, the light was dim, and the scenery in the Imperial Garden was just perfect.
Some nobles in the palace and royal relatives got up early and practiced boxing in this imperial garden.
They gathered in groups of three or five, saying they were practicing boxing, but in fact they were just killing time.
How could the nobles in the palace bear the hardship of practicing martial arts
They practiced boxing under the morning sun. Their movements were slow, soft, without any strength or spirit. It was more like a kind of boxing exercise to stretch the body than practicing boxing.
If Qiao Mu were here, he would definitely be able to see that what these people were practicing was actually a completely distorted version of Qiao Changsheng Fist.
One hundred years ago, the Qiao family in Heyang produced a centenarian master, who became famous throughout the world. Later, he was summoned to the palace to teach boxing, but it was obvious that these nobles only had the desire for longevity and had no determination to practice boxing diligently.
The only exception is a white-haired old man in the corner.
The white-haired old man's hair was completely white, but he didn't have many wrinkles and didn't look old. In particular, his eyes were sharp and bright, completely different from those of ordinary old people.
This old man's movements were also very slow, but there was a subtle rhythm between his punches and his breathing, and there were even two visible streams of white steam coming out of his nostrils, which flickered up and down as his punches moved. It was obviously different from the boxing practiced by the other nobles next to him.
"Hu..." After finishing a set of boxing, the old man stood with his fists folded, and gently exhaled a puff of white steam.
However, the white vapor was quite condensed in the morning light, like a long arrow that took a long time to dissipate.
"Are you here?" The old man asked quietly without turning around.
I don't know since when, but there was no one around in the imperial garden and it suddenly became quiet.
The palace nobles who were chatting in groups of three or five just now had left on their own, and were replaced by Emperor Yonghe who strode in, followed by several guards.
"Ancestor." Emperor Yonghe bowed slightly with a respectful attitude.
"Since you are here, listen to what I have to say." The white-haired old man said:
"In the past, Great Yan Taizu established his country with the sword of the king and conquered the world on horseback. It was not just because of his strong soldiers and horses, but also because Taizu's martial arts were the best in the world at that time."
"If one's martial arts skills are mastered to the highest level, he can be a fierce general who can defeat thousands of enemies on the battlefield. In the chaotic times two or three hundred years ago, Taizu would naturally have a large number of followers."
"And the 'Imperial True Skill' created by Taizu was also the best skill in the world at that time."
"In addition to the 'Imperial Real Skill', the 'Eternal Life Fist' of the Heyang Qiao family is also a unique skill. It is said that its origin can be traced back to the Changsheng Sect, one of the Nine Heavenly Immortal Sects."
"This martial art can last even with age, but it's a pity that when the 100-year-old master of the Qiao family in Heyang entered the palace to teach boxing a hundred years ago, the nobles in the palace were all pampered and could not bear the hardship of practicing martial arts. They did not practice to perfection, so they died early and could not survive me."
"So... did you understand, Emperor?" The white-haired old man picked up a handful of ginseng and started chewing it, just like chewing a sweet potato.
"In the past, Taizu had a strong army and outstanding martial arts. This was the basis for his great achievements in the troubled times."
"Son of Heaven, those with the strongest troops and horses should do it!"
Emperor Yonghe's eyes twitched slightly when he heard this.
If you say this to anyone in this world, it would be considered treason.
Even the royal family did not dare to say such words in front of Emperor Yonghe, otherwise they would be regarded as having the intention of rebellion.
But only the person in front of me can do it.
Because of his existence, he is the stabilizer of the Great Yan royal family.
The white-haired old man continued:
"But in this era, aliens are in a high position. Even if we have strong soldiers and horses, we cannot defeat them."
"So our Yan family needs not only strong soldiers and horses, but also our own martial arts. Fists are the foundation."
"Emperor, how long has it been since you last practiced martial arts?"
"Practicing ordinary external martial arts may shorten your lifespan, but the royal arsenal is full of superior martial arts."
"Even if you don't practice martial arts to a very advanced level, it can still strengthen your body and help you live longer."
Facing the old man's words, Emperor Yonghe could only smile bitterly:
"The government affairs are very heavy, especially in recent years, the immortal sects have become more and more rampant. I have been walking on thin ice for the past forty years, struggling to maintain a fragile balance. How can I have time to practice martial arts?"
Taizu established the country through military force, and his descendants have continued for two or three hundred years to the present day. Naturally, the direct line is the branch of Emperor Yonghe.
It’s just that the emperor has a prominent status, and even if he doesn’t know martial arts, he can still make all the warriors in the world bow down to him. Therefore, most emperors do not have a high level of martial arts skills, nor do they need to have a high level of martial arts skills.
As for the princes and grandchildren of the branch families, their number was naturally countless, and there were also many who practiced martial arts among them.
Yan Shenji is one of them.
As the saying goes, a poor scholar is good at literature, but a rich warrior is. To master martial arts, one naturally needs to take in a lot of medicinal herbs, meat and other dietary supplements.
But the Yanshen Machine is different.
He has a physique known as a medicinal spirit body. He is naturally close to herbs and medicinal materials and can absorb the medicinal power of herbs very well, so he doesn't have to worry about any side effects of the herbs.
He had already eaten all kinds of elixirs that could prolong life and hundred-year-old red fruits that could increase one's martial arts skills by sixty years.
When martial arts are practiced to the level of super-level, it is basically the domain of those who have to cheat.
Some of them include those with special physiques, extraordinary talents, numerous adventures, or even those who possess all three, such as Martial Saints and Sword Immortals. They are legendary figures in martial arts that ordinary people can never reach in their entire lives.
The Yan Shen Ji is a martial arts legend among the Great Yan royal family.
Over the past forty years, seven out of ten natural treasures acquired by the royal family were handed over to the Immortal Sect, and the remaining three out of ten basically fell into the belly of Yan Shenji.
Emperor Yonghe felt emotional when he saw Yan Shenji chewing ginseng like sweet potato.
It is impossible for an ordinary warrior to spend money like this. As the saying goes, all medicines are poisonous. No matter how rich you are, you can't eat famous medicines.