Chapter 40 - s Autumn is About to End
Chapter 40 of "Red Heart Patrols the Sky" opens with: 40: 36 chapters Autumn is About to End 40: 36 chapters Autumn is About to... See what unfolds next!
40: 36 chapters Autumn is About to End 40: 36 chapters Autumn is About to End After completing his morning exercises and cultivating his Path Origin, Jiang Wang sent Jiang Anan off to school and then headed out of town to see off Du Yehu.
Leaving on a long journey in those days wasn’t easy, but rather filled with the bitter sorrow of life and death separations.
One reason humans gathered to live in villages, towns, and cities was the endless presence of wild beasts, including the fierce and mystical creatures hidden in the mountains and wilderness.
Towns were safe places, and beyond them, there were the official roads.
It’s not that the Array Patterns etched into the official roads were infallible — Zhuang Ting could neither afford nor manage such an enormous endeavor.
In fact, the effectiveness of those Array Patterns was mostly to deter.
A more practical approach was that Zhuang Ting would deploy powerful Cultivators to regularly clear these roads — officially called “plowing the land” — to ensure that creatures without spiritual intelligence but with keen instincts remembered the danger and dared not approach lightly.
With Du Yehu’s strength, as long as he stuck to the official roads, there wasn’t too much danger.
By the time Jiang Wang arrived at the outskirts of the city, Zhao Rucheng and Ling He were already there, and there was no one else.
Among the brothers, Du Yehu, who was bold and had many friends, did not like to fuss over sentimentalities.
Thus, he hadn’t informed the others of his enlistment and had asked Ling He to pass on the news afterward.
A table with drinks was set up in the open field, unquestionably the work of Zhao Rucheng.
Jiang Wang took out the “Four Spirits Body Refinement Technique” he had copied overnight and handed it to Du Yehu.
After flipping through just a couple of pages, Du Yehu’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Brother Three, this is really something!”
“Let me see, let me see,” Zhao Rucheng curiously leaned in.
But after reading just a few lines, he turned his head, “Body Refinement, huh?
That’s exhausting.”
“Such a good Cultivation Technique!” Du Yehu, frustrated like a smith with flawed iron, said, “Take another look and you won’t want to let go of it.”
Although he immediately recognized the technique as a complete and elevated version of the White Tiger Body Refinement Technique, he didn’t ask Jiang Wang where it came from.
When Jiang Wang wanted to share, he would naturally do so.
Everyone had their own secrets, even Jiang Anan had little things they didn’t wish to share with others; there was no need to pry too deeply.
He didn’t have any desire to keep it all to himself; he had fallen for the technique at first sight and hoped his brothers wouldn’t miss out on it, either.
Zhao Rucheng waved his hand dismissively, “Too long; didn’t read.”
Turning to Ling He, Du Yehu saw Ling He shake his head, “I am currently focusing on stabilizing my meridians to maintain my connection with Tongtian Palace; I can’t be distracted by other techniques.”
Ling He was a cautious person, taking one step at a time.
Put together, the brothers were only short by just over twenty points of Dao merit.
These past days, he had been doing missions; tackling tasks rated at entry-level was tough given his strength, so he mostly did minor tasks following his seniors.
As a result, he accrued very little Dao merit, usually only one or two points at a time, and sometimes he came back empty-handed.
Nevertheless, he was getting closer and closer to becoming Transcendent.
Jiang Wang, smiling, said, “I also intend to cultivate my body with this technique.
We will see who has progressed further when we meet again.”
“I can’t match your swordsmanship talent, but with this soldier’s cultivation method…heh, just you wait and see,” Du Yehu was brimming with confidence.
“Then, see you in Xin’an!”
“See you in Xin’an.”
Jiang Wang and the others were headed to Xin’an City for the rite of passage into the national institute.
As for Du Yehu, he too would have to at least become a real power-wielding general within the Jiujiang Xuan Armors to have a chance to display his martial skills at Zhuang Capital.
Magnificent imaginings of the future were interwoven into the idle chats of the young men.
The brothers casually ate a few bites and exchanged a few words.
Other than Ling He, who never drank, the remaining three each drank three large bowls, a toast for farewell, without any tears staining their clothes.
Then, Du Yehu also raised a bowl in the direction of the southwest but said nothing; he merely poured it out.
Everyone knew who he was saying farewell to.
This time, Du Yehu set out for Jiujiang from the south gate, following the official road.
The path that led to the green willows by the riverside lay in the southwest direction.
The recruitment for Jiujiang Xuan Armors had its doors wide open, from the Military Division to the Dao institutes, as this army was considered the face of Zhuang Country.
So, his departure from the city’s Dao institute required few formalities.
All that needed to be said had already been said; even if you accompany someone a thousand miles, you must eventually part ways.
“I’m off!”
In the end, that was all Du Yehu said before he slung his bundle over his shoulder and, empty-handed, hit the road.
At that moment, there was no wind or rain, and the clouds began to part.
As the autumn days were coming to an end.
…
Lin Zhenglun, a member of the Lin Family’s side branch in Wangjiang City, had recently become quite the talk of the town.
Firstly, he had married a widow, a move that got people laughing, but he paid them no mind, as the couple lived happily and harmoniously after their marriage.
Not many days later, he pried open the medicinal herb market of Fenglin City.
In the highly commercial Wangjiang City, this undoubtedly won him considerable recognition and also allowed him to start taking control of the Lin family’s internal medicinal herb business.
It seemed as though a side branch was transforming into the main family line, a sparrow turning into a phoenix.
Only then did people realize that the widow he had married was no ordinary woman.
She came with a dowry!
The most reputable medicinal herb store in all of Fengxi Town.
Who didn’t know that the medicinal herb business in Fenglin City depended entirely on the harvests from Fengxi Town?
And within Fengxi Town, the Jiang Family’s medicinal shop was well-known and covertly dominant.
Of course, it had now taken on the Lin surname as well.
Originally, the Lin family’s medicinal herbs struggled to make their way into Fenglin City, but no one had anticipated that Lin Zhenglun would find an alternative route, breaking the impasse with a marriage.
This left many who realized too late filled with regret, since the widow was not only quite beautiful herself but also brought with her such a profitable asset.
Atop Wangjiang Tower in Wangjiang City, sitting within and gazing into the distance, the mighty Qing River, like the body of a Jiao Dragon, twisted and turned within view.
Lin Zhenglun was seated in the place of honor, toasting with a newly acquainted friend, basking in the flattery of those present, utterly pleased with himself.
Stomp~ Stomp~ Stomp!
The sound of someone climbing upstairs was so clear that Lin Zhenglun turned to see who was being so inconsiderate.
After all, he had booked this whole level for himself.
The moment he looked, those seated with him had already begun to rise to their feet.
“Young Master Lin.”
“Young Master Lin!”
There were many with the surname Lin, but only one could make so many prestigious individuals bow and scrape like this.
That was none other than the direct heir of the Lin Clan Leader, the certain future Clan Leader, Lin Zhengli.
Lin Zhenglun instinctively started to rise, but forced himself to remain seated, smilingly saying, “Zhengli brother, what brings you to Wangjiang Tower today?
I’ve booked this level, but feel free to enjoy yourselves.
All expenses are on my account.”
Yes, after all, he was still the elder brother to this Young Master Lin.
Not much to say when one’s position was lowly and unimportant, but now that he had earned significant achievements and joined the main family line, it was only right to talk in terms of seniority, and to sort the seating order.
Even though he could not possibly compete with Lin Zhengli for the position of Lin Clan Leader, he was on the verge of controlling the entire family’s medicinal herb business, and naturally had the confidence to speak from his seat.
At these words, the young nobles who had followed Lin Zhengli laughed.
Each one a son of power and privilege, and although their laughter was inexplicable, Lin Zhenglun couldn’t very well say anything.
Lin Zhengli himself was very composed, even bowing to Lin Zhenglun and saying, “You’re too kind, brother Zhenglun.”
After taking a seat at Lin Zhenglun’s earnest invitation, Lin Zhengli smiled and said, “I haven’t had much of an opportunity until now, but since we’ve fortuitously met today, there are some matters I’d like to discuss with my brother.”
Lin Zhenglun looked around with a self-satisfied air, as if to say, look how much the future Clan Leader of the Lin family respects me.
But he modestly said out loud, “You’re too kind, Zhengli brother.
Feel free to speak your mind.
As your elder by a few years, I surely have some life experience to share with you.”
“That’s good.” Lin Zhengli smiled, “So, has the medicinal herb business in Fenglin City been stabilized?”
The question scratched right where it itched, and Lin Zhenglun laughed heartily, “With me in charge, there’s no reason I couldn’t handle it.
Just you watch, Zhengli brother, in no more than two or three years, the medicinal herbs in the entire Maple Forest City Region will bear our Lin surname!”
“That’s good, that’s good,” Lin Zhengli nodded repeatedly, “Since that’s the case, brother, you can now rest easy at Autumn Garden.”
“Of course!” Lin Zhenglun initially agreed subconsciously, only to realize what had been said a moment later: “What… what??!!”
Autumn Garden might sound nice, but it was merely a place in the clan where the lonely and elderly went to spend their remaining days.
Lin Zhenglun was hardly of the right age to retire there.
“Don’t joke like that, Zhengli brother,” Lin Zhenglun said with a forced laugh.
Yet, Lin Zhengli’s expression turned serious, “I never joke.
As for the medicinal herbs, I will take over personally.”
The young nobles who had come with him laughed again, a light laughter that felt weighty.
Autumn wind blew across the surface of Qing River and then into Wangjiang Tower, sweeping over Lin Zhenglun.
He realized he had no power to resist.
Only then did he feel the chill.
So it was deep autumn already, he thought.