The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 631 - 439. Mo Chou’s Advice (5k)

A gust of spring wind dispersed the lingering chill in the Capital, and the spring of the third year of Tianfeng quietly arrived. After several spring rains, the branches that had withered over the winter began to sprout new buds, but the peach blossoms in the Capital were the first to bloom.

Early morning, Zhao Mansion.

Zhao Douan sat cross-legged on the bed, wearing only a simple single garment on his upper body. As he breathed in and out through his nose and mouth, his chest and abdomen rose and fell slightly.

"Phew—"

After finishing another round of Grand Circulation breathing, Zhao Douan opened his eyes, feeling the Qi mechanism full in his Qi Sea and the almost inexhaustible energy throughout his body. He touched his nose, noticing the blood trickling from his nostrils, and smirked: "Popping pills is really invigorating..."

He took out a handkerchief to wipe away the nosebleed, got up, and dressed, having already adapted to the occasional bleeding.

A month had passed since the beheading of Zhuang Xiaocheng, and its aftermath continued to ripple out. Yun Xi, Wu Ling, Lin Yuebai, and others, having chosen sides, were dispatched with the title of "Shadow Guards" to continue battling the Kuangfu Society Remnants.

Under the Empress’s arrangement, Zhao Douan formally joined the ranks of the Imperial Family Tributor, consuming the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures prepared by the Empress, building up, and digesting the medicinal power.

Gradually refining it into Inner Strength.

"To break through to High Grade quickly, you must accumulate your Inner Strength in the Qi Sea to the point of forcibly widening your meridians. This process can be painful, so endure it."

The Empress once explained.

But in reality...

Perhaps due to the original "recasting of the Tao foundation," Zhao Douan’s meridians were exceptionally flexible. The pain wasn’t much, but he felt a constant uncomfortable sense of fullness, a restlessness wanting to be vented, yet with no outlet.

The relatively fragile capillaries in his nasal cavity suffered, as he wasn’t used to not having nosebleeds a few times a day...

"The density of my Inner Strength now is probably limited to the Divine Chapter Realm. I wonder how many layers of armor I can penetrate if I unleash the Qi mechanism fully."

After dressing and washing up, Zhao Douan wiped his nose with a handkerchief, caught in a moment of contemplation.

The Martial Artists of Yu Country had a crude method of testing Qi mechanism, which involved enveloping a weapon with Qi and smashing it against obstacles. The more layers of armor pierced, the stronger the Inner Strength.

But according to Zhenbao, he needed to forcibly hold it in until he had accumulated it to the limit before releasing it, lest the medicinal power be wasted.

"It should be about time. If I hold it any longer, it feels like I’m going to explode..."

Shaking his head, Zhao Douan pushed the door open and walked out, planning to get Eunuch Hai’s opinion on when to release the Qi after breakfast.

...

After a spring rain last night, the sky cleared this morning, and the buildings of Zhao Mansion, washed by the fine rain, shone golden in the sunlight.

Walking towards the dining hall, Zhao Douan noticed a row of peach blossom branches inserted in the windows, extremely bright and charming.

Inside the dining hall.

By the round table, Zhao Pan had taken off her winter coat and changed into a pleated skirt that better highlighted her girlish appearance. Her Pekingese, named "Mantou," stuck out its tongue and wagged its tail as it approached Zhao Douan, begging for attention.

The breakfast had been laid out on the table. The family head’s wife, You Jinhua, had also changed into her favorite dark green long dress, with her sleeves rolled up to reveal two sections of fleshy forearms.

At the moment, she was standing beside a large porcelain floor vase, carefully arranging peach blossom branches studded with pink and white buds and still wet from the rain.

"Aunt, why did you put in so many flowers today?" Zhao Douan asked curiously.

You Jinhua turned around, smiling warmly at her stepson: "Dalang, have you forgotten the date? Today is the Spring God Festival, and every household is decorating with peach blossoms."

In Yu Country, there were "Four Seasons Gods," with the "Spring God" being the most popular. Every year, during the peach blossom season, even the poorest families would find a cluster of wildflowers from early spring to place in their windows or vases at home. It was said that if the flowers remained fresh overnight, the family had received the blessing of the Spring God and would have a prosperous year...

"Look at me, I’ve forgotten the date." Zhao Douan was not embarrassed.

Without work or school, who deliberately remembers the date? ƒгeewёbnovel.com

Zhao Panqiu’s watery eyes fixed on her brother, silently handing over a fragrant handkerchief:

"Brother, you’re having a nosebleed..."

"...Oh, oh, thanks."

"...Brother, did His Majesty give you a tonic?"

"No way... Let’s eat, let’s eat."

The Zhao family didn’t have the rule of not talking during meals or rest. During breakfast, they habitually chatted, inevitably bringing up news about visitors from Qingshan.

A squad from the East Sea Daqing Mountain sect, having come to issue a challenge, arrived in the Capital last night.

This matter didn’t concern ordinary people but spread quickly among officials and aristocrats.

"Brother, have you met those people?" Zhao Pan asked delicately, like a young lady of noble birth, sipping egg custard.

Zhao Douan shook his head: "Didn’t get a chance."

You Jinhua furrowed her brows, worried:

"I heard, among the people who came, there is that person from last year’s Buddhist Tao fight whom your brother arrested, someone with the surname Chai."

"Chai Keqiao."

"Yes, that’s the strange name. I’ve heard he’s even stronger now. I wonder if he will cause your brother trouble."

Zhao Douan held a bowl of plain rice porridge in one hand and casually sipped it, saying:

"Aunt, don’t worry. If I don’t cause them trouble, it would already be an act of mercy. Well, I’m full, I’m heading to the palace."

He put down his bowl and chopsticks, donned his outer robe, and left the dining hall. As he walked past the courtyard, a drop of water fell from a peach tree.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhao Douan snapped his fingers, and the water drop floated and darted like a bullet into the hanging flower gate wall.

"Improving." He nodded silently, comparing it to a past moment when Eunuch Hai flicked water droplets.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺