Chapter 3: Recuperation (Please Add to Your Favorites)

The county of Junyi in Bian Prefecture, Henan Circuit—once the site of Wei's Great Liang city during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods—stands at a crossroads of the realm: eastward, it connects to the lands of Qi and Lu; southward, it commands the approaches to Jianghuai; westward, it borders Mount Song; northward, it faces Yan and Zhao. Its geographic significance cannot be overstated.

In an inconspicuous corner beyond the old city, a mysterious residence has appeared, though none can recall precisely when it came to be. The estate occupies roughly two hundred acres, and its peculiarity lies in its isolation—it neither adjoins a main thoroughfare nor nestles beside a side lane. Before its gate stretches a vacant plot, flanked on both sides by carefully planted groves of trees, and its red walls clearly set it apart from neighboring houses. Yet, for reasons unknown, all who pass by feel as though the manor belongs here, as if its presence is fated and proper.

No one seems to notice that few people enter or leave the estate; whenever conversation turns to it, speakers unconsciously shift to other topics. Those who witness odd happenings within its grounds soon forget what they have seen.

So it is now, as the sun sinks in the west. A blue steed gallops in from the direction of Mount Song, bearing a man who has returned to his own world: Wang Liang. He has changed out of his brown short garments, donning instead the attire he wore only in the game world. Tall and handsome, Wang Liang on horseback naturally draws the eyes of passersby. Yet none notice the burlap sack slung across his saddle, bulging with something that twists and writhes within.

The blue steed halts in front of the estate, seemingly of its own accord. Wang Liang dismounts, and the gate swings open for him. The steed does not follow him through the main entrance but instead, with uncanny initiative, turns left and enters by a side door.

Inside, Wang Liang is greeted by his steward, Xiao Lan. He casually sheds his outer garment and hands it to a silver-haired boy attendant who follows Xiao Lan.

“How are things today?”

“Chamber C of the orchid and pepper house is complete. In three days, it will be ready for use. As long as medicinal vapors and earth energy remain abundant, we can expect a daily yield of a hundred and eight dan-grade orchids and a dozen purple-capped ones.

The three hundred mulberry and catalpa saplings recently brought in have been planted on the left plot, and on the right, five hundred trees—jujube, longan, lychee, pomegranate, and peach—have all taken root. We can proceed to the next stage of array-laying and earth energy infusion.

Sixteen newly arrived spiritual creatures have been successfully awakened. All have been sent to the outer courtyard study for preliminary education and training. I believe in twenty days, the first batch of trained little demons will be ready for duty.”

Wang Liang nodded with satisfaction at Xiao Lan’s report. After his seven-day debate with Master Lü, he had ridden hard from his native Handan, reaching Junyi in Bian Prefecture, Henan Circuit within a single day. He decided not to return home; instead, he settled his residence here, remaining for three full months.

He chose this site because, in dreams, Wang Liang had served as an interviewer in Henan Circuit and knew the local customs and conditions well. More importantly, with Mount Song as its backdrop and a faint trace of dragon energy lingering in the air, he sensed this place might someday become the capital of a kingdom—a perfect opportunity to cultivate his estate with earth energy from the land.

During these three months, Wang Liang focused on three undertakings for his estate.

The first was to channel earth energy into the manor. This feng shui energy was not from a dragon vein but naturally emanated from the land’s meridians—free of heavy causality, yet of excellent quality. By drawing it into the estate, Wang Liang could enhance his manor’s properties.

The second task was to plant trees and grasses, establishing orchid and pepper chambers inside and outside the manor. Wang Liang was not the sort to abandon his estate once settled; he wished to create a self-sustaining manor with economic output, never forgetting the source of his fortune—he still planned to return to the game for upgrades. Therefore, he needed a way to move his estate if necessary.

The Taoist classics he studied while learning the Supreme Mystery Scripture provided inspiration. He now practiced the technique of “manor ascension,” said to be derived from a legend: a master who, upon perfecting alchemy, transformed elixir into liquid and poured it around his manor’s walls, causing the entire estate to ascend to the heavens. Though a story, its method proved feasible.

Wang Liang sought to replicate this by lining the estate’s borders with spiritual orchids bred from medicinal vapors and earth energy, then irrigating the ground with elixir water, enabling the manor to fly freely wherever he wished. Of course, his current efforts were just beginning—achieving the legendary level would require much more time.

The third task was to make daily trips to Shaolin Temple atop Mount Song, capturing wild beasts that had listened to the temple’s morning bell and evening drum, absorbing wisdom and martial teachings. Though Shaolin in this era was renowned not for its scriptures but for the martial exploits of its thirteen staff monks, the temple’s long history and Buddhist texts attracted spiritually inclined animals, making Wang Liang’s captures both precise and effective.

Upon bringing these spiritual creatures back, Wang Liang instructed Xiao Lan to re-educate them with Taoist and Confucian principles before awakening their intelligence. With targeted selection, the success rate was high. Once awakened, he did not immediately assign them duties; instead, he established a study hall within the manor, allowing the newly enlightened little demons to learn for a time before arranging their roles according to their individual abilities.

Though this slowed progress, the transformed little demons possessed greater potential than those awakened by ordinary means. Moreover, influenced by Shaolin’s Buddhist teachings and martial arts, they bore little karmic burden of killing, and displayed a natural aptitude for martial practice—their combat abilities exceeded those of typical little demons, an unexpected boon.

Yet after three months, Wang Liang’s progress had slowed. Upon hearing Xiao Lan’s report, he said, “Excellent. For the next period, focus especially on the awakening of the animals brought back; today’s batch will be the last of the spiritual creatures, as most of the animals around Shaolin have been captured.

Next, we must consider the flower spirits, tree sprites, and those fish and turtles released into the temple ponds. Compared to the small animals, these are harder to find and harder to capture, so the rate of acquiring spiritual creatures will slow.”

“I understand, Master. By the way, the matter you asked me to investigate has yielded some news.”