Xu has spent her whole life in the palace, and Hua Ruoxi has no airs of an innate master.
He half-closed his eyes, with a smile that was hard to distinguish from fake, and kept playing with a mutton-fat jade ring on his finger.
This finger ring is antique, delicate and moist, and it is priceless at first glance, but it also loses the aura of a strong man.
But Lu Li didn't dare to underestimate him.
This old eunuch's sense of oppression was twice that of Masahiro's, second only to Taitō Taitō's, which made people feel a faint chill running down their spines.
There was still light in his half-squinted eyes, and it was clear that he had some spiritual training and was no ordinary "strong man".
At this moment, the old eunuch was quite enthusiastic and led Lu Li to sit at the main table:
"I've heard a long time ago that a young hero came out of Jinmen. Today I saw him and he is really extraordinary. Come on, come on, please take a seat."
Lu Li politely held his hands and sat down calmly with Xia Weiyun and the three puppets.
Seeing the three "entourages" carrying heavy boxes, Hua Ruoxi's smile became even bigger:
"Our "Xiantian Gong" is pure and pure. It only takes three weeks to reach the master's realm. Don't miss this opportunity~"
Lu Li nodded and said, "That's exactly why I'm here."
"It's very good. The young master is an open-minded person at first glance! Wait a moment, we will start right away."
Hua Ruoxi bowed her head to each other and went to another table to socialize.
Xia Weiyun sat aside and reminded:
"This eunuch is the head of the House of Internal Affairs. He has attained trance through spiritual refinement and is a prodigy in martial arts. He is firmly ranked among the top three masters in the palace."
Lu Li nodded, already knowing in his heart.
Xia Weijun nodded to the guests present with his chin and introduced:
"Most of the people who came today are rich young men. The sons of the four major compradors, the young masters of the envoy's family...even the little bitch Jiang Haiyan is here."
As expected, the people present were all children of wealthy families, all of them were wearing splendid clothes and extraordinary equipment, and they all wanted to spend money to buy their cultivation.
However, Lu Li was a little confused: "Does the Governor's daughter also need innate Qi? Her father and master should give it to her, right?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Weiyun did not answer directly, but asked instead:
"Cha Girl has fed you [Inner Breath], what do you think of the effect?"
Lu Li recalled the sweetness of breastfeeding and couldn't help but nodded:
"The effect is excellent, it saves a lot of hard work, and there are no side effects at all."
"You see, the inner breath is so good, but the true energy... but the inner breath condensed into essence, how can anyone find it too much!"
Xia Weiyun asked again: "Moreover, true energy is far more valuable than you think. Do you know the principle of 'water cycle'?"
Lu Li replied: "Is it the water on the ground that evaporates and turns into clouds and mist and then falls down?"
"That's right." Xia Weiyun said carefully:
"If the human body is compared to a world, then [Qi] is equivalent to the rain and dew between heaven and earth. Whether it nourishes all things or turns into rivers, it will eventually return to the body and continue to live forever.
But if it is used out, it will be gone, which will affect the internal circulation and lead to disasters such as floods and droughts.
Therefore, strong people all pay great attention to their own true energy. Even though Jiang Haiyan is the direct daughter of the governor, she may not have enjoyed the true energy filling her body several times."
He spoke so thoroughly that Lu Li immediately understood:
"I see. No wonder it is said that the key to martial arts lies in the word "nurturing"."
"That's right!" Xia Weixin said with a smile:
"Your sister, I just make too many moves with others, otherwise I would have died..."
As he talked, Xia Weiyun was afraid that Little Brother Lu would be scrupulous and lose his courage and diligence, so he quickly added:
"But there are no absolutes. As long as you grasp the 'temperature' and use Qi appropriately, the body can adjust itself."
"Uh-huh."
Lu Li nodded repeatedly and felt the love and care of his elder sister.
The care of an older woman... doesn't seem to be bad either.
At this time, the venue suddenly became quiet.
I saw Hua Ruoxi leaving the table and walking to the stage, looking at everyone with a smile, and was about to enter the theme!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone was sitting at attention, waiting for the old eunuch to speak.
Hua Ruoxi said in a high-pitched voice:
"This time, our family has been ordered by the Emperor to come to Tianjin to collect the 'ceremonial donations'. You are all local wealthy people, so please donate generously and actively share the worries of the Emperor."
The eunuch spoke clichés and raised his hands in the direction of the capital.
Several young men from comprador families in the audience mocked in a low voice:
"Ritual donation...it's already this time and I'm still thinking about building a grave."
"It's not surprising, the Sino-Japanese War did not hinder the Queen Mother's birthday."
…
After Hua Ruoxi finished her opening remarks in a few words, she immediately went straight to the topic:
"The land of Jinmen is full of outstanding people, and those who came today are all talented people. As long as we can take care of the Emperor's worries, our family will have a gift of innate wisdom!"
Finally getting to the point, a young man in brocade clothes immediately asked urgently:
"I would like to ask the flower manager, how much do I need to donate for this ceremonial donation to gain a breath of vitality?"
"It turns out to be Mr. Liang from Yihe Matheson."
Hua Ruoxi turned the suet finger on her hand and said with a smile:
"Of course our family wants everyone to benefit, but we can't do it, so we set a number... If we pay enough, we will be really angry!"
This number is definitely not cheap, everyone holds their breath...
Hua Ruoxi paused and said sharply: "One thousand taels of gold, the innate true energy can refine a great Zhoutian!"
"..."
There was silence for a while, and then there was an uproar:
"One thousand taels of gold... is equivalent to 300,000 taels of silver! Are you crazy?"
"More than that! The current international situation is tense, all countries are stockpiling gold, and the price of gold has skyrocketed!"
"The sentimental father-in-law wants to collect the compensation from the Treaty of Shimonoseki himself!"
Everyone complained that the old eunuch was asking for a lot of money, but Lu Li was making plans——
I brought 1 ton of gold with me, which is equivalent to 20,000 taels... The price quoted by the old eunuch seems not expensive.
Of course, Lu Li would accept it even if it was 100 times more expensive.
For him, being able to exchange money for strength and time is a great deal!
In these troubled times, some people have the same idea.
Mr. Liang, who was the first to come forward, raised his hand and said, "I would like to accept the flower manager's donation. I wonder if it can be settled in silver?"
Hua Ruoxi turned the mutton-fat jade ring in her hand and shook her head with a smile:
"I'm sorry, I only accept gold. This is going to be used to build the imperial tomb."
As soon as these words came out, a group of merchants including Mr. Liang were immediately intimidated.
In addition to fulfilling its original responsibilities, gold from another world is also a resource for spiritual practice. This transaction is really not cost-effective, especially if the family will not support it.
Lu Li was naturally happy to have fewer competitors.
Just when he was thinking that he had absorbed all the energy, he suddenly noticed——
Jiang Haiyan and other officials' children always look the same, but things seem to be changing?
Sure enough, Hua Ruoxi suddenly said:
“If you think it’s too expensive, we have an alternative, which is to donate antiques!”
"antique?"
Mr. Liang and others were greatly puzzled.
Everyone knows the principle of "antiquities in prosperous times are gold in troubled times", why does this eunuch do the opposite? Does he think the world is not chaotic enough?
Hua Ruoxi confirmed again:
"That's right, as long as it catches our eye, an antique can purify the Great Zhoutian with its true energy! Pay attention! What we are talking about is to refine the Great Zhoutian and ensure that the true energy circulates throughout the meridians of the body!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Haiyan and others took out the sandalwood box specially used to store antiques.