Chapter 165: Imperial Nectar Powder?

He Lingchuan was speechless. Panlong City really was determined to turn everyone into the city’s draft animals.

“Right now, with so many outsiders flooding into Panlong City, those without land but with labor to spare can only survive by hiring themselves out for day work, or by renting fields to farm as tenants.” Hu Min chuckled before continuing, “So don’t worry, your fields won’t lie empty. Either I or the Bureau of Bright Prospects can help line up tenants for you.”

Hearing this, He Lingchuan said at once, “Then I’ll have to trouble you to help me with that.”

Land and housing were precious means of production here. In Panlong City, money could not buy them; only military or civilian merit could. It was a naked system of allocation. Any newcomer who wanted to gain a foothold had to contribute to the city’s survival.

As for the Gale Army’s soldiers, fighting earned them plenty of land deeds. However, they had neither the time nor the energy to farm personally, so renting fields to tenants was the most practical solution.

The landlords got their share, the tenants filled their bellies—everyone got what they needed.

Which meant that here, in the dream Panlong City, He Lingchuan had officially become a landlord. He patted his chest with a strange swell of pride.

How bizarre. In reality, he was the eldest son of the Governor-General of Xia Province. Forget a few thousand square meters of farmland; if he wanted estates, mansions, inns, shops, or even gambling houses, he could buy them by the handful. Yet somehow, none of that had ever given him the same sense of accomplishment he felt now.

As for the chewing tobacco, it was a type of leaf. It was first smoked and roasted, then soaked in syrup. To use one, you simply tucked a piece into your mouth and chewed; no fire needed. Its effect needed no explanation. Since the army allowed soldiers to use it on duty to stay sharp, it was always hard currency.

He Lingchuan planned to keep it in reserve, to sell only if he was short on money.

However, he did not forget the most important matter he wanted to ask Hu Min about. “By the way, I want to learn archery. Could you give me some pointers?”

Hu Min’s skill with the bow was deadly. Whatever he aimed at, he hit. He Lingchuan remembered the battle at Immortal Spirit Village. More than once, his lack of archery had made their missions harder than they needed to be.

He could no longer afford to neglect it.

“Pointers? Sure, I could teach you a thing or two.” Hu Min was brisk and agreeable.

Practice began immediately. He pulled out a chair and had He Lingchuan rip the little cushion from beneath the rice pot, then nail it to the courtyard wall.

He had not brought his bow today. He had made this trip specifically to help He Lingchuan settle in his new house. However, that did not mean that he could not teach He Lingchuan anything right this moment. From his belt and boot, he pulled two small throwing knives, handing them over. “First, practice your aim. Whether it’s knives or arrows, they basically run on the same principle. Stand inside the house and throw.”

He Lingchuan took a knife, went inside, took aim, and hurled it!

A flash of cold light whizzed through the air.

The cushion was untouched, perfectly undamaged. The knife had landed in the corner of the wall instead.

Under Hu Min’s gaze, He Lingchuan flushed, coughed, and muttered, “Slipped out of my hand.”

“That’s too wide an error. We’ll have to start from the basics.” Hu Min was matter-of-fact, offering no false comfort. He began explaining from the ground up. He carefully explained how to harness strength from the shoulder, neck, arm, and fingers, and how to coordinate the movements together.

Every insight came from proper experience, and thus was worth its weight in gold. He Lingchuan listened with rare focus. An experienced mentor like this was hard to come by, after all.

“Don’t overthink aim or force. Where your eye goes, the blade or arrow should follow. That is what mastery is, and that is the point of practice. You need to perform a thousand throws a day, and whether it be knives or arrows, it doesn’t matter. Over time, your hand will learn the feel.” Hu Min then patted He Lingchuan on the shoulder and asked, “So, what are your plans for the future? Panlong City may be safe, but living here in comfort isn’t easy.”

He Lingchuan had known his answer for over a month now. He did not hesitate as he said, “I want to join the Gale Army!”

If he was going to enlist, then it would be with the best.

It was not just sentiment, curiosity, or hot blood. He had another reason. With He Chunhua’s promotion to Governor-General of Xia Province, he would soon have to lead troops north, facing off against the Minister of War or the Provincial Governor of Xun Province. That meant that He Lingchuan would have many chances to march with the army. Compared to pitched battles between great forces, skirmishes with brigands were child’s play.

For his own survival, he had to adapt to the cruelty of war as soon as possible, to accumulate combat experience quickly.

And in these dreams, wounds from battle did not follow him back to reality. With such an advantage, how could he not seize it?

Hu Min grinned. “All right. Tomorrow I’ll talk to Old Xiao. I’ll see if he can recommend you. But be prepared, the Gale Army isn’t easy to get into!”

The Gale Army was Panlong City’s elite core, and its recruits were the best of the best.

He Lingchuan had just opened his mouth to thank Hu Min when the sudden clanging of a gong rang out in the street. Accompanying the clanging was someone shouting, “Announcement! Announcement!”

Hu Min turned to him. “Four strikes in a set. That means urgent news from above. Come on, let’s go listen.”

Whenever the authorities issued decrees, they posted them at designated public points, but since many people could not read, they also assigned public announcers to recite the notices aloud, ensuring everyone received the updates and understood what was being announced. Even the gong had a code: the denser the beats, the greater the urgency.

With his sharp ears, He Lingchuan could make out other gongs echoing from farther away. Clearly, the announcements were being broadcast simultaneously across multiple areas to spread the word quickly.

What could be so pressing?

Drawn by the noise, crowds poured toward the nearby street corner. He Lingchuan followed Hu Min across the street, where an announcer filled his chest with qi and bellowed so loud the words rattled the windows, “Within three days, the heavens will rain imperial nectar! By order of Commander Zhong, Panlong City shall be under curfew for the next three nights! From dusk until dawn, all citizens must remain indoors! Whoever sets foot outside will be punished as a rioter and lose a finger! Any imperial nectar turned over to the Ministry of Merits will be rewarded according to merit!”

Like a clockwork town crier, the man repeated the decree three times, each round spaced by the time it took to steep a cup of tea. Between repetitions, he fielded questions from the common folk. Only after half an hour of this did he move on to the next corner.

The moment He Lingchuan heard the words “imperial nectar,” his full attention was locked on.

The crowd, meanwhile, murmured happily among themselves, faces glowing with delight. None of them seemed surprised.

That in itself surprised He Lingchuan. As he and Hu Min turned back, he asked, “How do they know when imperial nectar will fall?”

“You’d have to ask Lord Zhong about that. I’ve no idea.” Hu Min shrugged. “Counting this round, it’s appeared four times in the last three years. The predictions have always been spot on, and they’ve never been more than two days off.”

This was why the citizens greeted the news with such joy. They were already sure the nectar would arrive within three days.

As for the stern warnings in the decree—threats of severed fingers for stepping outside—He Lingchuan found them only sensible. He had seen firsthand how imperial nectar inflamed human greed. Without such precautions, the city would surely be consumed by riots and vendettas, fostering endless resentment.

Panlong City lived under constant threat of invasion. Of course, the authorities wanted their people united as one, minimizing internal strife.

“The curfew starts at dusk, so you’d better stock up on food and drink now. After that, you should avoid stepping outside. If you can, climb the roof or the trees to collect imperial nectar. Afterward, you can turn it in to the Ministry of Merits, and it counts toward merit.” He grinned. “For commoners who don’t fight, chances to earn merit are rare. That’s why everyone’s so thrilled.”

He Lingchuan scratched his head. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist drinking it.”

“Don’t you dare!” Hu Min groaned. “You can’t just gulp that stuff! At the very least, refine it into imperial nectar powder. That way, its potency doubles.”

The revelation jolted He Lingchuan. “Brother, Good Brother Hu, you know how to make it?”

“Of course. It’s no secret. Panlong City has announced the recipe half a dozen times at least.”

Hearing the booming voice still carrying down the street outside, He Lingchuan found it hard to picture such a priceless formula being freely shared, every commoner able to use it at will.

Hu Min caught his expression and burst out laughing. “What’s with that look?”

“I thought...” He Lingchuan flushed, then sighed. “No, it makes sense. You can’t force people to hand it all over. It’s better to let everyone keep and use what they gather, so it doesn’t go to waste.”

After all, no law could punish the entire populace if each chose to hoard their share. Panlong City had taken the wiser path. They published the recipe openly and allowed everyone to refine it properly. That way, the treasure would not be squandered.

And if the people grew stronger, fell sick less often, and lived longer, then Panlong City itself would only grow sturdier.

Hu Min rattled off a list of medicinal herbs, but halfway through, he stopped short.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, forget it. I’ll just take you to A’Luo.” Hu Min slapped his forehead. “He lives nearby.”

“A’Luo?” He Lingchuan was blank for a moment.

“Huh? Did you already forget about him? He’s the one who treated our wounds.”

Memory clicked into place. Back then, when He Lingchuan’s arm had been fractured, it was that part-time medic in their unit who had splinted and bandaged it. Having someone like that around was invaluable; a single medic could greatly extend a squad’s ability to keep fighting.

“He’s the adopted son of the Grand Apothecary of the Bureau of Medicine, Helian Chen. He’s learned a great deal of medicine and pharmacology.” Hu Min got to his feet. “What I recited to you was just the generic formula for everyone. A’Luo can tailor a prescription to suit us, which will be much more effective.”

That sounded excellent. He Lingchuan followed as Hu Min led him deeper into the district.

“A’Luo should have a good deal of military merit, right? If he’s also the adopted son of the Grand Apothecary of the Bureau of Medicine, why does he still live in a place like this?” The entire neighborhood was a jumble of squat houses, crammed wall-to-wall with hardly a gap between them. The living conditions were poor, the roofs patched with mismatched colors—evidence of leaks repaired who knew how many times.

The only redeeming feature was the street itself, broad and level enough to allow three horse-drawn wagons abreast. But that was clearly for the sake of transport in peacetime and troop movement in war.

“He made a mistake once. He had to spend all the military merit he’d built up just to avoid losing his head. So now he’s starting over from scratch.” He did not elaborate further. He only sighed and added, “The human heart is treacherous.”

He Lingchuan glanced about. The street was thronged with people, far busier than when they had first ridden through by cart.

“Is everyone here because of the imperial nectar?”

“Of course. Everyone knows the formula. Right now, they’re all rushing to buy and stock herbs, ready to refine nectar as soon as it falls. Prices will shoot up three to five times in a single day. We’d better buy fast too, or it’ll all be gone.”

Fortunately, A’Luo’s house was close by. They arrived before Hu Min’s bad leg could tire him out.

He raised his crutch to knock, but before the tip touched the wood, the door creaked open on its own, and someone stepped out.

The crutch nearly jabbed the man in the mouth.

Startled, he leaped back. Hu Min snatched the crutch away just in time and gave an awkward laugh. “Where are you off to?”