Crossing the Cultivation Realm: Two Souls Coexist

Early in the morning, Hu Qing woke up from his practice. His body felt unprecedented vitality under the operation of the Shengxi Seal.

After practicing the Shengxi Seal for a while, he planned to go out for breakfast and breathe in the fresh morning air.

Hu Qing walked out of the house, crossed the bustling streets, and came to Tingfeng Tower.

He noticed that many people had gathered around the bulletin board at the bottom of Tingfeng Tower, talking a lot.

Out of curiosity, Hu Qing also walked into the crowd.

A notice was prominently posted on the bulletin board, containing the order the emperor had just issued.

Hu Qing read the contents of the notice carefully and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"After the Emperor's investigation, Zhu Pei was suspected of murder, disrupting the imperial examination, and attacking the Emperor. He has now been executed. His title is revoked and all his property is confiscated.

The eldest son, Zhu Mingyuan, performed exceptionally well at the frontier, and his official position remained unchanged, but he was banned from entering Haitian City for life. The second son, Zhu Yingyang, and the women in his family were exiled to the frontier.

Hu Qing muttered to himself, obviously shocked by the sudden news.

The people around were also talking and discussing what had happened to the Zhu family.

"The Zhu family is really unlucky this time. Prince Zhu actually did such a thing."

"You're still calling me Prince, but I should call you Zhu Pei."

"This damn Zhu Pei destroyed my dream of passing the imperial examination!"

"However, His Majesty is still merciful. Zhu Mingyuan's official position is still retained, but he can't return to Haitian City."

"Zhu Yingyang and the women in his family were exiled. This punishment is severe enough."

Hu Qing stood in the crowd, listening to everyone's discussions, and felt a little emotional.

He did not expect that the emperor would give a result so quickly, and the way he handled it also showed the emperor's magnanimity.

"This punishment is indeed a bit light," Hu Qing thought to himself. "But the emperor has his reasons for doing this. After all, the Zhu family has made great contributions to the country."

Hu Qing didn't stay in front of the notice board for too long, as he knew he had more important things to do.

He left Tingfeng Tower and went to the breakfast shop he often went to, ready to enjoy a delicious breakfast.

After finishing the two bowls of porridge in front of him, Hu Qing already had a plan in mind.

He knew that if he wanted his hot air balloon experiment to cause a sensation, publicity work had to be done in advance.

He decided to do something innovative to attract people's attention.

Hu Qing came to a private school in Haitian City, where many scholars gathered who were eager to change their destiny through the imperial examination.

He found a few poor scholars who looked smart and hardworking and made his request to them.

"Classmates, I need your help copying some flyers." Hu Qing directly stated his purpose. "For each copy you make, I will pay you one copper coin as a reward."

When the scholars heard this proposal, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes.

For them, this is a good opportunity to make money.

"Sir, we are willing to help." The scholars expressed their willingness to accept this task.

Hu Qing told the scholars the contents of the flyer in detail, which mainly introduced the hot air balloon and the upcoming flight test.

He hopes these brochures will spark people's curiosity and interest in flying.

The scholars began to get busy, designing and copying flyers.

Hu Qing looked at these laborers with satisfaction, thinking that he finally didn't have to copy them himself. It was good to have money.

Afterwards, Hu Qing went to various teahouses in Haitian City and invited some storytellers to Tingfeng Tower to discuss matters.

These storytellers usually tell various stories in teahouses to attract audiences.

After gathering them together, Hu Qing began his speech while looking at the storyteller sitting below.

"Dear storytellers, I have a story that I need you to tell in the teahouse." Hu Qing explained his plan to the storytellers and gave each of them a silver coin as a reward.

"Don't worry, sir. We will make this story vivid and interesting." The storytellers took the silver coins and smiled.

The story Hu Qing asked the storyteller to tell was about a young hero who descended from the sky in a hot air balloon and displayed extraordinary courage and wisdom.

This story not only grabs the audience's attention but also creates buzz for the upcoming hot air balloon experiment.

After seeing the storyteller off, Hu Qing looked up at the sky and found that the sun had begun to set and the sky was gradually getting darker.

He knew it was time to go to the blacksmith shop and retrieve his custom heating device.

Hu Qing walked quickly towards the blacksmith shop, his heart full of anticipation.

When he arrived at the blacksmith's shop, the blacksmith had already placed the device outside the door, apparently waiting for his arrival.

Hu Qing carefully examined the device. It was a carefully crafted iron can with a protruding, tubular mouth. A switch was installed on it to control the flaming oil.

He asked the blacksmith for a ladle, added water to it, and confirmed the sealing of the device to ensure that there were no leaks.

"Master blacksmith, this device is very well made." Hu Qing praised the blacksmith's craftsmanship.

Hu Qing took out 30 silver coins from his pocket and paid the blacksmith as the balance.

The blacksmith took the silver coin and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Sir, I'm glad you're satisfied. If you need anything in the future, just come to me," said the blacksmith.

Hu Qing carried the device on his shoulder and prepared to take it home.

Although this device is not light, with Hu Qing's current strength, carrying it on his shoulders is easy.

When Hu Qing was carrying the device on his way home, passers-by cast curious glances at him.

They were curious about this strange iron can and didn't know what Hu Qing was going to do with it.

"What is that? It looks weird."

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like it."

Hu Qing heard the discussions of passers-by, but he did not stop to explain.

He knew that when the hot air balloon took off, all doubts would disappear.

When Hu Qing was about to get home, he could feel some unusual movement in the house, and this intuition made him alert immediately.

Hu Qing quickly and gently put down the iron can on his shoulder to avoid causing unnecessary noise or interference in a possible conflict.

His movements were light and cautious, trying not to make any noise.

He reached into his arms and tightly grasped the dagger he carried with him.

Hu Qing knew that in the face of unknown situations, he had to be prepared to respond at any time.

Hu Qing took a deep breath and kicked the door open.

The door hit the wall with a loud bang, and he quickly entered the house, looking around, ready to face any situation that might arise.

However, when his eyes swept across the yard, he was surprised to find that the yard, which was originally a mess due to experiments and training, became neat and tidy.

All the items were neatly arranged, as if someone had come and taken care of everything.

What surprised Hu Qing even more was that the lights in the house were still on.

This suggests that someone had entered the house while he was away and may still be inside.