The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

The main hall of the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.

"My lord, I failed to capture Yang Yun alive. Please punish me."

Fang Heng knelt down before Chu Xiu, his face filled with shame.

Pei Shiji and Luo Tianxi stood aside, exchanging glances. They both thought that if Chu Xiu punished Fang Heng, they would suffer the same fate as Fang Heng.

After all, this was definitely a master at the Xuanxian realm. If such a master wanted to kill Yang Yun, they simply wouldn't be able to stop him.

The key point is that a master at the Xuanxian realm was hiding in the shadows, carrying out assassinations, and even if they wanted to chase after him, they wouldn't be able to catch up.

"It's not your fault. I didn't expect Murong Yu to be prepared all along."

"What I didn't expect was that Murong Yu had a Xuanxian-level expert hidden in the Qi Prince's mansion."

Chu Xiu sat upright in the main seat of the hall, waved his hand, and said calmly, "Get up."

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

Fang Heng was moved and thanked Chu Xiu before slowly getting up.

"When Ying Taotie returns, tell him to keep a close eye on the Qi Prince's Mansion and dig out all the information about this Xuanxian Realm expert."

"I need to know who this person is."

Chu Xiu pondered for a moment, then spoke to Fang Heng in a deep voice.

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys."

Fang Heng said with a solemn expression.

Chu Xiu nodded slightly, waved to Fang Heng and the other two, and remained silent.

Fang Heng and the other two bowed to Chu Xiu and then turned to leave.

"Ximen Jue, come in."

After watching Fang Heng and the other two leave, Chu Xiu said calmly.

"Ximen Jue greets Your Excellency."

Ximen Jue walked in and bowed to Chu Xiu.

He had already arrived, but he knew that Chu Xiu had led more than 15,000 elite Imperial Guards to surround the Qi Prince's mansion but failed to capture Yang Yun alive, so he did not come in directly.

"No gift."

Chu Xiu waved his hand and said to Ximen Jue.

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

Ximen Jue said with a respectful expression.

"I summoned you here because I have a small matter I need you to handle."

Chu Xiu said calmly.

"Please give your orders, my lord."

A look of doubt appeared on Ximen Jue's face as he spoke respectfully.

He was wondering what Chu Xiu wanted him to do.

After all, Chu Xiu hadn't really been away from the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters for very long.

"Dispatch our Imperial Guards to all prefectures and counties, and make sure to notify every village."

"Starting tomorrow, all people in the land must boil water before drinking it and must no longer drink raw water."

Chu Xiu's expression turned serious, and he spoke solemnly.

"Can't you drink unboiled water?"

Ximen Jue looked surprised and asked in astonishment.

"That's right, drinking untreated water can cause many diseases."

"Drinking boiled water can prevent a large number of diseases and make people healthier."

"This needs to be explained clearly to the people so that they can accept it."

Chu Xiu nodded slightly and said with a serious expression.

He naturally couldn't explain to Ximen Jue that boiling raw water could kill the bacteria in it.

This is something that cannot be clearly explained, so it can only be addressed in another way.

"My lord, boiling water requires firewood, and firewood costs money..."

"The common people will probably find it very difficult to afford..."

"Especially in winter..."

“Even people living in county towns, prefectural towns, or even the capital may not be able to afford it.”

"Not to mention the poor people in the villages."

A bitter look appeared on Ximen Jue's face as he said with a troubled expression.

This matter may seem trivial, but it is not an easy thing to actually implement.

People only drink hot water in the cold winter or when they are sick.

In ancient times, hot water was mainly used to cope with cold weather or for treatment when one was sick.

"The firewood issue is easy to resolve."

"We, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, will take responsibility!"

"I will certainly not increase the burden on the people."

"Our Embroidered Uniform Guard will fund the recruitment of impoverished people to do the work of chopping firewood."

"These firewoods will be prioritized for use by people in county towns, prefectural towns, and even the capital city for boiling water."

"If we don't have enough firewood, we can buy it directly from the people."

After a moment's consideration, Chu Xiu said, "In this way, the firewood problem can be solved, and a group of people can also earn money and find jobs."

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Upon hearing this, Ximen Jue's face showed admiration, and he said with heartfelt conviction.

Chu Xiu smiled and waved to Ximen Jue.

Ximen Jue bowed and turned to leave. He felt his blood boiling. If it was really as Chu Xiu said, then all the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty would benefit and a great number of diseases would be reduced.

This matter may seem small, but it is truly beneficial to the country and its people.

Chu Xiu stood up, preparing to leave the main hall of the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.

Right now!

"Congratulations, host, for promoting the drinking of boiled water in the Great Zhou Dynasty. This benefits the country and the people, and you have persevered in doing positive things. You have been rewarded with fifty years of Earth Immortal power and a Rejuvenating Powder."

"Do you want to receive the reward?"

The mechanical voice of the positive energy system rang in Chu Xiu's mind.

"Yes."

Chu Xiu raised an eyebrow and said in his mind.

He was filled with immense curiosity about the Withering and Flourishing Powder.

This is the first time such a reward has ever been given.

As the saying goes, anything produced by the system is bound to be of high quality!

This "Withering and Flourishing Powder" must be quite extraordinary.

The voice just fell.

The power of fifty years of Earth Immortal cultivation appeared in Chu Xiu's dantian. The Shangqing Divine Art automatically operated, absorbing and refining the power of fifty years of Earth Immortal cultivation, allowing his cultivation level to break through from the peak of the fourth level of Earth Immortal to the peak of the fifth level of Earth Immortal.

Immediately afterward, the introduction to the Withering and Flourishing Powder appeared in Chu Xiu's mind.

Ku Rong San is a highly toxic substance.

Once it's used, no one can avoid it.

Even if you hold your breath, you can still inhale the withering and flourishing powder.

However, one dose of the "Withering and Flourishing Powder" can only be effective for one person.

Once someone is poisoned by the Withering and Flourishing Powder, not only those at the Profound Immortal Realm, but even those above the Profound Immortal Realm have no power to resist it.

The immortal power within the poisoned person's body fluctuates like the changing seasons. If the corresponding antidote is not taken within three hours, the meridians will wither and break like an old tree.

"Hiss, this Withering and Flourishing Powder is no ordinary product!"

"With this dose of the Withering and Flourishing Powder, I don't need to worry about even experts at the Profound Immortal Realm level."

After receiving all the information, Chu Xiu's eyes lit up, and he said with a look of surprise, "Now His Majesty should send people to exterminate Yang Yun's clan. After they are all exterminated, I should be able to get one more time, right?"

I wonder what the system will reward me with this time?

However, the reward isn't important; what matters is that my cultivation level will definitely reach the peak of the sixth level of the Earth Immortal Realm!

"Now I should go home too."

After a pause, Chu Xiu smiled and took a step forward, disappearing from the main hall of the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.

Hongnong County.

Outside a remote village deep in the mountains.

The entire village is hidden deep in the mountains, and even the governor of Hongnong County probably doesn't know that there is a village here.

This village appears to be extremely large, with crisscrossing paths and the sounds of chickens and dogs. If one were to accidentally wander in, one might think they had stumbled upon a paradise on earth.

At that moment, men in black appeared around the village.

Suddenly!

A middle-aged man dressed in blue, carrying a long sword on his back, appeared above the village. He calmly said, "Make your move!"