People, you really can't talk about them without them showing up.
Just as Yang Hong was thinking Li Xuefeng should return, she did.
On the third day, the first of November, Li Xuefeng returned amidst the wind and snow.
This year's snow came a bit later than last, but it had already started in early October.
Another year of snow disaster.
While lamenting the ruthlessness of natural disasters, Yang Hong also hoped the snow would fall heavier.
Because then, he could earn a great deal of merit again.
When Song Yuzhi and the others had gone back to visit their families, Yang Hong had come up with many tools and measures that benefited the people and made things convenient for them. He had then instructed Yang Jian to promote them.
These included technologies like dog-drawn sleds, sleds themselves, snowboards, and snow boots.
With these technologies, many lives could be saved.
Moreover, this time he wasn't just playing small; he unleashed his full power.
For instance, gunpowder, papermaking, and printing – essential for any transmigrator.
Actually, these three technologies already existed in this world, they were just relatively crude.
Yang Hong unleashed modern and near-modern techniques. While bringing immense wealth to the Sui imperial family, he also earned considerable merit.
Of course, the imperial Yang family gained many citizens who resented them and numerous enemies.
Among them, the great nobles and powerful families of various dynasties hated the Yang family the most.
As these technologies spread, the intelligence of the populace would gradually awaken, and the era of powerful families controlling knowledge would slowly fade.
This was cutting off the roots of these great families.
For this reason, beneath the surface of apparent calm, the powerful families of five dynasties were already secretly uniting.
When they finally erupted, it would be earth-shattering.
However, Yang Hong and the Sui Yang family were not worried.
Besides technologies like gunpowder, papermaking, and printing, which required time to show their full effect,
There were also innovations for agriculture, where he "invented" and "improved" a series of tools, such as the curved-shaft plow and water-lifting devices like the chain pump and waterwheel.
For commerce, he introduced the technologies for four-wheeled carriages, cement, and concrete.
From early July to the end of September, Yang Hong had been busy "inventing and creating."
This was the extent of a science-fiction otaku's knowledge reserves.
Yang Jian, on his part, had also announced technologies for salt production, refining, iron smelting, and steel forging.
Although he couldn't see or feel the merit directly, as time passed, Yang Hong sensed his luck improving.
The simplest proof was that the spiritual wines Yang Hong brewed using tiger demon corpses, such as tiger bone wine and tiger blood wine, had not yet been discovered by Yang Zhong.
Keep in mind that Yang Zhong, the retired emperor, spent at least three days a month at Yang Hong's place.
Firstly, to check on his vegetables; secondly, to see if there was any fine wine to be had;
And finally, to casually inquire about Yang Hong.
Yet, this person, who frequented the wine cellar, had not discovered the tiger demon series of spiritual wines.
Even Eunuch Old Wang, who constantly monitored Yang Hong, had not found them.
Such incredible occurrences could only be attributed by Yang Hong to luck, to the protection of merit.
Another manifestation of his luck was the good news Li Xuefeng brought back.
"Your Highness, I have memorized a large number of martial arts techniques this time. Among them are 724 low-level techniques, 121 intermediate-level techniques, and 27 high-level techniques."
On the evening of the first, Li Xuefeng, avoiding others, excitedly slipped into Yadulou and reported the good news to Yang Hong.
She didn't even notice that Jia Yuanchun was already present and prepared for an intimate session in the room.
"872 martial arts techniques. Xuefeng, you truly are remarkable."
Hearing this news, Yang Hong no longer minded Li Xuefeng's interruption. Even the formal address "Li Xuefeng" had changed to "Xuefeng."
"Your Highness, I have all these techniques memorized in my mind. Should I write them down, or recite them directly to Your Highness?"
"Recite them directly,"
Yang Hong replied immediately.
He possessed a special ability: photographic memory.
While this ability didn't grant him perfect auditory recall, he could remember something after hearing it at most twice.
As for why not write them down, he was still concerned about Old Wang and others discovering them.
Under Jia Yuanchun's resentful gaze,
Li Xuefeng recited all night, and Yang Hong memorized all night.
Even when dawn broke, both were still full of energy.
The next day, after preparing breakfast, Jia Yuanchun couldn't help but interrupt them, looking at the time.
"Your Highness, it's dawn. Soon, Old Wang will come to pay his respects."
"Hmm~ Dawn has broken. Time flies so fast."
Yang Hong looked at the sunlight streaming through the glass window into the room and only then realized a night had passed.
"Yes, a whole night. I've only recited 17 martial arts techniques. This efficiency is so slow."
Li Xuefeng also looked out the window and sighed, dissatisfied with her own pace.
However, it was spoken word, and sometimes she had to pause to explain what word or character was used in a previous sentence.
After all, these were martial arts manuals, and sometimes a single character's difference could lead to vastly different outcomes.
She had to explain clearly.
This caused their recording efficiency to be extremely poor.
"Xuefeng, have breakfast here and rest.
We'll continue tonight. Although it's slow, it doesn't make much difference."
Indeed, it didn't make much difference. Yang Hong could only perform the "灌顶" (enlightenment/power infusion) technique six times a day, meaning he could only fully master six martial arts techniques daily.
Therefore, learning these techniques slowly wouldn't have a significant impact.
However, to accumulate enough martial arts techniques to evolve the Primary Body Tempering Technique as quickly as possible, Yang Hong chose to start learning and cultivating the high-level techniques first.
As long as he used the "灌顶" technique in the Treasure Lotus Pond, even for high-level martial arts, Yang Hong would only need one infusion to cultivate those techniques to level 100, their maximum.
Never an exception.
It was precisely because the "灌顶" here provided such a massive return of cultivation.
Even "灌顶" ordinary plants could yield at least 60,000 days of cultivation.
Moreover, Yang Hong's luck was consistently good, so he received at least 100,000 days of cultivation return.
While such a return couldn't increase his cultivation level, it could rapidly replenish the true qi he consumed at night. It also left him with ample true qi that could be continuously compressed and refined.
As for the consumption at night, that referred to Yang Hong's dual cultivation. After Li Xuefeng returned, Yang Hong hadn't sent Jia Yuanchun back to the [Lotus Pavilion].
She had stayed at Yadulou, and Yang Hong hadn't neglected her dual cultivation every night.
After all, even after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Jia Yuanchun couldn't last more than two quarters of an hour.
Li Xuefeng, without Foundation Establishment, couldn't even last one quarter of an hour.
Dual cultivation wasn't easy, nor was it for enjoyment.
It was for improving strength.
After Li Xuefeng, Zhou Fengzhi, Hu Qingyi, Zhang Lengyue, Lu Xun, and Wang Jing also returned successively.
They all chose to return to Daxing City by the end of November.
Due to limitations in cultivation aptitude, Li Xuefeng had only managed to reach Qi Refining level 4 after a month.
This highlighted the importance of cultivation aptitude.
After Zhou Fengzhi and the other five returned, Yang Hong summoned them to engage in dual cultivation together.
The cultivation aptitudes of these women were quickly ranked.
Jia Yuanchun had the best aptitude, followed surprisingly by Wang Jing, who usually had a very low presence. Then came Zhou Fengzhi, followed by Hu Qingyi, Zhang Lengyue, and Li Xuefeng.
Lu Xun had the worst cultivation aptitude.
Despite the differences in cultivation aptitude, Yang Hong treated them all equally.
After all, everyone had brought back a large number of cultivation manuals.
Adding Song Yuzhi, who returned last, the eight of them had brought back a total of over 4,000 secret manuals.
There were 127 high-level martial arts, 628 intermediate-level martial arts, and 4381 low-level martial arts.
However, after deducting duplicates, the actual number of unique manuals was 4037.
These secret manuals were all memorized and recalled by these eight women.
With so many manuals, Yang Hong naturally could no longer rely on listening to memorize them. He had to have Song Yuzhi and the others write them down, and then he would read them.
This was another long and massive task.
However, Yang Hong's fortune once again came into play. Although Song Yuzhi and the others consumed vast amounts of ink, paper, and stationery daily,
Yang Hong was never suspected.
It seemed as though Yang Hong's consumption of so much stationery was perfectly reasonable.
The role of luck is truly unreasonable at times.