The Hidden Immortal

Chapter 63 Returning Home in Glory

The names and prefixes of the spells have changed, but the descriptions that follow have become much simpler.

Within a hundred feet, there is limited control.

Chu Xun had already tried it the moment he was promoted.

The so-called limited control is a significant improvement over the previous measures.

The Rainfall Technique simply condenses water vapor to produce rain, with precise directional control included.

Water manipulation techniques are no longer limited to rainfall, but extend to water control!

Chu Xun once tried to pull the stream within a hundred feet.

With a thought, it transformed into a water rope, binding the limbs of the watching rabbit as if it were alive.

No matter how much it struggled, it could not break free from the seemingly soft but actually very resilient water binding.

It can also condense into a water needle the size of a fingertip; though it has no metal or stone-like properties, it is inexhaustible.

Cutting off the water flow is a given.

The same applies to earth magic; even soft mud can be instantly transformed into hard earthen walls and sharp earth spikes.

It becomes easier to use and more effective.

However, the spiritual energy available during the Qi Refining stage is extremely limited, and the greater the distance, the greater the energy consumption.

With the current spiritual energy, if one were to try to control a water rope to restrain a rabbit at the edge of a hundred feet, it wouldn't even last for half the time it takes to burn incense before the spiritual energy depletes.

It seems that such a technique cannot be fully utilized by those in the Qi Refining stage; at least the Foundation Establishment stage is required.

As for the Five Elements Daoist techniques, Chu Xun's understanding of them has made them even more powerful.

The dream of turning stone into gold and seeing enemies in every bush and tree is right here.

The boost brought by the Foundation Establishment stage is too great.

This made Chu Xun even more eager for promotion; now, the only thing limiting him was time.

Several old crows hopped to his side, tilting their necks and leaning against him.

Their feathers became increasingly hard, like sheets of iron.

Chu Xun smiled and reached out to pat the crow's head.

Suddenly, the sound of horses neighing came from outside the courtyard, followed by human voices.

"Huh? This is Xun-ge'er's house? It looks so grand!"

Chu Xun looked up and saw a burly man standing at the door, wearing a six-lobed melon-shaped military officer's hat, a blue silk robe with a coiled collar, a black iron token tied around his waist, and black boots.

His face was as dark as iron, carrying a hint of battlefield ferocity.

Upon seeing Chu Xun, his tightly pursed lips suddenly parted into a wide grin, and he strode in.

"Xun-ge'er!"

Chu Xun stood up and could vaguely make out the other person's identity from their features.

"Stone?"

"Hahaha, who else could it be but me!"

Shi Tou, who had served in the army for ten years before returning home, was much more mature than before, and his entire demeanor was completely different.

The stone of the past was nothing more than a rough, unruly boy from the countryside.

Now he exudes a fierce aura and is quite extraordinary.

Upon seeing him return, Chu Xun was overjoyed: "Is everything alright at your camp?"

"It's all over now." Stone naturally understood what he was asking and grinned, "It's just that in the past two years, many people couldn't bear the fear in their hearts. The two princes, along with some nobles and aristocratic families, used superstitions to incite refugees to rebel and stage a mutiny. I was with the army to quell the rebellion, which is why it took so long."

"But this misfortune has also brought me good fortune; I'm now a centurion, a sixth-rank official! How about it, is this outfit presentable?"

When he left his hometown, Shi Tou said that he would return in glory.

Now that he's achieved it, Chu Xun smiled and nodded, "It's really good."

"Hehe, you're not bad either. This big courtyard, with its blue bricks and red tiles, is even more impressive than the wealthy families in town. When I came here, I heard many people mention Master Chu's name."

Hearing the noise, Zhang Anxiu came out of the woodshed.

Upon seeing the stone, I didn't recognize it immediately.

After all, ten years have passed, and the stone has changed too much.

Even after Chu Xun explained, Zhang Anxiu remained stunned.

This puzzled Shi Tou, who asked, "What's wrong, Auntie? Are you scared because you think I'm too high-ranking?"

He laughed heartily, trying to ease the tension with a joking tone.

But Chu Xun knew why Zhang Anxiu was like this. Shi Tou had just returned to the village and had not yet gone home, so he did not know that his elderly mother had passed away.

It was difficult to say this outright, so Chu Xun could only say, "Qiaohua has been waiting for you for ten years. Don't chat idly here. Go back and reunite with her and her daughter."

"It's not just the two of us, it's the three of us, including my mother." Shi Tou chuckled. "If my mother knew that I'm now a sixth-rank military officer, higher than the county magistrate, she'd probably cry tears of joy."

He had served in the military for many years, but after a ten-year absence, he finally returned to his homeland.

The excitement was indescribable.

Looking up at the crows on the eaves, Stone said a few more words before leaving.

Zhang Anxiu walked to Chu Xun's side and asked in a low voice, "Should we go over and take a look?"

Chu Xun nodded; it was time to go.

As the two headed towards Shi Tou's house, Shi Tou had already ridden his horse to his doorstep.

He shouted loudly to the villagers along the way, and the villagers looked surprised, some of them not yet realizing who he was.

Only after being reminded by others did he realize what was happening, and his expression immediately turned strange.

A group of people headed towards Shi Tou's house, where Qiao Hua was drying fish in the yard.

The figure on the horse leaped down, rushed into the yard, and picked up Qiaohua in one swift motion.

Qiaohua screamed in fright and kicked and punched him violently.

But then a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar male voice reached her ears.

"It's me! It's been years! How come you're so energetic!"

Qiaohua looked closely and was stunned when she saw the other person's face clearly.

That face, so much more resolute and mature than I remembered, and so much more rugged—wasn't it my man?

Qiaohua was both surprised and delighted, crying and laughing as she pounded on Shitou's chest: "Why did you take so long to come back! Why did you take so long to come back!"

Shi Tou laughed heartily. After the camp where he was staying was temporarily resting, he rushed home as soon as possible.

They sped along at breakneck speed, barely managing to eat a few bites of food.

Picking up the token from his waist, Stone chuckled and said, "Your man is a centurion now, a sixth-rank military officer. How about that! The Commander said that if I achieve another merit, I'll be promoted to chiliarch!"

"Sooner or later, you'll be a general's wife, hahaha!"

As he spoke, Shi Tou pulled Qiao Hua into the house: "Where are Mother and the children? Let them see them quickly, lest they scold me for running off to join the army without telling them."

Qiaohua was stunned as he dragged her into the house, her face pale.

Shi Tou stepped into the house and saw a ten-year-old child squatting on the ground weaving a bamboo basket.

His eyes brightened slightly. Was this his son?

Just like when I was a child, with a chubby and adorable face!

Liao Licheng looked up at the man who had pulled his mother into the house, and was momentarily at a loss.

Who is this person?

Stone knew the child wouldn't recognize him and was about to call him over when he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye that shouldn't be there.

Turning my head sharply, I saw two memorial tablets on a wooden table against the wall.

A piece of paper with his father's name written on it, which he had seen since he was a child.

The other one was slightly newer and had a woman's name engraved on it.

Shi Tou stared blankly at the memorial tablet, while Qiao Hua stood beside him with her head down, saying, "That day, Mother searched everywhere for you but couldn't find you. When she found out you had secretly run off to join the army, she couldn't catch her breath..."

Liao Licheng seemed to understand something, dropped the bamboo basket in his hand, and his tender face instantly turned bright red, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"You're the one who drove Grandma crazy!"