CHAPTER 341: CHAPTER 295 SETTLING DOWN

Building a swimming pool was merely the first step in renovating the mansion. Subsequently, Li Ang cultivated the garden, refurbished the warehouses, laid sewage pipes underground, and finally made a trip to West Market, where he used a horse-drawn carriage to bring back the pre-ordered... porcelain toilet components.

Living off the energy of the wind and the dew, subsisting on air and abstaining from grains—that was the realm of Immortals; at the very least, contemporary Cultivators still needed to eat.

Li Ang assembled the components and, under the curious gazes of Chai Chai and Galuo, connected the toilet to the cistern. He pressed a button, and a flow of water gushed out.

"Is this the flush toilet?" Chai Chai’s expression was somewhat strange as she gently tapped the thin toilet lid with her knuckles, producing a crisp sound. "And it’s actually white porcelain..."

"It was made by an old craftsman from Yuhua Palace Kiln," Li Ang said casually. "It failed three times, costing a total of six hundred strings of coins in the end."

The white porcelain from Yuhua Palace Kiln was smooth and bright, pure white like creamy fat and resembling ivory. Under the light, the glaze core faintly exhibited a peach-pink hue.

"That expensive?" Both Chai Chai and Galuo were somewhat astounded; just one toilet could buy two or three bungalows, or four oxen for plowing.

"After all, it was their first time making it, and many failures resulted. Plus, it required a Magic Master to control the kiln temperature to ensure it was molded as one piece without any cracks."

Looking at the exquisitely peerless flush toilet, which was not inferior to those used in the Imperial Palace, Li Ang couldn’t help feeling somewhat emotional. If seen by the uninitiated, they might even think it was some novel vase to put flowers in—after all, it’s connected to a cistern, and there’s clear water at the bottom; it’s just like a vase!

"The Suzhou case has already proven that public toilets can indeed effectively reduce the spread of diseases. Chang’an City also plans to expand the scale of underground sewage piping and build toilets at street corners and alleys," Li Ang said. "By then, this type of toilet will probably become popular in the homes of the wealthy."

High-quality porcelain was expensive, let alone such a large piece. Even families with an annual income of a thousand strings of coins might not be willing to spend a hundred strings on a toilet. Before the price came down, it remained a "luxury" that only extravagant households could afford.

After installing toilets on both the upper and lower floors, Li Ang then made a refrigerator—powered by a Liliang Talisman, it was used for the cold storage of cooked foods, fruits, and vegetables.

An icebox—driven by a Frozen Cold Talisman, it was used to freeze meats.

A washing machine—a pulsator-type barrel with functions for washing, rinsing, and dehydration. It could be directly controlled by Telekinesis or powered by a Water Travel Talisman.

"What’s this?" Chai Chai pointed to the sticker on the refrigerator (one black and one white boy wearing only briefs) and asked curiously.

"Haier Brothers," Li Ang casually said. "Along with Golden Horn and Silver Horn, Shuke and Beita, and Phoenix Legend, they’re a famous partner combination."

"Oh." Chai Chai, who had grown accustomed to not understanding Li Ang’s words, then pointed at the peculiarly shaped panda ice cubes in the icebox. "And this?"

"Bing Duddun," Li Ang said, rummaging through his fragmented memories of the Otherworld. He continued uncertainly, "Is it a mascot toy shaped like an Iron-eating Beast, living on snowy mountains, fond of lifting snowballs to smash its own feet?"

Chai Chai and Galuo exchanged glances, not quite understanding the meaning, and continued to place the beef and mutton from the pushcart into the icebox.

For lunch, they had clear soup hot pot. Since Galuo was temporarily staying with them, they had been eating more mutton lately.

In the afternoon, an unexpected visitor arrived.

「Lu Yunan.」

This businessman from Northern Black Mountain greeted Li Ang with a smile and handed over a wooden box filled with long gold ingots. "It’s rather abrupt of me to visit unexpectedly; I hope Mr. Li doesn’t mind."

"Not at all." Li Ang casually handed the wooden box to Chai Chai, whose eyes were gleaming, and then slightly turned to lead Lu Yunan to the living room to sit down. "Is there something you need?"

"That’s right." Lu Yunan averted his gaze from the swimming pool in the courtyard and said, "With high summer approaching, I wish to purchase some Qinghao medicine for my compatriots in the Northern Territory. Would Mr. Li be able to write me a letter of introduction..."

Yu Country highly valued artemisinin, and workshops had been set up in Chang’an, Luoyang, Lingnan, and other places to produce the medicine around the clock. The vast majority of artemisinin was supplied to the Imperial Family, court officials, clinic physicians, and Yu Country’s citizens. Only a minimal portion of artemisinin was used as state gifts for various countries’ delegations.

Those from noble families and rich businessmen, no matter how hard they tried, found it difficult to get a large quantity of artemisinin at this time.

"Fine, no problem." Li Ang nodded. As the inventor of artemisinin, he undoubtedly had this authority. The Black Mountain region was vast and sparsely populated; the demand for malaria medication wouldn’t be too great.

Back in Suzhou, it was Lu Yunan who had transported a large quantity of wine stone, which allowed Li Ang to produce Potassium Antimony Tartrate and urgently treat many of Yu Country’s citizens who were suffering from severe malaria.

He went to his study to retrieve his personal seal, wrote an introduction letter, stamped it, and handed it to Lu Yunan.

"Thank you, Mr. Li," Lu Yunan said, sighing in relief and nodding sincerely.

"Just call me Risheng." Li Ang gestured, then curiously asked, "Is malaria a severe issue in the Northern Territory?"

"Yes," Lu Yunan nodded and said. "The Black Mountain is located in the polar region, with vast areas of permafrost. When the rainwater can’t seep through, it forms marshes that accumulate dead leaves and trees.

"The mosquitoes bred there are huge, fierce, and bloodthirsty, and they swarm to bite people and livestock.

"Every year, people die from malaria."

"I see." Li Ang nodded, then inquired about the natural landscape and customs of the Northern people. It was indeed a place of bitter cold, but it also possessed an abundance of precious resources: timber, coal, gold, silver, copper, iron, and other minerals, fisheries, freshwater, furs... However, the only problem lay in its poor transportation.

Lu Yunan said, "For four months of the year, everything is covered with snow and ice, making it difficult to move even a step. For another four months, as the snow and ice melt, the land becomes muddy and swampy; not to mention carts, even walking on it can cause one to sink."

Li Ang furrowed his brows and asked, "Haven’t you considered relocating?"

"Nowhere to go," Lu Yunan said with a bitter smile. "Though the world is vast, there is no place that can shelter us." Fengshun Trading Company does have many ocean-going ships, but where could they migrate to? Even Yu Country, which has a zealous desire for territory expansion, shows no interest in the harsh Northern Territory and would not take the effort to incorporate it into their territory. Zhou Kingdom would not welcome barbarians from the Northern Territory, Jing Country is xenophobic and cold, and even further south, in Nan Zhao and Java, people from the Northern Territory might manage to do business by sailing there, but they would definitely not be able to adapt to the hot and humid climate if they lived there for long.

By contrast, the equally inhospitable Ten Thousand Desolate Mountains, located at the junction of Yu Country, Jing Country, and Zhou Kingdom, actually received more attention. This led all three kingdoms to station troops there, with trade caravans constantly coming and going. Yu Country even sent descendants from the Kong Family to build a Confucius Institute there, teaching the Desert People benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness.

"By the way," Lu Yunan said, taking a deep breath as he smilingly had a Maid bring out a stack of ancient books. "Hearing that the Academic Palace chose Jialan Sect as the final competition venue, I had someone collect some information."

Li Ang received the books and found that they all contained information left by explorers who over the generations had searched for the Jialan Sect’s Secret Treasure, including historical materials about Jialan Sect, maps of Mountain of Mind and Heart, and so on.

"Thank you." Li Ang closed the book and thanked Lu Yunan genuinely. These materials were not highly confidential or precious, but effort and resources had clearly been spent to compile them.

"Glad to be of help." Lu Yunan nodded with a smile. After saying goodbye, he left Golden City Square with the Maid in a carriage.

As the carriage wheels rolled, the Maid peered through the curtain at the mansion and softly said, "Eagle Master, how can this Mr. Li be so... pure-hearted? A document stamped with his personal seal could go unhindered anywhere in Yu Country, right?"

"Don’t pry. He treated me with sincerity, and I should respond in kind." Lu Yunan shook his head, the image of the Turkic girl he had seen on the second floor of the Golden City Mansion coming to mind. Turkic... The Black Mountain people harbor a deep-seated hatred toward the Turkic. Only by advancing westward, with bows and axes, killing those Turkic whose hands are stained with the blood of Black Mountain people, will they find a way out. The Turkic Khan is old and frail; his brother, sons, and nephews are gradually unable to restrain their ambitions. A storm is brewing on the grasslands. The time is almost here.

Lu Yunan leaned against the carriage window, at an angle invisible to the Maid, idly fingering a small iron piece. If Li Ang were here, he would instantly recognize this iron piece, marked with the pattern of flowing clouds, as originating from the organization Situ Zhi and Jun Qianzi belonged to—Zhao Ming.