The two of them climbed to the top quietly and walked a little before hearing a loud noise.
When they followed the sound, it was coming from the disciples' wing.
They looked at each other, and Su Ming sneered with a smile, "Looks like the elder brothers have returned."
The two walked toward the wing, and Zhang Yong pushed the door wide open. "We're back!"
Wang Fei lifted his gaze toward the door and smiled. "Oh, welcome ba—...what the hell! What happened to your face?!"
Liu Yan shot up from her seat and grabbed Zhang Yong's face. "Who did this? Who dares to burn the face of my younger brother—I'll drag him down to the depths of hell." A hidden murderous intent flashed in her eyes.
Zhang Yong's face immediately turned red, and he quickly said, "Elder sister, I'm fine. My face was burned while absorbing the origin flame in the Flame Valley."
Qing Feng's eyes widened when he heard that; he was surprised. "Origin flame? Did you get one of the top three places in the alchemy competition?"
Everyone stared in shock after hearing this, while Zhang Yong smiled at their expressions. "Yes, Su Ming actually got first place. But sister Liu Yan… could you let go of my face?"
Su Ming laughed and mocked, "Elder sister, you'd better let go of Zhang Yong—he suffers from a phobia of women."
"Oh." Liu Yan stepped back a few steps immediately. "I didn't know, sorry."
Zhang Yong spun toward Su Ming and shouted, "Hey Su Ming, since when did I have a phobia?!"
Su Ming kept mocking, "Do you think I don't know? Every girl you meet, you treat roughly, except for the two elder sisters Liu. Do you want me to name names?"
Wang Fei shook his head calmly, a knowing smile on his lips. "Now that I think about it, it does make sense."
Qing Feng chuckled on the other side. "Yeah, I think Xiao Ming is right, I was there too."
Zhang Yong's jaw dropped to the ground. Had they all ganged up on him?
"Sister Yan…" Zhang Yong stepped forward, trying to explain.
Liu Yan retreated next to Liu Yin, and the two of them instantly stepped back.
"Even sister Yin? You know this is wrong." Zhang Yong felt deeply embarrassed at that moment.
From afar, Liu Yin gave a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, you're still our younger brother."
Zhang Yong turned around and shouted at Su Ming, "Don't you have any pride as my brother?! Damn it, man."
Su Ming burst into loud laughter, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes. "Ah, sorry. I promised to mock you if the chance ever came."
A small smile appeared on Zhang Yong's face. "Really? Then don't blame me for this. On the fifth day of the eighth month, exactly two weeks before the sect's trial—do you remember it?"
Su Ming's expression froze as soon as he heard that. "Wait, Zhang Yong, take it back. Don't do that."
Zhang Yong picked up paper and brush. "Forget it, I won't say anything."
Su Ming let out a small sigh of relief before Zhang Yong continued.
"Saying it would be auditory pollution. I'll just write it." With that, Zhang Yong placed the paper on the table and grabbed Su Ming, who tried to snatch it away.
"Wait, Zhang Yong, stop! No, wait, don't read it!"
Everyone gathered around the table, and immediately they burst into laughter.
Qing Feng mocked, "Really? You like that sort of thing?"
Wang Fei coughed slightly. "Xiao Ming does have some strange tastes."
The Liu twins giggled quietly but didn't dare comment.
Su Ming collapsed in frustration to the ground. "It wasn't my fault, I was hypnotized by a beast at the time—that wasn't me."
Zhang Yong patted his shoulder. "Now we're even. More importantly—how is Master?"
Wang Fei let out a long sigh. "Not in the best condition, and the cold weather is making it worse."
Zhang Yong frowned slightly. "Doesn't this world have a heating system?"
Clear question marks appeared on everyone's heads.
Zhang Yong smacked his own forehead. Right, this is a world modeled after ancient China. In the first place, martial artists don't feel cold as much as ordinary people. Still, wearing clothes is necessary.
Liu Yan thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, Zhang Yong, you're only wearing light clothes. Don't you feel cold?"
Zhang Yong answered calmly, "No, I can't really fe—" before finishing, a light bulb went off in his mind.
"I got it. Elder brothers, I think I have a way to solve the cold problem."
The rest looked at each other, then left the wing quietly and headed to a relatively spacious area on the peak
"So, what do you plan to do? And what's with that shovel in your hand?" Su Ming immediately pointed out the odd scene.
Zhang Yong raised his hand, and numerous construction tools appeared—all from the system's store 'Seriously, my system is the best, it has everything, even building materials in the tools tab'
Zhang Yong grabbed a tree branch and began drawing lines in the snow, marking out a 50 meter square.
He rubbed his hands together, sticking out his tongue foolishly. "Alright, that should be the right size." Calmly, a yellow flame floated in his hand, and he cast it over the thirty-meter area, melting the snow. He could have vaporized it instantly but instead only melted it, softening the soil beneath.
At once, Zhang Yong pointed at Su Ming. "Su Ming, go cut some trees and make wooden pillars. Then cut more wood into smaller pieces. After that, chop them with one vertical strike and two horizontal strikes to make thin planks."
Su Ming scratched his head in confusion but didn't protest—especially since this wasn't the first time Zhang Yong did something strange.
Zhang Yong picked up the shovel, started digging into the ground, moving aside the excess soil, then compacting the base.
By the time he finished, Su Ming had cut the wood exactly as Zhang Yong requested—almost absurdly precise.
Zhang Yong grabbed the wooden pieces and began fixing them into the ground, raising roof beams, and putting up wooden walls. Then he reinforced them with red clay soil.
If he didn't have the system, the difficulty of building this place would've skyrocketed. Cement would've been an option, but its properties weren't suitable.
What he was making required flexibility to distribute heat, but cement lacked flexibility, making it a bad choice. Luckily, he had the right materials.
Within two hours, the walls were already built.
A wry smile appeared on his face. "Heh, not bad for my first time building something."
"Zhang Yong, just what is this?" Liu Yan asked while watching him.
Zhang Yong pointed proudly. "It's called… uh, Ondo… something. I can't remember the exact name, but I remember how it was built."
Wang Fei gave him a strange look, though there was a spark of curiosity in his eyes. "And where did you learn to do this?"
"What, building? I've never built before, but if not for Mister Lloyd, I wouldn't have been able to."
Yes, even among transmigrators, I feel proud to say his name—the greatest engineer in the world.
Zhang Yong climbed onto the roof, laid the planks, nailed them in place, and finished by setting the chimney opening.
He leapt down, entered inside, and frowned slightly. "Alright, the exterior is done. But the inside—that's the real step. If my body wasn't strong, I wouldn't have been able to finish this so fast. This is the work of a whole construction crew."
The others had already offered to help, but Zhang Yong refused—they didn't have the necessary knowledge, and they'd probably mess it up. So it was best he did it alone.
Zhang Yong picked up the shovel again, digging a winding trench beneath the floor. The goal was to distribute heat evenly throughout the room.
Once done, he covered the trench with yellow clay and force-dried it using his flame.
By then, Su Ming returned, panting, carrying a basket. "Zhang Yong, I brought them!"
Zhang Yong stepped out and opened the basket—inside were red crystals. "Fire crystals, perfect."
Su Ming explained, "Yes, but when their energy runs out, they'll shatter, so…"
Zhang Yong grabbed the crystals and went inside, placing them in the trench and surrounding them with a formation using spiritual stones.
Fire crystals were born from compressed fire law. If broken, they exploded. They couldn't be destroyed by normal attacks—they'd just absorb them. But to use them for heating, Zhang Yong arranged two formations: the first gathered spiritual energy from the air to prolong their life, the second spread their heat evenly throughout the room.
He placed a crystal at each end of the trench, covered them with thick stones at their spots, while the sides were covered with thinner stones to act as insulation. The floor heated up, distributing warmth throughout.
Then he spread yellow soil over the stones, flattening the floor until it looked natural.
The place of the fireplace torch was the means of connecting the arrays. So by throwing spirit stones the matrix can be activated and one stone can last for one hour.
After adding final touches, he stood up and quietly exited the room.
"Is it done?" Qing Feng asked, sipping from a wine jar.
Zhang Yong nodded. "Yes. Soon the room will start warming up. Let's bring Master"
Su Ming pointed at a pile of leftover wood. "What about these?"
A sly smile tugged at Zhang Yong's lips. "I have plans for them. Just wait."
He lifted the entire pile of wood at once and carried it to the pond behind the mountain.
Three hours later, he was done with the second structure.
"What's this?" Liu Yan asked. Zhang Yong had constructed a vast place surrounding the pond—specifically, wrapping around it.
Zhang Yong pointed at it proudly. "Hot spring baths. Normally, you'd need sulfuric water, but I can simulate it. Follow me."
The place was built in a Japanese style—the entrance looked small, but inside it was surprisingly spacious.
The group froze in awe. The floor was stone, steam rose from the hot waters, and further back stood a long wooden wall.
Zhang Yong smiled faintly and pointed at the pond. "I placed stones at the bottom. Near the shallows, it's safe, but the further you go, the deeper it gets. So it's basically a hot swimming pool. With special herbs and moisture-resistant clay, I balanced the heat without a complicated system."
"This is amazing, Xiao Yong," Liu Yan smiled faintly, though some embarrassment showed on her face. "Then what about…"
The instant she spoke, Qing Feng's face lit up like he won the jackpot.
Zhang Yong knew what she meant and pointed. "For you all, the other side is separated—to avoid mixing."
Qing Feng collapsed dramatically to the ground, as though his dreams were shattered.
Then Zhang Yong gestured to another entrance some distance away. "That's the women's entrance. Don't worry, elder brother Qing, why not try peeking?"
"Right, I can still do that!" Qing Feng grinned, running straight to the women's side. But the moment he stepped in, he was electrocuted, collapsing like roasted charcoal.
The group burst into loud laughter, seeing Qing Feng sprawled on the ground, his face blackened with smoke.
Struggling to stand, Qing Feng rubbed his head with a pained look. "Zhang Yong, how could you do this to me? Don't you respect your elder brother?"
Liu Yan sneered happily. "You're the one who ran there yourself—you can't blame anyone."
Zhang Yong waved his hand. "Actually, that was a formation. For someone like elder brother Qing Feng, it neutralizes yang energy. If a man enters, the formation blocks him. Even if someone flew overhead, all they'd see is mist. So there's no point trying."
Qing Feng slammed his fist against the ground. "Why, Zhang Yong, just kill me instead!"
Zhang Yong chuckled lightly and patted his shoulder. "Elder brother, you have to know when to stop. Anyway, let's not waste time. Let's get master and show him this place."
Everyone nodded, and soon they brought Master Gu. As they neared the heated room, Gu Zixian opened his eyes weakly, staring at them. "What is this place?"
Zhang Yong gave a reassuring smile. "This is a place I built specially for you, Master."
Gu Zixian entered, already feeling the warmth radiating from the floor.
He looked around slowly, surprise flickering across his face. "This… how did you do this?"
Zhang Yong smiled proudly. "Just a few little tricks, Master. The point is for you to be comfortable here, away from the harsh winter."
Gu Zixian sat down on the warm floor. Heat seeped into his weary body, a soft smile relaxing his face. "Mmm, this feels good. I haven't felt this kind of comfort in a long time."
Zhang Yong suggested with a grin, "Master, why don't you try the hot springs I built too?"
Gu Zixian looked at him in surprise. "Hot springs?"
Zhang Yong nodded proudly. "Yes, I built one in the pond. Would you like to see it?"
Gu Zixian smiled with satisfaction, enjoying himself. "Why not? I'd like to see what you've done."
They all walked to the hot springs, and when they entered, Gu Zixian admired the details. "This place is excellent."
Zhang Yong waved them forward. "What are you waiting for, everyone? Let's get in the water."
At once, they stripped down and entered, leaning against the edges.
"Ahh, this is life," Wang Fei sighed in relief, sinking into the water.
"Mmm, refreshing to my old bones. I haven't felt this in fifty years," Gu Zixian let out a long exhale, staring at the sky.
"Huh?" Su Ming blinked. "Fifty years? Master Gu, how old are you?"
Gu Zixian smiled broadly. "Almost seventy. Your master is even older—five years older, in fact."
"Really?" Su Ming asked in shock. "That master looks so much younger."
Gu Zixian laughed wistfully. "Yes, I remember when we used to travel together. Back then I was quite handsome, too. I charmed many women. Honestly, I don't think my looks were any less than Zhang Yong's right now."
Zhang Yong sneered inwardly. 'Heh, if Qing Feng were Gu Zixian's grandson, I'd say he inherited his genes'
"Heh, I wonder what teacher looked like in his youth," Liu Yan's voice drifted from the other side of the wall.
"There's no point thinking about it. What's past is past. What matters is now," Gu Zixian turned briefly toward Zhang Yong and Su Ming. "I heard you both joined the alchemy competition and placed first and third. That's good news."
At that moment, Qing Feng suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I heard one of the Five Beauties of the Empire was present. Did you see her?" His expression was eager.
Zhang Yong looked indifferent, while Su Ming stiffened visibly.
Gu Zixian lightly smacked Qing Feng's head. "Foolish disciple, all you think about is women."
Zhang Yong shrugged casually. "No, I was focused on the competition. I didn't really care."
Qing Feng smacked his forehead in frustration. "What a waste of your looks!"
Su Ming shook his head. "Same here. I was already giving my all just to reach the highest rank I could."
Zhang Yong couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly are these Five Beauties anyway?"
Qing Feng and Wang Fei exchanged looks before Wang Fei explained. "They're the most beautiful women from the golden families and the royal family. Long Yuliang, Su Yan—who happens to be Su Ming's sister—the princess Jiang Ruyan, and then Liu Yan and Liu Yin."
Zhang Yong was taken aback. "Eh? That's unexpected."
Qing Feng shook his head. "I know, it's surprising that Liu Yan is one of the empire's beauties."
Immediately, a flying bucket launched from behind the wall, smacking Qing Feng right on the head. "How dare you say that, you ant-brained Idiot!" came Liu Yan's voice.
Clutching the sore spot, Qing Feng turned to Zhang Yong. "Didn't you say there was a barrier? How did I get hit?"
Zhang Yong sighed helplessly. "I made one, yes—but only over the other baths. So… deal with it."
The others chuckled quietly, while the night air around them was peacefully comforting.