Chapter 98 - 97: Preparation
Chapter 98: Chapter 97: Preparation
With the matter of his eldest son settled,
Chen Li’s gaze then landed on his second son, Shouye.
Shouye was looking down, peeling a peanut. When he felt his father’s gaze, he paused for a moment and looked up.
Chen Li smiled. "Shouye, once you reach Blood Refining Perfection, Father will personally go to the Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall to formally propose marriage to Master Li on your behalf. We’ll bring Jinru home in grand style."
A rare, subtle blush crept onto Shouye’s face, but the flickering candlelight made it unnoticeable.
He put down the peanut and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Father, Mother, there’s something... I went to take care of it before the new year. By the time I returned, it was already the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month. With everything so busy, I haven’t had a chance to report it."
"Oh? What is it?"
Chen Li picked up his teacup, took a sip, and gestured for him to continue.
Shouye took a deep breath and recounted in full detail how he had gone to Ping County alone before the new year to find Wu Gui and purchase a Cultivation Technique.
He explained everything, from how he gathered information and dealt with Wu Gui, to how he had spent five hundred taels to acquire the Eight Directions Pile Skill, the Eight-direction Saber Technique, and the formula for the Blood-Strengthening Powder.
But when he got to the part where Wu Gui had, as expected, tailed him and launched a sudden ambush on a desolate official road, intending to rob and kill him...
"What?"
Song Ying’s face turned white. The dried fruit she was holding fell to the floor unnoticed. Her voice trembled with alarm and fear. "You reckless child! Going to such a lawless place all by yourself, to deal with a desperate criminal like that? If... if something had gone wrong, what would your mother...?"
Shouye quickly lowered his head, admitting his mistake in a sincere tone. "Mother, I was thoughtless. I’m sorry for frightening you. I’ll never be so reckless again."
He paused, then added, "But I was cautious and took precautions. I didn’t let him succeed."
After listening to the whole story, Chen Li’s expression remained calm. He didn’t immediately scold his son. Instead, he put down his teacup and said, "Let me see the Cultivation Technique and the formula."
Shouye went to his room and retrieved a booklet carefully wrapped in oilcloth, handing it to his father.
Chen Li took it, unwrapped the oilcloth, and quickly flipped through the Cultivation Technique, nodding slightly.
With his experience, he could quickly tell that this Eight Directions Skill was indeed a viable technique for Cultivation.
A flicker of delight showed in his eyes. "This Cultivation Technique is straightforward, the Saber Technique is sharp and practical, and the formula is well-suited to its purpose. It’s an excellent choice for building a solid foundation. Shouye, you’ve done a fine job. You’ve solved a major problem for the family."
However, his tone shifted as he added, "But it was far too risky. The Jianghu is a treacherous place. How could a desperate gambler with no morals be an easy person to deal with? You were only able to win this time because he was unskilled in combat. If he had been stronger, or his methods more vicious, what would you have done?"
Shouye lowered his head, listening respectfully. "You are right, Father. I was wrong."
Chen Li’s tone softened slightly, but his warning was even graver. "Remember, when you’re out there, use your wits, not brute force. Ambush if you can; never fight a head-on battle. A wise man doesn’t stand beneath a crumbling wall. Never forget that."
"Yes, I will remember your teachings, Father," Shouye replied solemnly.
Just then, Shouye seemed to remember something else. He took out the Token and handed it over. "Father, there’s this, too. I found it in a hidden spot at his place after I killed Wu Gui. I don’t know what it’s for."
Chen Li had just taken the Token and hadn’t yet examined it closely when Shouheng, who was sitting nearby, cried out in shock, "A Jingwu Bureau Token? And a Merit Order at that!"
Seeing everyone looking at him, he quickly explained, "I heard some people from the Jingwu Bureau mention it before. The Bureau has something called a Merit Order, which is supposedly awarded to those who perform great deeds for the Jingwu Bureau. A descendant can present this order to enter the Jingwu Bureau directly, without any assessment, and secure a guaranteed position as at least a Junior Banner Officer."
Chen Li glanced at him. The Jingwu Bureau had approached Shouheng several times regarding the Drunken Creek Pavilion incident.
Shouheng had told him about each visit, and Chen Li had instructed him not to get too involved with the Jingwu Bureau. ’Looks like the Jingwu Bureau is still trying to win him over,’ he thought.
His fingers traced the cold xiezhi pattern and the word "Jingwu," and he fell silent, lost in thought.
After a moment, he handed the Token back to Shouye, his tone grave. "Shouye, keep this well hidden. Do not show it to anyone unless you have absolutely no other choice, and whatever you do, don’t use it to approach the Jingwu Bureau."
Leaving aside the potential hidden dangers of the Token, Chen Li wasn’t particularly impressed by the mere position of a Junior Banner Officer.
He still hoped his second son, Shouye, would also take the Martial Examination.
"Yes, Father!"
Shouye, understanding the stakes, solemnly wrapped the Token up again.
Chen Li’s gaze swept over the two booklets and the formula on the table, then shifted to his two sons. His mind was racing.
The incident with the Water Bandits had given him a great deal to think about.
’Though every member of our family is doing well and prospering, when a true crisis hits, we are weak and isolated, with no one to rely on.’
’The strength of one’s clan is the greatest backing in this world.’
’Now that I am the head of the Chen Family, and I have these legacies—the Eight Directions Pile Skill, the Eight-direction Saber Technique, and the Blood-Strengthening Powder—I could consider establishing a school within the clan to train our own kinsmen.’
Of course, not just anyone would be allowed to learn these things.
Besides, most of his kinsmen were just struggling to get by. Their finances were tight; expecting them to pay to learn martial arts was almost impossible.
’How to implement this will require careful planning,’ he mused.
The night deepened, and the New Year’s Eve vigil drew to a close.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound of firecrackers exploded through the night.
The new year had quietly arrived.
...
「The 24th year of Yuan Jia.」
Shortly after the New Year,
the Court’s thirty-thousand-strong bandit suppression army suddenly mobilized. Splitting into multiple forces, they moved with lightning speed, as if they already knew the locations of every one of the Water Bandits’ nests and strongholds.
The moment the campaign began, they struck at the bandits’ vital points with overwhelming force.
Though the Water Bandits were fierce and cunning, their resistance swiftly crumbled before the well-equipped, well-trained army of the Court. They were swept away like leaves in an autumn wind.
And just like that, the Water Bandits who had plagued Lishui for two years were finally wiped out.
It was said that the Court’s army seized nearly one hundred thousand shi of plundered grain hoarded by the Water Bandits. A vast fleet of over two hundred Official Ships, fully laden with provisions, set sail and returned to Jiangzhou.
The long-closed Lishui waterway was finally restored to its former peace and was open to traffic once more.
Time passed in a flash, and soon it was the second month.
The spring air was still brisk and cold. The fields outside Lingxi Village were covered in a thin layer of frost, but a subtle warmth that hinted at nature’s reawakening could already be felt.
One day, Shouheng sought out Chen Li, his expression serious. "Father, my Inner Qi is now abundant and circulating perfectly. I am ready to attempt a breakthrough to the Spirit Realm."
"Good!"
Chen Li stared at his eldest son. After a moment of silence, he said simply, "I will stand guard for you. Begin your preparations at once."
The two of them immediately went to the county town again to purchase the medicinal ingredients for the Mysterious Black Tortoise Tribulation Secret Medicine and the Nine-Turns Essence Rejuvenation Marrow Heart Pill.
This time, Chen Li meticulously selected the ingredients, choosing the oldest and most potent ones that could be found in the Mirror Mountain county town.
The cost for a single dose of the Mysterious Black Tortoise Tribulation Secret Medicine soared to a full eighty taels.
The cost for ten Nine-Turns Essence Rejuvenation Marrow Heart Pills also reached three hundred taels.