Chapter 206 - 205: Gifts
The twelfth lunar month.
Lingxi was bustling with the joy and activity of the New Year’s festival.
In the Chen Family estate, servants bustled about, cleaning courtyards and hanging festive lanterns, creating a lively and auspicious scene.
"Father, Mother, I’m back."
Chen Shouheng, travel-worn, stepped into the courtyard. His face lit up with excitement when he saw Chen Li and Song Ying in the main hall.
"Shouheng, you’re back!"
Song Ying was overjoyed. She took his hand and examined him closely. "It’s good you’re back. But look at you, you’ve gotten a bit thinner."
"Mother, the food at the Martial Arts Academy is very good. I just missed your cooking."
Shouheng smiled, picked up Shoujing, and gave his chubby little face a good squeeze, making the little guy yelp in protest, though he was helpless to do anything about it.
A short while later.
Shouye also hurried over. The brothers saw each other and clapped each other on the shoulder, their bond needing no words.
Shouyue came running over like a cheerful little sparrow, calling out in her clear voice, "Big Brother, you’re finally back!"
"Grandmother."
Seeing Mrs. Chen walk out of her room, Shouheng hurried forward to support her.
Hearing the commotion, Concubine Liu Yun also came out with Shouyi and Shoucheng, smiling as she greeted Shouheng.
In the main hall, a charcoal brazier burned brightly.
The boisterous warmth of the family gathering chased away the winter chill.
After they sat and chatted for a while, Chen Shouheng brought over his travel bag and took out the gifts he had prepared.
First, he took out a medicine box and handed it to Mrs. Chen. "Grandmother, this is for you. It’s a Ginseng and Deer Antler Longevity Pill. The master at the pharmacy said this elixir is excellent for replenishing qi and blood, nourishing Primordial Qi, and extending one’s life."
"You coming back is enough, what’s the need for gifts?" Mrs. Chen said with a smile as she accepted it.
Next, Chen Shouheng presented an exquisite brocade box to Song Ying. "Mother, your son saw this and thought both the ’Phoenix Perching on Peony’ carving and its meaning were excellent, so I bought it for you."
Song Ying opened it. Inside, a golden hairpin with an extremely intricate and luxurious carving rested quietly on a velvet lining. A layered peony was in full bloom, while a phoenix craned its neck in a long, lifelike cry.
She picked it up carefully, chiding him gently, "You silly child, always spending money recklessly. I’m already so old; wouldn’t wearing this be too ostentatious?"
Despite her words, the affection in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"It will only highlight your grace and elegance, Mother. Who would dare call it ostentatious?"
Chen Shouheng said with a laugh.
He then turned to his second brother, Chen Shouye, took out a handwritten manuscript, and his expression grew more serious. "Little brother, this is a Hinayana Secret Manual, given to me by Master Duan at the Martial Arts Academy. Only after going to the Academy did I learn that the Martial Arts we cultivate are divided into Mahayana and Theravada paths. Although this isn’t a Martial Arts Secret Manual, it details a lot of knowledge about Theravada Cultivation, which should be very useful for you. However, you must not share the contents of this manual with anyone."
Shouye looked astonished. He accepted the manuscript with both hands, knowing it was no ordinary item, and said in a solemn voice, "Thank you, Big Brother. I will return it to you as soon as I’m finished reading."
Chen Shouheng nodded, then turned to his father, Chen Li, who had been listening quietly. "Father, with Master Duan’s guidance at the Martial Arts Academy, I’ve learned that although the Prajna Glaze Heart Sutra of the Self-Viewing we cultivate is profound, it belongs to the Mahayana path.
Its Observing Self Fruit Position has already diverged from my Dragon Suppressing and Tiger Subduing True Skill, and I fear it might cause hidden problems in the future. Master Duan has already helped me shatter my old foundation and switch my cultivation to the Ahan Shouyi Heart Sutra to rebuild the foundation of my Divine Sense."
After listening, a flash of surprise crossed Chen Li’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by understanding.
’No wonder the system rewards for Shouheng and Shouye’s breakthroughs were different. So there was such a hidden reason.’
He nodded slightly. "It is good that you received this opportunity."
Next, Shouheng took out a charmingly clumsy-looking doll, forged entirely from Refined Iron, and handed it to his little sister, Shouyue. "Yue’er, this is for you to play with."
Shouyue took it. It was heavy and cool to the touch, very different from an ordinary doll, and she looked at it with puzzlement.
Chen Shouheng smiled. "Gently twist the rabbit’s right ear one full turn."
Shouyue did as she was told.
With a faint CLICK, the rabbit’s mouth silently opened, revealing a tiny hole.
Chen Shouheng whispered, "It has a Flying Needle hidden inside. After you twist the right ear open, a flick will fire it. It can save you in a moment of crisis, but you must never use it for pranks."
Shouyue’s little face was first surprised, then turned serious. She nodded. "Yue’er understands. Thank you, Big Brother."
Afterward, Chen Shouheng didn’t forget to give Concubine Liu Yun a high-quality Cyan Jade Pendant, which Liu Yun accepted with a grateful smile.
He then looked at Sun Shouyi, who had come later to pay his respects, and handed him a thin booklet. "Shouyi, this is the ’Essence of Saber Technique.’ It explains a lot of the fundamentals of saber techniques, much better than what’s taught in ordinary martial arts schools. If you study it seriously, you might gain some insights."
Sun Shouyi hadn’t expected a gift for himself. Surprised and delighted, he quickly bowed and accepted it with both hands. "Thank you, Big Brother."
Finally, from the very bottom of his bag, Chen Shouheng solemnly took out an oilcloth-wrapped bundle. Opening it revealed five notebooks of varying thickness.
"Father, your son doesn’t have any grand gift for you. These are just some disorganized notes I took during lectures at the Martial Arts Academy. I don’t know if they’ll be of any use to you... but please accept them as a token of your son’s heart."
Chen Li accepted them with a smile. "It’s the thought that counts. The value of the gift doesn’t matter."
The family was full of joy and harmony.
That evening, Chen Li casually flipped through the notes Shouheng had given him in his study.
At first, he was calm. Although much of the information was new to him, given his current Cultivation Realm, it was merely interesting trivia.
But the more he read, the more alarmed he became. His brow gradually furrowed, and the speed at which he turned the pages slowed.
His gaze shifted from casual to focused, and then to one of unconcealable shock.
Much of what was recorded in these notes went far beyond simple records of techniques or personal insights.
They contained many unique perspectives concerning Cultivation in the Spirit Realm.
Many of the points were incisive, cutting straight to the core and provoking deep thought.
Chen Li took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and began to read carefully, word by word, sentence by sentence.
He ended up reading for several days.
Chen Li barely left his study, shutting himself inside and poring over the notebooks, forgetting to eat or sleep.
The contents of the notebooks were like a new door opening up for him.
He found clear explanations and paths forward for many of the confusions and bottlenecks he had encountered in his past Cultivation.
The discussions on Divine Intent, in particular, unraveled the greatest confusion he had faced since stepping through the Void Transformation pass.
The notes clearly stated: Spirit is active; Intent is passive.
He immediately thought of his own Ape Strike Skill. Once his Divine Sense left his body, his physical form became like a rootless duckweed, completely immobile and effectively defenseless.
If he were to get into a battle of Divine Sense with an expert of the same level, or be surrounded by multiple opponents, his physical body would be extremely vulnerable the moment his Divine Sense left it. It was an incredibly dangerous situation; he could be easily cut down.
Having this pointed out to him now felt like a sudden, profound enlightenment.
Of course, Chen Li had never encountered such a problem himself, mainly because he almost exclusively fought against Lower Cultivators whose Realms were below his own.
He had barely ever fought an equal, let alone challenged someone of a higher level.
’So, Divine Intent means that the Divine Embryo and the physical body—whether active or passive—can merge and act as one.’
’When the Spirit moves, the Intent follows. When the Intent moves, the Spirit follows.’
"So that’s how it is..."
Chen Li closed the notebook and let out a long, turbid breath, a sharp light glinting in his eyes.
The value of these notes far surpassed any amount of gold and silver, especially the insights they contained regarding the relationship between True Martial Dao and Divine Intent.
For him, they were perfectly and immensely useful.
Chen Li summoned Chen Shouheng to the study and first asked, "Shouheng, what is the current progress of your Cultivation?"
"Father, I have already opened two hundred and eighty-three Acupoints. I should be able to attempt the Profound Acupoint Pass shortly after the New Year."
Chen Li was slightly surprised. When Shouheng had left for the Martial Arts Academy, the family had just purchased forty-three hundred acres of land and had little silver to spare.
In fact, they owed twenty thousand taels to Linglong and Bai San, and another twenty thousand to Li Weikun. They had only been able to send him off with fifty taels of gold.
During this time, Shouheng had not written home to ask for silver coins.
But calculating from the number of Acupoints he had opened this year, his Medicinal Cuisine must not have stopped. He immediately asked, "Did you have enough silver coins at the Martial Arts Academy?"
"Father, don’t worry," Chen Shouheng said, slightly embarrassed. "I work ringing the bell at the Bell Tower, which brings in a salary of several thousand taels of silver a year. As for the Medicinal Cuisine..."
Chen Shouheng hesitated for a moment, then confessed that Zhou Shuwei had been supplying him with Eight Treasures Spirit Nourishing Soup.
Chen Li listened calmly and didn’t blame his eldest son. As long as the family’s recipe wasn’t leaked, her providing the soup for him wasn’t a major issue.
After a moment of thought, he said, "You can accept Miss Zhou’s kindness in spirit, but you cannot continue to freeload off her good will for long. Do this: after the New Year, find Shouye and have him take you to the family’s Silver Vault. Calculate the amount of silver you’ve used during this period and send the full sum to the Zhou Family."
"Yes, Father."
Chen Shouheng was a little surprised. The amount of silver he’d used in the last nine months was over thirty thousand taels. How could the family have come into so much money so quickly? But seeing that his father was unwilling to elaborate, he didn’t press the issue.
Then, Chen Li turned the topic back to the notes, asking for details about the source of the theory on "Divine Intent."
Chen Shouheng gave a bitter smile. "That was from a lecture by Master Zhang Luyan. At the time, many of my classmates, myself included, were completely bewildered. I just forced myself to memorize it."
He tried his best to recall and recite, "Elder Zhang said something like... ’If the Spirit is an arrow loosed from the bow, the Intent must be its shadow. If the Spirit moves but the Intent lags, it is like a boat sailing in shallow waters. If the Intent moves but the Spirit wanders, it is like an army without a banner...’"
Chen Li listened quietly, every word striking his heart like a heavy hammer.
At the time, Chen Shouheng had been muddle-headed, only half-understanding.
In truth, the main reason was that his Realm was insufficient.
But for Chen Li, who had reached Void Transformation and personally experienced the drawbacks of the separation of Divine Intent, these words were an instant awakening.
Many of his questions were answered in that moment.
’To merge Spirit and Intent, one must first cultivate a True Martial Dao.’
’And the earlier, the better. A self-comprehended True Intent is the strongest.’
Chen Li’s mind raced, and he thought of the Five Directions Twenty-Four Solar Terms Wuxiang Fist.
’If I use my Second Divine Embryo to practice this Fist Technique and condense a True Intent, that would undoubtedly be the strongest path.’
’But this fist is profound, and I haven’t even comprehended a True Intent, let alone a Fist Intent. It would surely take a very long time.’
After a moment’s thought, he made a decision.
’I’ll first borrow the True Intent Map of the Qiankun Qi Wandering Dragon Staff to condense a Staff Intent.’
’There’s a clear path to follow. After I break through and accumulate some experience, practicing the Wuxiang Fist’s True Intent should be twice as effective with half the effort.’
With his direction set, Chen Li’s mood lightened considerably.
Seeing that his father was in a good mood, Chen Shouheng seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking up. "Father, there’s one more thing... At the Martial Arts Academy, I think I saw the child from Uncle Yongxiao’s time with the Cao Family. Her name is Cao Wenxuan."
"Furthermore, I also met a classmate named Su Yancheng, who is from the Su Family. He’s been harassing Cao Wenxuan quite a bit. He was also insolent toward me and even threatened to come to Lingxi to investigate Uncle Yongxiao’s death..."
After hearing this, Chen Li’s expression showed little change. He simply nodded. "I understand. You just focus on your studies. There’s no need to be distracted by such trivial matters."
Chen Shouheng nodded in agreement and left the study.