Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

The thirtieth of the twelfth lunar month—New Year’s Eve.

Every household in Lingxi Village had put up new peachwood charms, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder from firecrackers.

This year, things were a little different for the Chen Family.

Chen Li was away and had not yet returned, but all matters within the estate remained orderly and proceeded as usual.

At the start of the year, while undertaking large-scale renovations of their buildings and expanding the Textile Workshop, the Chen Family had also taken the opportunity to give the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall a complete overhaul.

Just as dawn broke, a crowd had already gathered before the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall.

Led by Chen Shouheng, Chen Shouye and Chen Shouyue, the members of the Chen Family stood solemnly in the ancestral hall’s courtyard. All were dressed in clean clothes, arranged by generation and age.

Preparations for the ancestor worship ceremony had begun as early as the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month, but the rite itself was only just commencing today.

Once the ancestor worship was complete, everyone returned to the estate.

The recent solemnity was quickly replaced by a festive clamor.

But the bustle in the estate today was not solely due to New Year’s Eve.

In the open space of the front courtyard, just inside the estate gates, several long tables had already been set up.

The concubine, Liu Yun, led the maids and servants, busily yet methodically counting items wrapped one by one in red paper.

Beside the tables, the Chen Family’s Tenants, long- and short-term laborers, and maids and servants were all lined up in neat rows, their faces beaming with joy.

It was time for the New Year’s gifts to be distributed.

This was an unprecedented event for the Chen Family.

The event had its origins a month prior, when Chen Li had summoned his eldest son, Chen Shouheng, and his daughter-in-law, Zhou Shuwei. He told them that with the family’s enterprise growing by the day, relying on just one or a few people for decisions was no longer a viable long-term plan. As the saying goes, nothing can be accomplished without standards.

Chen Li consulted with them, proposing to establish a formal set of rules and regulations for management.

When the topic of rewards and punishments came up, Zhou Shuwei mentioned that the Court granted officials a year-end stipend as a sign of imperial favor.

Likewise, the great Noble Families would give New Year’s gifts to their affiliated Tributors, Guests, and even their household servants and estate Tenants. It was a gesture of both gratitude and a means to maintain relationships and solidify loyalty.

Chen Li understood immediately. ’Isn’t this just a year-end bonus from my past life?’

’Even in the world I came from, this was a well-established, time-tested system.’

He thought about how quickly his family’s enterprises were expanding. ’While the rules must be strict, rewards are also essential. This ready-made incentive system is perfect to adopt.’

He nodded in agreement on the spot and asked Zhou Shuwei to assist Chen Shouheng in drafting the regulations as quickly as possible, with the bonuses to be distributed at year’s end.

Thus, the scene before them came to pass.

The distribution followed a clear set of rules.

Tenants received a New Year’s gift equivalent to ten percent of the land rent they had paid.

For the estate’s long- and short-term laborers, servants, and maids, the gift was calculated as ten percent of their monthly wages.

However, this was no simple, equal distribution; each person’s performance throughout the year was also taken into account.

Those who were diligent and performed exceptionally received generous rewards. The lazy, idle, and those who had made mistakes saw their share sharply reduced, or even received nothing at all.

Take Chen Daifu, the Purchaser, for example. He had been caught by Shouyue trying to pass off rotten vegetable leaves as fresh produce, and a demerit had been recorded against him as punishment.

Now, he could only stand to the side with a shameful, downcast expression, watching as others received their rewards. He didn’t get a single coin, drawing many a look of either sympathy or scorn.

Some received just a few silver coins, which they happily tucked away, while others got red envelopes containing more than one tael of silver and couldn’t stop grinning.

As for the Guests, Honored Guests, and Tributors, the Chen Family didn’t simply give them silver coins.

Zhou Shuwei had consulted each of them beforehand, gifting them medicinal herbs they needed or other items that suited their preferences as a sign of respect.

Even the half-grown children practicing in the estate’s martial hall each received two portions of Blood-Strengthening Powder, causing them to erupt in cheers.

For the entire afternoon, a joyous, festive atmosphere enveloped the Chen Family estate, both inside and out, and even spread throughout all of Lingxi Village.

The red envelopes and bonuses represented the family’s recognition and generosity, doing more to foster loyalty than any empty words ever could.

Yet, amidst all the celebration, the faces of the Chen Family’s masters showed little joy. Instead, they were veiled by a faint, unshakable layer of worry.

The reunion dinner was served in the main hall. The dishes were even more lavish than in previous years, but the atmosphere at the table was somewhat somber.

Even the three liveliest youngsters—Shoujing, Shouyue, and Shoucheng—seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere and were much quieter than normal.

After all, Chen Li still hadn’t returned, and there had been no word from him.

This had never happened before, and it was impossible not to feel a sense of unease.

As the night deepened, the sporadic sound of firecrackers from other households holding their New Year’s vigil could be heard outside.

When the meal was finished, the dishes were cleared away and replaced with tea and fruit.

The family sat together, making small talk.

The three youngest—Shoujing, Shouyue, and Shoucheng—could no longer sit still. They stared longingly out the window, their minds on setting off fireworks.

Suddenly, Chen Shouheng’s expression flickered.

At almost the same instant, Chen Shouye, seated next to him, also seemed to sense something and looked sharply at his elder brother.

"Father’s back!"

The two brothers spoke almost in unison.

The family rose to greet him.

A blue-canopied carriage rolled over a thin layer of snow, stopping silently before the estate’s main gate.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a figure leaped nimbly from the shaft. Who else could it be but Chen Li?

"Father, you’re back!"

Chen Shouheng stepped forward. "This trip... was everything alright?"

Chen Li’s gaze swept over his two sons. He gave a slight nod. "Yes. There were some complications, but nothing serious."

He brushed the chill from his sleeves and instructed, "Shouheng, Shouye, move the chests from the carriage to the secret chamber in my study. Be careful with them."

The two brothers quickly complied.

Seeing her husband return safe and sound, Song Ying finally felt the weight lift from her heart. Her eyes were slightly red as she called to a maid, "Go heat some water for the master and prepare a change of clothes."

Chen Shouyue, meanwhile, turned and ran toward the kitchen. "Father, I’ll have the kitchen heat up a meal and bring it over."

Chen Li added, "And have someone prepare another meal to be sent to the guest house for Bai San and Gossip."

After washing up and shedding the dust and chill from his journey, Chen Li changed into a comfortable cotton robe. By the time he returned to the warmth of the main hall, a table of steaming hot food had just been laid out.

Without much talk, Chen Li sat down and began to eat by himself.

He finished his meal in short order, putting down his bowl and chopsticks.

After the maids silently cleared the dishes and served tea and candied fruit, the family gathered around the brazier. The only sound in the main hall was the occasional soft crackle of charcoal in the bronze basin.

Chen Li raised his warm teacup and took a sip, his gaze first falling upon the three little ones who were growing restless.

The three children stared longingly at the faint glimmer of fireworks outside the window, their little faces etched with impatience.

"Shoujing, Shouyue, Shoucheng. Come here."

Chen Li’s voice was calm, yet it carried an innate authority.

The three children started, immediately pulling their gazes back. They stood obediently before Chen Li and answered in crisp unison, "Father!"

"If you want to go play, you’ll have to pass my test first."

He then casually quizzed them on their elementary studies and recent lessons.

Shoujing, the eldest, answered first. Though a little nervous, his recitation was fluent.

Shouyue’s voice was bright and clear, and her answers were flawless.

The youngest, Shoucheng, stumbled a few times, but he had the general idea right.

Chen Li nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction on his face. "Mm, acceptable. You may go. Have Aunt Liu and the maids take you to play. Be safe, and be careful with the fireworks."

"Thank you, Father..."

As if granted a royal pardon, the three children’s faces instantly broke into brilliant smiles. With a cheer, they rushed out of the main hall like a gust of wind.

Their excited shouts were soon heard from the courtyard outside.

Having sent the little ones away, Chen Li turned his gaze to his second son, Chen Shouye.

He studied him for a moment, a flash of approval in his eyes. He nodded with a smile. "Excellent. You’ve broken through to the Divine Hall. Our Chen Family now boasts three Divine Hall Grandmasters. Very good."

Chen Shouye was usually calm and reserved, but hearing his father’s personal praise, he couldn’t help but show a flicker of pride.

He rose and replied respectfully, "I was fortunate enough to succeed a month ago, but I haven’t had the opportunity to report it to you yet."

Chen Li said no more, but suddenly raised his right hand.

A deep, ancient bronze luster swirled at his fingertip, emitting an in-describable aura of profound weight and antiquity.

Chen Li gently tapped the spot between Chen Shouye’s eyebrows.

BZZZZ...

With a nearly imperceptible hum, the phantom image of a small, fist-sized bronze bell, dark cyan in color, materialized from thin air at Chen Li’s fingertip.

The bell’s design was simple and ancient, its body faintly etched with swirling cloud patterns. It radiated a heart-stopping aura of stability and suppression.

The next moment, the phantom bell transformed into a streak of cyan light, shooting toward the spot between Chen Shouye’s eyebrows with unimaginable speed.

"Father?!"

Chen Shouye had not expected his father to strike so suddenly. Alarmed, he instinctively began to circulate his Gang Qi to defend himself.

"Do not resist. Guide your Divine Sense and refine this item."

Chen Shouye immediately suppressed his instinctive urge to resist. Following his father’s words, he focused his mind and sank his consciousness into his sea of awareness.

The very instant he lowered his mental defenses, the phantom bronze bell slipped silently past the barrier of his flesh and entered his brow, appearing directly within his newly formed Divine Hall Acupoint.

DONG!

A deep toll, seeming to originate from the very depths of his soul, boomed within Chen Shouye’s Divine Hall Acupoint.

Chen Shouye’s entire body convulsed, and his face instantly turned ashen.

He felt as if his Divine Soul had been struck by an invisible sledgehammer, threatening to shatter. His vision swam with black spots, his qi and blood roiled, and he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Horrified, he knew this item was extraordinary. Not daring to delay for even a second, and forgetting that he was in the main hall, he immediately sat down cross-legged on the spot. He channeled his Divine Sense with all his might and cautiously began the refining process.

The hall fell silent as everyone watched Chen Shouye, who now sat cross-legged on the floor, his face shifting through a range of colors as fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

It turned out that a month prior, while Chen Li was still in Nanjiang County dealing with matters concerning the Seven Kills Association, the system had issued rewards when Shouye had his breakthrough.

[Congratulations! The Host’s second son, Chen Shouye, has broken through to the Spirit Realm’s Third Level, the Inner Mansion Pass. Reward: Hundred Herbs Withering and Flourishing Technique.]

[Congratulations! The Host’s second son, Chen Shouye, has broken through to the Spirit Realm’s Fourth Level, the Divine Hall. Reward: Stabilizing Spirit Bell.]

The first reward, the Hundred Herbs Withering and Flourishing Technique, had greatly surprised Chen Li.

’Logically,’ he thought, ’my second son Shouye doesn’t lack an Inner Qi Heart Method. Why would the system suddenly reward him with a Cultivation Technique?’

After he read through it carefully, his confusion only deepened.

The cultivation method for the Hundred Herbs Withering and Flourishing Technique was bizarre. Instead of traditional meditation and Qi Cultivation, it required one to find one hundred and eight specific medicinal herbs of particular ages, refine their essence one by one, and once all were refined, a breakthrough to the Spirit Realm would naturally follow.

Many of the herbs listed in the Secret Manual had bizarre names he had never even heard of. Furthermore, judging from the names alone, he suspected that the majority of them were not beneficial tonics, but highly poisonous substances.

Cultivating this technique seemed more akin to demonic and unorthodox methods.

’Was this technique prepared by my daughter-in-law, Li Jinru?’

’Or was it something my eldest grandson, Chen Zhiyuan, left behind?’

For the time being, Chen Li couldn’t figure it out, so he carefully put the Secret Manual away and set the matter aside.