Stealing Heavenly Secrets

Confident as he reviewed the ritual process, Li Zhi found no flaws.

He returned to the house, thick with confusion.

Sitting on the sofa, he racked his brains, even flipping through the original Stealing Heavenly Secrets again and again, yet still couldn't grasp the thread.

"Xiao Zhi, are you home?" Just then, a loud banging came from his iron gate—his neighbor Li Zhong.

"Uncle Zhong, I'm here." Li Zhi immediately called back, then went to open the door.

Before the ritual, to avoid disturbance, he had locked the courtyard gate from the inside.

Seeing Li Zhi open the gate, Li Zhong hurriedly said, "Good, you're fine. What happened at your place just now? A thick plume of smoke rose, and the smell of roasted meat wafted out—was there a fire?"

Li Zhi naturally wouldn't tell him the truth, instead saying sheepishly, "Sorry to make you laugh, Uncle Zhong. I tried roasting a whole lamb in the backyard, but I couldn't control the heat and burned the meat to ash."

Li Zhong chuckled. "If you want roasted meat, why bother doing it yourself? Barbecuing is a craft. There are mobile whole-lamb vendors around here. Give them a call, and they'll bring their tools and a live sheep. No need to lift a finger, and you get fresh, delicious roasted whole lamb."

Li Zhi's eyes lit up. "There's a service like that? Then I've got to try it. Uncle Zhong, please order one for me—today we'll have roasted whole lamb."

Li Zhong smiled. "No trouble at all. These past few days, eating at my place, you've been improving our meals, me and the old lady."

Seeing this, Li Zhi suddenly said, "Uncle Zhong, hold on a moment. Let me give you some more money. If we're eating, let's get the best lamb—no skimping."

Then, Li Zhong took the ten thousand in cash Li Zhi had given him and went to arrange the finest roasted whole lamb.

Meanwhile, Li Zhi returned to the house, still pondering where the Heaven Worship Ritual had gone wrong.

Why hadn't he experienced any change?

Could this so-called "Stealing Heavenly Secrets" just be a joke passed down by the ancients?

Picking up Stealing Heavenly Secrets, Li Zhi read it carefully again, finding it no different from before.

Soon, as if realizing something, he dashed out of the house, grabbed a shovel, and headed to the backyard.

He dug up the ground with grunts of effort, then retrieved the original Stealing Heavenly Secrets from the cellar.

After that, reciting the Sacrificial Oration from the original text, he instantly felt an unusual aura rise in his heart.

Instinctively, he began practicing the breathing technique recorded in the book.

In moments, Li Zhi entered a meditative state.

Then he sensed something from the outside world starting to burrow into his body.

But that feeling lasted less than three seconds before fading, as if the momentum had run out.

At the same time, a clarity dawned in Li Zhi's heart.

For three years, his cultivation would proceed smoothly.

Borrowing luck through the ritual, Stealing Heavenly Secrets had truly let him borrow about three years of Cosmic Luck.

Intuition told Li Zhi that for the next three years, he would turn misfortune into fortune, find help when seeking it, and succeed in his endeavors.

Overjoyed, Li Zhi's appetite soared. That evening, eating the roasted whole lamb, he devoured over half the sheep by himself.

That was over twenty jin of lamb.

Li Zhong and his wife stared in shock, and even the Barbecue Guy urged Li Zhi to eat less, lest he harm himself.

But Li Zhi turned a deaf ear and kept going.

It wasn't that Li Zhi was a glutton; rather, his breathing technique had achieved sudden enlightenment, and his body needed a massive energy replenishment.

Roasted lamb was undoubtedly a high-density energy source.

That's why Li Zhi wolfed down over twenty jin of lamb.

Yet his body showed no discomfort.

It was as if the lamb was digested and absorbed the moment it went down.

Joy lifts the spirit.

The next morning, just after finishing his breathing exercises, Li Zhi received a call from Zhou Mei.

On the phone, she told him that Ye Fan had come looking for him at the shop three times.

Curious about why Ye Fan wanted him, Li Zhi packed up and prepared to head back.

Before leaving, he took everything from the cellar.

He cut apart the Five-Colored Earth Altar in the backyard, moved it into the cellar for storage, and then resealed the cellar.

Only then, with no lingering worries, did he leave Da Li Village.

Ask: For a child from a modestly well-off family, three years after graduating college, what are the odds of living in a standalone house with a luxury car and achieving financial freedom?

Answer: The odds are so low that statistics aren't needed.

Back in the city.

His first priority wasn't to greet Ye Fan, but to revel all night with Zhou Mei.

The two, who hadn't seen each other for over half a year, stayed holed up in the room for three full days before emerging.

Zhou Mei reappeared looking radiant, every inch of her exuding the happiness of being nourished by love.

It wasn't just because absence makes the heart grow fonder.

It was also because Li Zhi had promised to give her a child.

Zhou Mei was in her early thirties, mature and alluring, but without a child to dote on, she always worried deep down that her relationship with Li Zhi wouldn't last.

What if one day a younger, more beautiful woman came knocking, while she had already faded with age? By then, she'd have no leverage to keep Li Zhi by her side. Without a child, she feared she'd be left with nothing but tears.

Of course, as a smart woman, she never brought up these practical concerns in front of Li Zhi.

Now that Li Zhi had taken the initiative to talk about having a child together, her heart finally settled.

Over the past six months living in Li Zhi's home, Zhou Mei had truly come to understand just how deep the pockets of that young man—who used to lie around in his shop all day, exuding a lazy aura—really ran.

Just within the city limits, Zhou Mei had seen thirteen property deeds.

Half residential, half commercial.

And those deeds were casually tossed into the bedside drawer in Li Zhi's bedroom.

Zhou Mei had quietly done the math: just from monthly rent, Li Zhi pulled in no less than three hundred thousand, and as rents rose, it would only increase.

And that was only his property holdings in this city.

While cleaning his study, she'd also spotted a locked safe.

There was bound to be something even more valuable inside.

She hadn't originally fallen for Li Zhi because of his wealth, but because of his aura.

Now it seemed her bold choice might be no less than starting a second life.

Especially after Li Zhi agreed to have a child with her.

That had moved Zhou Mei to tears.

Already devoted to caring for Li Zhi down to the smallest detail, she now became even more meticulous.

In the living room, watching Zhou Mei bustle about endlessly, Li Zhi said with some concern, "Mei'er, stop running around. Let's hire a maid to handle the household chores. You and I should just enjoy life."

Zhou Mei replied, "I wouldn't feel at ease with a maid."

Li Zhi said, "You need to learn to trust others. And don't calculate life too precisely—just let things be roughly fine. Life isn't business; being a little vague is better for everyone."

Then Zhou Mei brought Li Zhi's tea to the coffee table, sat down beside him, and nestled into his arms, saying, "Whatever you say."

His hands naturally found their way to Zhou Mei's peaks, and Li Zhi asked, "Mei'er, did Ye Fan say what he wanted to see me about?"

Zhou Mei said, "He came three times, but never said what he wanted. He didn't call you, so it's probably not urgent."

Li Zhi said, "I'll invite him out for a meal another day."

Zhou Mei asked, "My Li, that Ye Fan is just a student who hasn't even left university yet. Why do you think so highly of him?"

Li Zhi said, "He's special."

As for what exactly was special, Li Zhi didn't tell Zhou Mei.

Then he asked, "Mei'er, if we have a child, won't this house feel a bit small?"

Zhou Mei said, "A hundred and fifty square meters isn't small."

Li Zhi said, "I think it's still too small. Tomorrow, let's go to West Mountain and look for a place with a courtyard."

Zhou Mei was a bit surprised. "You want to buy a house in the West Mountain Courtyard Villa Area?"

Li Zhi said, "The city is a bit cramped, and with people above and below, it's inevitably inconvenient. Our family living in a courtyard would definitely be more comfortable and peaceful."

The real reason was that Li Zhi had discovered that practicing in the city had almost no effect.

Back in Da Li Village, when he practiced the Breathing Technique, he could still sense the fluctuations of Primal Qi in the outside world.

But after coming to the city, when he practiced the Heaven-Guiding Breathing Technique, he could no longer perceive any fluctuations of Heaven and Earth Essence at all.