Returning Home and Preserving the Spirit

This is a drumstick, made of ebony.

It felt slightly heavy in my hand, carved with a coiled dragon pattern.

While it was quite exquisite, it wasn't anything special in this era.

However, Li Yan's heart was already filled with indescribable shock.

The moment he touched the drumstick, the substitute divine statue in his dantian suddenly vibrated, emitting a strange suction force.

At the same time, a power surged from within the drumstick.

This power was full of warmth and carried an indescribable aura. As soon as it entered his body, it split into thousands of streams, like spiritual snakes, coursing through his meridians.

But ultimately, they all converged in his dantian and were absorbed by the divine statue.

Li Yan immediately understood what this was.

A Heavenly Spiritual Treasure!

He never expected its true form to be a drumstick, hidden away in this stable.

If it weren't for this chance encounter, he might not have found it in years.

This Heavenly Spiritual Treasure could shapeshift into a snake and could steal living souls, clearly having developed sentience and desperately trying to escape.

Its blessing luck, not only firm qi but also some unknown energies, was incredibly agile, capable of transforming into countless forms and darting around, trying to evade his dantian.

And its original form, the drumstick, also began to tremble slightly.

However, all struggle was in vain.

Before long, the blessing luck was completely absorbed by the substitute divine statue.

During this process, not a single trace of energy leaked out to attract anyone's attention.

No one could have known that in a short period, a Heavenly Spiritual Treasure, held for a moment in Li Yan's hand, had turned into an ordinary object.

Li Yan couldn't help but smile.

He had discovered another function of the substitute divine statue.

Heavenly Spiritual Treasures were things that even treasure hunters had to painstakingly capture using mysterious gate evasion techniques and the principles of the five elements' mutual generation and restraint.

But he could simply absorb their blessing luck by touching them.

The original material of the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin was also a Heavenly Spiritual Treasure, but the substitute divine statue had no reaction, indicating that only native spiritual treasures were effective.

After devouring this Heavenly Spiritual Treasure, the substitute divine statue also changed.

Its originally mottled and dilapidated surface began to become smooth, and at the same time, vague information was transmitted: the quality of the divine statue had improved, and it could withstand more damage.

Although his life fire was not replenished, Li Yan was still excited.

This represented hope.

There were many types of Heavenly Spiritual Treasures; surely, there would be something that could rekindle his life fire.

"Young man."

Steward Lu saw him staring intently at the drumstick and couldn't help but laugh, "Do you also have a fondness for this? Indeed, among musical instruments, only gongs and drums possess the greatest momentum. Others may favor the gentle tunes of Jiangnan, but I alone love these majestic gongs and drums."

"I heard that this year, several families have successors, so the Drum King competition will be absolutely spectacular. If you're interested, you can go to Chang'an on the fifteenth of the first lunar month to witness it."

"Naturally."

Li Yan smiled and returned the drumstick to Steward Lu.

"This one, the craftsmanship is quite good."

On the other side, Sha LiFei had also picked out a saddle and fitted it onto the big black horse.

"Thank you, Uncle Sha."

Li Yan was in a great mood, looking at Sha LiFei like a lucky star.

Without even trying, he had obtained a Heavenly Spiritual Treasure. He had no regrets now. After leaving the grand house, he mounted his horse and cupped his hands, laughing, "Daoist Wang, we part ways here. I'll be waiting for your arrival at Li Family Fortress."

Wang Dao Xuan stroked his beard and smiled, "That's natural. This Daoist will be there shortly."

He was also in a good mood. Cooperating with Li Yan would allow him to compensate for his own shortcomings, take on more significant jobs, and finally obtain the Buddhist instruments he had long desired. Perhaps he could even renovate the Ancestor Altar.

Sha LiFei's eyes darted around, and he also made plans.

He had received a reward just now, which was much more profitable than diligently leading the wheat harvesters. If these two were getting rich, he couldn't just stand by; he had to get some benefit.

Thinking of this, he immediately patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Yan XiaoGe. Leave Daoist Wang's safety to me. I'll take good care of him."

Li Yan raised an eyebrow, "Hoh, can you handle it?"

Sha LiFei became anxious, "Why not? Go ask around, Sha LiFei always handles things..."

"Alright, alright."

Li Yan waved his hand, "Just be careful. Goodbye!"

Sha LiFei might not be very skilled, but he was familiar with the ways of the Jianghu, and coupled with Wang Dao Xuan's extensive travels, his safety would be assured.

With that thought, he turned his horse's reins and galloped away.

As Wang Dao Xuan watched the distant smoke and dust gradually disappear, he turned around and looked at the small mountain behind him. "Let's go. The terrain here is gentle. Although there are no feng shui dragon veins, finding an auspicious burial site shouldn't be a problem. We'll take care of it today."

"You got it!"

Sha Li Fei chuckled, picked up his gear, and followed the Daoist priest up the mountain.

After everyone left, Steward Lu hurried back to the backyard.

In the side room, Landlord Lu was staring blankly at his First Madam.

"Master, they've all left."

"Mm, you can all go now. Let me have some time with Madam."

Landlord Lu dismissed the servants, then looked around before slowly kneeling on the ground. Tears welled in his old eyes, and he trembled, "Princess, are you unwilling?"

"What can we do if we're unwilling? We barely escaped with our lives. Why can't you just accept it? The imperial court is full of jackals and wolves. We can't fight them. Isn't it better to live in obscurity and have a peaceful life..."

"You saved my life that year. As your old servant, I've served you my entire life without the slightest neglect. Consider your kindness repaid."

"The kindness is repaid, but this old servant is ashamed of my ancestors' bloodline. I'll have to make plans for myself from now on. I hope you can forgive me..."

After mumbling for a while, he wiped away his tears, stood up, and left.

Back in the side courtyard, the two concubines immediately stepped forward to attend to him.

Landlord Lu had regained his imposing demeanor. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said indifferently, "How is it? Have you found anyone you fancy these past two days?"

Seeing that the two concubines remained silent, he sneered, "Why are you still playing coy in front of me? You still have a choice now. If you get pregnant and give me an heir, I can guarantee you a lifetime of comfort."

"Hesitating and fidgeting, do you want to go to the Club Association?"

"Then it won't be up to you!"

Upon hearing "Club Association," a flicker of fear crossed the eyes of the charming Red-Clothed Concubine. She quickly stammered, "Your servant... thinks that Yan XiaoGe is quite good."

"Heh heh, of course, young ladies prefer handsome men."

Landlord Lu didn't seem angry. He took another sip of tea and shook his head. "He's a man of the Jianghu, and with phoenix eyes and dragon eyes, his destiny is extraordinary. He might cause trouble in the future."

"Just choose one from those Wheat Harvesters. I want stability."

With that, he put down his teacup and turned to leave.

After he left, the two concubines breathed a sigh of relief.

The White-Clothed Concubine's eyes darted around. "Sister Cui Lan, why didn't you mention Commander Zhao? I saw him that night..."

"Shh!"

The Red-Clothed Concubine was startled and quickly shushed her. She glanced out the window before giving a wry smile. "You know this old man. He says one thing and does another. He never treated us like people."

"If he knew about this, I wouldn't survive. Even if I bore him an heir in the future, he probably wouldn't let us go to keep this secret."

A sharp glint flashed in the White-Clothed Concubine's eyes. "Sister, there's an opportunity right now."

"It depends on whether you have the guts..."

Riding a horse, the speed of travel was naturally not slow.

Li Yan traveled during the day and found places to camp at night. Finally, at dusk three days later, he returned to Li Family Fortress.

"Yan XiaoGe, why are you back?"

"Where are they?"

The people of Li Family Fortress were also busy.

The wheat on their side was also about to be harvested.

Seeing Li Yan return early, they thought something had happened.

"Don't worry, everyone. They've taken on a big job and are doing fine."

Li Yan patiently explained, not minding the trouble.

Communication was not developed in this era, and places were relatively isolated. Sometimes, a letter from a girl married to a neighboring village had to be specially entrusted to someone, and it would take several days to receive it.

Even though they were all in Guanzhong, Xianyang was already considered a distant place for Li Family Fortress.

After delivering the message, Li Yan rode back home.

From afar, he saw his grandfather, Li Gui, sitting at the doorstep, holding a large pipe. In the setting sun, his white hair was disheveled, and his eyes were cloudy.

Li Yan's heart ached. He quickly dismounted, squatted down, and forced a smile. "Grandpa, I'm back. Didn't I say it would only be a few days?"

"Ah, you're back. It's good that you're back..."

Li Gui's voice was calm, but he couldn't suppress a slight tremor.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Li Yan's smile was brilliant. "Perfect. I learned a dish on this trip. I'll cook it for you and have a drink with you."

"Hmph, what dish could you possibly learn..."

"Just you watch. If all else fails, I can become a cook in the future..."

The night fell, and Li Family Fortress was silent.

In the darkness, Li Yan sat cross-legged on his bed. He first regulated his breathing, then rubbed his palms together until they were warm. After that, he massaged his scalp, temples, earlobes, the back of his neck, his shoulders, and arms in sequence…

Preserving the Spirit is a stillness cultivation technique, and these were all preparations before commencing practice.

The goal was to relax the mind and spirit, ensure smooth circulation of blood throughout the body, enhance sensory perception, and establish oneself between heaven and earth, using the light of the sun, moon, and stars as dimensions.

Therefore, by guarding the one and preserving the true, one can connect to the divine. When one cultivates to a certain realm and gains Dao Progress, they can "transform the altar and preserve contemplation" during rituals, imbuing the altar with "momentum."

Between heaven and earth, famous mountains, great rivers, feng shui, and dragon veins all possess "momentum."

Only when the Gang and Sha energies circulate can "momentum" or a "formation" be formed.

And to be able to touch these, Preserving the Spirit is the first step.

Li Yan's eyes were slightly closed as he regulated his breathing, quietly sensing himself. He contemplated his five viscera, six bowels, triple burner, and Niwan Palace, finally focusing on the space between his eyebro