Time sped by like a white colt flashing past a crack in the wall. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.
Under Chen Ping's deliberate management, life in Qingyun Lane had become regular and dull, yet it held a rare sense of stability.
At dawn, when the first rays of sunlight pierced the mist and fell upon the old locust tree in the courtyard, Chen Ping was already up.
He would first practice a slow set of Longevity of Pine and Crane in the courtyard. To outsiders, it looked no more than a routine for elderly mortals to keep fit. Only Chen Ping knew how astonishing the flow of blood and qi and force beneath those seemingly soft movements became as the power of his Everlasting Spring Technique circulated.
After breakfast came his unwavering time for Talisman Making.
His Purification Talismans had long since reached perfection, with his success rate holding steady above seventy percent. And with the accumulation granted by his Heaven Rewards Diligence fate, his Calm Mind Talisman had finally reached proficiency as well.
After paying rent and daily expenses, the talismans he produced each day still left him with two or three spirit stones to spare.
The savings were slow to build, but they trickled in steadily and drew no covetous eyes.
The afternoon was the most "special" part of Chen Ping's day.
He would change into a stain-resistant, coarse-cloth outfit, take a jug of cheap spirit wine, and knock on the door of courtyard thirty-five next door.
"You're here? Don't dawdle. Hammer that pile of Red Copper Essence into shape for me. If it isn't pure enough, you can forget about hearing one of my stories today."
In the courtyard, Shen Qianji was still as disheveled as ever, squatting before a huge artifact-forging