A New Situation

Li Tui squatted on a threshold, clutching a blue-covered ledger in his hand.

The pages of the ledger were yellowed, with frayed, curled edges. The ledger had been kept by his father in this life, Lin Shouyi. The ink was slightly smudged, but the handwriting was neat.

The items recorded in the ledger were unusual; they were not for everyday firewood, rice, oil, or salt, but rather expenses related to cultivation, such as "purchased three sets of talisman paper, spent 20 taels of silver," "exchanged for two low-grade spirit stones, cost 200 taels of silver," and "collected rent from the west slope Spirit Field, obtained eight dou of Spirit Grain."

His father in this life, Lin Shouyi, had broken through to the Qi Refining stage over a decade ago, but had made no further progress since.

However, his Qi Refining cultivation was sufficient for this place.

The Loose Cultivator Bureau in the county gave him the job of patrolling the streets, providing five low-grade spirit stones every month, rain or shine. The family was also allocated a hundred acres of paddy fields, which brought in a fair amount of rent. They owned a courtyard house, and to educate Li Tui, they had even hired a private tutor—a situation far better than any of his previous lives.

Li Tui flipped a page, his fingertip pausing on the line that read, "exchanged for one shi of spirit rice, spent 120 taels of silver."

This was the largest fixed expense. Spirit rice was nearly a hundred times more expensive than ordinary rice, yet Lin Shouyi gritted his teeth and exchanged for it every month, specifically to provide for Li Tui's cultivation.

The house was quiet at this moment.

The sound of rice porridge bubbling came from the kitchen, mixed with the crackling of firewood. His mother, Wang, was cooking the porridge, using the very spirit rice mentioned.

Li Tui closed the ledger and walked to the camphor wood chest against the east wall. The lid was unlocked; he lifted it to reveal a blue cloth bundle pressed at the bottom.

Unwrapping it, he found three scrolls of books.

The words Green Wood Manual were written on the cover, the ink so faded it was nearly illegible.

Li Tui sat cross-legged and spread the book out on his knees. This was the cultivation method Lin Shouyi had spent a fortune to find after realizing Li Tui could cultivate; it could take one up to the third level of Qi Refining.

Li Tui had only been cultivating for half a year in this life, yet he had already opened many acupoints in his Tongmai. Although his experience from past lives played a role, it was mostly due to the innate talent of this body.

After discovering Li Tui's talent, Lin Shouyi had pinned all his hopes on him.

That hope was as heavy as a mountain.

Lin Shouyi knew clearly that his own first level of Qi Refining could only intimidate ordinary martial artists in a small place like Fengyang; once he stepped outside, he was nothing. Moreover, it was highly likely that this was as far as he would ever go. But Li Tui was different; his aptitude was something Lin Shouyi had never even heard of. A ten-year-old with an opened Tongmai—even the Zhou Family in Fengyang likely didn't have such a prodigy.

Therefore, even if he had to sell everything he owned, he had to push his son forward.

But what about after the Tongmai? What about after Qi Refining?

The Green Wood Manual only went up to the third level. Beyond that, he would need to find another cultivation method. The two immortal cultivation families in Fengyang County had strict hierarchies, and outsiders could never get a foot in the door.

Either he could register at the county's Loose Cultivator Bureau. That was a visible path—narrow, but at least it allowed one to move forward. Or, he could attach himself to a family, but Lin Shouyi did not want his son to lose his freedom at such a young age.

"Qingzi!"

Wang's voice called out from the kitchen. Lin Qing was the name Li Tui used in this life.

Li Tui answered, carefully wrapped the book back up, and tucked it into the bottom of the chest.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Wang came out carrying a bowl of porridge, the spirit rice porridge inside thick and dense. "Eat quickly. Your father left before dawn, saying he was going to the Loose Cultivator Bureau to find Steward Liu."

Li Tui took the bowl: "So early? Is there something going on at the Bureau?"

Wang sat down beside him, picked up a steamed bun, and began to break it apart slowly, her voice dropping: "It's all for you. Your father tossed and turned all night and couldn't sleep. In the small hours of the morning, he woke me up and said he'd made up his mind. He wants to go talk to Steward Liu and see if he can pull some strings to get you registered at the Loose Cultivator Bureau early."

Li Tui's motion of drinking the porridge paused.

"He said that no matter how well you practice at home, without a proper status or a place to go, it's not a long-term plan." Wang sighed. "The Loose Cultivator Bureau is at least an official establishment. It has rules, a salary, and you can accumulate contributions to exchange for items. Your father said he'd swallow his pride and beg for an opportunity for you... even if you have to start by running errands or doing chores. Just getting through the door is what matters."

Li Tui lowered his head, slowly stirring the porridge in his bowl.

The Loose Cultivator Bureau...

In his memories of past lives, he had seen many government offices bearing similar names.

That was not what he wanted.

"Mother, I understand." Li Tui looked up, his face calm. "Father is planning for my sake."

Wang looked at him, her lips moving, but in the end, she only nodded: "As long as you know. Eat up."

Li Tui finished the porridge in a few gulps, stood up, and took the bowl: "I'm going out for a walk."

Wang watched him: "Don't go too far, remember to be back by noon."

"Mm."