Return to Origin Art Achieved, Lifespan Extended by Half a Year

Chen Ye felt a surge of excitement, but he forcibly suppressed the urge to cultivate and decisively stopped, not wanting to rush into consuming his limited lifespan to upgrade this technique.

The lesson from the Gao Family was still fresh in his mind.

He had to learn from his mistakes and not trip over the same stone twice.

Before practicing this technique, he needed to gather more information.

The next day, after finishing his chores, Chen Ye paid for some wine out of his own pocket and grabbed a bowl of lotus root soup from the kitchen to bring back.

Although he was a servant in name, his treatment had always been on par with that of a guest retainer.

Cheng Defu often came over to his place to scrounge for food.

In the evening, right on time, Cheng Defu sauntered into his courtyard.

Seeing the jug of wine on the table, he looked pleasantly surprised.

"Yo, what's the occasion? How come you decided to buy wine?"

Cheng Defu sat down with practiced ease, grabbed his chopsticks, plucked a piece of lotus root from the soup, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing vigorously.

Chen Ye poured him a drink and replied with a smile, "Nothing much, just having a little tipple."

Cheng Defu grinned. "Then I've come at the right time."

After some idle chatter, Chen Ye slowly steered the conversation toward what happened during the day.

"I saw the Second Young Miss today."

"Oh? How did she seem?"

Chen Ye smiled and said, "I don't think she acts like a young lady at all; her demeanor is more like that of a young man."

"Hahaha, everyone inside and outside the mansion says the same. The Old Madam is currently worried sick about her marriage prospects."

Cheng Defu casually spilled the gossip known to everyone in the mansion.

Chen Ye laughed along, chimed in a few times, and then shifted the tone, asking with a hint of seeking advice, "Steward Cheng, there's something I haven't been able to figure out, and I wanted to ask you about it today."

Cheng Defu didn't stop eating, his mouth full as he mumbled, "What is it? Let's hear it."

Chen Ye said, "I've heard that the major clans guard their martial arts very closely and never pass them on to outsiders. But today, when I went to the training grounds, I noticed the Second Young Miss teaching the clan disciples, and she didn't avoid us at all. Why is that?"

"Is that all?" Cheng Defu put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Let me ask you, what do you think is the most important thing when learning martial arts?"

Chen Ye hesitated for a moment and said, "The technique?"

Cheng Defu shook his head and scoffed, "Wrong. The most important thing is having someone to decode the hidden meanings and point out the path. A manual alone is useless. Do you think those great clans and martial sects are idiots?"

Cheng Defu put on an air of worldly wisdom and continued, "To protect their martial arts, every family hides countless secret codes in their records. Just the interpretation of 'True Self' has over ten variations. Every clan disciple practices with the guidance of their elders; who would just throw a manual at you and let you figure it out on your own?

In other words, if no one explains it to you, even if you put a peerless divine art in front of you, it's worth nothing."

"Otherwise, how do you think the martial lineages of so many clans end up broken?"

"The Second Young Miss didn't avoid you simply because, just by looking, you couldn't possibly learn it."

Chen Ye was stunned.

He finally realized he had been blinded by his own perspective.

With the system at his disposal, he subconsciously felt that as long as he had the technique, he could learn it, and he hadn't even considered this angle.

He immediately looked enlightened, smiled, and poured himself a drink as a self-imposed penalty. "I can't believe I didn't understand such a simple truth. I deserve this."

"Not being able to learn it is one thing, but there's also no need to," Cheng Defu added, picking up more food. "The mansion uses the Return to Origin Art for martial arts enlightenment; it's an introductory technique from the Cui Mansion that is balanced and steady. This technique has no restrictions, and all Cui Mansion disciples can learn it, but its ceiling is low—it's just for building a foundation. Once the truly talented direct-line disciples finish this, they move on to more advanced martial arts."

"So that's how it is."

After hearing this, Chen Ye couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

The foundation of the Cui Mansion was truly extraordinary.

A technique dozens of times stronger than the Foundation Cultivation Technique was, in the eyes of the Cui Mansion, merely a basic study.

He truly wondered how profound the so-called high-level martial arts were to the Cui Mansion.

He sipped his wine and asked casually, "Steward Cheng, since the Return to Origin Art is an introductory technique, it must have its own unique merits. If those untalented Cui Mansion disciples practice it for years, what benefits does it have for their bodies? Like harmonizing qi and blood, or extending life?"

Cheng Defu's face was already flushed with wine as he chuckled, "Benefits? Naturally, there are some. It's rumored that the Xie Family's martial arts are good at killing, the Wang Family's at changing, and the Cui Family's at nourishing. How do you think the Cui Family got their reputation for 'nourishing'?"

"Is it because of this technique?"

"No."

Chen Ye was left speechless.

Seeing Chen Ye's deflated expression, Cheng Defu clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

After drinking, his speech became a bit disjointed, and he returned to the previous topic. "Talented people in the clans are few and far between. Although this basic technique has a low ceiling, it excels at harmonizing qi and blood. As for the longevity you mentioned, it does help. As long as the disciples in the mansion practice diligently for a year or two, they can achieve minor success, and living a few extra years isn't a problem."

Hearing this, Chen Ye finally felt at ease and had a basic understanding of the Return to Origin Art.

Cheng Defu had no idea that he had already stolen the Return to Origin Art, so there was certainly no possibility of him lying.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Chen Ye simply stopped talking and focused on drinking with Cheng Defu.

He hadn't expected Cheng Defu to have an outrageously low tolerance for alcohol, and his behavior while drunk was even worse.

After only a few cups, the man began to let himself go completely.

Cheng Defu looked at Chen Ye, a lewd and mischievous grin on his face. "Kid Chen, do you know about the 'four hards' and 'four softs' in this world?"

"What four hards and four softs?"

"Haha, you don't know? Let me tell you, see if I'm right about the four hards." Cheng Defu swayed his head and chanted, "Heh heh, a carpenter's adze, a blacksmith's anvil, a young man's rod, and a diamond drill."

"And the 'four softs': a maiden's waist, a cotton bag, a fire-crystal persimmon, and a pig's bladder. Oh my, the softness of it all."

After finishing, Cheng Defu laughed so hard he nearly choked, still mumbling the words to himself.

Only then did Chen Ye realize that the old man was talking about nothing but what was in his pants.

Looking down, he saw the old fellow had actually pitched a tent, leaving him utterly speechless.

He hurriedly stood up and dragged Cheng Defu back to his quarters.

Cheng Defu collapsed onto the bed, tugging at Chen Ye's sleeve while slurring, "Hey... don't rush... if I can't get up tomorrow, you take my place... you must take good care of that red-maned horse, that's the Third Miss's favorite, 'Red Lady'... don't you dare ruin her."

With that, Cheng Defu face-planted onto the bed and began to snore instantly.

Chen Ye shook his head helplessly.

Since he had caused this trouble himself, he had no choice but to shoulder the consequences.

Fortunately, he had been following Cheng Defu to learn the horse-feeding routine these past few days, so handling it for a while shouldn't be a problem.

After dropping him off, Chen Ye returned to his own room; the night was already deep.

Having confirmed that the Return to Origin Art was sound and possessed life-extending properties, he decided to pawn his lifespan in exchange for cultivation.

The lifespan he was pawning this time consisted of years he had previously redeemed—a one-time consumable resource—so he had to be cautious.

Chen Ye took a deep breath and summoned the Pawn System panel.

[Name: Chen Ye]

[Current Martial Arts: Foundation Cultivation Technique (Perfected), Return to Origin Art (Not Initiated)]

[Realm: Mortal Shedding (3)]

[Current Remaining Lifespan: 585 days.]

[Pawnable Lifespan: 584 days]

[Cumulative Redeemed: 548 days]

[Remaining Redeemable Lifespan: 0 days]

Chen Ye directly pawned one year of his lifespan.

[Deducted 365 days of lifespan, provided 365 days of cultivation.]

The status on the panel flickered rapidly.

[Return to Origin Art (Not Initiated)] → [Return to Origin Art (Minor Achievement)]

The moment the Return to Origin Art broke through, a powerful surge of qi rushed up his spine like a torrential river, branching out into his extraordinary meridians before returning to his dantian.

Unlike the dull, bloated sensation and chaotic collisions experienced while practicing the Foundation Cultivation Technique, the massive qi generated by the Return to Origin Art surged along a fixed path, transforming into a guided torrent.

Chen Ye could clearly perceive a complete "qi path" within his body, forming a dynamic cycle of outward flow and inward return.

What surprised him even more was that the circulation path of the Return to Origin Art overlapped and complemented the Foundation Cultivation Technique to a significant degree.

The Foundation Cultivation Technique focused on "foundation," strengthening the internal qi sensation while neglecting circulation.

The Return to Origin Art focused on "origin," emphasizing the flow of qi rather than its raw growth.

The two unexpectedly echoed and complemented each other in an unforeseen way.

Chen Ye focused his mind and practiced both martial arts simultaneously.

With every complete cycle, the qi within his body grew slightly.

After nine consecutive major cycles, the "sixth glimmer of light," which had been brewing for a long time, broke through from his flesh and occupied an acupuncture point.

Chen Ye suspected that if he continued to practice like this, he might very well develop a glimmer of light in all three hundred and sixty-one acupuncture points.

Once achieved, his physical body might undergo an extraordinary transformation.

He collected his thoughts and hurriedly opened the Pawn System to check the change in his lifespan, his face lighting up with joy.

[Current Remaining Lifespan: 400 days.]

[Pawnable Lifespan: 399 days]

[Cumulative Redeemed: 183 days]

The Return to Origin Art truly had the effect of extending one's life.

Merely reaching the Minor Achievement stage had brought him an extra half-year of life.

This path was indeed viable!

Chen Ye sat cross-legged on the bed in the side room, feeling the vigorous vitality within his body, his spirits soaring.

He felt that in the coming period, he might be able to choose an opportune moment to undergo his fourth Mortal Shedding.