In the woodshed behind Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, Lin sat mending an old garment by the morning light filtering through the window lattice.
Her stitches were fine and even, the product of decades of practice. But today, she kept losing focus and had pricked her fingertip twice.
Ever since Chen Jianghe had left to escort a caravan, her heart had been hanging in suspense, never once settling.
"Mother."
A familiar voice sounded from the doorway.
Lin's hand trembled, and the needle pricked her finger again. She paid no attention to the pain and jerked her head up.
"Jianghe!" Lin dropped her needlework and hurried over, looking him up and down. "You're back? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Mother." Chen Jianghe took her trembling hand. "Just a few flesh wounds. They've healed already. See? I came back safe and sound."
Lin didn't believe him and insisted on rolling up his sleeve to check. Chen Jianghe had no choice but to let her.
There were indeed a few shallow scars on his arm. They had scabbed over and looked alarming, but none had harmed his bones or tendons.
Lin's fingers brushed over the scars, and her eyes reddened. "And you say you're fine... If they'd been just a little deeper..."
"Mother, I really am fine." Chen Jianghe helped her sit on the edge of the bed, then took the deed from his robes and held it out to her in both hands. "We have a home now."
Lin froze.
She stared at the yellowed sheet of paper. The words "Property Deed" were written neatly at the top, followed by the location and boundaries of the property, and the signatures and seals of the buyer and seller... She knew every character, yet together they seemed so unreal, like a dream.
"This... this is..." Lin's voice began to tremble.
"A small courtyard in the alley west of the martial arts hall. Three main rooms, east and west wings, and its own entrance. I just bought it for forty taels of silver."
Lin's gaze rested on the deed, then slowly shifted to her son's face.
Her lips quivered. She wanted to say something, but no words came out.
Tears welled up without warning and slid down her aged cheeks, one drop, then another, landing on the half-mended garment on her knees and spreading into dark stains.
"Jianghe... my son..." She reached out and touched Chen Jianghe's cheek with trembling, rough fingers. "If your father could see you... see you like this now... How wonderful that would be..."
Chen Jianghe took his mother's hand.
The image of his father, Chen Yuanshan, had grown blurry in his memory. He only remembered a taciturn man who had squatted at the bow of a boat all night before leaving home.
Just before dawn, he had patted Chen Jianghe on the head and said, "In this world, a man without ability doesn't even own his own life."
Then he had left and never returned.
And there were the faces in the Chen Family's main hall, some cold, some sneering; his grandfather Chen Qingyi's indifference as he sat upright in his grand chair; his aunt Wang's contemptuous air as she slowly sipped her tea; Han's sharp-tongued mockery...
He remembered every bit of it.
"Mother," Chen Jianghe said slowly, "we'll remember what happened to Father. From now on, we'll live our own lives. We won't rely on anyone, and we won't owe anyone."
Lin nodded firmly and wiped her tears. Then she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. We should tell Master Li. He's taken us in all this time..."
Li Chengyue was still sprawled in a bamboo recliner beneath the locust tree in the back courtyard, his wine gourd resting on his belly and rising and falling with his snores.
Chen Jianghe walked up and bowed. "Master."
Li Chengyue's snoring paused for a moment. One eyelid cracked open. "Hmm?"
Chen Jianghe bowed again. "Master, I've bought a small courtyard near the martial arts hall. I'm taking my mother there today to settle in."
"Bought a courtyard?" He tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Looks like that escort job was worth the trouble."
"Thanks to your good fortune, Master," Chen Jianghe said respectfully.
"Enough of that." Li Chengyue waved a hand and lay back down. His tone was lazy, but there was a note of seriousness in it. "Now that you've settled down, stay put and make yourself at home. Things aren't peaceful out there lately. The Green Dragon Gang, the Sun Moon Cult, and those families in the Inner City are all jockeying against one another behind the scenes. Now that you've bought a house, stay out of trouble and focus on your training. That's what matters."
"I'll remember, Master."
"Go on. Come see me when you reach Dark Strength." Li Chengyue waved him off, rolled over, and began snoring again.
Chen Jianghe bowed deeply to the bamboo recliner, then turned and left the back courtyard.
The newly bought courtyard was only a hundred paces from the martial arts hall, just beyond two narrow alleys.
When Lin stepped through the gate, her legs still felt unsteady.
She stood on the gray-brick paving and looked around, her gaze passing inch by inch over the main house, the side rooms, the kitchen, and the woodshed, before finally coming to rest on the old locust tree.
"It's wonderful..." she murmured. Tears threatened to spill again, but she forced them back. "Jianghe, this courtyard... it's wonderful."
Chen Jianghe set down the bundle, walked over, and gently put an arm around his mother's thin shoulders. "This is only the beginning, Mother. Things will get even better."
Once they were settled, Chen Jianghe's days quickly fell into a routine. He lived a simple life between two places: home and the martial arts hall, where he trained.
After half a month of single-minded focus, his progress was even faster than before.
One morning, Chen Jianghe finished his stance and slowly breathed out a cloud of white mist.
[Destiny: Heaven Rewards Diligence, and All Effort Shall Bear Fruit] [Current Skill: Three-Body Stance (Minor Achievement)] [Progress: 95%] [Current Skill: Five Elements Fist (Minor Achievement)] [Progress: 40%] [Effect: None]
His stance training had reached the peak of Minor Achievement, and he was only a hair's breadth from breaking through. His Five Elements Fist was also improving steadily. At this rate, it shouldn't take long to break through the Dark Strength barrier.
But Chen Jianghe felt no hint of complacency.
The bloody battle on Black Wind Ridge that night, and the pressure exerted by the two Dark Strength experts, remained vivid in his memory.
If Su Derong hadn't fought desperately despite his serious injuries, and if Chen Jianghe hadn't gained the upper hand with underhanded tricks like lime powder and brass knuckles, the outcome would have been anyone's guess.
In the business of escorting caravans, one lucky break didn't mean he'd be lucky every time.
Strength was what mattered.
As he was thinking, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
"Jianghe! Open up!" It was Su Derong's voice, strong and hearty. It seemed his injuries had almost healed.
Chen Jianghe opened the gate and saw Su Derong standing outside, waving a fan. He wore an immaculate moon-white silk robe, a jade pendant at his waist, and his hair was slicked back until it gleamed.
"Third Senior Brother." Chen Jianghe cupped his fist. "Are you feeling better?"
"I'm not dead yet." Su Derong waved a hand and strolled into the courtyard, fanning himself as he looked around. "Well, well, you've fixed this little courtyard up nicely! It's got a proper look to it!"
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Su Derong pulled an oil-paper package from his robes and spread it out on the stone table.
"Here. Three full portions of ingredients for Bone Tempering Soup."
Then he took out a sheet of paper and handed it to Chen Jianghe. "Here are the instructions. Memorize them, then give them back to me."
Chen Jianghe took it and read it carefully.
The handwriting was neat, and the paper laid out the proportions of the ingredients, cooking time, control of the heat, the breathing method to use during the medicinal bath, and the key points for coordinating it with stance training.
"Have you memorized it?" Su Derong asked.
Chen Jianghe nodded, then handed the paper back to Su Derong.
"Good." Su Derong patted him on the shoulder in satisfaction. "Follow this method, and you'll have a better chance when the time comes to break through to Dark Strength."
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Chen Jianghe said solemnly.
Su Derong patted him on the shoulder again, pleased. A sly smile spread across his face. "Now that business is done, let's talk about something more interesting. I've got a friend in the Inner City who invited me out tonight. Want to see the world? There'll be a beauty keeping us company, and she's quite the looker, too... Well? Want to come along and broaden your horizons?"
Chen Jianghe was taken aback, then shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, Senior Brother. But... this is a crucial time for strengthening my foundation. I want to focus on my training and break through to Dark Strength as soon as possible."
Su Derong stared at him. "You're no fun at all! Training, training, training—what's the point of turning yourself into a block of wood? We only live once. Tighten up when you need to, but you've got to loosen up sometimes, too! Keep grinding away like this, and you'll age before your time!"
Chen Jianghe tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Just the other day, Senior Brother, you told me I should train hard and stop wandering around."
Su Derong rubbed his nose and gave an awkward laugh. "Well... training is training, and listening to music is listening to music. They don't get in each other's way! Besides, I've only just recovered. I'm going out to clear my head..."
Chen Jianghe didn't call him out. He merely said, "Then go ahead, Senior Brother. I'll stay here and brew the medicine, and see how effective the Bone Tempering Soup is."
Su Derong patted Chen Jianghe on the shoulder. "All right, keep at your training. I'll go and see it for you, then tell you all about it when I get back!"
With that, he turned and strolled away, waving his fan and humming a little tune.
Chen Jianghe saw him to the gate and watched Su Derong's carefree figure disappear into the distance. He shook his head.