New Residence

In the woodshed at the back of the Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, Lin was mending an old garment by the morning light filtering through the window lattice.

Her stitches were fine and uniform, a craft honed over decades. Yet, she was distracted today, pricking her fingertips twice.

Ever since Chen Jianghe had left to escort a caravan, her heart had been suspended in a state of constant anxiety.

"Mother."

A familiar voice rang out at the doorway.

Lin's hand trembled, and the needle pierced her fingertip again, but she ignored the pain and jerked her head up.

"Jianghe!" Lin dropped her sewing, rose, and hurried over, looking her son up and down. "You're back? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Mother." Chen Jianghe took his mother's trembling hands. "Just a few scratches, they've already healed. Look, didn't I come back safe and sound?"

Lin didn't believe him and insisted on rolling up his sleeves to check. Chen Jianghe, helpless, had to let her.

There were indeed a few shallow scars on his arms, already scabbed over; they looked frightening, but no bones or tendons had been damaged.

Lin's fingers traced the scars, and her eyes reddened. "And you say you're fine... if these had been any deeper..."

"Mother, I'm truly fine." Chen Jianghe helped her sit on the edge of the bed, pulled the property deed from his bosom, and held it out to her with both hands. "We have a home now."

Lin froze.

She stared at the yellowed paper. The characters for "Property Deed" were written neatly, followed by the location, the boundaries, and the seals of the buyer and seller... She recognized every character, but seeing them together felt as unreal as 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, a private entrance. I just bought it for forty taels of silver."

Lin's gaze lingered on the deed before slowly shifting to her son's face.

Her lips quivered, wanting to say something but unable to make a sound.

Tears welled up without warning, sliding down her aged cheeks, one drop, then two, splashing onto the half-mended garment on her lap and blooming into dark water stains.

"Jianghe... my son..." She reached out, her rough fingers trembling as they caressed Chen Jianghe's cheek. "If only your father could see... if he could see you now... how wonderful that would be..."

Chen Jianghe held his mother's hand.

The image of his father, Chen Yuanshan, had grown blurred in his memory. He only remembered a man of few words who had squatted on the bow of a boat all night before leaving home.

As dawn approached, he had patted Chen Jianghe's head and said, "In this world, those without ability don't even own their own lives."

Then he left, never to return.

And those faces in the Chen family's main hall—the cold or mocking expressions, the indifference of his grandfather Chen Qingyi sitting in the master's chair, the contempt of his eldest aunt Wang as she sipped tea, the biting sarcasm of Han...

He remembered every debt.

"Mother," Chen Jianghe said slowly, "let us just keep Father's memory in our hearts. From now on, we live our own lives; we rely on no one, and we owe no one."

Lin nodded vigorously, wiped away her tears, and suddenly remembered something. "Right, we must go tell Master Li. We owe so much to his shelter these past days..."

Li Chengyue was still sprawled in a bamboo lounge chair under the locust tree in the backyard, a wine gourd resting on his belly, rising and falling slightly with his snoring.

Chen Jianghe walked up to him and bowed. "Master."

Li Chengyue's snoring ceased for a moment, and he lifted an eyelid a crack. "Hm?"

Chen Jianghe bowed in salute. "Master, your disciple has purchased a small courtyard near the hall. I am taking my mother there to settle down today."

"You bought a courtyard?" He twitched the corner of his mouth. "It seems this escort mission wasn't in vain."

"Thanks to your blessing, Master," Chen Jianghe said respectfully.

"Spare me that." Li Chengyue waved his hand and lay back down, his tone lazy yet tinged with seriousness. "Since you've settled down, live there steadily. It's not peaceful out there lately; the Green Dragon Gang, the Sun Moon Cult, and those families in the inner city are all vying in the shadows. Since you've bought a house, stay put and practice your martial arts. Stop running around; focusing on your training is what matters."

"Your disciple will keep that in mind."

"Go. Come find me again once you've reached Dark Strength." Li Chengyue waved his hand, turned over, and the snoring resumed.

Chen Jianghe bowed deeply to the bamboo chair, turned, and exited the backyard.

The newly purchased courtyard was less than a hundred paces from the martial arts hall, just two narrow alleys away.

When Lin stepped through the gate, her footsteps were still a bit unsteady.

She stood on the blue-brick ground, looking around, her gaze sweeping inch by inch over the main house, the wings, the kitchen, the woodshed, and finally landing on the old locust tree.

"It's wonderful..." she murmured, tears welling up again, which she forced back. "Jianghe, this courtyard... it's truly wonderful."

Chen Jianghe set down his bundle, walked over, and gently wrapped his arm around his mother's thin shoulders. "This is only the beginning, Mother. Things will only get better from here."

Once settled, Chen Jianghe's life became suddenly disciplined, falling into a routine of two points and one line: either at home or practicing martial arts at the hall.

Half a month passed in this focused state, and his progress was faster than ever before.

This morning, Chen Jianghe finished his stance and slowly exhaled a plume of white air.

[Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence, Success is Certain]

[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, just a hair's breadth away from a breakthrough. The Five Elements Fist was also steadily improving; at this rate, it shouldn't be long before he knocked on the door of Dark Strength.

Yet, Chen Jianghe felt not a shred of relaxation in his heart.

The bloody battle at Black Wind Ridge that night, and the immense pressure brought by the two Dark Strength experts, remained fresh in his memory.

Had Su Derong not risked his life while severely wounded, and had he himself not seized the initiative with underhanded tactics like lime powder and Brass Knuckles, the outcome would have been uncertain.

In the escort business, one stroke of luck could not be relied upon every time.

Strength was the only foundation.

Just as he was thinking this, the courtyard gate was knocked.

"Jianghe! Open up!" It was the voice of Su Derong, full of vigor; it seemed his injuries had mostly healed.

Chen Jianghe opened the door to find Su Derong standing outside, waving a fan. He was dressed in a pristine moon-white silk robe, jade hanging at his waist, his hair slicked back with oil.

"Third Senior Brother." Chen Jianghe cupped his fists. "Are your injuries better?"

"Not dead yet." Su Derong waved a hand, strolled into the courtyard while fanning himself, and looked him up and down. "Tsk, tsk, you've fixed up this little courtyard quite nicely! It's looking the part!"

After a few pleasantries, Su Derong pulled an oil-paper parcel from his robes and spread it out on the stone table.

"Here, the medicinal herbs for the Bone Tempering Soup. Three portions, all complete."

He then pulled a piece of paper from his robes and handed it to Chen Jianghe. "These are the instructions. Memorize them, then give it back to me."

Chen Jianghe took it and read it carefully.

The paper was written in neat handwriting, detailing the herb ratios, boiling times, heat control, as well as the breathing techniques and stance training essentials to be used during the medicinal bath.

"Have you memorized it all?" Su Derong asked.

Chen Jianghe nodded and handed the paper back to Su Derong.

"Good." Su Derong patted his shoulder with satisfaction. "Follow this method, and your chances of breaking through to Dark Strength will be much higher."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother." Chen Jianghe said solemnly.

Su Derong patted his shoulder again, a mischievous smile appearing on his face. "Now that the serious business is done, let's talk about something trivial—some friends have invited me to the inner city tonight. Do you want to see the world a bit? There will be beauties accompanying us, and they look... tsk, tsk. How about it? Want to come along and open your eyes?"

Chen Jianghe was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "I appreciate the kind offer, Senior Brother. It's just... this is a critical time for solidifying my foundation. I want to focus on my fist training and break through to Dark Strength as soon as possible."

Su Derong glared. "You kid, you're so boring! Martial arts, martial arts—what's the point of training until you're a block of wood? In this life, one must be tense when necessary, but also know how to relax! If you grind yourself down like this, be careful of aging before your time!"

Chen Jianghe twitched his lips. "Senior Brother said just the other day that you were going to train hard and stop going out to wander around."

Su Derong rubbed his nose and laughed sheepishly. "Well... training is training, and listening to music is listening to music; the two don't interfere with each other! Besides, my injuries just healed, I'm just going out to clear my head..."

Chen Jianghe didn't expose him, only saying, "Then Senior Brother should go ahead. I'll stay in the courtyard to brew the medicine and test the effects of this Bone Tempering Soup."

He patted Chen Jianghe's shoulder. "Fine, then you train hard. I'll go experience it for you, and I'll tell you all about it later!"

With that, he turned, fanning himself and humming a little tune as he walked away.

Chen Jianghe saw him to the door, watched Su Derong's dashing retreating figure, and shook his head.