Heaven and Earth, the Inn of All Things

The Qi family's inner residence was filled with swallows and warblers.

This generation of the Qi family was particularly flourishing.

The family head, Qi Yi, had five sons and seven daughters. Most of his five sons served in the army, and there was no shortage of outstanding figures among them.

Of the seven daughters, one had died young and four had married far away. The remaining two had also arrived at the Qi family estate ahead of time.

They were currently drinking tea and admiring the flowers in the inner residence.

In a side hall behind a screen, several young ladies of the Qi family and several young ladies from related branches sat properly before their tables, ears pricked as they listened closely, afraid of being caught.

Seeing that quite a few of the Qi family's female relatives were full of praise, the seven or eight girls in the side hall wore varying expressions.

This generation of the Qi family already had five young ladies who had reached marriageable age, while there were still quite a few others who had not yet come of age.

They were Qi Yuxian, Qi Yuxin, Qi Yuheng, Qi Yuhua, and Qi Yuzhu.

These young ladies of the Qi family were all outstanding in both character and appearance, especially Qi Yuxian and Qi Yuhua, whose bearing and looks were the most exceptional.

The other three were young ladies from related branches who had come to offer birthday congratulations.

These three were no less impressive: the slightly older Wu Qing'an, Yu Huier, and Gu Linlang.

"I wonder what this cousin of ours is like in character and appearance? It is just a pity that the Zhang family's standing is not high!"

The youngest girl, seated at the very end, looked rather curious. Her hair was styled into twin buns. Though young, she was like a night-blooming flower just beginning to unfold, with a touch of innocence still on her face.

She was Gu Linlang.

She came from the Gu family.

The Qi family had marriage alliances with all the great clans. This was also standard practice among other prominent families: you had a stake in me, and I had a stake in you. Whether they could be of much use at a critical moment was another matter, but at the very least, they could deter foreign enemies.

Yu Huier's gaze flickered as she smiled. "Their standing may not be high, but I have heard that the Zhang family has long possessed the foundations to become a prominent great clan. Their wealth may even surpass it!"

These young girls spoke of nothing but the broader currents of their families, clearly unlike ordinary maidens. Unmarried girls usually talked more about the character and talent of their future husbands, but these girls had long been influenced by their family elders, so their temperaments had inevitably been affected.

One of the Qi family's young ladies seemed to want to say something, but the graceful girl beside her, dressed in pink embroidered robes, tugged her back. She was Qi Yuhua, and she was holding onto her younger sister, Qi Yuzhu.

Given what she knew of Yu Huier, this girl was extremely proud and rarely praised outsiders, let alone men from an external branch. Seeing her behave this way, Qi Yuhua immediately guessed something with her keen mind.

The Qi family girls continued sipping their chilled brew and fragrant tea. The young ladies from related branches, on the other hand, could not openly discuss the matter at length. If word got out, would that not imply that their upbringing was inferior to that of the Qi family girls?

Holding a round fan, Yu Huier surveyed the Qi family girls, especially her cousins Qi Yuxian and Qi Yuhua. She regarded them entirely as "formidable rivals."

Naturally, the "formidable rivals" in her heart were not rivals for a marriage alliance with the Zhang family, but something else altogether.

Before long, the banquet in the inner residence dispersed. The girls in the side hall also rose one after another, exchanging soft greetings before leaving with their respective elders.

Qi Yuhua and Qi Yuzhu were born of the same mother. They followed her to the side of a beautiful noblewoman. The woman had fair skin and lovely features, and her noble bearing was particularly striking.

The two sisters called out together, "Mother."

She was Qi Wanshi, the principal wife of Qi Yuansi of the Qi family's second branch. Qi Wanshi nodded lightly, her beautiful eyes studying her two daughters as a gentle smile surfaced on her lovely face.

After returning to their rooms, Qi Wanshi called the two girls before her and asked about their intentions.

Qi Wanshi knew very well that only her two daughters were suitable for a marriage alliance with the Zhang family. First, she had the closest relationship with the Qi family's third young lady. Second, her two daughters were precisely the right age for Zhang Jian, only one or two years younger.

As for the other three Qi family girls, they were either the same age as him or two to three years older.

Within the spacious flower hall, Qi Wanshi's gaze fell upon her two daughters.

Qi Yuzhu had been unable to hold herself back earlier. If Qi Yuhua had not restrained her, she would already have snapped at Yu Huier. Now, she immediately poured out every thought in her heart in one breath.

"Mother, so what if Cousin becomes a jinshi? Who knows how long it will be before he can wear purple or crimson robes? We of the Qi family were born into a high-ranking house. Those we associate with are either officials from every region, residences of earls and marquises in the capital, or the female relatives of great officials. If we want to marry someone with official rank, that would not be difficult!"

"And if Cousin wants to rise to prominence, he still has hurdle upon hurdle ahead of him: the Ministry of Rites examination, the palace examination, the Ministry of Rites appointment selection, arranging an external posting... The Zhang family's foundations are far too weak!"

This youthful girl counted on her fingers. By the end, she was pouting and shaking her head repeatedly.

Her lovely face was filled with reluctance.

Qi Wanshi could not help but rebuke her. "At such a young age, you are already so worldly!"

A touch of girlish innocence appeared on Qi Yuzhu's lovely face. She hurried over to Qi Wanshi, clung to one of her arms, and said sweetly, "Mother, wasn't this what you taught us? You have always said that girls of great families rarely have freedom in marriage. Since that is the case, why not find someone with a higher official rank? Either way, it is all the same!"

Qi Wanshi shook her head at this, sighing softly. "You only heard the first half. What matters even more is a person's character and conduct. If he is harsh and ungrateful, cold by nature, then it would be better to marry into a small household. At least there could be love between husband and wife, lasting long and long!"

A trace of resentment lingered in her eyes.

Then she turned her gaze toward her second daughter.

Qi Yuhua had originally been avoiding Qi Wanshi. She had not wanted to consider this question at all, but seeing that she could not avoid it, she could only brace herself and say with an indifferent expression on her little face, "I did meet Brother Zhang once when I was little. He looked rather scholarly and frail. I just wonder what he looks like now?"

Qi Wanshi glanced at her second daughter. How could she fail to hear that Qi Yuhua was brushing her off? She merely smiled radiantly.

"Then you will find out soon enough!"

Qi Wanshi had no intention of forcing them.

Everything would follow its natural course.

Zhang Jian was settled in a side room in the Qi family's southern courtyard. Only one of his uncles came by to greet him briefly, saying that there would be a family banquet that evening before quickly departing.

Zhang Jian did not mind.

"Heaven and earth are the inn of all things; time is the passing traveler of a hundred generations. Only immortality allows one to fully enjoy this boundless great freedom, this great ease!"

Zhang Jian entered the adjoining room, where many of the sturdy retainers had gathered. Hu Shan, the old soldier, was brewing medicine for Little Xie.

After hiring a physician for Little Xie, Zhang Jian felt somewhat moved, especially after witnessing Little Xie collapse from illness before his eyes.

Ordinary people suffered disaster after disaster throughout their lives.

He felt the stray thoughts within him being worn away like ice and snow at this moment, gradually grasping a trace of the profundity of the Nourishing Spirit realm.

His essence and qi had now been tempered to completion. So long as he severed his delusive thoughts, he could seek to step into the Nourishing Spirit stage.

After experiencing such a soul-stirring journey, his stray thoughts had been worn away for the time being. He intended to seize this chance to break through the shackles of the bottleneck and further condense his soul.

Once he entered the Nourishing Spirit stage, his spiritual sense would expand further and transform into divine sense.

Divine sense was more wondrous than spiritual sense, allowing one to gradually perceive the deeper mysterious forces between heaven and earth.

This force was also among the most crucial prerequisites for Foundation Establishment. Only by condensing divine sense could one map one's fate pattern and merge essence, qi, and spirit into a supreme Dao foundation.