Back to Reality

Back in the city.

Chen Jichuan did not go to the Lu Family Martial Academy.

He had moved out of the Lu Family Martial Academy back in June, three months ago.

The original agreement had been for him to live with the Lu Family for a year. They would provide food and lodging and teach him martial arts.

But Chen Jichuan had never been the sort to live under another's roof.

While practicing martial arts.

He studied the language and writing of this world on one hand, while on the other, through Lu Peng's introduction, he borrowed books from Renchuan Clinic in the city—

With Insight Art, he could see through a person's body as clearly as if it were laid bare before him. Learning medicine was simply like having divine help.

Once he understood the theory, diagnosing patients became a matter of ten diagnoses, ten correct.

The name "Doctor Chen" gradually began to spread.

With a reputation.

And genuine skill.

Making money was no longer difficult.

In just two months, Chen Jichuan earned nearly a hundred taels of silver. Once he had some capital, he stopped imposing on the Lu Family and spent eighty taels to take over an entertainment house in the south of the city. He took stories, songs, comic dialogues, and opera scripts he had heard in his previous life, combined them with notable figures and events from Great Yan and Lingnan, then gave them a new face and rewrote them.

In this life, Chen Jichuan had been born into a family of yamen runners and understood the yamen and officialdom. Leveraging Doctor Chen's status, he befriended powerful men and celebrated figures, each lending the other support.

The entertainment house called "White Jade Capital" became a smash hit overnight.

Since its opening.

In only three months, it had already earned Chen Jichuan more than a hundred taels of silver.

It did not sound like much, but one had to know that even with Doctor Chen's reputation, he had not earned a hundred taels practicing medicine for two months. An ordinary family in Langning Prefecture spent only a little over ten taels in an entire year. The times had been unsettled in recent years, and rice prices had risen, yet a picul of white rice still cost only two taels of silver.

White Jade Capital's earnings had already deducted the wages, bribes, and relationship-maintenance expenses. This was Chen Jichuan's net income, money that truly went into his pocket.

It was enough to call it making money by the bucketful every day.

Back at the entertainment house.

The place buzzed with voices.

This White Jade Capital covered no small area. At the main entrance hung banners and placards, while the flagpoles bore hanging backdrops.

The placards were made of silk, with golden words written upon them:

Above the heavens stands White Jade Capital, twelve towers and five cities.

An immortal strokes my crown and binds my hair, granting me everlasting life.

It was a terribly cliché act of copying poetry, but Chen Jichuan felt not the slightest shame. White Jade Capital's overnight success had owed no small part to this poem.

He headed straight backstage.

"Doctor Chen."

"Master Chen."

Along the way.

Audience members who knew Chen Jichuan greeted him, and he answered them with a smile.

When he reached the backstage dressing room.

"Master."

"Master."

The place was a noisy crush of people. Lead performers and minor actors alike greeted Chen Jichuan.

After exchanging a few words, Chen Jichuan called out Lu Xiong, the deputy manager, and instructed him, "For the next half year, I will not often be in the city. Tomorrow, come with me to visit the city's officials and gentry."

He had been in the Great Yan World for a year already.

Nearly a day had passed in reality as well.

It was time to report to Qian Lai, the overseer.

That would not take much time.

But in reality, Chen Jichuan still needed to search for and excavate Spirit Stones. He also needed to begin cultivating the Iron Bull Technique and Jade Belt Technique, so he could not attend to matters here for the time being.

He would divide his time in half.

From now on, he might spend half of every year outside Great Yan.

Regarding this.

Chen Jichuan had long prepared for it.

When he had opened the entertainment house, he had brought over Lu Peng's eldest son, Lu Xiong, and put him in charge of White Jade Capital. Lu Xiong was steady and adaptable. Above him stood an old hand of the martial world—his father—who had broad connections and valued loyalty.

Managing an entertainment house would be no trouble for him.

"The times are not peaceful now. Where is Master going? Why not have Lu Rong take a few men with you? If it is far, I will ask my father to escort you." Lu Xiong looked at Chen Jichuan. He was first stunned, then immediately spoke.

Ever since Lu Peng's defeat a year ago, the Lu Family Martial Academy's popularity had plummeted.

The family's circumstances were far worse than before.

Through their father's connections, Lu Xiong and Lu Rong usually took jobs escorting goods for wealthy merchants in the city or protecting their families, lest they sit idle and eat away their savings.

But this kind of work.

First, required them to endure others' moods, while the money they received was not much.

Second, it meant licking blood from the edge of a blade. No one knew when they might encounter highwaymen and lose their lives.

That was why when Chen Jichuan asked him to manage the entertainment house, Lu Xiong had come without a second word.

It was both prestigious and comfortable, and the pay was not low.

He had once dressed like a martial artist.

Now he had changed into fine robes. Great Yan had no rigid distinction in clothing.

Lu Xiong was deeply grateful and treasured this opportunity. Hearing that Chen Jichuan was leaving the city, he could not help worrying in these chaotic times.

"Not far."

"I can handle it myself."

Chen Jichuan smiled at Lu Xiong.

Lu Xiong was a perceptive man. Seeing that Chen Jichuan was not merely being polite, he understood that this journey might not be one where others could accompany him, so he did not insist. "Then Master, be careful on the road. It would be best to bring a weapon."

"Mm."

Chen Jichuan nodded in reply.

Over the next two days.

Chen Jichuan took Lu Xiong to visit officials of every rank in the Langning Prefecture and Xuanhua County yamen. He also had Lu Xiong host a banquet, inviting the three squads of yamen runners and the various supervisors, secretly handing out silver to build good relations.

On the third day.

Inside the courtyard he had only recently acquired, Chen Jichuan tightly shut the doors and vanished.

Gray and murky.

Thick with mist.

Chen Jichuan opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was droplets of water gathering atop the cliff wall, dripping down with a steady drip, drip. Then he saw the fog filling the air, saw fluorescent stones struggling against the gloom, and felt the oppressive atmosphere.

"Black Prison."

Chen Jichuan sat up.

He could clearly feel how weak this body was. The back he had long trained straight in the Great Yan World could not even straighten now. Looking at his hands, they were still pallid as ever.

It left Chen Jichuan with a dazed feeling, an uncomfortable feeling, and a surge of intense disgust.

Over the past year.

His life in Great Yan had been exceedingly fulfilling—

Learning martial arts.

Learning to speak.

Learning to read and write.

Learning medicine.

Then building an entertainment house from nothing and earning money to support his martial training.

It could be said that every day, he rose when the sky had only just brightened, and did not sleep until the moon hung over the willow branches and he was too exhausted to remain awake.

Then, without warning, he returned to Black Prison.

For a moment, he was dazed.

He could not bear it.

But all of that.

Vanished the moment he saw Chen Shaohe beside him, propping up his head as his eyelids fought to stay open.

The feeling of having passed into another lifetime disappeared.

The disgust faded away with it.

"Great Yan may be good, but it is false."

"Black Prison may be terrible, but it is real."

Chen Jichuan's heart became clear, and the dust finally settled.

He stretched his arms to loosen the body that had lain for a full day and night. He tried to keep his movements quiet, but the faintest sound still woke Chen Shaohe.

"Mm?!"

Chen Shaohe's entire body first tensed sharply. Once he saw that it was his fourth brother before him, he relaxed, delight appearing on his face. "Fourth Brother, you're awake!"

"Mm."

"I'm awake."

Chen Jichuan looked at Chen Shaohe and smiled. "You did not sleep all day?"

"..."

Chen Shaohe watched his fourth brother rattle off something incomprehensible, his face full of confusion.

Seeing his expression.

Chen Jichuan did not understand at first. He paused blankly before remembering—

What he had just spoken was actually the Langning Prefecture dialect from the Great Yan World.

He had spent so long in Langning Prefecture, speaking the Langning dialect with people every day, that after abruptly returning to reality, he had not managed to change back.

Once he came to his senses.

He hurriedly switched back to the Yongfeng dialect and asked again.

Only then did Chen Shaohe understand. Rubbing his eyes, he said, "I was watching over Fourth Brother. I do not know when I fell asleep."

Chen Jichuan had entered the Great Yan World after reporting in last night.

Before entering.

He and Chen Shaohe had both been busy for the entire day. Chen Shaohe's practice of Fire Control already taxed his mind and spirit, so it was no wonder he could not hold on.

Seeing Chen Shaohe blaming himself somewhat.

Chen Jichuan patted his shoulder and smiled. "All right. What could possibly happen while I am asleep here?"

As he spoke.

He rose to his feet.

Judging by the density of the fog, there were probably still more than two hours before the routine roll call.

"Nothing happened today, right?"

As Chen Jichuan lit the fire and prepared food, he asked Chen Shaohe.

"No."

"It was the same as always."

Chen Shaohe shook his head.

Black Prison was like this: unchanging, leaving people unable to see any hope or beauty.

It was even more so after arriving here and entering the cave.

It grew ever more despairing.

Seeing that his fourth brother had awakened, much of Chen Shaohe's drowsiness scattered. His eyes shone with curiosity as he looked at Chen Jichuan. "Fourth Brother, what was that world like?"

"What was it like?"

Chen Jichuan raised his head and saw the light in Chen Shaohe's eyes, full of imagination and longing.

Chen Shaohe had entered Black Prison at ten years old.

He had still been young then. By now, he likely retained only vague impressions of the normal world.

He knew there was a sun outside, glaringly bright, but could no longer remember how sunlight felt upon his body.

He knew there were stars at night, glittering across the heavens, breathtakingly beautiful, yet the starry sky in his memories had already blurred into a hazy patch.

He knew white clouds.

He knew the four seasons.

He knew

And none of these existed in Black Prison.

"Great Yan—"

"It was like Great Chu and Yongfeng before it."

"The sun was bright, there were many people, and the wind was beautiful."

Chen Jichuan was good with words. He slowly described what he had seen in Great Yan, as well as Yongfeng County from his memories—the mountains, rivers, and every kind of beauty.

He had rarely spoken of such things before.

Because he did not know when they would ever leave Black Prison.

Now, it was different.

Besides, seeing Chen Shaohe's curious eyes, he could not bear to keep silent.

He spoke for quite a while.

Then the food finished cooking, and they finished eating.

Only then did Chen Jichuan stop. Seeing that Chen Shaohe could barely keep his eyes open yet still stubbornly listened, he smiled. "Go get some sleep first. I'll tell you more tonight."

As soon as the words fell.

When he got no response, Chen Jichuan took a closer look and realized that Chen Shaohe had already fallen asleep while speaking.

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