A heart like still water

The night was black as ink. When Chu Bai pushed open the door to his home, the house was silent, save for the flickering flame of the familiar oil lamp.

Several coarse porcelain bowls still sat upside down on the table, covering food that retained a little warmth.

His parents had already gone to bed.

Since their last late-night talk, Chu Bai had firmly insisted that they stop staying up to wait for him. They had to work in the fields at the first glimmer of dawn, after all, and their bodies could not bear such late nights.

Chu Bai quietly sat down at the table and lifted the bowls covering his meal.

A large bowl of brown rice piled into a mound, and a plate of pickled vegetables stir-fried with dried bamboo shoots.

For the Chu Household, this was already a rare feast.

His stomach had long been rumbling like thunder with hunger. He spared no thought for anything else, picked up his bowl, and began wolfing down the food.

Yet as the meal settled into his stomach, the emptiness deep within him was not fully satisfied.

"Still not enough..."

Chu Bai set down the empty bowl. Feeling his cells still clamoring for energy, he frowned slightly.

The [Food Injury Leaks Elegance] fate destiny was indeed powerful, efficiently converting the energy he consumed into cultivation potential, but it also brought an enormous side effect—his consumption multiplied.

Ordinary grains contained too many impurities and too little spiritual energy. No matter how much he ate, they could hardly fill the enormous deficit caused by immortal cultivation.

To truly keep pace with his cultivation, he needed meat with every meal at the very least, or nourishing spiritual rice and spiritual meals.

But for the Chu Household as it stood now, that was undoubtedly a fool's dream.

"If I keep cultivating while hungry, my progress won't just slow down. I might even deplete my blood and qi and damage my foundations."

Chu Bai tapped his fingers lightly against the table, considering how to break out of this predicament.

Make money?

Although he could now sense qi, he had not truly reached qi refining first layer. He knew no spells, could not draw talismans, and was too scrawny even to work as a household guard or hired muscle.

His only way out was to race against time.

"The tuition for Inner-Door Instruction only covers three months."

"If I haven't reached qi refining first layer after three months, staying in the Inner Gate to study further will cost another ten taels of silver."

Chu Bai gave a bitter laugh.

Another ten taels?

They could not scrape together that much even if they sold the entire family.

"So I have to make a complete breakthrough within these three months!"

"Once I become a true qi refining cultivator, even if I'm only at qi refining first layer, I'll be able to take simple exorcism and talisman-drawing jobs. I could even apply to be a temporary government clerk. Earning money will be much easier then."

"One wisp in seven days is only the beginning. With the panel helping me, even if my food is a little poor, I can still push that speed higher as long as I grind hard enough!"

"If I can manage one wisp a day, I can form my qi in a hundred days!"

The following afternoon.

In the outer gate of Azure Cloud Academy, the students were reviewing their lessons.

Chu Bai was immersed in his breathing practice when he suddenly heard Tutor Liu's voice at the lecture hall door.

"Chu Bai, someone's here to see you."

Chu Bai opened his eyes in surprise.

He had always kept to himself at the academy. Aside from occasionally exchanging a few words with Gu Qinghe, he barely socialized at all.

Who would come looking for me now?

Puzzled, Chu Bai rose and left the lecture hall.

A somewhat stout, middle-aged woman in floral-print clothes stood at the academy entrance. Her hands rested on her hips, her face was thickly coated in powder and rouge, and she was impatiently fanning herself with a handkerchief.

At the sight of her, Chu Bai's heart sank.

It was his Second Aunt, Liu Shi.

This Second Aunt was fierce and mean, notorious for taking everything in and letting nothing out.

She looked down on the Chu Household for its poverty, so despite being relatives, the two families seldom visited each other.

Though she lived in the city, not far from the academy, she had never once come to see Chu Bai in these three years.

Her sudden visit today could mean nothing good.

"Second Aunt." Chu Bai stepped forward and greeted her politely.

Liu Shi looked Chu Bai up and down without a trace of a smile, then came straight to the point in a shrill voice. "Big Brother, I hear your father took four taels of silver from your Second Uncle a few days ago?"

Chu Bai's heart lurched. Just as he had feared, she had come over that matter.

"He borrowed it," Chu Bai corrected. "Mother said we'd pay interest."

"Borrowed? What will you repay it with? Your lives?" Liu Shi sneered, her voice abruptly rising several pitches and drawing sidelong looks from passing pedestrians and students inside the academy.

"That brainless Second Uncle of yours lent the money behind my back. That was our stock money! I was wondering why the accounts looked wrong these past few days. Only after asking did I find out he'd poured it into that bottomless pit of a family of yours!"

"Second Aunt, the money paid my tuition. It wasn't squandered," Chu Bai explained quietly, forcing down his anger. "I'm cultivating in the Inner Gate now, and I have a good chance of getting into the Dao Academy. Once I..."

"Get into the Dao Academy?" Liu Shi gave an exaggerated snort, as though she had heard the greatest joke in the world. "You? Why don't you piss a puddle and take a good look at yourself! Is the Dao Academy somewhere people like us can get into? Master Wang's son on the next street has failed the entrance exam three years running. You're just a mud-legged peasant. What makes you think you can do it?"

"I think your whole family has gone mad! That's four taels of silver! Throw it into the water and at least you'd hear a splash. Paying your tuition is like throwing meat buns to a dog!"

The more Liu Shi spoke, the more worked up she became, her finger nearly jabbing Chu Bai in the face. "Give the money back right now! Otherwise, I'll go make a scene with your parents and let the whole village judge who's right!"

The crowd grew larger. Quite a few wealthy students pointed at Chu Bai, their faces full of mocking amusement as they watched the spectacle.

Chu Bai stood in the middle of the crowd, fists clenched, his nails digging deep into his palms.

But he neither exploded nor backed away.

He took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked Liu Shi straight in the eye. His voice was calm but firm. "Second Aunt, the money has already been paid to the academy. We can't get a refund. We acknowledge the debt, and we will repay it. Even if you turn the world upside down right now, we can't produce four taels in cash."

"You..." Liu Shi had never expected this usually quiet nephew to dare talk back to her. She grew so angry that the powder shook from her face.

Just as she was about to throw a tantrum, an authoritative voice rang out.

"Who is making this disturbance!"

Ruler in hand, Tutor Liu parted the crowd and walked out.

At the sight of their tutor, the surrounding students immediately fell silent.

Liu Shi faltered as well, her bluster subsiding somewhat. After all, a teacher still carried some authority among ordinary people.

"Madam, this academy is a place of quiet study. Whatever the matter is, can't you discuss it civilly?" Tutor Liu asked with a frown.

Liu Shi's eyes darted, and she immediately put on an aggrieved expression. "Tutor, you must judge this fairly. This boy's family is so poor their pockets rattle, yet they borrowed money to come here and play the big shot..."

"I already know about this matter." Tutor Liu raised a hand to interrupt her. His gaze passed over Chu Bai before he looked solemnly at Liu Shi. "Chu Bai has good talent. He has the makings of a cultivator. These four taels of silver are his opportunity, his chance to change his destiny."

"I can vouch for him. This boy will not remain a creature confined to a small pond. A mere four taels of silver—he will certainly repay it in the future."

With even Tutor Liu saying so, Liu Shi could hardly keep making a scene, though she remained reluctant. "That's easy for you to say, Tutor. What if he doesn't pass?"

"If that day truly comes, I'll repay it for him!" Tutor Liu swept his sleeve, his tone firm enough to cleave iron.

At those words, Liu Shi had nothing left to say.

She also knew when to quit while she was ahead. Now that someone had guaranteed the debt, there was no point in making more trouble.

"Fine. Since you've given your word, Tutor, I'll allow a little more time." Liu Shi glared viciously at Chu Bai, then walked away, muttering curses. "Eight lifetimes of rotten luck, getting saddled with a bunch of poor relatives like this..."

With the farce over, the crowd gradually dispersed.

"Thank you for helping me out, Tutor." Chu Bai bowed deeply to Tutor Liu.

Tutor Liu looked at the boy before him and sighed. "Don't take it to heart. The world has always been cold and fickle."

The two walked side by side beneath the covered walkway. After a moment's hesitation, Tutor Liu spoke. "Your family's circumstances are indeed rather straitened. On the path of cultivation, there are wealth, companions, methods, and a suitable place—and wealth comes first."

"I understand. Sorry for the trouble, Tutor," Chu Bai said, lowering his head.

"Let's do this." Tutor Liu seemed to make up his mind. "Daoist Zhang came from the Dao Academy, after all, and has more connections than I do. I'll tell him about your circumstances later and see whether he can find you some work in the city to support your studies. Even grinding medicinal ingredients at an apothecary would earn you something toward your cultivation resources."

Chu Bai abruptly raised his head, a flash of delighted surprise in his eyes.

This was exactly what he most urgently needed!

"Thank you, Tutor!"

When he returned to the lecture hall, his classmates looked at him with varying expressions.

Some were sympathetic; others made no attempt to conceal their mockery.

But Chu Bai paid them no heed.

He walked to his meditation cushion, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

After just three breaths, his breathing steadied, and the air around him began slowly circulating to his rhythm once more.

His heart was like still water, untroubled by a single ripple.