The Chen Residence and Orders from Above

Dao-Treasuring Peak, beside the pool.

On the bank, Xuanming watched without blinking.

Below the bank, Chang'anzi endured excruciating pain.

Copious amounts of tainted blood seeped through his skin, staining the pool red.

Even so, he did not wake.

His state was peculiar, neither alive nor dead.

He struggled in pain and languished in suffering.

Immense changes slowly took place within his body.

His meridians and internal organs were breaking apart and reforming.

The aura of death receded, while vitality grew.

Time flowed slowly, like water.

Seeing that Chang'anzi had recovered ninety percent, with the remaining ten percent requiring only a few days of careful recuperation, Xuanming waved his Fly-Whisk three times.

Three thousand silver strands lengthened at his will, reaching a hundred zhang in an instant. Like spirit serpents entering the water, they plunged straight to the bottom of the pool, wrapped around Chang'anzi, and lifted him out.

With a light flick of his finger, Xuanming sent a stream of magical power into Chang'anzi's body. Chang'anzi shuddered all over, his agony vanished, and he emerged from that peculiar state, slowly waking.

An unprecedented sense of ease welled up within Chang'anzi, and he understood: it had worked.

His lingering affliction was gone. He had been given a new life.

His damaged meridians and dantian had been restored to their original condition.

In his excitement, he tried circulating his magical power. The familiar stabbing pain had vanished completely. His power flowed as freely and smoothly as a mountain stream through an even riverbed, without the slightest obstruction.

Feeling the change, Chang'anzi rose and dropped to his knees with a thud, intending to kowtow. Yet magical power held him up, preventing him from bowing no matter how he tried.

He looked up to see his martial uncle glaring at him, his beard bristling.

"You little brat, have you forgotten that I hate people kneeling?"

Chang'anzi immediately apologized.

He had been so excited that he had forgotten the taboo.

Chang'anzi stood and offered a formal Daoist bow. Weeping with joy, he spoke with heartfelt sincerity:

"Thank you, Martial Uncle."

"I will remember your grace in giving me a new life until my dying day."

"Once Master's affairs are settled, I will follow your lead in all things."

Gratified, Xuanming stroked his beard and smiled.

"You little brat, if you truly wish to repay me, cultivate diligently and never slack off."

"Seeking the Dao is like climbing a mountain. The farther you travel and the higher you climb, the greater your gift of thanks will be, and the happier I will be."

After a moment's thought, he continued, "If you really want to show your gratitude, find me a few more Daoist scriptures when you have the chance."

Chang'anzi nodded and solemnly promised.

With the matter settled, Xuanming did not linger. He soon departed, but did not return to the Scripture Pavilion.

In high spirits that day, he wandered through the mountain forests.

He climbed lofty mountains to admire the snow, gazing at the linked, graceful snowy peaks, their white expanses pure and unworldly, like an unblemished Dao heart.

He ventured into steep ridges and through forests, finding secluded bamboo groves whose straight, sturdy stalks defied frost and snow, like an unyielding Daoist backbone.

At dusk, he even lay on a bamboo raft and drifted with the current. Eyes closed, he listened to the mountain breeze murmur and embraced the lingering glow of sunset, savoring the joys of mountains and waters, relaxing body and mind, and balancing effort with rest.

As he took in the natural scenery, his aura changed. Some of its twilight weariness faded, replaced by a greater measure of carefree freedom.

The delight he found in water, bamboo, mist, and clouds, he shared only with wind, flowers, snow, and moon.

Dao-Treasuring Peak, the Scripture Pavilion.

Early the next morning, Xuanming resumed reading scriptures.

Occasionally, he guided Chang'anzi in cultivating the Yin and Yang Foundation Establishment Manual.

The lad's aptitude was quite good among the fourth-generation disciples. Otherwise, he would not have reached the third realm before turning twenty.

Although he was not as astonishingly gifted as Senior Brother Xuan Ye had been in his youth, his root bone was still excellent, and his comprehension far from ordinary.

Now that he had rebuilt himself after being broken, he had a chance to master the Yin and Yang Foundation Establishment Manual. If he could establish a Superior Dao Foundation and break through into the Third Realm before the Dao Origin Grand Gathering began, his combined prowess in magic and martial arts would give him an excellent chance to shine at the Dao Origin Assembly.

Entering through the back door and earning admission to the Heaven and Earth Academy openly through one's own strength were fundamentally different. Status, treatment, prospects, and more were worlds apart.

Either do nothing, or give it everything and strive for the best possible result. That had always been Xuanming's way.

Reading scriptures and comprehending the Dao, practicing arts and exploring profound mysteries...

Xuanming devoted himself to cultivating the Dao.

Chang'anzi cultivated diligently.

Chang Ning broke through into the Jade-Liquefying Realm.

The others at the Truth-Seeking Abbey also cultivated earnestly.

The disciples either sat in meditation and regulated their breathing or practiced swordsmanship before the cliff. The elders likewise threw themselves into the race.

They did not want to be surpassed by the younger generation.

They did not want Senior Brother Xuanming to leave them too far behind.

They also wanted to fight for their own Dao paths.

Driven by all these reasons, they cultivated hard.

They studied the sword marks on Sword Cliff and contemplated the Yin and Yang Foundation Establishment Manual, sometimes entrusting their feelings to mountains and waters, sometimes sitting together to discuss the Dao.

With Xuanming also teaching them the Improved Truth-Seeking Abbey Body-Tempering Technique, Daoists such as Xuanxu, Xuan Kong, and Xuan Yin all made gains in cultivation and strength to varying degrees.

Those on the mountain cultivated the Dao in peace.

Those below the mountain busied themselves with schemes.

After more than a year of reconstruction, Floating Cloud County had largely recovered. Wealthy households rebuilt their residences, common folk had tiled roofs to shelter beneath, peddlers wound through the streets and alleys, and shops crowded the marketplace amid unceasing cries of hawkers.

The rich bustle of everyday life dispersed the gloom.

In the western part of the county town, pavilions and towers stood in an orderly arrangement.

The wealthy lived in the east, the noble in the west. Great households with imposing gates clustered here.

One luxurious mansion stood out above the rest, sprawling across a hundred mu.

Rare flowers and exotic plants flourished, ancient pines and emerald cypresses grew tall and lush, and splendid buildings stood row upon row.

Its grandeur defied description, its beauty exhausted words.

There was even a small lake spanning ten mu, an island of three mu, and a little hill several dozen zhang tall. Maids and servant women moved among them, while guards and hired laborers came and went, displaying the household's deep resources and lofty standing.

This was the home of the Chen Residence, one of Floating Cloud County's great households.

Three generations made a distinguished house; five made an aristocratic clan.

With a legacy spanning five generations, the Chen Residence was a cultivation aristocratic clan of Floating Cloud.

At that moment, within its grand, luxurious hall.

All those who held authority in the Chen Residence had assembled, every one of them in the fourth realm of essence refining.

The elderly man at their head wore a brocade robe patterned with symbols of fortune and longevity. His temples were graying, his eyes sharp and bright, and his aura unfathomable and terrifying. Clearly, he had attained Essence Refining Perfection.

He was the current old patriarch of the Chen Residence.

Although retired, his word remained unquestionable.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, he declared in a clear voice:

"For this year's Dao Origin Grand Gathering in Fengyang Commandery, the Imperial Court has granted special permission to the Truth-Seeking Abbey on the mountain and promised them two places."

"I hope we can secure one of those places."

At these words, everyone leaned toward one another and whispered. Then, led by the head of the Chen Residence, they offered their views.

"Ancestor, when the Evil Flood Dragon caused havoc last time, our Chen Residence worked alongside the Truth-Seeking Abbey to control the flooding. Although our contribution was smaller than theirs, we still rendered service. The Imperial Court is impartial in rewards and punishments and specially granted our Chen Residence one place, allowing a member of our clan to serve and cultivate in the Heaven and Earth Tower.

"No wall under heaven is airtight. If we can learn that the Truth-Seeking Abbey has received places, they can likewise learn that our Chen Residence has received one."

"Although our Chen Residence worked hand in hand with the Truth-Seeking Abbey during the flood-control effort and got along well with them, these places concern the Truth-Seeking Abbey’s future. They may not agree."

"Eldest Brother has a point. Those ox-nosed Daoists on the mountain aren't fools. I think pulling this off will be difficult!"

"Indeed. If we handle this poorly, relations between our two households may deteriorate."

"For thousands of years, Daoists have entered the Heaven and Earth Academy, while children of aristocratic clans have entered the Heaven and Earth Tower. This rule has never changed. Even if those ox-noses agree, the True Persons and True Lords of the Heaven and Earth Academy will not stand idly by."

The others nodded in agreement.

Obstacles stood everywhere. Accomplishing this would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Although an additional place would give the clan another outstanding member, the price and expenditure would be too great. Calculated carefully, it hardly seemed worthwhile.

The old patriarch Chen had grown shrewd with age and possessed a wealth of experience. How could he fail to understand this reasoning or recognize that the advantages and disadvantages were evenly balanced?

But some matters lay beyond one's control.

With this in mind, the old patriarch Chen said gravely:

"Where there is a will, there is a way."

"Our Chen Residence must spare no effort in this matter."

As he spoke, he lowered his voice:

"This is also the wish of those above."

His tone held both reverence and helplessness.

The others immediately grew solemn and respectful. Changing their stance, they echoed his words and agreed to the proposal.

The difference was that their voices now carried a greater measure of fear.

Thanks to Yan Wanwu Ke Kuidu for the tip of 100 points, and thanks to Canghai 282 for the two monthly votes.