Morning sunlight shone into the little courtyard, and whenever the breeze stirred, a fresh fragrance wafted toward him.
The date palm rustled, and a faint floral scent drifted through the courtyard.
Sounds of something slicing through the air rang out across the open courtyard.
They carried an uncanny rhythm, as though they possessed the power to shake the heart.
As usual, Li Ping'an practiced while feeling the subtle changes in his body.
Once, twice, three times, four times...
A strand of true qi slowly rose from his dantian and flowed toward his sea of qi, growing ever stronger.
Li Ping'an let out a long breath.
His internal energy circulated, refreshing his spirit.
As he continued practicing day after day.
His breathing naturally grew finer, becoming a slender thread.
Deep and resilient, it extended all the way to his dantian.
Transformation could not happen in a single leap; it required gradual training.
Li Ping'an repeated his quiet, simple routine.
Every day, he practiced martial arts and cultivated, slowly refining his body and making himself stronger.
Then he went out to perform on the streets, occasionally taking a few commissions to support himself.
[Name: Li Ping'an, lifespan: 132] [The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring lv3 (100/10000)] [Aptitude: ordinary bones] [Wind-Listening Saber Technique: 90%] [Draw-Sword Technique * Diagonal Rising Draw: 63%] [Turtle Breath Technique: increased by 92%] [Swallow Piercing the Clouds: 35%] Skills: [Aura Lock: 62%]
All his attributes were slowly increasing.
The years never lingered; the seasons flowed like water.
Bright sunlight bathed a thousand doors, ten thousand homes; everywhere, new peachwood talismans replaced the old.
With the New Year approaching, Li Ping'an browsed the streets for festive supplies.
Duha and her sister next door had invited Li Ping'an to celebrate with them. This year would surely not be too lonely.
New Year’s Preserved Medicine, brocade decorations, new calendars, and door gods of all sizes.
Peachwood talismans, spring couplets, gold paper decorations, filigree flowers, five-colored spirit money, and ash basins were all indispensable.
Dreams of Splendor in the Eastern Capital recorded: "On the first day of the first month, the New Year festival, even the poorest commoners must wear fresh, clean clothes."
Just then, a familiar voice came from the distance.
"Hey! Are you blind, brat? I'm asking you a question! Where did you come from?"
Liu Er of the Venomous Snake Gang sized up the child who had bumped into him.
An unfamiliar face. He had never seen him before.
The boy wore a large bamboo hat. He sniffled and watched Liu Er warily.
"I'm talking to you! Who's your father?"
Liu Er rubbed the boy's head.
Sensing a familiar presence, Li Ping'an could not help smiling.
The boy really had come looking for him.
He walked over. "Brother Er."
Hearing Li Ping'an's voice, Liu Er turned around. "Just finished eating?"
Li Ping'an smiled and nodded.
The moment the boy saw Li Ping'an, he was overjoyed and hurried toward him.
"Sir!"
It was none other than Chen Chusheng, the boy from the little village that day.
"You two know each other?" Liu Er asked curiously.
"He's a distant relative of mine," Li Ping'an said. "You little rascal, you bumped into your Uncle Er without even apologizing."
Chen Chusheng took the cue and apologized to Liu Er.
Liu Er would not seriously hold a grudge against a child, so he said nothing more.
Afterward, Li Ping'an brought Chen Chusheng home and warmed up some food for him.
The little fellow looked as though he had not eaten his fill in days, and he wolfed down the meal.
Before long, nothing remained on the table.
Li Ping'an waited quietly for him to finish.
Chen Chusheng let out several burps, wiped his mouth, and dropped to his knees before Li Ping'an.
"Please take me as your disciple, sir."
The magnificent sight of Li Ping'an single-handedly stopping three hundred armored cavalrymen that day had shaken young Chen Chusheng to his core.
Li Ping'an had stayed at Chen Chusheng's home that night, and during their idle conversation, he had mentioned that he lived in the Anbei Four Garrisons.
But the Anbei Four Garrisons were a long way from Chen Chusheng's village.
Moreover, the desert weather was unpredictable, and mounted bandits and thieves were countless.
One careless step could cost a traveler both his life and his possessions.
He had never expected this boy to find his way here.
Instead of answering, Li Ping'an asked a question of his own.
"Why should I take you as my disciple?"
Chen Chusheng stammered, unable to find an answer. "Because... because..."
Li Ping'an smiled faintly. "It couldn't have been easy coming all this way. Stay here for now."
"Then when will you teach me martial arts, sir?"
"When you manage to touch me, I'll teach you martial arts."
Chen Chusheng froze, not understanding what he meant.
"I mean exactly what I said."
Chen Chusheng blinked. "I still don't understand, sir."
The words had barely left his mouth when he suddenly sprang up and lunged at Li Ping'an.
Thump!
There was a muffled impact.
Chen Chusheng cried out and fell flat on his back, his limbs splayed.
It was Li Ping'an's bamboo pole that had struck him.
"You still have a long way to go."
With that, Li Ping'an walked away with his hands behind his back.
Chen Chusheng watched Li Ping'an leave, rubbing his calf where the blow had left it numb.
A stubborn light shone in the boy's eyes.
From that day on, Li Ping'an's courtyard gained a free laborer.
True to a boy's nature, whenever he saw Li Ping'an practicing, he secretly tried to copy him.
In secluded spots, he broke off branches to use as swords and practiced his punches and palm strikes.
He longed to become like Li Ping'an one day.
Of course, he had not forgotten his agreement with Li Ping'an.
Chen Chusheng tried all sorts of methods, such as launching a sneak attack while Li Ping'an slept. He failed.
He tried ambushing Li Ping'an while he ate. He failed again.
He even lay in wait in the privy, but Li Ping'an never came.
Instead, he got Old Ox's dung.
The moment Chen Chusheng sprang out of the cesspit, he gave Old Ox a terrible fright.
So much so that Old Ox did not dare return to the privy for several days.
The New Year arrived on schedule, and the sound of firecrackers rang out without end.
It made the festive atmosphere all the grander and livelier.
Chen Chusheng and Aliya raced to put up the spring couplets.
The two were close in age and soon became very good friends.
Li Ping'an and Duha began preparing that night's New Year's Eve feast.
By the time dinner was ready, a large snowman had appeared outside.
Chen Chusheng's and Aliya's little faces were red from the cold.
Six meat dishes and three vegetable dishes-the most lavish meal of the entire year.
After the reunion dinner, the cooking utensils had to be washed spotless, and lamps and candles were lit in every room.
The whole family gathered, keeping watch over the year-fire so it would not go out.
They waited for the moment to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, ushering in the New Year.
This was called "lamp-lighting to illuminate the year."
Lamps and candles also had to be lit beneath the beds. Lighting them everywhere was called "illuminating the void-waster."
It was said that illuminating the home this way would fill it with wealth in the coming year.
Chen Chusheng found a small square table, spread paper across it, and wrote crooked characters with a brush.
Seeing him, Duha asked curiously, "Chu Sheng, what are you doing?"
"Writing a letter to my mother."
"Your mother?" Li Ping'an asked. "Why didn't I see her when I visited?"
"Mother is in the Capital City," Chen Chusheng said. "After Father died, she remarried and went there."
Aliya asked, "Then why didn't you go to the Capital City with her?"
"If I'd gone with her, Mother wouldn't have been able to go," Chen Chusheng said dejectedly.
Aliya immediately said, "Your mother is a bad person, Chusheng. She abandoned her own child for wealth and luxury."
"Mother isn't a bad person!"
Chen Chusheng raised his head, his voice growing sharper and anger showing on his face.
"But she... she abandoned you."
It was the first time Aliya had seen the normally gentle Chen Chusheng lose his temper, and her voice grew quiet.
"Grandfather and Father were both killed by people from the Turkic Lands. Mother had no one to rely on. By marrying into a family in the Capital City, she could have a good life."
Aliya puffed out her cheeks and said indignantly, "That still doesn't mean she could abandon you!"
"I'm a man of the Chen family. I'm not afraid of hardship, and I still have to avenge Grandfather and Father."
The boy spoke those words as firecrackers crackled around him.
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