In the Large Compound, Each Had Their Own Destination

That day, when work ended.

The orange-red evening glow fell into the Large Compound as He Laohun and the others returned one after another.

Shouts rose on every side, and the bustle of everyday life swelled around them.

"Brother Yi, let me show you what I can do! Sister Qin's iron-pot stewed fish certainly smells good, but my pickled greens and tofu are no slouch either!"

He Laohun bustled about moving tables, chairs, and stools, calling out as he worked.

Outside, the weather was bitterly cold, but cultivators at the second and third levels of Qi Refining had no fear of this little chill.

He deftly set up two pots: an iron one for stewing big chunks of meat and vegetables, and a copper one for simmering fish slices and blanching vegetables.

"Who wants your pickled greens and tofu? They're bland as anything!"

Widow Qin rolled up her sleeves, scaled a fresh, large carp, removed its gills, and washed it clean. She stuffed scallions and ginger into its belly, then rubbed it with a couple of handfuls of salt.

"I'll fry this fish before putting it in to stew. Add some noodles, tofu, and thick slices of pork, and the smell will leave you dazed!"

Widow Qin's lovely eyes shifted from He Laohun to Jiang Yi. Seeing him silently helping with his head lowered, looking rather aggrieved and pitiful, she softened.

She took the initiative to dish up a plate of freshly fried mushrooms and handed it over.

"Have a taste. They're best while they're hot!"

Jiang Yi smiled and reached out, only for Widow Qin to slap his hand away. She raised her eyebrows.

"You're a grown man! Why are you acting like a child? Who eats things with their hands? No manners!"

With that, she gave him a pair of chopsticks.

The fried mushrooms were golden and crisp. Jiang Yi's chopsticks flew, and he could not stop eating.

"All right, all right. Leave some for Old He and Old Li. If you like them, I can make them again next time."

Widow Qin had been silently fuming for days because Brother Yi had gotten tangled up with Luo Xiaoniangzi again.

Mostly, she was angry that he had forgotten the pain now that his scars had healed. What sort of life had he lived those past few years to send Luo Xiaoniangzi money? Did he have no idea?

Every day, he had gotten up to work before dawn. Sometimes, he had been so exhausted he could not even manage a hot meal, merely gnawing on steamed buns or soaking rice in tea, stubbornly refusing to spare himself even a little meat or fat.

All the money he had painstakingly saved over several years had gone toward supporting Luo Xiaoniangzi, supplying her with good medicine and Spirit Rice. Even then, she had never given him a proper glance.

She remembered one time when Brother Yi had fallen seriously ill and spent seven or eight days bedridden, yet Luo Xiaoniangzi had never come to visit.

Now that Brother Yi's fortunes had turned around, she had come sidling up of her own accord, while he had happily welcomed her as though nothing had happened.

At the thought, Widow Qin's anger rose again, and she snatched back the plate of mushrooms in annoyance.

"Hey, let me have a couple more bites, Sister Qin..."

Jiang Yi froze for a moment. Of course he knew why Widow Qin was angry, but the inside story was difficult to explain, so he could only pretend not to know.

"Hehe, these really are delicious!"

He Laohun accepted the plate of fried mushrooms as though he had found a treasure, pinching them up with his fingers and tossing them into his mouth, crunching away.

"Oh, Sister Qin, don't be angry. Brother Yi is what you call devoted! There's no shortage of decent-looking women on the outer peaks. With Brother Yi's circumstances now, if he were down the mountain, matchmakers would trample his courtyard gate flat..."

Old Li squatted nearby, washing and trimming vegetables to help his wife, and took the opportunity to chime in on Jiang Yi's behalf.

"Oh, so you know everything now! Does devotion mean you have to squander your entire fortune? When I got together with you, why didn't I see you selling off your fields and land?"

Old Li's wife planted both hands on her hips and snapped angrily.

Old Li, who had been speaking so convincingly just a moment earlier, immediately wilted, lowering his head to avoid her sharp tongue.

Unwilling to dwell on the subject, Jiang Yi changed the topic.

"The end of the year is nearly here. What are everyone's plans?"

He Laohun sucked his fingers and smacked his lips.

"The usual. Rent a courtyard down the mountain, find a few mortals to wait on me, enjoy a few comfortable days, and loosen up my muscles while I'm at it."

Widow Qin said disdainfully:

"If you're going to find a bedmate, just say so. Who doesn't know your dirty talk? In those brothels at the foot of the mountain, they knead your shoulders and pound your legs on the first floor, then take off their clothes and get down to business on the second!"

He Laohun sheepishly ducked his head.

Jiang Yi rescued him.

"What about you, Brother Li?"

Joy appeared at the corners of Old Li's brows.

"I've arranged with Little He from the Work Dormitory next door to set up a stall at the market and take on some private jobs. We should earn a few coins, at least.

"After that, Little He said there's a mine out west where hardly anyone works over the New Year, so they're paying twice the Talisman Money. I want to try my luck."

Old Li's wife was slicing radishes and chopping lamb ribs. The thunking of her cleaver against the chopping board stopped.

"Husband, don't go to that mine! I heard it produces Fire-Cloud Stone. Even in the depths of winter, it's as hot as a steamer!"

Old Li waved a hand, displaying a rare air of authority.

"It'll be fine! I ought to do more while my body's still strong. Our child will be entering the Yin Puppet Sect next year, joining a Dharma Lineage in earnest! There'll be plenty to spend money on!"

Jiang Yi opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

There were some matters outsiders really could not meddle in.

Often, it was only from outside the situation that one could see clearly.

Take the people of the Large Compound, for instance. He Laohun and Widow Qin included, they all actually envied Old Li's family.

Though the couple toiled like beasts of burden without a moment's rest all year, at least they had something to look forward to.

He Laohun might constantly say, "Ring the bell for each day you spend as a monk," and, "You bring no Talisman Money into life and take none away in death, so you might as well eat and spend it all."

But deep down, he still wanted to marry and leave an heir for the He family, lest he have no face to meet his ancestors.

Bubble, bubble.

The water in the copper pot came to a boil. Jiang Yi added a handful of greens and a few pieces of tofu, then turned to ask Widow Qin:

"Sister Qin, are you staying on the mountain for the New Year?"

"I haven't decided. If there's nothing else to do, I'll cultivate on the mountain for a while and wait for spring. Anyway, Old He's, Old Li's, and my work terms are nearly up."

Widow Qin's gaze grew distant. She prodded the carp in the pot with her chopsticks, her thoughts unknown.

Before long.

Jiang Yi and He Laohun laid out the bowls and chopsticks, and everyone took a seat.

Outside the courtyard, heavy snow swirled; inside, heat billowed.

The warm stove melted the falling snowflakes, sending up hazy white mist.

"I may be going down the mountain with Duty Officer Yang. Let today count as my celebrating the New Year with you all in advance."

Jiang Yi filled a bowl with rice wine and toasted everyone.

"Brother Yi's made something of himself!" Old Li smiled, his face creasing all over. "Wonderful! Everyone's lives are getting better and better!"

Widow Qin took a few small sips. Perhaps thinking that such gatherings would be rare in the future, she picked up a tender, fatty piece of fish belly, placed it in Jiang Yi's bowl, and said softly:

"Brother Yi, think a little more about yourself. You've finally made it through the hard times. Don't go back down the same road."

He Laohun also lowered his voice.

"I heard from my workmates that Sewing Peak is about to strike it rich! Their Cicada-Wing Gauze, Flowing-Cloud Satin, and Purple-Shadow Thread can't keep up with demand. The market buys however much they have.

"Even Senior Brother Xu Yan of the Inner Peaks can't sit still anymore. He's stationed in the Heart-Seizing Forest now, felling trees and stripping bark to increase production. Even the duty officers of the Three Workshops walk with a spring in their step these days, looking awfully pleased with themselves."

The meaning behind his words was clear.

Zhou Can, the Laundry Room duty officer Luo Qian'er had latched onto, was at Sewing Peak.

His star was on the rise!

Jiang Yi's eyelids twitched slightly. He had seen this news among the "paths to wealth" shown by the Heavenly Book, but had not expected it to come so soon.

Widow Qin sneered at that.

"Hmph! No wonder Luo Xiaoniangzi hasn't shown her face these past two days..."

Jiang Yi thought nothing of it. In any case, he had already recovered the Talisman Money he had "given voluntarily," with some to spare.

It was just a pity that he probably would not get to taste the Essence-Nourishing Pills Luo Tong had promised.

The sky gradually darkened as everyone ate stewed fish, simmered tofu, blanched greens, and braised lamb ribs amid the rising steam.

Each pondered their prospects; each imagined their future.

After eating and drinking their fill, he returned to his room.

Sitting on the hard plank bed, Jiang Yi began to miss the soft bedding at the Yang Residence.

Rather than rushing to rest, he took out a bag of Iron Pellets he had purchased from Li Ruohan.

Once ordinary food was ground down by his fire-tempered internal organs, it turned into the refined essence of food, Qi and Blood, and bodily fluids.

If he truly ate his fill, even ten oxen would not be enough!

Hence the saying that cultivators did not eat the five grains. The fundamental reason was that they "couldn't get full"; food could not sustain the expenditure of seated meditation.

Though these Iron Pellets have no flavor, they do fill my stomach and nourish my Primordial Essence.

Expressionless, Jiang Yi chewed slowly and carefully, crunching as though he were eating nuts.

After swallowing a dozen or so, his cheeks and jaws had begun to ache slightly.

Copper Juice and Iron Pellets can't compare to Essence-Nourishing Treasure Medicine, after all.

Jiang Yi felt helpless. As everyone knew, Essence-Nourishing Pills were scarce, allotted as part of the monthly provisions for Inner Peaks disciples.

Without solid connections or substantial wealth, there was absolutely no way to obtain them.

Granted, he had made a sum from the Luo siblings, sold the Green Zhi Pulp Recipe for a good price, and received the fifty thousand in Talisman Money awarded by the Inner Peaks.

But wealth flowed like water, often leaving as quickly as it came.

The Water Pool and Fire Marsh Ritual Ceremony alone had swallowed more than half. He now had thirty or forty thousand in Talisman Money left for daily meals and expenses, and to buy resources to nourish his body.

If I become an Inner Peaks disciple, I should have more avenues open to me, and broader ones.

Jiang Yi thought of those resource sites. With the Heavenly Book's guidance, it would be like entering a mountain of treasure empty-handed. Why worry about not striking it rich?

With this lovely vision in his heart, he drifted leisurely into sleep.

Perhaps what occupied his thoughts by day entered his dreams at night.

Jiang Yi slept sweetly and dreamed pleasantly-

"When I woke up, all the cultivators across the Jambudvipa Vast Land had been suppressed by Heaven, weakened tens of millions of times over!

"At the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, I casually used the Fire-Control Art and was revered as the founding patriarch of a Dao Lineage..."