The night was black as ink. When Chu Bai pushed open the door to his home, the house was silent. Only the familiar flame of an oil lamp still flickered.
Several coarse porcelain bowls were still overturned on the table, covering a meal that was still warm.
His parents had already gone to sleep.
Since their last late-night talk, Chu Bai had insisted they not stay up waiting for him. After all, they had to be in the fields at the crack of dawn, and their bodies couldn’t take the strain.
Chu Bai sat down quietly at the table and lifted the bowls.
There was a large bowl of brown rice piled high, and a plate of stir-fried pickled vegetables with dried bamboo shoots.
For the Chu Family, this was a rare and lavish feast.
The thunderous hunger roaring in his belly left no room for etiquette. He picked up the bowl and began to wolf it down.
However, as the food went down, the deep, hollow feeling inside him was not fully satisfied.
’It’s still not enough...’
Chu Bai set down the empty bowl, his brow furrowing slightly as he felt the cells in his body still screaming for energy.
The [Nourishing and Exquisite] Fate Chart was indeed powerful. It could efficiently convert ingested energy into cultivation potential, but it also came with a huge side effect—a massive increase in consumption.
Ordinary grains were full of impurities and contained little Spiritual Qi. No matter how much he ate, it was difficult to fill the enormous deficit created by Cultivation.
To truly keep up with his training, he needed to eat meat with every meal, or at least be nourished by Spirit Rice and Spiritual Cuisine.
But for the current Chu Family, that was undoubtedly a pipe dream.
’If I continue to cultivate in a state of constant hunger, not only will my progress slow, but I might even deplete my Qi and blood, damaging my foundation.’
Chu Bai’s fingers tapped lightly on the table as he mulled over a way to break this impasse.
’Get money?’
Although he had Qi Sensitivity now, he hadn’t truly reached the Qi Cultivation First Layer. He knew no Magic, couldn’t draw a Talisman, and was even too skinny to be a Nursing Home enforcer.
The only way out was to race against time.
’The tuition fee for the Inner Sect Study only covers three months.’
’After three months, if I haven’t entered the Qi Cultivation First Layer and want to continue studying in the Inner Sect, I’ll have to pay another ten taels of silver.’
Chu Bai gave a bitter smile.
Another ten taels?
He couldn’t come up with that much even if he sold his entire family.
’So, I must break through within these three months!’
’As long as I become a true Qi Cultivation Cultivator, even if it’s just the Qi Cultivation First Layer, I can take on simple jobs like exorcisms or drawing Talismans. I could even apply to be a temporary Clerk for the Government. Making money will be much easier then.’
’Gaining one wisp in seven days is just the beginning. With the help of my panel, even if the food is a bit poor, as long as I grind hard enough, I can increase this speed!’
’If I can manage one wisp a day, I can form my Qi in a hundred days!’
「The next afternoon.」
In the Outer Sect of the Cyan Cloud Academy, the students were all reviewing their lessons.
Chu Bai was immersed in his breathing exercises when he suddenly heard Master Liu’s voice at the entrance of the lecture hall.
"Chu Bai, someone is here to see you."
Chu Bai opened his eyes in surprise.
He had always been a loner at the academy. Besides occasionally exchanging a few words with Gu Qinghe, he had basically no social life.
’Who would be looking for me now?’
Filled with doubt, Chu Bai stood up and walked out of the lecture hall.
At the academy gate stood a somewhat heavyset, middle-aged woman in a floral-print dress. Her hands were on her hips, her face was caked in thick powder, and she was impatiently fanning herself with a handkerchief.
Chu Bai’s heart sank the moment he saw her.
It was his second aunt, Liu Clan.
This second aunt of his had a fierce and harsh personality, and was notoriously tight-fisted.
She looked down on the Chu Family for being poor, so despite being relatives, the two families rarely interacted.
Even though her family lived in the city, not far from the academy, she had never once come to see Chu Bai in the past three years.
A sudden visit today could not possibly be good news.
"Second Aunt," Chu Bai said politely as he walked up to her.
Liu Clan looked Chu Bai up and down without a hint of a smile, then got straight to the point in a shrill voice, "Big Nephew, I hear your father took four taels of silver from your second uncle a few days ago?"
Chu Bai’s heart skipped a beat. ’So it really is about this.’
"It was a loan," Chu Bai corrected. "Mother said we would pay interest."
"A loan?" Liu Clan sneered, her voice suddenly rising several octaves, drawing glances from passersby and students in the academy. "What are you going to repay it with? Your life?"
"That idiot second uncle of yours lent it out behind my back. That was the capital for our business! I was wondering why the books weren’t adding up these past few days. Then I ask and find out he threw it into your family’s bottomless pit!"
"Second Aunt, the money was for my tuition fee. It wasn’t spent carelessly," Chu Bai explained in a low voice, suppressing his own Fire Qi. "I’m already studying in the Inner Sect and have a good chance of getting into the Daoist School. Once I..."
"The Daoist School?" Liu Clan let out an exaggerated scoff, as if she had heard the world’s greatest joke. "You? Why don’t you take a piss and look at your own reflection! Is the Daoist School a place for people like us? Landlord Wang’s son from the next street over failed the exam for three years straight. What makes a mud-caked peasant like you think you can make it?"
"I think your whole family has gone mad! That’s four taels of silver! If you threw it in the water, you’d at least hear a splash! Giving it to you for tuition is like feeding meat buns to a dog—gone for good!"
Liu Clan grew more agitated as she spoke, her finger nearly poking Chu Bai in the face. "Give the money back right now! Or I’ll go raise hell with your parents and let the whole village judge you!"
The crowd of onlookers grew larger. Many students from wealthy families pointed at Chu Bai, their faces full of mockery as they enjoyed the show.
Chu Bai stood in the center of the crowd, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug deep into his palms.
But he didn’t explode, nor did he shrink away.
He took a deep breath, raised his head to look Liu Clan straight in the eye, and spoke in a calm, firm voice, "Second Aunt, the money has already been paid to the academy. It can’t be refunded. We acknowledge this debt, and we will definitely repay it. But even if you cause a scene here and now, we don’t have four taels of silver coins to give you."
"You..." Liu Clan hadn’t expected this usually quiet nephew to dare talk back to her. She was so furious the powder on her face started to flake off.
Just as she was about to throw a full-blown tantrum, a stern voice rang out.
"Who is causing a commotion here!"
Master Liu emerged from the crowd, holding a disciplinary ruler.
The surrounding students immediately fell silent upon seeing the master.
Liu Clan was also taken aback, her aggressive demeanor softening slightly. After all, to ordinary people, a teacher held a certain degree of prestige.
"Ma’am, this is a place of quiet study. Is there something that can’t be discussed civilly?" Master Liu asked with a frown.
Liu Clan’s eyes darted around, and she immediately put on a pitiful face to plead her case. "Master, you be the judge! This child’s family is dirt poor, yet he borrows money to put on a grand show here..."
"I am already aware of this matter." Master Liu raised a hand to cut her off. His gaze swept over Chu Bai before he turned to Liu Clan and said seriously, "This child, Chu Bai, has good talent. He is a promising seedling for Cultivation. These four taels of silver represent a fortuitous encounter for him, a chance to change his destiny."
"I can personally guarantee that this boy will not be a common man in the future. He will certainly repay a mere four taels of silver."
Seeing that even Master Liu had spoken, Liu Clan couldn’t press the issue forcefully, but she was still unwilling to let it go. "That’s easy for you to say, Master. But what if he fails the exam?"
"If that day truly comes, I will repay it for him!" Master Liu declared, flicking his sleeve, his tone decisive and final.
With that, Liu Clan was left completely speechless.
She knew to quit while she was ahead. Since someone had vouched for him, there was no point in causing any more trouble.
"Fine. Since the master has spoken, I’ll give you a few more days." Liu Clan shot Chu Bai a vicious glare and walked away, muttering, "What rotten luck for eight generations to be stuck with such poor relatives..."
The farce ended, and the crowd gradually dispersed.
"Thank you, Master, for helping me." Chu Bai gave Master Liu a deep bow.
Master Liu looked at the young man before him and sighed. "Don’t let it bother you. That’s just how the world is, cold and cynical."
The two walked side-by-side under the covered walkway. Master Liu hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Your family’s situation is indeed difficult. On the path of Cultivation, the four pillars are wealth, companions, skill, and location. Wealth comes first."
"I understand, Master. I apologize for troubling you," Chu Bai said with his head lowered.
"How about this." Master Liu seemed to have made a decision. "Daoist Zhang came from the Daoist School, after all; his connections are wider than mine. I’ll mention your situation to him later and see if he can find you a work-study job in the city. Even if it’s just helping to grind medicinal herbs at an apothecary, you could earn some cultivation resources."
Chu Bai’s head snapped up, a flash of delight in his eyes.
This was exactly what he needed most right now!
"Thank you, Master!"
Back in the lecture hall, his classmates looked at him with varied expressions.
Some were sympathetic, while others were openly scornful.
But Chu Bai paid them no mind.
He walked to his cattail hassock, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
Just three breaths later, his breathing steadied, and the surrounding airflow once again began to slowly circulate in rhythm with him.
His heart was like still water, without a single ripple.

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