That evening at dinner, the atmosphere at the Chu family’s wobbly square table was lively, yet tinged with a subtle restraint.
A large bowl of braised pork sat in the center of the table. A glistening gravy coated the perfectly marbled cuts of meat, releasing an intoxicating aroma. Under the dim yellow light of the oil lamp, it looked like the most exquisite delicacy in the world.
However, aside from the pieces of meat his mother piled high in Chu Bai’s bowl, everyone else’s chopsticks seemed to share a tacit understanding, steering clear of the pork and only picking at the stir-fried vegetables beside it.
Even Little Manx, who usually had the biggest appetite, merely gulped and kept his eyes glued to the meat, meekly shoveling down the white rice in his bowl.
Seeing this, Chu Bai instantly understood.
His parents must have instructed everyone beforehand. The meat was a rare treat, meant to replenish the strength of the family’s pillar. No one else was to waste it.
CLACK.
Chu Bai suddenly slapped his chopsticks on the table. The sound wasn’t loud, but it made Li Qing’s hand tremble as she was about to pick up some food.
"Son, what is it? Is the meat not to your liking?" Li Qing asked nervously.
"The meat is delicious," Chu Bai said, looking at his parents and younger siblings with a serious expression. "But if I’m the only one eating it, it loses all its flavor."
"I can earn money now. From now on, our family won’t go without meat. If you don’t eat, then neither will I."
As he spoke, Chu Bai pushed his bowl aside and folded his arms, showing he meant every word.
Chu Xianglin and Li Qing exchanged a glance, their eyes welling up.
"Alright, alright. We’ll eat. Everyone, eat!" Chu Xianglin took a deep breath, taking the lead by placing a piece of meat in Little Manx’s bowl. "Listen to your big brother! Everyone eat!"
"Thank you, Big Brother! Thank you, Dad!" Little Manx cried out in delight, finally taking a bite of the meat he had been dreaming of.
Only after seeing his family finally begin to eat did Chu Bai pick up his bowl again and start eating heartily.
As he swallowed piece after piece of rich, fatty pork belly, the long-missed savory, oily flavor exploded in his mouth.
At the same time, his Nourishing and Exquisite Fate Chart seemed to activate, beginning to churn wildly within him.
Waves of warmth spread from his stomach throughout his limbs. His meridians, which had been slightly depleted from cultivation, now greedily absorbed this energy like parched earth soaking up a long-awaited rain.
’As expected, energy truly is the foundation of cultivation.’
Chu Bai sighed to himself. ’This is just ordinary pork. If I had the legendary Spirit Rice and Meal, I can’t imagine how much faster my cultivation would be.’
After dinner, Chu Bai took out the remaining two hundred wen and tried to give them to his mother.
"Mom, take this money. Use it to buy a few things for the house, or at least pay back some of the interest we owe Second Uncle."
But to his surprise, Li Qing firmly pushed it back. "My son, I can’t take this money. Our family may be poor, but as long as your father and I work hard, we’ll have enough to eat. As for the debt, we can pay it off after selling the grain from the autumn harvest."
"This is money from the opportunity for cultivation that you risked your life to get; it must be spent where it counts most. Whether it’s buying medicinal herbs to strengthen your body or for future expenses at the academy, how could you manage without money on hand?"
Chu Xianglin chimed in from the side. "That’s right, son. You just focus on your cultivation. We’ll take care of things here at home."
Seeing his parents’ firm resolve, Chu Bai didn’t insist further and quietly took the money back.
The only way he could repay the weight of their love was to cultivate faster and make a name for himself as soon as possible.
「In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.」
The southern district of the city, in a courtyard of the Zhao Mansion.
"Hah!"
With a low shout, a crimson Fireball tore through the air, rushing toward Chu Bai’s face with a searing wave of heat.
The Fireball was clearly much faster than it had been a month ago, its angle far more cunning, cutting off any room for Chu Bai to dodge left or right.
Yet, faced with this powerful blow, Chu Bai didn’t panic as he once would have.
He planted his feet slightly apart and lowered his center of gravity. At the exact moment the Fireball was about to strike, he didn’t rigidly block it head-on. Instead, he angled his round shield slightly and thrust it forward to meet the attack!
BANG!
The Fireball shattered, but most of the impact was deflected along the angled surface of the shield and dissipated into the air.
Chu Bai’s upper body merely swayed, but he didn’t move so much as half a step back, having completely weathered the blow.
"Nice!"
Watching from a distance, Zhao Xing couldn’t help but cry out in approval. Though he was a little disappointed the hit hadn’t landed squarely, the more skilled his sparring partner became, the more satisfying the training was for him.
Over the past month, Zhao Xing’s progress had been plain to see.
The casting interval for his Fire Bomb Technique had shortened from fifteen breaths to thirteen, and his accuracy had improved by leaps and bounds.
But what surprised him was that his sparring partner, this young man named Chu Bai, seemed to be improving even faster than he was.
At first, Chu Bai had to roll all over the ground to dodge, but now he could handle the attacks with composure. His skill at deflecting force with the shield, in particular, had been honed to perfection.
"Hooo..."
Chu Bai let out a long breath. Though his forehead was beaded with sweat, his breathing remained deep and even.
This past month of high-intensity "training by getting hit," coupled with a steady supply of meat, had strengthened his body considerably. His once-slender frame now showed the faint outlines of lean muscle.
Watching from the sidelines, a flicker of admiration showed in Gu Qinghe’s eyes. He could have blocked that attack too, but he definitely couldn’t have done it with the same effortlessness as Chu Bai.
"Alright, that’s enough for today."
Wuu Shang, who had been standing with his hands clasped behind his back, clapped his hands, signaling the end of the practice session.
His gaze swept over Chu Bai, and an almost imperceptible flash of approval appeared in his eyes.
At first, he had assumed the two were just freeloaders who had gotten the job through a connection with Daoist Zhang.
But over the past month, the two had never been late or left early. Even when they suffered cuts and bruises, they didn’t utter a single complaint and would show up for the next session as energetic as ever.
Especially Chu Bai. His calmness in the face of danger and his astonishing ability to learn in the heat of battle made even a veteran Cultivator like himself take notice.
What truly caught his attention, however, was that Daoist Zhang had sent a message during this period specifically to ask about the two of them. For someone like Daoist Zhang from the Daoist School to show such concern meant that these two—especially Chu Bai—were likely destined for greater things.
After a brief rest, Zhao Xing promptly paid their wages as usual.
Chu Bai and Gu Qinghe packed up their things and were about to offer their thanks and depart.
"Chu Bai, wait a moment."
Wuu Shang suddenly called out, stopping Chu Bai just as he reached the doorway.
Chu Bai stopped and turned back, looking puzzled. "Instructor Wuu, what is it?"
Gu Qinghe looked equally baffled, but seeing that Wuu Shang’s expression wasn’t stern, he shot Chu Bai a look to signal that he would wait outside.
Once the others had left, Wuu Shang walked up to Chu Bai, his tone considerably milder than usual.
"Daoist Zhang sent me a message today. He wants you to go directly to the academy’s Calm Heart Hall after you leave the Zhao Mansion. It seems to be something important."
"Master Zhang is looking for me?"
Chu Bai’s heart stirred.
’Today isn’t a day for the Inner Sect Study. Why would Master Zhang summon me privately? What could it be about?’
"Thank you for relaying the message, Instructor. I’ll head over right away."
Without asking any more questions, Chu Bai bowed respectfully, then turned and quickly departed from the Zhao Mansion.

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