As the sun set, Chu Bai, carrying a simple, patched travel bag, walked along the soft dirt path and slowly pushed open the mottled wooden door of his home.
The wooden door let out a dry groan, as if telling of the years it had endured.
"Dad, Mom, I’m back."
Li Qing, who was feeding the chickens in the courtyard, heard the familiar voice and snapped her head up. When she saw the youth standing at the gate—lean but vigorous, his eyes shining brightly—the winnowing basket in her hands nearly slipped. Chaff scattered across the ground, and several old hens clucked as they rushed to peck at it.
"My boy!" Ignoring the scattered chaff, Li Qing hurried over to him. She grabbed Chu Bai’s hands and looked him up and down, her eyes filled with concern. "You’ve been gone for over a month. You’re tanner and thinner. You must have suffered out there, haven’t you?"
Chu Xianglin, who had been weaving straw sandals by the dim light inside, also rushed out at the sound. He was still clutching half a straw rope, and his cloudy eyes instantly lit up. He broke into a grin so wide he couldn’t close his mouth, even forgetting to puff on the old pipe that was usually glued to his hand.
"I’ve made you and Dad worry." Chu Bai smiled, letting his mother hold his hands. The rough, warm touch filled his heart with peace. He took a deep breath and said with a solemn expression, "But I gained a lot from my seclusion this time. Not only has my Cultivation stabilized, but I’ve also become proficient with my Magic Techniques. Tomorrow, I’m going to the city to register for the Daoist School selection."
"Good! Wonderful!" Chu Xianglin was so excited he wiped his hands vigorously on his apron, as if scrubbing them clean would lend the moment more solemnity. He said repeatedly, "I knew my son had promise! This is a momentous occasion for our Chu Family, something that hasn’t happened in generations! Even back in your great-grandfather’s time, we never produced a scholar, let alone a Cultivator!"
Li Qing’s eyes also grew red, filled with both relief and a hint of reluctance. Wiping the corners of her eyes, her voice choked up. "Good child, you’re such a good child. Today’s a good day. Mom will go kill that old hen to help you recover your strength! You must not have eaten well this past month, roughing it out there."
"Mom, you don’t have to go to such expense. That hen still lays eggs we can trade for salt..." Chu Bai quickly tried to dissuade her.
"You’ll listen to your mother!" Li Qing was uncharacteristically firm, cutting Chu Bai off. "You’re about to take the exam to become an immortal! That takes both physical and mental energy. How can you manage on an empty stomach? Besides, it’s not like we’re desperate for that salt money now."
With that, Li Qing bustled off to catch the old hen still clucking in the courtyard. The creature, a treasure she was normally loath to eat, now unhesitatingly became the main course of their celebratory feast.
That evening, the Chu Family’s square table, which usually held only pickled vegetables and thin gruel, was now laden with a sumptuous spread of dishes.
An old hen, stewed until the meat was tender and falling off the bone, sat in the center of the table, giving off an enticing aroma.
Next to it was a large bowl of glistening, reddish-brown braised pork, made from the pork belly Li Qing had specially bought from the village butcher.
In addition, there were several saucers of seasonal wild vegetables, freshly picked from the fields, vibrant and green. For this poor farming family that rarely saw meat, this was a feast as lavish as one for the New Year.
The family sat gathered under the dim, yellow light of an oil lamp. The flickering light danced across the smiles on everyone’s faces.
Although his younger brother and sister didn’t fully understand what the Daoist School selection was, nor did they know what Cultivation meant, they clapped their hands in delight at the sight of a table full of meat. Their little faces were flushed, and their mouths were slick with grease as they ate.
Little Manx, ever so thoughtful, picked up the largest piece of chicken and placed it in Chu Bai’s bowl, saying in her high, childish voice, "For Big Brother! May Big Brother become the top scholar!"
Chu Bai smiled and patted his sister’s head, his heart filled with warmth.
During the meal, Li Qing kept piling food into Chu Bai’s bowl, afraid he wouldn’t eat enough, all while chattering on, "My boy, the Daoist School selection lasts for three whole days. I hear there’s even fighting and Magical Combat involved, which must be exhausting. It’ll be too draining to travel back and forth from the village every day. Why don’t you stay with your Second Uncle in the city for a few days? Although your aunt can be a bit sharp-tongued, they’ve helped us out a lot these past few years. He is your uncle, after all. It’s good to have a place to stay, and you’ll save money on an inn."
Chu Bai thought for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right, Mom. I was thinking the same thing. Second Uncle’s house is in the city, close to the examination grounds, so it’s much more convenient. I can also take this opportunity to pay back the money we owe him, so Auntie doesn’t keep holding it over our heads."
"It’s time to pay it back," Chu Xianglin said in a low voice. "Debts must be paid; it’s the natural order of things. We may be poor, but we can’t lose our integrity."
After dinner, Chu Bai returned to his own small room.
He lit a candle, sat on the edge of his bed, and took a heavy, dark blue cloth pouch from an inner pocket. Carefully, he poured the broken silver inside onto his somewhat yellowed bedsheets.
The silver glinted alluringly in the candlelight.
In the first few months, his expenses had been high from buying meat for his Qi Cultivation, but he had still managed to save some. More recently, because he had shown impressive skill during sparring practice and earned Zhao Xing’s favor, his pay had doubled to six hundred cents a session. On top of that, his master had waived the tuition fee, so he hadn’t had any major expenditures.
Chu Bai counted it all carefully. Every piece of broken silver represented his sweat and hard work.
’All the bits and pieces add up to a little over seven taels of silver.’
For an ordinary farming family, this was an enormous sum—enough for a family of five to live comfortably for a year, or even to build a large, tile-roofed house.
But in the eyes of a Cultivator, it was perhaps only enough to buy a few bottles of Low-Tier Pills.
’Four taels for the principal, plus five hundred cents in interest to pay back Second Uncle and completely resolve this Cause and Effect. Even with relatives, accounts should be kept clear. The remaining two-plus taels will be my contingency fund for the next few days. It should be enough, whether for smoothing things over or buying some necessary Talismans.’
He put the silver taels away again, dividing them into two pouches, and sat cross-legged on the bed.
He didn’t begin cultivating immediately. Instead, he quietly regulated his breathing, using the Visualization Calming Spell to adjust his body and mind to their peak state, conserving his energy for the great trial the next day.
「The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten.」
Chu Bai rose early, drawing a bucket of well water to bathe and change. The water was bone-chillingly cold, but it instantly refreshed him.
He changed into the cyan long robe his master had given him. The fabric was light and soft, yet durable, and seemed to repel dust.
He wore the Calm Heart Jade Ring at his waist, and his hair was simply tied up with a wooden hairpin.
Though he wore no embroidered silks or splendid robes, the otherworldly temperament honed through his training, combined with the unique Spirit Charm of a Qi Cultivation First Layer Cultivator, made him appear spirited and composed. He was like a different person from the sallow, skinny country boy he once was.
His parents walked him all the way to the great locust tree at the village entrance.
"Dad, Mom, you should go back. The morning dew is heavy."
Chu Bai stopped, turned, and gave his parents a deep bow.
"Son, be careful with everything. Just do your best. It doesn’t matter if you don’t pass. We still have land at home, so you won’t go hungry." After holding back for a long time, this was all Chu Xianglin could manage to say.
"I understand. I will not let your efforts in raising me be in vain."
Chu Bai bowed once more, then turned and strode onto the dirt road leading to the County town.
Looking back at the receding village and his parents, Chu Bai’s heart was filled with a swirl of emotions.
It had only been half a year since he’d first come into contact with the subsequent verses of the Small Qi Gathering Technique.
In just half a year, the changes to his status and his strength had been truly immense.
’Now the Daoist School trial is at hand. I will treat this as if it’s the only chance I’ll get in this life.’

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