Sun Huairan fell silent. The Sun Family’s Geomancy skills were a legacy passed down from their ancestors. Unfortunately, he himself was not very skilled in the art, and his son was even worse.
"The world is getting more and more chaotic. When our grandson is born, we’ll need someone to help us out. If Xiaoyan becomes successful in his Martial Arts, and you want him to help us out a bit in the future, the little favor you’ve earned by teaching him calligraphy won’t be enough."
Seeing her husband was still silent, the woman said no more. She turned, picked up a grain sack, and headed for the door. "With these two taels of silver from Xiaoyan, I can buy some white rice and meat for our daughter-in-law. I’m off to the grain store."
The coarse grains were a gift from Aunt Liu, the normal rations for common folk. But with the Sun Family’s daughter-in-law pregnant, she naturally needed to eat better. Before Lin Yan had arrived, the couple had been arguing over whether to trade the coarse grains for white rice.
Fifty catties of coarse grains could only be exchanged for ten catties of white rice. Even being frugal, that would only be enough for the family for a few days. But if they kept the coarse grains, they could stretch it to last for nearly a month.
’Forget it. If the world continues to be this chaotic, it’s hard to say if my Sun Family can even continue its bloodline. There’s no point in clinging to the ancestors’ rules anymore.’
After a long while, Sun Huairan finally made a decision. He walked over to a bookshelf in the room and, from among the yellowed books, pulled out an object wrapped in oil paper.
「Late at night.」
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Xiaoyan, it’s me."
"Teacher, what brings you here? Please, come in."
Opening the door, Lin Yan invited his teacher inside, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He had just visited his teacher a moment ago, and now his teacher had come to his home.
Aunt Liu quickly brewed some hot tea to warm Sun Huairan from the cold.
After downing a cup of hot tea, Sun Huairan didn’t hesitate and asked, "Xiaoyan, does Martial Arts Cultivation require a lot of Treasure Medicine?"
"Yes." Lin Yan nodded, then said with a wry smile, "But Treasure Medicine costs hundreds of taels of silver at the very least. It’s not something someone of my family’s financial situation can hope for."
"Xiaoyan, take a look at this first."
Sun Huairan took the oil-paper-wrapped object from his robes, carefully unwrapped it, and revealed a blue-covered book.
"True Understanding of Earth Veins?"
Lin Yan glanced at the title but didn’t rush to flip through it, looking instead to his teacher.
"Xiaoyan, you probably know that besides setting up a stall on the street to write letters for people, I also take on some Geomancy work."
Sun Huairan smiled. "And it’s not just a bunch of nonsense. My Sun Family ancestors had a method for divining Earth Qi. It allows one to find places in the mountains and rivers where Earth Qi is dense. And places with dense Earth Qi often contain precious Treasure Medicine. It’s just a pity that by my generation, I’ve only learned the basics, and my son is even more of a disappointment... You’re practicing Martial Arts now and need Treasure Medicine, so I’m passing this book on to you."
Lin Yan was stunned for a moment, then accepted it with both hands. The paper of this "True Understanding of Earth Veins" was thick and coarse, its edges yellowed. It was clearly quite old, but it had been preserved reasonably well.
The five words on the cover, "True Understanding of Earth Veins," were handwritten in ink, the strokes steady, conveying an old-fashioned solemnity.
He opened the first page.
A neat line of small-font script met his eyes: "The earth has veins, just as the human body has meridians. Plants and trees grow from the earth, and in doing so, are born of its Earth Qi. One who is skilled at observing earth veins can perceive its treasures by reading the qi and find its essence by following the veins."
After flipping through it roughly, Lin Yan’s eyes shone brightly. This book was incredibly important to him.
The book detailed the divisions of earth veins within mountains and rivers. It explained how to identify terrain with the right Earth Qi conditions to produce Treasure Medicine. This included observing the growth and color of plants, as well as using the mist that rose from the ground at dawn and dusk to determine the flow of Earth Qi.
Where Earth Qi gathers, Treasure Medicine is sure to be found.
Furthermore, the book also recorded the growth habits of some Treasure Medicines. One section mentioned that things like Ginseng preferred shady, moist environments, and that the ground where they grew would be shrouded in a thin mist in the morning, which would dissipate by midday.
Lin Yan closed the book and took a deep breath.
This book wasn’t a Martial Arts Technique, but its value was far greater than any single Cultivation Technique.
Of course, much of the text in the book was obscure and difficult to understand, its contents profound. To truly master everything in it, one would need to grasp the related knowledge; otherwise, they would fall into the trap of making generalizations from incomplete understanding.
Lin Yan also knew his teacher’s son. Brother Sun was an impatient person; he likely had no mind to sit down and quietly study this book.
"Teacher..."
"Say no more." Sun Huairan waved his hand and stood up. "The book is yours now. How much you can learn from it will depend on your own fortune. I’m old, and my son is a disappointment. If this thing stays with the Sun Family, it will only be good for propping up a wobbly table leg."
"It’s getting late, I should be heading back. Xiaoyan’s aunt, my apologies for the intrusion."
"Teacher, I’ll see you out."
Lin Yan didn’t stand on ceremony; he truly needed this book.
Sun Huairan reached the doorway, then stopped and glanced back at Lin Yan. He warned, "The places where Treasure Medicine grows are often guarded by fierce beasts and venomous creatures. You must not be careless."
"Rest assured, Teacher. I will not venture into danger lightly."

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