Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 89: Adding Flowers to Brocade, Achieving the Third Realm
Chen Jinxin passed the imperial examination with top honors, breaking the record of those who relied on family connections for advancement. His future was bright, and he naturally became a sought-after talent.

Each family member sent gifts and invited others to banquets, introducing their daughters or granddaughters, their intention to win them over was obvious.

Chen Shounian observed this with smug satisfaction:

In his view, what others are doing now is all just copying what they have learned, merely adding icing on the cake, and they have already lost their first-mover advantage.

Chen Jin's response to them was polite, but clearly distant.

He will not be blinded by temporary success and become addicted to banquets and social gatherings.

That doesn't make any sense.

Chen Shounian greatly admired this calm and independent attitude:
Some people live in the countryside for many years, so they work hard to climb up. But once they rise above others and become successful, they relax.

Then they begin to lose their way, turning to indulgence and becoming hopelessly addicted to a life of extravagance and debauchery.

Such examples are commonplace.

Chen Shounian did not specifically remind Chen Jin, treating it as a test, and was very satisfied with the result.

At this point, Chen Jin's recognition of his ancestors and reinstatement in the family genealogy is a done deal, and there are many things that need to be implemented and handled next.

First of all, he wasn't the only one moving back to his ancestral home. His uncle Chen Yuan's family, as well as his uncle Chen Tan who had gone to serve in the army, would also be migrating back together.

At the same time, the graves and ancestral tablets of Chen Jin's parents, grandfather, and great-grandfather will also be returned to their ancestral home.

This is the long-cherished wish of our ancestors, and it must be fulfilled.

However, as the saying goes, "Never move a grave, for nine out of ten times it will bring bad luck," so one must be cautious and careful.

Secondly, when people return home, they naturally need a place to live, rather than continuing to live in someone else's place and being dependent on others.

Chen Shounian had already taken Chen Jin to see and select the site.

Located on the land belonging to the sixth branch, in the southeast direction, it is a pleasant place with mountains and water. Moreover, Chen Jin's great-grandfather lived in this area before moving out of the ancestral home, so it can be called "his old home".

With the land secured, the next step was to build houses and such.

In addition, we need to give this place a new name so that it can be easily identified and found.

After a moment's thought, Chen Jin came up with the name "Datang Lane".

"Xiang" is a common place name suffix in the ancestral home of the Chen family, while "Datang" commemorates Datang Township.

In addition, there is indeed a pond several acres in front of this place, making it truly deserving of its name.

The site was constructed, houses were built, and all sorts of other tasks were busy, but Chen Jin didn't need to do them. He only needed to make the requests, and Chen Shounian had arranged all the workers for the job.

Shi Qifeng even took on the role of "supervisor".

Finally, and most importantly, what are Chen Jin's next steps?

He had several paths before him.

The safest option is to remain in the ancestral land, peacefully enjoying the abundant resources of the family, cultivating oneself, practicing swordsmanship, and studying.

When the time is right, you can set off north to Beijing to take the imperial examination.

This is the true broad road to prosperity.

He could also choose to spend about a month returning home in glory to Datang Township, Maoxian County.

In contrast, the latter involves a lot of back-and-forth travel, which would be tiring.

Furthermore, with Magistrate Zhao present as an unstable factor, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause once he returns.

Chen Shounian advised Chen Jin to stay in his ancestral homeland, diligently review his old knowledge and prepare for the provincial examination.

Compared to the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination was no less difficult, and in some ways even more so.

The provincial examination was a competition among scholars from a single prefecture; while the metropolitan examination was a contest among scholars from the entire country.

The difficulty involved is self-evident.

The saying "Golden Juren, Silver Jinshi" doesn't truly mean that Jinshi is inferior to Juren. Rather, it means that for many Xiucai students, the Juren degree represents a qualitative leap, making it extremely important.

In other words, passing the provincial examination does not necessarily mean that one will pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest level of the imperial examinations).

The same applies to the top scholar in the imperial examination.

When the imperial examination arrived, in the new examination hall, almost all the candidates were on the same starting line.

Faced with a choice about what to do next, Chen Jin considered it carefully and decided to return to Maoxian County.

Returning to his hometown in person and bringing his uncle's family to their ancestral home was entirely different from Chen Shounian sending someone to fetch them.

Moreover, there are some things he has long wanted to do, and is determined to do. Since that's the case, he might as well take advantage of his triumphant return home and resolve them all at once.

Even if it's like pulling out a thorn from one's heart, it will prevent feelings of depression and unhappiness.

Seeing that he was determined to return, Chen Shounian said no more.

There is a saying: "To be rich and honored but not return to one's hometown is like wearing fine clothes at night; who will know?"

This is human nature.

Someone like Chen Jin can indeed wait until after he passes the provincial examination.

The problem is, what if we stumble in next year's spring imperial examination?
This is something that could happen.

It would be awkward to go back to my hometown at that time.

In that case, it might be better to take some time to go back and do this one. Anyway, the round trip will only take a month at most.

After all, this relocation will certainly involve many personal matters to attend to, and some people will need to say goodbye.

As for Magistrate Zhao, things are different now. Chen Jin has achieved the highest rank in the provincial examination and has been recognized as a member of the Chen clan, becoming a direct descendant. Even if Magistrate Zhao is unhappy, he wouldn't dare to do anything to Chen Jin easily.

In addition, Chen Shounian will select and arrange a team to accompany him on this trip, led by his granddaughter Guo Ai.

There shouldn't be any safety issues.

Shi Qifeng, of course, wouldn't be left behind and continued working as a coachman. He and Chun San Niang were exchanging flirtatious glances and were getting along very well; it's likely they'd long since lost their innocence.

When I go back, I'll sell the shop and recruit my apprentice, Atie, to work in the city.

The Datang Lane that Chen Jin was allocated was a large area, in dire need of rebuilding and various personnel and talents.

With people, business can be conducted.

Regardless of the type of family household, everyone needs a foundation for making a living through a business.

With a foundation and stable income, further development is possible.

Although Chen Jin's lineage is currently small and lacks manpower, as long as his future is secure and he passes the imperial examination, he need not worry about land and shops; they will come rolling in.

Before that, the people around you need to set up the stage first.

Chen Jin doesn't need to worry about it.

With the matter settled, the next step was to arrange the details and finalize the specific date for the trip, which was the morning after tomorrow.

……

It was late that night.

In the old clothes alley, the lights were still on in the rooms of the villa.
Kui Xing kicks the Dipper lamp.

This lamp has absorbed the spiritual essence and divinity of several precious documents and has been completely restored. Its patina is lustrous, and its precious light shines through, making it appear even more extraordinary.

The lamp-shaped statue, in particular, exudes an imposing aura, as if it could come to life at any moment.

The lamplight enveloped Chen Jin's tall and straight figure, illuminating his handsome face and features. His skin was as white as jade, making him appear even younger.

At first glance, one word immediately comes to mind:

The secret to staying young!

He is practicing his internal energy.

The body's vital energy flows like a river, surging from the limbs and bones, gradually converging into the internal organs through the meridians.

Nourished and irrigated by this, the internal organs reacted strongly, producing strange sounds, like thunder.

Whooshing, gurgling.

The crow, Xiao Ci, who was originally perched on the table, suddenly felt a burst of energy, like a raging fire, with a wave of heat hitting her face.

It was startled, fearing the fire would burn it, so it quickly flapped its wings and flew to the roof beam of the room, peering down and seeing the gentleman sitting there.

In a daze, it was like a burning torch that raised the temperature of the entire room.

This is……

Then Chen Jin opened his eyes, let out a long, hearty laugh.

The third realm has been achieved.

(End of this chapter)