Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

June 21st, 5:00 AM.

Chen Yu finished his four-hour intensive cultivation in the small world. The effects of the Water-Nourishing Pill exceeded his expectations. After taking it for three consecutive days, his meridians felt as clear and smooth as if they had been cleansed by a spiritual spring, and the speed of spiritual energy circulation within his body increased by nearly 20%. Even better, his affinity with water-based spiritual energy had indeed improved—his Water Arrow Technique was now 30% more powerful than before, while the energy consumption had decreased.

As I exited the small world, dawn was just breaking outside the window. A faint sound came from the courtyard—Zhang Xiulan was sweeping. Since Jia Dongxu's arrest, this former militia member seemed to have rediscovered the resilience in her bones. She no longer spent her days in tears, but instead rose before dawn to clean the public areas in front of the Jia family's house and the central courtyard spotless.

Chen Yu pushed open the door and went out, seeing Zhang Xiulan bending over to sweep the fallen leaves on the bluestone slab. She was wearing a faded blue cloth shirt, her movements were brisk, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Aunt Zhang, so early," Chen Yu greeted her.

Zhang Xiulan straightened up and wiped her sweat: "I can't sleep, so I'm looking for something to do. Xiaoyu, Director Wang from the neighborhood office came yesterday and said he'd arranged a temporary job for me at the neighborhood clothing factory, mending clothes. I'll get eighty cents a day."

"That's a good thing." Chen Yu nodded. "What about the 'stick'?"

"Still sleeping." Zhang Xiulan's expression darkened. "This child has been having nightmares every night for the past few nights, calling for his father. Yesterday, the school teacher spoke to me, saying he's been daydreaming in class and not doing his homework..."

Chen Yu paused for a moment, then said, "Take it slow, the child needs time to adjust. Don't overwork yourself either."

"It's good to be tired. When you're tired, you don't have time to think about those upsetting things." Zhang Xiulan continued sweeping the floor. "Xiaoyu, do you think Dongxu... he really gets five years in prison?"

"The law will make its own judgment." Chen Yu did not answer directly. "Aunt Zhang, you need to plan for the future. Banggeng needs money for school, and you also need to make a living."

"I know." Zhang Xiulan took a deep breath. "I just can't understand how a perfectly healthy person could end up like this..."

Just then, Yi Zhonghai came out of the house and saw this scene. He sighed and said, "Xiulan, don't push yourself too hard. The people in the yard won't let you and your daughter go hungry."

"Uncle, I have hands and feet, and I can support myself and my child." Zhang Xiulan straightened her back. "It's just... it's just that I need you to talk to my mother-in-law. She hasn't been eating well these past few days, and she just sits in the house in a daze all day. I'm worried that her health won't be able to take it."

Mentioning Jia Zhangshi, Yi Zhonghai frowned. Ever since Jia Dongxu was arrested, the old hag seemed to have lost her soul. She stopped crying and making a fuss, but she became mentally unstable and wouldn't speak to anyone. Everyone in the courtyard said it was retribution.

"I'll go see her in a bit," Yi Zhonghai said, then looked at Chen Yu, "Xiao Chen, are you going to the research institute again today?"

"Okay, project training will begin today."

"Good, keep up the good work." Yi Zhonghai patted him on the shoulder. "In our department, you're the most promising one. You'll bring honor to the department."

Chen Yu smiled but didn't reply. After washing up, he went back to his room and changed into the white shirt Qin Huairu had made for him a couple of days ago—he was hosting a training session today, so he needed to dress presentably. Before leaving, he took a small paper packet from his drawer; inside were two Qingxin pills.

"Aunt Zhang," he called to Zhang Xiulan, who was still sweeping the floor, "Take these two pills. Give Banggeng half a pill before bed tonight; it will calm his nerves and help him sleep. You can use the other one yourself."

Zhang Xiulan took it, her eyes reddening again: "Xiaoyu, how can I thank you enough..."

"It's only right between neighbors."

As Chen Yu left the courtyard house, he glanced back. In the morning light, the courtyard house, with its blue bricks and gray tiles, had old locust trees whose branches swayed gently in the breeze. This courtyard had witnessed too many joys and sorrows, and his story was but a small, insignificant chapter in it all.

8:30 a.m., Conference Room No. 2 of the Research Institute.

The training for the "Microscopic Observation Project" officially began. The six project team members sat around a long table, each with a microscope, a set of standard samples (thin metal sheets of different materials), and a thick observation record book in front of them.

Chen Yu stood on the podium, with the training outline written on the blackboard behind him: "Basic Observation Training → Sample Handling Techniques → Defect Identification Methods → Recording Standards Development".

"Colleagues, before we officially begin, I'd like to ask a question," Chen Yu said, looking around at everyone. "What do you think is the highest level of skill in observing materials?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Veteran engineer Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "They should be able to see the atomic-level structure, right?"

"That's the limit of the instrument, not the limit of man." Chen Yu shook his head. "I think the highest level is to see the 'personality' of the material."

"Personality?" Su Hongmei asked, puzzled.

"Yes, character." Chen Yu picked up a stainless steel sample. "Just like people, every material has its own character. Some are tough but brittle, some are soft but resilient, some are heat-resistant but easily corroded... Our task is to infer its 'inner character'—that is, its macroscopic properties—by observing its 'appearance'—that is, its microstructure."

The metaphor was novel, and everyone looked thoughtful.

"So the first step in the training isn't teaching you how to use a microscope, but how to 'see'." Chen Yu walked up to each person and handed them a blank sheet of paper. "Now, please take five minutes to observe this paper and write down all the details you see."

Five minutes later, the results were all over the place.

Wang Jianguo wrote "white, rectangular, with rough edges"; Li Fang wrote "A4 size, 80g paper, with slight creases"; Su Hongmei wrote the most detailed description: "white with a yellowish tinge, vertical grain, 0.5mm ink stain in the lower left corner, fingernail mark in the upper right corner..."

"Very good." Chen Yu picked up Su Hongmei's notes. "Engineer Su's observations are the most meticulous, but not enough. The production date of this paper, the source of raw materials, the impact of the storage environment... all this information is hidden in the details. For example, the degree of yellowing of the paper can infer the storage time, and the shape of the ink stains can infer the method of contamination. Our goal is to train this ability to 'see the big picture from small details'."

Over the next two hours, Chen Yu systematically explained observation techniques: how to adjust the angle of light to highlight different defects, how to judge the material condition through characteristics such as color, texture, and reflection, and how to memorize and compare a large amount of image information...

"Finally, and most importantly—intuition," Chen Yu said earnestly. "When you've accumulated enough experience, sometimes you can sense something's wrong just by looking at it. This intuition isn't some kind of mysticism, but rather the result of the brain's rapid processing of massive amounts of information. What we need to do is trust and verify this intuition."

The training went very smoothly. During the lunch break, Lin Zhenhua pulled Chen Yu into his office: "Xiao Chen, the training this morning was excellent! I secretly listened in just now, and even that old-fashioned Engineer Zhou was nodding in approval!"

"Everyone has a good foundation, so they grasped it quickly," Chen Yu said modestly.

"Don't be modest, it's your method that's good." Lin Zhenhua lowered his voice. "By the way, there's something I need to remind you. Two people came to the station yesterday to inquire about you."

Chen Yu's heart tightened: "Who is it?"

"A man and a woman, who said they were from a sister unit and wanted to know about my work performance," Lin Zhenhua recalled. "The man was in his forties, wearing a Zhongshan suit, and the woman was in her thirties, with short hair, and looked very capable. I asked them for a letter of introduction, but they said they had forgotten to bring it. I felt something was off, so I just said some polite things."

People from the Heavenly Alliance! They've tracked down the research institute!

Chen Yu remained outwardly calm: "It's probably an external transfer by the personnel department. I also needed a certificate from my original unit when I was officially hired."

"It doesn't seem like it." Lin Zhenhua shook his head. "They asked very detailed questions, especially about whether you have any 'special abilities' or 'special hobbies.' I told them you're just an ordinary technician, you just go home and work, nothing special."

"Thank you, Engineer Lin," Chen Yu said sincerely.

"Don't mention it, you're my soldier, I have to protect you." Lin Zhenhua patted him on the shoulder. "But Xiao Chen, have you messed with someone lately? Those two don't look like good guys."

"No, there might be a misunderstanding." Chen Yu changed the subject. "The training this afternoon is a hands-on session. I've prepared a batch of defective samples for everyone to practice on."

"Okay, you can go ahead and get busy."

Leaving Lin Zhenhua's office, Chen Yu frowned. The Heavenly Alliance had acted faster than he expected, actually finding his workplace directly. What did this mean? It meant they had some leads and might have already put him on their suspect list.

"Looks like I'll have to be even more careful," Chen Yu thought to himself. Fortunately, he had kept a low profile at the research institute, and apart from his outstanding work performance, he hadn't revealed any signs of cultivation. He should be able to get away with it.

The afternoon training consisted of hands-on practice. Chen Yu prepared twenty specially treated metal samples—each with different types of defects: porosity, inclusions, cracks, uneven structure, etc. But the defects were all hidden and difficult to detect without special methods.

"Each person has five samples and two hours to find and label all defects," Chen Yu announced the rules. "No talking is allowed; complete this independently. I will reveal the correct answers and explain the detection techniques afterward."

The meeting room fell silent, save for the faint sounds of microscopes being adjusted and pens scratching across paper. Chen Yu surveyed the room, pausing occasionally to offer guidance: "Engineer Li, try adjusting the light angle by 15 degrees." "Engineer Wang, pay attention to the color transition in this area."

Su Hongmei was the fastest and best. She seemed to have a natural talent for observation, completing five samples in less than an hour and a half, identifying 90% of the defects. Although Old Zhou was slow, he was extremely meticulous, repeatedly confirming each discovery and recording it meticulously.

At the end of the training, Chen Yu revealed the answers and explained them. When everyone saw the deeply hidden flaws he had marked, they all showed expressions of amazement.

"Engineer Chen, how did you discover this 0.1 mm crack?" Li Fang pointed to the image on the projector. "I couldn't see it even with 400x magnification."

"It's not a matter of magnification, it's a matter of angle." Chen Yu pulled up another photo. "You see, when light shines from this angle, the crack edge produces special diffraction fringes. This is an experience I've summarized from many experiments."

"That's amazing..." Wang Jianguo adjusted his glasses. "If this method were widely adopted, it would elevate the level of materials testing to a whole new level!"

"That's exactly our goal," Chen Yu smiled. "Tomorrow we'll move on to the second phase—defect classification and scoring standard development."

When it was time to leave work, Su Hongmei waited for Chen Yu to walk together.

"Chen Yu, are your observation skills more closely related to the 'inspection' method in Traditional Chinese Medicine?" she asked. "Today, using the methods you taught me, I felt like I was 'diagnosing' someone—observing their complexion, skin texture, and blemishes..."

"There are indeed similarities," Chen Yu admitted. "Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the combination of a holistic view and a detailed view, and we do the same when examining materials. We need to see the overall structure as well as notice subtle abnormalities."

"If my father were still alive, he would definitely admire you." Su Hongmei's eyes dimmed slightly. "He always said that a good doctor must have 'insightful eyes,' able to see things that others cannot. You have that kind of 'insightful eye.'"

Chen Yu didn't know how to respond. His "Insightful Eyes" were a gift from the Spiritual Eye Technique, but he couldn't say that.

As the two reached the entrance of the research institute and were about to part ways, Chen Yu's spiritual sense suddenly issued a warning—someone was watching them! Right there on the second floor of the teahouse across the street!

He remained calm and continued talking to Su Hongmei: "Sister Su, you should go back first, I have something to do."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

After Su Hongmei walked away, Chen Yu pretended to tie his shoelaces, squatted down, and quietly activated his Spiritual Eye Technique. Two people were sitting by the window on the second floor of the teahouse—the very man and woman Lin Zhenhua had described! Members of the Heavenly Dao Alliance!

They haven't left; they're still monitoring us!

Chen Yu stood up and walked casually towards the bus stop. He could feel two pairs of eyes staring at him like needles. He couldn't go straight home; that would reveal his address.

He boarded the bus to Wangfujing. The two men followed, sitting separately at the front and back of the bus. Chen Yu got off at the Wangfujing Department Store, blended into the crowd, then slipped out through a side door and transferred to another bus. After circling around three times to make sure he'd shaken them off, he got off two stops away from the courtyard house and walked home.

It was already dark when he got home. Qin Huairu was cooking. Seeing that he was late, she asked with concern, "Did you work overtime today?"

"Yeah, the project training took a little longer than expected." Chen Yu washed his hands and helped set the table. "Where are the kids?"

"Huaihua is doing her homework, and Xiaodang is playing with her younger brother." Qin Huairu lowered her voice. "By the way, the police came this afternoon and questioned an old man for a long time. It seems to be about the Yan Bugui case."

Chen Yu felt a chill run down his spine. The police were still digging deeper; it seemed Yan Bugui had confessed quite a bit.

Just then, He Yuzhu rushed in, his expression grave: "Chen Yu, something's happened!"

"What's wrong?"

"Xu Damao has been taken away by the police! His second time in jail!" He Yuzhu gasped for breath. "Just now, two policemen came and handcuffed him! Xu Damao's wife is crying her eyes out, saying he's innocent."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely related to Yan Bugui," He Yuzhu said. "I heard that Yan Bugui confessed to having an account book that records all the transactions of cultural relics over the years. Xu Damao, Liu Haizhong, and... and several other people in our institute are all involved!"

Chen Yu remained silent. This was not unexpected. Xu Damao and Yan Bugui were originally in cahoots. Xu Damao was only detained for a few days during their previous transaction, but now it seemed he couldn't escape.

"Who else is involved?" Qin Huairu asked nervously.

"I don't know, but I heard it's not just our institute, there are people from other institutes too." He Yuzhu shook his head. "This time we've really messed up. The higher-ups are going to crack down on cultural relic smuggling. Our institute... its reputation is ruined."

After dinner, a sense of unease permeated the courtyard. Every household kept their doors closed; those who occasionally came out to fetch water did so hurriedly, afraid to speak. A suffocating atmosphere enveloped the entire courtyard.

Chen Yu entered the small world and began his cultivation for the night. But he was restless all day—the surveillance of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, the turmoil in the courtyard, the pressure of the project… all sorts of things were intertwined.

After cultivating for two hours, he exited the small world and decided to go out and explore.

At 11 p.m., Chen Yu changed into his night clothes and silently scaled the wall. He was going to check if those two from the Heavenly Dao Alliance were still there.

The area around the research institute was quiet. Chen Yu hid in an old locust tree, spreading his spiritual sense. Sure enough, the two people were still there! But instead of the teahouse, they had moved to the rooftop of a residential building opposite the research institute. The two were talking in hushed tones, their voices low, but they couldn't escape Chen Yu's spiritual sense.

"...We lost track of them today; the target is very vigilant," the woman said.

"He's no ordinary person." The man's voice was deep. "I've carefully checked his file. He's an orphan of a martyr, came to Beijing from Northeast China, worked in a steel rolling mill, and was transferred to a research institute... His resume is excessively clean."

"You mean... a forgery?"

"Not necessarily, but there's definitely something hidden." The man paused. "Around the time of the Kunming Lake incident, he took three days off, saying he was injured while on a business trip. But I checked, and there was no business trip at all."

He's lying.

"The point isn't that he lied, but where he went and what he did during those three days," the man said. "Also, his 'Microscopic Observation Project' was too unusual. It didn't seem like regular scientific training; it was more like... some visualization techniques from the spiritual community."

Chen Yu's heart sank. This man had a sharp eye!

"Senior brother, should we try to make direct contact?" the woman asked.

"Wait a little longer," the man said cautiously. "If he really is a cultivator, making contact rashly will alert him. First, find out about his social connections, daily activities, and whether he has any accomplices. Remember, our mission is to find out the truth about the Kunming Lake incident, not to arrest rogue cultivators—as long as he doesn't harm society or violate the covenant, we don't need to intervene."

"clear."

Chen Yu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the Heavenly Dao Alliance had its rules; as long as he didn't overstep them, he was safe for the time being.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard the woman say, "By the way, senior brother, news has come from the alliance that there is unusual activity in the southwest, and we may need to provide support."

"When did this happen?"

"This afternoon, it seems an ancient cultivator's cave was discovered in southern Yunnan, attracting many people, including some evil cultivators. The alliance has already sent three teams over, but manpower is still tight."

"Understood, we'll head over after we finish our investigation here."

The two chatted for a few more minutes before leaving the rooftop. Chen Yu waited until they were far away before climbing down from the tree.

An ancient hermitage in southern Yunnan? That's interesting news. But now's not the time to think about that; the matter of the courtyard house isn't over yet.

It was already one in the morning when Chen Yu returned to the courtyard. Just as he was about to climb over the wall, his spiritual sense suddenly detected movement in the backyard—it was Liu Haizhong's house!

He crept silently over and hid outside the Liu family's window. The lights were on inside, and Liu Haizhong was arguing quietly with his wife.

"...It's all your fault! You had to get involved in all that! Now look what's happened, Xu Damao has been arrested again, and you're next!" Aunt Er said, her voice trembling with tears.

"Shut up!" Liu Haizhong lowered his voice. "I stopped a long time ago! The transactions in Yan Bugui's ledger are all from the past; I haven't touched a single one in the last six months!"

"Does the police believe it? Does Xu Damao believe it? Would he not betray you?"

"He wouldn't dare! If he confesses to me, he'll get even more punishment!" Liu Haizhong said viciously. "Tomorrow I'll go find Xu Damao's wife and have her pass on a message—we're all in this together, nobody can escape unscathed!"

"You think you can threaten them? You're insane!"

"I'm not crazy! I'm perfectly sober!" Liu Haizhong gasped for breath. "If we don't get through this, our whole family will be finished! What about Guangtian and Guangfu's jobs? Will they still be able to get married?"

The room fell silent, save for the suppressed sobs.

Chen Yu shook his head and quietly left. Liu Haizhong was desperate. But this was the result of his own actions, and now he was reaping the consequences.

Back in his room, Chen Yu was wide awake. The amount of information tonight was overwhelming: the Heavenly Dao Alliance's continued surveillance, the escalating courtyard case, the ancient cultivator's cave in southern Yunnan... every single one of these events could potentially impact his future.

He sat down at the table, spread out paper and pen, and began to organize his thoughts.

First, the Heavenly Alliance is safe for now, but they need to be more cautious, reduce the use of spiritual power, and avoid leaving any traces.

Second, regarding the courtyard house case, let it take its natural course; do not interfere or meddle.

Third, the "micro-observation plan" in our work should be steadily promoted, as this is the foundation for our work.

Fourth, the practice cannot stop, but it needs to be moved to a more secluded place—perhaps we should consider finding a secret practice site in the suburbs of Beijing.

Fifth, the ancient hermitages of southern Yunnan... are worth paying attention to, but not now.

After clarifying his thoughts, Chen Yu felt more at ease. He put away his pen and paper and looked out the window.

The night was deep, and the starlight was dim.

But Chen Yu knew that no matter how deep the night, dawn would eventually come.

And he will continue his journey at every dawn.