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

At 3 p.m. on July 13, the train slowly pulled into Beijing Station.

As Chen Yu stepped off the platform with his luggage, the dry air hitting him made him feel a little uncomfortable. After spending a week in Guangzhou and getting used to the humid heat of the south, returning to the dryness of the north made his nasal passages feel dry.

"Beijing is still the most comfortable." Li Jimin next to him took a deep breath. "In Guangzhou, it's so wet you could wring water out of your clothes."

The two followed the flow of people out of the station. In the square in front of the station, the statue of Chairman Mao stood tall, surrounded by hurried travelers. Chen Yu spotted Qin Huairu waiting at the exit at a glance—she was wearing that faded floral shirt, holding her youngest son in her arms, with Xiao Dang and Huaihua standing beside her.

"Daddy!" Little Dang was the first to see Chen Yu, waving her little hand as she ran over.

Chen Yu put down his luggage and picked up his daughter in a hug: "Did you miss Daddy?"

"Yes!" Xiao Dang nodded vigorously. "Mom said you went to a very far place and brought us delicious food."

Huaihua ran over and tugged at Chen Yu's clothes, saying, "Daddy, I want a hug too."

Chen Yu, carrying his two daughters in each arm, looked at Qin Huairu who was walking towards him. She seemed to have lost some weight in the week he hadn't seen her, but she was in good spirits.

"Was the journey smooth?" Qin Huairu asked.

"Successfully." Chen Yu put the child down and took out two oil paper packets from his bag. "These are chicken biscuits and wife cakes from Guangzhou. Let the children try them."

Xiao Dang and Huaihua cheered.

Li Jimin, watching from the side, smiled and said, "Comrade Chen Yu, this is your family? How happy you are."

"Professor Li, this is my wife, Qin Huairu," Chen Yu introduced. "Huairu, this is Professor Li Jimin, an expert from the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine."

Qin Huairu greeted him politely. Li Jimin took out a small paper packet from his briefcase: "A small token of my appreciation, hawthorn pills for the child, to stimulate appetite and aid digestion."

"I can't accept this..."

"Don't mention it, Chen Yu and I are friends."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Jimin took his leave: "Chen Yu, come to the research institute to see me another day, and we can continue discussing our cooperation."

"must."

After seeing Li Jimin off, Chen Yu's family boarded the bus to go home. Along the way, Xiao Dang and Huaihua chattered incessantly, telling everyone about what had happened in the courtyard that week: Zhang Xiulan had become a group leader at the street clothing factory; Bang Geng had gotten perfect scores on his final exams; He Yuzhu had sent a telegram from Guangzhou saying everything was going well…

"Is Brother Zhu really not coming back?" Qin Huairu asked.

"I'm not coming back. I'm opening a restaurant in Guangzhou," Chen Yu said. "That's good. There are more opportunities there."

"What about his wife and children?"

"I'll take over once I've established myself."

It was already evening when Chen Yu returned to the courtyard house. The aroma of food filled the air, and several children were playing. Seeing Chen Yu return, the neighbors all came over to greet him.

"Is Xiao Chen back?"

"How's Guangzhou? Hot, huh?"

"I heard the pillar was left there?"

Chen Yu responded to each person's questions, and then took out the herbal tea packets he had bought in Guangzhou and distributed them to everyone: "This is Guangdong herbal tea, it's good for cooling down in the summer."

Zhang Xiulan was washing clothes in the yard when she saw Chen Yu return. She wiped her hands and came over: "Xiao Yu, you're back? Over at Zhuzi's place..."

"Everything is settled in. Jianjun is taking good care of you, so don't worry."

Zhang Xiulan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. I was actually a little worried about Zhu Zi's personality."

As they were talking, Banggeng came out of the house, saw Chen Yu, and politely greeted him, "Hello, Uncle Chen."

"Hey, I heard you got perfect scores on your exams? That's great!" Chen Yu pulled a pen out of his bag. "This is a reward for you."

It was an ordinary fountain pen he bought in Guangzhou, but it was very precious to the child. Banggeng's eyes lit up, and he took it, whispering, "Thank you, Uncle Chen."

Sitting at her doorway, Jia Zhangshi glanced in this direction, said nothing, and then lowered her head again. Ever since Jia Dongxu went to prison, the old woman seemed like a different person. She no longer threw tantrums or cursed, but she also stopped communicating with others, remaining silent all day.

Chen Yu didn't pay any attention and returned to his room with Qin Huairu.

No one had lived there for a week, and a thin layer of dust had settled inside. Qin Huairu put the child down and started cleaning, with Chen Yu helping. After they finished cleaning, the family sat around the table for dinner—Qin Huairu had specially made noodles with soybean paste, calling it a "welcome dinner."

"Home-cooked meals still taste the best," Chen Yu remarked.

"Isn't the food in Guangzhou good?" Xiao Dang asked.

"It's tasty, but not the same flavor."

After dinner, the children went to sleep. Chen Yu and Qin Huairu sat under the lamp talking. Chen Yu recounted his experiences in Guangzhou: the business of He Ji Restaurant, Dr. Huang from Xuanhu Hall, the fun he had learning Cantonese... Of course, he omitted the content related to spiritual practice.

"Are you really going to Hong Kong?" Qin Huairu asked with some concern after hearing this.

"Not necessarily, but I'm considering it." Chen Yu held her hand. "We can't go now; we need to prepare. We'll go together when the time is right."

"What...what can I do?"

"Learn culture, learn knowledge," Chen Yu said earnestly. "No matter where you go in the future, you'll need culture to stand firm. Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you to read."

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"real."

As night deepened, after Qin Huairu fell asleep, Chen Yu entered the small world.

He was pleasantly surprised by the changes in the small world after a week's absence. The herbs in the herb garden had grown much taller; the ginseng was already as thick as a little finger, the astragalus had developed a robust root system, and the purple-gold grass had bloomed a second time. The water volume of the spiritual spring seemed to have increased again, gushing out and forming a small whirlpool in the pool.

To his surprise, the quality of the obsidian fragments improved significantly after soaking in the spiritual spring water for a week. He took one out, infused it with spiritual power, and the fragment immediately emitted a warm red light, much more stable than before.

"Excellent material," Chen Yu exclaimed. If this kind of tempered obsidian were used to forge magical artifacts, the results would definitely be even better.

He exited the small world, took out the photo Huang Wenyuan had given him, and studied it carefully under the lamp.

The photo was old, but well-preserved. The cave entrance was partially obscured by dense vegetation, but the stone carvings above the entrance were vaguely visible. Chen Yu found a magnifying glass and examined the carvings closely—they were runes! Although blurry, they were indeed runes used by cultivators!

A chill ran down his spine. The photo was taken in 1956, when Huang Wenyuan should still be practicing medicine in Hong Kong. What was he doing in Yunnan? And why did he take a picture of this cave? Was he also a practitioner? Or… did he know any practitioners?

The writing on the back of the photo is unmistakably Huang Wenyuan's handwriting. This old traditional Chinese medicine doctor has a secret.

Chen Yu put the photos away and decided to find an opportunity to test Li Jimin—he was Huang Wenmin's student and might know something.

The next day, Chen Yu went to work at the research institute. He hadn't been there for a week, and his office was piled high with documents. Lin Zhenhua, seeing him return, happily said, "Little Chen, you're finally back! Perfect timing, I have some good news!"

"Mr. Lin, what's the good news?"

"Chief Engineer Zhao from the military factory called, saying that our 'microscopic observation method' has worked very well in their trial, and they've discovered several hidden defects!" Lin Zhenhua said excitedly. "He invited us to the factory for on-site guidance and even wants to apply for a special contribution award for us!"

That's indeed good news. Chen Yu smiled and said, "That's great! When are we going?"

"Next Wednesday. Get ready, you'll be the main speaker." Lin Zhenhua patted him on the shoulder. "Xiao Chen, if this works out, our project can be promoted nationwide!"

Back at her seat, Su Hongmei handed her a stack of documents: "Chen Yu, this is a case study database I compiled while you were away. Take a look and see if there's anything you need to add."

Chen Yu flipped through the files and was impressed by Su Hongmei's meticulous work. The cases were categorized by material type, defect type, and discovery method, and were accompanied by photos and data analysis.

"Sister Su, you've worked hard and done a great job."

"Of course." Su Hongmei paused. "By the way, did you see Teacher Li during your trip to Guangzhou?"

"I met him, and we even traveled together back to Beijing," Chen Yu said. "Professor Li is a nice person with an open mind."

"He brought up the possibility of collaboration with me, asking if I was interested?"

"Yes, I'd like to do some research on the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine." Chen Yu nodded. "Are you interested, Sister Su?"

"Of course!" Su Hongmei's eyes lit up. "My father is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and I've had a fondness for it since I was a child. If we could use modern scientific methods to study traditional Chinese medicine, that would be a truly meritorious deed."

The two agreed to meet with Li Jimin next week for a detailed discussion.

While eating lunch in the cafeteria, Chen Yu overheard several colleagues discussing, "Did you hear? The institute is sending people to Hong Kong for exchange and learning!"

"Really? Can we go to Hong Kong?"

"It's supposed to be a technology exchange, but there are limited spots and it requires multiple levels of approval."

"Who has hope?"

"It's hard to say, it depends on their background and abilities..."

An exchange program in Hong Kong? Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. If this opportunity truly came, he would definitely seize it.

In the afternoon, he finished his work ahead of schedule and went to the library. This time, he specifically researched information about the Ailao Mountains in southern Yunnan, especially records from around 1956.

In a book titled "Geography of Yunnan," he found a record: "In the summer of 1956, the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized a Southwest Geological Expedition to the Ailao Mountains region to investigate mineral resources. The team members included geologists, biologists, folklorists..."

An expedition team? Huang Wenyuan is a doctor, why would he participate in a geological expedition team? Unless... he participated as a "folklorist" or "traditional Chinese medicine expert"?

Chen Yu continued searching and found another report in an old magazine: "A Record of the Southwest Scientific Expedition," authored by "Huang Wenyuan." The article recounted the expedition team's observations in the Ailao Mountains, mentioning the local ethnic minorities' medical customs, as well as "mysterious caves" and "ancient stone carvings"...

It seems Huang Wenyuan did indeed participate in that expedition and was quite interested in that cave. The article doesn't mention spiritual practice, but it reveals a deep respect for "ancient wisdom."

Chen Yu noted down the magazine's issue number and date, intending to borrow it for careful study.

It was already late when Chen Yu left the library. Instead of going straight home, he went to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Institute where Li Jimin worked.

The research institute was located near Andingmen, in an old three-story building. When Chen Yu arrived, Li Jimin was still busy in the laboratory.

"Chen Yu? What brings you here?" Li Jimin asked, somewhat surprised.

"I was just passing by and thought I'd take a look," Chen Yu said. "Teacher Li, there's something I'd like to ask you."

The two sat down in the office. Chen Yu carefully chose his words before asking, "Are you very familiar with Dr. Huang Wenyuan?"

"Yes, we know each other. He's my mentor's student, so he's kind of my senior," Li Jimin said. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"When I was in Guangzhou, Dr. Huang gave me a photo taken in 1956 in the Ailao Mountains of southern Yunnan." Chen Yu observed Li Jimin's reaction. "I want to know, what was Dr. Huang doing in the Ailao Mountains back then?"

Li Jimin's expression became subtle: "That photo... he showed it to you?"

"You know?"

"I know." Li Jimin sighed. "When he was young, Senior Brother Huang was very interested in folk customs and ancient culture. He participated in the expedition in 1956 as an advisor on traditional Chinese medicine and folk customs. That cave... they did discover something special."

"What is it?"

"I can't explain it." Li Jimin shook his head. "Senior Brother Huang only said that it was 'the wisdom of the ancients,' but he wouldn't say more about the specifics. But after returning from that trip, his research direction on traditional Chinese medicine changed, and he started to pay attention to some...mysterious things."

"for example?"

"For example, the essence of meridians, the nature of qi, the relationship between herbs and the energy of heaven and earth..." Li Jimin smiled wryly, "These things were considered feudal superstition at the time, so he rarely talked about them publicly. But he told me privately that the roots of traditional Chinese medicine may be much deeper than we imagine."

Chen Yu understood. It seemed that Huang Wenyuan had indeed come across clues about the cultivation world, but as an ordinary person, he could only understand and describe them using scientific language.

"Brother Huang cherishes that photo very much," Li Jimin continued. "He said it was the mystery of his life. Showing it to you shows how much he values ​​you."

"What should I do?"

"Keep it safe and study it carefully," Li Jimin said earnestly. "Brother Huang is very good at judging people. He thinks you are a destined person and might really be able to solve that mystery."

It was already dark when Chen Yu left the research institute. Walking home, his mind was filled with a multitude of thoughts.

Huang Wenyuan, the cave, the cultivation world, southern Yunnan… these clues, like a net, are gradually becoming clearer. And he himself is at the center of this net.

Back in the courtyard, it was quiet. Chen Yu pushed open the door and entered the house. Qin Huairu was learning to read under the lamp—he had started teaching her yesterday, and she was practicing today.

"You're back?" Qin Huairu looked up. "Have you eaten?"

"I've eaten." Chen Yu walked over to look at her handwriting. Although it was crooked and messy, it was written with great care. "Not bad, keep up the good work."

"Mm." Qin Huairu blushed slightly. "Xiao Dang and Huaihua are asleep, you should get some rest too."

In the stillness of the night, Chen Yu entered the small world again. He didn't cultivate; instead, he took out the photograph and placed it beside the spiritual spring.

Under his spiritual vision, the cave in the photograph seemed to come alive. He could "see" the flow of spiritual energy in the runes at the cave entrance; though faint, it was undeniably present. Those runes were part of some kind of sealing formation, ancient yet still effective.

"An ancient cultivator's cave..." Chen Yu murmured, "What might be inside?"

He knew he would have to go to Yunnan sooner or later. But not now; his strength wasn't enough, and his preparations were inadequate. He needed to break through to the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage and prepare enough pills and magical artifacts before he could venture forth.

Before leaving the small world, he checked the herb garden. The second batch of herbs was ready to be harvested. He carefully dug out a few ginseng and astragalus plants, and also picked some purple gold grass flowers. These herbs, along with the refined fire obsidian fragments, could be used to try refining higher-grade pills.

Lying in bed, Chen Yu began to plan for the next three months.

August: Complete on-site guidance at the military factory and promote the nationwide rollout of the "Observation Project"; collaborate with Li Jimin on research into the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine; continue teaching Qin Huairu culture.

September: Attempt to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining; refine a new batch of pills; seek opportunities for exchange in Hong Kong.

October: If all goes well, begin preparations for the trip to southern Yunnan...

Lost in thought, he fell asleep.

In his dream, he saw the cave again. But this time, he went inside. The cave was deep, with glowing moss on both sides. At the deepest part, there was a stone platform, and on the platform sat a jade box. He reached out to take it…

The moment my hand touched the jade box, I awoke from my dream.

Outside the window, the morning light was just beginning to break.

A new day, a new beginning.

Chen Yu knew that his life was moving towards a much wider world.