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

September 28th, early morning.

Kunming Railway Station was shrouded in a light mist.

Chen Yu stood on the platform with his luggage, Qin Huairu beside him. She was wearing that floral top, her hair was styled in two braids, her complexion was much rosier than a month ago, and her eyes held a composure she hadn't shown before.

"It's going to be another two days of train travel," Qin Huairu said softly, but there was no complaint in her tone; instead, there was anticipation.

Are you tired?

"I'm not tired." She shook her head. "Being with you, I'm never tired, no matter where we go."

Chen Yu smiled slightly and took her hand. A month of living together day and night had deepened their feelings for each other. Especially the days spent isolated in the small world had allowed them to truly understand each other.

A long whistle sounded, and the train slowly pulled into the station. The two boarded the carriage and found their seats. Still window seats, still that familiar green train.

Outside the car window, the morning light in Kunming gradually brightened. Qin Huairu leaned on Chen Yu's shoulder, watching the scenery flash by, and suddenly asked, "Chen Yu, after we go back... will we still be able to go to the Little World?"

"Of course we can," Chen Yu said. "That's our world; we can go anytime."

"Well..." Qin Huairu hesitated for a moment, "Could I take Brother Zhu and the others to see them?"

Chen Yu shook his head: "Not for now. The fewer people who know the secrets of the small world, the better. It's not that I don't trust them, but it's to protect them."

Qin Huairu nodded; she understood this principle.

"However," Chen Yu changed the subject, "when our cultivation level is higher in the future, we can open up a larger space, and perhaps we can let them go in and take a look."

"real?"

"real."

Qin Huairu smiled, a smile like that of a child who had received a promise.

The train headed north. The scenery outside the window gradually changed from green hills and clear waters to loess plains, from the warmth of the south to the dryness of the north. Two days later, when the familiar Beijing Station appeared before her again, Qin Huairu's eyes welled up with tears.

"I'm back..." she murmured.

On the platform, He Yuzhu's loud voice rang out from afar: "Chen Yu! Huai Ru! Over here!"

The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw He Yuzhu waving his arms, with Yan Bugui standing next to him, pushing a bicycle.

"Brother Zhu, Uncle San, what brings you here again?" Chen Yu said with a smile.

"Nonsense, who else would we pick up if not you?" He Yuzhu snatched the luggage. "Come on, let's go home! Your sister-in-law made noodles with soybean paste, she's waiting for you!"

The tricycle drove through the familiar alley and stopped at the entrance of the front courtyard. Chen Yu pushed open the door, and everything in the courtyard was as before—the roses were in full bloom, the pomegranate tree was full of fruit, and two goldfish were kept in the water tank next to the hand pump.

"It's so nice." Qin Huairu took a deep breath. "Home is the best."

He Yuzhu's wife was already waiting inside. Seeing them return, she warmly greeted them, "Come in and sit down! The noodles are freshly cooked, eat them while they're hot!"

The group sat together, eating noodles with soybean paste and chatting about their experiences over the past month. Chen Yu shared what he could, and He Yuzhu listened with great interest, occasionally interjecting with questions.

After the meal, He Yuzhu leaned over mysteriously and said, "Xiao Chen, something big happened in the hospital while you were gone for a month."

"What is it?"

"Xu Damao is out!"

Chen Yu was taken aback. Xu Damao? The Xu Damao who was arrested for trafficking in cultural relics?

"How did he get out?"

"They said there wasn't enough evidence, so they released him after two months." He Yuzhu scoffed. "But this kid is like a different person after he got out. He stays in his room all day and doesn't go out, and he doesn't talk to anyone. His wife, Lou Xiao'e, came back, though, and the two of them stopped arguing. It's really strange."

Chen Yu was on guard. Xu Damao wasn't the type to swallow his anger; this unusual behavior must have a reason.

"And another thing," Yan Bugui interjected, "Jia Dongxu's wife, Zhang Xiulan, your Aunt Zhang, has been coming to see Qin Huairu a lot lately, saying she has something to discuss."

Qin Huairu nodded: "Aunt Zhang has come to see me a few times, saying she wants to open a food stall and asked if I would be willing to partner with her."

"Open a food stall?"

"Yes, right at the entrance of the alley, she sells steamed buns and the like. She said she's quite skilled, but she lacks capital."

Chen Yu thought about it and decided it was feasible. Zhang Xiulan was a friend of the original owner's mother; she was reliable and had a skill. Qin Huairu currently didn't have a formal job, so opening a food stall would be a way out.

"Do you want to do it?" he asked Qin Huairu.

"I'd like to, but..." Qin Huairu hesitated, "the capital..."

"I'll provide the capital," Chen Yu said. "Your Aunt Zhang will provide the technical skills, and you'll provide the management and help. We'll split the profits proportionally."

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

"certainly."

He Yuzhu slapped his thigh: "Great news! I'll be there every day!"

After chatting for a while, He Yuzhu's family and Yan Bugui took their leave.

After seeing the guests off, Chen Yu and Qin Huairu finished cleaning up the dishes and sat in the courtyard to look at the stars.

"Chen Yu," Qin Huairu leaned on his shoulder, "do you think our lives will always be this peaceful?"

Chen Yu paused for a moment, then said, "No."

Qin Huairu's body stiffened.

"But I will do my best," Chen Yu said softly. "No matter how much wind and rain there is outside, I will protect you and this family."

Qin Huairu nodded and said nothing more.

As night deepened, the two returned to their room to rest. After Qin Huairu fell asleep, Chen Yu went alone to the west wing and sat down cross-legged.

This trip to Yunnan was incredibly fruitful—he gained mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, upgraded his small world, and witnessed the destruction of the Fire God Temple. But he knew this was just the beginning.

The path of cultivation is long and arduous. Above the Foundation Establishment stage lies the Golden Core stage, and above the Golden Core stage lies the Nascent Soul stage. And he has only just stepped onto the starting point of this path.

He entered the small world to observe the changes that had occurred during that time.

The bamboo house remained, and the medicinal herbs in the spirit field flourished even more. The spiritual herbs he had transplanted into the grotto-heaven herb garden had grown into a lush, verdant patch. The stream babbled, and a few small animals appeared in the forest—their origins were unknown, but they added a touch of life to the small world.

Chen Peng sat down in the bamboo house and took out the system panel to check:

Current cultivation level: Foundation Establishment Stage 4 (Mid-stage)

[Points: 150]

[Small World Level: Level 2]

[Can summon dummy characters: 13 (3 already summoned)]

He had too few points and needed to keep checking in to accumulate more. He glanced at the time; it was almost time for a new day.

[Ding! Do you wish to check in for today?]

【Yes】

[Sign-in successful! Rewards: 5 Low-grade Spirit Stones, 1 Qi Cultivation Pill, 1 Basic Formation Knowledge Experience Pack, 50 RMB cash]

The Qi-Nourishing Pill was exactly what he needed, and knowledge of formations was also very useful. Chen Yu immediately used the experience pack, and a large amount of basic knowledge about formations flooded into his mind—Spirit Gathering Formation, Defense Formation, Bewildering Formation, Illusion Formation… Although they were all basic, with the help of the Four Symbols Ritual Artifacts, they could be used to set up even more powerful formations.

He stood up, walked to the edge of the spirit field, and attempted to set up a small spirit-gathering array. Using a few spirit stones as the array's core, he outlined the array patterns according to the knowledge he had just learned. The moment the array was completed, the concentration of spiritual energy around the spirit field noticeably increased, and the medicinal herbs swayed slightly, seemingly becoming more vibrant.

"Interesting," Chen Yu thought to himself. He could gradually learn more advanced formations and set up various functional areas in the small world.

As I exited the small world, dawn was breaking.

Chen Yu got up and went into the courtyard. In the morning mist, Qin Huairu was washing up by the hand pump. Seeing him come out, she greeted him with a smile, "Good morning."

"Good morning." Chen Yu walked over and took the towel from her hand. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Okay, I slept soundly until dawn." Qin Huairu looked at him. "And you? Did you cultivate all night again?"

Chen Yu nodded.

Qin Huairu sighed softly, but said nothing. She knew this was his path, and all she could do was support him.

"What are the plans for today?" she asked.

"I'll go to the neighborhood office first to register. Then I'll go see Aunt Zhang and discuss the food stall thing," Chen Yu said. "What about you?"

"I'll go with you."

The two ate a simple breakfast, locked the courtyard gate, and headed towards the Qianmen Subdistrict Office.

The alleyway was already bustling with activity. Breakfast vendors were calling out their wares, people were hurrying by on their bicycles to work, and children were skipping and hopping on their schoolbags to go to school.

As Chen Yu watched all this, a wave of emotion welled up in his heart.

This is the essence of everyday life, this is what he desperately tries to protect.

At the neighborhood office, Director Wang greeted them warmly, "Little Chen's back? Huai Ru's here too? Please, have a seat!"

Chen Yu gave a brief report on his trip to Yunnan—an abridged version, of course. Director Wang listened and nodded with satisfaction: "Keep up the good work; the organization won't let you down."

After leaving the neighborhood office, the two went to Zhang Xiulan's house. Zhang Xiulan lived in a small, simple house deep in the alley; though shabby, it was clean and tidy.

"Xiao Chen! Huai Ru!" Zhang Xiulan was overjoyed to see them. "Come in and sit down!"

Chen Yu cut to the chase: "Aunt Zhang, I heard from Huai Ru that you want to open a food stall?"

Zhang Xiulan nodded: "Yes. I've been thinking that now that the policies have loosened and individual businesses are allowed, and my skills are decent, I'd like to give it a try. It's just that I don't have the capital..."

"I'll provide the initial investment," Chen Yu said. "You and Huai Ru can partner up; you provide the technical skills, and she'll provide the management and labor. We'll split the profits 60/40, you get 60% and she gets 40%, how about that?"

Zhang Xiulan was stunned: "This...how can this be? You're the one who put in the capital, you should take the lion's share..."

"I'm not short of money," Chen Yu said with a smile. "Just consider it helping Aunt Zhang and Huai Ru out."

Zhang Xiulan's eyes reddened: "Xiao Chen...you're a good person, just like your parents..."

The three discussed the specific details—renting a stall, buying equipment, handling procedures, setting prices… They talked until noon before finalizing a preliminary plan.

After leaving Zhang Xiulan's house, Qin Huairu held Chen Yu's hand and whispered, "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for being so kind to me, and so kind to Aunt Zhang."

Chen Yu squeezed her hand: "Silly girl, you're all my people. If I don't treat you well, who else should I treat well?"

Qin Huairu blushed, but her eyes were full of happiness.

In the evening, the two returned to the small courtyard in front of the gate. As soon as they entered, they saw He Yuzhu waiting in the courtyard with a strange expression on his face.

"Brother Zhu, what's wrong?"

"Xiao Chen, there's something I need to tell you," He Yuzhu said in a low voice. "Xu Damao came to see me today and asked where you've been for the past month."

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat: "What did you say?"

"I told him you went to Yunnan to visit relatives," He Yuzhu said. "But he didn't believe me and asked some strange questions, like 'Does Chen Yu have any special abilities?'"

Special skills? Why did Xu Damao ask that?

"What else did he say?"

"That's all. But I feel something's off about him," He Yuzhu said. "Xiao Chen, be careful."

Chen Yu nodded. Xu Damao's sudden concern for his whereabouts and his asking such a question was definitely suspicious.

After seeing He Yuzhu off, Chen Yu sat in the courtyard, lost in thought.

Could Xu Damao be backed by the remnants of the Vulcan Temple? Or perhaps a new enemy?

He looked up at the sky; the night was deepening, and the stars were beginning to twinkle.

Peaceful days probably won't last much longer.

But he wasn't afraid.

He was prepared no matter who came.