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

January 15th, evening.

When the gate to the front courtyard was pushed open, Qin Huairu was cooking porridge in the kitchen. Hearing the noise, the spoon in her hand fell into the pot with a "clatter." Ignoring the heat, she turned and ran outside.

At the entrance of the courtyard, Chen Yu stood there, still carrying the chill of Kunlun Mountain. His fatigue was undeniable, but his eyes remained bright.

"Chen Yu!" Qin Huairu rushed over and buried her face in his chest.

Chen Yu gently hugged her, resting his chin on the top of her head, and took a deep breath. The familiar scent, the scent of home.

"I'm back," he said softly.

Qin Huairu looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, but her face was full of smiles: "Are you hungry? I've made some porridge, it'll be ready soon!"

"I'm hungry," Chen Yu said with a smile. "I've been eating dry rations for days in the Kunlun Mountains, and I miss your porridge."

Qin Huairu pulled him into the house, pressed him into a chair, and then went into the kitchen. A short while later, steaming millet porridge, pickled vegetables, and several steamed buns were served.

Chen Yu ate heartily, while Qin Huairu sat beside him, watching him eat with eyes full of heartache.

"You've lost weight," she said softly.

"No way, I've even gotten fatter," Chen Yu mumbled, his mouth full of steamed buns.

Qin Huairu was amused by him and reached out to slap him: "You're always talking nonsense."

After finishing his meal, Chen Yu recounted the events at Kunlun Mountain—the trials at Jinque Palace, the inheritance of the White Emperor's son, and the news of the two-year deadline.

Qin Huairu was alarmed and gripped his hand tightly: "Two years... is that enough time?"

"We should have enough time," Chen Yu said. "Now that we have the wooden bead and the gold bead, and the Fire Bead is in Hua Tianxiong's hands, all we need to do is find him and then gather the water bead and the earth bead."

"Hua Tianxiong? Didn't he leave?"

"He's gone, but he's definitely looking for that white-haired old man," Chen Yu said. "I have a way to find him."

Qin Huairu nodded and didn't ask any more questions. She knew she couldn't help with these things; all she could do was wait for him to come back.

Just then, there was another knock on the courtyard gate.

Chen Yu scanned them with his spiritual sense and smiled: "It's Qiu Nan and Brother Zhu."

As expected, Ding Qiunan and He Yuzhu were standing outside when the door was opened. Ding Qiunan was carrying a bag of things, while He Yuzhu was holding a basin filled with steam.

"Brother Chen!" Ding Qiunan's eyes lit up when she saw him. "You're back!"

"Just got back." Chen Yu stepped aside. "Come in quickly."

He Yuzhu put the bowl on the table: "My wife made mutton soup, for you guys to nourish yourselves! Chen Yu, where have you been these past few days? You've been acting all mysterious."

"I went on a long trip," Chen Yu said with a smile.

"A long trip? Again, to Hong Kong?"

"Farr than Hong Kong."

He Yuzhu didn't ask any more questions and invited everyone to sit down and drink the soup. The mutton soup was rich and flavorful, with radishes and vermicelli in it. A big, hot bowl of it warmed everyone up.

Ding Qiunan sat to the side, quietly observing Chen Yu. She noticed that although he was smiling, there was a hint of fatigue in his eyes, and there was an indescribable feeling about him, as if... he had become stronger.

"Qiu Nan, how's your reading of medical books going lately?" Chen Yu asked.

"I've finished memorizing the 'Formulas for Decoctions' and I'm on the third volume of the 'Compendium of Materia Medica'," Ding Qiunan said. "Sister Qin also taught me bookkeeping, and now I can help with the accounting."

"Not bad." Chen Yu nodded approvingly. "After I'm done with this busy period, I'll teach you some new things."

Ding Qiunan's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"real."

The group chatted until late at night before He Yuzhu and Ding Qiunan finally said their goodbyes and left.

After seeing them off, Chen Yu and Qin Huairu returned to the house.

"How many days can you stay this time?" Qin Huairu asked softly.

"Three days," Chen Yu said. "Three days later, we'll go to the East China Sea."

Qin Huairu was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Then you should rest well these next few days."

"Um."

For the next three days, Chen Yu was more relaxed than ever before.

During the day, he accompanied Qin Huairu to help out at the shop, chatted with regular customers, and listened to Zhang Xiulan tell interesting stories about the alleyways. In the evening, he taught Ding Qiunan to identify medicinal herbs and explained some simple principles of traditional Chinese medicine formulas. At night, he sat with Qin Huairu in the courtyard watching the stars and talking about random things.

Life was ordinary, but warm.

January 18th, late at night.

Chen Yu organized the medicinal herbs in the small world and refined several bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills and Healing Pills. After everything was ready, he returned to the house.

Qin Huairu was still awake, sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for him.

"Leaving tomorrow?" she asked.

"Um."

Qin Huairu stood up, walked to him, and gently hugged him.

"Promise me you'll come back."

I promise you.

The two of them held each other like that for a very long time.

The next morning, before dawn, Chen Yu left the courtyard.

Qin Huairu stood at the door, watching his figure disappear at the end of the alley, and remained motionless for a long time.

Behind her, Ding Qiunan had also gotten up at some point and was standing next to her.

"Sister Qin, Brother Chen will come back," she whispered.

"I know," Qin Huairu wiped her eyes. "He never makes empty promises."

The two turned and went back into the house.

A new day begins.

January 20th, Qingdao, Shandong.

Chen Yu stood on the beach, gazing at the vast ocean.

The East China Sea is just ahead.

The water droplet is somewhere on the seabed.

He took a deep breath and jumped into the sea.