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

On Sunday morning, when Chen Yu finished his cultivation in the small world, the purple-gold grass beside the spiritual spring had grown back to half a foot tall, and pale golden flower buds had once again formed at its tip. At this rate of growth, it should be able to be harvested again before the Double Ninth Festival, enough to refine a batch of Qi-Nourishing Pills.

"System, weekly sign-in," Chen Yu silently recited in his mind. Today is Sunday, and the rewards for weekly sign-ins are usually more generous than those for daily sign-ins.

[Ding! Weekly check-in successful]

[Received: Intermediate Talisman Crafting Skill Experience Pack x1, a stack of talisman paper (50 sheets), two ounces of cinnabar, a century-old peach wood sword (already compatible), and a fake human x1]

Intermediate Talisman Crafting! Chen Yu's eyes lit up! This was exactly the skill he desperately needed! He immediately used his skill pack, and the methods for drawing more than a dozen basic talismans flooded his mind: protective talismans, calming talismans, speed talismans, and even basic attack talismans—fireball talismans, lightning strike talismans...

Although with his current cultivation level and available materials, he could only draw the most basic protective talismans and mind-clearing talismans, it was already a pleasant surprise. He couldn't draw the offensive talismans for the time being, but with the knowledge and materials, he could try them in the future when his cultivation level improved.

The talisman paper is pale yellow Xuan paper, with a uniform texture and a faint spiritual energy—although it's only the lowest grade of talisman paper, it's already rare in this era. The cinnabar is also of good quality, with a pure color, so it should be effective for drawing talismans.

The century-old peach wood sword is about two feet long, with a black blade showing dark red veins and a hilt wrapped with black silk thread. It feels warm and smooth in the hand. Although it is not a real magic weapon, peach wood itself has the effect of warding off evil spirits, and century-old peach wood is even rarer, making it particularly effective against evil spirits.

The new fake agent, Number Six, appeared, disguised as an ordinary young man. This brought Chen Yu's force to six fake agents, allowing him to assign tasks more efficiently.

He exited the system space; it was just past seven in the real world. Chen Yu got up and went to the yard, where he found Qin Huairu already busy in the kitchen.

"Why are you up so early again?" Chen Yu walked into the kitchen.

"I can't sleep, so I thought I'd make dumplings for you." Qin Huairu was kneading dough with practiced ease. "I still have some chives from yesterday, so I'll add some eggs and make chive and egg dumplings."

"Let me help you." Chen Yu washed his hands and started chopping the filling. The two worked together seamlessly in the small kitchen, one rolling out the dough and the other filling the dumplings. Soon, rows of dumplings were neatly arranged on the bamboo steamer.

Sunlight streamed through the window, steam filled the kitchen, and the fresh aroma of chives permeated the air. Chen Yu looked at Qin Huairu's focused profile and felt a surge of warmth in his heart—this was the feeling of home.

"Huai Ru, after the baby is born, the three of us will make dumplings together," Chen Yu said softly.

"Hmm..." Qin Huairu blushed slightly, "Do you think the child will look like you or me?"

"Your eyes are like yours, and your nose is like mine," Chen Yu said with a smile. "It's good that your personality is like yours—gentle and kind."

"And what about you?"

"I'll be responsible for teaching him skills and protecting you and your child."

As the two were talking, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Chen Yu wiped his hands and went to open the door, only to find Zhou Xiaomei standing there. Today she was wearing a light blue Lenin suit, her hair was styled in two braids, and she was carrying a net bag containing several apples.

"Technician Zhou?" Chen Yu asked, somewhat surprised. "How did you find this place?"

"Sister Liu gave me the address." Zhou Xiaomei said a little embarrassedly, "I heard you moved to a new house, so I came to check... This is for Comrade Qin; pregnant women should eat more fruit."

"You're too kind, please come in." Chen Yu stepped aside.

Qin Huairu also came out of the kitchen. When she saw Zhou Xiaomei, she was slightly taken aback, but then smiled and said, "Technician Zhou is here? Please come in and have a seat."

"Comrade Qin, I'm sorry to bother you." Zhou Xiaomei placed the apple on the table. "I was just passing by and thought I'd drop by. Your yard is really nice, so clean and tidy."

The three women sat down in the room, and Chen Yu went to make tea. The atmosphere was a little awkward at first, but Qin Huairu was gentle and Zhou Xiaomei tried her best to act naturally, and soon the two started chatting.

"How many months pregnant is Comrade Qin?" Zhou Xiaomei asked.

"It's almost four months," Qin Huairu said, gently stroking her lower abdomen. "What does Technician Zhou do at the steel rolling mill?"

"I'm from the statistics department, responsible for production data statistics," Zhou Xiaomei said. "Comrade Chen Yu is now the deputy leader of our technical innovation team. He's very capable, and the factory leaders value him highly."

Qin Huairu looked at Chen Yu, her eyes filled with pride: "He has always been outstanding."

Chen Yu brought out tea and felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this. He handed the tea to the two of them: "Is Technician Zhou off today?"

"Well, I had nothing to do on Sunday, so I thought I'd come and check it out." Zhou Xiaomei took the teacup, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Actually... there's something else I wanted to tell Comrade Chen Yu."

"What is it?"

"Yesterday at the factory meeting, Section Chief Li said that next month he will send you to Shanghai to study and attend a national technical exchange conference, which will last about half a month," Zhou Xiaomei said. "The time is from October 10th to 25th."

Studying in Shanghai? Chen Yu was taken aback. That was good news; it would broaden his horizons and help him gain experience. But the timing... October 15th was after the Double Ninth Festival, perfect timing.

"Thank you for letting me know, Technician Zhou," Chen Yu said. "I'll make arrangements once the official notification comes in."

Zhou Xiaomei sat for a while before getting up to leave. As she saw her to the courtyard gate, she suddenly stopped and said softly, "Comrade Chen Yu, Comrade Qin is a good woman. You must treat her well. I...I wish you both the best."

"Thank you," Chen Yu said sincerely.

Watching Zhou Xiaomei ride away on her bicycle, Chen Yu sighed inwardly. He understood the girl's feelings, but his heart belonged only to Qin Huairu.

Back inside, Qin Huairu was tidying up the tea set. Chen Yu hugged her from behind: "Jealous?"

"No," Qin Huairu said softly. "Technician Zhou is a good girl. The fact that she likes you shows that I have good taste."

"I only love you," Chen Yu whispered in her ear. "In this life and the next, I will only love you."

"Smooth-talking..." Qin Huairu blushed, but couldn't hide the smile on her lips.

At noon, the two enjoyed steaming hot chive and egg dumplings. Qin Huairu's cooking skills were indeed excellent; the dumpling wrappers were thin, the filling generous, and the flavor delicious. Chen Yu ate two large plates in a row, and Qin Huairu was even happier watching him eat so heartily than if she were eating herself.

After lunch, Chen Yu told Qin Huairu to take a nap, while he entered his small world and began trying to make talismans.

He first took out talisman paper and cinnabar. Following the knowledge of intermediate talisman-making techniques, he slowly injected spiritual energy into the tip of his brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and drew the talisman's patterns on the talisman paper. The first one failed—the spiritual energy was injected unevenly, the talisman pattern broke in one place, and the entire talisman paper spontaneously combusted with a "poof," turning into ashes.

Undeterred, Chen Yu continued trying. The second, the third... and finally, on the fifth attempt, he succeeded! A faint spiritual light flowed through the crimson patterns on the talisman. Although it was only a low-level protective talisman, capable of withstanding only one minor attack, it was of great significance—this was the first talisman he had ever made!

Next, he tried drawing a calming talisman. This type of talisman is simpler than an amulet and mainly helps the wearer to concentrate and calm their mind. With his previous experience, he succeeded on the third one.

In one afternoon, Chen Yu drew five protective talismans and eight calming talismans, gradually increasing his success rate to about 50%. Although they were all the lowest-level talismans, they might be lifesavers in a critical moment.

He strung a protective amulet and a calming talisman together with a red string, intending to give them to Qin Huairu. He put the rest away for future use.

It was already four o'clock in the afternoon when I exited the small world. Qin Huairu was already awake and was washing clothes in the yard.

"Why are you working again?" Chen Yu took the clothes from her hands.

"Just a few pieces of underwear, I washed them while I was at it." Qin Huairu wiped her hands. "Chen Yu, what were you doing in the room this afternoon? I heard rustling sounds."

"I made you a talisman." Chen Yu took out the two talismans. "Keep this close to your body for protection."

"So beautiful..." Qin Huairu took it. The talisman paper was pale yellow, and the cinnabar patterns shimmered faintly in the sunlight. "Did you... draw this yourself?"

"Yes, I learned it from an old Taoist priest," Chen Yu said, half-jokingly. "It's good for the child if you wear it."

Qin Huairu carefully put the talisman around her neck and placed it close to her body: "I will wear it forever."

In the evening, He Yuzhu arrived, carrying a piece of pork.

"Brother Zhu? What brings you here?" Chen Yu opened the door to greet him.

"I heard you moved to a new place, but I haven't had time to come over." He Yuzhu handed the pork to Chen Yu. "The factory gave out welfare today, half a pound of meat for everyone. I'm a bachelor and can't finish it, so I brought it for you."

"How could I possibly accept this..."

"Don't mention it!" He Yuzhu waved his hand, strolled around the yard, and said, "This yard is nice! Little Chen, your life is getting better and better!"

The three sat chatting in the courtyard. He Yuzhu talked about interesting things at the factory; the steel rolling mill had been busy with production lately, and the workers were full of energy. He also mentioned Xu Damao's house—the neighborhood committee had decided to rent it out temporarily, with the rent going to the public treasury, to be distributed later.

"Has things calmed down with the Jia family?" Chen Yu asked.

"Stop what?!" He Yuzhu scoffed. "Jia Dongxu is still in the hospital, and Jia Zhangshi goes to the neighborhood office every day to make a scene, insisting on getting that house. Director Wang is fed up and said that if she keeps making a scene, he will cancel her family's hardship allowance."

"Where is Aunt Zhang?"

"Zhang Xiulan is now running back and forth between the hospital and home, and she's lost a lot of weight," He Yuzhu sighed. "If you ask me, the Jia family... sigh, there's always a reason why someone is pitiful."

He Yuzhu didn't leave until after 7 p.m. Chen Yu and Qin Huairu had a simple dinner—they still had the dumplings from lunch, they just needed to reheat them.

After the meal, Chen Yu contacted the imposter number one: "Have you investigated Elder Zhao of the Hongmen thoroughly?"

"I've found out, Master," reported the fake man number one. "Elder Zhao's real name is Zhao Tiangang, he is sixty-five years old, an elder of the 'Li' generation in the Hongmen, and is skilled in Hongquan and internal martial arts. He was very famous in Guangdong when he was young, and later went to Hong Kong with Boss Li's master. This time he returned to the mainland for the sake of Xuanzhen Daoist's legacy."

"How strong is he?"

"According to the intelligence we've gathered, he possesses profound internal strength and can break bricks with his bare hands at great speed. However, he's getting old, and his stamina may not be what it used to be. In addition, he always carries a soft sword at his waist, and it's said that his swordsmanship is also very formidable."

Chen Yu pondered. In a head-on confrontation, with his Qi Refining Stage 3 cultivation level and his spells, he should be able to win, but injuries would be inevitable. Moreover, his opponent also had Boss Li's dozen or so subordinates...

"Continue to monitor him and figure out his lifestyle and routine. Also, what's the latest news from Boss Li?"

"Boss Li went to Fragrant Hills today with five people and buried some things around the entrance. Zhao Tieying followed them and said they might be trigger traps that will set off an alarm if stepped on."

"Did you get the trap map?"

"Got it, I've noted down all the trap locations."

Chen Yu had made up his mind. It seemed that Boss Li intended to lay a trap on the Double Ninth Festival, waiting for him and Zhao Tieying to walk right into it. But he wouldn't let them succeed.

After disconnecting from the communication, Chen Yu entered the small world. He took out the latest trap distribution map provided by Zhao Tieying, and combined it with the previous map to begin planning a detailed route.

The entrance to the secret vault was located between three ancient pine trees. Within a radius of fifty meters, Boss Li had set up twelve traps: six tripwire alarms, three pitfalls, and three trigger-activated whistling arrows. Five people, each armed with a hunting rifle, guarded the detonation point three hundred meters away.

"I'll use the Triplock Technique to control the flying needles to cut through... I'll circle around the pits... The Signal Arrow is the most troublesome; triggering it will expose me..." Chen Yu muttered to himself. "Perhaps I can use the Fog Bomb to create chaos, then use the Swiftness Talisman to get through quickly..."

He took out the talismans he had drawn that day, and also the stack of talisman paper. Among the intermediate talisman-making techniques, there is a "stealth talisman." Although it is only the lowest level of illusion, its effect only lasts for a few minutes, and its use against experts is limited, it may have unexpected effects in the night.

Without further ado, Chen Yu focused his mind, channeling his spiritual energy into the tip of his brush, and began drawing intricate patterns on the talisman paper. Invisibility talismans were far more difficult to draw than protective talismans, requiring extremely high control over spiritual energy. He failed seven times before finally succeeding on the eighth attempt.

Looking at the talisman that emitted a faint white light, Chen Yu nodded in satisfaction. Although the quality was low, it should be sufficient for his needs.

After finishing all that, it was already late at night. Chen Yu exited the small world; Qin Huairu was already asleep. He quietly got into bed and pulled her into his arms.

Qin Huairu mumbled something in her sleep and snuggled closer to him. Chen Yu felt her even breathing and a strong urge to protect her welled up inside him.

There are still nine days until the Double Ninth Festival.

Nine days later, he will face the most dangerous challenge since his transmigration.

He must win.

Not only for himself, but also for the woman in his arms, for the child in her womb, and for the home they had just built.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.

The courtyard in Beixinqiao was quiet.

But Chen Yu knew that this tranquility wouldn't last long.

In the distance, a storm is brewing.

He was already prepared to face the storm.