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

Five days until the Double Ninth Festival.

The morning sunlight filtered through the jujube trees in the courtyard of Beixinqiao, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick ground. Chen Yu finished his morning exercise in the small world, his body brimming with spiritual energy, and his Qi Refining Stage 3 realm was completely stable. He checked the three "Earth Escape Talismans" he had drawn the night before—practical talismans recorded in intermediate talisman-making techniques. Although they could only allow travel underground for a short distance of a few feet, they could save lives in critical moments.

"System, check-in for today."

[Ding! Japanese visa successfully obtained]

[Received: 5 feet of cloth coupons, half a catty of sugar coupons, a small basic formation experience pack, and 15 yuan in cash]

Knowledge of formations? Chen Yu's eyes lit up, and he immediately put it into practice. Basic knowledge such as the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, the Five Elements and directions, and the simple arrangement of formation bases flooded his mind. Although it was only the beginning, it was of great help in understanding the formations that Xuanzhen Daoist might have set up.

When I left the small world, the courtyard was already bustling with activity. He Yuzhu, along with his two apprentices—Ma Hua and Xiao Pang—were busy in the kitchen. Today they were going to test the dishes for six wedding banquet tables, and all the ingredients and seasonings were ready.

"Xiao Chen, you're up?" He Yuzhu, wearing a white apron, was chopping chicken. "Today I'll let you taste your brother Zhu's cooking; I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

"Brother Zhu, you've worked hard, starting so early." As Chen Yu walked to the kitchen door, a rich aroma wafted towards him.

On the stove, two coal stoves were running simultaneously. One pot was simmering braised pork, the brownish-red chunks of meat rolling in the broth, glistening with fat; the other pot contained clear broth, with a whole chicken and a few pork bones floating in it, simmering slowly over a low flame, the broth crystal clear.

Ma Hua is chopping vegetables with practiced skill, slicing radish into hair-thin strands. Xiao Pang is kneading dough, preparing to make a main dish.

"Today we'll try eight main dishes," He Yuzhu said, wiping his hands and pulling a menu from his pocket. "Braised pork belly, four-happiness meatballs, steamed fish, Kung Pao chicken, shredded pork with eggs and vegetables, Mapo tofu, stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers, and stewed cabbage with glass noodles. Plus four cold dishes and one soup."

Looking at the menu, Chen Yu said with emotion, "Brother Zhu, this is too high-end. It must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"Spend money? What money!" He Yuzhu glared. "I've worked in the steel mill canteen for so many years, can't I even get these ingredients? Don't worry, it's all at cost price, some of them are even surplus stock from the factory, so there's no waste."

Even so, Chen Yu knew that He Yuzhu must have spent a lot of money. He secretly kept this in mind, determined to repay this favor.

"By the way, have all the invitations been sent out?" He Yuzhu asked.

"They were all sent out yesterday," Chen Yu said. "We invited the families of the eldest, second, and third uncles in our compound, as well as Aunt Zhang and Xu Damao's family... Although Xu Damao is in jail, Lou Xiao'e will come. In addition, fifteen relatives from the Qin family came, along with Section Chief Li from the factory, several colleagues including Liu Yuhua, and your friends. That's about six tables."

As they were talking, Qin Huairu came out of the house. She was wearing a newly made floral top, her hair was neatly combed, and she looked radiant.

"Huai Ru is here!" He Yuzhu said with a smile. "Perfect timing, you're the star of the show today, try the food and see if it suits your taste."

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Zhu." Qin Huairu smiled. "Do you need any help?"

"No need, no need, just sit down," He Yuzhu quickly waved her hand. "The pregnant woman comes first, you just wait to eat today!"

Qin Huairu was amused. She really couldn't help; the three grown men in the kitchen were already too busy.

At ten o'clock in the morning, the first dish was ready—braised pork. He Yuzhu carried it out on a large tray and placed it on the stone table in the courtyard. The pork chunks were translucent, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and the rich aroma of the sauce was mouthwatering.

"Try it, while it's hot." He Yuzhu handed over the chopsticks.

Chen Yu picked up a piece; it melted in his mouth, rich but not greasy, with a perfect balance of salty and sweet. He then picked up a piece for Qin Huairu, who ate it in small bites, her eyes lighting up: "Delicious! Even better than the food served at banquets in our village!"

"Of course!" He Yuzhu said proudly, "This is my specialty, a secret recipe!"

Then, one dish after another was served. The Four Happiness Meatballs were rich in meaty aroma, the steamed fish was incredibly tender, and the Kung Pao Chicken was spicy and flavorful... Every dish was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, showing that He Yuzhu had truly put his heart into it.

"Brother Zhu, your skills are amazing!" Chen Yu exclaimed sincerely.

"Not bad, not bad," He Yuzhu said modestly, but his face beamed with joy. "On the wedding day, I guarantee all the guests will be satisfied!"

Halfway through the food tasting, there was a knock on the courtyard gate. Chen Yu went to open it, and Liu Yuhua and a strange man were standing outside.

"Sister Liu? What brings you here?" Chen Yu asked in surprise.

"I heard you were doing a food tasting today, so I came to mooch a meal," Liu Yuhua said with a smile, pointing to the man next to her, "This is my husband, Wang Jianjun, who works at the Mechanical Research Institute."

"Hello, Brother Wang, please come in!" Chen Yu quickly ushered the two in.

Wang Jianjun, in his early thirties, wore glasses and had a refined appearance. He carried two bottles of wine: "I heard Comrade Chen Yu is getting married, this is just a small token of my appreciation."

"Brother Wang, you're too kind. Please have a seat."

The courtyard suddenly became even more lively. He Yuzhu added two more dishes, and everyone sat around a table, eating and chatting.

"Xiao Chen, has the study trip to Shanghai been finalized?" Liu Yuhua asked.

"It's settled, we'll leave on the 5th of next month," Chen Yu said. "The only problem is the time is a bit tight; we have to leave on the third day after the wedding."

"Three months is not a short time, but it's a rare opportunity." Wang Jianjun pushed up his glasses. "The technology of the Shanghai Machinery Plant is leading in China, especially the German equipment they recently introduced. There are many things we can learn from it."

"Does Brother Wang know a lot about machinery?"

"I know a little bit," Wang Jianjun said modestly. "I work in mechanical design at the research institute. Xiao Chen, I've seen your waste utilization plan; the idea is excellent. When you get to Shanghai, you can focus on their automated sorting system."

The two talked about technology and found themselves getting along very well. Chen Yu discovered that Wang Jianjun was knowledgeable and open-minded, unlike most technical personnel of this era who were conservative.

"By the way," Wang Jianjun suddenly lowered his voice, "Xiao Chen, have you ever heard of the 'Spirit Pattern Pocket Watch'?"

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive: "What Brother Wang is saying?"

"A special kind of pocket watch with intricate patterns on the dial, said to have been made by ancient craftsmen using a special technique," Wang Jianjun said. "I saw relevant records in the research institute's archives, which said that some Taoist masters during the Ming and Qing dynasties would make this kind of pocket watch to... well, how should I put it, to record some special information."

"Brother Wang, have you ever seen a pocket watch like this before?"

"I've never seen the actual items, but I've seen photos," Wang Jianjun recalled. "Three years ago, the institute received a batch of confiscated cultural relics, including several pocket watches like these. I studied them at the time; the patterns were extremely intricate, unlike anything that could be carved by hand. Later, the relics were taken away by higher authorities, and their whereabouts are unknown."

Chen Yu's heart raced. So the spirit-patterned pocket watch already had official records!

"Brother Wang, do those patterns have any special meaning?"

"I don't know," Wang Jianjun shook his head, "but I speculate that it might be a special encoding method, like a password. If we can crack it, we might discover some secrets."

Chen Yu silently noted down this information. It seemed that the secret of the spirit-patterned pocket watch was more complicated than he had imagined.

After the meal, Liu Yuhua and Wang Jianjun said their goodbyes and left. He Yuzhu and his apprentices also went back after cleaning up the kitchen, and the courtyard became quiet.

Qin Huairu was a little tired and went back to her room for a nap. Chen Yu, on the other hand, entered the small world to prepare to draw some new talismans.

With the clues provided by Wang Jianjun, he gained a new understanding of the spirit-patterned pocket watch. If those patterns were indeed some kind of code, perhaps it could be deciphered using knowledge of array formations.

He placed the three pocket watches side by side beside the spiritual spring and carefully observed them using his spiritual eye technique. This time, he no longer just looked at the shape of the patterns, but tried to analyze them using the array formation knowledge he had just learned.

"Qian position... Kun position... these are the eight trigrams..." Chen Yu murmured to himself, his fingers tracing the shapes in the air.

Gradually, he discovered that the patterns on the three pocket watches were actually three different fragments of an array. Individually, they were meaningless, but when combined, they formed a complete "Nine Palaces Spirit Locking Array"!

"The Nine Palaces Spirit Locking Array...this is a sealing array." Chen Yu recalled based on his initial understanding of array formations, "It's used to seal important items or...spatial entrances!"

His heart raced. If the entrance to the secret vault was sealed by the Nine Palaces Spirit Locking Array, then midnight on the Double Ninth Festival would be the time when the array's power was at its weakest. Boss Li and his team might be able to force open the entrance with explosives, but it would likely damage the contents inside.

"No, we have to open it the right way," Chen Yu thought to himself.

He attempted to activate the three pocket watches with spiritual energy. As the energy was injected, the patterns on the watches lit up sequentially, projecting three light screens into the air. The light screens slowly rotated, eventually overlapping to form a complete three-dimensional map—a diagram of the internal structure of the Fragrant Mountain Secret Vault!

The map meticulously marked every room, every passage, and even the location of mechanisms. Chen Yu saw that the secret vault had three levels: the first level was a regular storage room containing gold and silver jewelry; the second level was a study and alchemy room containing books and elixirs; and the third level was the core secret chamber, which required a special method to open.

"The legacy of Xuanzhen Daoist should be on the third level." Chen Yu carefully noted down the details on the map.

Just then, Pseudo-Man Number One sent a message: "Master, something has happened to Zhao Tieying."

"What happened?"

"When he went to his friend at the mine to get explosives, he was targeted by members of the Hongmen. There were five of them. Although Zhao Tieying escaped, he was injured and is now hiding in a cave in Xishan."

Chen Yu's heart tightened: "Is the injury serious?"

"He was stabbed in the left arm and lost a lot of blood, but his life is not in danger for the time being. His three fellow disciples have already rushed over."

"Tell them the exact location, and I'll be right there," Chen Yu decided immediately.

After exiting the small world, Chen Yu told Qin Huairu that he needed to go to the factory and hurriedly left. He found a quiet spot and took out his bicycle from the system space—it was a permanent license plate he had bought a few days ago with industrial coupons, and it came in handy.

He cycled westward, his speed increasing once he left the city. Xishan was about thirty li (approximately 15 kilometers) from the city, and Chen Yu reached the foot of the mountain in less than an hour.

Following the directions provided by Fake Man No. 1, he found the cave. The entrance was hidden by vines. Chen Yu cautiously observed his surroundings and, after confirming that no one was following him, he pushed aside the vines and went inside.

The cave wasn't deep, only about three zhang (approximately 10 meters). Zhao Tieying leaned against the cave wall, his face pale, his left arm simply bandaged with a strip of cloth, blood already seeping out. His three fellow disciples stood around him, and when they saw Chen Yu enter, they all stood up warily.

"We're on the same side," Zhao Tieying said weakly.

Chen Yu strode over and examined the wound. The cut was deep, penetrating the muscle, but fortunately, it hadn't damaged an artery. He immediately pulled a small porcelain bottle from his pocket—it contained a hemostatic and tissue-regenerating powder.

"Bear with it." Chen Yu sprinkled the medicine powder on the wound.

When the powder came into contact with the wound, Zhao Tieying grimaced in pain, but the bleeding stopped quickly, and a cooling sensation followed.

"This medicine... is amazing." Zhao Tieying exclaimed in surprise.

"It's specially made." Chen Yu didn't explain further, and took out another Qi-Nourishing Pill. "Eat this to restore your strength."

Zhao Tieying took the pill and swallowed it. He immediately felt a warm current flow through his body and his spirits improved a lot.

"What happened?" Chen Yu asked.

"I was too careless," Zhao Tieying said with shame. "When I went to find Old Wu to get the explosives, I didn't notice anyone following me. After I left the city, five of them surrounded me; they were all skilled fighters. I barely escaped with my life on the line..."

"Are they from the Hongmen?"

"Judging by their movements, they resemble them, but it's not Zhao Tiangang or Zhao Tianxiong. They must be their subordinates." Zhao Tieying gritted his teeth. "Chen Yu, I've been exposed. They'll definitely be on high alert now."

"It might not be a bad thing," Chen Yu pondered. "They'll think you're just here to investigate and don't know our real plan. Besides, you're injured, so they'll lower their guard."

"That explosive..."

"I'll figure out the explosives." Chen Yu already had an idea. "You and your men shouldn't show yourselves for the next few days. Focus on recovering from your injuries. Proceed as planned on Double Ninth Festival."

"But you're all alone..."

"I'm not alone." Chen Yu patted him on the shoulder. "Have you forgotten? I have my own way."

As Chen Yu left the cave, dusk was approaching. He rode his bicycle back to the city, his mind racing.

Explosives were a problem. After Zhao Tieying was exposed, the Hongmen would definitely keep a close eye on all channels that could obtain explosives. But he thought of another way—talismans.

Back in the small world, Chen Yu began his experiment. The intermediate-level talisman-making technique recorded a type of "explosive talisman," the principle of which was to compress a large amount of spiritual energy into the talisman paper, releasing it instantly upon activation to produce an explosive effect. Although its power was not as great as explosives, it was superior in its concealment and could be activated remotely.

He attempted to draw his first explosive talisman. He chose the thickest yellow paper and mixed a small amount of saltpeter powder into the cinnabar—he bought it from a pharmacy under the pretense of preparing medicine. The drawing process required extremely precise control of spiritual energy; the slightest mistake would ruin everything.

The first attempt failed. The talisman spontaneously combusted.

The second attempt failed. The spiritual energy spiraled out of control, and the talisman shattered into pieces.

The third attempt barely took shape, but its power was too weak.

Undeterred, Chen Yu continued his attempts. He adjusted the ratio of cinnabar and saltpeter, improved the rune structure, and finally succeeded in drawing a qualified Explosion Rune on his seventh try.

The patterns on the talisman were dark red, with faint flickering flames. Chen Yu carefully placed it at a distance and activated it remotely using his spiritual energy.

With a muffled "Boom!", the talisman exploded, its power equivalent to a firecracker, creating a small crater in the ground.

"Not powerful enough..." Chen Yu frowned. At least ten of these explosive talismans would need to detonate simultaneously to achieve the desired disruptive effect.

He continued drawing. One night, he exhausted all the materials and finally obtained fifteen Explosion Talismans. Five talismans were connected in a group with thin thread and could be activated simultaneously.

"That should be enough." Chen Yu put the talisman away.

It was three in the morning when he exited the small world. He tiptoed into bed, and Qin Huairu turned over in her sleep, murmuring, "Chen Yu...you're back..."

"Okay, go to sleep." Chen Yu gently hugged her.

The next morning, Chen Yu was awakened by a noise in the yard. When he got up, he saw that Zhang Xiulan had arrived, carrying a basket of eggs.

"Aunt Zhang, what brings you here?" Chen Yu hurriedly went out to greet her.

"I heard Huai Ru is pregnant, so I saved up some eggs to help her recover," Zhang Xiulan said, handing the basket to Chen Yu. "They're from our own chickens, so they're fresher than store-bought ones."

"Thank you so much, Aunt Zhang. Please come in and have a seat."

Qin Huairu also came out, and the two chatted about pregnancy, finding they had a lot in common. Zhang Xiulan, having given birth to three children, was experienced and gave Qin Huairu a lot of practical advice.

"Oh, right, Xiao Chen," Zhang Xiulan suddenly lowered her voice, "there's something I need to tell you. Yesterday, Jia Zhangshi came to the hospital to see Dongxu, and I overheard her asking the person in the next bed about you, asking about your specific departure time to Shanghai..."

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat: "Why is she asking about this?"

"I don't know, but she definitely doesn't have good intentions," Zhang Xiulan said worriedly. "Xiao Chen, you have to be extra careful. Jia Zhangshi is petty and holds grudges. You made her suffer before, and she will definitely find a chance to retaliate."

"I understand, thank you for reminding me, Aunt Zhang."

After seeing Zhang Xiulan off, Chen Yu fell into deep thought. It was no coincidence that Jia Zhangshi was inquiring about his itinerary at this time. Could she be connected to the Hongmen or the remnants of Boss Li's forces?

It seems the troubles with the courtyard houses are far from over.

But Chen Yu was not afraid. He would meet force with force and water with earth.

There are still four days until the Double Ninth Festival.

Four days from now, everything will be clear.

He had made all the necessary preparations.