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

At four o'clock in the afternoon on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Yu returned to Guangxiao Temple with his bicycle. The hem of his monk's robe was covered with mud, and his shoes were covered with a layer of dust. Monk Huijue was meditating by the ancient well. When he saw Chen Yu return in this state, a knowing look flashed in his eyes.

"You must be tired from your journey, Benefactor Chen." Huijue stood up and handed over a cup of hot tea. "The temple has prepared hot water; you may go and bathe and change your clothes first."

"Thank you, Master." Chen Yu did need to tidy himself up. The caves of Seven Star Crags, the dust on the road, and that thrilling escape had all left him covered in dust.

After bathing and changing into clean clothes, Chen Yu unfolded the animal skin drawing in the meditation room. Under the light, the lines drawn with cinnabar were still vivid, with seven red dots clearly marking the location of Seven Star Crags, and two blue dots located in the center of Star Lake and deep in Dinghu Mountain, respectively.

"System, sign in today." Although it was already evening, I couldn't miss signing in.

[Ding! Japanese visa successfully obtained]

[Received: 3 feet of Guangdong Province cloth ration coupons, basic cryptography knowledge (small), miniature magnifying glass, 8 yuan in cash]

Cryptographic knowledge and a magnifying glass arrived just in time. Chen Yu immediately used the knowledge package, and several methods for breaking classical ciphers appeared in his mind: rail fence cipher, Caesar shift, diagrammatic cipher, and so on. He picked up the magnifying glass and carefully observed the details on the animal hide diagram.

Under a magnifying glass, those seemingly random symbols and markings take on new meaning. Next to the blue dot in Xinghu Lake, three characters are written in extremely fine strokes: "Shuiyue Cave". Next to the blue dot in Dinghu Mountain is: "Yunmen Temple".

"Shuiyue Cave...Yunmen Temple..." Chen Yu recalled his understanding of Zhaoqing from his previous life. There was indeed a Qingyun Temple on Dinghu Mountain, but Yunmen Temple? Could it be an ancient name?

Upon closer inspection, there is a line of almost invisible small text at the bottom of the image: "Seven stars gather, two gates open. The moon waxes when it is full, and wanes when it is hidden."

These are clearly the conditions for entering the cave. Seven Stars Gather – Seven items need to be collected? Two Doors Open – Two entrances: Water Moon Cave and Cloud Gate Temple? Full Moon – Entry is only possible on a full moon night?

Chen Yu carefully put away the animal hide map and took out the black token. The token was cool to the touch and its surface was as smooth as a mirror, but when it was turned in the light, subtle starlight could be seen flowing inside—this was definitely not an ordinary material.

"Mysterious..." He stroked the ancient seal characters on the back, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, channeling a wisp of spiritual energy into the token.

"Buzz—" The token vibrated slightly, and a faint white light appeared on its surface. At the same time, Chen Yu felt that something inside the token seemed to have been activated, and a strange connection was formed between the token and the animal skin diagram.

He immediately brought the token close to the animal hide map. A miracle occurred—the seven red dots on the map lit up one by one, and the last two blue dots also began to flicker. But the flickering went out after a few seconds, as if the energy was insufficient.

"The token is one of the keys, but six other items are needed..." Chen Yu speculated. "The seven red dots correspond to seven tokens, and only after collecting them can the two entrances be activated."

This is no small task. But since Master Xuanzhen left behind a legacy, he probably wouldn't set an impossible task. Chen Yu decided to start with the token and study its other functions.

As evening fell, Pseudo-Man No. 7 relayed a message: "Master, the Dragon Seeking Society members have returned to Guangzhou. Of the five, Zhao Gang and Sun Xiaoliu sustained minor injuries and are being bandaged at the Shamian Clinic. Gu Wenyuan and Li Xiuzhen returned to the hotel, and Zhou Ming went to the post office to send a telegram."

"To whom should the telegram be sent?"

"The address is a university in Shanghai, but the specific recipient is unknown. Also..." Pseudo-Man No. 7 paused, "Our people in Zhaoqing reported that the group of men in black are also looking for a place to stay; they seem to be from Guangxi."

Guangxi? Chen Yu frowned. How did the secrets of Xuanzhen Cave get involved with forces in Guangxi?

"Continue to monitor them, but be more careful. These people are not to be trifled with."

"clear."

At dinner, Monk Huijue and Chen Yu sat facing each other in the dining hall. A simple vegetarian meal was laid out on the table: stir-fried bok choy, tofu casserole, and vegetarian stew. Huijue ladled a bowl of rice and handed it to Chen Yu, slowly beginning to speak:

"Benefactor Chen, a call came to the temple today from Beijing, looking for you."

"Beijing?" Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. "Who is it?"

"A woman surnamed Zhang said she was your neighbor in the courtyard. She left a message asking you to call the Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office back."

Zhang Xiulan? Chen Yu immediately thought of the woman in the courtyard house. She must have something important to say if she called.

After the meal, Chen Yu borrowed the temple's phone to call back to Beijing. After several transfers, he finally reached Zhang Xiulan.

"Xiaoyu? Is that you?" Zhang Xiulan's voice came through the telephone line, slightly distorted, but her anxiety was palpable.

"Aunt Zhang, it's me. What happened?"

"Something's happened to the Jia family!" Zhang Xiulan whispered. "Jia Dongxu's gotten into trouble at the factory again. He got into a fight and injured the workshop foreman's son! He's being held by security and might be fired!"

Chen Yu remained silent. He hadn't wanted to get involved in Jia Dongxu's matter, but Zhang Xiulan had specifically called...

"Aunt Zhang, what do you want me to do?"

"Xiaoyu, I know I shouldn't trouble you, but... the Jia family really has no one left. Jia Zhangshi only knows how to cry and make a scene, and it's no use me begging everywhere. You know a lot of people at the factory, could you... say a word?"

Chen Yu thought quickly. He did have some connections at the steel rolling mill: Director Li, Chief Engineer Zhang, and several leaders he'd met after transferring to the production department. But speaking up for Jia Dongxu...

"Aunt Zhang, I can ask about the situation, but I can't guarantee anything. Jia Dongxu has committed a serious offense this time, injuring a leader's family member; it's a grave matter."

"I understand, I understand! As long as I can keep my job... Xiaoyu, I'm begging you."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yu rubbed his temples. The trivial matters of the courtyard house were like an invisible thread, pulling him along even when he was thousands of miles away. But he had promised Zhang Xiulan he would help—in the original owner's memories, Zhang Xiulan had indeed helped him after his parents passed away, albeit to a limited extent, but the kindness was genuine.

"Fake Man Number One," he said through the consciousness connection, "check the latest situation at the Beijing Steel Rolling Mill, focusing on the Jia Dongxu fight incident."

"Yes, Master."

After finishing his business in Beijing, Chen Yu returned to his meditation room and began studying the list of raw materials that had arrived from Hong Kong. The materials sent by Lin Wanru had already reached the Guangzhou Shipyard laboratory, including several imported epoxy resins, special antibacterial agents, and samples of twelve different colors of pigments.

He needed to produce a yacht coating sample that would satisfy Lin Wanru within a month. This was not only a business deal, but also a springboard to Hong Kong.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Yu returned to the shipyard laboratory. Engineer Li excitedly greeted him as soon as he saw him:

"Engineer Chen, you're finally back! China Resources has been urging us several times, asking about the mass production progress of the anti-corrosion coating. And... these materials sent from Hong Kong, it breaks my heart to see them, they were all bought with foreign exchange!"

"Don't rush, Mr. Li, let's make a sample of the yacht coating first." Chen Yu started working.

With his basic pharmacist skills, he had become much more precise in controlling the proportions of ingredients. He activated his full spiritual vision to observe the dispersion of various additives in the epoxy resin. When he discovered that the antibacterial agent was incompatible with certain color pastes, he immediately adjusted the formula, adding his homemade mixing solution.

After a day's work, the first batch of twelve color samples was completed. Chen Yu tested the corrosion-accelerating talisman, and at the same time tested the resistance to biological adhesion—he placed the samples in a tank containing barnacle larvae and used the talisman to accelerate the growth process. Six hours later, a layer of small barnacles had adhered to the ordinary coating, while his sample surface remained smooth.

"The results exceeded expectations." Engineer Li's eyes lit up as he looked at the data. "Engineer Chen, if this formula were used on warships..."

"Let's focus on making good civilian products first." Chen Yu interrupted him. "Engineer Li, please contact Ms. Lin for me. The samples are ready to be viewed."

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Lin Wanru returned to Guangzhou. This time, she went directly to the shipyard laboratory, and her eyes lit up with surprise when she saw the twelve color samples.

"Mr. Chen is very efficient." She picked up a sea-blue sample and examined it against the light. "The gloss is excellent, and the color is accurate. What about the bio-adhesion test data?"

Chen Yu handed over the report. Lin Wanru read it carefully, paying particular attention to the antibacterial rate and adhesion data.

"Mr. Chen," she put down the report, looked directly at Chen Yu, "if I need a...special color, can you make it?"

"Special color?"

"The kind that's invisible at night," Lin Wanru said in a low voice. "Not pure black, but some kind of dark hue that blends into the sea at night."

Chen Yu understood. This color was indeed unlikely to be used on an ordinary yacht.

"It's technically feasible, but it requires coordination."

"I'll give you three days." Lin Wanru took an envelope from her handbag. "This is an extra five thousand Hong Kong dollars for color matching. After the sample is successful, the first batch of orders will be increased to one thousand square meters."

Chen Yu took the envelope: "Ms. Lin, are you in such a hurry?"

"Time is money, Mr. Chen should understand that," Lin Wanru smiled. "Also, regarding the trip to Hong Kong... I'll be back in Hong Kong early next month, and I can arrange for you to go there as a technical consultant. Are you interested?"

There are still more than twenty days until the beginning of next month. Chen Yu quickly calculated the time: process the coating orders, study the hide diagrams, arrange things in Beijing...

"I need to prepare."

"Of course." Lin Wanru handed over a ship ticket reservation form. "This is a reservation form for the 'Red Star' passenger ship, departing from Guangzhou on February 10th. If Mr. Chen decides to go, he can confirm three days in advance."

After seeing Lin Wanru off, Chen Yu stared at the ferry ticket reservation in his hand, lost in thought. The trip to Hong Kong was inevitable, but before leaving, he needed to make arrangements on the mainland.

First, there's the secret of the animal hide map. He needs to collect seven tokens, but currently only has the token. Where are the other six? Seven Star Rock has already been explored; the remaining clues...

"Yunmen Temple and Shuiyue Cave." Chen Yu decided to go to Dinghu Mountain first. If Yunmen Temple is indeed an ancient temple, it may have been renamed or abandoned by now, but the ruins should still exist.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Chen Yu set off again. This time he rented a sidecar motorcycle—motorcycles were still a rarity these days, but the shipyard had a cooperative relationship with them, so borrowing one wasn't difficult.

The distance from Guangzhou to Dinghu Mountain is about 80 kilometers, and the road conditions are better than those to Zhaoqing. We set off at 9:00 AM and arrived at the foot of Dinghu Mountain by noon.

Dinghu Mountain is one of the four famous mountains in Lingnan, renowned for its forests, waterfalls, and ancient temples. Chen Yu bought a ticket at the mountain gate for three cents, which came with a simple tourist map.

According to the markings on the animal skin map, Yunmen Temple should be located on the southwest side of the main peak. However, the tourist map only shows Qingyun Temple, Baiyun Temple, Yuelong Nunnery... but not Yunmen Temple.

He asked a local tour guide. The guide, an old man in his fifties, shook his head: "Yunmen Temple? Never heard of it. I did hear my grandfather mention that there was a 'Yunmen Zen Temple' on Dinghu Mountain in ancient times, but it was abandoned during the Ming Dynasty."

"Does the ruins still exist?"

"It is there, but it's hard to find. It's deep in the mountains, and the path has long been covered by vines." The old man sized up Chen Yu. "Young man, what are you doing at that deserted temple?"

"I studied history and am interested in ancient architecture."

"Oh... be careful, there are a lot of snakes there." The old man pointed in a direction, "Go down the small path behind Qingyun Temple, walk about five li. When you see three big banyan trees standing side by side, turn left, and walk another two li and you'll get there."

After thanking him, Chen Yu proceeded along the indicated route. The vegetation on Dinghu Mountain was much denser than that on Qixingyan Mountain; the primeval forest blocked out the sun, making it dark even at midday.

After walking for about an hour, they indeed saw three enormous banyan trees, their aerial roots like curtains and their canopies like canopies. Chen Yu turned left, passed through a bamboo forest, and an open space appeared ahead.

In the center of the open area, there are indeed temple ruins. The broken walls are covered with moss, the stone steps are shattered, and only a few stone pillars and half a wall remain of the main hall. However, judging from the scale of the foundation, this temple was once quite large.

Chen Yu activated his Spiritual Eye Technique and scanned the ruins. Soon, he discovered an anomaly on the back wall of the main hall ruins—there was a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy there, and the arrangement of the stones on the wall was strange, like... a hidden door.

He approached to examine it, gently tapping the stone wall with his hand. The sound was hollow! It was hollow behind!

It took some time to find the mechanism. Finally, at the base of a toppled stone pillar, Chen Yu discovered a groove whose shape perfectly matched the Xuan character token.

He took out the token and placed it into the slot.

"Click..." The sound of a mechanism turning came from inside the stone wall. Then, a stone slab slowly moved aside, revealing an opening just wide enough for one person to pass through.

The cave was pitch black, with a damp, musty smell emanating from it. Chen Yu lit his miner's lamp and carefully entered.

This is a downward-sloping stone staircase with about thirty steps. At the end is a stone chamber of about ten square meters. In the center of the chamber is a stone platform, on which sits a jade box—exactly the same as the one in Seven Star Crags!

This time, however, there were no array formations around the stone platform. Chen Yu carefully opened the jade box, inside which was a scroll of bamboo slips.

Unfold the bamboo slip; it bears inscriptions in ancient seal script: "The Records of Xuanzhen, Part Two." The contents contain advanced knowledge of alchemy, including the methods for refining several intermediate-level pill formulas, and... the incomplete recipe for the "Foundation Building Pill"!

Foundation Establishment Pill! Chen Yu's heart raced. This was the key pill for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Although the formula was incomplete, it gave him direction and hope.

At the end of the bamboo slip is a passage that reads: "Whoever obtains this scroll must collect the Seven Star Keys to enter the cave. The Seven Keys are scattered throughout Lingnan, each hidden to test one's abilities. The third scroll is hidden in the Water Moon Cave, and it can only be opened on the night of a full moon, with the first two scrolls in hand."

As expected! The token from Seven Star Crags is the first key, and the bamboo scroll here is a bonus reward for the second key. The third scroll is inside Water Moon Cave, but entry is only possible on a full moon night...

Chen Yu memorized the contents of the bamboo slip and stored it along with the jade box into his small world. As he left the stone chamber, he noticed a star map carved on the stone wall—among the seven stars of the Big Dipper, Dubhe and Merak were particularly bright, while the other five stars were dim.

"Is this hinting at the order of the keys?" Chen Yu guessed. The seven stars correspond to seven keys; he had obtained items related to Tian Shu (the token) and Tian Xuan (the bamboo slip). Next, he needed to find Tian Ji...

It was already 4 PM when Chen Yu left the Yunmen Temple ruins. He rode his motorcycle back to Guangzhou, lost in thought the whole way.

There are seven keys, and now there are two. The third volume of the Water Moon Cave requires a full moon night—the next full moon is the fifteenth of the first lunar month, nine days from now. He must complete all preparations within those nine days.

In addition, Lin Wanru's orders need to be fulfilled, the troubles in Beijing need to be resolved, and preparations for the trip to Hong Kong need to be made...

"System, I need to plan," Chen Yu muttered to himself.

As night fell, he returned to Guangxiao Temple. Abbot Huijue was waiting for him in the meditation room, his expression more solemn than usual.

"Benefactor Chen, several people came to the temple this afternoon to inquire about you," Huijue said. "They said they were from the Shanghai Geological Research Institute and asked if a young man named Chen Yu had stayed at the temple."

The Dragon Seekers have come knocking! Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat.

"What was the master's reply?"

"This old monk said there were many guests staying at the temple, but I can't remember exactly," Huijue paused, "but they probably didn't believe me, and they wandered around outside the temple for a long time before leaving. Benefactor Chen, you must be careful."

"Thank you for the reminder, Master." Chen Yu pondered. The fact that the Dragon Seeking Society could find Guangxiao Temple meant they had tracked him down. He couldn't stay here any longer.

On the morning of the seventh day of the first lunar month, Chen Yu packed his bags and left Guangxiao Temple. Before leaving, he gave Huijue a Qi-nourishing pill: "Master, this pill has the effect of strengthening the body, please keep it."

Huijue accepted the pill and clasped his hands together, saying, "Take care, Benefactor Chen. Guangxiao Temple welcomes you anytime if needed."

After leaving the temple, Chen Yu went to the post office and sent a telegram to Director Li of the Beijing Steel Rolling Mill, briefly explaining Jia Dongxu's situation and asking Director Li to help as appropriate—this was the best he could do for Zhang Xiulan.

He then returned to the guesthouse and began to devote himself to developing the special coating that Lin Wanru wanted. The mixing of the dark color required repeated experiments, and he spent three days finally completing the sample on the tenth day of the first lunar month.

Lin Wanru was very satisfied when she saw the sample: "This is the perfect color tone! Mr. Chen, you are a genius."

"I'm glad Ms. Lin is satisfied." Chen Yu handed over the formula and production process documents. "Following this process, mass production will be no problem."

"Okay, production for the first batch of orders will begin next week." Lin Wanru put away the documents. "So... Mr. Chen, have you made up your mind about the trip to Hong Kong?"

Looking at the boat ticket reservation in his hand, and thinking about the Water Moon Cave adventure on the night of the full moon on the fifteenth of the first lunar month, Chen Yu finally made his decision.

"I'll go. But regarding the timing... could it be postponed to February 15th?"

"Sure, I'll rearrange it." Lin Wanru readily agreed. "February 15th, 'Red Star,' first class. I'll pick you up at the pier."

After seeing Lin Wanru off, Chen Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Now, he had a month: to explore the Water Moon Cave on the fifteenth of the first lunar month, then continue searching for the other keys, while also preparing for his trip to Hong Kong.

But this month is destined to be anything but peaceful. The Dragon Seeking Society has its eye on him, the Men in Black may come knocking, and there are other competitors for the Xuanzhen Cave...

"Fake Man Number Seven," he commanded through his mind, "starting today, the three of you will take turns on guard duty, monitoring all suspicious individuals around the guesthouse."

"Yes, Master."

As evening fell, Chen Yu stood by the window of the guesthouse, gazing at the night view of Guangzhou. Amidst the myriad lights of the city, it was awakening from the languid state of the Spring Festival.

And he is about to embark on a new journey.

Water Moon Cave, Seven Star Key, Xuanzhen's Relics...

Hong Kong, yacht clubs, unknown business opportunities...

Courtyard houses, Qin Huairu, unfinished favors...

All the clues are intertwined into a web, and he is at the center of it.

Outside the window, the moon on the eleventh day of the first lunar month is almost full.

Nine days later, in the Water Moon Cave, everything will be revealed.