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

On February 17th, a light spring rain fell in Hong Kong. Chen Yu stood on the balcony of his suite at the Peninsula Hotel, gazing at the misty scenery of Victoria Harbour shrouded in rain and fog, holding the still-warm Yao Guang Pearl in his hand. Last night, during his cultivation until midnight, he attempted to arrange the seven tokens in an array according to the Big Dipper's orientation, unexpectedly triggering a faint stellar power—though only a trace, it made his perception of the Xuanzhen Cave a little clearer.

"The cave is located in the mountainous area of ​​northern Guangdong, but its exact location still needs to be investigated on-site." Chen Yu put away the Yao Guang Pearl, feeling the cool, watery spiritual energy emanating from it. "But we can't let go of the clues in Hong Kong. That feng shui master..."

"System, check-in for today." He silently recited this in his mind amidst the pattering rain.

[Ding! Japanese visa successfully obtained]

[Received: HK$80, Basic Materials Mechanics Knowledge (small), 1964 Hong Kong Industrial Yearbook, Special Fiber Sample (Kevlar Prototype) × 100g]

His knowledge of materials mechanics was immediately put to use, and concepts such as stress-strain curves, fracture toughness, and fatigue strength were now in his mind. The industrial yearbook, a whopping five hundred pages thick, detailed the production capacity, technological level, and main products of various factories in Hong Kong. What surprised Chen Yu the most was the Kevlar fiber sample—a high-performance material that DuPont wouldn't officially launch until 1965, had appeared in the sign-in reward as an "experimental sample"!

"With this, the performance of the explosion-proof coating can be improved by a whole level." Chen Yu carefully put away the fiber sample. Although 100 grams is not much, it is enough to conduct formula experiments and find the optimal dosing ratio.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Lin Wanru's car arrived at the hotel to pick him up on time. Today, she was wearing a light gray business suit, which made her look even more capable: "Mr. Chen, the laboratory has prepared the raw materials and equipment. Zhang Min and the others worked overnight to prepare the experimental plan, and they are just waiting for you to come and finalize the formula."

The car drove towards Causeway Bay, rain streaks etched onto the windows. Lin Wanru handed over a folder: "These are the testing standards provided by Sir Zhou. His requirements are very strict: the coating thickness must not exceed 3 millimeters, the weight per square meter must not exceed 5 kilograms, it must be able to withstand direct fire from a 7.62mm rifle bullet at a distance of 100 meters, and it must also withstand the shockwave from a grenade exploding 3 meters away."

Chen Yu quickly flipped through the documents. These specifications were indeed demanding, almost impossible to achieve with the technology of 1964. But with Kevlar and the methods of cultivation...

"It's possible, but it will take time to optimize."

"Sir Zhou gave us a month," Lin Wanru said, "but it would be best if we could produce samples within three weeks, leaving a week for testing and adjustments. Mr. Chen, this order is very important to us—not only for profit, but also for entry into the high-end protective materials market."

"I see."

In the laboratory, Zhang Min and two other researchers were already busy. The experimental table was filled with various raw materials: epoxy resin, curing agent, toughening agent, filler, pigment... as well as several steel plate samples to be coated.

"Director Chen!" Zhang Min greeted him, her eyes behind her glasses bloodshot, clearly indicating she hadn't slept well the night before. "We adjusted the base formula according to your suggestion yesterday, but the viscosity is too high, making spraying difficult."

"let me see."

Chen Yu walked to the experimental table. He activated his Spiritual Eye Technique to observe the microstructure of the resin system. Sure enough, the toughening agent's molecular chains were too long, causing a significant increase in the system's viscosity. He thought for a moment, then took out a small bottle of his homemade "blending liquid"—a byproduct of alchemy that could improve material compatibility.

Add three drops of the mixing liquid and stir for five minutes. Then measure the viscosity again; it has decreased by 30%!

"What...what kind of additive is this?" Zhang Min asked in surprise.

"A surfactant, a rudimentary method from mainland China," Chen Yu said vaguely. "Now we're conducting fiber dispersion tests."

He took out a 10-gram sample of Kevlar fiber and cut it into short fibers 3 millimeters long. According to the knowledge of materials mechanics, the key to short fiber reinforcement is the interfacial bonding strength between the fiber and the matrix. He asked the researchers to prepare three sets of experiments: one set of direct mixing, one set of treating the fibers with a silane coupling agent, and one set of soaking the fibers in his specially made "miracle liquid".

The experimental results were surprising. In the direct mixing group, the fibers clumped together; in the silane-treated group, the dispersion was good but the interfacial bonding was only average; in the resin-immersed group, not only was the dispersion uniform, but the bonding strength between the fibers and the resin more than doubled!

"What are the ingredients of this elixir?" the young male researcher Wang Hao couldn't help but ask.

"Trade secret." Chen Yu smiled. "Alright, now let's finalize the basic formula: 100 parts epoxy resin, 35 parts curing agent, 15 parts toughening agent, 20 parts filler, 5 parts Kevlar fiber, and 0.5 parts liquid. Let's do a small-scale test first."

The laboratory was bustling with activity. Mixing, degassing, coating, curing... By noon, the first batch of samples was completed: five steel plates coated with a dark gray coating, with a thickness controlled at 2.8 millimeters.

"Now we'll conduct preliminary tests," Chen Yu said. "Wang Hao, test the hardness and adhesion. Zhang Min, conduct the impact resistance test. Xiao Li, prepare for the salt spray corrosion test."

Test results came out one after another: the hardness was up to standard, the adhesion was excellent, and the impact resistance was 20% higher than expected. However, the salt spray test revealed a problem—microbubbles appeared in the coating after 48 hours in a simulated marine environment.

"Chloride ion penetration." Chen Yu immediately saw the problem. "We need to add a barrier layer. Zhang Min, add 2% flaky mica powder to the formula, and make sure the particle size is uniform."

"Mica powder? That would increase viscosity..."

"Using the elixir to regulate it, no problem."

The optimization continued in the afternoon. Adding mica powder significantly improved the coating's barrier properties, but reduced its flexibility. Chen Yu then adjusted the toughening agent ratio, and after three iterations, finally found a balance.

By 6 PM, the fifth batch of sample tests was completed. All indicators met or even exceeded Sir Zhou's requirements!

"We did it!" Zhang Min excitedly took off her glasses to wipe them. "Director Chen, you're amazing! Our team spent three months researching and couldn't break through the technical bottleneck, but you solved it in just one day!"

"It's the result of everyone's joint efforts," Chen Yu said modestly. "However, this is just a small sample; we still need to conduct large-scale experiments to determine the production process."

Lin Wanru, who had been observing from the laboratory, stepped forward with admiration in her eyes: "Mr. Chen, you have surprised me once again. I will arrange for the samples to be sent for testing as soon as possible regarding Sir Zhou."

"It would be best to make several sets of comparative samples with different thicknesses and fiber contents," Chen Yu suggested. "Let Zhou's people do the testing themselves; the data will be more convincing."

That makes sense.

When Chen Yu left the lab, the rain had stopped. The Hong Kong night sky, washed clean by the rain, revealed sparse starlight. Chen Yu looked up at the sky, and the Big Dipper was faintly visible through the gaps in the clouds.

"Fake Man Number Seven," he communicated via telepathy, "what's going on today?"

"Master, Su Man went to that feng shui shop in Central twice today. The second time she went, she brought a wooden box that looked very heavy. Our people managed to get close and overheard snippets of her conversation with the feng shui master."

"What content?"

"The terms 'Seven Stars,' 'Spiritual Energy,' and 'Compass Positioning' were mentioned. The Feng Shui master seems to have an ancient compass that can sense special energy fluctuations. Su Man asked him to help locate something, but the Feng Shui master said it would only be accurate on a 'full moon night.'"

On the night of the full moon... Chen Yu's heart stirred. Today is February 17th, the moon is in its first quarter, and there are still eight days until the full moon.

"Continue to monitor, but be extremely careful. That feng shui master may not be an ordinary person."

"Understood. Also, Zheng Yurong returned from Macau this afternoon and immediately convened a meeting with the company's senior management upon arriving in Hong Kong. The details of the meeting are unknown, but Su Man was kept behind for a long talk afterward."

"understood."

Back at the Peninsula Hotel, Chen Yu didn't rest but instead entered his small world to continue studying the Seven Star Keys. The seven tokens had been nurtured in the spiritual spring for a whole day, strengthening their connection. When he activated all seven keys simultaneously, the Lingnan landscape painting appearing in the air was 30% clearer than yesterday, and the location of the light spot in the Xuanzhen Cave was also more precise.

"Northern Guangdong, the Lianshan County area..." Chen Yu calculated, referring to the Hong Kong map and his knowledge of astrology. "The exact location still needs to be investigated on-site. But before going, we must take care of things here in Hong Kong."

He took out a map of Hong Kong and marked several points on it: the Causeway Bay laboratory, Lin Wanru's Repulse Bay villa, the Hesheng Company's office building in Central, the location of the feng shui shop that Su Man went to...

"Master," the voice of Pseudo-Man No. 3 suddenly rang out, "There's an emergency. While we were keeping watch outside the feng shui shop, we spotted a suspicious person—a middle-aged Taoist priest, wearing a dark blue Taoist robe and carrying a yellow cloth bag. He entered the feng shui shop this afternoon and didn't come out until two hours later."

"A Taoist priest? What are his characteristics?"

"He was about fifty years old, tall and thin, with a goatee. Most notably, his left pupil was gray, as if he had cataracts, but his mobility was not affected at all."

A one-eyed Taoist priest? Chen Yu frowned. There really were Taoists in Hong Kong, and they might even be connected to Feng Shui masters.

Where did he go?

"After following him for a while, he boarded a ferry to Cheung Chau Island at Wan Chai Pier. Because of a sudden downpour, our people were unable to board the ferry."

Cheung Chau Island... Chen Yu noted down the name. Hong Kong has many outlying islands, and Cheung Chau is one of them, known for its fishermen and temples.

"Continue to monitor the feng shui shop. If the Taoist priest reappears, try to find out his background. But don't alert him; these people may have special abilities."

"Yes."

After disconnecting from the consciousness communication, Chen Yu fell into deep thought. The situation in Hong Kong was more complex than he had anticipated: in the business world, there was Sir Zhou's order and Zheng Yurong's hostility; in the metaphysical realm, feng shui masters and mysterious Taoist priests were involved; and in the shadows, Su Man coveted the Seven Star Key...

"We must speed things up," he decided. "First, we need to complete Sir Zhou's order to establish a solid financial foundation and a powerful backer. At the same time, we need to improve our own strength, at least to the late stage of Qi Refining, so that we can deal with any cultivators who might appear."

For the next three days, Chen Yu practically lived in the lab. The production process of the explosion-proof coating was gradually improved, scaling up from small samples to pilot production, and all performance indicators stabilized. Zhang Min's team was completely convinced of his abilities, not only because of his technical skills, but also because he always came up with forward-thinking ideas.

On February 20th, the first batch of official samples was completed. Lin Wanru personally delivered them to the testing range designated by Sir Zhou—a training base of the British Army stationed in Hong Kong, which Sir Zhou had borrowed through connections.

The test results were astonishing. The coated steel plate not only stopped rifle bullets but also withstood bursts of fire from a light machine gun. In grenade explosion tests, the coating demonstrated excellent energy absorption capabilities; the back steel plate only showed slight deformation with no fragments penetrating it.

Sir Zhou immediately approved the deal: "Let's go with this standard, 500 gallons, delivery by the end of the month. Wanru, the contract will be signed tomorrow, with a 50% prepayment."

"Thank you, Sir Zhou!"

That evening, Lin Wanru hosted a celebratory banquet at the Fook Lam Moon Restaurant. Besides the laboratory team, attendees included lawyers Fok King-leung and Lee Man-kit, as well as several friends from Hong Kong's business community. During the banquet, Chen Yu became the center of attention, with people constantly coming to toast him and inquire about technical details and potential collaborations.

"Mr. Chen is young and promising!" praised a building materials business owner. "Would you be interested in collaborating on the development of waterproof building materials? Hong Kong is humid, and the market demand is huge."

"We can consider it, but only after Sir Zhou's order is completed."

"I understand, this is my business card..."

Halfway through the banquet, Lin Wanru quietly said to Chen Yu, "Sir Zhou is very satisfied. He just told me privately that if you're willing, he can recommend you to join the Hong Kong Chinese Chamber of Commerce, which is full of elites from all walks of life."

"Thank you, Sir Zhou and General Manager Lin, for your guidance."

"You've proven yourself," Lin Wanru said, raising her glass. "Come on, let's toast to the success of our collaboration!"

At 10 p.m., Chen Yu returned to the hotel slightly tipsy. He had relaxed unusually today and had drunk a few glasses of red wine. However, his cultivator's constitution allowed him to sober up quickly, and the effects of the alcohol were neutralized by his spiritual energy.

Standing on the balcony, gazing at the Hong Kong night view, his thoughts drifted to the courtyard houses of Beijing. He calculated the time; Qin Huairu should have received his letter and remittance by now. The baby was due in two months...

"False Man Number One," he contacted the false man in Beijing via telepathic link, "how's the situation at the courtyard house?"

"Master, everything is normal in the courtyard. Ms. Qin Huairu is in good health and goes to the hospital for regular check-ups. Zhang Xiulan often comes to take care of her. Jia Dongxu has been demoted to an apprentice and is much more well-behaved in the workshop. Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong are still in detention; their case has not yet been decided."

"Okay, continue to look after them. Report any special circumstances immediately."

"Yes."

His business was starting in Hong Kong, but Beijing was his home. Chen Yu knew he would have to go back sooner or later, bringing with him enough power and resources to give Qin Huairu and their child the best life.

But before that, he must gather all the pieces of the puzzle: Hong Kong's commercial foundation, the inheritance of Xuanzhen Cave, and sufficient cultivation...

The road ahead is still long.

The following morning, Chen Yu received the contract and check from Lin Wanru—a 50% advance payment of HK$25,000 for Sir Zhou's order. Combined with his previous savings, he now had over HK$50,000, a considerable sum in Hong Kong in 1964.

In the afternoon, he went to HSBC Bank, opened a personal account, and handled deposit and remittance transactions. He wired HK$1,000 (approximately RMB 400) to the Beijing courtyard house, with the note: "All is well, don't worry. Work in Hong Kong is going smoothly, I'll wire again in March. Yu."

After leaving the bank, Chen Yu strolled around Central. This is Hong Kong's financial center, filled with bank employees in suits, lawyers carrying briefcases, and businessmen rushing about... the pace is breathtaking.

As he passed by an antique shop, he suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy! He activated his spiritual eye technique and discovered that the fluctuation came from an inconspicuous corner of the shop—there were several porcelain and bronze items displayed there, including a palm-sized bronze mirror with a Bagua pattern engraved on the back, which was emitting a faint spiritual light!

A magical artifact? Chen Yu's heart stirred, and he stepped into the shop.

The shop owner, an elderly gentleman wearing glasses, was examining an ancient coin with a magnifying glass. "Please feel free to look around, sir; these are all antiques."

"How much is this bronze mirror?" Chen Yu asked, pointing to the Bagua mirror.

"Good eye!" The shop owner put down the magnifying glass. "This is a ritual mirror used by Taoist priests in the mid-Qing Dynasty. The Bagua symbols on the back are engraved in relief, and the mirror surface is polished bronze. It's not expensive, eight hundred Hong Kong dollars."

Chen Yu picked up the bronze mirror and examined it closely. There were indeed faint traces of spiritual energy remaining in the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) engravings on the back of the mirror, but the surface had oxidized and become blurred, losing its original function. However, if it could be reforged with spiritual energy...

"five hundred."

"Seven hundred and fifty, that's the lowest I can get."

"Six hundred, sold."

After paying, Chen Yu put the bronze mirror into his pocket. Just as he stepped out of the shop, he saw someone standing across the street—it was Su Man! She was looking at him with a half-smile, clearly having witnessed the transaction.

"Mr. Chen also likes antiques?" Su Man walked over. "That Bagua mirror is in mediocre condition. I know a better seller."

"Just browsing," Chen Yu said casually.

"What a coincidence! I'm just about to visit a collector who has some nice Taoist ritual implements. Would Mr. Chen be interested in taking a look together?"

"I have something to do today, let's do it another day."

"That's a pity." Su Man didn't insist and handed over an invitation. "Next Wednesday is the Lantern Festival. Our company is hosting a banquet at the Treasure Pavilion. If Mr. Chen is available, you are welcome to attend. President Lin will also receive an invitation."

Chen Yu accepted the invitation, which read "Hesheng Trading Company Lantern Festival Dinner" in gold lettering, and the venue was the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, which was moored in Wan Chai.

"I'll consider it."

"We look forward to your visit." Su Man smiled and took her leave.

Watching her departing figure, Chen Yu's eyes turned slightly cold. The Treasure Pavilion, a famous floating restaurant in Hong Kong, was a gathering place for all sorts of people. This banquet was likely a trap.

But what's meant to happen will happen.

Chen Yu gripped the Bagua mirror in his arms, feeling its warm, smooth texture.

Whether in the business world or on the path of spiritual practice, one cannot avoid conflict.

Since that's the case, let's face it head-on.