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

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the gray-blue roof tiles of the courtyard house. Chen Yu stood by the window, his spiritual sense spreading out like a net, firmly locking onto the crouching figure on the opposite rooftop. The person wore a dark hat, the brim pulled low, and had a slender figure, like a night bird poised to take flight. The fluctuations of spiritual energy emanating from him were very faint; if Chen Yu hadn't already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining and possessed keen spiritual sense, he would have been almost completely unaware of it.

"As expected, he's a cultivator..." Chen Yu's eyes were icy. The fact that this person could follow him all the way from Guangzhou to Beijing and accurately locate his home meant that the Heavenly Dao Alliance's intelligence network was larger and deeper than he had anticipated.

The sharp pain in his right arm reminded him that it was not the right time to make a move. But the other party had already found his doorstep, and he could no longer stand idly by.

Chen Yu took a deep breath, made a hand seal with his left hand, and activated the Concealing Breath Technique to its maximum, making his entire aura disappear, as if he had merged with the night. He silently left the house, not through the main entrance, but around to the courtyard wall. He lightly touched the ground with his toes, braced his left hand on the top of the wall, and used the Lightness Technique to float up to the roof like a falling leaf.

The person on the opposite rooftop seemed to sense something and turned to look in Chen Yu's direction. But Chen Yu had already ducked down and hidden in the shadow of a roof ridge.

The distance was about fifteen zhang. Chen Yuling activated his eye technique, and through the darkness, he could see the man's face clearly—around forty years old, with a sallow complexion, a thin scar on his left cheek, and narrow eyes that gleamed with a cold light. His waist was bulging, presumably concealing a weapon.

"Qi Refinement Level 3." Chen Yu judged the opponent's cultivation level. In his prime, he could easily defeat such an opponent. But now, with his right arm severely injured and his spiritual energy circulation disrupted, his strength was reduced by at least 70%.

A direct confrontation would be too risky. Chen Yu thought for a moment, then took out the silver badge of the Ninth Bureau from his pocket. The badge gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and the Great Wall encircling the sword gave it a solemn and dignified appearance.

He held the badge in his left palm and slowly channeled his spiritual power into it—he didn't know if it would work, but he had to try.

The badge trembled slightly, emitting a peculiar fluctuation. The fluctuation was extremely faint, yet it carried an official and unquestionable aura of authority.

The person on the opposite rooftop visibly jolted, abruptly standing up with a look of surprise and uncertainty in their eyes. They had clearly sensed the fluctuations of the badge and recognized the origin of that aura.

Chen Yu emerged from the shadows, stood in the moonlight, and raised the badge in his left hand.

The two men stared at each other from a distance of fifteen zhang.

After a long while, the man slowly took a step back, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect typical of cultivators. Then he turned around, and with a few leaps, disappeared into the night.

gone.

Chen Yu breathed a sigh of relief, lowering his left hand; his palm was already soaked with sweat. The badge was indeed useful. As an official institution, the Ninth Bureau certainly held considerable influence in the cultivation world.

But this also means that the other party has confirmed his connection to the authorities. From now on, the Heavenly Alliance's actions will become more covert and insidious.

Back inside, Qin Huairu was still fast asleep. Chen Yu sat by the bed, looking at his wife's peaceful sleeping face, a strong urge to protect her welled up inside him. He gently smoothed the furrow between her brows, making a silent resolution.

The next morning, Chen Yu got up early. The pain in his right arm had lessened somewhat, and he could move his fingers slightly. Qin Huairu changed his dressing; under the bandage, the charred skin began to peel off, revealing tender new skin.

"You've recovered so quickly!" Qin Huairu said with delight. "You were so bad yesterday, and you're all better today."

"Maybe it's because of my special constitution." Chen Yu smiled. "Huai Ru, I need to go out today to take care of some things."

"Your injury..."

"It's alright, it's nearby."

After breakfast, Chen Yu went to the public phone booth at the entrance of the alley. He took out the business card Lin Wei had given him and dialed the number.

"Feed?" It was Lin Wei's voice.

"Director Lin, this is Chen Yu."

"Comrade Chen Yu, have you made up your mind?"

"Hmm." Chen Yu paused for a moment. "I agree to cooperate. But there are a few conditions."

"you say."

"First, protect my family. I need you to set up reliable security around the courtyard. These can't be ordinary people; they must be people capable of dealing with practitioners."

"Sure. The Ninth Bureau has a dedicated special operations team, which includes many cultivators."

"Secondly, my identity needs to be kept secret. In the research institute and in my daily life, I am still an ordinary technician, Chen Yu, and I cannot reveal my relationship with the Ninth Bureau."

"That's natural. Only a handful of people know the details of the collaboration."

"Third, I do not accept mandatory tasks. Before each operation, I need to know the specific details and have the right to choose whether to participate."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Lin Wei's voice came through: "Okay. But in return, if you choose not to participate in certain missions, the resources and intelligence support related to those missions will be reduced accordingly."

"Reasonable."

Are there any other conditions?

Chen Yu thought for a moment: "No, for the time being."

"Okay." Lin Wei's tone relaxed a bit. "Welcome to the team, Comrade Chen Yu. Someone will deliver the formal cooperation agreement to your home later. Also, we are aware of what happened to you last night."

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat: "You're monitoring me?"

"It's protective surveillance," Lin Wei said frankly. "From the moment you got off the plane, special agents have been protecting you in secret. The person last night is called 'Night Owl,' an outer member of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, skilled in tracking and spying. It was right for you to show your badge; after he goes back, the Heavenly Dao Alliance won't dare to make any rash moves for a while."

"Have you caught him?"

"No. Our people are only responsible for protecting you; they won't take the initiative to attack, so as not to alert the enemy." Lin Wei paused, "However, we have already tracked down Night Owl's whereabouts, and we can close in whenever needed."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yu had mixed feelings. On the one hand, official protection was indeed safer; on the other hand, the feeling of being constantly monitored was unpleasant.

Back at the courtyard house, He Yuzhu was chopping wood in the middle courtyard. Seeing Chen Yu return, he put down his axe: "Little Chen, someone was looking for you earlier, bringing you a file folder."

Chen Yu took the document; the envelope was ordinary and unsigned. He went back inside and opened it. Inside were a cooperation agreement, a booklet, and a key.

The agreement matched what was discussed over the phone, with additional clauses clarifying his rights and obligations. The booklet contained the internal regulations and contact information for the Ninth Bureau. The key was for a safe house located in a hutong (alley) in Xicheng District, intended as a refuge in emergencies.

Chen Yu signed the agreement and put the document bag away.

At noon, he entered the small world and began to cultivate the "True Technique of Separating Fire".

After the small world was upgraded to level 2, the spiritual energy concentration increased by 50%, and the time flow rate could be adjusted to twice that of the outside world. Chen Yu set the flow rate to 1.5 times—he needed time to recover, but he also needed to adapt to the changes in his body.

Sitting cross-legged beside the spiritual spring, Chen Yu swallowed a Spirit Nourishing Pill. The pill entered his stomach, transforming into warm medicinal power that spread throughout his limbs and bones. He circulated the *Tai Xuan Zhen Jing*, guiding the medicinal power to repair his injured meridians, especially his right arm.

One cycle, two cycles...

When the energy reached its ninth cycle, Chen Yu felt a strange tingling sensation in his right arm. Using his spiritual eye technique, he saw that the damaged muscle fibers were regenerating and connecting at a visible speed, and the tiny cracks in his bones were also healing.

"The combination of the Fire Spirit Root and the Spirit Nourishing Pill is indeed remarkably effective," Chen Yu thought with delight.

After his injuries had almost healed, he began to cultivate the first level of the "True Technique of Separating Fire": Separating Fire Body Protection.

According to the manual, the Fire Protection Technique requires drawing Fire Spiritual Power from the dantian, circulating it along specific meridians, and finally covering the entire body to form a thin yet resilient fire shield. This shield not only provides strong defense but can also deflect some fire-attribute attacks.

Chen Yu attempted to guide the fire elemental energy. His newly evolved fire elemental root possessed extremely strong control over fire-attribute spiritual energy, and he quickly completed the first cycle of circulation.

"Fire Protection, Condensate!"

With a low shout, a layer of pale golden light appeared on Chen Yu's body. The light was very faint, like a thin veil, but Chen Yu could feel the powerful defensive force contained within it. He stretched out his left hand and gently touched the shield. He felt a warm touch on his fingertips, but he wouldn't be burned—the Fire Protection only worked against external attacks.

"Success!" Chen Yu exclaimed with joy. Although he had only mastered it initially and the strength of the Fire Protection was still not high, it was already a good start.

He cultivated for another two hours, consolidating the protective fire within his body. When he exited the small world, only a little over an hour had passed in the outside world.

In the afternoon, Chen Yu went to the neighborhood office to complete the paperwork for his new house. Director Wang was very welcoming and handed him the keys to Xu Damao's two rooms: "Little Chen, the house has been cleaned, you can move in anytime. The rent is three yuan a month."

"Thank you, Director Wang."

"Don't mention it," Director Wang said in a low voice. "By the way, I heard you were injured? Is it serious?"

"It's not serious, it will get better with rest."

"That's good." Director Wang patted him on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work, you're the pride of our neighborhood."

After receiving the keys, Chen Yu went to see the new house. The house was in the west wing of the central courtyard, with two rooms totaling over thirty square meters, much more spacious than his current place. The house was already empty, with only a few pieces of old furniture. The windows faced south, providing excellent natural light. There was also a separate small kitchen, only a few square meters, but much more convenient than his current place.

"I'll move here once I'm healed," Chen Yu thought to himself. Having his own house would significantly improve his quality of life.

When Chen Yu returned to the courtyard house in the evening, he noticed that something was amiss. Several people were gathered at the entrance of the Jia family's house, and Jia Zhangshi was wailing and lamenting.

"My life is so miserable! My daughter-in-law is going to divorce me again! I can't live like this anymore!"

Chen Yu learned that Jia Dongxu's wife, Zhang Xiulan, had gone back to her parents' home that day and, upon returning, proposed separating the household—she demanded that Jia Dongxu and Jia Zhang live separately, otherwise she would truly divorce him.

"Dongxu, say something!" Jia Zhangshi grabbed her son. "Are you just going to stand by and watch your wife bully your mother like this?"

Jia Dongxu squatted by the door, head in his hands, silent. Zhang Xiulan stood beside him, her expression resolute: "Mom, I'm not bullying you. But we really can't live like this anymore. If you don't want to live separately, then Dongxu and I will move out and rent a place."

"Rent a house? Where will the money come from?" Jia Zhangshi screamed.

"I'm going out to work," Zhang Xiulan said. "I've inquired and the neighborhood office's clothing factory is hiring temporary workers. They pay 80 cents a day, which I can do."

The people in the courtyard were talking amongst themselves. Yi Zhonghai advised, "Sister-in-law, Xiulan has a point. There are many conflicts between you and your mother-in-law living together. It would be better for everyone if you lived separately."

Yan Bugui chimed in, "Yes, it's a good thing that Dongxu's wife is willing to go out to work and earn money."

He Yuzhu leaned closer to Chen Yu and whispered, "If you ask me, they should have broken up a long time ago. Who could stand Aunt Jia's temper?"

Chen Yu didn't reply. This was a family matter for the Jia family, and he didn't want to get involved.

After dinner, Chen Yu was reading in his room when there was a knock on the door. He opened it to find Zhang Xiulan.

"Xiao Chen, can your auntie say a few words to you?"

"Aunt Zhang, please come in."

Zhang Xiulan entered the house and sat down somewhat awkwardly: "Xiao Chen, I know I shouldn't trouble you, but I really have no one else to turn to."

"Aunt Zhang, please feel free to speak."

"It's like this..." Zhang Xiulan hesitated for a moment, "I want to borrow some money from you. It's not much, just fifty yuan. I want to move out with Dongxu, rent a small room, and buy some basic furniture. I'll definitely pay you back once I've earned some money working at the clothing factory."

Chen Yu looked at Zhang Xiulan. Although this elder hadn't been able to help him much over the years, she was, after all, an old friend of the original owner's mother, and was an upright and hardworking person.

"Aunt Zhang, is fifty yuan enough?" Chen Yu asked. "I need to pay for rent, furniture, and some living expenses."

"That's enough, that's enough," Zhang Xiulan quickly said. "The house doesn't need to be too nice, just livable. We can buy the furniture gradually."

Chen Yu thought for a moment, then took out the paper bag Yang Jianguo had given him from his pocket and counted out one hundred yuan: "Aunt Zhang, take this one hundred. Fifty isn't enough. Renting a place and paying a deposit and three months' rent upfront will cost several tens of yuan, and then there are some daily necessities to buy. There won't be much left."

Zhang Xiulan's eyes reddened: "Xiao Chen, this...this is too much..."

"Take this." Chen Yu stuffed the money into her hand. "Consider it my way of repaying you for taking care of my mother back then. There's no rush to pay it back; we can talk about it when you're better off."

Zhang Xiulan wiped her eyes: "Xiao Chen, thank you so much... Don't worry, I will definitely pay you back."

After seeing Zhang Xiulan off, Chen Yu felt a pang of emotion. Every family has its own troubles; if the Jia family was like this, weren't other families the same? All he could do was lend a hand within his means.

As night deepened, Chen Yu once again entered the small world to cultivate.

This time, he attempted to cultivate the second level of the "True Technique of Separating Fire": Separating Fire Transformation. This level requires the ability to condense the spiritual power of separating fire into various forms for use in attack or support.

Chen Yu first tried the simplest method, the Fire Separation Technique. His right hand was injured, so he could only use his left to form hand seals. The Fire Separation Technique surged from his dantian, flowing along the meridians of his left arm and condensing in his palm.

One attempt failed.

Two attempts, failed.

Three times... a wisp of crimson-gold flame appeared in his palm, but quickly dissipated.

Undeterred, Chen Yu continued to try. The time flow in the small world was 1.5 times that of the outside world, giving him ample time to practice.

After countless failures, finally, a foot-long crimson-gold fire arrow condensed in his palm! The arrow was solid, the tip was sharp, and it exuded a scorching aura.

"It's done!"

Chen Yu was overjoyed, but then he felt a huge drain on his spiritual energy. This rocket had consumed nearly ten percent of his spiritual energy.

He fired a flaming arrow, which flew out like a streak of light and struck a rock in the distance. "Boom!" The rock exploded, sending debris flying everywhere.

It's powerful, but it consumes a lot of energy. With his current spiritual energy reserves, he can only launch a maximum of ten rockets before running out.

"I still need to improve my cultivation level," Chen Yu thought to himself. The fourth level of Qi Refining was still too low.

Over the next few days, Chen Yu spent his days recuperating and spending time with his family in the courtyard, and his nights cultivating in his small world. His right arm injury healed at an astonishing rate; by the sixth day, he could remove the bandages and move normally. The new skin was pale red with fine flame-like patterns; it had not only fully recovered but also shown significant improvement in its resistance to high temperatures.

His cultivation of the "True Technique of Departing Fire" has also progressed. He can now maintain the Departing Fire Body Protection for half an hour, and its strength is sufficient to withstand ordinary sword and blade attacks. He has mastered two forms of Departing Fire Transformation: the Departing Fire Arrow and the Departing Fire Blade. Although he is not yet proficient, he already possesses practical combat capabilities.

That afternoon, Chen Yu was playing with his son in the yard when suddenly a thought struck him—someone else was coming.

He wasn't a cultivator, but an ordinary person, yet he carried an official air about him.

There was a knock on the courtyard gate. Chen Yu opened the door, and two middle-aged men in Zhongshan suits stood outside with serious expressions.

"Comrade Chen Yu?"

"it's me."

"We are from the Ninth Bureau's Special Operations Team." The leader showed his identification. "Director Lin requests your presence; there is an emergency."

Chen Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

What was bound to happen has finally happened.