A Life of Attributes Starting as a Nobleman in the Republic of China Era

Master Jueyuan didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly. There was no doubt or comfort in his gaze, only a deep, almost compassionate calm—like someone who had already taken life and death lightly, waiting for another person to reach the same state.

Chen Che took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He looked at the words on the silk scroll again, reading them one by one, as if he were unraveling an extremely complex puzzle.

"Master Jueyuan," he looked up, "you said that someone has already tampered with those spirit-suppressing eyes. How many have been touched?"

"At least one."

"Which one?"

"Tian Shu," Master Jueyuan pointed to the map on the yellow silk, "is near Luoyang. Last month, the tremors in that area were even felt by the earth's veins here at Shaolin. The old monks in the temple said it was the first time in hundreds of years."

"shock?"

"The vibrations of the earth's veins. Ordinary people can't feel them, but those who have practiced internal energy can sense something moving underground." Master Jueyuan closed his eyes, as if recalling something. "That night, I was meditating in my meditation room when I suddenly felt a pulsation coming from underground. It was like something turning over underground."

He opened his eyes and looked at Chen Che: "The next day, I heard that something strange had happened in Luoyang—an ancient tomb at the foot of Mangshan Mountain collapsed, revealing a bottomless hole. The villagers nearby said that black smoke was coming out of the hole, and anyone who got close would feel dizzy and nauseous."

"That is..."

"That's what leaked out after the sealing eyes were destroyed." Master Jueyuan's voice was so calm it didn't sound like he was talking about something horrifying. "The seven sealing eyes set up by the Mohist school are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. If one is affected, the seals on the other six will also loosen. If all seven are opened—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Chen Che already knew the answer.

Chi You was resurrected, and the world was thrown into chaos.

"So, someone is looking for a way to open the Eye of the Suppressing Demon," Chen Che said slowly. "They first sent people to Shaolin Temple to try and steal the manuscript and map. They didn't succeed, but they already know that opening the Eye of the Suppressing Demon requires Shaolin's martial arts techniques."

Master Jueyuan nodded.

"So what will they do next—"

"Come find me," Master Jueyuan said, his tone as calm as if he were remarking on the weather. "Or find someone else in Shaolin who knows the techniques. It's clearly written in the notes that to unlock the Mo family's mechanisms, you need the internal energy circulation method of the Yi Jin Jing. There are no more than ten people in the world who know this method, and six of them are in Shaolin."

"Then why don't you pass on the cultivation technique to them?" Chen Che blurted out, then realized he had asked a stupid question.

Master Jueyuan looked at him, his gaze devoid of reproach, only letting out a soft sigh: "Do you know why the Mo family set up these seven 'suppressing eyes' back then? It wasn't to hide treasures, nor to leave a name, but to seal Chi You's remnant soul underground forever. These seven 'suppressing eyes' were the result of three generations of the Mo family's hard work, laid out based on the dragon veins of the world. Once opened, they can never be sealed back up."

He paused, his voice becoming exceptionally heavy: "If those people opened the Town Eye not to destroy Chi You's remnant soul—they wanted to use it."

"use?"

"Chi You's power is the strongest in the world. Whoever can control this power will be able to..." Master Jueyuan didn't finish his sentence, but simply pointed out the window.

Outside the window, the sky was gray and hazy, and a few gunshots could be faintly heard in the distance. It was unclear which warlord was fighting a tug-of-war in which direction.

Chen Che suddenly understood everything.

In these times, the world is already chaotic enough. Warlords are fighting each other across the land, and people are displaced, like a pot of water that has already boiled. If someone were to unleash the power of Chi You at this time—

That's not just adding fuel to the fire, that's smashing the whole pot.

"So," Chen Che said softly, "Mr. Xu sent me to Shaolin not just to learn how to open mechanical locks."

Master Jueyuan looked at him, and finally a hint of approval appeared in his eyes.

"Xu Mingyuan sent you here so that you can reinforce the seven key points before those people do. Your grandfather passed down the Mo family's mechanical arts to you. I can teach you Shaolin martial arts. Only by combining these two things can you reseal those places that have begun to loosen."

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Chen Che.

"But you need to think this through. This matter is far more dangerous than you imagine. Deep within those sealed eyes, there's not just the remnant soul of Chi You—there are also the traps and mechanisms set up by the Mohists, the stagnant energy of the earth's veins accumulated over thousands of years, and... some things that even I can't explain. Anyone who goes in, without sufficient internal energy to protect themselves, will at best have their meridians severed, and at worst..."

He didn't continue.

Chen Che sat on the futon, looking down at his outstretched hands. These hands had held pens and turned pages of books, but had never held swords or thrown a punch. He had never even practiced standing meditation, let alone cultivated internal energy.

but--

"Master Jueyuan," he looked up, "did my grandfather also come to Shaolin Temple back then?"

Master Jueyuan's back stiffened for a moment.

After a long silence, he slowly turned around. The light from the oil lamp shone on his face, making the scars appear even deeper, like cracks carved into wood.

"Your grandfather..." His voice suddenly became very soft, "...came by."

"Did he learn the Yi Jin Jing?"

"I've learned it."

"Then why didn't he finish that task?"

Master Jueyuan did not answer. He simply walked up to Chen Che, extended his uninjured hand, and placed it on Chen Che's shoulder. The hand was heavy, as heavy as if a stone were pressing down on it.

"Tomorrow," he said, "I'll take a look at your physique first."

He didn't answer Chen Che's question. But Chen Che noticed that when he said that, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes twitched slightly—an expression only an old man would make when he was desperately suppressing some emotion.

The meditation room quieted down, with only the occasional burst of light from the oil lamp, producing a soft crackling sound.

Master Jueyuan walked to the door and opened it. Morning light poured in, illuminating the dust in the room. The tiny particles floated in the light, like countless miniature worlds.

"The meditation room on the east side is empty, you can stay there for now." He turned to look at Chen Che, "Get a good rest today. Starting tomorrow, you won't have a good night's sleep anymore."

Chen Che carried his suitcase to the door, when he suddenly remembered something.

"Master Jueyuan, you still haven't told me—who exactly is the person behind this?"

Master Jueyuan stood in the morning light, his expression obscured by the backlight. He remained silent for a moment, then pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Che.

It was a torn page from a newspaper, dated two months ago. A short news item was circled in red:

"News from Beiping: Chen Gongxuan, a former Qing dynasty official, has recently been recruiting many retainers and is carrying out large-scale construction and excavation of antiquities at the former site of Jingyi Garden in Xiangshan. It is said that these artifacts are related to the relics of the Mohist school from the pre-Qin period."

Chen Xuan.

Chen Che stared at that name, his pupils suddenly contracting.

That was his uncle.

My grandfather's younger brother.

He had always believed that his uncle, who had been missing for over a decade, was his biological uncle.