Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul.

"Yes, sir."

Li Chang'an stood up and walked out. He didn't take the matter too seriously. The Li family and the Lu family were both in East China, not far apart. There was no need to make it seem like a life-or-death separation; he could go back anytime he wanted.

……

……

The next morning.

Li Chang'an got up to practice his spiritual cultivation.

My luggage was packed last night—a small canvas bag containing a few changes of clothes and my meditation diary.

The eight-sided Han sword that Lu Jin gave him was not easy to carry around, so it was put in a long wooden box and wrapped in a layer of blue cloth.

Li Chang'an carried a canvas bag and a sword, went out to say goodbye to his family one by one, and then followed Lu Jin to the train station.

When going through security, Li Chang'an gave the sword to Lu Jin and put it into the sword pouch.

Upon entering the train station, Lu Jin bought two soft-seat tickets and boarded the train with Li Chang'an.

It wasn't the Spring Festival travel rush, so there weren't many people in the carriage. Li Chang'an sat by the window, watching the scenery outside recede into the distance.

Lu Jin was reading a newspaper she had bought on her way to the train station.

In this day and age, various news portals are already quite common, but they are still using 2G networks. Opening a website can take several minutes. Not only is the network speed slow, but in many places there is no network at all.

Therefore, even though Lu Jin was a very trendy old man, he could only pick up the newspaper again to read.

There is no high-speed rail yet, but the railway network in East China is very developed. It was also upgraded a month or two ago, and some sections can even reach 200 kilometers per hour. So, not long after, the train pulled into Suzhou Station.

The grandfather and grandson walked out of the station, where a black sedan was already parked.

The driver was a middle-aged man in his forties. When he saw Lu Jin come out, he quickly went up to her and took her luggage.

"Grandpa, Second Master sent me to fetch you!"

"Thank you for your help!"

Lu Jin nodded and opened the car door for Li Chang'an to get in first.

The car drove out of the station and through the streets of Suzhou.

Looking out the car window, Li Chang'an saw white-walled, black-tiled houses passing by on both sides, and willows along the riverbank just sprouting new buds, their branches drooping softly over the water.

After about thirty minutes, the car stopped in front of a large mansion; we had arrived at the Lu Family Compound.

The Lu Family Compound is in Gusu, the same Gusu that Murong Fu lived in.

Before Li Chang'an even got out of the car, he saw a large group of people standing at the gate. Most of them were elderly men with gray hair and children; there were very few middle-aged and young people.

Lu Jin's face darkened; he disliked ostentation and such things the most.

He opened the car door, got out with Li Chang'an, and said with a displeased expression:

"What are you doing? What are you doing piling them up at the door?"

A thin, gray-haired old man said with a smile, "Father, we heard you've taken on an apprentice, so we're just curious."

Another old man chimed in with a smile, "Yes, Uncle, after searching for so many years, we've finally found a suitable successor. We've come to take a look."

Lu Jin looked surprised: "How did you know I took on a disciple?"

When he went to the Li family, he didn't tell his family that he was going to take on a disciple; he only said that he was going to visit an old friend.

Only he, Li Chang'an, and some members of the Li family knew about this from beginning to end. How come it's become like everyone knows it as soon as he gets home?

Who leaked the information?

"That's what the old Celestial Master said," the thin old man said with a smile.

Li Chang'an: "..."

Lu Jin: "..."

How could you forget to open your mouth wide?

Lu Jin still remembers that once when he was chatting with Tian Jinzhong at Longhu Mountain, they talked about how Zhang Zhiwei had slapped him so hard that he cried back then at the Lu family compound.

Tian Jinzhong said that the old Celestial Master instructed Zhang Zhiwei not to publicize the matter.

Within two days, even the vegetable vendors on Longhu Mountain knew about it. Every time they met him, they would say that his apprentice had made something of himself, beating up a young master from a prestigious family who had made him cry, which had greatly angered the old Celestial Master.

Lu Jin was also furious. In any case, once something gets out of Zhang Da's mouth, it's no different from everyone knowing.

Li Chang'an couldn't help but chuckle. The old Celestial Master was so old, yet he still had such a temperament!

Perhaps this is what true nature is—a genuine love of sharing and an inability to keep secrets.

At this moment, all eyes were on him.

"Father, is this your new apprentice?"

The thin old man sized up Li Chang'an, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment before he nodded and exclaimed in admiration:

"His eyes are clear and bright, full of spirit and energy. This is not a quality that an ordinary child can possess."

"As expected of your uncle's disciple!" another old man laughed.

"How old are you? I wonder if you've reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet?"

“It looks to me like he’s already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Look at him standing there, rooted to the spot, completely still and unshakable. That shows he has a strong foundation!”

“My uncle searched for a disciple for decades before finally finding him. How could his foundation be anything but good? Look at his eyes, so clear and bright. Nowadays, kids are either too playful or have complicated minds. This child’s eyes are so bright and clear; you can tell he has a calm mind.”

The elderly men took turns praising Li Chang'an from head to toe.

Surrounded by so many people praising him, Li Chang'an felt a little uncomfortable.

The once calm lake of my heart was now rippling as if a handful of pebbles had been thrown in, giving rise to a multitude of thoughts.

These thoughts are a response to their praise.

This is undoubtedly a form of self-shaping.

Many children have gone through this kind of shaping.

Especially during holidays when elders gather together.

The children who are molded into this way either become precocious and adept at social skills, or they have limited self-expression and experience anxiety, etc.

Li Chang'an, in his intermediate state, witnessed the process of self-creation.

He could see clearly that all sorts of thoughts were mixed together, like a tangled mess, including shame, embarrassment, joy, excitement, vanity... These thoughts rose and fell, impacting his own consciousness, urging him to respond to the outside world.

Li Chang'an naturally wouldn't accept this kind of shaping, so he quickly began to suppress these thoughts and try to calm himself down.

At the entrance of the compound, after praising Li Chang'an, a group of elders all looked at him, anticipating his reaction.

Chapter 28 The Lu Family's Foundation

Faced with so much praise from elders, a normal person from a prominent family would stand up gracefully, clasp their hands in greeting, and say a few polite words such as "Seniors, you flatter me," "Seniors, you are too kind," and "This junior is so-so."

Then the elders would praise the child, saying, "This child knows how to behave."

But Li Chang'an was busy suppressing these thoughts and had no time to care about these social niceties.

He stood there, eyes downcast, expressionless.

To the Lu family, this behavior was undoubtedly extremely aloof.

A large group of our elders came all the way to the door to greet us, and instead of hurrying over to pay your respects to each of us, you just stood there like a wooden post, putting on airs.

Of course, they wouldn't hold a grudge against a child, but their enthusiasm had definitely diminished.

The elderly members of the Lu family exchanged glances, smiled, and looked away from Li Chang'an.

After everyone's gazes gradually dispersed, Li Chang'an keenly noticed a strange look in someone's eyes.

He followed the gaze and saw a black-haired boy holding the hand of a pink-haired girl at the edge of the crowd, staring blankly at him.

Seeing Li Chang'an looking over, the black-haired boy quickly looked away.

The pink-haired girl, however, stared intently at Li Chang'an with her big eyes, without flinching, as if she were sizing up a new playmate, unsure whether he would be fun or not.

At this age, with pink hair and hereditary blush... it must be Lu Linglong... Li Chang'an glanced at her, then looked away and focused his attention on himself.

He noticed something strange: the boy's gaze had stirred a deep joy within him.

What was different about the gaze of that black-haired boy compared to the gazes of others? Why did I feel a sense of joy...? Li Chang'an pondered to himself.

"Alright, alright, everyone disperse, disperse. The child is shy, and you're all making him feel awkward."

Lu Jin also noticed Li Chang'an's unusual behavior and worried that she might not be used to the scene, so she waved her hand to disperse the crowd.

After the old man gave the order, the crowd dispersed in twos and threes.

The black-haired boy also pulled the pink-haired girl back.

"Brother! Grandpa has taken on a new apprentice. Aren't you feeling a little pressured?"

The pink-haired little girl asked with a serious face, like a little adult.

"No way, that guy looks...really cool!" the black-haired boy said.

"What's so cool about that? They didn't even say hello."

The pink-haired girl wrinkled her nose, thinking that the new guy might be difficult to get along with.

"I think it's really cool," the black-haired boy laughed.

But he didn't explain why, because he knew his sister wouldn't understand anyway.

Because my younger sister is an outgoing person, although she is still young, she can handle any lively scene with ease.

He is not good at socializing and is an introverted person.

The scene of a large group of elders praising him was what he feared most.

He put himself in the other person's shoes and realized that if he were in that situation, he would definitely feel so awkward that he wouldn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

But that young man completely ignored the praise from those highly respected second and third grandfathers, and didn't even give them a second glance.

Isn't that cool?!

I wish I could be as carefree as him.

The black-haired boy thought to himself.

……

"Chang'an, this is your elders' way of welcoming you. You don't need to feel guilty."

Lu Jin thought Li Chang'an was not used to this situation, so she took his hand and said.

Li Chang'an nodded, offered no further explanation, and followed Lu Jin toward the gate.

Before entering, he looked up at the door.

The couplet on the pillars at the entrance of the Lu Family Compound reads:

An official has no fixed possessions, only a desire for truth. A family with a will has no use for gold.

This couplet perfectly reflects the Lu family's tradition.

Stepping into the courtyard, the view suddenly opened up before my eyes.

This is an extremely beautiful Suzhou-style garden. Winding paths lead to secluded spots, white walls and black tiles, craggy rockeries, clear pond water, and a beautiful view at every turn, with exquisite details everywhere.

It's not the kind of extravagant refinement, but rather a refined refinement that's just right—any more would be too much, and any less would be too little.

After entering the compound, Lu Jin led Li Chang'an to the ancestral hall deep within the compound.

There are two ancestral halls standing side by side here.

One is the Lu Clan Ancestral Hall.

One is a shrine with the Sanyi Gate.

They went to the Trinity Temple first.

The ancestral hall is not large, with blue brick flooring and an old wooden offering table placed against the wall in the center.

Dozens of memorial tablets stand on the offering table, with the one in the very center being the darkest in color. It reads: "The Spirit Tablet of the Late Master, the Great Immortal Zuo Gong, whose given name is Ruotong."

On both sides were the memorial tablets of all the fellow disciples, lined up in rows, as if they were still alive, standing beside their master.