Free Web NovelChapter 44: Chapter 44: Offspring
Time passed uneventfully.
「The twelfth lunar month.」
Lately, Song Ying had been feeling drowsy and lethargic, so Chen Li called a physician to diagnose her.
After taking her pulse, the physician smiled. "Master Chen, please don’t worry. Your wife is fine. She’s pregnant."
Chen Li was taken aback for a moment, but his surprise quickly turned to joy.
Song Ying had previously been somewhat resistant to having children, but seeing how much Chen Li wanted them, she had been the one to suggest he take a concubine.
However, after Liu Yun joined the family—perhaps because her husband no longer always slept by her side—Song Ying had a change of heart, often taking the initiative to be intimate with Chen Li.
At that moment, Song Ying was reclining on the couch. Her face was a little pale, but her eyes held a hint of joy.
Chen Li walked to her side, took her hand, and sighed. "This must be hard on you. How are you feeling? Are you in any discomfort?"
"I’m alright. Just a bit lethargic, and I can’t stand the smell of greasy food," Song Ying said softly, a weary smile on her face.
「The 21st year of Yuan Jia.」
The new year had just passed.
Nan Xing, a maid Chen Li had recently bought, came running over, her face flushed and her voice trembling with irrepressible excitement. "Ma... Master! Madam Yun... she wasn’t feeling well, and the physician we called... he said... it’s a pregnancy pulse!"
Double happiness!
Chen Li was overjoyed. When he arrived at Liu Yun’s room, Song Ying was also there.
Song Ying smiled and said, "Sister Yun’s morning sickness is worse than mine. The vomiting is quite severe."
Chen Li turned to Liu Yun, his tone gentle. "You need to rest well too. Don’t do any chores for now. The most important thing is to take care of your body."
"Yes, Master."
Liu Yun quickly agreed, her voice barely a whisper. Chen Li’s concern put her heart at ease.
With both his wife and concubine pregnant, the maids had to take care of them.
The household chores, like feeding the livestock, couldn’t be neglected, so Chen Li hired two elderly women from the village to help out.
Both of them were Chen Li’s relatives, just distant ones.
Over the years, Chen Li had hired dozens of temporary workers during the busy farming seasons. He paid promptly and gave bonuses for good work, earning him a decent reputation in Lingxi. As a result, the two women worked quite diligently. freewebnøvel.com
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In the blink of an eye, the Dragon Boat Festival arrived.
On this day, Chen Li brought his third daughter to the family’s farmland.
Shouyue had just turned ten and could now begin her martial arts training.
"Yue’Er, both of your older brothers are training at the martial arts hall. Do you want to learn martial arts too?" Chen Li asked his daughter.
Chen Shouyue looked up with her small face and said earnestly, "If Father tells me to learn, then I will."
Chen Li sighed softly. His youngest daughter had been obedient since she was little, never causing him any worry. She did whatever he asked of her.
But this very obedience made Chen Li feel a little uneasy. "I will teach you a breathing technique, and you must practice it several times every day."
Chen Shouyue nodded. "Okay, Father."
Chen Li didn’t teach her the technique right away. Instead, he pointed to the freshly sprouted seedlings in the field and asked, "Look at these seedlings. What do they need to grow big?"
Shouyue thought for a moment, then said softly, "They need the Qi of Heaven and Earth. There is Yin and Yang Qi, and also the Five Elements Qi of the four seasons."
"That’s right."
Chen Li nodded. Shouyue had been learning to read and write from Song Ying since she was five, so her foundation was quite solid—unlike his two boys, Shouheng and Shouye.
In this world, whether it was the Martial Dao or Classical Studies, the theory of qi was the foundation.
Once one principle is understood, a hundred principles become clear.
After praising her, he continued, "People are the same way. To grow, we also need to absorb the Primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth. But this qi is invisible and intangible; we can’t absorb it directly, so we must convert it indirectly.
"The Five Grains Qi Storage Technique I’m teaching you today is a method for drawing the Qi of Heaven and Earth from the five grains. From now on, you will need to eat rice, millet, panicled millet, wheat, and soybeans. Then, you will circulate the Five Grains Qi Storage Technique to extract the Five Elements Qi from them and use it as the fuel to make you stronger."
Chen Li then explained the Entry-level Heart Method of the Five Grains Qi Storage Technique in the simplest terms possible, linking it to the principles of growth found in nature.
"The foundation of martial arts is like building a house. The deeper the foundation, the sturdier the house."
After teaching her the technique, Chen Li added, "The Inner Power Heart Method I’ve taught you is different from the External Skills your two brothers are learning. At first, you might not feel anything at all; it takes time to build up. But if you persist in calming your mind to practice every day, you will eventually reap the rewards."
Shouyue nodded, only half-understanding, and followed Chen Li back home.
After eating the five grains for lunch, she sat on a meditation cushion with a serious expression on her face.
She practiced for a full hour.
When she got up, she was so unsteady on her feet she could barely stand.
Seeing his youngest daughter’s diligence, Chen Li couldn’t help but remind her, "You need to balance exertion with rest. For the first three months, meditate for fifteen minutes at a time, then take a break."
On the seventh day of Shouyue’s training, the system, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly chimed with a notification.
[Second son Chen Shouye has advanced in the Martial Dao to Marrow Refining. Reward: Immovable Vajra Bright King Technique.]
Hearing the system’s notification, Chen Li was stunned.
It had only been a year and a half since Shouye became an apprentice, and he’d already reached Marrow Refining.
It had taken Shouheng a full two and a half years to succeed.
His progress was astonishingly fast.
He extracted the Immovable Vajra Bright King Technique from the system, and a sheepskin scroll appeared in his hand.
He read it over carefully, and understanding dawned.
This Inner Qi Heart Method was an incredibly profound and esoteric Horizontal Internal Qi Cultivation Method. It could form a layer of Protective Gang Qi around the user’s body, making them impervious to blades and spears, and resistant to fire and water. It also contained the True Meaning of Demon Suppression from the Buddhist Sect’s Immovable Bright King, which had a powerful suppressive effect on demonic entities and yin qi.
It was an advanced Cultivation Method perfectly tailor-made for Shouye.
Chen Li was already cultivating the Five Grains Qi Storage Technique, so there was no need for him to switch.
「Several days later.」
Chen Li brought the Cultivation Technique to the county town.
This time, he didn’t go directly to the Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall, but instead summoned Shouye to an inn.
After breaking through to the Marrow Refining Realm, Shouye’s presence felt much more stable. His gaze was sharper, and the fierce glint in his eyes had been tempered.
Seeing his father, Shouye took the initiative to tell him, "Father, I’ve reached Marrow Refining."
Chen Li nodded, as this was precisely why he had come. "After reaching Marrow Refining, has Master Li taught you any other Cultivation Techniques?"
"No." Chen Shouye shook his head. "Master said that the Iron Mountain Lean technique is enough for us to cultivate to the Qi Realm."
Unlike his initial ignorance, Chen Li now understood a lot about External Cultivation Methods.
The three martial arts halls in the county town taught mainly fist and foot techniques, supplemented by Pile Skills. As long as one was willing to work hard, it wasn’t difficult to cultivate to Huajin, or even break through to Marrow Refining.
But once one reached the Marrow Refining stage, the differences would become apparent.
The Marrow Refining Realm could be roughly divided into four minor realms: Entry-level, Minor Achievement, Great Success, and Perfection.
Entry-level requires one to generate marrow, stimulate its activity, and enhance its nature.
Minor Achievement requires one to fill the marrow, with qi and blood flowing back to replenish it.
Great Success requires Bone Marrow Transformation, replacing the old marrow with new and completely renewing it.
Perfection requires "marrow humming," where the bone marrow reaches its peak and resonates in harmony with the entire body.
At this Realm, practicing fist and foot techniques offers no further assistance. Only Pile Skills and supplementary Medicinal Cuisine are effective.
To break through quickly, aside from natural talent, one needed better Pile Skills or better Medicinal Cuisine.
This was also why many martial artists would begin to roam the Jianghu upon reaching Marrow Refining.
The title of a so-called "third-rate expert" was just an excuse. The real reason was a lack of money.
