[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback":3,"chapter-rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-20":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rising from Obscurity: My Martial Path Comeback",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2265855,4424,"Chapter 20: How Rare to Get Drunk in Life!","rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-20",20,"\u003Cp>Jiang the Provincial Graduate was a prominent figure from Linhu Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was also the most accomplished person recorded in Linhu Village’s chronicles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, ten years ago, Jiang’s entire family left Linhu Village, did not settle in Poyang City, but moved away entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen did not know where they went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were rumors in the village that Jiang’s family had relocated to Raozhou Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now, the village head told him a piece of news: when Jiang the Provincial Graduate moved his entire family, he had left one instruction—that if any outstanding young talent emerged in the village, they must inform him in Raozhou Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linhu Village was extremely far from Raozhou Prefecture; sending someone to deliver the message was clearly impossible, so the best method was to write a letter and entrust it to a postal courier to deliver to the Jiang household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village head asked him to write a letter to Jiang the Provincial Graduate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was considering whether to write this letter now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was pondering Jiang’s mindset when he made that remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it merely a polite, offhand comment made during the farewell of fellow villagers, or did he genuinely care about Linhu Village?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling that Jiang had not returned in ten years, and no member of his family had come back, Lin Chen judged it highly likely Jiang had only spoken empty formalities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a person’s attitude toward something changes with age, especially toward their hometown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, Jiang may have just spoken casually; now, after ten years, perhaps his attitude had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In youth, one curses the poverty of one’s hometown; in old age, one longs for a single clod of its soil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The older a person becomes, the more they yearn for their native land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang the Provincial Graduate was not yet old; according to Yu the Instructor, he was currently in the prime of his life as a ranked martial cultivator, so how his attitude might have changed was hard to gauge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang the Provincial Graduate…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin’s father, hearing his son’s words, fell silent for a moment; Jiang was not much older than he was, and he had personally known Jiang back in the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang’s ancestors fled famine to come to our village; by Jiang’s generation, it was only the third, and their family was never numerous. They rarely interacted with villagers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing his father’s words, Lin Chen became even more certain that Jiang’s remark had been nothing but empty formalities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t he know how rural life worked?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though outright exploitation or theft didn’t occur, households with fewer sons were inevitably bullied in the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it came to irrigation, they had to wait until families with more sons were served.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Added to that, they were outsiders—Jiang’s impression of the villagers could hardly have been good, so it was no surprise he left the moment he succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the free martial training offered to Linhu villagers, it was likely just a move by Jiang to cultivate his image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this analysis, if he wrote to Jiang, Jiang might offer him some help out of obligation to his earlier words—but only once, and nothing more after that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This letter should be saved for a critical moment; using it now would be wasteful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would not write to Jiang the Provincial Graduate for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At dawn, Lin Chen rose and began practicing fist forms in the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he had already cultivated essence, he would not slacken in his martial path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultivating essence was merely the entry point to martial cultivation; a long road lay ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he now grew complacent and grew lax in his cultivation, even with his destiny’s blessing, he would not go far on the martial path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin’s mother, seeing her son rise so early, wore a look of concern: “Chen’er, you’re dressed so lightly—won’t you catch a chill?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, I’ve cultivated essence now; my blood and qi are robust. This cold means nothing to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen smiled to reassure his mother; with his current blood and qi, even in deep winter he needed no cotton robe, let alone while practicing fist forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Lin Chen finished his practice, his father and older brother had also risen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Winter had arrived; all fishing boats had stopped venturing onto the lake, and villagers were idle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For families with sufficient grain stores, winter was a good season—a chance to rest for a month after a year of labor, until after the Lantern Festival next year, when the new cycle began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was a major day for the Lin family; although the village head would organize the banquet, Lin’s father still decided to buy a slab of pork from town, and Lin Liang accompanied him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When daylight broke, the village head organized villagers to carry tables and benches to the village’s threshing ground before the ancestral hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The winter sun was warm; when Lin Chen finished his practice and arrived at the ancestral hall, many elders sat basking in the sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin’s mother and the village women were busy washing and chopping vegetables; two large earthen stoves inside the hall burned fiercely, and the pork fat in the big pots emitted an enticing aroma. Many children stood by the stoves, sucking their fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You little rascals, get away quickly—you’ll get burned!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin’s mother thought for a moment, scooped out a large spoonful of the leftover pork cracklings from the pot, and handed them to the children; delighted, the children finally left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, Second Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen’er, you’ve finished your practice? Today you’re the guest of honor—go greet the visitors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Mother smiled and, seeing Lin’s mother carrying a basket of radishes, hurried over to help: “Sister-in-law, take it easy—let me carry that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen watched Second Mother’s eagerness with no resentment; he held a favorable opinion of her family, otherwise he wouldn’t have defended Lin Hui yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who were the visitors?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All were villagers—no outsiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mother had two uncles, but they lived far from Kehetown; the journey alone took five hours. With winter setting in, the banquet being hastily arranged and organized by the village, Lin’s mother had decided not to send Lin Liang to notify them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His grandfather and his uncle’s family did not come; after yesterday’s incident, they wouldn’t show up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What surprised Lin Chen was that Gu Fei was absent; upon asking Gu Fei’s father, he learned that two days ago, Gu Fei had left with her mother to visit her maternal grandfather’s home and wouldn’t return for several days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When villagers saw Lin Chen appear, they burst into praise again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Lin Chen enjoyed the compliments, but when he realized every movement of his was being watched, he grew uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even had to suppress the urge to pick his nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, the village head’s arrival saved him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village head, carrying incense and candles, led Lin Chen into the ancestral hall, first paying respects to the ancestors, then offering tribute to the Lake God; after completing the rituals, it was time to begin the feast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the guest of honor, Lin Chen didn’t need to go table to table to toast, but villagers kept coming to him to drink; by the end of the feast, even with his robust qi, he was drunk and collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he fell, dimly aware, Lin Chen thought he saw several village girls approaching to help him—but Second Mother blocked them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen’er’s drunk—Sister-in-law, take Chen’er home to rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Mother shouted loudly; Lin Chen only remembered vaguely hearing her murmur: “Hmph, these girls are sharp as knives. Our Chen’er has made something of himself—can’t let them latch on. Chen’er’s future bride must be a city girl.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How rare is it to get drunk in life!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, when Lin Chen awoke, pretending to still be drunk, he avoided returning to the feast and lay on his hard wooden bed; his mother had prepared him a hangover soup and clear congee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt no regret about being drunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martial cultivation was his pursuit, but the scenery along the way was equally beautiful—he was not a heartless training machine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His motivation to advance came not only from his pursuit of martial power and transcendence, and from changing his and his family’s fate, but also from the sense of achievement and vanity he gained along the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had to spend his life alone in deep mountains and wild forests, training endlessly until he reached the peak of martial cultivation, then instantly aged to death—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would never choose such a path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was not a pure martial fanatic who would die content upon hearing the Dao in the morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1456,"2026-06-19T20:25:56.550Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1b52a741641c43fcf50602a9d5a9751d667f1ace331d5083676af2f1bf3e47f7","rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-21","rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-19",591,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-cover.jpg"]