Chapter 29: The Boy

The 298th year of the Liang Dynasty.

Lin Chen’s first year in this world.

Also another bountiful year for Poyang County.

Poyang County had enjoyed eight consecutive years of favorable weather and abundant harvests, and every household had surplus grain.

The New Year festivities were especially lively.

In Linhu Village, it was a tradition to worship the Lake God during the New Year; early that morning, all the villagers gathered at the ancestral hall, placing their prepared three sacrificial offerings and other offerings on the ground.

Inside the ancestral hall, incense smoke curled thickly.

In past years, boys like Lin Chen stood at the very back, but today the village chief pulled Lin Chen to the front, standing just behind the chief and a few village elders.

“Lin Chen, offer incense to the Lake God and our Linhu Village ancestors—may they bless your path in martial cultivation.”

The village chief handed Lin Chen the lit incense.

Lin Chen did not refuse; the village chief had already come to his home the night before to inform him he would represent the village’s younger generation in worshipping the Lake God.

“Today, Lin Chen, descendant of the Lin clan of this village, has entered the Jingshui Martial Hall to study martial arts. We beseech the Lake God and our Linhu Village ancestors to bless Lin Chen with smooth progress on his martial path.”

An elder recited the ritual text nearby; all villagers stood solemn, and Lin Chen did the same.

The sacrifice.

Was an extremely solemn affair.

Lin Chen, who had lived two lives, noticed a shared trait between his past world and this one: an intense reverence for sacrificial rites.

Sacrifice was not merely a ritual—it was a means of uniting hearts.

Clan sacrifices united the clan.

Village sacrifices united the villagers.

…

National sacrifices united the people of the state.

Having a village’s outstanding youth lead the sacrifice further stirred the ambition of other village boys.

Listening to the elder recite the ritual text and seeing the solemn expressions of the villagers, Lin Chen felt a pang of insight—no wonder, in his past life, so many wealthy men spent vast sums just to secure a single stick of incense in their ancestral hall.

It wasn’t just about face—it was the ultimate expression of returning home in glory and honoring one’s ancestors.

“Lin Chen, offer the incense!”

After the elder finished the ritual text, he smiled encouragingly at Lin Chen; Lin Chen nodded, bowed three times with the incense, then inserted it into the censer.

Feeling the gaze of the villagers behind him, even as a transmigrator, he was stirred by the atmosphere and silently vowed that if he ever achieved success in martial cultivation, he would repay the village within his means.

Among the crowd, the happiest were Lin Chen’s father and mother; the most conflicted was his grandfather, Lin Chaoyang.

Since the moneylender’s men had come last time, Grandfather Lin Chaoyang had rarely left the old house—but on such a vital occasion as New Year’s ancestral worship, he would not miss it.

Now, seeing Lin Chen standing at the front, his aged face flickered with momentary excitement, then gave way to regret and sorrow.

Had he supported Lin Chen’s martial studies back then, as a grandfather he would now have the right to stand at the very front, basking in others’ flattery.

But now, meeting the glances of surrounding villagers, he felt his old face burn with shame.

“Won’t Ming return yet?”

After the ancestral worship ended, Lin Chaoyang asked his eldest son.

“Father, Ming secured a job in the city after cultivating his vital energy; he wants to save up more money to afford next year’s martial hall tuition, so he won’t come home this year.”

Uncle Lin Hai explained: “Ming sent back one tael of silver through someone.”

“Let him stay away then.”

Lin Chaoyang waved his hand: “No need for the silver—I won’t starve. Tell him to be frugal in the city, and don’t harbor resentment toward his uncle. These past few years, your family has indeed owed old Third and his kin.”

Lin Hai quickly said: “Father, Ming won’t. No matter what, old Third is still his uncle.”

“Daughter-in-law, did you hear me?”

Lin Chaoyang trusted his eldest son’s words, but he doubted his daughter-in-law truly felt the same.

“Father, how could I resent my uncle?”

The eldest daughter-in-law looked awkward; Lin Chaoyang stared at her for a moment: “From start to finish, only your family has owed old Second and old Third—they’ve never wronged you. No matter what, ‘Shuang Mu’ can’t write two ‘Lin’ characters; Ming and Chen are still cousins. You must understand this.”

Seeing his daughter-in-law fall silent, Lin Chaoyang didn’t care whether she listened—he turned to his eldest son: “I’m tired. Help me home.”

Lin Chaoyang left; the villagers barely noticed, and even those who did would only sneer—it was all his own doing.

Lin Chen, of course, didn’t notice his grandfather had left; as the one who offered the first incense, many rituals still awaited him.

He had to cover the Lake God statue’s eyes with red cloth.

Covering the statue’s eyes allowed the Lake God, who had blessed the villagers for a year, to rest—during this time, he could visit every household to partake of the offerings.

Then, after the Lantern Festival next year, he would lift the cloth again, inviting the Lake God back into the lake to bless the villagers with smooth fishing in the coming year.

After completing the entire ritual, he returned home only at noon.

After hastily eating lunch, Lin Chen called Gu Fei, and the two began training on the back hill of the village.

Gu Fei practiced Warm Sun Fist; Lin Chen practiced Clear Wind Palm.

He dragged Gu Fei along to supervise him—prevent him from slacking off during the holiday. The martial path allowed no slack; if Gu Fei wanted to cultivate vital energy within two years, he must train hard and diligently.

【Clear Wind Palm: Not Yet Mastered (60/100)】

【Clear Wind Palm: Not Yet Mastered (61/100)】

…

…

After the New Year, the third day of the first lunar month.

Lin Chen did not accompany his parents to visit relatives—he stayed home to focus on training.

For other students who had entered the martial hall, visiting relatives during the Spring Festival meant receiving praise, satisfying youthful vanity.

Lin Chen knew he’d receive the same treatment if he visited relatives—but compared to that, he needed to seize this time to break through in Clear Wind Palm.

His instructor was right: if he couldn’t match others in realm, he had to compensate with Clear Wind Palm.

Looking at the progress bar for Clear Wind Palm, Lin Chen smiled.

After eight days of hard training, his Clear Wind Palm had finally reached mastery today.

【Clear Wind Palm: Mastered (1/200)】

With Clear Wind Palm mastered, Lin Chen clearly felt his strikes were sharper and more precise than before.

Now, one palm strike could send Gu Fei flying.

Without his vital energy panel, the progress of his martial techniques was now his daily motivation.

As for his martial realm, he remained at the First Opening.

Just as Lin Chen prepared to resume his usual training, a voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

“Little Chen, your classmates from the Martial Hall have come to see you.”

Lin Chen opened the door and saw the village chief leading several figures approaching his home.

“Lu Shidi, Zhao Shidi, Cheng Shidi… how did you all get here?”

Seeing Lu Yongfeng and the others, Lin Chen was surprised—they had actually come to Linhu Village, which caught him off guard.

“Lin Shixiong, we’re about to enter the martial hall. Once we’re in the county hall, training will be busy and we won’t have much time to gather. We all came from the Kehetown Martial Hall, so we thought we should meet up before we go.”

Zhao Jingchuan grinned—it was his idea, and Lu Yongfeng and Cheng Ying had readily agreed.

The three of them were easy to contact in town, but Lin Chen lived in the village; after discussion, they decided to make the trip to Linhu Village.

Lin Chen understood: fellow students from the same martial hall would strengthen bonds, ensuring mutual support in the county. This kind of regional solidarity was perfectly normal.

But why only Zhao Jingchuan and the other two? What about Xu Botao and Yan Dexing?

As if sensing Lin Chen’s confusion, Zhao Jingchuan sighed: “Xu Shidi and Yan Shidi didn’t get the Opening Elixir slots—they’re probably downcast, so we decided not to invite them.”

“Xu Shidi and Yan Shidi didn’t get the Opening Elixir slots?”

Lin Chen was astonished—were so many students cultivating vital energy this year? The competition must be fierce.

“Xu Shidi was found to have borrowed silver from a moneylender while at the martial hall; Yan Shidi was just one day late—the martial halls’ slots were already full.”

The village chief, who had been leading them, asked curiously: “Does the martial hall forbid students from borrowing money?”

“Village Chief Wang, normally the martial hall wouldn’t care—there were plenty of slots. But this year, slots were scarce. To the martial hall, if a student needs to borrow money even at the martial hall stage, he likely can’t afford the later martial expenses.” Zhao Jingchuan explained patiently.

“Luckily, Lin Shixiong cultivated vital energy early, or else…”

Cheng Ying added from behind, though he left the rest unsaid—the implication was clear: if Lin Chen had cultivated vital energy even a few days later, he might not have secured a slot.

Lin Chen smiled faintly and said nothing.

His own path to the Opening Elixir had been full of twists—he had no need to boast.

The village chief listened, his expression thoughtful.

PS: Thank you, Elder Yideng, for your ten-thousand-silver reward. Ten years now—you’ve followed every one of my books. Thank you! Keep reading!

(End of Chapter)