Chapter Nineteen: Now That I Am Free, My Heart Unburdened, I Shall Spend the Years at Leisure

“What do I truly enjoy doing?” Chen Zhian asked himself quietly. Having been transported to this world and granted a second chance at life, he only wished to live more serenely, free from needless hardships.

Yet, Chen Shuijun, who had cared for him these past two years, seemed to be caught in the deepest of struggles.

“May I ask, General Iron Arm, the names inscribed on the Whale-Riding Stele are renowned—what realm of cultivation might they have reached?” he murmured.

The Iron Arm General answered without hesitation: “The sun and moon pass like grinding ants, and all things are transient! The movements of the sun and moon, the disappearance of all living things—each follows a natural law. The most straightforward of these laws is embodied in the nine celestial steles that descended from the heavens themselves.”

“Among them, the young and gifted enter the Tiger Cub Stele. Ascending its heights draws the gaze of the heavens, bestowing profound divine abilities.”

“Then there are those who attain the Jade Pavilion realm and aspire to become the mighty figures inscribed on the Whale-Riding Stele. Riding the whale, they ascend towards the clouds; treading the clouds, they grasp the workings of creation! Across the seven great nations and scores of minor states, as well as numerous mystical sects, there are many at the Jade Pavilion level. Yet those who have their names carved on the Whale-Riding Stele number but a hundred—these hundred are the Whale Riders, whose might needs no further explanation.”

At this, the Iron Arm General shook his head. “Chen Shuijun cares for you too much, wanting to shoulder all burdens alone, so you need not worry. But now that you have begun your cultivation and have already come of age, you should understand this: Without enduring hardships and facing persistent ailments, how can one ever develop wings to soar and master the celestial melodies?”

“Tiger Cub, Whale Rider…” Chen Zhian pressed his lips together, carefully digesting this knowledge.

“The General Mystic Purple has come to Southern Su Prefecture seeking an heirloom text from your father. Your father refuses to write it and even plans to go to the Suspended Heaven Capital, where countless eyes watch him and many seek to force his submission. I have been his neighbor for over a decade and know his nature—he cannot write the heirloom text, nor can he let go of your mother. Chen Zhian… if you remain in Southern Su Prefecture living a quiet commoner’s life, that’s one thing.”

“But if you wish to practice martial arts, if you desire to reach higher places, if you want to set foot in the Suspended Heaven Capital or venture into the vast world beyond, these hardships and persistent ailments must be faced.”

The Iron Arm General’s voice dropped low. The spring night breeze brushed over Chen Zhian, sending a chill through him.

Chen Zhian did not know why the Iron Arm General had come specially to tell him this. The general was his neighbor, and by his cultivation, naturally sensed Chen Zhian’s daily practice and rapid progress. This stirred a fondness for talent within him.

Unwilling to see Chen Zhian discover this truth only after advancing further—when the resulting confusion might cloud his judgment—the general had come in advance to share these troubling matters.

“The hundred Whale Riders of the realm…” Chen Zhian’s mind was filled with worry. “My poor father goes alone to the Suspended Heaven Capital seeking such people—is he not courting disaster?”

The Iron Arm General seemed to read his thoughts. “Your father’s life is not likely in danger. Li Yinxie is a remarkable woman, fierce and resolute. Both the Li family and the Si family, to which Si Yuanzhao belongs, know that if Chen Shuijun is killed, Li Yinxie will not survive alone.”

At once, Chen Zhian felt a growing respect and affection for his mother, whom he had never met.

“The wedding is set for September, less than half a year away. In six months, who knows how far my cultivation will have advanced, whether I can visit her in the capital and aid my poor father?”

He thought silently.

At the right moment, the Iron Arm General said, “I have old friends still in the Suspended Heaven Capital. Given these troubles, both your father and your mother must be exhausted. Now that you are grown, why not write your mother a letter? Perhaps it will bring clarity to her heart.”

Chen Zhian studied the Iron Arm General carefully, then bowed three times. “Chen Zhian thanks you, General. But may I ask… why do you wish to help me?”

The Iron Arm General turned away. “No other reason than this: I wish to. I have long since freed myself from the whirlpool of the Suspended Heaven Capital, living with open integrity and freedom. If I am willing to help you, do I need any other reason?”

In Chen Zhian’s eyes, the old general suddenly seemed immeasurably grand. He immediately entered his room, took out paper and brush, and wrote a letter.

The Iron Arm General blinked and stood aside, his back to Chen Zhian, a trace of bashfulness upon his face.

“This Chen Zhian does not yet know his own talent. Perhaps when he reaches the Divine Essence realm and becomes known on the Tiger Cub Stele, it will be too late to befriend him—better to make friends early.”

“I am old and frail, with no one among the younger generation but Haohao worthy to befriend. To associate with such a talented youth is surely no mistake,” he thought.

Chen Zhian finished the letter and carefully sealed it, then handed it to the general.

“Please deliver this letter to my mother, General Iron Arm.”

The general took the letter and noticed a scrap of paper alongside it.

“You wrote two?” he asked casually.

Chen Zhian answered sincerely, “General, today you have helped me greatly. Chen Zhian has no way to repay you. I suddenly recalled a phrase from an ancient text, fitting your character perfectly, so I wrote it down for you. Please do not disdain this humble verse.”

The Iron Arm General unfolded the paper and read a line:

“Now free of guilt, my heart unburdened, I live my years at will.”

It matched perfectly the way he had just described himself.

For a moment, the old general’s face flushed slightly. Looking at Chen Zhian’s earnest gaze, he coughed softly.

“These three lines of verse are well composed… Tomorrow, a close friend of mine will be heading to the Suspended Heaven Capital. I will entrust him with your letter; it should arrive within two or three days.”

Chen Zhian was astonished.

Southern Su Prefecture lay thousands of miles from the Suspended Heaven Capital. To send a letter in two or three days was truly remarkable.

As Chen Zhian marveled, the Iron Arm General added, “Now that you have some cultivation, your courage may have grown. Practitioners in Southern Su Prefecture often seek fierce beasts on Tiger Hill to hone their skills.”

“But for the next half month, do not leave the city. Qi Tianchong of West Penglai roams near Southern Su Prefecture—if you are unlucky enough to encounter his bandits, escaping with your life will be no easy matter.”

“Thank you for your concern, General. I will cultivate here within my courtyard and go nowhere else.”

Chen Zhian had drawn a portrait of Qi Tianchong, knowing him to be a ruthless man responsible for countless killings and arsons, yet never caught. Clearly a formidable foe, and best avoided.

The Iron Arm General took the letter and left without entering the room, stepping out of the courtyard and into the residence opposite his own.

“My neighbors are truly good people,” Chen Zhian thought with gratitude. Shen Haohao had gifted him two precious manuals, the Iron Arm General had come to reveal his father’s troubles, and even offered to help deliver the letter.

“Well then, tomorrow I shall prepare something nice for Shen Haohao,” he resolved.

***

Chen Zhian thought to himself, “Tomorrow I will go shopping and visit more apothecaries, to see if I can find seeds of those three medicinal plants.”

He planned carefully. The Kunlun Marsh was mysterious and extraordinary. If mature herbs still held vitality and were placed within the marsh, their efficacy would greatly amplify. Fresh vegetables like cabbage, greens, scallions, ginger, and garlic, when soaked there, would soon emit delightful aromas. This was Chen Zhian’s secret to preparing dishes that Shen Haohao praised highly—using the finest ingredients.

If the seeds of medicinal plants could be planted in the Kunlun Marsh, its orange-hued spiritual energy would nourish and transform them, making the seeds even rarer.

“If I can find the seeds of the Buddhist Armor, Qinan Leaf, and Golden Silk Lantern—the three herbs Xu Xiyue mentioned—and plant them in the marsh, they will grow stronger in just a few days. I need not wait for them to sprout; once taken out, who knows what marvels they will become.”

Chen Zhian’s thoughts were already set.

Among the sixty-seven herbs needed to refine the Cicada Molt Pill, nineteen were precious and rare, not sold in ordinary apothecaries.

In one shop, he inquired about “Royal Silkworm First Silk.” The shopkeeper said it was only produced in Tianshan Prefecture within the Greater Yu realm, but in very limited quantities. It was a vital ingredient in the rare Spring Fountain Pill, making it exorbitantly priced—three to four hundred taels of silver for just one qian in weight.

Just one herb carried such a staggering price, and Chen Zhian, still holding only about one hundred forty to fifty taels of gold, felt uncertain.

“If the seeds of the Buddhist Armor, Qinan Leaf, and Golden Silk Lantern truly survive in the Kunlun Marsh, I will then ask Xu Xiyue to help me find those nineteen herbs. She would surely be willing.”

“The Xu family has been in the herbal trade for two generations. Finding stable, high-quality sources or seeds of the same herbs is no easy task, but buying herbs through channels should not be difficult.”

“And that letter…”

Chen Zhian’s gaze grew firmer.

“I must cultivate faster, lest my poor father be beaten to a bloody retreat through the streets and I am unable to help.”

—

Suspended Heaven Capital, Li Family Mansion.

Li Qingran carried the letter into the back garden.

Through a crack in the artificial rockery, a distant mountain, cloaked in green beneath the rosy clouds, could be seen.

Mist rose from the pond beneath the rockery, wrapping the cool courtyard in a delicate veil.

The place was too quiet, with only one or two birdcalls breaking the silence.

The March rain came and went, washing the air clean and cool. The garden bloomed with many small flowers, their vibrant hues charming to behold.

Before these blossoms stood a woman clad in white, serene and aloof, framed by the flowers, the rockery, the pond at her feet, and the distant mountains beneath the clouds—a living painting.

“Auntie, a letter has arrived,” Li Qingran stepped forward, speaking softly.