Chapter 70: Joyful Reunion, and Then the Dawn (Second Bonus Chapter for Monthly Votes)

"Yunqi!"

Feng Jihu called out in delight, "When did you come back?"

"Just now, just now."

Feng Jihu hurriedly ushered the two into the small courtyard.

Inside, only a few stone paths wound through the grass and trees. They seated themselves around a stone table beneath a cotton tree.

Feng Jihu patted the white dog's head. "You left the sect and brought someone back with you, haha."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and asked first, "Brother Dao, you went south in search of fortune—did it go well?"

Feng Jihu nodded with a smile. "By sheer luck, I found an opportunity in Dianwen. At the foot of Cang Mountain, I beheld Erhai Lake and established a Water Residence. Everything went smoothly."

Cheng Xinzhan clasped his hands in congratulations. On the path of cultivation, to say "everything went smoothly" was no small feat.

Feng Jihu continued with a laugh, "Yunqi, it's been two years and you've grown taller again. When I first returned, Jiyuan told me you'd reached Six-Breath Fasting—I was very pleased."

"You missed quite a lot these past two years, Brother Dao," Cheng Xinzhan said with a smile.

"Indeed, I missed your fasting, and I missed Jiyuan establishing his Residence. By the way, do you remember what I said to you when we parted?"

Cheng Xinzhan certainly remembered. "You hoped that when you returned, I would have made some progress."

"That's right. So how goes your cultivation now? Six-Breath Fasting is impressive, but surely you haven't stopped there. Did your travels yield anything?"

Feng Jihu spoke like a true elder brother.

Cheng Xinzhan replied, "By luck, I too gained an opportunity and established my Heart Residence."

"Oh?" Feng Jihu's eyes lit up.

He Jiuyuan abruptly stood, leaning in close. "What? You left just once and already established your Heart Residence? But you've only been fasting for two years!"

Cheng Xinzhan repeated with a smile, "It was just luck."

"That's far too fast!" He Jiuyuan still found it hard to believe—it had taken him eight years to open his Residence.

"I haven't opened the Three Chambers, but went straight for the Fire Residence—just a fortuitous coincidence," Cheng Xinzhan explained, then added, "But my experience wasn't as smooth as Brother Jihu’s. I opened my Residence in the southern borderlands, in a place rich with earth-fire, but the miasma there was severe. It tainted my body, blocked some acupoints, and left me with hidden injuries."

He spoke half in jest, half in truth.

At this, both listeners' expressions changed.

"Hidden injuries—how can they be healed? Surely Master Sukongyu has examined you; what did he say?" Feng Jihu asked urgently, He Jiuyuan watching closely.

Cheng Xinzhan replied, "My master examined me and devised a way to resolve it: I must cultivate the art of Thunder, which counters such miasma. So, my next challenge is to open the Thunder Chamber."

He turned to He Jiuyuan and said with a laugh, "Brother He, through my master's introduction, I have apprenticed myself to Reverend Jianxian of the Northern Pole Division of Exorcism, to learn the ways of Thunder. From now on, we’ll both be cultivating the same Residence. You opened the Thunder Chamber early—I'll need your guidance."

At this, the two friends relaxed. He Jiuyuan laughed heartily. "Excellent, excellent. After court duties, we can still go drinking together!"

Speaking of drinking, Cheng Xinzhan remembered something. "Brothers, I made arrangements with some friends from Lantern Street upon my return. Tomorrow night, there’ll be a feast at the Capital Kitchen; you both must come."

They both readily agreed.

Cheng Xinzhan added, "Let me also inform you—having established my Heart Residence and formally become my master's disciple, I have received my Dao name: Xinzhan. From now on, address me as Xinzhan."

They nodded in approval, praising the name.

"I'm now living on Mingzhi Mountain. When you visit, come to the southern slope halfway up. There, by the cliff above the clouds, you’ll find a bamboo grove as green as a lake. In it is a deep pool, and beside the pool, a stone cave—that is my abode."

Cheng Xinzhan described where he lived, hoping they would visit.

They agreed, and Feng Jihu said, "I first opened my Wood Residence, Jiyuan his Water Residence, and Xinzhan your first was Fire—none of us the same! Why not share our experiences in opening the Residences, to learn from each other? And since Jiyuan has opened all Three Chambers, while I’ve only opened the Cloud Chamber and Xinzhan none, you, Jiyuan, should share more."

He Jiuyuan and Cheng Xinzhan agreed, and the three began their discussion, which lasted from day into night. When darkness fell, Feng Jihu lit a lamp, and the conversation continued until dawn.

At the beginning of the fourth hour, He Jiuyuan glanced at the sky. "Time for court," he said. "I only took one day’s leave. You two keep talking—after court, I’ll go straight to the Capital Kitchen for the feast."

He Jiuyuan left, leaving Feng Jihu and Cheng Xinzhan alone.

Suddenly, Feng Jihu asked, "Xinzhan, may I take your pulse?"

Cheng Xinzhan was startled, then fell silent.

Seeing this, Feng Jihu sighed. "I knew it. I also study medicine. If it were just miasma, Master Sukong would have cured you outright—why learn Thunder techniques? Even if you needed to, your master could have taught you. I suspect your acupoints are truly blocked, but not as few as you say, and not by ordinary miasma."

Cheng Xinzhan fell silent again.

"If you can speak of it, you may tell me," Feng Jihu said earnestly. "Though I am of shallow cultivation, I do know medicine. If I cannot cure you, perhaps I can at least ease your pain."

After a moment's silence, Cheng Xinzhan said, "It isn't miasma, but true baleful energy. Now, aside from the newly opened Heart Residence, nearly all my acupoints are unusable. I can walk only thanks to my master's secret arts."

Feng Jihu's hand trembled involuntarily.

True baleful energy attacking the acupoints?

What agony that must be!

"You traveled in the southern borderlands—was it that new baleful energy everyone is talking about?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded. "I ask you to keep this secret, Brother Dao."

Feng Jihu's expression grew grave. He nodded again. "Let me think, let me think further on this."

Seeing this, Cheng Xinzhan smiled with ease. "The Ancestor said: ‘Misfortune may be where fortune rests; fortune may be where misfortune lurks.’ Though my acupoints are beset by true baleful energy, I have also acquired a portion of it. In this, I am ahead of you, Brother Dao."

Feng Jihu managed a strained smile.

Seeing this, Cheng Xinzhan changed the subject. "Brother Dao, I heard Deng Wanchun has also established his Residence, but I haven’t seen him. Could you get in touch with him? Otherwise, I'll have to go to Sword Peak to invite him to the feast tonight."

Deng Wanchun had helped him greatly, and he would not forget it.

"That’s easily done."

Feng Jihu picked a flower shaped like a butterfly and another like a trumpet from the field.

He spoke into the trumpet flower, "Jilang, come to the Capital Kitchen at Xiaowanshan tonight. Yunqi has established his Residence and returned—let's have a gathering."

He then tucked the trumpet flower into the butterfly flower, cast a spell on it, and the flower fluttered away.

Cheng Xinzhan was amazed. Thinking of how his own Carefree Cave was surrounded only by green bamboo, he said, "Brother Dao, please be generous—I have nothing but bamboo around my new abode. Might I beg for some flower seeds and saplings?"

Feng Jihu laughed and tapped Cheng Xinzhan. "You could just request them from the Department of Affairs, but you value mine more. Very well, I’ll give you some. You have good taste—mine are much better than what they give away for free. No need for seeds or saplings—pick what you like and I’ll dig up whole plants for you. It’s easy for me to grow more."

1. Debts

Here’s an extra chapter, and an update on debts: I still owe two chapters for monthly votes, two for Alliance Master M Xi, and two for Alliance Master The Paperboy Painter. I’ll pay them back next weekend...

2. Still daring to ask for monthly votes...

3. A unified explanation of Dao names and Dao titles.

1. Dao names are given by elders after one is accepted as a disciple. The surname comes from the family name, the first character of the given name is the generational name of the sect, and the second is bestowed by the elder, often with auspicious meaning or based on elemental fortune.

For example, Cheng Xinzhan—Cheng is the family name, Xin the generational name, Zhan the name given by the master. The same for Feng Jihu and Wen Sukong.

Once established, a Dao name is unique.

2. Dao titles are nicknames chosen by cultivators based on their own traits, such as Master Baopu, Pure Yang Master, or Master Chongyang. One can have multiple Dao titles.

3. In previous chapters, I sometimes wrote "Dao name" as "Dao title"—this has now been corrected.

(End of chapter)