27: Chapter 27 Tranquilizing Incense

The wooden token showed its peculiarity for the first time during the morning run.

Chen Zhen had just run to the gentle slope by the Riverside when a slight vibration suddenly came from his chest.

It wasn't a physical vibration, but a sensation similar to low-frequency resonance seeping up from beneath his skin and flesh.

Immediately after, he discovered that his breathing rhythm had adjusted automatically:

Inhaling deeper, exhaling slower, with every step landing exactly at the transition point of his breath.

It was as if an invisible pair of hands was keeping time for him.

He tried to actively change the rhythm, speeding up his pace.

The vibration intensified slightly, as if to remind him, only returning to a calm state once he adjusted back to the original frequency.

When he ran to the willow tree where Grandpa Chen usually stayed, the vibration stopped.

Grandpa Chen wasn't looking at the river today; he was slowly stretching his legs.

Seeing Chen Zhen run over, his eyes swept across his chest.

Through the thin T-shirt, the outline of the wooden token was faintly visible.

"You're wearing it?" Grandpa Chen asked.

"Yeah." Chen Zhen stopped, caught his breath, and said, "Grandpa Chen, this token..."

"How does it feel?"

"When I run... it seems to be helping me adjust my breathing."

Grandpa Chen nodded and continued stretching his other leg: "Then that's correct. That thing is called a 'shouzhong token', and it's not for you to wear just for fun."

"shouzhong token?"

"It guards the balance of that Qi inside your body." Grandpa Chen straightened up. "Once a person moves, their Qi floats. Whether running, jumping, walking, or lying down, Qi tends to drift upward. If it drifts for too long, your Foundation becomes weak."

Chen Zhen touched his chest: "So it helps me press it down?"

"Not press, but guide."

Grandpa Chen walked over and pressed his hand onto his abdomen.

"Qi settling here is the Foundation. But just settling isn't enough; it must also be lively. The shouzhong token helps you both settle it down and keep it active."

"It's like the river water; the deep currents underneath are stable, while the waves on the surface still roll as they should."

Chen Zhen half-understood, but he could feel it.

At the spot where Grandpa Chen's hand pressed, the mass of Qi in his Dantian was indeed more "solid" than usual—not dead weight, but a stability brimming with potential.

"Let's practice something practical today." Grandpa Chen stepped back two paces. "Do your boxing, let me see."

Chen Zhen assumed the starting stance of Tai Chi.

As soon as he started moving, he noticed the difference.

When practicing boxing in the past, his attention had to be divided.

He had to attend to the correctness of his movements, adjust his breathing, and maintain that faint, elusive "intent".

Today, it was as if he had an anchor.

The shouzhong token warmed slightly on his chest, and his breathing naturally followed his movements without him having to consciously think about it.

That "intent" was also much clearer; he could feel the changes in the airflow when his arms moved in an arc, and could even "sense" when the force didn't fully penetrate at a certain angle.

After finishing the set, Grandpa Chen said nothing, but walked over and squeezed his shoulder.

"Here," his fingers pressed on the inside of his shoulder blade, "it's tight. You're thinking about relaxing, but instead, you've stiffened up."

Chen Zhen himself could also feel that the muscle there was indeed tensed.

"The shouzhong token isn't doing the Cultivating for you." Grandpa Chen withdrew his hand. "It's a mirror that reflects where you've gone off-track. But once you're off-track, you have to correct yourself. A mirror can't reach out and straighten you."

He understood.

It was a feedback mechanism.

[Special Item "shouzhong token" function activated]

[Cultivate Assist: Breathing coordination +30%, movement standard perception +25%]

[Continuous wear can slowly improve "Qi sense" sensitivity]

The system panel's description verified Grandpa Chen's meaning.

"That's enough practice for today." Grandpa Chen took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, even older than the previous one. "Put this where you Cultivate."

Chen Zhen took it and opened it.

Inside were some dark brown fragments, like wood shavings or medicinal residue. It smelled of a clean, bitter fragrance mixed with a hint of sandalwood.

"What is this?"

"calming incense, I mixed it myself." Grandpa Chen waved his hand. "Sprinkle a small pinch before you Cultivate and light it. It will help you calm your mind."

"Thank you, Grandpa Chen."

"Don't thank me too soon." Grandpa Chen turned and walked down the river embankment, his voice drifting back. "The incense is an aid; if your heart isn't calm, burning as much as you want will be useless."

Chen Zhen stood there, looking at the small cloth bag in his hand.

Grandpa Chen never gave useless things.

This incense was likely not just as simple as "calming".

...

On the way home, Chen Zhen specifically detoured to a stationery store and bought the smallest incense holder and a small box of matches.

It was only seven o'clock when he got home.

His mother had just gotten up and was heating porridge in the kitchen.

Seeing him return, she poked her head out and asked, "So early today?"

"Yeah, Grandpa Chen taught for a short time."

"That's perfect, the porridge will be ready in a moment."

While eating, his mother brought up the Library: "I met an old gentleman yesterday who also loves ancient architecture, and we chatted for a bit. He said there's a special exhibition at the city museum next month about ancient architectural mortise and tenon joints. Do you want to go take a look?"

Chen Zhen's heart stirred: "When is it?"

"I'll ask for the specific date later." His mother picked up a piece of fermented bean curd for him. "If you want to go, Mom will pay for your ticket."

"I have my own..."

"Save your money." His mother interrupted him. "Buying books and notebooks is fine, but Mom will pay for this."

Chen Zhen didn't argue further.

[Family Care Social Dimension experience +5]

After eating, his mother left for the Library.

Chen Zhen finished washing the dishes and returned to his room.

He took out the incense holder.

It was a small copper lotus pedestal, placed in the corner of his desk.

He pinched a small amount of incense powder from the bag Grandpa Chen gave him and cupped it in his palm.

The fragments were lighter than they looked, with a texture between wood shavings and tea leaves.

He carefully poured it into the recess of the incense holder and struck a match.

The moment the flame licked the incense powder, there was a soft hiss, and a thin wisp of blue smoke rose up.

The smoke wasn't straight; it spiraled upward, only dissipating after reaching half a foot high.

The fragrance also emerged.

It wasn't the strong, heavy sandalwood incense found in temples.

It was a clear, transparent scent with a hint of vegetation, smelling like a bamboo forest after the rain.

Chen Zhen sat back at his desk and opened his math workbook.

The learning state that usually took him a few minutes to enter was reached almost instantly today.

The fragrance seemed to have substance; after entering his nasal cavity, it sank down along his meridians.

The distracting thoughts in his brain were gently pushed aside, leaving only the function problem before him.

His problem-solving speed was significantly faster.

It wasn't the "fast" of accelerated thinking, but rather that his thought process was cleaner, and he took fewer detours.

Often, after reading the problem statement, the correct solution would naturally emerge, as if it were meant to be that way.

After finishing a page, the system panel prompted:

[Focused study in the "calming incense" environment]

[Learning efficiency +40%, depth of understanding +25%]

[Learning Dimension experience +35]

[Cultivation +0.33]

Chen Zhen stopped writing and looked at the incense holder.

The incense powder had burned out, leaving only a little dark red ash.

The fragrance in the air remained, but it had faded significantly.

Good stuff.

But Grandpa Chen said, "If your heart isn't calm, burning as much as you want will be useless."

He took note of that.