47: Chapter 47 [Clues Deduction]

When he arrived at the Bookstore, Old Wu was talking to a delivery person at the entrance.

Seeing Chen Zhen, he waved, "You came just in time. Help me move these boxes inside."

"Okay."

The boxes were new, containing a batch of second-hand books ordered by the Bookstore.

While moving the boxes, Chen Zhen casually used a Cleaning Spell on the dirtiest one.

The action was very subtle, just a swipe of his palm across the box surface.

The years of accumulated dust and stains on the surface of the box vanished instantly, revealing the original color of the cardboard.

Old Wu glanced at it and let out a "Huh?" "This box... why is it so clean?"

"Maybe it wasn't dirty to begin with." Chen Zhen kept a straight face.

Old Wu didn't dwell on it, just muttered, "Second-hand book dealers are quite particular these days."

The afternoon's work was sorting and shelving the new books.

Chen Zhen worked very efficiently.

Although the effect of the Eye-Brightening Spell had worn off, the residual good state of his vision remained, making it effortless to read the small text on the book spines.

Halfway through sorting, Old Wu suddenly called out to him, "Kid, come take a look at this."

Chen Zhen walked over.

Old Wu was holding a very old thread-bound book; the pages were yellowed, and there was no text on the cover.

"What is this?"

"Just found it in that box of books, tucked between a pile of Republican-era novels." Old Wu flipped open the pages, "Take a look at this."

Chen Zhen took it.

The book contained handwritten text, arranged vertically in traditional characters; the handwriting was neat but slightly stiff.

The content looked like... a diary?

"On the third day of the seventh lunar month in the Gengzi year, I observed the celestial phenomena at night and saw an strange light rise in the northeast. It was a cyan-white color, like a strip of silk stretching across the sky. I measured it with a compass, and the needle trembled slightly. Suspecting it to be a sign of Earth Qi leakage, I recorded it for future reference."

"The Gengzi year... that's 1900." Chen Zhen looked up.

"Hmm." Old Wu nodded, "Keep reading."

Chen Zhen continued flipping through it.

There were several similar records following it, spanning several decades, the earliest dating back to the Tongzhi era and the latest to the early Republican period.

The recorder was clearly someone who understood Feng Shui or Cultivation; for each observation, they recorded the time, direction, color, duration, and the reaction of the compass or their own body.

The most crucial entry was at the end:

"Looking at all the years of observations, this strange light appears about once every sixty years (Jiazi), but in recent years, it has become more frequent. After the Guichou year (1913), it was sighted in the Wuchen year (1928) and the Guiwei year (1943). The cycle seems to be shortening, though I know not why. I am old and frail, unable to investigate further, so I leave this for those who come after."

The cycle is shortening?

Chen Zhen's heart jolted.

Engineer Gu inferred a 30-year cycle (1953, 1983, 2013), but this earlier notebook claimed it shortened from 60 years (Jiazi) to 15 years, then 15 years, then another 15 years?

Is it an observation error?

Or... is the cycle of Spiritual Qi leakage actually changing?

He summoned the clue association network and attempted to input this new clue.

[ Discovered historical observation records (1864-1913) ]

[ exploration dimension experience + 40 ]

[ exploration dimension upgraded to Lv.2 (25 / 400) ]

[ Unlocked new function: [ Clue Deduction ] can perform logical deduction based on existing clues to generate reasonable hypotheses (Limit 1 time per day) ]

[ Upgrade reward: Cultivation + 15 ]

The exploration dimension had also upgraded, and a new function was unlocked.

Chen Zhen immediately used today's [ Clue Deduction ].

He focused his mind on the doubt regarding the "strange light cycle change."

A few seconds later, the system panel displayed the deduction results:

[ Hypothesis 1: Observation error. Early records were incomplete; the actual cycle has always been around 30 years. ]

[ Hypothesis 2: Enhanced activity of Earth vein nodes. Due to unknown reasons, the frequency of node activity has increased, causing the leakage cycle to shorten. ]

[ Hypothesis 3: Multiple nodes active alternately. Different Earth vein nodes are active at different times, and the observer mistakenly believed the cycle of the same node was changing. ]

[ Probability assessment: Hypothesis 2 > Hypothesis 3 > Hypothesis 1 ]

The System favored "Enhanced activity of Earth vein nodes."

If that were really the case, then the 2013 leakage might be even more intense than in 1953 and 1983?

Or... more frequent?

Chen Zhen kept this speculation in mind; he had no conclusion for now.

He returned the notebook to Old Wu, "Grandpa Wu, this notebook..."

"You keep it," Old Wu waved his hand, "It's just gathering dust here. You're the one researching this; it's perfect for you."

"Thank you, Grandpa Wu."

"Saying thanks again." Old Wu lit a cigarette, "By the way, that peddler who collects old books hasn't come by these past few days. I guess he's given up."

"That's good."

Chen Zhen carefully put the notebook into his backpack. This trip to the Bookstore was worth it; not only did his exploration dimension upgrade, but he also obtained key historical data.

...

When leaving the Bookstore in the evening, Old Wu gave him his wages as usual, adding an extra ten yuan, "There was a lot of work today, thank you for your hard work."

"It wasn't hard."

Walking out of the Bookstore, the sunset was just right.

Chen Zhen didn't go straight home but detoured to the wet market to buy a sea bass and a bunch of green onions.

Tonight, he planned to cook for himself.

It wasn't that he wanted to show off; he just wanted to try it out.

On this day when he had broken through to the Qi Refinement Stage and unlocked the Cleaning Spell, what would it feel like to cook a meal?

...

When he arrived home, his mother hadn't returned yet.

Chen Zhen washed his hands and walked into the kitchen.

While preparing the fish, he experienced the benefits of "precise control" for the first time.

His sense of touch was sharper; he could clearly feel the hardness of the fish scales, the toughness of the fish skin, and the direction of the fish bones.

When he cut, his wrist was unbelievably steady. Scaling, gutting, and removing the entrails were done in one go, clean and efficient; the fish body remained as intact as a work of art.

When cleaning, he used one Cleaning Spell, and all the blood and slime on the inside and outside of the fish vanished instantly, leaving the fish meat a clean, pinkish-white.

Cutting the green onions and ginger was even simpler.

With sharp eyes and steady hands, the green onion shreds were cut as fine as hair, and the ginger slices were as thin as cicada wings.

Starting the pan and heating the oil, he could even feel the subtle changes as the oil temperature rose.

When the fish went into the pan, it made a "sizzle" sound, but no oil splattered.

He could anticipate the oil temperature in advance and put the fish in at the perfect moment.

He fried it until both sides were golden brown, added water, put in the green onions and ginger, brought it to a boil over high heat, then turned it to low heat.

The entire process was smooth and fluid, as if he had practiced it countless times.

When his mother returned, the fish soup had already been stewed to a milky white, and the aroma filled the entire room.

"Oh, Chen Zhen, you cooked?" His mother was surprised.

"Yeah, just trying out my skills." Chen Zhen turned off the heat and sprinkled some green onions, "Mom, have a taste."

His mother ladled a small bowl of soup, blew on it, took a sip, and her eyes lit up, "So fresh! The cooking time is perfect, and there's absolutely no fishy smell."

Chen Zhen smiled.

He also tasted a spoonful himself.

It was indeed delicious, but more importantly.

The entire process, that precise grasp of every detail, that feeling of smoothness where "everything is under control," brought a sense of satisfaction that far exceeded the food itself.

...

At dinner, his father also returned. Hearing that the fish was stewed by Chen Zhen, he tasted it and nodded, "Not bad, even fresher than what your mom stews."

His mother glared at him, "Then you can have our son cook it from now on."

His father laughed, "That won't do, yours is delicious too."

After the meal, Chen Zhen volunteered to wash the dishes.

With one Cleaning Spell, the dishes were instantly as clean as new, not even a water stain remained.

He pretended to rinse them with water before putting them back in the cupboard.

It saved time and effort, and no one noticed.

...

At night, Chen Zhen returned to his room.

First, he stood in the stance for five minutes and ran the Simplified Microcosmic Orbit ten times.

His whole body felt warm, and the Spiritual Qi circulated within him, nourishing every inch of his meridians.

Then, he summoned the system panel to check today's gains:

[ Day 22 (Day 1 of Qi Refinement Stage) Summary ]

[ Cultivation gain: + 25.38 (Morning run Cultivate + 8, Learning + 0.88, Exploration upgrade + 15, Others + 1.5) ]

[ Current Cultivation: 75.38 / 500 (Qi Refining Stage 1) ]

[ Spiritual Qi value: 6 / 10 (Recovers to 11.5 / 11.5 tomorrow) ]

[ Health Dimension: Lv.3 (283 / 300) ]

[ Learning Dimension: Lv.4 (297.7 / 800) ]

[ Social Dimension: Lv.1 (118 / 200) ]

[ Skill Dimension: Cooking 68/100 (Culinary skills improved), Organizing 72/100, Hand-drawing Lv.2 (150/300), Structural Drafting Beginner (60/100) ]

[ exploration dimension: Lv.2 (25 / 400) ]

[ Spell proficiency: Cleaning Spell (5/100), Water Condensation Spell (3/100), Eye-Brightening Spell (1/100) ]

[ Special status: Qi Refining Cultivator (All dimensions +10%); Runners Heart; Investigating Things to Extend Knowledge (2 days remaining); Seeing the Big from the Small; Integrated Power Initial Success; Physical Optimization; Anomaly Perception; Literary Perception ]

[ Storage Space: 1 cubic meter (Empty) ]

[ Special note: Newly entered Qi Refinement Stage, Cultivation acquisition efficiency increased by 30% ]

[ Main Quest: Qi Refining Stage 1 (75.38 / 500) ]

75.38 points of Cultivation; he had gained 25.38 points in just one day.

Although more than half came from Breakthrough and upgrade rewards, his normal acquisition speed had also clearly increased.

At this efficiency, the 500 points of Cultivation required for Qi Refining Stage 1 could likely be reached in about a month.

And what about after Qi Refining Stage 1?

Stage 2, Stage 3... up to Stage 9, and then Foundation Establishment.

The road was still long, but he had taken the first step firmly.

He lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

In his Dantian, the Spiritual Qi flowed quietly, warm and solid.

The shouzhong token felt slightly warm on his chest.

In his mind, the knowledge network, clue network, Spell list, and the newly unlocked [ Clue Deduction ] function were quietly unfolding.