19: Chapter 19 Triple Barrier

Early the next morning, Jiang Yuhe carried a small basket containing a packet of Puxin Silk and a small seal of Dew-Return Moss that Zhao Xing had stayed up all night gathering.

Jiang Xingchuan carried half a bag of freshly scraped Mo Yin Sand on his back.

The two parted ways at the slope entrance.

The Sun Family was at Beijian Mouth.

The Chen Family was by the edge of the medicine fields west of Dihua Slope.

When Jiang Yuhe arrived at the Sun Family's home, someone was measuring the water gauge in the courtyard.

Although the small water vein at Beijian Mouth was not large, it was the root of the Sun Family's livelihood.

A row of wooden rulers stood by the courtyard gate, their surfaces polished to a shine, and traces of water from the previous night still pressed into the stone trough.

Sun Jingxiu was crouching by the water outlet, busy taking notes. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, and his ears turned red before anything else.

"Jiang... Miss Jiang."

Jiang Yuhe nodded and set down the small basket.

"I have come on behalf of my family to express our gratitude."

Sun Jingxiu hurriedly stood up, the pen in his hand nearly falling.

"My uncle... my uncle is out back checking the water channels. I will go call him."

He started to run off, but after two steps, he turned back. As if suddenly remembering something, he first wiped off a clean stool and placed it under the eaves.

"Please, have a seat."

He was so flustered that he felt embarrassed himself.

Jiang Yuhe looked at the small stool he had wiped with such excessive care; her eyes flickered slightly, but in the end, she sat down.

The wind at Beijian Mouth was clearer than elsewhere.

Water flowed out from the crevices in the rocks and slid into the wooden channel, making a soft, delicate sound.

As soon as Jiang Yuhe sat down, that feeling of being separated by a layer that had lingered in her ears since her life plate was extracted seemed to be thinned out by the sound of the water.

Sun Jingxiu didn't know whether to stand or sit, so in the end, he could only hold the account book and stand to the side.

After a moment of silence, he was the first to speak: "There is no rush to repay that fifty percent from yesterday."

Jiang Yuhe looked up at him.

Under her gaze, Sun Jingxiu's voice lowered even further.

"That is also my uncle's intention. Your family has been scraped too clean this year; it is fine to delay for two months."

"It must be repaid," Jiang Yuhe said. "It is not out of politeness; it is what my family has decided."

Sun Jingxiu opened his mouth, but in the end, he only managed an "Oh" and did not try to persuade her further.

After a while, as if gathering his courage, he asked, "Is your Qi... stable now?"

Jiang Yuhe had intended to reply with "It's fine," but seeing him there holding the account book, clearly nervous yet trying to act natural, she did not speak too definitively.

"It is more stable than before."

Sun Jingxiu smiled, like the surface of the water being lightly brushed by a breeze.

"That is good."

At this moment, Sun Changshui came over from the back.

His hem was stained with mud, and he held half a wooden ruler in his hand. Seeing Jiang Yuhe there, he nodded first.

"You are here?"

Jiang Yuhe stood up and handed him the basket.

"My father asked me to bring this. That fifty percent from yesterday will be repaid tomorrow."

Sun Changshui glanced at the contents of the basket. He did not refuse, only picking up the packet of Dew-Return Moss to smell it.

"Your family is still willing to part with this."

"The gift is light," Jiang Yuhe said. "But it is a token of our sincerity."

Sun Changshui did not dwell on this matter. He sat down under the eaves and gestured with his chin toward Sun Jingxiu.

"Haven't you always wanted to know why some people are stuck at the third layer of Cultivate for their whole lives? It just so happens that I will tell you both today."

Sun Jingxiu was stunned, then hurriedly sat up straight.

Jiang Yuhe's heart stirred.

She knew that these words were not primarily meant for Sun Jingxiu.

They were meant for her.

Sure enough, Sun Changshui rested the half-wooden ruler on his knees and spoke slowly:

"Among the Cold Households, most know about the ten layers of Cultivate. The first three layers are for nourishing breath, the middle three for nourishing meridians, and the last three for knocking on the apertures. This has spread in recent years and is no longer a secret."

"But knowing is one thing, and how to break through the barrier is another."

"I entered Cultivate at twenty, and reached the third layer at twenty-eight," he said, looking at the thin stream of water at Beijian Mouth, his voice not loud. "At that time, I thought that as long as I nourished it for a few more years and let the Qi grow thicker, the fourth layer would come naturally."

"Is that what the Main Peak says too?"

Sun Changshui smiled.

"The Main Peak certainly won't stop you from thinking that way."

"Because Cold Households at the first three layers are the most useful. They can watch fields, manage water, guard wells, and handle accounts for them, yet they cannot stir up much trouble."

He paused, raised his hand, and tapped a few times between his chest and arm.

"Moving from the third layer to the fourth is not about adding a few more breaths of Qi. It is about taking that scattered Qi in your body and truly pressing it into a meridian, making it stand firm, recognize the path, and then having that path recognize you in return."

"Just having thick Qi is not enough."

"Just being bold is not enough."

"You must have a method to form the meridian, a seal of technique that truly stands firm, and an anchor that can stabilize you."

Sun Jingxiu listened, somewhat dazed.

"A seal of technique?"

"Some high-grade Cultivation Techniques will Cultivate a technique in the early and Late Stages respectively, also known as an accompanying technique," Sun Changshui said. "If you only know how to breathe in the first three layers, without seeing a technique, without forming a seal, there is no door to the fourth layer. No matter how full your Qi is, it is only full beneath the surface of the skin, like water floating in a shallow basin—it scatters with a single shake."

Jiang Yuhe felt a slight tremor in her heart.

She thought of her Listening to Rain.

She thought of the lines the family genealogy had spat out: "Grain Rain is heavy, do not vie to be first," and "At the third layer, one may obtain a technique: Listening to Rain."

She had known this was important before, but she had not realized it was actually one of the keys to the door from the third layer to the fourth.

Sun Changshui seemed to have noticed the stirring in her heart and continued:

"I did not know this back then. After reaching the third layer at twenty-eight, I struggled for more than ten years, thinking my Qi was sufficient, and secretly attempted the breakthrough three times."

"The first time, the Qi entered the arm meridian, but dispersed the moment it went in."

"The second time, I barely managed to suppress it, but without a technique seal to recognize the path, the water Qi rampaged in my chest and shoulders. It took half a year of recovery to get better."

"The third time, I nearly crippled my right hand. Later, I realized it wasn't that I hadn't persisted long enough; it was that I simply didn't know where the door was."

Sun Jingxiu's face turned pale as he listened.

Jiang Yuhe also fell silent.

"And then what happened?" she asked.

"By then, it was too late," Sun Changshui said indifferently. "Once the drive to push forward that one has in their youth passes, the meridians grow old, and one's courage is damaged by the previous attempts. What is more fatal is that the Main Peak feels relieved when they see you like this. They know you don't know the full picture and cannot break through that layer of paper, so they can still use you with peace of mind."

"So why are there so few in the middle and Late Stages among the Cold Households?" He looked up at the two of them. "It is because the door was never opened for you to see."

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Only the sound of water falling along the wooden channel could be heard, drip by drip.

After a long while, Sun Jingxiu said in a low voice:

"Uncle, what if someone knows where the door is?"

Sun Changshui looked at him but did not answer immediately.

After a long pause, he said slowly:

"Then it is not just a matter of having one more layer of cultivation."

"That is about raising one's head."

The conversation ended there.

When Sun Jingxiu stood up to see Jiang Yuhe out, he was still clutching the account book. When they reached the entrance of the slope, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said in a low voice:

"By the way, there have been rumors at the foot of the mountain these past few days."

"What rumors?"

"They say a monk from the west has come down Guli Circuit," Sun Jingxiu said. "He doesn't preach talismans or Dharma, only helps people resolve their troubles. Those who have heard him speak return as if they have suddenly let out a breath; those who were crying stop crying, and those who were causing trouble stop."

Jiang Yuhe's footsteps paused.

"Have you seen him?"

"I haven't seen him," Sun Jingxiu shook his head. "But people at the Sangyin Small Market are all talking about it. Some tenant farmers are even whispering that if that monk really stays at the foot of the mountain, the Main Peak might not be able to suppress people as they used to when collecting rent."

After saying this, he felt it was inappropriate and hurriedly added:

"It might not be true; I only heard it."

Jiang Yuhe did not smile.

She noted this down.

When she turned and walked down the slope, Sun Jingxiu remained standing there, watching her back as she walked further and further away, not moving for a long time. It was not until Sun Changshui called out "Jingxiu" from behind that he answered with an "Ah," though his ears were still red.

On the other side, Jiang Xingchuan arrived at the Chen Family's home.

The Chen Family's courtyard was filled with a bitter medicinal smell, even stronger than before.

The land in the Dihua Slope area was thin, but the Chen family knew how to plant and how to dry their herbs. Bunches of sliced roots, leaves, and peels hung on racks, and when the wind blew, the whole courtyard was filled with a mixture of dry bitterness and sharp spiciness.

Chen Xiaoyan was at the doorway, turning over a winnowing basket of herbs.

She wore a blue garment with her sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of fair, clean wrist. When she saw Jiang Xingchuan enter, she first saw the half-bag of items on his shoulder, and only then did her gaze slowly fall upon his face.

"So you finally know how to visit."

"Thank you for yesterday," he said, setting down the bag of Mo Yin Sand and the pheasant. "My family asked me to come..."

"Since your family sent you here, don't you have any gratitude yourself?" Chen Xiaoyan looked up at him.

Jiang Xingchuan was choked for words.

Seeing him like this, Chen Xiaoyan's lips curved slightly, and she set the winnowing basket aside.

"Alright, I'm just teasing you. Come in, Grandfather is brewing medicine in the back."

Old Crow Chen was indeed in the back room.

A black clay pot sat on the stove, and he was squatting beside it, poking the fire with a bamboo strip. Hearing footsteps, he didn't turn his head, only saying:

"Put the things down, and stay here."

Jiang Xingchuan stayed.

Before Chen Xiaoyan carried the medicine out, she casually pressed on the cloth on his shoulder.

"Does it not hurt anymore?"

Her fingers didn't press hard, but that spot on Jiang Xingchuan's shoulder felt numb for a moment. He still put on a brave front:

"It hasn't hurt much for a while."

Chen Xiaoyan looked at him, a faint smile on her face.

"You say that just like you did last time when you claimed you were fine."

After saying this, she carried the medicine out, ignoring him further.

Jiang Xingchuan stood there for a while before sitting down next to Old Crow Chen.

Old Crow Chen added a handful of crushed leaves into the medicine pot, and only after smelling the rising medicinal scent did he speak:

"That thirty percent from yesterday wasn't something I covered for you for nothing."

"I know," Jiang Xingchuan said. "I will definitely pay it back before next year."

"The money must be returned," Old Crow Chen said, "but I kept you here not to talk about that."

He stuck the bamboo strip into the ground and turned his head to look at Jiang Xingchuan.

"I heard some news. Not only you, but even Shoushan has become a Cultivator?" Old Crow Chen asked.

Jiang Xingchuan was silent for a moment, but in the end, he nodded.

Old Crow Chen gave an "En" sound.

"It is both a good thing and a bad thing. The Jiang Family has great momentum, and the Main Peak has been watching you; they won't let you advance any further."

Jiang Xingchuan was uncharacteristically quiet for a long time, not saying a word.

"You are at the second layer of Qi Refining, right? Your cultivation speed is extremely fast among the Cold Households," Old Crow Chen said.

"If you want your family to truly raise their heads, your family needs at least one Foundation Establishment Cultivator." Old Crow Chen smiled faintly. "For Cold Households like us, that is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"Just regarding the barrier from the third layer to the fourth, if you only rely on wishful thinking, you aren't far from being crippled."

Jiang Xingchuan looked up at him.

Old Crow Chen lifted the lid of the medicine pot halfway, and only after the steam inside puffed out did he slowly say:

"You should have heard it too. The first three layers are for nourishing breath, the middle three layers are for nourishing meridians. But how to break through in between, the Main Peak won't explain too clearly."

"Because if they explained it clearly, a middle-layer expert might actually emerge from the Cold Households."

"A middle-layer expert might not be able to defeat the Main Peak, but they are enough to protect a family or a branch, and enough to gather a breath of energy. The Main Peak wants Cold Households that can work, not Cold Households that can establish meridians or lead people."

Speaking to this point, he used his hand to press lightly under his left rib.

"When I was young, I didn't know the way either."

"At that time, my Qi moved quickly, and my talent wasn't bad. Once the third layer was full, I felt strength throughout my body, and my techniques were sharper than others, so I thought the fourth layer was right before my eyes."

"Later, I couldn't wait and forced my way through."

"How did you force it?" Jiang Xingchuan asked.

"I forced the companion technique into my meridians." Old Crow Chen's tone was very flat, as if talking about someone else's business. "The technique hadn't formed a seal, and the meridians hadn't set their path. I relied on my youth, bit down on something to endure, and forced that breath to drill between the main meridians. That time, I did make it up."

"But I went up crookedly."

The stove fire crackled.

Old Crow Chen raised his hand and pulled his lapel to the side, revealing a patch of old scars under his left rib.

The wound wasn't large, and at first glance, it looked like an old scar that had long healed. But looking closely, the skin around the scar was much more withered than elsewhere, taut like old tree bark.

Jiang Xingchuan took one look, and his heart sank.

"Is this what was left from that time?" He asked.

"En." Old Crow Chen pulled his clothes back together. "It doesn't look big, but inside, it has never been smooth. The meridians were opened, but not in the right way. This path forced me to the fourth layer, but it also blocked off everything behind it."

"I have the first technique."

"But this technique always feels like it's only half-finished. Don't even think about seeing the second technique. Daily tasks like farming or mountain trekking are easy enough, but if I really want to go higher, I can't make an inch of progress."

He paused, his tone becoming even lighter:

"The Main Peak likes my kind of fourth-layer Cultivator the most."

Jiang Xingchuan was stunned.

"Because I look a bit impressive, but when you really examine it, I don't amount to much," Old Crow Chen said. "They use people like me to suppress other Cold Households, letting everyone see that there are indeed those in the Cold Households who can reach the fourth layer. But when you really want to see the next step, how to proceed further, they don't say a word."

"If you think the fourth layer is the ultimate ability, then you are falling right into the Main Peak's trap."

The smell of medicine in the room grew stronger.

Jiang Xingchuan lowered his head, looking at his own palm.

He savored the feeling of the Awakening of Insects bursting forth, lost in thought.

Old Crow Chen looked at him and added another sentence:

"Your path is even more ferocious than mine was back then. If you force it like I did, you might not have my luck."

Jiang Xingchuan nodded.

It was at this moment that Chen Xiaoyan brought the medicine in.

She had likely heard these words in the back for a while; her face showed no change as she simply placed the medicine bowl beside Jiang Xingchuan's hand.

"Drink it."

Smelling the bitterness, Jiang Xingchuan's face wrinkled first.

Chen Xiaoyan looked at him and suddenly said:

"This medicine isn't to treat your old injury, but to suppress your chaotic Qi."

"If you really want to go higher in the future, first keep your life long. Don't always act like you want to crash open the door in one step."

As she spoke, her fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the bowl. Sunlight slanted in from the doorway, shining right on the back of her hand, which was excessively fair and clean.

When Jiang Xingchuan took the bowl, his fingertips accidentally touched hers; it wasn't hot, but he still felt as if he had been lightly pricked by something, his movements slowing by half a beat.

Chen Xiaoyan acted as if she hadn't seen it and simply placed another small paper packet on the table.

"Take this back."

"What is it?"

"Stasis-dispersing powder I concocted myself," she said. "If you act tough again next time, don't come to my house to beg for medicine; just go straight to Old Grave Slope and lie down."

Jiang Xingchuan's lips twitched, and in the end, he smiled.

"Alright."

At his smile, Chen Xiaoyan instead stopped looking at him and turned to go outside to collect the medicine. Her back was neat and agile, but there was a faint flush behind her ears that vanished in a flash.

By evening, the two returned to Niubei Hollow one after the other.

The fire had already been started at home; Zhao Xing was boiling water under the stove, while Zhao Zhi and Ah Shi were gathered around the old stone mill. Beside the millstone was a thin bamboo mat, on which was spread a bit of Yin-Grinding Sand scraped off today, a fine, blue-black layer like frost accumulated on roof tiles at night.

Jiang Chengning first listened to what Jiang Yuhe had to say, then listened to what Jiang Xingchuan had to say. Hearing Sun Changshui say "After the third layer, first establish meridians, not just pile up Qi," and then hearing about Old Crow Chen's dark injury from wrongly breaking through the fourth layer back then, he remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he said slowly:

"Now that sounds right."

"What the Main Peak gives to the Cold Households is only enough to live, not enough to advance."

"To take that step out, either you crash through it yourself, or someone has to tell you where the crack in the door is."

After these words were spoken, no one in the room replied.

Because they all understood that the Jiang Family actually already had the crack in the door in their hands now.

But a crack is just a crack; if one really dares to push the door open, people will still die.

Jiang Yuhe also mentioned the rumor that Sun Jingxiu had brought up.

"There is a monk from the west at the foot of the mountain who is helping people resolve their worries."

Lin Suwen was peeling garlic; hearing this, her movements paused.

Jiang Chengning looked up.

"Resolve worries?"

"Listening to Jingxiu, those who have gone to listen—the ones who were crying stop crying, and the ones making a fuss stop making a fuss," Jiang Yuhe said. "Some people also say that if that monk often preaches at the foot of the mountain, the Main Peak might not be able to suppress people as submissively as before when collecting rent in the future."

Shoushan had been silent all along, and only now did he lift his eyes slightly.

"This doesn't sound like a good thing."

"It doesn't sound like a bad thing either," Jiang Chengning said.

He sat by the door, gazing at the darkening sky outside the courtyard, his tone very slow.

"For us, it's hard to say whether it's good or bad right now. But for the Zhou Family, if someone can really dispel the fear in the hearts of the common people at the foot of the mountain who are weighed down by taxes, corvee labor, and debts, then that is digging at their roots."

The room fell silent.

Zhou Wang shrank into the family genealogy, pressing each piece of news he heard today deep into his heart.