2: Chapter 2 Ascending the Platform and Entering the Ditch

Before dawn, the lamp oil in the ancestral home was running low.

The clan history on the table cracked open on its own.

The line from last night, "Yuhe ascends the terrace, Xingchuan enters the ravine," was still there, but on the blank space below, five names slowly emerged.

Jiang Chengning, Lin Suwen, Jiang Xingchuan, Jiang Yuhe, Jiang Shoushan.

When Zhou Wang woke up within the paper, these were the first five characters he saw.

He had realized last night that he was no longer human; waking up today, he wasn't as frantic as the day before. Strange to say, once he became a book, he felt calmer, perhaps because there was nothing else to do.

Below the five names, a small character hung from each.

Ning, Su, Chuan, He, Shou.

Looking at these characters, Zhou Wang understood.

These were generation names.

When a person enters the main register, they first receive a character.

This character is branded into the Lingtai. With it, one can keep the Lingtai clear, and their consciousness remains unaffected by techniques or the environment.

At the same time, those with Aptitude can receive Qi more steadily. Even those who couldn't touch the threshold of cultivation before could now try to touch the lowest-grade First or Second Grade seasonal Qi.

Zhou Wang stared at the character "Chuan" for a moment, then looked at the following pages.

In the paper seams at the back of the clan history, which looked as if they had been soaked in water, a few pages were stuck tightly together.

But they couldn't be opened.

He realized then that this book could only support five main register positions for now. As the five names settled, the ink aura on the first page faded.

He looked down at himself again.

The "Wang" character in the center, written in small green jade seal script, was brighter than last night, but still small, like a piece of jade embedded in the paper, particularly eye-catching. However, he now understood that the characters appearing on the page last night weren't the ancestors speaking in a dream; it was because he had come alive.

Now, he was this clan history.

If the book exists, the characters exist, and he exists.

If the book is destroyed and the characters scatter, he will be gone too.

Zhou Wang swept his gaze over the five of them and saw a layer of cyan, clearer than last night.

This was a unique Spring affinity.

Jiang Chengning's wisp was the calmest, clinging thickly to his chest like a seed buried in the soil waiting to sprout.

Lin Suwen's wisp was the thinnest, steadily circling around her.

Jiang Xingchuan's wisp was the steadiest, like a blade that hadn't yet been sharpened.

Jiang Yuhe's was the clearest, like a small well, shallow but clear.

Jiang Shoushan's wisp was the most chaotic, carrying mountain mud, forest wind, and a hint of blood.

It was also at this moment that he saw further away.

In the southeast of the ancestral home, in the deepest part of Duansang Ravine, there was a faint press of cyan.

This was Spring Observation.

From now on, he could "borrow" the eyes of the people on the main register to see the progress of their cultivation, and even see what they saw and hear what they heard.

Just as Zhou Wang finished figuring out his own ability, those few people in the room began to move.

Lin Suwen stood up first and retrieved a small wooden box from behind the stove. She opened the box to reveal a shriveled green fruit, the size of a thumb, with a heavily wrinkled skin.

"Hold this in your mouth," she handed the fruit to Jiang Yuhe. "This thing can suppress Qi."

Jiang Yuhe was stunned for a moment.

"Mother, is this the one Father left behind..."

"Yes," Lin Suwen said. "I intended to keep it for another two years. But we can't wait anymore."

This was just an old fruit for suppressing Qi, belonging to Low Grade spiritual resources. Cold Households had shallow foundations, and things that could truly save lives were often inconspicuous.

Jiang Yuhe held it in her mouth without asking further.

Jiang Chengning looked at her and said only one sentence:

"On the terrace, do only three things—receive Spring, guide Qi, and don't be afraid."

Jiang Yuhe nodded.

She wasn't actually afraid.

It was just that her palms were sweating.

Zhou Wang's heart stirred, and he tried to focus his vision on her side.

The next moment, his view changed.

The lamp fire on the table, the dust by the stove, the blue stubble on her father's chin, the calloused fingers of her mother—he saw it all.

Spring Observation was not just "seeing Qi"; he could truly borrow their eyes and use the perspective of a Cultivator on the main register to observe the situation.

However, this feeling was not pleasant; it felt strange. Zhou Wang only held on for two breaths before hurriedly withdrawing, but he felt more confident now.

At least he was still somewhat useful.

Before the sky was fully bright, Jiang Shoushan and Jiang Xingchuan left the house first.

Jiang Chengning only gave one instruction: "After entering the ravine, be cautious and try to avoid people."

Jiang Shoushan acknowledged, slung the cloth bag over his shoulder. Jiang Xingchuan carried a small paper lamp to suppress the flame and followed him out.

Duansang Ravine was in the southeast corner. No one liked to go there on ordinary days. The mountain path was soaked by yesterday's dampness; it was soft underfoot, and it was easy to sink in. The night was silent, with only the sound of insects in the grass.

After walking more than halfway, Jiang Xingchuan felt something was wrong.

There was a faint coolness in the wind, like the vital energy that rises from the ground when spring rain is about to fall.

"There really is something," he whispered.

Jiang Shoushan grunted, slowing his pace.

"Just because there is something doesn't mean only we can see it."

As soon as these words fell, a faint light appeared behind the black mud slope ahead.

Someone was there.

And not just one.

Jiang Xingchuan stopped, his eyes darkening. Jiang Shoushan immediately pressed him behind a nearby tree and crouched down himself.

Borrowing the faint, low-pressed light, the two saw the situation at the ravine entrance.

Two tenant farmers patrolling the mountain for the Zhou Family had arrived.

One was tall and thin, the other short and sturdy, both carrying short sticks. The tall, thin one was half-kneeling by the mud, seemingly checking something; the short, sturdy one was looking around constantly, afraid that someone else might pop up.

Jiang Xingchuan looked at Jiang Shoushan, his eyes filled with ferocity.

On the other side, Jiang Yuhe had already arrived at Fenchun Terrace.

Many Cold Households borrowing the mountain stood below the terrace, each holding a wooden slip. But outside the terrace stood many Elders who were already in Qi Refining; some crossed their arms, others watched the well.

The Zhou Family Elder stood on the terrace, looking at these Cold Households with a calm expression.

Jiang Yuhe held the wooden slip as she ascended the terrace and handed it to the Zhou Family Elder.

The Zhou Family Elder verified the slip without asking much, just pointing to the Spring Well in the center of the terrace.

A thin wisp of cyan Qi rose from the well, condensed in mid-air, and slowly turned into a drop of Spring water, falling into a celadon cup.

This drop of Spring was the so-called Public Spring, which was Spring Qi that had been prepared by Zhou Family Qi Refining Cultivators using Spring-attributed spiritual objects and smoothed out by the spiritual well.

Zhou Wang, borrowing Jiang Yuhe's eyes, saw it very clearly.

She held the celadon cup and, following the first section of the Inheriting Spring Guide, slowly guided the Qi. That Inheriting Spring Guide was a First Grade Qi-guiding technique given to Cold Households by the Zhou Family; it was the lowest grade, steady to the point of dullness.

But the advantage was that anyone could use it, and it could carry any kind of Spring Qi. The disadvantage was that it moved too slowly; if one was even slightly impatient, they would get stuck and be unable to send it in for a long time.

Jiang Yuhe was suited for it. She didn't rush, nor was she impatient.

When that mouthful of Public Spring entered her body, it was heavy and slow. When it slid to the first barrier, she used the Spring-suppressing fruit in her mouth to slowly press that Qi down.

With that push, it stabilized.

Over at Duansang Ravine, however, it was impossible to stabilize.

The tall, thin Zhou Family tenant farmer was the first to discover the cracked old mulberry root. He cursed under his breath and reached into the black mud.

Jiang Shoushan was just about to move, but Jiang Xingchuan had already lunged out.

With his blade horizontal, he went for the light first.

With a "snap", the Zhou Family's lowered paper lamp was overturned by his blade, and the flame was instantly extinguished. The ravine entrance went dark, and the tall, thin man cursed, turning around with a club.

Jiang Xingchuan didn't clash with him directly; he lowered his shoulder, darted past him, and lunged straight for the cyan point beneath the old mulberry root.

In the center of the cracked old root, a drop of Spring water was suspended, extremely bright.

The short, sturdy one immediately lunged to grab it, but his foot slipped, and half his leg sank into the black mud. He screamed for the tall, thin one to pull him out.

The tall, thin one didn't even turn his head; he only stared at that drop of Spring.

Once a person becomes greedy, they lose sight of everything else.

Jiang Xingchuan had already caught that drop of Spring.

But before he could retreat, the tall, thin man attacked from behind, his club aiming straight for his wrist, his eyes seeing only that drop of Spring.

If this strike landed, even if the Spring didn't scatter, it would be knocked out of his hand.

Zhou Wang's heart tightened, and he subconsciously activated "Sending Spring".

The "Wang" character on the clan history page heated up slightly, and a wisp of book ink was drawn out, landing on Jiang Xingchuan. His breathing, which had been chaotic for a moment, suddenly smoothed out significantly.

This tiny bit was enough.

He flipped his wrist, narrowly dodging the club, and backhanded the drop of Spring into his mouth.

The tall, thin man's eyes turned red.

"You dare!"

Jiang Xingchuan certainly dared.

Having come this far, if he didn't swallow it, it would truly become a wedding dress for someone else.

Once that drop of Wild Spring entered his mouth, it was much more violent than the Public Spring, like a blade wrapped in fire, stabbing straight from his throat into his chest.

Jiang Xingchuan's vision went black, and he immediately lost his footing.

The tall, thin man seized the opportunity and struck again with his club. It hit his shoulder squarely, causing him to lean to the side, and half his body went numb.

Severe pain spread throughout his body, and that mouthful of Wild Spring rampaged inside him.

Once Wild Spring enters the body, it's no longer a question of whether you want it, but whether you can suppress it.

Usually, Wild Spring is extremely fierce, and ordinary people rarely choose it when entering the Dao to become a Qi Refining Cultivator.

Without superior spiritual Aptitude to suppress the Wild Spring or a higher-level Qi-guiding method, the probability of becoming a Cultivator is naturally halved compared to those who use Public Spring, not to mention in a situation where one is unprepared and disturbed.

If the Spring guidance fails, one will either die or be crippled.

Jiang Shoushan also lunged over at this moment. He understood the stakes and, eyes turning red, cut off most of the tall, thin man's right hand that he hadn't been able to pull back, then followed up with a step, kicking that man into the black mud as well.

Jiang Shoushan shouted in a deep voice: "Follow the first section of the Inheriting Spring Guide!"

Jiang Xingchuan felt sweetness in his throat and a buzzing in his ears, but his consciousness was very clear. He gritted his teeth and pulled up those few lines of the mantra he had long memorized.

His chest felt like a gate had been smashed open, the Qi path was off by half an inch, but the effect of Sending Spring was still there. Jiang Xingchuan gritted his teeth and held onto that Qi, refusing to let go. That mouthful of Wild Spring was actually pulled back by him, hard, through that dead, narrow opening in his shoulder and back, and it followed his Meridians downward.

Jiang Shoushan didn't look at him; he swung his blade to bleed the two Zhou Family tenant farmers, confirmed they were dead, and then slashed them twice more before turning to find Jiang Xingchuan.

What came into view was a layer of extremely faint, extremely pale cyan on the back of Jiang Xingchuan's hand.

He had succeeded.

On Fenchun Terrace, Jiang Yuhe opened her eyes at almost the same moment.

A layer of cyan appeared on the back of her hand.

The Zhou Family Elder's expression was cold as he turned to ask the person in charge nearby: "This girl actually caught that mouthful of Qi relying on the Spring-suppressing fruit in her mouth. By common logic, even if we hadn't accounted for this spiritual object, she shouldn't have been able to catch this mouthful of Qi. Fourth Grade Spring Qi, Grain Rain—can anyone in this line of the Jiang Clan catch it?"

The person in charge shook his head: "Impossible. Jiang Xingchuan and Jiang Yuhe—I have personally checked both of them. Both have very low Aptitude, and I intentionally disrupted this mouthful of Qi. That she could swallow it so easily is absolutely beyond reason."

The Zhou Family Elder looked surprised: "Losing this Spring doesn't matter, but since this Jiang Yuhe didn't die and has achieved the image of dead Spring, what should we do about the Young Master's mouthful of Spring Qi?"

The person in charge waved his hand: "No matter. There are still 5 years until the Young Master absorbs Qi to cultivate. This mouthful of Qi was originally just one of the backup plans, so don't worry too much. However, keep an eye on this Jiang Clan."

The Zhou Family Elder nodded and said in a deep voice: "Duansang Ridge Jiang Clan, Jiang Yuhe, Start of Spring absorbs Qi, enters Qi Refining."

The Cold Households whispered among themselves.

The Jiang Clan took their slip to Fenchun Terrace, the girl caught the Public Spring, and it was a smooth success.

No one knew that the Jiang Clan had actually also managed to get a mouthful of Wild Spring that night.

Over at Duansang Ravine, Jiang Xingchuan and Jiang Shoushan were burying the bodies, hacking the two Zhou Family tenant farmers until their faces were unrecognizable, and burying them in separate places. Anyway, this ravine was full of sludge; just step on it and they would sink in.

"Time to go. Let's go home and share the good news." Jiang Shoushan wrapped up his blade and beckoned.

"Okay." Jiang Xingchuan leaned against the old mulberry root, his shoulder aching terribly, but he still braced himself to stand straighter and looked down at the back of his hand.

That layer of cyan was still there.

He suddenly smiled. Once this mouthful of Spring entered his body, he was a Cultivator, and he could finally do something for his family.

When they returned home, the sky was almost fully bright.

Jiang Yuhe had returned a step before them and was sitting at the table, regulating the newly absorbed mouthful of Spring Qi.

As soon as Jiang Chengning saw the blood on Jiang Xingchuan's shoulder and the layer of cyan on the back of his hand that hadn't faded, he was stunned for a moment, and then his whole person went quiet.

Lin Suwen didn't ask anything first; she went to get medicine.

Jiang Shoushan latched the door and let out a long breath against the wall.

"One mouthful of Public Spring, one mouthful of Wild Spring."

"Our family has really made it this time."

No one in the room responded to this.

Because at this point, everyone knew that the real trouble had just begun.

The Public Spring on the terrace had been seen by outsiders.

The Wild Spring in the ravine had not been seen by outsiders, but it might not be possible to hide it.

If the Zhou Family investigated seriously, it probably wouldn't be hard to find out the capabilities of a Qi Refining Cultivator, not to mention that the Zhou Family had more than one Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Jiang Chengning was silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Suppress this mouthful of Spring that Xingchuan has."

Everyone in the room looked at him.

"On the surface, the Jiang Clan only has Yuhe in Qi Refining this year," he said. "Tonight, just say Xingchuan went to Duansang Ravine to scout the path with Shoushan and came back injured. As for your mouthful of Spring, don't let outsiders see it. Hide it for as long as you can."

Jiang Shoushan nodded.

Lin Suwen didn't object either; she just cleaned the blood off Jiang Xingchuan's shoulder and whispered: "In the future, be less impulsive, don't reveal your cultivation, and stay home properly."

Jiang Yuhe hadn't spoken the whole time.

She suddenly turned her head to look at the open clan history on the table.

The book was still quiet, as if it had done nothing.

But just as her gaze fell upon it, the place that had been blank all night slowly revealed the first line of ink characters:

Year of Start of Spring, Yuhe ascends the terrace to receive Public Spring, Xingchuan enters Duansang Ravine at night to seize Wild Spring.

The ink characters were written very steadily.