25: Chapter 25 Rainmaking

It rained heavily at the end of summer.

The moss by the well in Niubei Hollow grew deeper day by day, and water vapor rose from the wellhead.

When Zhao Xing went into labor, it was still raining outside. At first, she endured it in silence. When Lin Suwen heard a muffled groan from the inner room and went in to check, she saw that Zhao Xing had gripped the corner of the quilt tightly, her forehead covered in sweat.

Lin Suwen took one look and told the Song Clan to boil water, then called for Chen Xiaoyan to fetch the medicine bag.

Jiang Shoushan stood outside, holding half a bundle of firewood in his hand. Hearing the commotion inside, he stood frozen as if nailed to the spot.

Jiang Xingchuan came out from the east wing and, seeing him gripping the firewood tightly, at a loss, reached out to take it from him.

"Go fetch the water quickly."

Jiang Shoushan finally came to his senses and turned toward the stove.

Usually, he walked without a sound, but now his footsteps splashed loudly in the water.

When he brought the water into the room, he had squeezed the rim of the basin into several bent marks. Lin Suwen saw it but said nothing, only saying, "Put it down and go out."

Jiang Shoushan obediently retreated to the doorway.

Zhou Wang, curled up inside the book, listened as well.

Over the years, there had been many cries in the Jiang Family.

Tonight, this sound was different.

In the latter half of the night, the child was born.

A boy.

Lin Suwen wrapped up the child and handed him to Zhao Xing's side.

"It's a boy."

Tears immediately welled up in Zhao Xing's eyes. She reached out, but fearing she might hurt him, she only tapped the swaddling clothes lightly with her fingertips.

When Jiang Shoushan was called in, he stood by the heated brick bed and watched for a long time.

Zhao Xing's face was deathly pale, yet she smiled at him.

"Look."

Jiang Shoushan lowered his head, saw that wrinkled little face, and after a long while, uttered one word: "Good."

Chen Xiaoyan, who was mixing medicine nearby, frowned upon hearing this.

"Your son is born, and that's all you have to say?"

Jiang Shoushan looked at Zhao Xing again.

"You've worked hard. It's good that you're okay."

Zhao Xing laughed out loud, but halfway through, she gasped in pain. Lin Suwen hurriedly told her not to move around.

After daybreak, Jiang Chengning brought out the family genealogy.

He had already made up his mind; the branches of Jiang Xingchuan, Jiang Shoushan, and Jiang Yuhe, along with Ah Shi's branch, these three branches would be the main branches of the Jiang Family and could be entered into the official family genealogy.

The family genealogy was spread out on the table.

Jiang Chengning took up a brush but did not write any names yet.

The family genealogy on the table turned a page by itself.

This page was right next to the "Cheng-Hou Pulse Alteration Chapter". The paper had been blank, but now a few lines of ink characters slowly bled out:

"Rain-Walking opens the Signet of Seal, the scenery clears and Qi is received."

"Dawn frost alters the pulse, clear waves form the Foundation."

"The deep reflection opens the mansion, the profound mystery returns to the truth."

The room went silent for a moment.

Lin Suwen recited it in a low voice. When she reached "Rain-Walking opens the Signet of Seal," her gaze fell first on Jiang Xingchuan and Jiang Yuhe.

Jiang Xingchuan was stunned.

Jiang Yuhe also raised her eyes.

The two siblings, one named Xingchuan, the other Yuhe, were originally just names Jiang Chengning had chosen based on the mountains, rivers, fields, and soil years ago. Now, they happened to correspond perfectly with the first line.

Jiang Chengning stared at those lines of text for a long time before saying:

"From now on, the Jiang Family's generations will be determined by taking the first character for males and the second character for females."

As he spoke, his fingertip tapped on the first line.

"For this generation, males use 'Xing', and females use 'Yu'."

"Xingchuan and Yuhe's names will not be changed; they fit perfectly on the genealogy."

Jiang Chengning then looked at the two children in the Song Clan's arms.

"Ah Shi and Xiaotao, left behind by Jiang Chengpu, will also join this generation."

The Song Clan's eyes reddened. She held back her tears and lowered her head to pat Ah Shi.

Ah Shi was already nine years old. He was taller than he had been a few years ago; his face was still thin, but his eyes were bright. Hearing that he was to be entered into the official family genealogy, he stood straight, not daring to move.

Jiang Chengning first set his brush to the Bo Branch.

Bo Branch, Jiang Chengning's household.

Jiang Chengning, forty-eight. Wife, Lin Suwen, forty-two.

Eldest son, Jiang Xingchuan, twenty. Wife, Chen Xiaoyan, nineteen.

Eldest daughter, Jiang Yuhe, eighteen.

Further down was the Zhong Branch.

Zhong Branch, Jiang Chengpu's household.

Jiang Chengpu, deceased. Wife, the Song Clan, over thirty.

Son, Jiang Xingshi, nine.

Daughter, Jiang Yutao, seven.

Ah Shi whispered, "Jiang Xingshi."

The Song Clan said, "At home, we will still call you Ah Shi."

Ah Shi nodded and whispered the name to himself once more.

Jiang Yutao was still young; seeing her brother happy, she followed suit and smiled.

Finally, there was the Ji Branch.

Although Jiang Shoushan did not follow the "Cheng" character, according to the branches in the genealogy, he was still of the same generation as Jiang Chengning and Jiang Chengpu, so his newborn son would also join the "Rain-Walking" generation.

Ji Branch, Jiang Shoushan's household.

Jiang Shoushan, twenty-nine. Wife, Liu Zhao Xing, sixteen.

Son, Jiang Xingxiu.

As these three characters were written down, the character "Shou" on the family genealogy lit up gently. Then, an ink line drooped down from the "Shou" character, steadily connecting to the three characters "Jiang Xingxiu".

The child seemed startled and cried even harder.

Zhao Xing leaned against the head of the heated brick bed and whispered, "Xingxiu."

She said it slowly, as if afraid the name hadn't yet taken root.

Jiang Shoushan lowered his head, his eyes slightly red, and quickly turned his face away.

Jiang Chengning then noted down Liu Zhao Zhi, eight years old, on the side of the branch page. She remained attached to the Liu Clan's branch and had a verbal agreement with Jiang Xingshi.

After a few strokes, the Bo, Zhong, and Ji pages at the back of the family genealogy, which had originally been stuck together, actually loosened slightly.

Zhou Wang could see it clearly from inside the paper.

The Jiang Family had finally established their Legacy.

Who would enter the official family genealogy and who would be recorded in the branch would henceforth follow this book.

His heart stirred, and a glimmer of light suddenly shone from deep within the pages.

Zhou Wang felt his vision blur, and beneath his feet, it was no longer the thin surface of paper.

He had landed in a tiny world.

The sky was grayish-white, like the light behind rice paper. On the ground, there was only a small patch of shallow soil, a green seedling no more than a foot tall, and a thin stream of water winding past the seedling. The water was very faint, yet it slowly exhaled Spiritual Qi.

The Spiritual Qi was not thick, and it dissipated slowly, like a newly opened spring that had just accumulated a layer of water at the bottom.

Behind the green seedling, there was also a small furnace.

The furnace body did not look like copper or iron; it seemed to be formed of ink. The mouth of the furnace was not yet open, and a very faint character "Wang" floated on the belly of the furnace.

Zhou Wang was stunned for a long time.

Inside this family genealogy, a small world had actually opened up.

He tried to focus his thoughts, and the water in the small realm rippled gently. The ink furnace also trembled, and its body spat out a line of black light that fell back onto the paper outside.

The few people at the table all saw it.

New characters slowly emerged on the family genealogy:

"Offer Spiritual resources of the same Signet, which can be placed into the ink furnace to form a Grain Rain Spirit Register."

"Those who have entered the official family genealogy may receive it, as it best suits their own Qi pathways."

"The furnace Qi is insufficient; it cannot be formed frequently."

Jiang Chengning did not speak for a moment.

Lin Suwen asked, "What does it say?"

Jiang Chengning stared at those lines of text and said:

"Outside, Alchemy requires furnace fire, recipes, and depends on the alchemist's skill. If the medicinal properties are off, consuming it can actually do harm. This, however, doesn't have so many strict requirements; it is truly miraculous."

Jiang Chengning paused and looked at Jiang Yuhe.

"If we can truly form a Grain Rain Spirit Register, it will be much more stable than those crude pills from outside."

Jiang Yuhe looked at the four characters "Grain Rain Spirit Register", and her fingertips tightened slightly.

She had now reached the third level of Qi Refining, and the next step was the Pulse Alteration barrier. The "Cheng-Hou Pulse Alteration Chapter" had just appeared in the family, but even with the method, she still needed Spiritual resources as a wedge. Grain Rain Spiritual resources were already scarce; if a Signet of Seal could be formed through the family genealogy, it would steady that barrier by another half-step.

Jiang Chengning had already made up his mind.

"Yuhe will stay at home to cultivate."

Jiang Yuhe looked up.

"I can go search for Spiritual resources too."

"No."

Jiang Chengning shook his head.

"Your third level has just stabilized; you cannot interrupt your cultivation. The Grain Rain Qi slackens and tightens, which is most damaging to one's Foundation. Just focus on sitting steady."

He looked at Jiang Xingchuan and Jiang Shoushan.

"You two go into the mountains to search outside. Take some Spiritual Rice; it can also be used to inquire for information."

Jiang Xingchuan nodded.

Jiang Shoushan also agreed.

Jiang Chengning continued:

"I will go to the Sangyin Small Market. There are many traveling merchants and Loose Cultivators in the small market. They might not have Grain Rain Spiritual resources in stock, but there will always be news."

Lin Suwen said, "I will go ask the Sun Family and the Chen Family."

The Sun Family guarded the North Ravine water outlet and understood water channels best. The Chen Family guarded the Dihua Slope herb fields and knew the medicinal properties of plants. Grain Rain Spiritual resources mostly could not be separated from water, mud, grass, and wells; these two families had seen more of them than the Jiang Family.

The next day, before dawn, Jiang Xingchuan and Jiang Shoushan left first.

Jiang Chengning waited until daybreak, then took a pouch and went to the Sangyin Small Market.

Jiang Yuhe stayed in the ancestral house, sitting beside the family genealogy, repeatedly honing that Grain Rain.

Lin Suwen did not set off until the afternoon.

She carried a small bag of freshly harvested Spiritual Rice and a few stalks of dried Puxin Grass, heading first to Dihua Slope.

The medicinal Qi at Dihua Slope was strongest between spring and summer.

The small path at the foot of the slope was lined with medicinal herbs half a person's height. The dampness after the rain mixed with a bitter scent, drilling into her nose in waves. When Lin Suwen walked to the door of the Chen Family, the sound of medicine being pounded came from inside.

Thump, thump, thump.

She stood for a moment, then raised her hand to knock on the door.

"Uncle Chen."

The sound of medicine pounding stopped.