38: breakthrough

"Don't side with anyone, just tend to your fields properly," Jiang Hanwen said sternly.

Although his answer was irresponsible, it was indeed his answer; he couldn't say too much, only relying on Wu Shen's comprehension.

Three years ago, he subtly hinted to Luo Maocai.

This steward, who was determined to become the head manager, resolutely sided with Zhuang Bai's rival, his elder brother Zhuang Xiao, becoming the man behind Wu Qinghe.

The enemy of an enemy is a friend. With Zhuang Xiao's support, Wu Qinghe's suppression of Zhuang Bai was comprehensive, both in terms of ability and power.

Until—Su Xin, the mother of two children, re-emerged.

The day after Elder Du's adopted daughter took over the mess, she brought her two children and knelt at Du Qingfu's door.

Du Qingfu finally intervened, telling Wu Qinghe not to press too hard.

Thus, Wu Qinghe gave Zhuang Bai a chance to breathe.

If you don't kill the snake, it will bite you back.

The Zhuang family, happy to see the competition, simply ordered that no action be taken; only the quantity of Spiritual Plants submitted could be used to contend for power.

Even Wu Shen wouldn't have thought that the two factions fighting fiercely outside were caused by his teacher, who kept away from trouble.

Jiang Hanwen always remembered Zhuang Bai selling him out. His inaction didn't mean he forgot, just that he hadn't found a good opportunity.

A moment later, Wu Shen left with the letter of recommendation, and the courtyard returned to quiet.

"Rustle ~"

Jiang Hanwen, holding a hoe, began to mix fertilizer.

Under the tree, his father, with thick gray hair, was wrapped in a thick cotton quilt, leaning on an extra-wide rocking chair, enjoying the autumn breeze.

Xiao Lingtong stayed with them for a year, then was taken away by Xiao Bu Dian, and hadn't returned for over a year since then.

His father no longer urged him to find a wife; instead, he kept telling him to save money, saying that ten years had passed, and after another ten years, it would be best to leave the Zhuang family.

Time can change deeply ingrained life beliefs.

After mixing it well, Jiang Hanwen also covered himself with a quilt and leaned on another chair nearby.

"Father, Wu Shen has left."

"Hmm, I know. That boy is good; he should have a bright future."

Jiang Hanwen smiled without speaking. A bright future?

Let's see if he can survive this storm first.

The Zhuang family's current strength had increased by a third compared to when he first arrived, and it was on an upward trajectory.

The reason for this was that the third branch had a child who had entered the Qinglan Sword Sect, even if only as an outer disciple, which meant the Zhuang family could produce a powerful figure in the Condensing Spring Realm in the future.

From the Zhuang family's perspective, their land had expanded, and their Medicine Field increased every year.

However, as far as Jiang Hanwen knew, regarding land, outside, through forced purchases and sales, countless families were driven to ruin.

"Father, why don't I get a dog? Old Su's family next door has a beautiful 'Snow-footed Back,'" Jiang Hanwen brought up another topic.

His father's body was growing older day by day. After accidentally falling and breaking a rib two years ago, Jiang Hanwen forbade him from doing any work.

"No more pets. Your father has raised them all his life; I want to rest."

His voice was weak. Jiang Hanwen looked over and saw that his father had closed his eyes and fallen asleep.

In the evening, the autumn wind was cold and fierce, swirling fragments of leaves into small whirlwinds on the ground, rustling.

A human life is like the autumn of a plant.

Jiang Hanwen turned his head, shifting his gaze.

After a while, he carried his father back into the house.

He also brought the clothes inside. Without Wu Shen doing these chores, things weren't as neat as before.

While busy, his ears twitched. Jiang Hanwen stopped, as heavy, halting footsteps approached.

The steps were slow and heavy. Someone was coming, and heading straight for his house.

"Thump-thump ~"

Opening the door, he saw Elder Du, with temples streaked with gray, standing at the entrance.

"Elder Du?"

Jiang Hanwen looked at him curiously. At this hour, why would the old man come to him, and reeking of alcohol?

Du Qingfu ignored Jiang Hanwen, carrying a pot of Clear Wind Drunk, and strode into the house, plopping down onto the rocking chair.

A bad premonition, accompanied by the desolate autumn, pierced Jiang Hanwen's heart.

"Gurgle ~ gurgle"

He lifted the wine pot, pouring out clear wine foam. Excess wine trickled down the corner of his mouth, sliding onto his brown chin covered by loose skin.

"The year I met him, he was still a small beggar.

At that time..."

The autumn wind grew stronger, blowing fiercely.

The door of the next room slammed violently against the wall. As Du Qingfu recounted, Shang Zian, an ordinary man born a beggar, became a Blade Catcher, upholding justice step by step, relying on his cleverness and ruthlessness.

Until, at the age of sixty.

The yamen issued an order to eliminate a mother and daughter who had massacred an entire family. To eliminate these pitiful, venomous women, he waited outside their maternal home for a full two years.

Only one of the mother and daughter showed up. He killed the mother, but what he found in her bundle revealed another truth.

A powerful noble had coveted the wife's mother, forcing her husband to drug her to serve him.

In the end, not only the mother but also the daughter's innocence was ruined.

Enduring humiliation, the mother and daughter killed the noble, and then poisoned the entire paternal family.

Unfortunately, the two were merely small characters at the third stage of Mortal Transformation, so they could only flee.

The Blade Catchers were merely the axes of the powerful nobles.

After that, it was Old Shang's revenge against that noble and a group of officials.

"Actually, he spent the first few years recuperating.

The things he taught you, he was also learning and using them as he went."

"Where is Old Shang buried?" Jiang Hanwen's nose tingled, and something churned in his stomach.

"Buried?"

With a sneer, Du Qingfu took another gulp of wine.

"He sought death; he was killed by that girl from back then!"

Anger? Regret?

Jiang Hanwen's heart was a chaotic mix of emotions.

Old Shang's fate was his own arrangement, willingly accepted.

Returning to the house, Jiang Hanwen retrieved two jars of his home-brewed wine from the cellar, brought a table, and placed it between them.

He didn't know whether to be glad that Old Shang got his wish or to lament the unpredictability of fate?

He just felt a lump in his throat.

Drawing a knife to cut water, the water flows more; raising a cup to drown sorrow, sorrow grows deeper.

"Bang ~"

Under the biting autumn wind, the two simply drank, a pot of white porcelain Clear Wind Drunk placed opposite them.

There, it was as if someone was accompanying them.

Amidst the gurgling of wine, the sun set, and night fell.

At first light, Du Qingfu covered Jiang Hanwen with a quilt and stumbled out of the small courtyard alone.

As soon as the door closed, Jiang Hanwen woke up.

Leaving so early, Elder Du clearly didn't want others to see his vulnerable state.

In the faint morning light, a swaying shadow gradually disappeared from view.

Jiang Hanwen sighed. In the blink of an eye, Du Qingfu had also grown old.

Holding the wine pot, he sat on the rooftop.

Jiang Hanwen closed his eyes, his heart sinking to the bottom, and began to breathe.

Prosperity and decline have their seasons; a plant has its autumn.

Through long years, he would eventually experience the withering of all things, and in the stillness of death, witness the vast changes of the world, blooming with new life.

Maintain stillness and constancy, pure and flawless, reverent and undivided.

A clear and transparent state of mind, like a lotus in mud, slowly bloomed.

If you bloom, the clear wind will come naturally.

"Hiss ~"

Amidst the remembrance of death, a warmth appeared in his mouth, surging with his breath to his heart, settling into stillness.

Jiang Hanwen opened his eyes. Five years! He had finally taken the first step of the Divine Breath True Scripture!

Uncontrollable ecstasy filled his heart, yet Jiang Hanwen's breathing remained unchanged, still long and peaceful.

Breakthrough was inevitable, nothing to dwell on.

He gazed at the boundless Medicine Field, with small houses scattered across the black wilderness.

A thin veil slipped from before his eyes; he saw everything more clearly.

So, this was the transparency of the mind?

He recalled the opening of the Divine Breath True Scripture—using the heart as the rudder.

He sat from morning until night.

The wine jars beside Jiang Hanwen were completely empty.

Stars hung low, the sky clear and vast.

Whisps of cloud Qi migrated swiftly across the sky.

Illusion, existence, death.

The chill of dusk condensed moisture on the corners of his clothes.

A pure coolness from deep within the earth entered his heart through his throat, a cool, refreshing sensation.

The deep Nether Qi of the night intertwined with the purple Qi of the morning sun. Jiang Hanwen's mind settled, as if he saw the evolution of the world.

All things are born and die, coming into being in opposition, and departing towards each other.

He held the chessboard of destiny, sitting amidst endless years, with life and origin evolving on his left, and darkness and destruction entering on his right.

Every session of Cultivation over the past five years flashed through his mind like a movie, carving out his own being little by little.

All things and I are one; heaven and earth are born with me.

The two Qi rotated, the original breath centered.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but the three merged into one, indistinguishable.

Jiang Hanwen opened his eyes, a wisp of Divine Breath quietly resting in his heart.

Unbeknownst to him, dawn had broken, a ray of white light piercing the darkness of night, revealing the sharp blade of hope.

He opened his mouth, and without conscious effort, a cluster of pure purple Qi entered his abdomen.

Now, he had truly stepped into the first layer of breath regulation.