8: Chapter 8: First Level of Qi Refining, Back to Fifty Years Old!

Without a dream all night, his consciousness awoke from deep tranquility.

Gu Yan opened his eyes; daylight had already filtered through the lattice windows, casting several bright spots of light onto the floor.

He did not rush to get up, but instead sat cross-legged, with his five centers facing the sky, and began to introspect his own body.

After a night of settling, that massive vitality had completely merged into his flesh, bones, and tendons; his body was filled with unprecedented lightness and vitality.

More importantly, at the position of the Dantian, that warm sensation of Qi, finer than a strand of hair, still existed clearly.

This was his Dao seed, his hope!

Gu Yan composed his mind, and the method of the "Long Spring Art" from his memory flowed out naturally.

He carefully used his will to wrap around and guide that faint heat within his Dantian.

At first, the sensation of Qi did not move at all, as if it were a stubborn stone.

Gu Yan was neither anxious nor impatient; this was the first step of Cultivating to become an Immortal, and also the step that most tested one's Heart-Nature.

He calmed his heart, devoted all his mental energy into it, and tried again and again.

After an unknown amount of time, that faint heat was finally pried loose by his will; it left the Dantian slowly, like a snail crawling, and began to travel slowly along a mysterious route of Meridians.

Wherever it passed, there was a tingling sensation, as if countless gentle ants were crawling through his flesh, bringing an indescribable feeling of comfort.

As the sensation of Qi moved, certain particles in the outside air, invisible to the naked eye and shimmering like faint light, began to be attracted, passing through his mouth, nose, and the pores all over his body, slowly seeping into his body and merging into this weak stream of Qi, strengthening it.

One cycle, then another cycle.

When the stream of Qi grew to the thickness of a little finger, and after completing the thirty-sixth cycle, returning to the Dantian, a sudden change occurred!

Boom!

It was as if an invisible membrane had been quietly broken through.

The stream of Qi within his Dantian accelerated its rotation instantly, forming a small vortex of Qi.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed to have received some kind of summons, and the speed of absorption suddenly increased several times over!

Qi Refinement Stage, First Level!

It's done!

Gu Yan opened his eyes abruptly, and a sharp light flashed deep within his pupils before vanishing.

The world had become different.

His ears captured the faint sound of dew rolling off leaves outside the courtyard, and he heard the crackling of firewood as the servants burned it in the kitchen, separated by several walls.

The world before his eyes also became clearer than ever before.

He could see the direction of the wood grain on the roof beams and the tiny dust particles floating in the air.

He clenched his fist, feeling the sense of power hidden within his tendons and bones.

He had no doubt that a single punch now would be enough to kill a prime ox!

This was the power of a Cultivator!

Even if it was just the lowest First Level of Qi Refining, it had already far exceeded the limits of a Mortal!

Creak— The door was pushed open, and Shen Qingxue walked in carrying a food box.

She had tossed and turned all night, her heart in a mess; she felt both bewildered about the future and sorrowful about her own fate.

At this moment, she kept her head lowered, not daring to look at her father-in-law on the bed, just wanting to silently put down breakfast and leave.

"Qingxue."

A gentle yet penetrating voice sounded.

Shen Qingxue's footsteps paused, and her body froze uncontrollably.

This voice...

It was no longer the hoarse and dry voice of yesterday, but one full of vigor, steady and powerful.

She slowly, bit by bit, raised her head to look in the direction of the bed.

The morning light happened to shine in from outside the window, shrouding the figure sitting cross-legged by the bed in a soft halo of light.

With just one glance, Shen Qingxue was struck as if by lightning, standing frozen on the spot.

The man on the bed still had her father-in-law's silhouette, yet he seemed so unfamiliar.

His half-black, half-white hair was scattered casually; although there were still wrinkles on his face, they were no longer as deeply furrowed as yesterday. Many deep lines had actually been smoothed out, appearing firm and lustrous.

His complexion was ruddy, his lips were full, and especially his eyes—they were no longer the murky eyes of someone on the verge of death, but were shining brightly, as if they could see through people's hearts.

How could this still be an eighty-year-old man?

It was clearly a well-maintained, vigorous person in his fifties!

In just one night, he seemed to have become twenty years younger!

Such a drastic change had already exceeded the scope of what "Immortal appearing in a dream" could explain.

Shen Qingxue looked at him, and the tray in her hand swayed, nearly slipping from her grasp.

Her eyes were filled with shock, mixed with bewilderment, shyness, fear... all sorts of emotions intertwined, leaving her not knowing how to conduct herself for a moment.

"Fa... Father-in-law..." she called out subconsciously, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

"Sit down."

Gu Yan smiled gently at her and patted the edge of the bed.

His smile dispelled some of the panic in Shen Qingxue's heart.

She composed herself, placed the food box on the table, and then sat down cautiously on the edge of the bed, still keeping her head lowered, not daring to meet his gaze.

"I know you have many doubts in your heart," Gu Yan's voice was steady, possessing a power that could soothe people, "The Immortal's blessing is no empty lie. I have not only extended my life but also obtained an Immortal fate and stepped onto the path of Cultivation. The changes from last night are the proof of my initial entry into the Immortal gate."

He did not explain too much, simply attributing everything to an Immortal fate.

He knew that for a woman like Shen Qingxue, the more mysterious you made it sound, the easier it was for her to accept.

He extended his hand; his five fingers were slender, and although they still showed some signs of age, they were full of a sense of power.

He gathered a wisp of the True Qi he had just cultivated at his fingertips.

Hum.

At his fingertips, a grain-sized, lustrous white light lit up out of thin air.

The white light was gentle, yet it carried a certain otherworldly aura.

Shen Qingxue was attracted by this light; she could not help but raise her head, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

"This..."

"This is the method of an Immortal," Gu Yan dispersed the light at his fingertips and said calmly, "Therefore, you do not need to be afraid, nor do you need to worry. I will not only not die, but I will live very well, and live... for a long time."

"From now on, the Gu Family has me."

He did not say these last six words heavily, but every word struck Shen Qingxue's heart.

She looked at the man before her, both familiar and unfamiliar, looking at the powerful self-confidence and sense of control in his eyes; all the doubts, shyness, and anxiety in her heart were replaced at this moment by a huge sense of security.

She knew that the Gu Family was truly saved.

Her eyes brimmed with a slight redness; this time, it was not because of sadness, but because of the excitement of surviving a disaster.

She bowed solemnly to Gu Yan once again: "Qingxue... understands."

"Hmm." Gu Yan nodded with satisfaction, "Qingxue, from today on, you are the matriarch of this Gu Family. You may handle the household affairs as you see fit. But there is one thing I must know."

He paused, his eyes becoming sharp: "What is the situation with the Wang Family now?"

Hearing the two words "Wang Family," the heart that Shen Qingxue had just set at ease rose again.

Her expression was heavy as she reported softly: "Father, as for the Wang Family... they have become increasingly excessive recently."

"Ever since the news of your critical illness spread, they have been sending people to our rice shop to cause trouble every few days. One day they say there is sand in the rice, the next they say we are short-changing them, and they even beat our staff, scaring away quite a few old customers."

"The day before yesterday, the Wang Family's steward even let out word, saying... saying that you wouldn't last past this month, and that the Gu Family would be theirs sooner or later. And they even said... they even said..."

Shen Qingxue bit her lip; she found it difficult to say the following words.

"What else did he say?" Gu Yan's tone was calm and waveless.

"He also said... that after you are gone, their young master, Wang Tianba, wants... wants to take me as a concubine..."

Gu Yan listened quietly, without any anger on his face.

He just used his fingers to tap lightly on the edge of the bed, making a "knock, knock" sound.

The atmosphere in the room gradually became oppressive with this rhythmic tapping.

Shen Qingxue could feel that beneath her father-in-law's calmness, there seemed to be something hidden that made her heart palpitate.

After a long while, Gu Yan's tapping stopped.

Deep in his eyes, the murkiness originating from a sixty-year-old man was completely replaced by a sharp light.

"Clowns, it is time for a reckoning."