The letter mentioned that Li Yishan had a healthy baby boy.
Butcher Hu’s health was failing, so he sold his butcher shop and opened a less demanding grain and oil store on Wine Street.
Also, Mr. Tie from the village entrance was enjoying a second spring in his life. After taxes were waived and his connection to Chu Lingguang became known, he’d married Widow Liu just last month.
And so on.
Lastly, Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family expressed her hope that after Chu Lingguang passed his examinations with distinction, he would marry soon to continue the Chu Family bloodline. She specifically mentioned that many prominent families had already come calling with marriage proposals.
’I was single my entire past life. This time around, I have to experience what it’s like to get married and have children.’
Chu Lingguang wasn’t opposed to marriage.
On the contrary, seeing Hei Hu and Zhang Linghua settle down and start a family, Chu Lingguang sometimes found himself wondering when he would get married and have children of his own.
Not long after he first arrived in this world, Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family had tried to set him up with Chun Ju. Unfortunately, he sold his farmland to study at a Martial Arts Hall. Once word got out, Chun Ju’s family returned the betrothal gifts overnight.
If he hadn’t sold his land and had just married Chun Ju, he might have had children by now. But life would have certainly been a struggle. In all likelihood, he would have ended up working at Hei Hu’s second uncle’s tile factory with help from Zhang Da. Meanwhile, Chun Ju would be following Second Aunt to wash clothes and cook for wealthy families, earning what little they could.
Chu Lingguang couldn’t say for sure who would be happier: the man who might have married Chun Ju, or the man he was today. He only knew that once a choice was made, you had to walk that path to the very end.
Soon, Guo Fang had a full spread of food and wine ready.
Chu Lingguang, Guo Wei, Eunuch Liu, and Xuanyuan Jinkang—six people in total—sat around the table.
During the meal, Guo Wei asked a few simple questions about Chu Lingguang’s time on Mountain Rain Peak. He too was curious what the experts of Yuanchu Mountain were really like.
But Guo Wei didn’t mention a single word about Chu Lingguang’s training on Mountain Rain Peak. He knew it was a taboo topic and that asking would only put Chu Lingguang in a difficult position.
But Xuanyuan Jinkang couldn’t be bothered with such subtleties. Seeing Chu Lingguang pulling further and further ahead, on the verge of becoming an Advanced Scholar, filled his heart with jealousy and resentment. After downing two cups of wine, he took the initiative to ask, "Chu Lingguang, what did those experts on Yuanchu Mountain teach you this past month? Is it as powerful as my master’s Soft and Flexible Technique? I’ve already mastered fifty percent of it. How about we exchange a few moves?"
"I learned a Heart Method on the mountain called the Great Cang Heart Method," Chu Lingguang explained. "The teachers on Yuanchu Mountain said that once you master this Heart Method, you’ll get twice the results with half the effort, no matter what other Kung Fu or Martial Arts you practice."
According to the rules, there was no problem as long as he didn’t reveal the specific training methods of the Great Cang Heart Method, so Chu Lingguang had no qualms about saying this.
"How incredible can a single Heart Method be?" Xuanyuan Jinkang said with some disdain. "Master, have you heard of the Great Cang Heart Method?"
"I have," Eunuch Liu nodded. "I’ve seen it in the palace. It’s kept in the martial repository. It’s one of the highest-level Heart Methods in the mortal world."
"You’ve seen it?" Chu Lingguang was taken aback.
"I’ve been in the palace for many years and have seen my share of treasures," Eunuch Liu explained. "However, for a secret martial arts manual like the Great Cang Heart Method, I only caught a fleeting glimpse of it once, and only by chance."
Clearly, when he said he’d "seen it," he’d only seen the cover of the Great Cang Heart Method; he had never seen the contents.
"Have you learned it all?" Xuanyuan Jinkang continued to press.
"No," Chu Lingguang said, shaking his head. "This Heart Method is profound and unfathomable; it’s far too difficult to master. However, thanks to this method, both Qin Yu and Yan successfully broke through to the True Martial Realm a short while ago."
"What? Then doesn’t that mean...?"
Xuanyuan Jinkang felt a stone pressing on his chest. The three words, "True Martial Realm," represented a level that still felt distant to him.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Yan will be this year’s Martial Champion Scholar," Chu Lingguang added.
"Yan Zhen is exceptionally talented. His Sword Momentum has already reached the second level, he’s the direct disciple of Commander Wei, and now he has even entered the True Martial Realm. It would be no surprise if he were to win the title of Martial Champion Scholar," Eunuch Liu remarked.
"That boy’s Martial Arts Heart is unyielding, and he dares to challenge anything," Guo Wei chimed in. "Perhaps in a few more years, even we two old-timers won’t be his match."
Eunuch Liu said with a self-deprecating laugh, "You’re forgetting, Lin Guang just said they’re all practicing the Great Cang Heart Method. Their progress will be twice as fast. It might not take years. In as little as a few months, or a year or two at most, we probably won’t be a match for them."
Guo Wei gave a noncommittal nod. "Mm. The new generation is already surpassing the old. This crop of youngsters is terrifyingly talented."
In just a few short years, he had personally witnessed Chu Lingguang’s transformation from a common man on the street to the person he was today. After a slow start, his subsequent progress could only be described as meteoric.
Even now, he could hardly believe that he, Guo Wei, could have mentored a future Advanced Scholar.
"They’ve all broken through. When are you going to?" Xuanyuan Jinkang didn’t care how monstrously powerful Yan Zhen and Qin Yu had become; he only wanted to know how wide the gap was between himself and Chu Lingguang.
"I’m not sure," Chu Lingguang said, shaking his head. "It could be soon, or it could be a long time from now."
"If you can break through your Qi Sea and enter the True Martial Realm before the Palace Examination, Yan Zhen might not be able to secure the title of Martial Champion Scholar," Xuanyuan Jinkang goaded.
"It would be ideal to compete with Yan for the title of Martial Champion Scholar at the Palace Examination, of course. It’s just..."
Given the chance, he naturally wanted to become the Martial Champion Scholar too.
However, those forty-six responses, while capable of awakening terrifying power once roused, were also like a giant shackle. They prevented Chu Lingguang from easily taking that final step, which was why a gap always remained between him and the True Martial Realm.