Chapter 2

In the middle of the night.

Amidst the high mountains and the small moon, the green and red layers, the fallen flowers covering the path, and the uneven shadows of the pines, Chen Yan lay on the bed, sleeping with his head to the east, lying on his side, coiled like a dragon, curled like a dog, one arm bent to support his head, the other hand rubbing his abdomen, one leg extended, the other leg drawn in.

Before his mind slept, his eyes closed, he reached the utmost emptiness, maintained deep stillness, and his spirit and energy naturally returned to their roots. His breathing naturally contained and nurtured, without adjusting his breath, it adjusted itself, without controlling his energy, it controlled itself.

After a short while, Chen Yan felt a protrusion on his forehead, like a suspended vajra pearl, and it seemed as if the celestial palace was above, crystal clear and translucent, shimmering with an indescribable radiance.

As someone who had almost condensed the Dao foundation in his previous life, Chen Yan was very familiar with the Six Jia Shangyuan Gong. His energy moved and his spirit remained, harmonizing yin and yang, consolidating the foundation and nurturing the essence.

Soon, four hours passed.

Chen Yan opened his eyes, got up from the bed, pushed open the window, and saw the sun rise over the mountains, purple qi coming from the east, golden light wandering, the layered peaks enveloped in gold, red light swaying, and the rosy clouds reaching the sky.

Chen Yan raised his head, his eyes shining, as if trying to draw the purple qi into his eyes, swallowing the essence, and harmonizing his soul.

After a while, Chen Yan stopped, looking refreshed and radiant.

It had to be said that the Six Jia Shangyuan Gong, which could guide him into the Dao even in the end times, was indeed remarkable. Just one night had greatly restored the strength within Chen Yan's body, making him feel lively and very relaxed from head to toe.

The Daoist scriptures say: Life is the root of the spirit, form is the tool of the spirit. When the spirit is overused, it is exhausted; when the form is overworked, it perishes.

Due to the witch's spell in the past, Chen Yan was plagued by evil spirits, suffering from continuous nightmares, which greatly damaged his mind and spirit, and in turn affected his body, leading to three months of illness, barely alive.

Now that Chen Yan had been reborn, his first priority was to nourish his body and stabilize his spirit.

"Hmm,"

While adjusting his posture and activating his blood and qi, Chen Yan's thoughts turned, and he thought to himself, "If this continues, it won't be long before I can try to sense and formally enter the path of cultivation."

Chen Yan was so confident not only because he had the experience from his previous life and was familiar with the process, but also because he had already discovered that his physical body had excellent bones and good potential.

Cultivation has three stages: Sensing, Nourishing Qi, and Circulating the Body.

Sensing involves the spirit residing in the dantian, drawing in the primordial essence, refining essence into qi, and generating true qi.

It seems simple, but it is extremely difficult to enter the gate. Potential, insight, and opportunity are all essential.

Without excellent bones and potential, insight and opportunity are just castles in the air.

At this moment, Ah Ying pushed the door open. She had her hair tied up in a topknot, wore a coarse blue robe, and carried a large bag of flour, her face flushed.

"Ah,"

Seeing Chen Yan in the courtyard, Ah Ying was startled at first, then quickly put down the large bag and walked over, saying, "Young Master, you just recovered from your illness, why don't you rest a bit longer on the bed?"

"I've been lying in bed for three months, I've had enough. I need to move around in the morning."

Chen Yan replied, his gaze then fell on the large bag, and after a moment of thought, he said, "Ah Ying, during my illness, did you grind the flour at home and then carry this large bag of flour to the market twenty miles away on foot?"

"Hehe,"

Ah Ying was not bothered by this, sticking out her little tongue and smiling, "I'm very strong."

"Don't go anymore,"

Chen Yan waved his hand, sighing inwardly.

A fourteen-year-old girl, not yet fully grown, had to grind flour, go to the market, and find doctors every day. Even when she was at home, she had to take care of me day and night.

For three whole months, she was mentally and physically exhausted, and she had become thin, with only her big eyes remaining.

With both parents gone, only the two of them were left to rely on each other, so he couldn't let her suffer anymore.

"But,"

Ah Ying could hear the concern in Chen Yan's words but was still a bit reluctant.

During the three months Chen Yan was bedridden, the originally wealthy Chen family had almost depleted all their wealth to pay for doctors and medicine.

The servants in the house, seeing the decline of the Chen family, scattered like monkeys from a fallen tree, each finding their own way, and before leaving, they took many things. If it weren't for Ah Ying and the neighbors stepping in, the consequences would have been even worse.

The Chen family's large courtyard, though spacious, was now truly destitute, with only a little grain left in the jars. If they didn't go out, they would run out of food in less than half a month.

"There is no 'but',"

Chen Yan took a deep breath and said firmly, "I still have a jade finger ring, which I can take to the pawnshop to exchange for silver. The money will be enough for us to use for half a year."

"No, Young Master,"

Ah Ying, upon hearing this, was so upset that tears welled up in her eyes, and she shook her head, "That is the Chen family's heirloom, handed down by the old master himself, to be passed on to future generations. How can we pawn it for money?"

"Ah Ying,"

Chen Yan's expression was serious, and he said in a moderate tone, "Our Chen family has always passed down through poetry and literature. When have we ever relied on a jade finger ring? Besides, I'm not asking you to sell it, just pawn it. We will redeem it soon."

Pausing, Chen Yan continued, "Also, my body has just recovered, I can't keep drinking porridge. If we pawn the jade finger ring, we can get silver to buy more meat and vegetables. In a few months, I still have to take the college examination, and my diet needs to be up to par."

"Once you pass the college examination, you will be a scholar,"

Ah Ying was finally convinced, nodding, "Your health is the most important. Once you become a scholar, we will redeem it."

"That's the right idea."

Chen Yan took out the jade finger ring from his chest and handed it to Ah Ying, saying, "Let's have breakfast first, and then you can go."

"Okay."

Ah Ying carefully took the jade finger ring, hid it close to her body, patted her hands, and ran off like the wind, saying, "Young Master, please wait, I'll make breakfast right away."

"Hmm,"

While Ah Ying was preparing breakfast, Chen Yan walked into the room.

Lifting his head, he saw a long scroll hanging in the center, depicting a thousand-mile horse, black with white markings, vivid and lifelike, but the tail was burned by incense, ruining the atmosphere.

Perhaps it was because of this flaw that the servants who left did not take it.

"Hey,"

Suddenly, Chen Yan stopped, tilting his head and carefully examining the scroll. He thought he had just heard a faint neigh?

Sure enough, not long after, another neigh sounded, faint and indistinct. If it weren't for Chen Yan's keen senses, he might not have noticed it.

"Interesting,"

Chen Yan smiled, reaching out to take down the scroll, caressing the slightly raised horse's head, and murmured, "Interesting, truly interesting. Could it be that there's a horse demon in my house?"

As someone who had almost condensed the Dao foundation in his previous life and had experienced rebirth, Chen Yan had no reason to be afraid of a minor horse demon like an ordinary person.

What he was now considering was how to help this weak horse demon grow and become his assistant.

"I need to think of a way."

Chen Yan rolled up the Heavenly Horse Scroll, making a plan.