Chapter 235

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Zhang Xiaohua listened and said seriously: “Here’s the thing, Second Brother. I just received a carrier pigeon message from the sect, saying that Sister Changge will be coming here soon. I was worried she wouldn’t be able to find our house, so I hurried over.”

Zhang Xiaohu, upon hearing that Changge was coming, quickly asked: “Changge? She’s really coming?”

But just as the words left his mouth, he saw Zhang Xiaohua struggling to hold back a laugh. Realizing that he’d been tricked by this little rascal, he chuckled twice and said: “Oh, cut it out. Which sect are you even talking about? The Big Dipper Sect or the Piaomiao Sect? If you’re talking about the Piaomiao Sect, how come I’ve never seen you formally acknowledge a master? And if it’s the Big Dipper Sect, well, it seems like your so-called disciple is still in your sister-in-law’s belly!”

Seeing that his Second Brother had caught on and wasn’t flustered, Zhang Xiaohua grinned and said: “I was just trying to get out of carrying things for Eldest Brother, so I made it up on the spot. Look at him—carrying everything himself while Sister-in-law walks empty-handed. Why should I be the one to carry things for him?”

“Hehe.” Zhang Xiaohu chuckled. “That’s where you’re wrong. Ever since you told Mother and Father this morning that Sister-in-law is pregnant, her status in our family has shot up. She’s practically a protected figure in the Zhang household now. Forget carrying things—Mother even insists on personally pouring her water. If she so much as tries to stand up, Mother won’t let her.”

“You see, didn’t you say that this well water is good for the baby? Mother even got another water jar so I could fetch more water home.”

Zhang Xiaohua shrugged. “Anyway, we’ll be leaving home in a while, so Sister-in-law can take my place. I don’t mind. But her position won’t last long either. Mother dotes on her now, but once the child is born, she’ll be pushed to the background again. Oh, right, Second Brother, this spring water is best when fresh. If it sits too long, it loses its effect, so you’d better not bother fetching more.”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohu put the bucket down and asked: “Xiaohua, what you told us this morning—is it really true? I just don’t think you have that kind of ability. Is [Wild Ox Strength] really that powerful? And about you training in seclusion for nine days and nights— to be honest, Second Brother may have only just started learning martial arts, but back when I was at the escort agency, I heard plenty of stories from the Jianghu. How come I’ve never heard of anything like that?”

Zhang Xiaohua pondered for a moment. He had never intended to hide things from his family, so it wouldn’t matter if he told them. But Second Brother was, after all, a disciple of the Piaomiao Sect. If he knew too much, it would put him in a difficult position. The [Carefree Heart Sutra] must be a treasured technique of the Piaomiao Sect and he practiced it secretly. If Ou Peng ever decided to investigate, as long as Second Brother remained unaware, he might not be implicated. But if he knew and didn’t report it, that would be another matter entirely.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaohua spoke solemnly: “Second Brother, every word I said is true. But the details really aren’t easy to explain. Also, about me training for nine days and nights without rest, please tell Father and Mother, but make sure not to mention it to anyone else. Some things are better left unsaid.”

Zhang Xiaohu looked at his increasingly mature younger brother and chuckled: “Now that you’ve finished giving your instructions, let me tell you—Father, Mother, and Mr. Liu had already discussed this while you were in seclusion. Just earlier, when you stepped out, they reminded us again. Even if you beat me to death, I wouldn’t say a word!”

Zhang Xiaohua looked at Zhang Xiaohu for a long moment without speaking. Finally, he said: “Thank you, Second Brother. Honestly, I do have my difficulties.”

Zhang Xiaohu cut him off with a smile, saying: “Xiaohua, you’re my own flesh-and-blood brother. I watched you be born and grow up—don’t you think I know what kind of person you are? If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I won’t force you.”

Then, picking up the water bucket from the ground, he said: “Come on, since you don’t want me fetching water, let’s head home. I guess Mother got that water jar for nothing—she might as well use it to pickle vegetables.”

When the two returned home, Guo Sufei frowned upon seeing that Zhang Xiaohu hadn’t brought back any water. But after Zhang Xiaohua explained, she finally smiled and said: “So that’s how it is. Fresh water really is better. From now on, let’s have Xiaolong fetch water three times a day. We’ll switch all our household water to this well.”

Zhang Xiaolong could only smile bitterly.

With Zhang Xiaohua safely out of seclusion and Liu Qian carrying a child, the Zhang family had double the reason to celebrate. That evening, the atmosphere was naturally lively. Mr. Liu often dined at the Zhang residence, and tonight was no exception. The entire family was filled with joy, basking in the warmth of the moment.

However, when it came time to prepare dinner, a small issue arose. In the past, Liu Qian had been the head cook, with Guo Sufei assisting her. But ever since learning about Liu Qian’s pregnancy that morning, Guo Sufei had refused to let her do anything—cooking was out of the question. Though Guo Sufei had long been accustomed to making meals for the family, her cooking had always been simple and frugal. Now, with the Zhang family’s wealth amounting to over 3,600 taels, something unimaginable in the past, a plain meal seemed inappropriate, yet extravagance wasn’t an option either.

Thus, the problem arose—how could Guo Sufei handle everything on her own?

Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua offered to help, but Guo Sufei promptly chased them out. Having been away from home for two years, how could she bear to let them do chores? Zhang Xiaolong tried to assist, but he was clumsy in the kitchen, only making more of a mess. Liu Qian simply shook her head as she watched. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua said to Guo Sufei: “Mother, why not let Sister-in-law handle it? The baby hasn’t even formed yet—it won’t affect anything. Besides, isn’t a bit of movement good for her health? When she starts showing and really finds it hard to move, that’s when you should have her rest.”

“A child like you, what do you know? When a woman is pregnant, she must take great care to nourish and protect the baby. You can’t be careless and risk losing it.”

Zhang Xiaohua swept his divine sense over Liu Qian, then smiled at his mother and said: “Actually, Sister-in-law has been pregnant for half a year already. The baby is already stable, so there’s no harm in letting her move around. Besides…”

He paused for a moment before continuing: “This child is different from ordinary ones. Who knows when it will fully form and be born? Mother, you must be prepared—there’s no use being anxious.”

“Ah? Is that so?” Guo Sufei was caught off guard. “Then how long will it take?”

Zhang Xiaohua said, “How would I know? Maybe a year or so, or maybe even three to five years. You can’t possibly have Sister-in-law avoid work for three to five years, can you?”

“This…” Guo Sufei fell silent.

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Qian stepped forward and said: “Mother, however long it takes, let’s just live as we always have. I’ll continue working as usual. When the time comes for the fruit to ripen and fall, we’ll talk about it then.”

Guo Sufei hesitated before nodding. Liu Qian quickly smiled and hurried into the kitchen. The whole family was waiting for dinner—how could she not be anxious?

Though the food at home couldn’t compare to that of Huanxi Villa, the atmosphere was completely different. Zhang Xiaohua deeply enjoyed the warmth of family. Even though he didn’t have much of an appetite, he still ate a fair amount. After dinner, everyone sat around drinking tea and chatting, sharing amusing stories. Zhang Xiaohu also recounted his past experiences escorting caravans.

Though they had the chance to gather in the past few days, Zhang Xiaohua had been meditating in the fields, and the family had been too worried to truly enjoy themselves. Perhaps it was only now that they could finally be at ease.

As the night grew late, everyone retired to their rooms. Zhang Xiaolong stepped out to escort Mr. Liu home.

Once inside their small room, Zhang Xiaohua asked: “Second Brother, are you going to sleep, or will you be practicing tonight?”

Zhang Xiaohu replied, “I usually practice. I’ve only just started learning the [Piaomiao Divine Technique], and now is the crucial time to solidify my foundation. I need to train more. The past few nights, I saw you meditating, so I didn’t dare to practice.”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded and said: “Then let’s cultivate together.”

Zhang Xiaohu grinned. “Alright, let’s see who improves their inner strength faster.”

Actually, deep down, Zhang Xiaohu had already lost confidence in measuring up to his younger brother. Cultivating for nine days and nine nights straight was not something an ordinary person could do. Though he hadn’t had the chance to test Zhang Xiaohua’s internal strength, he was absolutely certain that he might not be his brother’s match.

Zhang Xiaohu closed the door, walked to the kang bed, and sat cross-legged. Following Wen Wenhai’s teachings and the instructions recorded in the [Piaomiao Divine Technique], he practiced breathing techniques to refine his inner strength.

Zhang Xiaohua, however, was in no hurry. He simply sat cross-legged, released his divine sense, and lightly sensed the surrounding Yuan Qi. With a soft sigh, he thought, This meager amount of Yuan Qi—how could it possibly be enough for my cultivation?

Seeing Zhang Xiaohu enter meditation, Zhang Xiaohua casually swept his divine sense over him, yet he did not detect any traces of Yuan Qi at all. This puzzled him. From what Second Brother had said, his [Piaomiao Divine Technique] had already reached the entry-level, and his True Qi had begun to take shape. So why was there no trace of Yuan Qi?

His divine sense was as precise as his eyes, but it was especially sensitive to Yuan Qi. He had only been able to perceive the fetus inside Liu Qian because it was absorbing Yuan Qi. Without such a phenomenon, how could he have known so much?

Perhaps the [Piaomiao Divine Technique] contains mysteries beyond my understanding, he thought. With that, Zhang Xiaohua retrieved two small Yuan Stones from his robes, held one in each hand, closed his eyes, and began drawing Yuan Qi from them.

Initially, Zhang Xiaohua had assumed that such small Yuan Stones would contain only a limited amount of energy, and that the absorption process would be weak. But the moment he started his cultivation, he felt an incomparably dense surge of Yuan Qi flow out from the Yuan Stones, streaming endlessly into his meridians—just like when he had been sitting atop that massive Yuan Stone days ago. Suppressing his surprise, Zhang Xiaohua calmed his mind and focused on absorbing and refining the energy.

However, he did not immediately enter a meditative state. After about the time it took to eat a meal, he stopped absorbing and, without opening his eyes, swept his divine sense over the Yuan Stone in his hand.

That single sweep startled him greatly. The Yuan Stone’s energy remained as abundant as before, showing no signs of depletion despite his absorption. This tiny Yuan Stone is unbelievably durable, he thought. If this is the case, just this one small piece could sustain my cultivation for a long time! Then, thinking of the massive Reclining Ox Yuan Stone inside his money pouch, Zhang Xiaohua nearly grinned from ear to ear.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Orluros’s Vault of Secrets: If you liked the chapter feel free to donate 🙂 and if you find any errors in the translation please mention them in the comments here or in discord