Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 6 Cleansing the Marrow and Meridians, Rebirth

After the initial euphoria, the practical problems surfaced. Those two perfect "cousin-in-law" puppets were ultimately unregistered residents. In this era of planned economy, without a household registration or proof of residency from the local street office, it was practically impossible to move an inch, let alone stay in the courtyard to take care of him long-term.

"It seems I can only wait until I'm 'better' and then go to the neighborhood office in person." Lin Yan rubbed his chin, and the 45-year-old businessman's mind began to work. "I need to think of a reasonable reason, such as a distant relative hearing that the family had suffered a disaster and coming all the way from their hometown to stay with me and take care of me, a sick and weak orphan... The procedures are troublesome, but it's not impossible to get them done, after all, the situation is special."

Setting aside the identity dilemma for the moment, Lin Yan knew that everything depended on his body being presentable. He took a deep breath and walked resolutely toward the bubbling spring.

He went into the kitchen of the courtyard, took a clean ceramic cup, went to the spring, and carefully scooped up a full cup of clear, cool spring water. Upon touching the water, he could feel the faint yet pure energy it contained.

Finally, he solemnly picked up the jade slip containing the Qi Refining Chapter of the "Qiankun Creation Technique" and, following Xiao Qi's previous instructions, gently placed it on his forehead.

In an instant, a cold sensation came, and then a huge flow of information rushed into his sea of ​​consciousness like a floodgate being opened!

A profound and esoteric mantra, with every word a gem, was deeply imprinted in his memory, each character seemingly containing the ultimate truths of the universe. At the same time, an incredibly clear and intricately detailed diagram of the human body's meridians also appeared, with shimmering points of light marking the routes and key points of energy flow, down to the smallest detail.

"As expected of the cultivation technique left behind by the ancestor..." Lin Yan was shocked. He forcibly suppressed his excitement and memorized the key points and operating route of the technique.

Preparations were complete. He sat cross-legged by the spiritual spring, facing upwards with his palms facing the sky, trying to regulate his breathing and calm his mind.

Then, he uncorked the white jade bottle and poured out a marrow-cleansing pill the size of a longan, emitting a strange medicinal fragrance and a soft glow. The pill had natural cloud patterns on its surface and felt warm to the touch.

Without hesitation, Lin Yan placed the pill in his mouth, pressing it under the back of his tongue. Instantly, an indescribable fragrance and powerful medicinal energy filled his mouth. He immediately picked up the ceramic cup and gulped down the sweet spiritual spring water, using the water flow to flush the Marrow Cleansing Pill into his stomach.

When the pill entered the stomach, it was initially only warm.

But just a few breaths later, that gentleness suddenly turned into rage!

"boom!"

It felt as if a tiny sun had exploded inside his stomach! An unimaginable surge of energy, like a runaway horse or a burst dam, instantly engulfed his limbs and bones! Intense pain surged like a tidal wave, as if every muscle and every fascia was being torn apart, crushed, and forcibly reshaped!

Lin Yan groaned, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat instantly soaking his clothes. He dared not be distracted in the slightest, immediately focusing his mind on clearing his head, and following the guidance of the meridian diagram in his sea of ​​consciousness, he fully activated the method of the "Heaven and Earth Creation Technique," using his weak divine sense as a guide to desperately direct the raging torrent of energy within his body.

The medicine was far too potent, rampaging through his meridians like a high-speed rotating drill or a scorching bullet, forcefully opening up those originally blocked and narrow channels. Wherever it passed, the meridians were brutally widened, and the impurities hidden deep within were ruthlessly removed and crushed, a process that was extremely painful.

The energy, following a specific route, struggles through meridians and passes through key points, circulating throughout the body, and finally, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, surges towards the lower abdomen, the dantian!

Several powerful streams of medicinal energy converged outside the dantian, coalescing into an even more terrifying force, like a giant drill, launching a final assault on the closed, chaotic dantian barrier!

"boom--!"

It was another deafening roar, the sound of which only Lin Yan could hear, originating from the depths of his soul!

The obstacles have been completely crushed!

Upon internal inspection, a strange space, roughly ten feet in diameter, had been forcibly opened up in his dantian! Although the interior was empty, it generated its own suction force!

At that very moment, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth near the spiritual spring seemed to be summoned, rushing in and flowing into his body through the open pores of his entire body, converging into his newly opened dantian.

At this point, the process of drawing qi into the body is complete!

He officially entered the first level of the Qi Refining stage!

However, the pain of the process far exceeded his imagination. Lin Yan had lived to the age of forty-five in his previous life, and considered himself to have weathered the ups and downs of the business world and possess a resilient mind, yet he had never experienced such torture on his body. Several times, he nearly fainted from the pain. It was only thanks to the stern warning in the ancestor's commentary on the cultivation technique that "fainting will result in the loss of all previous efforts and the destruction of all meridians," and his fierce determination not to be weak again in this second life, that he managed to endure it.

After an unknown amount of time, the excruciating pain receded like a tide, replaced by an indescribable sense of lightness and clarity.

He suddenly realized that the heavy, sluggish, and occasionally painful feeling of constraint that had been lingering in his heart had disappeared!

As the Marrow Cleansing Pill circulated, it completely cleared and widened the congested and delicate meridians near his heart, and new flesh and blood grew. Although he was pale from the enormous exertion, the Damocles' sword of "congenital heart disease," which had hung over his head since birth, had vanished without a trace!

From then on, he had a healthy and strong heart!

Overwhelmed with mixed feelings, there was the ecstatic joy of being reborn, the relief of surviving a calamity, and endless gratitude towards the Lin family patriarch.

In his excitement, an unbearable stench assaulted his nostrils. Looking down, Lin Yan saw that his exposed skin was covered with a thick layer of greasy, black grime—impurities expelled from his body.

"Well……"

His intense germaphobia made it impossible for him to endure for even a moment longer; the fatigue from his previous breakthrough was largely dispelled by the smell. He suddenly jumped up, disregarding all decorum, and rushed into the bathroom in his portable courtyard like an arrow.

Soon, the sound of rushing water rang out, accompanied by a satisfied sigh.