Chapter 11: Homesickness and a Shift in Strategy

After dinner, the four of them chatted for a while longer until the moon climbed high into the branches. Lin Chuan finally left the courtyard, the night breeze brushing against his cheeks with the chill of early autumn.

He looked up at the sky. The moon in this other world was a size larger than the one on Earth, glowing with a faint, cyan hue.

Returning to his humble room, Lin Chuan collapsed onto the bed, burying his face in the bedding. The cotton cloth, warmed by the sun, still held the scent of sunlight, which only made him miss his home on Earth all the more.

"Chuan, you aren't really wallowing in misery over a woman you've only known for a day, are you?" Xiaopang's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a hint of mockery.

Lin Chuan rolled over, staring at the mottled ceiling. "It’s not because of Pan Yu."

"Then what for?"

"The Zhang couple..." Lin Chuan’s voice was slightly hoarse. "They reminded me of my parents."

Xiaopang was silent for a moment. A phantom image drifted out from the Blood Spirit Ring on Lin Chuan’s finger, hovering in mid-air. Though it was merely a blurry orb of light, one could feel a sense of concern radiating from it.

"My parents were from the countryside, working hard to make a living in the city." Lin Chuan stared at Xiaopang’s phantom as if he had finally found someone to confide in. "They didn't buy their first apartment in the city with a loan until they were in their thirties, and that was when they had me."

Memories flooded back like a tide.

Lin Chuan recalled his father’s rough hands, the marks left by years of manual labor; he remembered his mother’s back always busy in the kitchen, and the Kung Pao Chicken she made, which was his favorite dish.

"That apartment was in the suburbs. By the time I was in my twenties, there was almost no one living in the area anymore." Lin Chuan smiled bitterly. "The house my parents spent half a lifetime struggling to buy ended up becoming a sacrifice to urban development."

Xiaopang’s light flickered gently. He and Lin Chuan were the best of brothers; they knew each other’s family situations like the back of their hands. He already knew these things, but he didn't interrupt. "And then?"

"Then I graduated from college and got a good job." A glimmer of pride flashed in Lin Chuan’s eyes. "In just a few years, I earned more than they had in half their lives and bought a new home in the city center."

He remembered the day they took possession of the property. His parents stood on the spacious balcony, and his father touched the brand-new railing, saying, "My son is more successful than we are." His mother had already begun planning where to put the crib, eagerly looking forward to holding a grandchild.

"I had just proposed to my girlfriend of many years..." Lin Chuan’s voice suddenly choked up. "And then I was dragged to this godforsaken place by your 'Heaven-Defying Spirit-Seizing Array'."

Silence fell in the room. Xiaopang’s light drifted to the window, gazing at the cyan moon.

"My parents finally saw their son succeed and were just waiting to hold their grandchild." Lin Chuan covered his eyes with his arm. "Now their son has suddenly 'died,' and their future daughter-in-law has suddenly become a widow... What are they supposed to do?"

A tear slid from the corner of Lin Chuan’s eye, disappearing into his temple. Since arriving in this world, he had been numbing himself with busyness and novelty, but tonight, the homesickness hit him like a bursting dam, impossible to suppress.

"Xiaopang... do you think I can still go back?"

Xiaopang’s light turned back, hovering before Lin Chuan. "Even though I had only been dead for half a year on Earth, I've been in this wretched place for one hundred thousand years."

"One hundred thousand years. I haven't stopped missing my home for a single moment." Xiaopang’s light trembled slightly. "The braised noodles my mother made, the red dress my wife wore on our wedding day... these things are as clear as if they happened yesterday."

Lin Chuan’s thoughts drifted back to the day Xiaopang got married. He had been the best man, witnessing his friend’s happiness firsthand.

"At my peak, I could only use the array to bring your soul here," Xiaopang continued. "To truly return to Earth, it requires power far greater than that."

"Stronger than you at your peak?" Lin Chuan frowned. "What level of cultivation would that require?"

"At least the Immortal stage." Xiaopang’s light flickered. "You haven't even broken through the Body Refining realm yet; it’s too early to think about that."

Lin Chuan clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. "Then I’ll get stronger as fast as I can!"

Xiaopang seemed startled by Lin Chuan’s sudden surge of fighting spirit, his light brightening intensely. "That’s more like it! Missing your family isn't a bad thing, but you must turn that longing into motivation."

Lin Chuan jumped off the bed and dragged a cloth bundle from underneath it, containing the medicinal bath ingredients he had bought that day. "I’m continuing my cultivation tonight!"

"Are you sure? You just used the medicinal bath twice last night; your body needs time to adapt."

"There’s no time to waste." Lin Chuan began to start a fire to boil water. "Every day I delay is another day my parents suffer."

Xiaopang stopped trying to dissuade him and instead guided Lin Chuan in preparing the bath.

"It will hurt a bit, hold on."

Lin Chuan stripped off his clothes and stepped into the wooden tub without hesitation. The scalding medicinal water immediately turned his skin red, and the stinging sensation felt like a thousand needles piercing his body at once.

"Hiss—"

Lin Chuan drew a sharp breath, sweat beads the size of peas instantly popping out on his forehead.

"Operate the mental cultivation method I taught you and guide the medicinal power through your body." Xiaopang’s voice became solemn. "Remember, the pain is a sign that your body is growing stronger."

Lin Chuan gritted his teeth and began to breathe according to the technique.

With every inhale, the searing medicinal power seeped through his pores into his body; with every exhale, impurities were expelled.

Amidst the agony, Lin Chuan’s thoughts were exceptionally clear. He remembered a saying his father often repeated: "Only by enduring the bitterest of bitters can one become a person above others." As a child, he thought studying was the bitterness, but now he realized that the pain of studying was nothing at all.

"Keep going, the first wave of medicinal power is about to pass," Xiaopang encouraged.

Sure enough, about half an hour later, the sharp pain began to subside, replaced by a strange, warm sensation, as if his entire body were soaking in a hot spring. Lin Chuan could feel his muscle fibers restructuring and his bones becoming denser.

"Very good, now is the most crucial moment." Xiaopang’s voice carried a hint of nervousness. "Try to guide the medicinal power to shock your meridians."

Lin Chuan focused his mind, imagining a warm current within him traveling along a specific route. At first, there was no reaction, but gradually, he felt a faint trace of warmth beginning to move.

"I felt it!" Lin Chuan exclaimed with joy.

"Don't lose focus! Keep guiding it!"

The warm current became increasingly distinct, and finally, it completed a full cycle within Lin Chuan’s body.

In an instant, he felt every pore in his body open, and the surrounding spiritual energy rushed into him frantically.

"Hahaha!" Xiaopang laughed. "You brat, you really do have innate talent; you opened the Lesser Heavenly Circuit on your first try!"

Lin Chuan opened his eyes and found that the medicinal water in the tub had become clear—all the medicinal power had been absorbed. He stood up and was surprised to see a faint luster flowing beneath his skin. His muscles were more defined, and he seemed to have grown an inch taller.

"Did I break through?"

"Mid-stage of Body Refining level three!" Xiaopang said proudly. "At this rate, you'll be able to break through to level four within three days."

Lin Chuan dried himself, feeling the surging power within him. The homesickness remained, but it was no longer a helpless sorrow; it had transformed into the drive to become stronger.

"Xiaopang, we need to speed up our progress," Lin Chuan said suddenly. "We can't rely solely on medicinal baths for slow cultivation."

"What do you have in mind?"

"The Heavenly Fortune Pavilion." A sharp light flashed in Lin Chuan’s eyes. "Countless treasures pass through there every day. If we could find one or two things that are useful to you..."

Xiaopang’s light shook violently. "Are you crazy? In my current state, I can't even pinch an ant to death. If we are exposed..."

"I'm not asking you to act now," Lin Chuan explained. "We can gather information first, search for treasures that can restore soul power, and then act once we are fully prepared."

Xiaopang was silent for a moment. "That is a way... If I can recover even a sliver of my soul, even if I can only use one-billionth of the power I had at my peak, it would be enough to protect myself in this Heavenly Fortune City."

"It's settled then." Lin Chuan spread out paper and pen. "List what you need, and I will keep an eye out at the Heavenly Fortune Pavilion starting tomorrow."

Xiaopang began to dictate, and Lin Chuan recorded. The items on the list were strange and peculiar: Soul-Nurturing Wood, Spirit-Condensing Grass, Nether Crystals... each one was a rare and precious heavenly treasure.

"These things... will the Heavenly Fortune Pavilion have them?" Lin Chuan looked at the list, feeling skeptical.

"The branch pavilions most likely don't," Xiaopang said truthfully. "But the branches and the main pavilion share information; perhaps we can find leads."

The night grew late, but Lin Chuan felt no sleepiness. He studied the list repeatedly, planning his future actions. Xiaopang’s phantom floated to the side, adding a few words from time to time.

"Remember, safety first," Xiaopang urged repeatedly. "You are too weak right now; any slight disturbance could cost you your life."

Lin Chuan nodded and tucked the list away against his chest. Outside the window, the cyan moon had already shifted to the west, and dawn was approaching.

In the early morning, Lin Chuan was awakened by a knock on the door.

Opening it, he saw Sister-in-law Lin Yu holding a bowl of steaming porridge. "Little Brother Lin, eat something before you go to work."

Lin Chuan thanked her and took it, noticing that Brother Zhang Lin was already chopping wood in the courtyard to prepare for a meal, while Wang Tiezhu was helping fetch water.

Pan Yu’s door remained shut, clearly intending to have no interaction with them.