The evening breeze was chilly, and the sky gradually darkened. As the sun set, the last rays of light faded in and out of the horizon. Treading along the bluestone-paved road, Chen Yuan finally arrived at the Cheng Family’s house in Hundred Herbs Lane before the afterglow completely vanished. He knocked on the front door, his heart filled with apprehension.
Soon, the messy sound of two pairs of approaching footsteps could be heard. A woman’s voice then came from behind the door: "Who’s knocking? What’s the matter?" Her tone carried a hint of vigilance. After all, it was a hasty visitor at nightfall.
Chen Yuan hurriedly replied, "Aunt Juan, it’s me, Chen Yuan."
"Yuan? What brings you here?" Hearing her nephew’s voice, Aunt Juan was startled at first. She then quickly asked her husband beside her to unfasten the wooden latch and open the door. There, she saw her nephew, Chen Yuan, standing alone outside with a knapsack on his back.
"Come in, quick. Let’s sit down and talk about whatever happened..." Aunt Juan held her nephew’s hand, her heart aching for him.
"Aunt Juan, Uncle Cheng Yong," Chen Yuan greeted the two of them.
Uncle Cheng Yong was a short, sturdy, and robust man who made a living selling sesame flatbreads. Seeing his nephew visit at night, he said in a muffled voice, "Let’s go inside first."
The three of them sat in the main room. With a face full of helplessness, Chen Yuan recounted the reasons for leaving home in full detail.
A look of indignation inevitably surfaced on Aunt Juan’s face. "That Chen Dashan is so hateful! If I had known he was so fickle and heartless, I would never have let my sister marry him." Saying that, she looked at Chen Yuan with a pained expression, knowing he had not had an easy time all these years.
Cheng Yong also muttered softly, "After all, she’s not your birth mother." Though he was a man of few words, he saw some things very clearly. Impulsively cutting ties right now might actually be a good thing, even if it sparked some gossip.
"Yuan, stop thinking about the Chen Family. Since they don’t want you, I do. You can stay here with peace of mind." Huang Juan caressed the back of Chen Yuan’s hand. How could her heart not ache? This nephew was the only family her sister had left in this world.
A warm current surged through Chen Yuan’s heart, feeling his aunt’s genuine care. However, he also turned his gaze toward his uncle, seeking his opinion.
Cheng Yong gave a slight nod and asked, "Stay here for now, Yuan. Do you have any plans for the future?"
Chen Yuan deliberated for a moment before voicing his thoughts. "I’ll continue working at the docks, then find an opportunity to go to the Martial Arts Hall to have my Root Bone checked. If possible, I still want to give it a try." The reason he hadn’t gone to check his Root Bone recently was partly that he wanted to improve it a bit more, and partly because checking it at the Martial Arts Hall also cost money.
After he spoke, the atmosphere fell into a brief silence. Practicing martial arts was easy to say, but where would the money come from?
Huang Juan glanced at her husband, who had his head slightly lowered, and swallowed half the words that had reached her lips. Still, she maintained a tight grip on her nephew’s hand. "Practicing martial arts is good. It offers a way out, and I support you, Yuan. Go and get your Root Bone checked. If you have the aptitude, I’ll figure out a way to solve the money problem."
She didn’t make an absolute promise. Although her heart ached for her nephew, she still had to discuss it with her husband.
Chen Yuan nodded, knowing his aunt had already done her utmost for him. He said softly, "You don’t need to say more, Aunt Juan. I’m already endlessly grateful just to have a place to stay."
"Yuan, you want to practice martial arts?" At this moment, a voice came from the inner room. Soon after, a beautiful figure stepped out. It was Cheng Xiaoyu, who clearly had something to say.
Huang Juan glanced at her daughter and scolded, "Yu, you don’t need to concern yourself with adult matters."
"Mother, you’re forgetting that I work for the Gu Family now. I know a lot of things." Cheng Xiaoyu pursed her lips but still walked over to the table. Looking at Chen Yuan with some expectation, she revealed a piece of news: "Yuan, I heard at the Gu Family that they want to train a batch for their Nursing Home. Anyone can apply. As long as you pass the Root Bone test, you can receive their financial support. Do you want to go give it a try?"
"Yu, is that true?" Chen Yuan’s eyes lit up. The Gu Family was a prominent and well-known clan in the Outer City with abundant wealth. If they truly intended to train Martial Artists, they absolutely had the strength to do so.
Huang Juan also looked at her daughter, her tone serious. "Yu, you can’t joke about this kind of thing!"
Cheng Xiaoyu nodded earnestly. "It shouldn’t be fake. I heard from the young lady that they want to cultivate loyal Martial Artists, so they chose to sponsor people from their humble beginnings. However, I’m not sure what the specific conditions are."
Chen Yuan was already eighty percent convinced. Tempted, he decided to seize this opportunity. "Yu, do you know when the Root Bone test will take place?"
Cheng Xiaoyu thought for a moment, then stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. "It should be within these next two days. I’ll ask again tomorrow."
Chen Yuan nodded, suppressing his inner excitement. "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Yu. You’ve really done me a huge favor."
Cheng Xiaoyu chuckled. "It’s no big deal. Those Martial Artists are incredibly majestic. I also hope you can achieve success and win recognition, Yuan, so that those doing Miscellaneous Tasks will be jealous of me." As she spoke, she pulled Chen Yuan into chatting about daily family affairs.
A smile appeared on Aunt Juan’s face as she stood up. "Yu, you entertain Yuan first. I’ll go clear out a room for him." She shot Cheng Yong a look before walking toward the inner room.
Cheng Yong nodded at Chen Yuan, stood up, and followed her.
In the side room, Huang Juan carefully sorted through the clutter and cleaned the space. Cheng Yong leaned against the wall, making casual conversation with her.
"Yong, what do you think about Yuan practicing martial arts?" Huang Juan asked suddenly, then added, "Yuan is definitely not an ungrateful person."
Cheng Yong fell silent before speaking in a deep voice. "I know what kind of person Yuan is. It’s just that practicing martial arts isn’t as simple as you think. It’s like thousands of people trying to squeeze across a narrow plank. In all my years, I haven’t seen many poor kids make something of themselves."
"I want to help him regardless." Huang Juan vigorously dusted the quilt. "We don’t have a son either, and I’ve watched Yuan grow up since he was little."
Cheng Yong pondered for a moment and sighed. "This martial arts stuff... I don’t know if we’d be helping him or harming him. Let’s look at his Root Bone first." With that, he lowered his voice. "Yu’s dowry is not to be touched."
The crow’s feet at the corners of Huang Juan’s eyes instantly crinkled into a smile. She shot him an affectionate look. "Yong, I knew I picked the right man. Tonight, whatever you want..."
Cheng Yong’s sallow face instantly flushed red. "What are you saying? Yuan just got here..."
The night passed in the blink of an eye. Amidst the intermittent crowing of roosters, Chen Yuan opened his eyes. Everything was fine here. The faint, strange noises had little effect on him, and he slept very comfortably.
Out of habit, he checked his status panel again, only to discover it was different from usual.
[Low-key Points: 8]
For the past three months, it had consistently been 2 every day, rarely fluctuating. Today, however, it had directly increased by 6. Chen Yuan looked at the evaluation summary:
[The path of low-key survival is not about blind forbearance, but about improving one’s strength in the most secure way to protect oneself in chaotic times. Breaking ties with the Chen Family, which hindered the host’s growth, is an extension of this path. Low-key Points +6.]
Chen Yuan suddenly realized the truth. Laying low with the prerequisite of becoming stronger to protect oneself was the true essence of keeping a low profile! It seemed he had successfully played it safe yesterday.
He thought, "In one more day, I can improve my Root Bone again. I wonder what rating a Root Bone of 29 will get. It shouldn’t be worse than Chen Kai’s!"