I Cheated While Cultivating

“Miss Xiu’er, long time no see,” Zhou Heng said with a smile as he stepped forward, “When did you come back?”

“I’ve just entered the city not long ago and haven’t even had time to go home yet,” Yun Xiu’s smile bloomed like a flower as she approached, her eyes sparkling like they held the stars, “Where are you heading, Brother Heng?”

“To the newly established Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall,” Zhou Heng shook the several brocade pouches in his hand, took one out, and handed it to Yun Xiu, “Inside here is a ‘Golden Light Talisman’ I drew myself. It has some protective abilities. It might be of little use to you, but it can also be seen as a New Year’s gift, for good luck.”

“Thank you!” Yun Xiu accepted the pouch, thrilled, her face a good deal rosier as she laughed, “Brother Heng, every New Year’s Eve, my parents would make dumplings for me to eat, would you like to come over?”[Note]

“I definitely will, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had anything from your place,” Zhou Heng laughed and accepted the invitation; these past days, he had often been out and hadn’t had the chance to eat at Yun Xiu’s parents’ breakfast stall.

“Then I’ll wait for you at home?” Yun Xiu asked with joyful laughter, “If you don’t come, I’ll come looking for you. I should head home now.”

“Go on, go on,” Zhou Heng said with a wave and a laugh.

Watching Yun Xiu’s retreating figure and pondering the recent invitation, his gaze grew distant as he saw the landscape blanketed with silvery white snow, and his heart suddenly filled with some emotion, tinged with a bit of sadness.

He was feeling homesick.

Not for the home in this world, but for the home on Earth.

Back on Earth, Zhou Heng would book the high-speed train tickets early to return home for the New Year holidays, with his grandparents and parents waiting for him at home.

The attentive care when he first arrived home, the “watching you with displeasure” after spending some time there, complaining about the Spring Festival Gala on New Year’s Eve, and visiting relatives on the first day of the New Year…

All these experiences composed his past impressions of the “New Year.”

But now.

Everything was gone.

“Can I still go back?”

Zhou Heng murmured softly as he lifted his head to look at the sky, gazing at the stars that were starting to shine clearly, a constellation utterly different from the one on Earth.

Although the celestial map in the Purple Tenuity Palace had given him a glimmer of hope, Zhou Heng was uncertain whether he could return to Earth or whether his family would still be there if he did.

What he could do now was to grow stronger as quickly as possible and to elevate his Cultivation Realm, to enhance his power.

Only then would he have the chance to explore more places and possibly find a way back home.

“And the whereabouts of my parents in this world,” Zhou Heng whispered to himself.

His parents in this world cared for and loved him unconditionally, a sentiment that, though it might not compare to the ties on Earth, was unforgettable.

The mysterious disappearance of his parents, and possibly the entire village, seemed to be the work of a Celestial Man’s Cave Sky.

This mystery had formed a knot in his heart.

He feared that only by finding his missing parents could he truly unravel it.

“The Zhou family of Lu Yang, the sunrise wine gathering; this might just be an excellent opportunity,” Zhou Heng reaffirmed his resolve, sorted out his complicated emotions, and continued on his way to the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall.

…

With the backing of the Pure Yang Palace and Zhou Heng teaching the fundamentals of Martial Arts, and with the meticulous instruction of Lin Cang and Lei Xiuyan, as well as the genius management of Yu He, and the strong support from Wu’s side, the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall was now thriving.

It could be said to be the most sought-after martial arts institution in all of Huangtong Mansion and even within Pingzhou, and near the New Year, there were naturally many who came to offer greetings, New Year’s wishes, and gifts.

Some wished to have their children or grandchildren train in the hall, others sought business partnerships, and there were even discussions about sharing authorization from the Pure Yang Palace, among many other enquiries.

When Zhou Heng arrived, he saw a bustling scene that was indeed very lively.

Lin Cang and Lei Xiuyan and the like were not skilled in these matters.

As expected, Yu He found the handling of these affairs quite overwhelming. Even with his astonishing business talent and extraordinary operational methods, facing so many people of notable origins still left him in a frazzle.

Even Xie Chong came over to help.

By this time, Xie Chong had already been accepted into the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall. His martial arts postures were quite good, and in just over ten days, he had reached the entry level of a Ninth Grade martial arts stance.

For this, he was extremely grateful to Zhou Heng and Yu He.

So, when he saw Yu He dealing with so many people alone today, he volunteered to help.

But after all, he was a novice, and the workload he could take off Yu He’s shoulders was ultimately limited.

It was like trying to put out a blazing cart with a cup of water.

Yu He was still as busy as ever.

At that moment, Yu He’s gaze suddenly caught Zhou Heng approaching from a distance. His face lit up with joy, his eyes sparkled, and he jumped up, waving his hands.

“Zhou Heng is here, Zhou Heng is here! He’s the head of the hall, and he’s also the Junior Uncle of the Pure Yang Palace. If you want to do business, if you want authorization, find him, find him!”

Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately turned around and swarmed towards Zhou Heng like a rush of bees.

Zhou Heng, however, continued to walk forward unruffled. As the people swarmed towards him, he lightly dodged and passed directly through the crowd, arriving at the front door of the martial arts hall.

“Eh?!” Yu He was somewhat stupefied, his expression one of baffled surprise. He first looked at Zhou Heng, who was now facing the surging crowd, and then turned to the Zhou Heng in front of him, “What’s going on?”

“Immortal techniques, this must be immortal techniques!” Xie Chong’s eyes gleamed as he spoke with anticipation, “Is this also martial arts? Can martial arts be cultivated to such an extent?”

“It’s not martial arts. Let’s go inside,” Zhou Heng said with a smile, leading Yu He and Xie Chong into the martial arts hall.

Meanwhile, the crowd that had swarmed over suddenly found that the person standing in front of them was not Zhou Heng at all, but a life-sized paper man.

Such a sight left the crowd dumbfounded, but inside they were more excited than ever.

The Pure Yang Palace truly lived up to its reputation!

Indeed, it was a great sect with immense and widespread divine skills!

Ordinary martial arts could never achieve such effects, it was simply impossible.

Consequently, these people’s desire to do business with the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall and to get authorization from the Pure Yang Palace Hall did not diminish but grew much stronger.

By this time, Zhou Heng had already led Yu He and Xie Chong into the martial arts hall.

Lin Cang and Lei Xiuyan both noticed Zhou Heng’s return and came forward to greet him. The apprentices practicing martial arts and the trainers teaching also all stopped.

They all looked at Zhou Heng with respectful eyes.

“Master Lin, hall head, and Yu He, these are the protective charms I’ve prepared for you.” Zhou Heng handed over the embroidered pouches to the three with a smile, saying, “They should offer some protection.”

“Thank you very much.” Lin Cang took the pouch and then looked at Zhou Heng with a gentle sigh, “It really is quite moving. In just half a year’s time, who would have thought you would have grown into such a master.”

More than half a year ago, Zhou Heng had only just reached Perfection in a single martial arts move and was still some way off from Ninth Grade. Now, he was the sixth on the people’s list, a name that shook the world.

For Lin Cang, who had been an ordinarTrainingr of martial arts for decades, it was indeed an impact of colossal proportions, something he had never seen before.

In the next two days, Zhou Heng spent his time in the Martial Arts Hall, leisurely teaching martial arts, and chatting with Yu Yingying, who occasionally visited. It was relaxing and comfortable.

On the evening of the last day of the twelfth lunar month,

Zhou Heng arrived at Yun Xiu’s family’s doorstep and knocked on the courtyard gate.

…

Note: According to “Guangya · Shi Qin”: Dad is father and mom is mother. These titles have been in use since ancient China and are not modern inventions.