Chapter Seventeen: Fourth Level of Qi Refinement

At the stroke of five on the morning of New Year's Day, the crackling of firecrackers erupted and never ceased. Woken by the noise, Tang Wei found it impossible to fall back asleep. Hugging her two children, she slipped into her personal space.

Inside, only Little Ling was present. Zi Xuan, ever since seeing how diligently Tang Wei had been studying formations, had secluded himself in meditation, intent on rebuilding his body so he could go out and help her sooner. Hearing this, Tang Wei felt a twinge of guilt and resolved to treat him a little better once he emerged.

After bathing the children and entrusting them to Little Ling, Tang Wei immersed herself in the spiritual spring and began to meditate.

Alas, there was no more time for leisure. She was only at the first level of Qi Refinement, yet carried such a precious treasure within her. If she were overtaken by others, even mere bystanders would feel embarrassed for her, let alone herself. So, last night Tang Wei resolved to devote herself to advancing her cultivation in the coming days.

When Tang Wei left her space, it was already past eight in the morning. Seeing her children still asleep, she dressed and went downstairs.

Finding the whole family gathered, laughing and enjoying breakfast together, she walked over. “Grandma, Dad, Mom, Eldest Sister, Eldest Sister, Second Sister, Second Brother-in-law, Happy New Year! May everything go your way, may you prosper! Now, hand over your red envelopes!” she said with a cheeky grin, hand outstretched.

Her eldest sister, Tang Feng, teased, “You already have kids and still want a red envelope? Aren’t you shameless! Niuniu, Miaomiao, Yuya, come wish your aunt a happy new year! Your aunt is handing out red envelopes!”

The three little ones, having collected red envelopes all morning, rushed over at the mention of more, each vying to greet her first. After handing out the envelopes she had prepared, Tang Wei turned back to Tang Feng, feigning indignation. “Sister, don’t be so stingy! You made so much money last year, and now you can’t even spare a red envelope? That won’t do—I’ll have to snatch it myself!” She made as if to pounce.

Her second sister, Tang Jing, smacked her playfully. “Aren’t you too old to still be thinking about red envelopes? This year, our envelopes are only for the nieces and nephews!”

Tang Jun, their younger brother, reached out his hand. “Sister, may you be prosperous! Hand over your red envelope! I’m single, you know—all the others have already given me one, only yours is missing. Make it a big one, don’t try to pass me off with the same as the little ones.”

Tang Wei slapped his hand away, laughing as she said to Tang Feng, “See? He’s even more shameless than me—he not only wants a red envelope, but insists it has to be a big one! I’m nothing compared to him!”

“Our little brother is the youngest, and you’re the most generous in the family. If your red envelope is too small, I’d be embarrassed for you,” Tang Feng replied, as if it were only natural.

Now with an ally, Tang Jun grew even more brazen. “See, Sis? I’m in the right! There’s no point resisting—just give in!”

Their mother watched their antics with a smile. Tang Wei ran to her, clutching her waist. “Mom! Look, they’re all bullying me and you’re not even helping!”

Her mother quickly pried her hands off and dodged aside, laughing. “Carry on, all of you! I’m just here for the show.” The family burst out laughing once more.

After the commotion, their father led a group up the mountain to offer New Year’s greetings to their ancestors. With nothing else to do, Tang Wei went to help her mother stoke the fire and prepare sweet rice wine eggs for the returning guests. No sooner had she lit the fire than her grandmother shooed her away, saying the children might wake up with no one to look after them. Tang Wei had no choice but to return upstairs to tend to her children.

After lunch, Tang Feng and Tang Jing took their families home, not returning until the morning of the fifth day of the New Year.

Those days were bustling with activity, with visitors arriving one after another to pay their respects. After all, Tang Wei’s grandmother was now the oldest and most senior person in the village—no matter who came, they first had to greet her.

Meanwhile, Tang Wei was anything but idle. Every night, she dedicated herself to cultivation for the sake of her family. With Little Ling’s help, she could guide others in drawing spiritual energy into their bodies, making it easier for them to sense it. For five nights she worked tirelessly, finally advancing from the first to the third level of Qi Refinement.

Her room was not suitable for setting up formations, so Tang Wei chose a spot on the back hill for better absorption of the surrounding energies.

The weather was bitterly cold, the ground still covered in snow. Fearing more would fall overnight, she quickly built a simple shelter, swept the snow clear, and laid down wooden planks.

By the time the formation was set up, night had fallen. To keep everyone warm, Tang Wei placed several fire spirit stones nearby, which radiated a comforting heat.

Her eldest sister started first, while the others were instructed to calm their minds and sense the spiritual energy around them. Tang Wei sat behind Tang Feng, pressing her hands to her sister’s back, and used her own spiritual energy to circulate within Tang Feng’s body, helping her sense and grow familiar with it. When Tang Wei was nearly depleted, she withdrew and sat aside to recover.

Once Tang Feng had grown accustomed to the feeling, she began to try drawing energy in from the outside. When Tang Wei’s energy was restored, she guided her sister’s cultivation once more.

It was not until the next morning that Tang Feng finally sensed a thread of warmth in her dantian. Tang Wei then instructed her to guide this warmth through the meridians as outlined in her own cultivation method, recounting her personal experience for reference before sitting aside to recover her energy.

Throughout the night, Tang Wei not only felt exhausted, but also discovered a powerful new method: each time her spiritual energy was depleted and then restored, it flowed more rapidly than before. After several trials, the result was the same.

Tang Wei realized that if she continued cultivating this way, she would progress twice as quickly as before.

The next morning, Tang Jun and the others joined them after breakfast. Having failed to persist through the previous night, they had all retired to bed in the small hours. Now, seeing Tang Feng and Tang Wei—who had meditated all night—looking even more energetic than themselves, they found it astonishing.

Tang Wei understood; without having drawn spiritual energy into the body, one could not persist in meditation. She was sympathetic.

So she decided to guide them one by one. Once they succeeded in drawing energy into their bodies, whether they continued to meditate would be up to them.

For now, she needed breakfast before starting again. Her own level was so low—if only she reached Foundation Establishment, she could guide several people in a single night.

She decided that her laziness was to blame, and resolved to devote more time to her cultivation from now on.

It was not until the thirteenth day of the New Year that Tang Wei finished helping her family, and she herself advanced to the fourth level of Qi Refinement, soon to reach the fifth. The exhaustion felt worthwhile.

Next, she decided to give herself two days off—she was simply too tired and needed to relax. Her previous resolution to work hard was all but forgotten.

Back in her room, she scooped up her two precious children and showered them with kisses, one after the other. She had barely had time for them these past days and missed them dearly. Only then did she realize that her life was now inseparable from these two little ones.